by CoraLee June
The men smiled at my statement and leaned back in their seats. I knew how to work a room. I knew how to do my job better than anyone. “It actually made me think about some books I’ve read recently. I emailed you a list of sci-fi romance writers and some of their bestselling novels. They have millions of women that devour their stories. There’s fan groups. Signings. Intense social media followings.”
As I spoke, the men in the room pulled out their tablets, phones, and laptop computers. Lacey, who was standing in the back of the room with her arms crossed over her chest, smiled. She knew where I was going with this. I was her prized protégé. “Our company already has an established relationship with some of these romance writers and readers. I think we could use these books to target women that would be interested in the sort of fantasy you offer. You could even release new products based on the world building of each author.”
“Brilliant,” the bald man said. “Established market. We could even cut the authors a small royalty deal so they’ll market it for us.”
“Exactly,” I replied with a grin.
My stomach rumbled, and I bent over, grabbing it in pain. Everyone in the room gave me a look laced with half fear and half pity. “Sorry. Still not feeling quite myself,” I whispered. A throbbing pulse shocked my senses. My teeth were sharp and begging to sink into something. I had to get out of here.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” I called over my shoulder as I ran out of the room. I hoped they all thought I had diarrhea, at least then nobody would ask questions. Nobody wanted to hear or talk about diarrhea. They might even praise my excellent work ethic for still coming in while needing to liquidate my assets. I quickly made my way to the bathroom.
Fortunately, the bathroom and all its stalls were empty. Slamming the door shut and twisting the lock, I walked over to the double sink and turned on the cold tap. As I was running my hands under the faucet to splash some of the water on my face, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize my reflection. I was on the hot mess express.
My skin was pale, without even a trace of a flush in my cheeks. My eyes were hollow with dark circles that even the best concealer couldn’t have covered. I splashed some of the cool water onto my face and ran my fingers through my dull, limp hair. I could have sworn I looked better, healthier, before I left the suite this morning. At least the intense hunger had passed.
I took a deep breath and said a quick prayer to whatever god watched over the vampires to help me get through the rest of this meeting. I unlocked the bathroom door and walked into the boardroom, a big fat, fake confident smile plastered on my face.
“Oh honey, you look terrible,” the bald man with a mustache said. I cringed internally at the word honey and thought about how bad it would really be if I just took a little nibble out of his jugular. “You should go home. We appreciate your efforts and believe that you are the perfect fit to sell our line. We’re excited to let Hard Nights take the reins on this growing market. We can continue once you are feeling better.”
Sweet, sweet man. I can’t believe I was thinking about eating him. I looked over to Lacey, and she nodded. “Thank you all for your understanding, I look forward to working with all of you to make this launch out of this world!”
I grabbed my stomach for dramatic effect and left the room. Once I was on the other side of the meeting, a wave of exhaustion swept over me. Pretending that I wasn’t a brand-new member of the undead and giving a killer pitch that secured a product line really took a lot out of me.
Making my way to the elevator, I leaned against the wall as it carried me down toward the lobby. My body desperately craved sleep. Walking out of the building into bright sunshine, my only thoughts were about making it back so that I could sleep.
But back where? This was my opportunity to go home. Although, after this morning, I wasn’t sure that it felt right. My body was weak, and although I handled my first outing as a vampire well, I needed more time to understand what the fuck was happening to me. Luckily, I didn’t have to make that decision, because Diego’s strong arms caught me as I collapsed from exhaustion.
“Foolish fledgling,” he growled while manhandling me. “Did you kill anyone while you were here?”
I was still coherent enough to be offended. I squinted my eyes. “What kind of person do you take me for? I’m not going to go on a killing spree.”
Pedestrians walked by, but none of them seemed fazed by my weakness or Diego’s army of men surrounding us. “It wouldn’t be the first time. Or the last,” he replied before hauling me over his shoulder. I weakly slapped his back with my palm, but I doubt he even felt it. When I looked up, I noticed Rocky scowling at me. Yeah, he was pissed.
“Hey, Rocky,” I croaked as my head rolled to the side. “It’s a nice day, huh?”
“Don’t talk to him,” Diego snapped. “Rocky has earned himself babysitting duty for the next century. And you know what? I can’t even blame him for letting you go. It was you who pulled rank and put our entire community at risk. It was you who was traipsing around the city while I was trying to convince the council that changing you wasn’t the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. And it was you who risked your own safety for some ridiculous job selling dildos. Did you read the pamphlet at all?”
Under normal circumstances, I would have been embarrassed and slightly ashamed, but I was so fucking tired. So fucking weak. “Yeah,” I replied lamely.
“I doubt that. ’Cause if you had read it, you would know that new fledglings must eat hourly for the first few days. If you don’t, you’ll pass out. Your body needs fuel for the change.”
I moaned. Yeah. Food sounded nice. Diego carried me over to a black limousine with black tinted windows. He gingerly lowered me down in one of the seats in the back. Even though I knew he was furious with me, he was still gentle. The cool black leather felt good on my skin. I made a mental note to be impressed later when I didn’t feel like death. Or undeath.
Diego got into the seat alone. He came in through the other side of the limo, and slid over so he was right next to me. I guess his entourage wasn’t coming with us. I briefly wondered if they were walking back or if they could turn into bats and fly. I really should have read the pamphlet more thoroughly.
Diego told the driver to wait a minute as he started rolling up his sleeve, stopping when it was just past his elbow. I could see the vein in the crook of his elbow pulse and hear the flow of blood streaming through. The smell of Diego’s blood mixed with his sandalwood cologne was intoxicating.
“Drink,” Diego commanded.
I was too weak to move, even to feed myself. When I didn’t move toward him, Diego brought his exposed forearm up to my mouth and used his other hand to tenderly tilt my head forward. I could feel the sharpness of my canines protruding from my gums, ready to feed. My teeth met no resistance from the skin below them, sinking them deep into the vein, and I drank.
Diego
This new fledgling was an idiot.
What kind of person finds out that they’re now a member of an ancient supernatural race and their first instinct is to rush off to work the next morning? Any normal person would have taken the week off or called in sick. Not this girl. She risked everyone’s lives, including her own, by running off to sell...dildos? Didn’t she know that risking exposure to our race is punishable by death?
“I’m sorry, your majesty,” Rocky mumbled while bowing his head. I couldn’t even truly blame him, though this was partly his fault. Our society thrived on titles and ranks. It brought order to a normally predatory dynamic.
“You do realize I’m now assigning you to watch over her for all eternity now, right?” I asked before reaching out to stroke the cheek of the fledgling in question. “I’m also granting you general status.”
Rocky blanched. He wasn’t expecting a promotion, but I couldn’t have a fledgling as careless as Drew pulling rank on my right-hand man. “General, your majesty?” he asked, blinking twice.
“Gen
eral,” I replied, deadpan. “Don’t get too excited. It’s a fancy term for babysitter.”
It was one of the highest honors you could receive as a guard. I bet Rocky would happily watch Drew take a shit every day for the rest of her life simply because the perks of a general outweighed the tediousness of his new job.
“I’m grateful for your kindness, King Diego, but if I may…”
“Spit it out.” I continued to stroke Drew’s cheek.
“She’s a member of court, but most fledglings don’t require a full-time security detail. And they don’t live very long if they continue to sneak out. Why her?”
She mumbled in her sleep, something about paranormal peens, and I made a mental note to look it up. I didn’t know how to answer his question. How could I explain my strange obsession with this new fledgling?
I knew the easy answer was that I felt responsible for her. I put my neck on the line to keep her alive. Everything she did was a direct reflection of my judgment. There were members of the council waiting for me to fail…
But why even risk it with her? New fledglings were a drain on our society. They required therapy, education, allowances. We had to completely reconstruct their psyche and invest in their successful transformation. Countless hours had to be logged for their training and the compulsion of their friends and family. Not to mention, they drank more blood in their first year than most vampires drank in half a decade. A new fledgling cost our kingdom one million dollars in their first year. It’s part of the reason why there was such prejudice against vampires who were created, not natural born. I ruled as a fiscally conservative king. I didn’t accept new fledglings unless they could pay—with interest—the first year of their change.
So why did I fight for Drew?
“You will receive all the perks of your promotion, Rocky. But let’s keep this new job title of yours a secret until Drew has leveled out a little bit.”
His eyes widened. He knew this was unconventional. “Yes, sir.”
“Your discretion, as always, will be rewarded.”
Drew moaned. I found myself easing her into my lap and holding her close. She was so warm, despite her newly undead status. It was like she kept sunshine in her veins. Her skin was so fucking creamy. My fangs ached at the thought of tasting her. I couldn’t help but feel like I was thinking with my dick.
These were foreign feelings for me. Normally I was completely in control. Of myself, my cock, and the situations I found myself in. But ever since I first saw Drew at Bites, it’s felt like I’ve been spiraling. I couldn’t get a handle on whatever was driving me to her. I was going to have to figure out a way to restrain myself and make Drew take this seriously. I couldn’t keep allowing her to jeopardize our coven and our very existence.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, it was clear that I couldn’t handle her on my own. Taking her to the penthouse above Bites Bar wasn’t going to be an option. Too many humans and blood and temptations. On the other hand, taking her to the compound meant that the entire coven would know I changed her instead of killing her. They might think I was getting soft. It wasn’t ideal, but it really was my only option. It’s not like I could hide her forever.
“Sir, where to?” the driver asked, looking at me in the rearview mirror. He would usually have waited until I gave him further instructions, but we had been sitting outside of Drew’s office building long enough that the meter was about to expire.
“The compound, please,” I replied. The driver pulled into the flow of traffic and started the drive to our haven just outside the city limits.
Going through the initiation process at the compound would force Drew to learn about the coven, who we are as a society, and most importantly, that she would always be guarded. Fledglings going through initiation were confined to one floor of the compound unless they were escorted elsewhere by appropriately ranking vampires.
“Rocky, get Claire on the phone. I need to talk to her,” I sighed. Claire had been on the council for centuries, and I felt like she was my best option for getting in front of this.
“On it,” he replied quickly.
Rocky had Claire on the phone within seconds. “Diego, to what do I owe the pleasure?” she purred.
“My new fledgling tried going to work,” I growled. “To work! She was officially changed yesterday. What the hell kind of person goes to work the day after they find out they’re a vampire?”
I stroked her cheek again.
“It’s been about a century since I studied under Sigmund Freud, but I remember my psychology training well,” Claire teased. She was one of the older vampires in our community and could easily reference scholars throughout history.
“Oh?” I replied, playing along.
“What’s her name? I’ll pull her file.” Claire rubbed elbows with some of the city’s most important people. As a result, she got access to information she probably shouldn’t have.
“Drew Lane. Lives on Sunshine Avenue.”
“Here she is,” Claire said after a moment of typing. “I’m looking at it now. Did you know she was in foster care for six years? She worked her way through college. Stayed busy with three jobs and has a master’s degree in marketing.”
I let out a long sigh, suddenly feeling sorry for Drew. The human foster system was a joke. “She copes with trauma by keeping busy. She was a bit of a rebellious teen. Got arrested a couple times—nothing major.” Shit. We had a strict no criminals policy. “She worked through it, though. All her notes say that she’s the class clown, constantly using humor to compensate.”
Most of our vampires went through comprehensive psychoanalysis. Healthy coping mechanisms were necessary to survive the change. “Claire?”
“Yes, your majesty?”
“Can you make sure no one finds her file? Or at least clean up the less than favorable bits.”
Silence greeted me. It wasn’t common that I made allowances for anyone. “Of course. Consider it done.”
“Great.”
I hung up the phone and took a deep breath.
“Sir. The council voted on Betty Wright,” Rocky said while scrolling through his phone.
“When is her execution?” I asked, my mind preoccupied.
“There isn’t one…”
Fuck. The council meeting. I was pulled away from it to go chasing after Drew. At least I managed to get them to allow Drew to live on a probationary period. Seems they kept the meeting going after I was gone. It wasn’t unheard of, but I didn’t like it when the council made decisions without me. “What do you mean? She’s an elderly vampire illegally changed. She has dementia. There is no way they’re letting her live.”
“Would you like me to schedule a hearing to overthrow their ruling?” Rocky asked. I looked out the window while mulling over my options.
“Who petitioned for Betty Wright’s life?”
Rocky scrolled through his tablet. “It appears Graham pushed hard for her. They decided to vote on it since you weren’t available. The bylaws allowed—”
“I know what the bylaws state,” I snapped. “Don’t schedule another hearing. Let Graham play his games. I’m sure this is another way for him to undermine me. When this new fledgling goes on a killing spree, everyone will remember that it was Graham who voted to keep her alive.”
Rocky nodded. “Of course, your majesty.” He went to put away his tablet, but I stopped him.
“Push up the hearing for Lawrence Wright, the grandson. I want Betty to be in attendance.”
Rocky’s eyes widened. “Will do.”
We spent the remainder of the ride in silence, Rocky tapping away on his tablet, presumably doing exactly what I just asked him to do, and Drew sleeping on my lap. I was irritated that Graham would pull a stupid stunt like that; he was getting bolder in his actions and needed to be put in his place.
A few minutes later, we pulled up to an impressive high-rise that towered over the other buildings in the area. The entire structure was made of sleek black glas
s that glinted in the sunlight. The dark tint filtered out the sun’s rays, keeping the inside bright but not irritating our skin. The compound was set back from the main street and was big enough that it took up an entire city block.
There were protective elements to discourage human interest, the average human would look at the building and see a run-down, abandoned hotel with the windows boarded and covered in graffiti. We ran a tight ship and hadn’t had any security issues, either with fledglings getting out or humans getting in.
I loved the compound and kept an apartment here. Most of the council offices were here, seasoned vampires also had the option of taking an apartment here, and the weekly coven dinners were all here. So it made everything easier to be on site.
“Do you need any assistance, sir?” the driver asked, motioning to Drew.
“No, thank you. I’ve got her.”
Drew
Diego clutched me to his chest while carrying me inside a skyscraper that I had never seen before. If I were being honest with myself, I could have walked, but I wasn’t feeling it. I felt like a toddler pretending to sleep so my parents could carry me inside. I breathed in his scent and licked my lips. His strong arms wrapped around my body made me feel safe. Even if I wasn’t fond of the asshole, I had to admit he was a sexy dude. He might be a total dick and slightly insane, but unless I wanted to rely on a pamphlet that looked like it was made in the eighties, I needed his help.
“You done pretending to sleep?” he asked once we arrived at a set of elevators.
“I kind of like being carried, so no. I’m absolutely asleep,” I replied before pressing my nose against his shirt and inhaling like a psychopath. “Why do you smell so good? Why haven’t I tried killing you and going to the police yet?”
He shifted, his hand landing on my ass as he carried me. I about melted in his palm. Holy hell, what was wrong with me?
“You’re going to feel uncharacteristically attached to me,” Diego answered before gripping me harder. I looked up at him in confusion as the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. Rocky went to follow us, but Diego stopped him. “Take the next elevator.”