“No.” I shook my head. “Not that I’m aware of.”
He nodded. “Okay, we’ll get back to that later. Getting back to the position, do you think you might be interested?”
I studied him. Where I was an open book, he was the king of inscrutable. I mean, yes! I was interested! But I also needed to take a look at some paperwork and ask about a million more questions. I yawned, covering my mouth so Mr. Leto wouldn’t get the same penny show the other passengers of the plane had gotten.
He chuckled, and the fizzies popped in my chest again. That was getting aggravating. It wasn’t painful, it just felt really odd. Was it something to do with vampire laughter? Was it normal?
I inconspicuously massaged my chest.
His chuckle cut off abruptly.
“Are you alright?” He looked…concerned wasn’t the word. I guess he looked cautiously optimistic, but like he was fighting it at the same time.
“Is that one of those things vampires can do, the whole champagne bubbles in my chest when you laugh, thing?” My energy was starting to sputter and wane. Whatever energy I’d had marching into this office was draining quickly.
He looked down at his lap in thought for a few moments, and I dropped my hand from my chest. Something about my reaction bothered him. And I found myself bothered byhisreaction tomyreaction. I wanted to rub my head to soothe the sudden ache.
“No,” he murmured. “It’s not a vampire gift.”
I nodded. Okay, I could get on board with that. Maybe it was because I found him attractive? Moving on, I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “I’m interested in the job, and I think I would be a good fit. Do you need to ask me any other questions?”
“I think that was supposed to be my line,” he quipped, and I laughed. He got up to retrieve a manilla envelope and handed it to me, gesturing for me to open it.
I pulled a sheaf of papers out, neatly paper-clipped together, and started to read through everything. There was an NDA on top that outlined what I could and could not say about Draven, the business, the town, etc. On another page was a more complete list of what my duties would be, along with a full list of my benefits and salary.
I tried not to wheeze at the salary. “Holy cheese puffs!” I squeaked.
Deep breaths, Mia.
Reading through my basic duties again, I had the distinct thought that I’d earn every penny of my profuse salary. There was a page requiring my signature, giving Mr. Leto the right to have bodyguards outside my room, occasionallyinsidethe room I was in, and at least one bodyguard would be with me whenever I left the villa. More would be added if necessary. I reflected on that for a moment. I wasn’t looking forward to the loss of some of my privacy, but I was okay with the guards.
Lastly, I looked through a waiver that said there would be times when the job would be dangerous, and so I was being asked to sign away my and my family’s rights to sue Draven Leto Inc. for any pain, suffering or death I might incur on the job.
Ok, that page brought me up short. Pain and suffering? Death?
I rubbed my lips with my fingertips, my eyes scanning those words again and again. From his beautiful home and what I knew of his bio, Draven was a person of abundant means. I understood that to mean that he was a prize to some, but a roadblock and hindrance to others. Also, I was sure his looks did not reflect his age accurately. He’d probably picked up some enemies along the path of his extended lifetime. Enemies that would want to hurt him and the people who worked with him. It made me remember that article in the paper of the boutique hotel in Italy that had burned down. Had someone burned down his hotel?
Carrion birds.
I knew them well.
I looked up at Draven. “May I have a pen, please?”
Chapter3
Mia
Ispent the night in a guest room on the main floor. Mr. Leto had explained that he was having my bathroom re-done, but that it should be ready today. I’d gotten a tour this morning by a quiet Mesmer. Whereas most tours actually included words, mine hadn’t. And I’d had to bite my lip to keep from laughing as Mesmer had zoomed through the hallways, communal rooms, and grounds of the villa, pointing to things, but not speaking. I hadn’t really minded. Most of it was self explanatory anyway. He’d grunted when we’d gotten to my room, but as I’d went to turn the knob to see what it looked like, he’d shaken his finger and directed me onwards.
“Mesmer, thank you so much for taking me to the bank.” We were in the Town Car owned by my new boss. One of many the employees could use for villa or personal business. It was nice without being ostentatious, unlike the limo I’d arrived last night in. Mesmer nodded, and I looked out the window. Moonhaven Cove, Oregon, was beautiful. The town itself looked like a seaside European town, with bright colors, cute cafes, coffee shops, and bakeries. There were trees everywhere, some evergreen, others deciduous trees coming into blossom, and flowers blooming everywhere.
I played spot the supernatural with myself. I saw tall, stately people with tipped ears (maybe elves since they didn’t have wings) and more that looked like Mesmer, built like they could cause a landslide single-handedly. I knew these people to be gargoyles. There were a few people milling about in robes, but most wore modern clothing. I guessed those in robes were ancient wizards. Old vampires who didn’t care about modern attire I could see wearing period clothing, like from the Renaissance, the Middle Ages, or from possibly before the fall of Rome. I counted myself fortunate that Mr. Leto wore modern clothing. It made him feel more contemporary to me. There were small people (fairies?) who gave off a shimmering, very faint glow. And there were a rare few of an indeterminate species that it was hard to look at because they gave off such an aura of power that it was like trying to look at the sun. If you looked too long, you’d see sunspots.
We’d just passed a cute florist shop (Pushing Daisies) and were going over a bridge, when Mesmer, without warning, wrenched the steering wheel and gunned the accelerator. The engine revved as he changed into solid rock in an instant, growing bigger and taller, sliced my seatbelt, pulled me to him as he punched out the door, and flew straight up.
I tried not to scream as he shot into the sky and hovered in place, using his huge wings to keep us airborne. I looked down below and watched as our Town Car smashed through the bridge’s railing and nosedived into the vast lake. Right after it sank fully below the water, a concussiveboomshook the area, spraying water 50 feet into the air in all directions.
I clutched Mesmer, wrapping my arms around him like I was a boa constrictor and he was my favorite meal. I tried not to hyperventilate as my eyes flitted to everything happening below us. Our car was sinking to the bottom of the lake. Drivers, distracted by the explosion, smashed into each other. A sizable chunk of the bridge railing was in the lake, having torn off by the impact of the car. People got out of their cars and started shouting to each other. Some shouted at Mesmer, asking him what was happening. It was a madhouse. Sirens began screaming from the far side of the bridge. Mesmer waited until the MHP had swarmed the area, and emergency crews were taking care of the mess on the bridge before he flew off and landed on a grassy knoll south of the bridge.
