by R. E. Butler
Bell snorted. “I definitely deserve it.”
“You’re certain you and she are mates?”
“Yes.”
“Well, she might be furious at me, but I think I’m going to tell you where she is, even though I’m going to be fired for this.”
“I didn’t know, honestly. If I’d known she wasn’t who she said she was, I wouldn’t have gone to Cella, I’d have kept it quiet.”
Selma nodded. “Her name is Kelly. She’s works at a bookstore called Lady M’s Books and she’s there tonight until close, which might be another hour or so. You can probably catch her there. If not, you can come to our apartment.” She rattled off the address of the store and their apartment, and Bell entered them into his phone. “Just be good to her, okay? If you’re an asshole, she’s never going to forgive me.”
“I swear. Nothing is more important to me than her happiness.”
Cella and Cyrus came back. “I’m fired, right?” Selma asked.
“Actually, my beloved pointed out to me that you revealed a flaw in our check-in process, and it’s made both of us wonder if this has happened in the past.”
“I swear it was the first time for me,” Selma said.
“I believe you,” Cella said. “And I’m actually grateful it happened. Not just because Bellamin found his mate, but because we can now revamp our check-in process.”
“So I’m not fired?” Selma’s voice went high with hope.
“Not at the moment, no. But we’re going to have a chat in my office about your work ethic.”
Selma’s head dropped and she nodded meekly. “Thanks for not firing me. I promise I’ll do better.”
Denny piped up. “What should I do?”
“Has everyone checked in that was supposed to be on tonight?” Cyrus asked.
“Yep,” he answered.
“Then we’re going to do nothing tonight, but we’ll implement some changes to the process for tomorrow night, we just need to clear it with Brone and Mishka,” Cella said.
“If you’re done with me?” Bellamin asked, gesturing to the door.
“You can go,” Cella said. “Thanks for finding your mate and exposing a security risk.”
“My pleasure.”
“Hey!” Cyrus called as Bell turned to leave. “You can’t go alone, remember?”
“Ah, shit.” Mishka had a rule that no coven members could go places away from the club and apartment complex alone. Dylan was working, so he couldn’t ask him to tag along.
“Lemme call and see who’s available. I’ll send them down to the garage.”
“Thanks.”
Bell left the check-in room and headed to the garage to wait for his ride. He would have honestly just run to the bookstore; he was so anxious to get to Kelly.
He let out a relieved breath.
Kelly. His beloved’s name was Kelly.
* * *
“Well holy crap,” Margot said with a chuckle. “I take it that’s your vampire?”
Kelly nodded; her mouth suddenly dry. He’d done it. He’d found out her real name and where she worked and had come to see her.
“Go let him in, dear.” Margot gave her a gentle push and Kelly walked out into the main room. Just as she’d fantasized, Bellamin was standing outside the bookstore in jeans and a white button-down shirt, with an enormous bouquet of roses in one hand. He looked as amazing as she remembered, right down to the fangs that peeked from his parted lips as he watched her through the glass door.
She glanced down at herself and the colorful patchwork skirt she’d put on that afternoon, along with the jade sweater that brought out the hints of green in the skirt’s fabric. She regretted not dressing sexier. Not that she’d expected him to find her.
Stopping a few feet from the door, she met his gaze. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk. I need to tell you some things. Please let me in.”
She reached for the door but paused before turning the deadbolt. “You hurt my feelings. I just... want you to know that.”
“I’m sorry.”
Twisting the lock, she pulled the door open, stepped aside and let him in, closing and locking it behind him.
“We can sit over there,” she said, pointing to the seating area.
He gave her the roses, which were different shades of pink and smelled amazing, and then he sat across from her in one of the plush chairs.
“I’m two hundred years old. I’ve always had a rather low opinion of paid food, and it’s not that I think there’s something wrong with someone who wants to do that, just that I never wanted to be mated to a person who’d fed a bunch of random vampires. It’s one thing to open a vein out of an act of kindness, it’s another to take cash for it.”
“It’s a good paying job. And it’s legal. Not like prostitution, you know.”
“I know. Until I was confronted tonight with my prejudice, I never thought anything about classifying food that way. It doesn’t matter if there are other vampires who feel like I do, which is a holdover from the old ways. It used to be that if you had to pay a human to give you blood, you weren’t much of a vampire. It wasn’t well thought of, and I never changed my mind. Until you. But I have to ask, Kelly, how did you even know that I felt that way?”
She set the flowers on the coffee table and sat back in the chair, crossing her arms. “You were asleep, but I couldn’t rest because I kept thinking about... well, let’s just say I couldn’t turn my brain off. I told you that I wanted to tell you something and tried to wake you. You told me you hated that I was paid food, that I was a blood whore. I was just ruined by your words, so I left.”
He sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair, tousling the strands. It was unfair that he looked positively scrumptious.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was talking in my sleep. I’m not denying that what I said was how I felt before I met you. But once we got to know each other, even though it was just a short time, I knew that whatever your past was, it didn’t matter. I only care about us going forward, and the road you were on brought you to me and I’d be a fool to hold my prejudices against you. Particularly when you weren’t actually paid food.”
She opened her mouth and then closed it when she couldn’t think of what to say. He obviously knew she wasn’t Selma, which meant that her sister had spilled the beans.
Bellamin leaned over and put a hand on her knee. “When I woke up and you were gone, I was frantic. I couldn’t leave until sunset, and Cella wouldn’t tell me Selma’s contact information. She did tell me that she was working tonight, so I waited in the check-in room, and I was so pissed when I saw it wasn’t you. She eventually told the truth of the ruse to keep her job. Then she told me where to find you.”
“Did she lose her job?”
“No. Cella and her beloved said it was a good thing it happened, because it showed a flaw in the check-in system. So while Cella said she’d have a conversation with her about her work ethic, Selma didn’t lose her job.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Kelly blew out a breath. “I shouldn’t have left. I should have really woken you up and talked to you about what you said.”
“That would have been awesome. But more to the point, I shouldn’t have those kinds of crappy attitudes anyway. Once I realized you were my beloved, I was incensed with the idea that anyone had fed from you. Not because I thought less of you for doing it, necessarily, so much as I was tempted to hunt those males down and kill them for touching you.”
“Why?”
He ran a hand through his dark hair with a frustrated grunt. “It’s a possessive thing with vampires. No male wants his female to feed anyone else. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Something about him thinking of her as “his” female made a thrill race through her, but she tamped it down. Just because he was sexy didn’t mean she was just going to automatically forgive him.
“I’m not sure I understand why you believe I’m your mate. We just met.”
&nbs
p; “It’s not just that you’re my mate, it’s that you’re my beloved.”
“What’s the difference?”
“A beloved is that one right person on the planet for a vampire. It’s a special kind of mate. Most supernatural creatures believe in a truemate, but they might choose another person as a mate if they can’t find their truemate. I felt you when I walked into the club. I saw you in the dark corner even though no one else noticed.” He reached for her hand and she let him take it, her skin goose bumping when their fingers linked. “And I’ve felt like only half a male since you left.”
Kelly inhaled slowly, giving herself a few moments to think. She’d been so upset when she drove home, but as angry as she was by what she’d heard, she’d still felt entirely obsessed with him. Despite the issue with the mystery book and her being the Key Keeper for some ancient treasure, he’d been on her mind ever since she walked away from him while he slept.
“I’m not saying that I understand this whole beloved thing.” Kelly rubbed her forehead. “But I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either. I was hoping you’d figure out where I was and come talk to me.”
“You could have come to see me again at the club or the apartment.”
“I didn’t want to go back there.”
“If you were so scared to be in the club, why did you agree to fill in for your sister?”
“She was hungover, and she was one missed shift away from losing the job. I guess she likes it. I didn’t understand the appeal.”
“When I was turned, vampires weren’t known to humans, so they had to compel humans in order to feed. When our people came out into the public eye, a lot of covens set up donation centers and offered money to humans who would donate their blood. Some covens, like Mishka’s, wanted to offer a whole experience with the club. It’s a safe place for vampires to gather, and because food are employees of the coven and provide a basic need, we don’t have to go hunting for blood on our own.”
“Do you still hate food?”
“I can’t hate something I need to keep existing on this planet. My opinion about food was antiquated.”
“Barbaric.”
He snorted. “Definitely. I never meant for any human to ever hear me speak like that, and I’m sorry that what I said when I was half-asleep caused you hurt. It kills me that I made you cry.”
She smiled and gave his hand a tentative squeeze.
He returned the smile, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners. “Also, I wanted to point out that I haven’t mentioned even once how you lied to my face from the beginning and I’m not planning on it.”
“Oh you’re not?” she asked with a chuckle.
“Nope. That would be super tacky.”
“Yeah, it would be. I was wondering how I was going to explain things to you. I was worried you’d be angry with me and get Selma fired.”
“For the record, I wouldn’t have told anyone. It’s not my secret to tell. I would definitely have suggested your sister take her job more seriously.”
“I’ve had that same conversation with her.”
Margot cleared her throat, and Kelly looked at where she stood by the front door. “My dear, do you want to lock up? It’s getting late and my old bones are weary.”
“I’m sorry, of course.”
Bellamin stood and introduced himself.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Margot said.
He looked down at Kelly. “Would you like to come to my apartment so we can talk?”
“You could come to my place.”
“Is it light tight?” He lifted his wrist and looked at his watch. “Because otherwise I’ll have to be gone before sunrise. Which I guess is a little presumptuous of me to assume you want to spend that much time with me. Even if I am super charming and not throwing your lies in your face.”
She didn’t want to laugh, but she couldn’t help it. “Damn it, I’m still kind of mad at you. Don’t be adorable.”
“It’s in my DNA.” He popped his collar and gave her a rakish grin.
“Let’s go,” Kelly said, picking up the flowers and taking his hand again. “Your place is fine.”
“My ride’s out front,” he said.
“Think you’ll be taking off tomorrow?” Margot asked, her eyes twinkling.
“If you don’t mind?”
“Oh please,” she pshawed. “Enjoy yourself. I’ll see you on Thursday.”
Bellamin unlocked the door and held it open for her. They waited until Margot had locked up, and then he led Kelly to an SUV idling at the curb. Kelly said goodnight to her friend. To her surprise, Bellamin opened the back door. She ducked her head and startled when she saw a man behind the wheel and another in the front seat.
“Hey,” the driver said. The passenger gave a chin jut.
“H-Hey,” she answered as she scooted to the other side of the bench.
Bellamin sat next to her and shut the door. He pointed to the driver first. “This is Traz and that is Temple. They’re part of the coven. This is Kelly.”
“Nice to meet you. Where are we going?” Traz asked.
“The apartment complex,” Bellamin answered.
“No problem.”
Kelly looked at Bell with a raised brow. He smiled at her and said, “Our coven has a rule that our people don’t go anywhere away from the club or apartments alone.”
“Why?”
“Have you ever heard of The First Church of Humanity?”
She rolled her eyes in thought, her mind flitting to headlines she’d seen over the last few months on her phone’s news app. “They’re the vampire hating guys, right?”
He nodded. “Some of our coven members shut down their Cleveland group a little while ago, and they always retaliate in a big way after we do some damage to their ranks.”
“Why don’t they like you guys?”
“Who the hell knows? The leader of the church has been after our kind for years, and he’s not above harming innocents to hurt us.”
“Innocents?”
“Club-goers, paid food like your sister, shifters and humans who work for us.”
“Selma never mentioned a hate group after vampires. Not that she ever talked too much to me about what she did for your kind.”
“There are a lot of misconceptions about us out there. If you have any questions, you can ask me anything. I’m an open book.”
Before she could think of anything to ask, the SUV stopped at the curb in front of Bellamin’s apartment complex. “Thanks for coming along,” Bellamin said to Traz and Temple as he opened the door and got out. He held out his hand to Kelly and she scooted across the seat and took it.
“Anytime,” Temple said. “Nice to meet you, Kelly.”
“Thanks, you too.”
Bellamin shut the door and they turned and walked to the double doors of the building where he entered a code and unlocked the door, then held it open for her. He led her to one of the elevators and pressed the up button after he entered a code to unlock it.
“Where did you live before you moved into this apartment?”
The doors slid open silently and they walked into the cab. Once he’d pressed the floor button and entered a code, he said, “I first lived in the club. There’s a big room with small cubicles, just large enough for a bed and dresser and not much else.”
“Sounds like you didn’t have much privacy in the cubicles,” she said.
“Hardly any at all. But it was rent-free and offered the security of living within the club, so I didn’t mind. It wouldn’t be a great place to live if you were mated because of the lack of privacy, though,” he said as they exited the elevator and walked down the hall. He stopped in front of his apartment door and unlocked it. She walked in and blinked when he turned on the overhead light.
He gestured to the couch and she sat, placing the flowers on the coffee table. He joined her. “Thank you for giving me a chance to talk tonight.”
“I’m glad you came looking for me. I just wish tha
t things hadn’t gone so sideways when we met.”
“I take full responsibility.”
“I should have talked to you instead of running away.”
“However we got to this place, I’m just glad that we cleared things up. I’m sorry I ever made you feel bad and led you to believe I thought less of you.”
“You already apologized.”
“You didn’t forgive me, though.”
“Oh. Well, I do forgive you. If you forgive me for lying about who I really was.”
“Already forgiven and forgotten.”
She stared at him in silence for a moment, taking in everything, from his dark eyes to his broad shoulders. She hadn’t realized how much she’d ached for him until he showed up. He’d been at the club looking to feed, and he’d found her instead. But he hadn’t fed from her, even though he’d had plenty of opportunities. Suddenly nothing appealed to her more than his fangs in her neck.
“Bell?”
“What, sweetheart?”
“I wanted to ask you about being beloveds. You’ve been alive for a lot longer than I have.”
“Yes. And?”
“So you were waiting for me all that time? Hundreds of years?”
He nodded. “It’s what my people believe. If we were truemates, I’d feel the same way, but I believe we’re beloveds. I think our connection is stronger than the average truemating, and that means when we officially mate, that I’ll get to share my immortality with you without you becoming a vampire.”
Her brows rose. “You won’t have to turn me?”
“Not if we’re beloveds. The best-case scenario is that we are beloveds and I get to call you mine forever without having to turn you and take you away from the sunshine. But even if we’re simply truemates, I’ll turn you so you can live forever too.”
She shivered internally, thinking about her whole life being entirely different as a vampire. He went on to explain that beloveds were tied together forever, that if something happened to him, she’d die as well, and vice versa. While truemates didn’t have quite that serious of an attachment, he wouldn’t care which they were as long as they were together.
“Vampires, particularly males, are super protective of their mates. I swear I’ll be extra-strength crazy careful of your safety,” he promised.