by Sophie Stern
“Why no shoes?”
“I come from a time where wearing shoes in the house was considered strange and unclean,” he told me. “Old habits die hard.”
I smiled at the comment. Then I let Colin lead me from the bedroom, back down the halls, and to the huge dining hall. There was a big table there with room enough for 25 guests. There were twelve chairs on each end of the table, as well as a chair at the head of the table. To my surprise, it wasn’t empty. There was a man seated there.
Colin also seemed surprised.
“That’s my seat, Norman,” he said, striding into the room.
“I’m a guest,” Norman said. “It seemed as though you might offer me the seat.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not the case tonight,” he said. “Move.”
Colin’s voice was deep and a little bossy. I wasn’t sure who Norman was, but I got the distinct impression that Colin wasn’t exactly a huge fan of this guy. Was this the brother he had ordered blood for?
Norman also seemed to know that he wasn’t wanted, and he reluctantly grabbed his wine goblet and moved to the seat next to Colin’s. I followed as Colin approached the head of the table. He sat down and gestured for me to take the seat on his other side. That meant Norman and I were on either side of Colin, but we were facing each other.
“Good evening,” Norman said. “Who are you?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Colin spoke first.
“She’s an advisor,” he said.
“An advisor?”
“Yes.”
“And what,” Norman sipped his drink. “Do you advise my brother about?”
So, this was the brother. This was the guy who needed all of that blood I’d ordered. This guy was the reason I was here with Colin. If Colin hadn’t ordered extra blood and I hadn’t deleted it from the order sheet, I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t have just fed Colin from my thigh in the shower.
I had a sneaking suspicion that if I wasn’t careful, Colin was going to answer questions for me tonight. While there was nothing wrong with his need for control, it was misplaced. Norman was the kind of guy who wasn’t only an asshole, but who was also pretentious. If I wasn’t careful, he’d try to walk all over me. Worse: he’d try to use me to hurt Colin. I knew immediately that I needed to stand up for my relationship with Colin. I needed to make sure that I was viewed as being a woman who thought for herself. Norman didn’t need to think I was a bimbo.
“Whatever he needs at the moment,” I said.
“And what does my brother need?”
“He’s a very important vampire in our city,” I said. I reached for the wine goblet in front of me. I hoped against all hope that it was actually wine and not blood because I was about to sip it. “Surely, even you know that.” I sipped the wine while making eye contact with Norman.
Yep, it was definitely wine.
Lucky.
“Very important indeed,” Norman said. “Although, I must confess I find it strange I’ve never heard of you,” he said, cocking his head. So, he was going to go that route, was he? He wanted to find out why I was important to his brother. Obviously, it was apparent that Colin viewed me as essential. Otherwise, Norman would have no interest in me.
“I’ve never heard of you either,” I said coldly. “So, I suppose that makes us even.” I stared at Norman as I sipped my wine again. I needed to be careful or I’d down the entire goblet. It was probably a bad idea to get drunk on my first night as a vampire companion. Whether there was sex or not, drinking too much meant my behavior was going to be sloppy and unpolished.
Colin chuckled to himself as Norman glared at me. Oh, he hadn’t liked that I was snarky. Colin laughed a little bit louder, and Norman and I both turned toward him.
“I’m sorry,” he said. He didn’t look very sorry, though. I had the feeling that Colin found the situation wildly amusing. He seemed to think it was funny that I had been short-tempered with Norman.
“What about you, little brother?” Norman said. “What do you think you need advising on? Perhaps I can help.” Norman set his own wine glass down and propped his elbows on the table. He laced his fingers together and looked at Colin, as though there was nothing else in the world he cared about. He definitely gave off the impression that he was here to help his brother, but it was obvious that this was all an act.
“Perhaps you can start by telling me why you wanted to visit,” Colin countered. He leaned back in his seat and shifted, making himself comfortable. Colin watched his brother and raised an eyebrow. Interesting. The two of them really didn’t like each other, and apparently, the purpose for Norman’s visit hadn’t exactly been communicated ahead of time. Wasn’t that odd? I thought you were always supposed to tell someone why you were visiting.
Norman shot a look at me, as though I couldn’t be trusted. He didn’t say a word to Colin. Instead, he just kept staring at me, as though doing so was going to burn a hole in my head.
Interesting.
“Anything you have to say can be said in front of Juliet,” Colin told his brother. “I trust her with my life.”
“You aren’t alive.”
“I still trust her.”
“Very well,” Norman said. He sipped his drink again, and then he put his goblet in front of him on the table. His lips were red, which made me think that his goblet definitely had blood in it. There was no food on the table yet: only wine. I wondered if we were actually going to eat food or if we were just going to talk about eating.
“I’m listening.”
“I want to talk about a merger.”
“A merger?”
“Of our towns.”
I tried not to look surprised or nervous about this. That could be a problem. The reason Darkvale ran so well was that it was on its own. We had trade agreements with neighboring cities, but we didn’t have a joint ruler. When vampires had created their own cities, the idea was that each community would run best by having its own ruler. Each vampire could be responsible for his or her own city. No vampire would be left behind, but neither would any city.
“No,” Colin said.
Well, that was a pretty clear-cut answer. Colin didn’t seem bothered at all by the request. If he was surprised, he didn’t let it show. I admired the way he was able to just shut down the request. There was no arguing. There was no debating. It was just “no.”
Norman wasn’t about to let go of the plan that easily, though.
“Hear me out.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because your city sucks,” Colin told his brother. “You’re low on blood and you catch humans and make them serve you.”
Yikes.
Sounded like I’d dodged a bullet by living in the city I lived in.
“That’s not true,” Norman said.
“It’s true.”
“A merger would be good for both of us.”
“It would only be good for you.”
“Don’t act like you aren’t running out of blood,” Norman said. “I know your hospital is in trouble.”
Colin and I both stilled, staring at Norman. How could he know that? Over the past few months, there had been attacks against humans. People had gone missing, as well. There was a general sense of anxiety that filled the city. Nobody knew what was happening, really, or whether it was something we needed to worry about.
Still, there had been shortages of blood. People were still donating, but only what was required. More and more humans were choosing not to give additional donations of blood, and this was beginning to be a problem. As far as I knew, no vampire had starved, but it could potentially happen if we didn’t get everything under control again.
“Excuse me?” Colin said. He wasn’t going to give his brother the satisfaction of acknowledging that he was right. Norman didn’t seem to be bothered by this. That was perhaps the strangest thing about watching the vampire duo interact. One cast shade and the other one just cast it right back.
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br /> “Tell me how your hospitals are run,” Norman said, changing the subject. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn’t seem tense, yet he was adding physical distance between himself and his brother.
Colin looked to me. He raised an eyebrow. Neither one of us was entirely comfortable with this quick change-of-subject, but Colin seemed like he was going to let me handle the strange question.
“Each citizen is required to give blood once a week,” I told Norman. “Local vampires and companies are allowed to place orders for blood, which are then filled. If someone orders too much blood or places an order on short notice, it might not be filled.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning if you walk into the hospital and try to tell me you need eighteen bags of blood, I might not be able to make it happen.”
There were multiple hospitals and blood donation centers, but I worked at the biggest one. It was the primary hospital where patients sought care, and it was the best place to donate blood. The team members at my hospital worked their asses off to make sure everyone was comfortable and that we were able to distribute as much blood as possible.
“So, you work at the hospital,” he commented.
Shit.
Well, there went my “I’m an advisor” cover. I’d tried.
“I’m a consultant,” I finally said.
“For my brother and for the hospital.”
“Something like that.”
“Well,” he said. “Sounds like a conflict of interest.”
“The hospital isn’t in trouble,” Colin lied, but Norman wasn’t about to accept that at all.
“Lies.”
“Look,” Colin slammed his hands on the table. Apparently, all of his patience was now gone. “I said I didn’t want to merge. That is enough. I do not need to justify myself to you, and I certainly don’t need to take shit from a vampire like you.” He spat the words out, glaring at his brother. Norman seemed unconcerned with Colin’s sudden decision to shout. I had the sinking feeling that Norman had been hoping Colin would lose control. He had goaded him, and he’d gotten a rise out of Colin.
I’d learned long ago that if you could get someone upset, you’d be able to get them to say a lot more than if they were happy or content. When someone was angry or sad or excited about something, they were much more likely to express themselves in ways that were...well, unproductive.
“What would your wife think about that?” Norman asked quietly.
“Leave her out of this.”
“Do you think sweet Elizabeth would want to be mated to a man who couldn’t protect his city? To a man who couldn’t keep the vampires fed?”
Colin swung his arm before Norman had a chance to duck. His fist connected with Norman’s cheek, and Norman fell to the ground. I stared, gasping at what I’d just seen. I’d never witnessed vampires fighting before, and I was a little nervous to be witnessing it now. Oh, this so hadn’t ended the way it was supposed to. I found myself regretful that I hadn’t been able to fill Colin’s additional blood order. If I had, then maybe I wouldn’t be sitting here about to watch a vampire brawl. Luckily, Colin didn’t have any interest in sticking around.
Colin stood up, brushed off his suit jacket, and turned to me. He offered me his hand, along with a forced smiled.
“I think we’ll be taking dinner in my room,” he said.
6
Colin
I STORMED OUT OF THE dining room. Juliet stayed close to me as I marched out and headed straight for my bedroom. Who the hell did he think he was? Seriously? Norman had obviously come to Darkvale for a reason, but I was foolish enough to hope it was a really, really good reason. Well, it hadn’t been. It had been a horrible reason, and it made me hate him.
A lot.
Norman had always been a selfish bastard, but this was something else entirely. I was old enough to know that a “merger” only ever worked in the favor of the person suggesting it. In this case, it would mean even less blood. If his town wanted a merger, it was because they were running low on humans. It was no wonder, in my opinion. Norman treated the people around him like absolute shit.
I unlocked the door to my room, gestured for Juliet to enter ahead of me, and then I slammed the door shut so hard that the walls shook. Everyone would know that I was pissed off, but I didn’t care. I was absolutely, totally, completely pissed off.
“How do you explain having your consultant slash advisor hanging out in your bedroom?” She asked once we were alone. She lowered her voice. It was soothing, I realized. She was trying to calm the brooding vampire. Well, it wouldn’t work. I would brood if I wanted to.
“Easy. I’ll tell everyone we’re fucking.”
“What?” She asked. She made a choking sound, as though my comment was so unbelievable that she was already imagining my cock in her throat.
“I’ll tell them we’re fucking,” I said more slowly.
“But we aren’t fucking.”
“Not yet.”
“You want to?”
“Of course, I want to fuck you.”
What a stupid question. She was a gorgeous human, and she wasn’t an idiot. She definitely knew how beautiful she was. I understood I’d told her we wouldn’t have sex unless she wanted to, but I was getting the impression that she definitely wanted to. Was I really going to deny the beautiful human that luxury?
There were a lot of wonderful things about Juliet, I was learning. She was patient, for one thing. She was clever, for another. I had a lot to learn about her still, however. She was wonderful, but she was also perplexing. What I didn’t understand was how someone like Juliet had managed to stay so calm around someone like my asshole of a brother.
She’d completely kept her cool.
While most people would have gotten upset or flustered with his constant questions, she hadn’t. She’d just handled herself with grace and poise. It was quite wonderful to see. She’d been every bit a royal lady, and Norman hadn’t known what to do with himself around her.
A few minutes after we got back to the bedroom, Alice arrived with a plate of food for Juliet. I thanked Alice and closed the door. Then I turned back to Juliet and held out the plate. It was heaped with vegetables, mashed potatoes, and baked chicken. These were all foods that I had loved when I was human and that I still loved. Eating food did nothing to curb my hunger anymore, but sometimes I still enjoyed eating. Tasting food was really the important part, anyway.
“Thanks,” she said. She sat on the floor with the plate and gobbled down the food. Despite her earlier insistence that she wasn’t hungry, Juliet hardly made a sound as she ate quickly.
“You can sit on the bed, you know.”
“I’m fine.”
“How is it?”
“It’s amazing,” she looked up at me. “Colin, do you eat real food?” It looked like she already knew the answer to that question, yet she asked it anyway.
“Sometimes.”
“Vampires are able to eat?” Her brow furrowed, as though this information wasn’t at all what she expected to hear.
“Of course, we can eat.”
“I thought vampires couldn’t eat.” Her fork hovered above her plate. She was completely still as she looked at me.
“Someone’s been feeding you a line.”
She watched me carefully and cocked her head, confused. Then she turned back to her food and silently ate a few more bites. She ate more slowly this time, as though she wasn’t just digesting the food, but the information, as well.
“You seem lost in thought.”
“I’m just surprised.”
“About the food thing?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” I asked. “Does it bother you? We can eat what we like. It just doesn’t satisfy our hunger.”
“My brother told me vampires only drink blood,” she said, looking back up at me. “He was very insistent about it. I’m not really sure what made me ask you about it now, but you’re the first
one I’ve heard who said otherwise.”
“Your brother was wrong.”
“He was certain,” she said. “In fact, he made a very big deal about it. He said that was how you could tell someone who wasn’t human. If they never ate around you, it was because they were already full on blood. Well, or they were about to be.”
“I’m sorry you lost your brother,” I told her. “Losing someone we love is a terrible feeling. That doesn’t make his comments true, however.”
“Okay,” she whispered, and she kept eating. I wondered about her brother. That was a strange thought, really. Why had he lied to her about vampires? That really was a bold-faced lie. If he had been some ordinary, boring human, that would have been one thing, but she’d said he had died in the battle last year. Not many people died. As far as I knew, no humans did.
“What was your brother’s job?” I asked her, curious. Maybe that would give me an idea as to who he had been. Juliet was incredible when it came to managing the hospital and keeping everything in check. I was certain that her brother was probably just as efficient at whatever his job had been.
“He worked for Elizabeth.”
“My wife, Elizabeth?”
Now, that was surprising.
“Yeah,” Juliet nodded, looking up at me. “He liked his job a lot. He raised me, you know, after our parents died. He was 18 when we came here. I was smaller: only eight. He worked his ass off to keep me safe. He would have done anything for me.”
Apparently, he had. I knew who Matt was. I knew the man who had worked for my wife. I knew that he had died.
I also happened to know that he hadn’t been human during his employment.
I knew because I didn’t hire humans. I also knew because my wife had fed from Matt many times. Vampires couldn’t feed from other vampires for nourishment: only for pleasure. They had both enjoyed feeding from one another. He was one of her favorite vampires to work with. Unlike many of the other vampires, he hadn’t lived in the mansion with us, though. He’d insisted on keeping his own residence. He’d always been private about that, and I had respected his choice. Now, maybe I knew why.