Taste of Torment

CHAPTER FIVE

(Sam)

Frustrated, I slammed the thick book on my office desk. From his seat at his own desk, Jared arched a quizzical brow, smiling in amusement. I just shook my head. His smile widened, but he said nothing and returned to…well, whatever the hell he was reading.

Five days had gone by of researching The Call by reading books, surfing the V-Net, and consulting various knowledgeable vampires by teleconference. But none of the information had proven to be any more informative than what Antonio and Luther had been. We had explored every possible idea and examined every possible theory in our search for a counteragent, but our efforts had so far come to nothing.

Furthermore, there was no trace of Quentin Foy anywhere, so we were no closer to finding out if there were more tainted vampires on the loose or not. Another squad within the legion had searched the borders of Quentin’s tunnels and also the nearest towns, but no tainted vampires had been found.

According to Sebastian, who regularly kept in contact by cell phone, Robert Langley hadn’t been much help with the Paige West situation. Sebastian sadly didn’t believe he was close to finding her yet. Jared was still refusing to even consider bringing her to The Hollow, but I was just thankful that he had at least conceded that there was no harm in Sebastian attempting to locate her.

Conscious that we had been badly neglecting our usual duties, Jared and I had given the squad the rest of the night off and then retreated to our office. Although the squad were in top shape and had amazing control of their gifts, we still worked with them each week Monday through to Friday in order to ensure that things stayed that way. Unfortunately, recent events had messed with that schedule – not to mention the morale of the squad. Still, to their credit, they hadn’t slacked off.

Unable to concentrate on the work matters in front of me, I’d again read through many of the huge, old, musty-smelling books that contained information on The Call on the off-chance that I’d missed something. But it quickly became apparent that I hadn’t. So I’d inhaled another whirlwind’s worth of dust for nothing.

And now I was utterly pissed.

A knock was quickly followed by the entrance of Fletcher. He hardly ever waited for a ‘come in’. Humming to himself, he placed an NST and some crisps on first Jared’s desk and then mine. Busy reading, Jared merely gave Fletcher a nod of thanks. It still made Fletcher melt on the spot. Yes, my PA had a thing for my mate. Who didn’t?

Being an Empath, Fletcher instantly picked up on my mood and shot me an ‘Are you all right?’ look over the rim of his glasses. I forced a smile and nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced. No doubt he’d quiz me later, I thought as I watched him leave the office.

I glanced at Jared to see that he was still reading. You would think he would be just as pissed as me, given his brother’s condition. But no. For the past five days, Jared had been nothing but positive and optimistic. Maybe refusing to accept the possibility that Evan might die was his way of facing it, of dealing with it, and avoid falling apart.

My way of dealing with it? I didn’t have one.

With a groan, I let my head flop down onto the desk. My forehead met the oak with a thud. Ow.

There was a sigh that – annoyingly – had a trace of amusement in it. “Come here, baby.”

“No.” I was quite comfortable where I was.

“Why?” I could hear the smile in his voice.

“I don’t need a reason.”

“Come on, come to me.”

“I’m busy.”

“You’re going to end up with a red mark on your head.”

“So will you if you don’t shut the fuck up.”

He chuckled. “That’s my girl. Now come over here.”

I finally lifted my head. “What do you want?”

“To hold you. I’ve missed you.” He gave me a meaningful look that I easily interpreted. It was fair to say that I had been snappy and impatient with everyone, even him, for the past few days. Rather than taking the let’s-face-this-together approach and allowing us to be each other’s strength, I had emotionally pulled away. It was in my nature to deal with things alone, to disappear into my own head while I worked it out. I was a ‘thinker’, my dad had always said. I’d silently ponder over things, explore the matter in my mind, rather than confide in anyone. It was a good thing, really, since my parents hadn’t exactly been interested in anything I was thinking or feeling. My conception had been an accident, a bad accident, and they had never let me forget it.

But retreating into my own head wasn’t fair to Jared, was it? Not now that we were Bound.

What made me feel even guiltier was that he hadn’t complained, hadn’t even commented on it, despite that he must have wanted me with him one hundred percent right now. He’d given me that time, that space. But that time was apparently over. With a heavy exhale, I rose from my seat and went to him.

He swivelled his chair to face me and gripped my hips, pulling me to stand between his legs. “Hey,” he said gently.

Resting my hands on his shoulders, I bit my lower lip. “I’m sorry.”

Slipping his hands under my t-shirt, he pressed them against my back to pull me closer. “So you’re done?” No judgmental words or looks; only total understanding – now I felt even guiltier. “I know you’re worried about the guys. I wouldn’t expect anything different. But you’re letting the stress of it all get the better of you.” Again there was no judgement there. “I hate seeing you like this.”

I understood, since – likewise – I’d hated seeing him an absolute wreck after the wacko brothers had kidnapped me.

He squeezed my hip gently. “You don’t have to go it alone when shit happens, Sam. Not anymore. I’m here.”

“It’s like a mental reflex, but I’ll work on it.”

“Good, because I want my mate back. I miss her. I miss her giving me attitude, and teasing me, and cursing me to hell and back.”

My smile mirrored his. “And she’s missed you.”

“That’s an extremely good thing because I plan to” He paused at the knock on the door. “Yes?”

“Antonio is here to see you,” announced Fletcher. There was an odd note to his voice that made me frown.

Jared rose to his feet. “Let him in.”

Antonio breezed into the room with his guards and pit-bulls in tow. He also had two unfamiliar Kejas with him. “Sam, Jared…I would like you to meet Eloise Montana and Fredrick Collins.” Really? Because he didn’t sound as if he’d like us to meet them at all. In fact, he didn’t appear pleased about their presence either. “Fredrick is also one of my vampires.”

“I’m the first vampire he ever sired,” added Collins, cocky and self-satisfied by that fact.

I hadn’t met many vampires that had been sired by Antonio, so I was instantly curious about him. The impeccably neat Collins was average height, had short mousey hair, watchful beady eyes, and looked like he’d be right at home in a corner office. And I didn’t like him. It was an immediate feeling that I couldn’t explain. Every instinct I had severely disliked this bloke. His gaze ran over both Jared and I studiously. Something not holy on the side of the angels glinted in those eyes as he focused on Jared.

Moving my attention to the smartly dressed Eloise, I saw that the tall, slim female was staring at Jared and smiling. People stared at him like that all the time, but there was something in her eyes that told me this wasn’t the first time they had met.

Running a hand over her long mane of coal-black hair, she practically purred, “It’s good to see you again, Jared.”

Yep, I was right.

Antonio’s brow puckered. “Oh. I did not realise that you two had already met.”

Without moving her eyes from Jared, she told Antonio, “We met briefly when I came to attend a gathering here many years ago. Despite the meeting being brief, it was certainly memorable.”

In other words, you bonked her.

Um…yeah. He sounded loathed to admit it. It was just the one time and was nothing but a quick fuck. In fact, I was wasted that night. Remember, baby, it was only ever the Heir they wanted.

I mentally rolled my eyes, exasperated that he persisted in believing that his status and his looks were all that women thought he had to offer. But this wasn’t the time to have that conversation again.

“It’s an honour to meet the Heir.” There was a bitter edge to Collins’ words. Ah, jealousy. “You must be very proud to have been selected for the position.”

Eloise slid her gaze to me. Distaste glinted in those eyes. “You must be the famous Sventé everyone’s been talking non-stop about.”

“You have me at a disadvantage,” I told her. “You’ve heard much about me, but I’ve never before heard anything about you.”

Jared cocked his head at Collins, still ignoring Eloise – wise decision. “I can say the same about you, Collins. It’s odd that I’ve never heard of Antonio’s first-born. In fact, in all the time I’ve been here, you’ve never once visited. Not even for the Binding ceremony.”

Collins flushed. “It wasn’t possible. I have…commitments.” The bloke didn’t even visit his own Sire? A Sire who anyone would be lucky to have? What a prick. I’d have proud to have a Sire like Antonio.

Seemingly uncomfortable and also a little pissed off, Antonio spoke to Collins. “I think it is time that you told them why you and Eloise are here.” Something in his tone had the hairs on the back of my neck raising.

Collins, someone who clearly had an overinflated sense of self-importance, straightened his posture. “Eloise and I work together as representatives within the Prelature.”

The Prelature was the office of the Prelates – a body of vampire ministers that had the authority to perform and administer various rites such as Bindings and Coronations. These ministers also had the authority to enforce order, and they had ‘representatives’ who were simply paper pushers that dealt with any cases put forth to the Prelature. It was therefore useful in that it could deal with small squabbles or issues, alleviating Antonio’s workload. It existed outside of all forms of authority in order to be totally neutral, and was older than even the concept of the Grand High Master. Of course, most vampires sought out Antonio in times of trouble, but there were some who preferred to stick to the ‘old ways’ and turned to the Prelature.

The Prelature didn’t deliver death sentences or imprison anyone, and it didn’t deal in corporeal punishment. In fact, the Prelates disapproved of such things, but they weren’t always lenient. The Prelature’s punishments came in the form of official reprimands (simply public warnings), exile (banishing vampires from their nests), monetary fines (even so far as taking away all the vampire’s belongings; for those who had spent their very long lives accumulating wealth, this hurt), or even dismissal of their positions in cases of gross negligence.

As Eloise shot me a smug smirk, unease slithered up my spine.

“There have been complaints,” Collins informed me.

“Complaints?”

“A member of your squad has made complaints about you, Commander Parker.”

Nothing he said or did could have shocked me more. Not a single thing. Not even if he had stripped off his clothes and done the Macarena dance on my desk in a G-string. Maybe I should have felt hurt, devastated, and betrayed by Collins’ news. But I didn’t feel any of those things because no way would I ever believe in a million sodding years that one of the squad would do that. “Bollocks.”

“It is but the truth,” Eloise seemed to take delight in saying.

“What game are you playing?”

Collins lifted his chin. “I realise this must be difficult for you, Commander Parker. But this particular member voiced a number of serious concerns. They didn’t feel they could go to Antonio with this matter as they feared he would not be impartial, being as fond of you as he so clearly is.”

“Concerns? Like what?”

“That you work them too hard and for very long hours. That you use unorthodox methods to train them – methods that involve subjecting them to pain. That you take them on more dangerous assignments than any other squad is taken on by their commanders. That you have harmed, and even killed, many humans on your assignments. That you used the squad in order to help avenge another vampire, which we all know is not an assignment. That you absorb their energy in order to use their gifts for yourself – that is exploitation at its worst.”

I just stood there, dumbstruck. I had no words. And that didn’t happen often.

Jared bristled. “Tell me you’re not serious.”

Collins’ tone was grave. “On the contrary, I’m very serious, Commander Michaels. So is this matter – it is not just one complaint, it is a whole list of them.”

Oh it was a ‘list’ all right: it was a list of things that had been twisted into sounding dark and cruel. Yes I worked the squad hard, but I didn’t work them any harder or longer than other commanders did their own squads. It was true that I sometimes hurt the squad during training, but only as part of helping them develop better reflexes. Besides, when you were training with people who had such violent gifts, there was going to be some pain whether everyone liked it or not.

It was also true that I had taken them on many dangerous assignments, but that was because Antonio often chose us to deal with such matters. Yes, I had killed during assignments, but I had never killed an innocent. It was also accurate that we had helped Jude avenge what had happened to her, but that had only been insofar as allowing her to come along while we dealt with the matter – we would have crushed that criminal operation in any case. And, yes, I had absorbed each member of the squad’s energy at one time or another to use their gifts, but it was only during training so that I could help them learn to better use and control those gifts.

Yet, all those things had been twisted in such a way as to make me indeed sound exploitative and cruel. What bugged me was that whoever had made these supposed ‘complaints’ had to have had inside knowledge of how I worked in order for them to have any knowledge to twist. Other than Evan, Antonio, Sebastian, or Luther, I never let people observe training sessions. The only people outside of the squad that I had taken on assignments were Jude, Ava, and Cristiano. None of them would have any reason to do this. But I didn’t believe for even one second that any member of my squad had anything at all to do with it. “Who really made these complaints?”

Collins was the image of snootiness. “As I told you, it was a member of your squad.”

Jared narrowed his eyes. “Oh yeah? Then who?”

“They wish to remain anonymous.”

I snickered. “Well of course they do.”

“I heard that two of your squad members are currently tainted. It is very sad, and I was quite surprised. Frankly, I would have expected better from the Heir, his mate, and their personal squad.”

Oh, the little fucker.

“Fredrick, that is enough,” snapped Antonio.

“I have a valid point. These people should be powerful enough to protect and lead all vampirekind one day, yet they could not even lead and protect their own squad. Commander Parker is supposed to be particularly powerful, and yet two of her squad are now dying. My investigations show her to be hot-headed and reckless. One only needs to listen to tales of what occurred during the week of the Binding ceremony to know that. I believe two vampires went to the event and never returned.”

“If you’re talking about the woman who Turned me and came here with her consort, they almost had Sam killed.” Jared’s tone was dark and menacing, vibrating with a barely controlled rage. “No one was going to let them leave here alive.”

Collins straightened his tie. “The Prelature does not condone violence. You may perceive it to be excusable, but her first-born, who reported her disappearance, would not agree with you. The fact remains that Commander Parker is reckless. And that is not the only problem. Show them, Eloise.”

Still smiling smugly, Eloise dug out a newspaper from her briefcase and handed it to Jared. Her irises were glowing amber with lust, and all I wanted to do was bitch slap her. Jared didn’t even look at her as he took the British newspaper that was opened on a particular page.

Oh bugger. My stomach sank as I saw the photo of Jared and me, strolling around in London. It was one of the places we had visited during our ‘honeymoon’. The headline of the article was ‘New Lead in Missing Person’s Case’. There was then a detailed account of the day I had disappeared and an appeal from the police for more information.

“If the police try to identify Jared,” began Eloise, “imagine their reaction when they find a missing person’s report from nineteen years ago that shows he hasn’t aged.”

Jared snorted contemptuously. “They’ll just think it must be someone else. They certainly aren’t going to scream, ‘Shit, he’s a vampire!’” And I strongly doubt my mother bothered filing a report about me, he told me. She only ever cared about Evan.

“Perhaps,” allowed Collins. “But that isn’t the point.”

“What about me? I’m on that photo too. You’re not calling me reckless.”

Collins ground his teeth before speaking. “The squad member was clear that you are an extremely good trainer and that they have no issues whatsoever with you or your techniques.” He sounded annoyed by that.

“What is it you intend to do?” It was more of a dare by Jared – a clear ‘just fucking try to harm her in any way and I’ll kill you’.

“Eloise and I intend to spend the next few months observing Commander Parker.”

I double-blinked. “Say again?”

“We will observe you as you train your squad. Observe you as you work. When we are done, we will make a report recommending whether or not we believe you should be allowed to keep your position as a commander.”

Jared gawked. “You can’t do this! You don’t have the authority to pull this shit!”

Collins looked sincerely affronted. “I can and I do, Commander Michaels. I am a representative of the Prelature. Even the Heir’s mate is not immune to its authority. It operates outside any other vampiric laws.”

Scrubbing a hand down his face, Jared inhaled deeply. “I don’t believe this.”

“Believe it. Now, I’d like to meet your squad.”

I arched a brow. “And why is that?”

“Eloise and I need to interview each of them separately and ask them some questions about you and how they feel about having you as their commander.”

I shrugged one shoulder. “That’s fine.” He and the Keja bitch seemed surprised; clearly they had expected me object. “Why would I have an issue with it? There’s nothing negative for you to find. Come on, they’re probably in the basketball court.”

With Jared hot on my heels, I rounded the desk, and exited the office. Collins, Eloise, Antonio, the guards, and the pit-bulls all followed closely behind us as we led the way to the court. I buried my rage as best I could, determined to keep a hold on my temper, but it wasn’t easy. If it hadn’t been for Jared’s warm presence beside me, it might not have worked.

I had been right about the squad being at the basketball court. Jude, Ava, and Cristiano were also there. Hearing us approach, they turned as a unit, suddenly alert – and probably hoping we were there to give them some good news.

“Everyone, this is Fredrick Collins and Eloise Montana,” announced Antonio reluctantly. He looked totally defeated. “They are representatives of the Prelature and they are here to investigate Sam and judge her suitability as a commander.” Ignoring the gasps, curses, and mutters, he continued, “They will explain everything.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you all.” Smiling widely, Collins stepped forward, seeming both awed and excited. He made me think of someone who was in the presence of their favourite rock band. “Eloise and I would like to take each of you aside and ask you some questions.”

Chico’s expression was hard. “Yeah? Fuck that.”

Collins seemed taken aback. Prick. That was called ‘loyalty’. It strangely hadn’t seemed to occur to him that they might be a little pissed off by all this.

“We’re not talking to either of you.” Salem turned to me, gesturing at the newcomers. “Coach, what the hell is going on?”

“Oh do elaborate, Mr Collins,” I said with a smile. There was no chance I was giving explanations for him.

He clearly didn’t want to answer – probably because he didn’t want to be the focus of the squad’s anger. “A number of complaints were made about Commander Parker.”

David gaped. “Made by who?”

“One of you, of course.”

Harvey shook his head madly, slashing a hand through the air. “No fucking way.”

“None of us would do that!” maintained Denny.

“It is so,” said Collins shakily. “The complainant wishes to remain anonymous, so I will not be revealing their name.”

“It is protocol for us to interview each of you.” Eloise went to Collins’ side. “We need to get a distinct picture of what it is like to have Samantha Parker as a commander.”

Butch snorted. “Then I’ll draw you one.”

Collins licked his lips nervously. Who wouldn’t be nervous having a gang of powerful pissed off vampires rounding on you? “As Eloise said, this is purely protocol.”

“No, it’s bullshit,” snapped Damien.

“Total and utter bullshit,” agreed Reuben, so wound up he was close to crushing the basketball he was holding. I had the feeling he was imagining that it was Collins’ head.

“I’m not having any part of it,” declared Denny, wearing a mutinous look.

Realising that the squad was close to attacking the representatives, I sighed. “It’s fine, talk to them.”

Chico looked at me like I was simple. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“We’ve got nothing to hide, have we?” It wasn’t a question from me, it was a confident statement. “There’s obviously been some kind of misunderstanding. The sooner we get it cleared up, the better. We’ve got more important things going on right now.”

After a long silence, Chico ground out, “Fine.” He pointed hard at Collins. “But then you stay the fuck away from me. You got that?”

Still somewhat nervous, Collins gestured at Eloise, who gave Jared a secret smile as she past him. “If you could follow Eloise, she will take you to the mansion where we intend togreat, thank you.” Grumbling and scowling, each of them practically stomped after her. Seeing that Ava, Cristiano, and Jude – who were clearly seriously pissed – hadn’t moved, Collins turned to them. “I’m sorry, are you all members of the…?” He let his sentence trail off when Salem came up behind Ava and glared down at Collins. The bloke swallowed hard and forced a smile, taking a step backwards.

Ava peered up at Salem. “Aw, it’s my hero again.” His sudden scowl didn’t seem to bother her in the least. “You really are too sweet.”

Salem growled but, again, Ava didn’t appear to be affected. “Be good,” he told her gruffly before joining the rest of the squad.

It was hilarious watching big, bad Salem turn protective and possessive of small, bubbly Ava. I would never have expected the two to match, but just maybe Ava was what Salem needed. He was too serious and work-focused. Ava’s personality wouldn’t allow for that. Oddly, though, despite that Salem behaved so protectively, he was also very distant with her and brushed off her attempts to talk more intimately with him.

Jared went to follow Collins. “I’ll come too.” He was seemingly just as worried about the squad being alone with Prick Number One and Prick Number Two as I was.

Collins’ eyes briefly glistened with anger. “Actually, I’m going to need time alone with them. They might feel pressured or intimidated if you are nearby.” His tone was pleasant, but his eyes were cold. “You don’t have a problem with that, do you, Gerald?”

I gave the bloke a sad smile that said, ‘Oh you really don’t wanna play like that with Jared’. My mate had been raised by someone who played mind games, which meant three things. One, Jared could spot those games a mile away. Two, he had absolutely no tolerance for them. And three, he knew exactly how to handle people who played them.

“Why would it be a problem?” Jared looked sincerely confused – it was a total slap down, an implication that for Collins to be a problem, Jared would have to actually care. Translation: ‘You’re not important enough for me to give a flying fuck what you do.’ For someone who clearly thought they were extremely important, it had to have chafed. Collins’ face turned crimson with both embarrassment and anger as he marched away.

A gaping Jude approached with Ava and Cristiano. “Tell me I imagined all that.”

I sighed. “I wish I could.” As Antonio appeared beside me, I asked him, “All right, what’s the deal with these two? Please tell me it’s some kind of sick joke.” His grim expression confirmed that it wasn’t.

Cristiano, who came to my other side and shot me a brief look of concern, asked Antonio, “Seriously, is all this for real?”

“I’m afraid it is,” replied Antonio sadly.

“But you don’t believe there’s been a complaint,” Jared detected, pulling me close to him and, in effect, away from Cristiano.

“If there has, I do not believe it has come from the squad.”

“Then who?” Ava asked Antonio.

“As the Heir’s mate, Sam will always have enemies.If these people cannot harm her physically, they will hurt her in other ways.”

That would have happened in any case. I had a talent for offending people. “I’m pretty sure the answer is no, but I have to ask if there’s any chance you can put this crap to an end?”

“I am sorry, Sam, but for the Prelature to be impartial, it has to be immune to all authority. One of my predecessors once tried to challenge it, and that did not end well. If I was to interfere, it would look bad for you – as though you are not confident that their decision will clear your name. Fredrick would certainly see it as such.”

“Not to be a bitch, Antonio…but what possessed you to choose him as your first-born?”

“I Turned him centuries ago when he came to me with evidence of not only the existence of vampires, but of my being one. Back then, people were much more superstitious and they often staked perfectly innocent humans who were simply ill. Collins promised to withhold the evidence if I Turned him. He was not a bad person…just very misguided, very unhappy because he did not feel that he fit amongst his own kind. I had felt the same during my human life. I truly believe that becoming a vampire helped me as a person.

“But Collins…he felt short-changed because his gift is not very substantial and the Keja hypnotic beauty could not make people ‘love’ him. It was not enough that women desired him. He wanted them to adore him, need him, and be obsessed with him.” Antonio shook his head. “Nothing was ever good enough for him. Nothing ever fulfilled him. Some vampires within the nest that I was part of back then were similar to him, and they all left as a group. I did not hear from Collins again until I was made Grand High Master. He came here, liked what he saw, and asked to stay. But when it became apparent that he expected to be made Heir simply because he was the first vampire I ever Turned, I made it very clear that things did not work that way. Offended and angry, he left. This is the first time I have heard from him since then.”

After a short pause, Jared spoke. “Would he make something like this up out of jealousy? I mean, would he try to get to me by using Sam just because I have the position he wants?”

Antonio pursed his lips as he considered that. “Collins can be slimy and vindictive, but I’m not sure he would do something like this as he is a stickler for rules. I will contact the Prelature and find out if this is an authentic complaint. In the meantime, be careful, Sam. Do not give them anything to use against you. You are a fantastic commander – we all know that. You do not need to act any differently than you normally do. But…try not to kill Collins or Eloise, that’s all.”

“I can’t make any promises.” I went to head back to the Command Centre.

Jared’s hand engulfed mine. “No more work.” There were then familiar flutters in my stomach as he teleported us away. We reappeared on a narrow path in the rainforest. He shrugged. “You wanted to take Dexter for a walk – or a slither, whatever.”

This wasn’t about Dexter, though. This was Jared trying to keep my mind occupied on things other than the black cloud hanging over us. I could sense that he was just as angry as I was, but he was doing his best to put it aside so he could calm and comfort me. I squeezed his hand. “Thanks.” Knowing Dexter was currently twined around my waist, I peeled up my t-shirt and said, “Novo.” The Latin word for ‘change’ was enough to make the four-inch long tattoo become a live one and a half foot long snake. His colouring was presently pearl-white, indicating that he was excited. Of course he was excited – he loved being in the rainforest, hunting for food.

Dexter’s tongue briefly flicked my chin, and then his intelligent and very observant gaze landed on Jared. Dexter shot him what could only be described as a ‘mind how you step’ look. Jared simply rolled his eyes. Dexter then slinked down my body and began slithering along the ground.

“I can’t believe all this is really happening.”

Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, Jared pulled me close to his side as we walked along the narrow path in the same direction that Dexter was heading. “You know the squad aren’t behind this, don’t you?”

“Of course I do. But it doesn’t mean this whole thing isn’t pissing me off.” Considering that I would soon be ruling all vampirekind alongside Jared, I’d be losing the position of commander anyway. But the point at play was that if Collins’ report recommended that I be wiped of my position, I would no longer have the support of the Prelature. Without that, no Prelate would be prepared to perform the Coronation. As such, there would be no ascension. In addition, people might once again be wary of me if the Prelature ruled that I wasn’t fit enough to lead my squad and that I exploited them.

If Antonio had announced his decision to step down, I might have wondered if this ‘complaint’ was someone’s way of ensuring I didn’t take his place. But only a handful of people knew of Antonio’s intention. Plus, it was believed that I had the support and acceptance of all vampirekind anyway.

Another important question would be: “Who would do this?”

“Like Antonio said, you’ll have enemies; people who are jealous of what you have and of how powerful you are.”

“Like Joy?” She had openly flirted with Jared in front of everyone earlier. That was why it had been so hilarious when Denny wrapped her in yellowy-green ooze. It was sweet in a Denny way.

“She’s a bitch, baby, I know that. But I’m not sure if she’d go this far to piss you off. To be honest, I don’t think her imagination’s good enough to come up with something like this.”

Valid point. “But it has to be someone from The Hollow – someone who knows how I work. Joy’s sneaky enough to do a little spying.”

He conceded that with a tilt of his head. “Maybe we should consider Dickhead, too.”

That made no sense to me. “Sure, he likes to poke at you and he finds some dark amusement in the fact that he drank from me in the past”

“There’s nothing amusing about it.”

“but he’s not so much of a prick that he would try to make me lose my job. What possible motivation could he have to do it?”

“Maybe he’s bitter about us. He wants you badly, baby. You don’t see it, just like you never see when anyone wants you, but it’s true.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Hey, what about Magda’s first-born? According to Collins, they reported that she never returned home and they aren’t too happy about it.”

“But how would that vampire know enough about you and how you train the squad to twist it all?”

I groaned, totally bamboozled. “I hate this.”

He kissed my temple – his touch gentle despite the anger that occasionally seeped to the surface. “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll find out who did this. And then I’ll kill them.”

I snorted. “Not if I get there first.” And I had every intention of doing so. “What worries me about having someone hovering over me is that they might pick up on the hybrid thing.”

Jared shook his head. “That won’t happen purely because no one would ever believe it was possible. Besides, Antonio came up with good excuses for why you’re more powerful and stuff. Don’t worry about that. In fact, don’t worry about any of it right now. We’re spending some time together – you and me. Let’s shove this shit aside for a while and move on to a lighter but extremely important subject: Have you come up with any new rules for us to put into place after the Coronation?”

Despite my mood, I actually smiled.

“Come on, baby. Don’t go retreating into that head of yours again. I know what’s happening is fucked up on so many levels, but you’re stronger than this. And I’m here.”

Still feeling bad for having held back from him before, I relented. “I’m still working on the rules, but I’ve come up with a few. I’m thinking that the whole consort thing should be banned from The Hollow.”

He laughed – a sound I hadn’t heard in a while. “I really shouldn’t be surprised, should I?”

“Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying flings or one-night stands shouldn’t be allowed or that anyone has to be celibate. If the males here want to get randy, that’s fine. But if they want to make things exclusive, they can give the females the respect of calling them ‘girlfriends’, and vice versa.”

Still laughing, he nodded. “Sounds fair.”

Surprised, I looked up at him. “Yeah? I was expecting you to defend the concept of consorts, considering you once had some.”

He shrugged. “Vampires having consorts has always been the norm. And if you spend a long time with people who consider it the norm, it’s easy for you to do the same. That was why I never really saw the whole thing the way you did. Plus, those women had been using me; I didn’t see why it couldn’t work both ways. But looking back, I can see it was kind of…seedy. We can’t stop all vampires from having consorts, but we can at least ban it from happening in The Hollow.”

“That’s not to say I’ll force all the vampires who are currently consorts to leave The Hollow, but they’ll have to find another way of fitting in.”

“That’s fair.”

“Although…it wouldn’t be so bad if Joy left.”

“She’ll probably do it of her own accord after the Coronation. The last thing she’ll want is to directly serve us.”

I hoped he was right – not just for my sake, but for Joy’s. There was a high chance I’d severely hurt her if she kept pushing me.

“Enough about her.” He kissed my hair. “Don’t let her get to you.”

I barked a laugh. “Says the bloke whose mood turns homicidal whenever he’s around a particular Sventé by the name of” I laughed again when he clapped a hand over my mouth.

“Don’t even say the fucker’s name,” growled Jared. “Whenever he looks at you, I can tell he’s trying to picture you naked.”

When he released my mouth, I said, “Joy knows what you look like naked, as does Eloise, so I’d say I’ve got the shittier end of the deal here.”

He twirled me so that I was facing him and then plastered me against him. “But they don’t matter to me. You’re what matters.” He slid a hand under my hair to cup my nape as his mouth landed on mine. He sucked and bit my bottom lip, toying with my mouth and coaxing me to open for him. Then his tongue swept inside, teasing mine. “I love how you taste. Everywhere.”

I nipped his bottom lip and then licked over it to soothe the sting. “When we get back home, you can prove it. And then maybe I’ll return the favour. Be aware that this time, you’ll be the one coming first – no matter how much you tease me.”

His devilish, lopsided grin surfaced. “Hmm, I accept your challenge.”

Laughing, I kissed him again.