“I didn’t know about that!” Roric interrupted, his voice high-pitched and whiny like a five-year-old’s.
“I get that, but you didn’t call her last night, or today, and you didn’t answer when she called you. You could’ve at least texted her. If you’re trying to push her away, you’re doing a good job of it. If you want her to trust you, you gotta be there for her when she needs you.” Taven couldn’t believe he’d just said all that. He sounded like Dr. Phil, or something.
Roric growled. “I’m not into Raven. She has nothing to be jealous of. I didn’t call her last night because I didn’t intend to be so late, time just got away from me. And when I got home, it was so late, I figured she’d be asleep. I didn’t want to wake her. And I didn’t want to text her because I thought we needed to have a real conversation after what you told me. Then Dad called, telling me I had 30 minutes to get my ass to the Agency for a news conference. And as soon as it was over, we got a call about a suspicious vamp. I was chasing him down when she called.”
Taven toyed with the keys dangling from the ignition, bored with his brother’s excuses, until the last line caught his attention. He wanted to switch gears and ask Roric about it, but he resisted. He could count on one hand, maybe on one finger, the number of times his brother had come to him for advice. It felt good to be the level-headed one, for once.
“I’m sure you had your reasons. You don’t need to explain them to me. But did you explain them to her?”
“No, I was too angry to even think straight. Plus, that jack-off she turned was there. She insisted on taking him to the clinic herself. I knew I was going to lose it if I didn’t get out of there, so I just let it go. She’d already let him suck from her, what difference would it make if she went with him to the clinic?”
Taven couldn’t hold back his chuckle, even though he knew it would only make Roric madder. “You mean you didn’t already lose it?”
“I… I could’ve handled it better,” Roric mumbled.
“Did you try to kill the guy when you found out?” Roric didn’t lose it too often, but he could be lethal when he wanted to.
“No, but only because she got between us.”
Taven grinned, imagining Caroline holding back a raging Roric. “How’d she act towards you?”
Roric swallowed loudly. “She was cold, distant. She’s probably still mad at me.”
“Are you still mad at her?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you better get over it and let her know she’s your top priority. Assuming she still is.”
The advice worked for both of them, and Taven realized he hadn’t been putting Ivy first, either. He had firsthand knowledge of how dangerous that could be for a relationship. Painful memories of his last relationship streaked through his mind, reminding him why he hadn’t wanted to ever get serious with anyone again.
But he’d crossed that line when he turned Ivy in a moment of passion. She thought that meant he wanted something more than the casual relationship they had. He still wasn’t ready to commit to her, but he felt responsible for her. And he had to make sure she didn’t get angry enough to turn him in for breaking the law.
Roric sighed dramatically. “Since when did you get so smart about women, bro?”
Taven barked out a laugh. “You and me have been trying to switch roles for a while now, haven’t we?”
They talked for a few more minutes, and Roric told Taven about what had happened with the rogue they brought in. Taven howled at the image of Raven chasing after the vamp in her prissy suit and heels. Eventually, Roric let Taven go, saying he was heading back to work to interrogate the guy.
Taven hung up and decided to take his own advice. He needed to make more of an effort with Ivy. Call her and make plans instead of just assuming she’d come over. It wouldn’t kill him to take her on a real date instead of just hanging out at his place, feeding each other and having sex.
He called her number again, but when she still didn’t answer, he started to get a little bit worried, especially after what had gone down with Caroline. Just because Ivy was a vampire didn’t mean she was safe from all danger. He threw his car in reverse and headed back down the driveway then made the short drive to her place.
It hadn’t gotten any nicer since the last time he’d been there, which was why they usually hung out at his place. Weeds sprouted from the maze of cracks in the parking lot, and sketchy-looking dudes loitered around rusty beaters, flicking cigarettes and flashing gang signs. They probably wouldn’t mess with a VEA unit, but Taven made sure to give them a menacing stare as he got out, just in case.
He climbed up the sagging, wooden stairs to Ivy’s apartment and knocked on her peeling, dented door. Ivy swung it open a second later like she was expecting him, but her smile instantly fell. She poked her head out the door and glanced towards the stairs.
“Taven! What are you doing here?”
He smiled and moved to go inside, but she didn’t budge, blocking the doorway with her small body. “Hey, I thought you’d come over tonight since we were both off.”
She shrugged. “I have other plans.”
Taven’s smile dropped. He clenched his fists. “What kind of plans? Are you expecting somebody?”
She stared at him, daring him to defy her. “Yeah, I am.”
“Who?” A million questions raced through his mind. Was it a girl friend? A guy? A date? Jealousy roared in his belly like a wild animal.
She tossed her hair and flicked her eyes in a hint of an eye roll. “Just a friend. You’re not the only person in my life, you know. I can have friends, can’t I?”
Taven gritted his teeth into a smile and tried not to freak out on her. “Yeah, sure, of course. I was just looking forward to seeing you tonight.”
She curled her lip in a tiny smile. “Well, maybe I can come over later.”
Taven loosened one of his fists and reached out to stroke her cheek. She had the prettiest, tan skin. “That’d be great. And maybe we can go out sometime. You know, like on a date. Dinner and a movie or something like that.”
She gave a little purr and nuzzled his hand. “That sounds nice.”
Loud voices echoed up the stairs, and they both craned their necks out into the open air hallway, but they couldn’t see anything.
Taven scowled and put one arm up on the door frame, blocking Ivy in, and the other one on his gun. “This doesn’t seem like a very safe place for you. Maybe you should think about moving.”
She raised her eyebrows and stroked a hand down his chest, in between the leather straps of his holster. “Yeah, like where?”
“I don’t know. Aren’t there some new apartments on Lexington? That’s a lot nicer area.”
Ivy’s smile disappeared as quick as it came. She yanked her hand away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, and a lot more expensive. This place is all I can afford.”
She moved to shut the door. “Listen, I gotta go. I need to finish getting ready.”
Taven’s eyes roved up and down her body, taking in her tight jeans and even tighter tank top. It was what she usually wore when she was hanging out at their favorite bar. What else did she need to do to impress this friend she was seeing? “You look perfectly fine to me.”
“Yeah, well, my plans aren’t with you. I’ll see you later, Taven.” She turned and swung the door shut, leaving him standing in the hall.
Taven stood there, staring at the door for a long moment. What was up with her? Talk about mixed signals! Women were impossible. This was exactly why he didn’t want to get involved with one. They had all these expectations, but they didn’t tell you what they were, and if you didn’t do what they wanted, they acted mad but wouldn’t tell you what was wrong.
His instinct was to ignore it, but that only made it worse. It would just build and build. And you didn’t know how upset they were till they blew up. Then it might be too late to salvage things.
Taven stomped away, cursing under his breath. It was only
after he got to the bottom of the stairs that he realized the guy he passed might be who Ivy was waiting for. He quickly turned around and bolted back up the stairs, but the hallway was empty.
Chapter 8
“I hope that was your brother and not your boyfriend,” Houston said as soon as Roric got in his cruiser and pulled away.
Caroline tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “My brother? No. Why do you think that?”
“Well, he obviously cares a lot about you, but he’s bossy and overprotective. Most girls wouldn’t put up with a boyfriend like that. And I’m hoping you’re single.” Houston gave her a wide smile, his white teeth bright against his tan skin.
That, and his sun-kissed, chin-length, blond hair made him look like a surfer. He had an all-American, boy-next-door kind of wholesome charm that was a sharp contrast to Roric’s dark intensity.
Houston was the kind of guy she would probably be going out with if her life hadn’t taken such a dramatic detour. In an alternate reality, her parents would be alive, and she would be going to college instead of working at a bar.
She might’ve met Houston at school and started dating him, gone on normal dates to the movies, maybe a baseball game. She would’ve shown him off to her girlfriends and brought him home to meet her parents.
But instead, her parents were killed by a vampire, leaving her to fend for herself, and she’d been attacked by a vampire. When Roric turned her, her destiny had irrevocably changed. Now she was with Roric, the complete opposite of Houston, and the opposite of what she thought she wanted in a guy.
But despite everything that had happened, she and Roric had a connection, and she couldn’t ignore the way she felt towards him, even though Roric represented everything she’d ever feared. He was a little bossy and overprotective, though. But he was just trying to keep her safe, wasn’t he?
“He’s not my brother,” she said, tugging down her skirt and walking away. It felt too strange to call him her boyfriend. What she had with Roric was totally different from a normal, boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, and she didn’t know how to label it.
Caroline led Houston to her car and headed towards the blood clinic. She was quiet as she drove, thinking about what had happened and trying to reconcile it in her mind. Her reasons for giving Houston her blood made sense, but she still couldn’t believe she, of all people, had turned a human into a vampire.
After a few minutes, Houston reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. She flinched and jerked the wheel then realized she was gripping it with stiff arms and white knuckles. She loosened her grip and let out a long breath.
“Hey, I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean to insult your taste in guys, I just think you seem like a really great girl, and—”
Caroline glanced at him then quickly turned her eyes back to the road. His sweet smile and kind eyes were too much. “It’s the blood. Making you feel that way. Feeding from someone stirs up a lot of intense emotions.”
Was that why she felt so attached to Roric, even though he was nothing like the kind of guy she thought she wanted? Maybe it would be good for her to get some space from him. Give herself a chance to see how she felt when she wasn’t near him all the time, feeding from him.
When they got to the clinic, Caroline found a spot in the back of the full parking lot, and she and Houston went inside. Houston looked around, his mouth hanging open. “Wow, this place is totally not what I expected.”
Caroline smiled, remembering how she’d thought the same thing the first time she came there. Besides the creepy word “Sanguinarium” in big, white letters on the front of the stone building, the parts of the clinic visible to the public looked like any other medical office with clean lines, shiny surfaces, and the sharp, artificial scent of cleaning products.
Several people sat on the matching chairs in the waiting room and flipped through magazines while instrumental music piped from the ceiling. It was hard to tell the difference between the vampires and the humans. It all seemed so… normal.
Caroline approached the large, glossy reception desk. She recognized the pretty, young vampire with long, brown hair and a baby blue sweater set behind it and was glad to see her. Natasha kept a limpid smile plastered to her face and acted professional no matter what she heard or saw. “Hi Natasha, this is Houston. He’s a new vampire, and he needs to be registered.”
The receptionist looked him up and down and smiled approvingly then turned back to Caroline. “Okay. Are you his mentor?”
“No, I just… found him. I saw him get attacked and went to help him.”
Natasha gave her a curious look then started tapping at her keyboard. Caroline stepped aside so Natasha could ask Houston for his personal information. She entered everything into the system, had him sign the agreement, then gave him a copy.
“If you’re wanting to drink tonight, we’ll work you in, but it’s going to be a little while. We’re kind of busy tonight.” Natasha nodded her head towards the full waiting room.
Caroline looked more carefully at the crowd and realized almost everyone was a vampire. Were they low on volunteers? Last she knew, there were lots of humans willing to volunteer because they wanted to become vampires, and volunteering at the clinic for a while was one of the requirements. With all the rogue vampires turning humans lately, were less humans willing to go through the legal prerequisites?
She turned back towards Houston who had a hungry look in his eyes even though he’d drunk a blood bag less than an hour ago. She didn’t want to risk him leaving and being tempted by a human. “You need to feed, Houston. I’ll wait with you.”
She turned towards Natasha. “Can he get some blood bags to take home, too? And how do we go about getting him set up with a mentor?”
Natasha bit her lip and scrunched her nose then tapped at her computer some more with long, pale pink nails. Finally, she looked up with a regretful look on her face. “I’m sorry, but we don’t have any available mentors right now. There’ve been so many new vampires lately, we can’t find placements for them all. I can put him on a waiting list. We should have someone available in a few weeks.”
Caroline’s mouth fell open and she dragged her fingers across the top of the slick counter, making a screech that echoed in her voice. “A waiting list? A few weeks? But the first few weeks are when a new vampire is the most out of control and vulnerable to temptation!”
Her outburst had drawn the eyes of the people in the waiting room. She glared at them, hoping to make them feel guilty if they weren’t volunteering as mentors themselves.
“It’s okay, Caroline. I’ll be alright.” Houston spoke quietly and put a hand on her arm, probably embarrassed by her and trying to calm her down.
But Houston going off on his own without a mentor was unacceptable. She felt bad enough that she’d broken the law and turned him, but leaving him to fend for himself would be even worse.
Natasha glanced awkwardly between them, settling her gaze on Houston. “Do you know any vampires? Maybe one of your friends could help you?”
Houston laughed and ran a hair through his golden hair and glanced at Caroline. It fell right back into perfect, beachy waves. “No, I’ve never even met a vampire before tonight. You’re the only one I know. Well, besides the woman who bit me.”
Caroline was still curious to know how he ended up being bitten, but it wasn’t a question she wanted to ask here. And any vampire who was willing to turn a human like that wasn’t exactly good mentor material. Mentors should be vampires who respected the rules and could teach new vampires to do the same.
Natasha looked at Caroline. “Maybe you could mentor him. Unless you’re already working with someone.”
Houston smiled at that, but Caroline’s body tensed. How could she be a mentor when she’d only been a vampire for a short time herself? She still felt like she was barely treading water. She didn’t have the slightest idea how to train a vampire to control their urges. “I… I’m not… I’ve never… Don’t you have to
go through some kind of training or something?”
“Yes, official mentors do go through a training program. We could sign you up right now. We can always use more mentors.” Damn, Natasha was smooth. She should’ve been a used car salesman.
“Yeah, okay. I guess so. But I don’t think I’m qualified to start right now.”
Natasha shrugged. “A brand new mentor is better than none at all.”
Caroline took a shaky breath and looked at Houston. No matter how good her intentions were, she’d done this to him, and she needed to be responsible for him. She’d never be able to live with herself if he lost control and hurt someone.
“Okay, I’ll do it. Sign me up so I can take the training. Is there, like, a handbook, or something?”
Natasha nodded and dug through a drawer. She pulled out a thick booklet and handed it to Caroline. Her eyes bulged like they were being pulled down by the weight of the packet in her hands. It would take her a month to get through all that!
Natasha chuckled. “Don’t worry, it’s not nearly as complicated as it looks. Just do what your mentor did for you, and you should be fine.”
She’d never even had an official mentor, just Roric. And she was pretty sure he’d been following his heart, not some manual, when he’d helped her control her urges by offering her his vein and his bed. She definitely could not do that for Houston.
They sat down in the waiting room, and Caroline started flipping through the book while Houston stared at the other vampires and read over her shoulder, anxiously tapping his fingers, bouncing his knee, and shifting around in his chair. He opened his mouth a dozen times like he wanted to ask her a question but then closed it, probably deciding that the quiet waiting room wasn’t the best place to talk about whatever was on his mind.
After an hour, Caroline heard her name called and sighed in relief, but when she looked up, it was Taven, not one of the employees. He stalked towards her, his long legs eating up the length of the waiting room in just a few loud boot steps. His large body, clothed in black, with a leather holster full of weapons wrapped around his massive chest, looked totally out of place in the bright, clean medical office, and the scowl on his face wasn’t helping. A few of the other people flinched at the sight of him.
Obsessed with the Vampire: A Paranormal Romance (Vampire Enforcement Agency Book 2) Page 5