A young woman now smiled at him from across the bar, all cleavage and big hips in her short yellow dress. He could sense her arousal all the way over here and turned hard as he inhaled the tempting scent. Females such as this beauty were once eager for him to feed after a passionate bout of sex, keen for immortality or just that strong orgasm that accompanied a vampire’s bite. In the aftermath of passion, their blood was nectar. It had been a highly desirable arrangement, appreciated by everyone involved, with only one side effect—he could listen in to the thoughts and see the memories of the person he had drank from. That consequence lasted from days to weeks. And humans could be so fucking perverse it was downright disgusting.
There were so many damn rules now, put in place by a panicked horde desperate to conceal their existence, that it sometimes sent him into a rage. But tonight he would forget about all that shit and relive those good old times, make a beautiful woman moan and shudder as he drank from her. His fangs ached at the prospect. Just one mortal—nobody else had to know…The female in the yellow dress licked her full lips as she locked her gray eyes with his, and as if he could misinterpret her intentions, she spread her legs in invitation. Fuck it, as the crown prince he would do as he wished. With his towering height and fine features, he had always held an interest for females, vampire or human. This one would easily be convinced to give up a wee bit of blood. It would be like stepping back in time to that wonderful era of debauchery.
When he smiled at the woman, her lips parted, those gray eyes wide and bright. Yes. A good round of sex, a tasty meal, and then he would heal the bite marks and erase her memory. He moved closer, and she shifted in the chair in anticipation. He suddenly paused. What was that familiar smell? It overtook his senses, sent tingles down his spine. He narrowed his gaze on the woman stood at the entrance, the contrast of her dark hair with light green eyes the only thing worthy of note about her appearance. She glanced around the venue as if she feared being torn apart by a pack of werewolves. She did not belong in this place, with beautiful and immaculately dressed women out on the prowl. Her clothes had been chosen to conceal that she was larger than the shape the particularly stupid mortals of modern times preferred—the pathetic thing’s attempts so obvious, they only drew more attention to what she wanted to hide. And she was sweating like a fucking pig, yet would not take off her jacket. He inhaled again, deep.
It was beautiful. The smell of human misery.
CHAPTER TWO
* * *
WHAT AM I DOING HERE?
Apart from Peter, nobody at the office even liked her. Within her first week at the company, she became the object of cruel jokes, which her colleagues insisted were harmless. She would walk back out and catch the next bus home. On Monday, she could pretend there was an emergency.
“Rose. We were waiting for you.” Shit. Barry had seen her. Her boss wore a smart shirt and faded jeans, which made him appear younger than his forty-odd years and less imposing than in the office. Anna, also a PA at the law firm and perfectly turned out in a knee-length purple dress, rolled her eyes as Rose approached the group. Around a dozen other colleagues—trainees, lawyers and PAs—filled the table in the corner of the venue. To quell her nerves somewhat, Rose kept her focus on Peter, who looked dapper tonight in a white tee shirt and jeans. Nobody made room for her at the table, but Peter indicated toward an empty stool nearby. She pulled it closer before sitting, perched just outside the group. Barry ran a hand through his gray-tinged hair. “A drink?”
He joined the firm a few months back. Her previous boss was an elderly lawyer who hired her as a trainee two years ago. Despite a lack of experience, she was a hard worker and gladly took on extra duties, becoming his PA; but without the guts to ask for a salary increase was where she had been when she joined the company, in a cramped council flat. When Barry arrived to replace her boss after his retirement, he was stuck with Rose. It was obvious he would prefer someone like Anna, with that perfect figure and silky blond hair.
“A juice, please,” said Rose. A snigger traveled around the group. She glanced in Peter’s direction, but he lowered his gaze and fixed it on his beer.
Barry’s eyes were wide as he feigned innocence. “Or we could arrange some milk?” The snigger turned to open laughter.
Her heart sank. It had already started. “Juice will be fine, thank you. Any kind.”
Barry clicked his fingers at a waiter in a black tee shirt and trousers. He ordered the drink before turning to her. “Lovely outfit, by the way.”
So the red blouse was a good choice. “Thank you,” she said, feeling better.
The waiter placed a glass of juice in front of her. Cranberry. Barry’s voice was loud, carrying across the table. “The other day, that prick Dave mentions, ‘Isn’t it time Rose got into shape?’” Her fingers froze on the glass. “I told him to stop being stupid. Rose is in perfect shape.”
Anna raised her eyebrows. “You think so?”
“Of course.” Barry winked at Rose. “Isn’t round a shape?” Now the laughter was loud. And even Peter joined in, although he did not meet her eyes. Served her right for coming here. What else did she expect? “Cheer up, Rose. It’s just a bloody joke.” She tried to prevent her lips from trembling as she forced a smile.
“How many PAs are going for the job with Diane?” asked Margaret, another well turned out PA with a short dark bob and minimal makeup. Tonight she wore black trousers and a white top which showed off her toned back. Diane was a senior lawyer and partner at the firm, and her PA had recently retired. The role would be a big step up for any PA at the company.
“Pretty much everyone.” Anna regarded the other woman with a suspicious glance. “As you know.”
“I don’t understand why you’re all so keen to work for that tight-arsed bitch,” Barry snorted. “It will take a special case to put up with that washed up old hag.” More laughter, now at Diane’s expense, even though nobody would dare answer her back in the office. “How about you, Rose? Are you applying?”
Please leave me alone.
Anna spluttered into her drink. “Barry, you’re such a fucking joker.”
“And you suck cock, Anna, deal with it.” Anna and Barry clinked their glasses, and he then turned to Rose, eyebrows raised. “Any plans to apply?”
She did not intend to, but why did the idea seem stupid to them when she worked hard and had never missed a deadline or taken a day off sick during her time at the company? And alongside her own work, she managed that which the other PAs palmed off on her.
“Why won’t you answer, Rose?” Phil, a junior lawyer who worked under Barry and already balding in his late twenties, took a long sip from his beer glass. When he spoke, the foam from the drink formed a white mustache above his lip. His smile was far from friendly. “Are you secretly planning to apply and give the girls a hard time?”
“No,” she mumbled. “Of course not.”
Margaret sighed, ensuring her lips pouted perfectly. “Thank God for that. If you planned to go for the job, anyone else applying would be a fucking waste of time.” There was more laughter as she clinked her glass with those of her colleagues, barring Rose. Anna plastered a fake smile to her face when Margaret held her glass out to her.
“As it is, I heard the girls at the office had to up their fashion game when Rose joined.” Riaz was a trainee lawyer who had been with the company a few weeks—long enough to figure out she was an easy target for jokes.
Thankfully, it was the last joke at her expense. For the next hour they talked around her as if she was invisible, but she only felt gratitude at being ignored. She stared at the juice, smiling occasionally—that way any observers might think she was being included in the conversations.
“Drink up people, time for some real fun,” Barry said suddenly. “There’s a club opened just up the road, everyone’s talking about it. Phil, you bald bastard! Don’t be coming out with your crazy moves on the dance floor tonight, or we’ll have to carry you out of there.” Phil lift
ed his glass to Barry as the latter stood and slung his jacket over his arm. As everyone downed their drinks, Rose picked up her glass. She did not miss the look that Anna gave Barry, a slight twitch of the eyebrows as she tilted her head at Rose. Barry cleared his throat. “You take your time, Rose. We’ll see you on Monday. The rest of you, we’re waiting outside. Don’t be late. It’s not a fucking board meeting.”
Anna snuggled up to Barry, clearly not giving a damn that he was married, giggling in his ear as they left the bar. The rest of Rose’s colleagues finished the drinks and followed them out, not throwing her a second glance. Peter was the last to stand. “Erm…see you Monday. Have a great weekend.”
If she spoke, she would end up in tears, so she just nodded as he walked through the doors. She was left behind, the only person sat alone in the place. A tear crawled down her cheek, falling into the juice. She wiped hard at her face, angry with herself.
I’ve had enough.
THE FEAR MONGERS CALLED VAMPIRES PERVERSE, labeled them monsters, because they took blood that debauched humans freely gave. Lohan’s horde spent centuries underground, hiding from the accusations. Yet, as he watched this woman being tormented by her colleagues, he knew that his kind were not the real monsters.
Rose—a beautiful name for such a pathetic creature—now sat alone at a table meant for many, tears falling down her cheeks. In this busy bar, not one person bothered to check if she was all right. He did not either, but for fuck’s sake, he was a bloody vampire. He did not do sympathy. She stood and approached the door, and he was in two minds whether to follow. She was the easiest target in the venue—people like her were grateful for any interest—but that amount of fucking misery? He was pissed enough these days without taking on her thoughts.
As Rose walked out of the door, he brought his attention back to the woman in the yellow dress. She now squirmed in her chair as he gave her a longing gaze. He turned away from her and walked out of the bar with regret, a strange pull making him follow this Rose creature. Damn, he must be desperate.
When she boarded a bus, he was right behind. She sat with her head lowered, no interest in even those devices that humans were addicted to these days. She was so wretched that obtaining her permission would take no effort at all. Eventually, she got up and went to the front of the bus, indicating she wanted to get off the vehicle. Lohan glanced out of the window. They were on an empty road with little lighting and no buildings nearby. Why the hell was she getting off here?
“Lady, it’s not safe here at night,” the bus driver said, “There’s nobody around.”
There were still tears in her eyes, that taut expression full of pain. “There’s nobody around, anyway.” The driver shrugged his shoulders as he opened the door, frowning at Lohan when he followed her off the vehicle. To his credit, the other man hesitated, but only for a few seconds, before driving off and leaving Rose to her fate.
She took her mobile out of her bag, turning on its torch before entering a small lane. Lohan followed, silent, as the lane turned into a dusty trail, untamed greenery surrounding them. She stumbled despite the light from the torch. Wild shrubs scratched against his skin, and the smell of flowering plants mingled with that of discarded litter and dead animals. It was the kind of dark and deserted place a vampire like him relished, but what was a human doing here? He could approach her now and put his plan of obtaining her blood into action, but he silently followed instead, curious to know where this miserable specimen of a mortal was headed.
The sound of water drifted to him. A river? Who went to a fucking river at this time? She walked to the middle of the small concrete bridge and then turned the torch of her mobile off. If she was after some sightseeing, then that was a shit idea because it was now so dark her human eyes would struggle to see the water. As she stood under the light of the moon with her gaze resting on the river, the scent of ultimate desperation wafted toward him.
She is going to jump.
Lohan smiled, his fangs aching. The bundle of misery was planning to die, anyway. This would be easier than he expected. If she was agreeable, he could even drink his fill and drain her to death, give her what she desired. To be deprived of fresh blood for so long and then be faced with the prospect of a feast…
“You do not want to jump,” he told her.
She started, a soft cry leaving her lips. “Who are you?”
“Lohan.” An unnecessary introduction, considering she did not plan to be around much longer, but anything to make the creature more comfortable.
She stared at him, eyes wide. “You can’t stop me from jumping.”
“I have no intention of stopping you from dying. I just hoped we might help each other.”
“Wh-what do you want?” Fear flitted across her face. What could scare a person about to die? She pulled her jacket close to her. “Leave me alone.”
He could not prevent his cruel laugh. “I do not desire your body.” What a thought, that he would be interested in this pathetic mortal. “I crave blood.”
“B-blood?”
When he moved closer, she took a step back. He smiled, exposing his teeth as he focused on the blood lust that would make his fangs elongate and turn his blue eyes red. That should help her understand his intentions. “Yes, please. Rose.”
Her face went almost as pale as his own at the sight of his sharp fangs and red gaze. “Who are you? And how do you know my name?”
“I was in the bar, where your adorable colleagues mentioned your name plenty of times. As for who I am, you must have read enough about my kind to understand that.”
“A vampire?”
“Correct.”
She shook her head. “That’s rubbish.”
“Yet here I am.” This was the part he resented. After vampires went underground and were relegated to the domain of horror stories, it became practically impossible to convince humans to give up blood. When faced with his reality, the typical mortal first refused to believe and was then scared shitless. This introduction was often followed by hours of reasoning as he convinced the creature to allow him to feed. With the more stubborn ones he gave up and erased their memories so they would never remember meeting him. When the ban on feeding from humans came along, even that bit of fun was gone. Rose went back to staring at the river. Hello? “Rose? I am a real vampire.”
She sighed. “Sure you are. Because that’s not some high-tech Halloween costume you’re wearing—”
Halloween costume? A fucking Halloween costume? Did this despicable human not know how to address royalty? “Look at me.” She kept her gaze on the water. “Rose.” His tone was firm, making her lift her head. “Keep your eyes on me.” And then he teleported behind her.
“Wh-where are you?” There was panic in her voice. Much better.
“Behind you.” In the days of old, humans regarded this as a great party trick.
She turned to him, her green eyes wide. “H-how did you do that?”
“Like I said, I am a vampire.”
“But…how?” She stepped back but did not run, her chest heaving as she breathed fast. “You guys really exist?”
He smiled, giving her another good look at his fangs. “It would seem so.” It was great that she got it, with minimal drama. But why the fuck wasn’t she running away? “Aren’t you scared? Of me?”
“What’s the worst you can do? Kill me?” She paused. “What do you want?”
“I am a vampire. What do you think I want?” Her bloody lack of reaction was now irritating him. “Rose? Come on, I have already mentioned what I am after.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “My blood, I guess?”
“Yes.” He resisted the urge to clap—she had been the target of enough mockery that evening. “But only if you agree.”
For all the emotion she showed, he might as well have stated that he desired a cup of tea. “Will I die?”
If I have anything to do with it. But the ancient vampire code of conduct meant he had to give her a choice. “Only if
you want.” It was what he wanted, but in his current condition any relief would be welcome. “Or I can take a little blood, and then you continue on as normal.” He was forced to offer a third option, the least appealing one because it would make him responsible for her. “There is also the option of immortality—”
“Please, not immortality,” she pleaded. Thank the heavens for that. “I want to die.”
Was that a yes? It could not be, it was way too easy. Even the broken-hearted Rian had changed his mind a few times. “So…I can have your blood?”
After a short silence, she spoke. “Yes. But promise I’ll die.”
“I promise.” He imagined the pleasure of sinking his fangs into her neck…practically tasting the blood.
The sadness on her face was now more poignant than anything he had witnessed, even though he had lived for centuries. Yet, she managed a smile. “My life was never any use. At least my death will be.”
Something pulled at him. Sympathy? Not possible. He was a fucking vampire.
CHAPTER THREE
* * *
IT WAS THE SECOND TIME a man had wanted Rose. Yes, he was a vampire after her blood—but still; it counted.
Steve. The first man to have any interest in her ... A senior supervisor at the orphanage and in his early forties, he befriended her when she was a miserable fifteen-year-old being bullied by the girls there. He said she was special and not like the other girls, making her believe there was finally someone who cared. On her sixteenth birthday, he invited her to his office to surprise her with her first ever gift, a hastily wrapped parcel containing a short black dress. It did not take much prompting from Steve for her to go to the adjoining bathroom to change into it. She had felt beautiful, almost, in the grown-up clothing…
“So. Is it a deal?” The vampire Lohan waited for an answer. “We go ahead?”
Vampires were real?
Blood Rose (Vampire Romance) Page 2