by Jacey Ward
He also knew that there was no arguing with Ava, no matter how much he disapproved of her accompanying him to the vampire community. Ava was not yet aware of the existence of the ages-old bloodsuckers, and he wasn’t sure that he was ready for her to know about them—at least not just yet.
Well, regardless, he realized that he was now stuck with tag-a-long and that there was no changing her mind once she’d made it up about something—another trait she’d inherited from her late mother. Detective Hartzman raised his right hand to signal the diner waitress that he was ready for their breakfast bill.
Chapter Three: The Mate
Why does life have to be so goddamned complicated?” Chase Veldassare wondered as he watched his father take his place at the wooden podium in the front of the community banquet hall.
Suddenly, the entire room broke out into a loud, fully-animated round of applause. That was when a bored, uninterested Chase Veldassare realized that the attendees of the community meeting were actually clapping for him. Oops.
“...and I am proud to announce that my son, Chase Veldassare, will be mated with Azalea Bradenton exactly three months from today!” Vincent Veldassare announced proudly.
Vincent was up in front of nearly every member of the Lexus vampire community with a proud smile on his pale face. He was wearing a dark-colored, faultlessly tailored designer suit and his thin, dark hair was slicked back away from his slightly rounded face. He had been looking forward to this moment for months and his eyes were beaming with happiness and pride.
He had been the leader of the Lexus Veldassare vampire clan for the past century and was looking forward to passing his legacy on to his one and only son, Chase Veldassare. It was the tradition of the clan to mate their leader with the most eligible female vampire in the community, in order to keep their legacy alive and ensure the continuation of their kind.
Chase, however, was nowhere near as excited as his father was. He had known his “selected mate” Azalea since they were very young. Azalea used to be one of his closest friends back when they were younger; however, over the years, Chase felt that she had changed significantly when it came to her morality.
At one time, Azalea had been a good friend and a trustworthy person. However, her hatred and disdain toward humans had deepened tremendously over time, and she had become increasingly cold-hearted and much more self-serving as she’d grown into adulthood.
Azalea’s family had never really taken to the truce that the Veldassares had agreed to with the mortal city council leaders. They had been happier in the olden days when their kind used to rule over humans. Mortals used to bow at their feet and some of them would even offer themselves up as sacrifices to the Vampire Elders who once ruled the lands of Romania, where mortals either served as slaves or as cattle.
However, when Van Helsing rose to power, he and his armies of vampire-slaying brutes eventually inspired the humans to revolt, and it was during this revolution that the surviving vampires were inevitably forced to flee Romania and spread out into other areas of world—far, far away from Van Helsing and his followers.
The descendants of the Veldassare clan arrived in Mountain Crest over a few centuries ago and agreed to a truce with the leaders of the city. They had been allowed to live, thrive and procreate in the area as long as they never harmed a living human being. Every hundred years a new clan leader would be elected and would rule the next generation of the clan.
Unfortunately, some of the vampires still harbored deep contempt and scorn toward the human race. They upheld the truce because they knew it would ensure their survival; however, they secretly wished and even planned for the day when they could once rule over humans as gods once again.
Katheryn, Azalea’s mother, was one of these vampires. She secretly harbored a profound resentment toward mortals. She had quietly passed this on to her daughter, promising her that one day she would lead a new revolution—one that would turn the tables and make vampires the rulers over mortals again. Azalea believed this within her heart; and that as the first lady of the next generation of vampires, she would be the inspiration for that movement.
Chase walked with deep-centered disinterest, Azalea on his arm, up to the podium where she embraced his father, Vincent Veldassare before stepping up to the podium to publicly thank the Veldessare head.
“I am very proud to have been chosen as the next first lady of the Veldassare Vampire Clan. I just want all of you to know that I consider it a tremendous privilege to serve each and every one of you and I will not take my position for granted. I am truly dedicated to becoming the best first lady to the love of my life; Chase Veldassare, until death do us part. The day of our mating ceremony will undoubtedly be the best day of my entire life!”
Another loud round of applause rang out in the community center meeting room as every vampire showed their praise and support for the decision the leader of their clan had made.
Azalea was in no way unattractive—not by far. She was tall, thin and statuesque in appearance. At nearly six feet, she was roughly the height of a supermodel human. Her deep, penetrating ocean-blue eyes were extraordinarily captivating, almost mesmerizing. Flowing black hair hung down past her slender shoulders and nearly reached the small of her back. Her lips were lush and shimmery, always gleaming with a bright red gloss. Her naturally pale skin glowed in artificial light—the only kind of light she could tolerate without feeling as if she was about to burst into flames and burn to a crisp.
She had what the city girls would have called a “Barbie” figure, with breasts that were large and perky and a waist that was narrow and firm. Her ass practically begged to be squeezed, and her legs seemed to go on for days. She was drop-dead gorgeous and she fucking knew it.
She often used her looks to her advantage once she’d realized how remarkably appealing she truly was, and this was a large part of the reason why Chase was no longer as close to her as he’d once been during their childhood and early teenage years. He felt that she’d become a much different person—a self-serving person he no longer wished to remain close to.
The two of them hadn’t been very close over the past several years, but still, somehow, his mother and father had decided that she would be the most ideal mate for him to marry and carry on the legacy of the Veldassare vampire clan. Why, he would honestly never understand, and he wasn’t very happy about it. As the rest of the members of the clan began to dance and enjoy the gathering, Chase lowered his head and tried hard not to think about the fact that his parents were trying to force him to mate with someone he was not in love with—no matter how attractive she was.
Azalea stepped down from the podium with a proud grin on her flawless face. She truly was a sight to behold in her long, form-fitting black and silver dress that showed off her unblemished D-cup cleavage, pressing her pert, large breasts together. Her four and a half inch stiletto heels flattered her dress with their open-toe style, showing off her legs to their best advantage - and catching every male’s gaze in the building.
Azalea winked at her future mate while stepping down from the podium. Ever since she was a young immortal female growing up in the Lexus community, she’d had plans to wed Chase and become the next first lady of the clan. Her mother had been prepping, influencing, and molding her into what she believed was the perfect female leader of the Veldassare vampire clan—all but ensuring that the Veldassares would choose her as their son’s ideal mate. She had even told Azalea at a very young age that she was destined for greatness and that she needed to do whatever she could to ensure that she grew up to become the most suitable mate for the son of the current vampire leader. And aside from having a little fun along the way, that’s exactly what Azalea had done.
She was just as determined as her mother was that she would be the wife of the next leader of the clan and nothing was going to stop her from doing just that.
Chase forced a half-smile when he saw her wink at him and then turned his head away from the direction where she was heading
, trying not to show his indifference. He realized that now wasn’t the time to voice his disparity about being forced to mate with a woman he was not in love with. It never seemed to be the right time according to his father; however, he made a mental note to voice his disapproval later that evening in a more private setting. Again.
Chapter Four: An Undeniable Attraction
It was just after noon when Detective Hartzman and his daughter Ava arrived at the residence of Vincent Veldassare and his wife, Evangeline Veldassare. Ava was fascinated by the size of the homes in the neighborhood of Lexus. Though she was not yet aware that it was a vampire community, she couldn’t help but notice all of the thick, dark curtains that covered every window of every single home in the area.
Her father pulled up in front of a mansion sized brick house covered in light grey paint and accented with a jet-black roof. They exited the vehicle and made their way up the walkway to the large, fancy rectangular front door.
William pressed the doorbell button and waited patiently for the front door to open. Ava was blown away when they were led into a tiny, windowless area and then the door was immediately closed behind them as soon as they stepped inside. There was yet another closed door in front of them and as soon as the windowless door behind them closed, the second door opened.
“Welcome, Detective,” said a pleasant, inviting female voice. “Please, come in. Ms. Veldessare will be right with you.”
A tall, elegant-looking woman came into view from behind the open door. She was thin and graceful, though, to Ava, she looked to be closer to her father’s age than she was to her own. Her long, jet black long hair was held back away from her face by a dark-colored headband, and it hung loosely down her back, almost reaching her waist. She was wearing a long, dark gown that looked like as if it belonged at a ball of some type and her skin was quite pale, as if she’d never been in the sunlight in her entire life. The woman’s dark, enchanting eyes moved from William to Ava and then back to William as she motioned for them to enter the home.
After William and Ava entered the giant home, the olive-skinned woman who had opened the door closed it behind them.
“Hello, Evangeline,” Detective Hartzman said. “I do apologize for showing up at this inconvenient time, but it’s very urgent that I speak with you immediately.”
A puzzling look appeared on Ava’s face, as she didn’t understand why her father was apologizing for showing up at 11:00 a.m. and referring to the time as “inconvenient.”
Ava followed her father into the house and greeted the woman with a smile. A thin, equally tall male met them just inside the home and approached them with a warm, welcoming grin.
“Ahh, Detective!” he said, extending a long, large hand out to William. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” His dark, inviting eyes met William’s.
“Vincent, again, I apologize for showing up so unconventionally, but it’s urgent that I speak with you, immediately,” William explained as he vigorously shook the man’s hand.
Just then, a third party entered the room and Ava’s eyes lit up in surprise. He was almost as tall as the Vincent character, but he looked much younger and was more muscular. His hair was as black as the woman’s and styled in a neat crew cut. His eyes were a bright blue color and they glistened brilliantly in the dim light of the room. He was wearing a tight blue expensive looking shirt that accented his buff, brawny upper body and showed off the definition in his arms. When he lifted his head, his eyes met Ava’s and they locked, both trapped unexpectedly, resulting in a long, intense stare.
Ava felt her heart skip a beat. Who was this enticing, dark-haired stranger who held her gaze with an intensity that made her temperature rise and her heart rate increase? She couldn’t seem to break their contact.
He appeared to be right around her age, and yet she was certain she had never seen him before, although she had grown up in Mountain Crest. He came over to her and extended his hand, as if drawn towards her. Ava instinctively held out her hand and allowed him to take hold of it and shake it slowly, his eyes never leaving hers in the process.
“H-hi,” Ava stammered. “I-I’m Ava.”
“I’m Chase,” he replied in a deep, sultry voice.
Ava was instantly smitten by him, and try as she might, she could not avert her eyes from his piercing gaze.
“Come! Join us in the study, please,” Vincent requested as he led William and Ava into the next room. Ava kept her eyes on Chase’s muscular back and wide shoulders as they entered the study and sat down at the long table.
William cleared his throat before speaking.
“Vincent, this morning, the body of an eighteen-year-old girl was found just outside of the Hendricks Recycling Plant,” he announced solemnly. “Her body had been completely exsanguinated and there were two puncture wounds in her neck.”
Vincent’s face became slack at the news.
“I see. I supposed that you’re wondering if anyone from our community had anything to do with this tragedy,” he stated quietly.
William nodded. His body language gave away how blatantly uncomfortable he felt relaying the information to Vincent.
“I assure you, detective, that none of us would dare violate our sacred truce. However, I will make it my top priority to question every resident about this calamity and to report any information that arises back to you, immediately,” Vincent promised.
“Thank you, Vincent,” William replied, completely unaware that his daughter and Vincent’s son were still locked in intimate eye contact throughout the entire conversation.
**
“Dad, how long has the community of Lexus been a part of Mountain Crest?” Ava asked on the ride back down into town.
“It’s pretty much always been there,” he replied pensively.
“Why do the city council leaders think they had something to do with that girl’s death?” she asked inquisitively.
William shrugged, not wanting to have to explain to his daughter that the residents of the community were actually hundreds-year-old vampires.
“I never knew anything about it,” Ava stated softly, allowing a dreamy smile to play at the corner of her lips. “And who was that Chase guy? I grew up here and I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
Noticing her tone, her father suddenly looked over at her with a stern expression on his face.
“You should stay away from him, Ava. Those Lexus folks are trouble,” he stated firmly.
Ava wasn’t exactly sure what her father had meant by that, but at 25, she was no longer a child and had no intention of heeding his warning. When she’d laid eyes on Chase Veldassare, she had felt an instant attraction. She was drawn to him in a way that she had never been drawn to any other man before, and somehow, she just knew that he’d felt it , too. She already knew that there was no way she was going to be able to stay away from him—period.
Chapter Five: A Night at the Bar
“Come on, bitch! Let’s get wasted! We’re celebrating, damn it!” exclaimed Jocelyn Greer, Ava’s closest friend and confidante.
It was Friday night and Jocelyn had finally finished her very first week of work at the Mountain Crest Journal. Her first story assignment had been based on the new factory that had just opened up downtown and had provided hundreds of jobs for the city’s residents. She was slightly disappointed that she hadn’t been assigned to report the murder—especially since she just happened to be the daughter of the police chief. But—life goes on, right?
Ava and Jocelyn were at the Beering Hole, a local Bar and Grill in downtown Mountain Crest. They were celebrating Ava’s first week of work at the local newspaper. Ava knew that her friend never really needed a valid reason to get drunk, but she went along with it anyway.
They ordered a couple of shots of vodka from the bar and downed them quickly. Ava had just set her empty shot glass down on the bar when she stopped dead in her tracks.
There he was, Chase from Lexus. He had just walked into the bar and his ey
es were locked directly on Ava. Caught in his captivating gaze, she quickly nudged Jocelyn and nodded towards where Chase was currently standing.
“Oh my God, Jocelyn, there he is!” she exclaimed. “The guy I told you about from that neighborhood up in Lexus!”
Jocelyn turned around and saw the tall, pale, mysteriously handsome character who was staring her best friend down as he made his way toward the bar, accompanied by a slightly shorter, stocky blonde-haired guy with eyes that were almost as blue as his. Both young men were approaching the area of the bar she and Ava were currently sitting at.
**
“There she is,” Chase stated as he nodded over toward the area of the bar where Ava and her friend were sitting.
Chase’s best friend, Nicholai shook his head in disapproval.
“Are you crazy, man? She’s a fucking human! That shit goes against everything we’ve been taught!” he exclaimed contemptuously. “Besides, aren’t you supposed to be mated to Azalea in less than three months?”
Chase shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, paying no attention to his friend’s curtly spoken words. He was completely mesmerized by the beautiful, enthralling redhead, though he couldn’t quite explain exactly why.
A few days ago she had walked into his house behind her father and he’d felt an instant attraction to her that he didn’t really understand; but, it had been the strongest, most intense feeling he had ever felt in his ninety-nine years on this earth. He’d known Azalea for nearly an entire century and had never felt anything even remotely close to what he’d felt the moment he’d laid eyes on the stunning Ava.
He went over to where she was sitting and approached the bar, stepping between her and her blonde-haired friend.
“Ava, right?’ he asked, staring intently into her entrancing green eyes. Ava found herself almost at a loss for words as her body temperature began to rise.