by Sophie Stern
“Well then, why don’t you show me where I’ll be staying?” Norman crossed his arms over his broad chest. He tried to look innocent, but the gesture didn’t work on me. What was he planning? Why had he come here? I knew it hadn’t been a social call. That much was certain.
“Of course,” I said. “You have the best room in the house.”
“Aside from yours,” he pointed out.
“Obviously.”
We made our way down the hall. My bedroom was at the very end of the hall on the left side. It overlooked the front of the house, the driveway, and the city. My brother’s room was the one across the hall. It overlooked the back of the house and the woods that surrounded it. Perhaps it was a bad idea to have my home back up to forests, but nothing lived there, and it was often relaxing to wander through the forest at night. I liked exploring and walking around. Being able to look up at the sky and just be was calming to me.
In a world where I missed my wife and where I was responsible for the safety of thousands of vampires, it could be overwhelming to protect my city. I needed places to stay calm. I needed ways to relax and calm myself.
On the other side of the woods were more houses, more citizens, and then finally, the walls that wound around all of Darkvale. Although the forest itself was quite small, it was still a wonderful place to spend some time. I should probably go there soon, I thought. I’d been feeling a bit tense and restless, after all.
I showed my brother to his room, and he walked in and assessed it. There were a few things he didn’t know, like there was a secret passageway that led directly into this room. Should he ever find himself locked in here, there was an escape. If I needed to break into the room for any reason, I’d have an easy way to.
There were listening devices throughout the room, as well. He’d be a fool if he didn’t suspect that much, though. My brother was cocky and stuck up, but he was also cunning. He was the kind of clever man who always thought people were out to get him. Usually, that was because people were.
“It’s nice,” he finally said.
“Good. I’m glad you find it acceptable.”
“It’s not as big as the guest quarters at my own home,” he said, looking over his shoulder at me. “But I know each city is different.”
“That’s right,” I nodded. “Not every city is ruled by a complete asshole.”
It was a low blog, but I was feeling feisty and annoyed. Why was Norman here? I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew it was something bad. There was no chance at all that whatever was happening was a good thing. If he was here, it was to get people riled up or to cause a commotion.
I’d already warned the citizens of Darkvale about my brother’s arrival. Both the humans and vampires knew to be wary. Our citizens were already nervous about wandering from one vampire town to another. The humans already knew they had to get permission to leave before they wandered outside of the gates, but then, the vampires did, too. Everything in my city was carefully monitored, and I was certain that things around the mansion were going to be just fine.
But he was going to try something.
He was going to pull something.
I didn’t know what, and I didn’t know when, but Norman hadn’t exactly made a social visit in a very long time. His arrival was going to bring chaos, but I didn’t know how.
And I didn’t know how to stop it.
3
Juliet
“DON’T GO,” CLARISSA, my associate at the hospital, shook her head. “You shouldn’t go.”
“It’s a bad decision,” I agreed. I ran my hands through my hair nervously. I knew it was a bad decision. “But I don’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice, Juliet.”
“Maybe,” I agreed slowly. “But the choice isn’t always something we want or like or agree with.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Clarissa said. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. The plan? That was a good question. For someone who was paid to be organized, I felt wildly out of my element this time. I felt out of control and tired and like I had been thrown into chaos.
“My plan?” I looked around my desk. It was neat and tidy like every other aspect of my life. I kept things in my world clean, organized, and carefully arranged. “My plan is to finish my shift and then go to the vampire’s lair.”
“You don’t need to packed first?”
Clarissa was organized to a fault. We both were, but she took organization to a new level. I’d been to her apartment once, and she had color-coded everything in her house: the bowls, the spoons, and the plates. She’d organized her shoes and her closet and even her hair care products. It was a bit much, even for me.
“I’m packed,” I told her. As soon as I realized I was going to be spending time at Mr. Colin’s house, I started formulating the different items I’d need. Oh, I didn’t think of weapons. I didn’t need things like stakes or silver bullets or anything like that. I already knew I wouldn’t win a fight against a vampire. More importantly, I didn’t really want to. I wasn’t exactly a fan of the idea of living forever. If a vampire wanted to kill me, then I would do exactly what the gravestones always said.
I’d rest in peace.
“Peace” was something I hadn’t felt in many, many years. Last year, there was a small attack on the city. A wall was breached and a group of...something...came in. No one really knew who or what they were, but it had been terrible. Colin’s wife had died, along with citizens who protected her. My brother, Matt, had been among them. He’d died trying to protect the Lady Elizabeth. He was a hero, I knew. Everyone always told me he was a hero, but that didn’t change the fact that was gone.
And I missed him.
“Of course, you are,” Clarissa said, bringing me back to reality. “You’re always ready for everything, aren’t you?”
“I try my best,” I shrugged. The truth was that ever since Matt died, I’d been basically running on autopilot. People always thought I did a great job with running the hospital because I worked constantly. The reality was that I didn’t want to take a break because of what it might mean. If I took a break, I’d have to face the fact that my brother was gone and that I was the one who had lost him.
“So,” Clarissa leaned closer to the front of my desk. We were alone in my office, which was unusual. As an administrator, I almost always had people coming and going in and out of my space. I often joked that I might as well put my desk right in the hallway because doctors, nurses, vampires, humans, and staff members were constantly flowing in and out of the room. “Is he sexy?”
“What?”
“Colin,” she lowered her voice. “Is he sexy?”
“Why would you ask me that? He’s a vampire.”
She knew from the tone of my voice what I was saying. I didn’t date vampires. Hell, I didn’t date anyone. I didn’t have a single urge that couldn’t be satisfied with a good porno and a good vibrator. I spent more time masturbating than I cared to admit.
“So?” Clarissa ignored the fact that this conversation was going in a direction I didn’t want. “That doesn’t mean anything.”
“Have you met him?” I turned the conversation back toward her a little bit. Sexy? Yeah. Colin was sexy. That was putting it lightly. I already knew that I was going to be in trouble because when he’d grabbed me by the damn throat, I’d gotten wetter than I’d ever been in my life. He’d barely even touched me, yet I was practically gushing for his cock.
“Only in my dreams,” she sighed. Clarissa bit her bottom lip dreamily. I knew she was probably thinking about Colin right now, but I didn’t care. At least her attention was on something other than me. I didn’t want her to know I’d touched myself thinking about the way he’d grabbed me. I definitely didn’t want to share the fact that I’d imagined what it would be like to have him sink his teeth into me while we were fucking. He’d made it clear that he didn’t want to have sex with me, and yeah, I could respect that. A girl could dream, though.
<
br /> Clarissa let out another little sigh. She was what I considered to be a vampire fangirl. She was always hanging out with this group of vampires she’d met working here. It was allowed, of course. You were allowed to hang out with whoever you wanted. Vampires in Darkvale didn’t kill humans. It was a requirement for being allowed to stay here.
When the city had been founded twenty-five years ago, a vampire had killed a human. The result had been that Colin brought that vampire to the center of town, tied him up, and let him burn as the sun rose. Everyone knew this story. I didn’t know if it was true or not, but it was legendary. I’d been eight at the time, and my brother swore up and down it was true. He’d been ten years older than me, and he’d raised me after our parents died. When Mom and Dad had been slaughtered by rogue vampires in our tiny little woodland town, Matt had taken me out of the house in the middle of the night, and he’d run with me.
He’d run straight to Darkvale, which was only just beginning. He’d taken a job as a guard for Elizabeth, and he’d served her until he’d died last year. My brother had been devoted and he’d been passionate about the mission of Darkvale. Although the city was brand new at the time, it was something that brought people hope. My brother found purpose and passion in being able to serve Elizabeth.
He hadn’t loved her. Elizabeth had only had eyes for Colin. My brother’s admiration was purely because he liked taking care of people, and he liked being one of the humans she trusted to guard her. He spent his days with me, making sure I studied and ate and got enough playtime. Then during the night, he’d go guard the vampire mistress.
Before his death, Matt had been strong enough to compete with any of the vampires. He’d been just as strong, just as deadly, and just as brave. I missed him. I missed him wildly. Sometimes it seemed like it was cruel that the sun kept right on shining even without Matt in the world.
“Why do you like vampires so much?” I asked Clarissa, trying to focus on her. If she kept talking, then I wouldn’t have to think too much about my own growing interest. Even though vampires in Darkvale weren’t allowed to kill humans, I always worried that someone would lose control. What if that happened? What if someone just decided they could no longer hold back? Maybe they’re be overwhelmed with desire or passion or something like that.
Then what happened?
On the other hand, what if humans started falling for vampires?
That could get very messy, very quickly. For the most part, humans kept to themselves, but there was always the chance that someone would go rogue or get wild and go for it. Clarissa loved the vampires. She’d had a taste of the forbidden, and she was obsessed now. What if that happened to me?
“What’s not to like?” Clarissa asked.
“They’re immortal douchebags,” I pointed out.
“Not all of them.”
“Yeah, all of them.”
“You’ve never met a single vampire you liked?”
Colin was good-looking, and he’d turned me on more than I cared to admit. He’d aroused me more than I would ever admit. To anyone. Including myself, probably.
“Nope,” I said. “Never.”
That was a lie.
“What about lady vampires?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm,” Clarissa tapped her chin, considering me. “Well, if you’re going to be staying at the Vampire Lord’s house and he’s going to be feeding from you, I think you might find them to be kind of nice to be around.”
“I doubt that.”
“Juliet,” Clarissa looked over her shoulder toward the door to my office, which was ajar. Then she turned back and lowered her voice. “Do you know what happens when a vampire feeds?”
“Everyone knows. They sink their fangs into you, suck what they want, and then seal you up.” It was all very clinical. The primary reason that humans donated blood, rather than just feeding, was hygienic. Some humans didn’t like the idea of being that close to a vampire. Donating blood also meant you could control how much you gave. There was no risk at all that a vampire might accidentally take too much.
“No,” Clarissa said.
“No?”
“I mean, yeah, but that’s not all that they do. Juliet, sometimes they...”
There was a knock at the door just then, and Dr. Thompson stepped into the room.
“Excuse me, Juliet?”
“Yes, Dr. Thompson?” I looked past Clarissa, relieved to have a change of subject. Dr. Thompson was one of our best medical providers. He was able to help humans with just about any problem they might have. Although vampires occasionally sought help for medical issues, too, for the most part they were pretty self-sufficient.
“We’ve got a problem with the delivery for this evening.”
“What kind of problem?” I sighed. That was the last thing I needed. We’d had too many supply chain problems for me to be comfortable with. Over the last few weeks, we’d been missing bags, missing needles, and missing gauze. One of our orders of surgical gloves just hadn’t arrived. How was I supposed to run a hospital if the other towns weren’t sending supplies that we rightfully paid for?
“The kind that’s going to require us to stay late,” he sighed.
“Late?” I looked at the clock. It was already well after dark. Usually, I worked mid-morning to mid-evening. That meant that humans could come in during the day and donate blood and have their minor illnesses treated. At night, the vampires could come in and get the blood they needed. Working the hours that I worked meant everyone got the help they needed, and I was still able to maintain a semi-regular sleeping schedule.
“I’m afraid so,” he said.
“I can’t stay late,” I said. “I have a meeting with the Vampire Lord.” Somehow, the words came out sarcastically. I wasn’t mocking him, but it sounded like I was.
“Colin?” Dr. Thompson seemed surprised.
“The one and only,” I said. “I’m already running late. Clarissa will help you with whatever you need. Call me if you need me to come back in,” I told them both. Secretly, I hoped that they would. I didn’t know what was going to happen if I was locked up all night long with Colin. I’d gotten so turned on when he’d grabbed me and choked me. What was going to happen when he fed from me?
“Understood,” Dr. Thompson said. The three of us walked into the hallway and they both looked at me as I wiggled into my jacket.
“Good luck,” Clarissa said.
“Thanks. I’m going to need it.”
DARKVALE MANOR WAS a huge building that nobody ever went to. Well, that wasn’t quite true. Nobody living ever went there. The vampires loved to visit Colin’s mansion and see what he and his lackeys were up to. There were parties there and special events. I was never quite sure if those were code words for “orgy” or “gang bang.” I was a little scared to ask.
After I left work, I took a car to the mansion. The vampire cabbie pulled up in front of the building and glanced into the backseat where I was nervously staring out of the window. The house was even bigger than I thought it was going to be, and my stomach tight and uncomfortable.
“Are you sure about this?” The driver looked concerned about me, but I shook my head. I wasn’t about to let him know how very not sure I was about this entire thing. Meeting with a vampire was a bad decision. I knew that. Meeting with one like Colin...well, I must have some sort of death wish.
“Nope,” I told the driver. Judging by the look he gave me, he didn’t believe me at all. He was a vampire, and now I knew that they could scent things. Colin had smelled my arousal. Could this guy smell my fear? My anxiety?
“I can take you back home if you want.”
“That’s not necessary,” I said. “I have an important meeting.”
“With the Vampire Lord?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Apparently, this guy is going to be my new master for a little while.” That was more information than I should have shared. I knew it. Somehow, my mouth didn’t get the message from my brain that oversharing
was not only unnecessary, but potentially dangerous.
“Sounds sexy,” the vampire said. His fangs descended a little. Awesome. I’d turned on a random vampire stranger by using the word “master.” That so hadn’t been my intention. I didn’t even know for sure that Colin and I would be having sex. Did I want that? Yeah, I definitely wanted it. I just didn’t know if he was going to.
“Maybe,” I finally answered the driver. I was trying to be as nonchalant as possible. “What do I owe you?”
“For you?” He said. “Tell you what: no charge tonight. You just call me when you need a ride. I’ll be your designated driver.” He handed me a little card with his name and number on it.
“Are you serious?” I accepted the card and flipped it over, looking at it. Apparently, his name was Oliver. That was a good vampire name, I thought. It was an old name, though. I wondered how old this vampire was. Older than me. He looked about 25, but with a name like Oliver...well, he was probably at least a hundred. Maybe more.
“Yeah,” he said. “I don’t trust anyone else to deliver you to the Vampire Lord unharmed. Strange things are afoot in Darkvale.”
“Like what?” I said, suddenly a bit nervous. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that. Ever since the recent break-ins and missing orders had started, people had been uneasy. Nobody really knew what was happening to our shipments. Nobody knew why random people were missing. It sounded stupid and trite, but we simply didn’t have any answers. Wishing for them hadn’t produced any results.
“Nothing to worry your pretty little head about.”
“Yeah, okay,” I nodded. Then, on a whim, I held my wrist out to the vamp. I didn’t want to leave without at least tipping him. He looked at my wrist hungrily.
“Are you sure?” Oliver asked. “I did say no charge.”
“You didn’t say no tip,” I told him. “Take what you want, and then I’ll go.”