“Is he, Cee Cee?”
The lamplight glittered off the tears gathering in the bottoms of her eyes. “Yes, sweetheart. He is.”
“How long are you staying? Would you play Minecraft with me?”
Celia turned to me, and I nodded. “Go.”
So she did. She spent the next hour playing a video game with Charlie while Monica and I watched. I found the game boring and tedious, but I enjoyed watching Charlie and Celia play it. When they finished, Celia sat and talked to Charlie. “Honey, I’m moving for good this time. I wanted to come back and visit so I could say goodbye to you and your mom.”
Charlie’s gaze shifted from Celia to me and then back to Celia. “Will you be with him?”
“Yes.”
“And you’ll be safe.”
Celia smiled. “Yes, sweetheart. Now I need you to take care of yourself. And be good for your mom.”
Charlie nodded and swayed a bit from where he sat on the couch. I could tell this had taken a lot out of him, to get out of bed and play video games. Monica saw it, too, because she immediately rose. “Time to get you back in bed.”
The boy nodded and then looked at Celia with a wobbly lip. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too, baby. I’ll keep in touch, though, okay? I’ll call.”
He nodded, and after he wrapped his slender arms around her in a hug, he let himself be led down the hall by his mother. Celia watched him go, her hand at her mouth, and I pulled her to me to speak into her ear. “I will talk to Athan. We will make sure this family wants for nothing.”
She peered up at me, confused. “What?”
“A nicer place, best medical care. We’ll make it so.”
“What do you mean?”
“Celia, we are vampires. We have clan coffers that have been accumulating money for centuries.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’ll talk to Athan.”
She hadn’t shut her mouth by the time Monica came back into the room, looking exhausted herself.
Celia noticed, and said to her friend, “I think Idris and I should be going.”
Monica looked like she was going to protest, and then slumped her shoulders. “Yeah, I’m dead on my feet.”
“I can tell.” The two friends embraced, and Celia handed her the paperwork she’d printed out at the mansion. “Can you please give these to the hospital? My resignation. I hope they will forgive me that I couldn’t turn in a two weeks’ notice.”
Monica laughed at that. “Sure, I’ll tell them.”
“I’m sending a letter to my landlord so I think that’s all I need to do to wrap up…my life here.”
“And you’re happy?” Monica pressed.
Celia nodded. “I’ll miss you, but I have a family now. A sister! A family I never thought I’d have, and a house full of people. Well, some of them are vampires and some are human, but it’s still a full house.”
I waited by the door while Celia hugged her friend and said her tearful goodbyes. When we were on the way back down to her car, I gripped her hand. “You all right?”
She wiped the wet from her cheeks and nodded. “Yeah, I will be. I know she’s worried about me, but I know I’ll be okay. I worry about them.”
“And we will make sure they are taken care of,” I said.
She gave my hand a squeeze in response.
Once we were in the car, I started up the engine, but Celia placed a hand on my arm. “Thank you,” she said, eyes burning into mine. “Thank you for allowing me to be honest with Monica. For giving me that time with her and Charlie. That meant so much to me.”
“I’d give you all the time with them if it was possible,” I said. “I’d give you everything.”
She leaned in and her lips brushed the corner of my mouth. “I know. That’s why you’re mine. And I’m yours.”
“Let’s get home to our family, little one,” I said.
She beamed, a smile so bright it nearly burned me. “Yeah, our family.”
I put the car in gear, and we sped off back to our home.
To Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff for making one of the best hero and villain teams in vampire cinema history. (Well, in my opinion, and since this is my book, it’s what gets printed.)
Acknowledgments
I can’t thank my readers enough for accepting this series from me. I had a blast expanding into paranormal and vampire lore, and I couldn’t be more grateful that my readers didn’t bat an eye at the announcement and were happy to pick up my vamps. Thank you, thank you.
Thanks so much to Sue Grimshaw for the awesome edits. I’ve loved working on this book with you and the Loveswept team! Thanks to Madeleine Kenney for the wonderful promotion efforts. And thanks to my agent, Marisa Corvisiero, for encouraging me to write vampires!
A huge thanks to Meg’s Mob, for being my favorite place on the Internet. You guys make me feel like I could write anything, and encourage me to take risks. This gig wouldn’t be half as fun without you!
BY MEGAN ERICKSON
Mission City
Blood Guard
Blood Veil
PHOTO: LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
MEGAN ERICKSON is a USA Today bestselling author of romance that sizzles. Her books have a touch of nerd, a dash of humor, and always have a happily-ever-after. A former journalist, she switched to fiction when she decided she liked writing her own endings better.
She lives in Pennsylvania with her very own nerdy husband and two kids. Although rather fun-size, she’s been told she has a full-size personality. When Megan isn’t writing, she’s either lounging with her two cats named after John Hughes characters or…thinking about writing.
meganerickson.org
Facebook.com/authormeganerickson
Twitter: @MeganErickson_
Newsletter: eepurl.com/KNN9P
Read on for the Mission series prequel
Bite the Hand That Bleeds
by Megan Erickson
I’d done a lot of stupid things in my life for money, but agreeing to go to a vampire club took the cake as the stupidest yet most exhilarating.
Basically this could go one of two ways—I’d regret it tremendously or it’d be the time of my life that I’d take to my grave. As long as this didn’t put me in my grave.
“I wish they’d hurry up already.” Cassie rubbed her bare arms against the chill as we waited at the head of the darkened alley.
I raised my eyebrows at her. “I’m sorry, do you want to tell the vampires that they need to adhere to Cassie time because you forgot a damn coat?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “I didn’t bother. Javier said it’s hot as hell in the club.”
Right, I figured free-flowing blood and orgies had a way of heating up a room. When Cassie pursed her lips at me, I realized I’d said that out loud. Oops.
I shifted my weight from foot to foot to take pressure off the stupid heels I was wearing. They were bright red with silver spikes and sexy as hell—but they pinched my toes. Drawing attention to myself in Mission City was on my never ever do list, and these shoes—along with my skin-tight jeans and black corset peeking from beneath my leather jacket—would draw all kinds of attention. I wasn’t sure why I was wearing this, but the dress code for humans to get into Bite was sex. Seriously, that was the message—dress like sex. I didn’t think a giant dick was a proper costume, so here I stood with my tits out in a bad part of Mission, hoping like hell some vampire arrived soon to take me underground, where I’d give up my blood for money.
My life was insane.
A week ago, I’d been living in blissful ignorance thinking that vampires only existed in books and movies. I had no idea that in old subway tunnels beneath these streets was a community
of vampires. They kept their existence a secret but were more than happy to pay humans if we showed them a vein. The only reason Cassie and I got an invite to Bite was because Javier—a hookup of Cassie’s—was a recruiter for them. He’d been clear—tell anyone about the club and there would be swift consequences. I’d asked what they were, and Javier had just stared hard at me. So naturally I took that to mean the consequences were torture and dismemberment not unlike the end of Braveheart.
For once, I was going to keep my mouth shut, because I needed the money. My dad had never been around, and my mom passed away years ago, so it was up to me to keep food on the table for myself and my younger brother. I’d spent the last month working four ten-hour waitress shifts in a row at the diner, and I was happy to do literally anything else. The blood trade apparently paid great, so when Javier told us about Bite, I jumped at the chance. Why not? As for Cassie, she bussed tables as a cocktail waitress at a topless bar and was about done getting her ass grabbed without her permission.
I’d even done my hair, which was a first in who knew how long. I hadn’t had a haircut in probably a year, and the ends of my dark brown hair brushed the top of my ass. I’d straightened it and let it down. Even Cassie was surprised not to see it in its usual knot.
A loud crack sounded out on the street, and Cassie and I jumped. Fuck, I hated this city sometimes. That could have been anything from a car backfiring to fireworks to a gunshot. There weren’t really any good parts of Mission. The city had long ago fallen into poverty after the steel mill went out of business. But where we were? That part was the worst of the worst.
“Shit, are you sure this is legit?” I asked. I was half convinced this was just going to be a bunch of weirdos who thought they were vampires. Which, you know, hey whatever floated their boats as long as I still got paid. We were down to crumbs in our fridge.
Cassie leaned into me and dropped her voice. “I swear. Javier showed me the marks on his neck.”
I scoffed. “He could have made them himself.”
One second we were staring at a brick wall, and in the next second the bricks were blurred—actually blurred out like a dream sequence—and a giant form stood in front of us.
By giant, I mean giant. He stood probably seven feet tall, a bulky mass of muscle beneath a pair of jeans and a long trench coat. His boots were the size of my thigh, and when he smiled, fangs punched down against his lower lip.
“Passes, ladies.” He held out his hand, and we both stared at the giant fleshy thing.
I’d told myself this was true, that vampires existed, but now that one was standing in front of us, I realized I wasn’t prepared. No fucking way.
My gaze lifted back up to his face, and I pointed at my own teeth. “Those are…those are real?”
Cassie hissed something at me.
The vampire’s smile didn’t waver. “Yeah, want to touch one?”
“Nope.” I held up my hands. “I’m good. You’re good. We’re all good. Great, good, great—oof.” Cassie saved me from my runaway tongue with a swift elbow to the ribs.
She smiled her flirtatious Cassie smile at the vampire while I caught my breath. She pulled the passes that she’d received from Javier from her top and handed them over to the big man. He glanced at them, and then stepped to the side, pointing at the blurry wall of brick. “Go on and walk through, and I’ll take you to Bite.”
Cassie took a step forward but I didn’t budge. Wait a minute. This was moving a little fast. “Uh, hey, can I ask a question first?”
Cassie turned around and bugged her eyes out at me. “Roxy!” she said through clenched teeth.
“Second question,” the vampire said.
“What?”
“This is your second question, but go ahead.”
Oh, so we had a wise guy vampire guide. Figured. “This is a paid gig, right? So when does the money exchange hands?”
The vampire looked half amused, half irritated with me. “Blood first, money second.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t seem fair. You all have the upper hand down there. How do I know you’re not going to keep me down there as a blood slave or something—”
Amusement fled the vampire’s face like a receding tide. “That is against the laws of our clan. For centuries we have vowed never to harm humans or drink their blood without their consent, and as long as I breathe, it’ll be that way for centuries more.”
When he finished talking, his shoulders were heaving, fists clenched, eyes swirling. And I was trembling so hard my teeth clacked. I liked to think I was a badass, but in no way did I have bravado in front of a pissed-off vampire. I’d made a joke that had offended him, and he wasn’t going to let it slide. I swallowed, trying to calm my racing nerves, while Cassie stood nearby, her face pale as a sheet.
“I-I’m sorry,” I said to the vampire.
His shoulders relaxed a bit. “It’s okay. That is not a joke to us. We do not harm humans. You have my word.”
The way he said his last sentence, I realized that was a big deal to him, to give me his word. Words didn’t mean shit to humans anymore, but I wasn’t going to get into that with him. I nodded. “Okay, thank you.”
He gestured behind him at the shimmering door. “Are you going to attend Bite tonight then?”
“We just…walk through that wall?” I asked.
Cassie looked like she was going to murder me.
“It’s a portal,” the vampire said. “We’ve installed them several places around the city. Only the members of our clan—the Gregorie clan—can activate the portals to access the tunnels. They’ve long been sealed over to humans.”
I glanced at Cassie, then down at my pinched toes in my heels. Then I lifted my head and looked the vampire square in the eye. “Okay. Yeah. I’m ready.”
With one last look back at Mission, I followed Cassie through the door.
* * *
—
We walked down a set of damp concrete steps. Our guide—his name was Zeb, we learned—explained how the club would work. He was adamant we’d never be forced to do anything we didn’t want to do, which was a nice thing to hear, but I’d believe it when I saw it. He also explained that before we were bitten, we’d inhale somnus, which was a gas-like drug the vampires secreted from their wrists. It was also what they used to activate the portals. Zeb said the somnus would make us feel like we had a good alcohol buzz, and was necessary because without it, their saliva would turn us into vampires. So yeah, somnus and I were gonna be friends.
Vampires couldn’t get human venereal diseases and didn’t really understand condoms, so the burden of birth control was on the humans. No problem, I had an IUD, but I wasn’t intending to get quite that intimate with a vampire anyway.
Zeb also told us his clan lived in old subway tunnels. I asked if there were more of these “clans” and all he said was that there was another in Mission, but they were not friendly to humans. When I tried to ask more about them, he clammed up.
We walked down a long hallway lit only by sparse wall lights until we reached a nondescript door that said BITE along the top.
He turned around at the door and faced us. “Either of you change your minds?”
“What if—?” Zeb’s gaze shifted to me, and Cassie rolled her eyes. I glared at her. “I’m just wondering if I can change my mind once I’m in there.”
“Sure.” He grinned, all fangs and white teeth. “But I doubt you will.”
I decided not to ask what that meant. Maybe ignorance was bliss here.
“We’re ready,” Cassie said.
“Feel free to dance and loosen up first,” Zeb said. “You can always turn down a vampire who approaches you. Once you meet, they will likely take you to the Feeding Room. At midnight, all humans go there to be picked by a vampire. They feed; you get the money. Any questions?”
He look
ed at me pointedly. I shook my head.
With a nod, he opened up the door and waved us inside. The bass of the music hit me like a punch to the gut and a resounding boom rattled my spine. The heat was like a wall, and I could feel sweat dripping down my neck in seconds. I took off my leather jacket and tossed it on a rack along the wall with a dozen other jackets. I was loath to part with it, because I loved that jacket, but I also didn’t want to die of heatstroke.
Cassie and I made our way toward the dance floor, where a spotlight roamed over a mass of bodies. Everywhere I looked, I saw skin. Vampire males apparently hated shirts? Because glistening pecs were everywhere. Was that sweat or blood clinging to that man’s nipple? Actually, never mind. “Ignorance is bliss. Ignorance is bliss,” I chanted to myself.
“What are you saying?” Cassie yelled over the music.
“I need a drink!” I answered. Wait, did alcohol in my blood affect its…value? See, there I went with more questions.
Cassie was already grooving to the music and about three vampire studs were checking her out. With every sway of her hips, her skirt brushed the bottom of her ass. Was she wearing underwear? Fuck I needed a Xanax.
I glanced off to the side of the dance floor, where there was a large area full of couches. I wasn’t sure what I pictured when Javier had told us this was a club with no inhibitions, but whatever I imagined didn’t prepare me for what I saw. The club was darkened, but we could still make out the activities going on.
Now I understood why we were supposed to dress like sex. The walls, the couches, heck even some of the floor was covered with partially dressed bodies. I was starting to be able to pick out the vampires right away. They were generally larger than humans, with large jaws to accommodate their fangs. And there was something about the way they carried themselves that was altogether not human.
Cassie and I stared as a male vampire stuck his tongue then his hand down a human man’s pants. The man’s knees buckled, then his body convulsed as his head fell back and his lips parted on a moan I couldn’t hear but could feel.
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