Blood. I smell blood. I stand in my parlor and notice the tiny people in the TV box are still awake. They truly are dedicated to their craft, rehearsing at all hours of the day, whether someone is there or not. “Shhh…” I hold my finger to my mouth. “I would not want you to be harmed. There is an intruder.”
They ignore me and continue talking amongst themselves. I press the tiny button and close the curtain for their safety.
Two more steps and I am at the door leading to the kitchen. Someone is in there drinking all my snack blood! There are rules among vampires. One, you never touch another’s mate. And two, you do not eat my snacks!
I push open the door, ready to strike with my claymore. “Relinquish my treat, you foul—” I freeze with my arm in midair. There is a vampire, caked from head to toe in mud, standing in front of the open refrigerator. Its two green eyes stare unblinkingly. “Neli? What are you doing, girl? Where have you been? And what are you doing with my food?”
Her mouth flaps for a moment, and that is when I notice her fangs.
“Neli, you—you’re a vampire?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Boz
“How did this happen?” I ask, standing on the other side of the shower curtain in Neli’s bathroom. She has yet to say a word besides “I need more blood.” I assured her that the ten bags she took from my snack bin were enough. Cold and tasteless, but enough.
“Neli, I asked you a question, and I expect an answ—”
The curtain flies back, and naked Neli is in full shampoo mode, her hair covered in bubbles. “I am not your servant to command any longer!” She closes the curtain.
“No,” I mutter to myself, “I suppose you are not.” And then the realization hits me; what will I do without her? A problem to resolve another time, I suppose. At the moment, Neli needs my superior vampire guidance. And, possibly, vengeance. “But you are still family, and I demand to know who harmed you. Who is responsible for killing you?”
The water shuts off. She opens the curtain, and I hand her a towel from the rod on the wall. I have seen Neli’s birthday suit many times, and it is of no consequence to me; however, the paleness of her skin is like a dagger to the heart.
She is a vampire. I never wanted this for her. Correction, she never wanted this and, therefore, I am saddened by this turn of events.
She wraps the towel around her petite frame and then looks up at me. “I did it. It’s my fault.”
“How so?” I frown with confusion.
“Before I left France, I knew our mercenaries were still here, trying to catch the last hunter. They said they’d almost cornered him, but he slipped away. Then you and I spoke at the convention center and talked about Stella leaving France early. I rushed outside and immediately tried to call them so they wouldn’t be surprised and accidentally hurt her—they weren’t expecting any of us home until yesterday. But when I called, no one answered. I worried that something was wrong and caught the first plane here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you failed to make contact with the mercenaries? You only said you went to check on Stella in case any hunters were at her home.” I let out a groan. I hate that Neli did not trust me with this information, but part of me wonders if it is not my fault. I am not so forgiving when it comes to mistakes.
“What could you have done that I couldn’t? Also”—Neli blinks, tears forming in her eyes—“I didn’t want to disappoint you. You’re always saying how inferior I am, which is a total crock, but I knew you would never let me live this down. I’d be hearing about it for the next three centuries.”
She is correct, but that is still no excuse. “Stella could have been harmed. You were harmed. And that is more important than pride.”
“I know.” She sighs remorsefully. “I did manage to call in a favor with Vincente and ensure Stella encountered a few travel delays.”
“Vincente is still alive?” He is an old acquaintance from my Transylvania days, and as any vampire knows, there really is no such thing as immortality. Just ask Kylgorii. Sunshine happens.
“Yeah. He works for Homeland Security now. The night shift. He’s apparently very skilled at sniffing out bombs, and the benefits are really great—medical, dental, 401k.”
“So, in other words, he is still batshit crazy.” Vampires do not require such “benefits.”
“Exactly. Anyway, I got home early in the morning and wasn’t sure what to expect, so I snuck in through the secret tunnel in the wine cellar. Someone attacked me from behind, and then I woke up buried in a grave the next night.”