Like everything else in the thirty-three-story office building, the sink screamed luxury. The whole bathroom did, really.
Wood-like tiles covered the walls that weren’t occupied by the arched windows and elegant stonework our city was known for. A few large, strategically placed fake plants made it feel more comfortable.
“Who did you feed?”
“Velour.”
“Ugh.” I made a face.
“I know.” She set the coffee cups down and handed me the bag she’d brought in.
The oversized, fuzzy blue sweater and soft black leggings I pulled out were far from business attire, but my boss didn’t care what I wore as long as I continued doing his job for him.
I dressed as casually as I wanted—which meant I hadn’t worn nice pants for years.
Leggings for the win.
“I had to pull the sweater out of your hamper. You really need to do laundry, like always.” She slipped her hands in her pockets. They were trembling a little.
“You shouldn’t have let him bite you again this soon. It hasn’t been long enough. You know the Guild’s rules.”
Unlike me, Harper was human. The Guild was the group that organized the few humans who didn’t hate vampires to keep those of us without a steady food source fed.
She was raised by the woman who led the Guild, and while that woman was a shitty mom, she’d drilled the rules into Harper like a fucking impact driver.
“I know. It wasn’t planned.”
“He bit you during a hookup? Did you report him?”
“There wasn’t time.” She focused on the cup in her hand, avoiding my gaze. Definitely acting weird.
“You didn’t go to the Gathering?”Gatheringwas the ridiculous name the Guild used for their meetups where vampires were allowed to feed on willing humans.
“No. Did you? You were supposed to feed last night.”
“I’ll be fine for another week.” Technically, I was breaking the rules too. Vampires were supposed to feed every week.
“You know the Guild’s rules.” Harper’s tease was soft.
Something was seriously up with her. She was never this quiet.
I opened my mouth to call her on it, but she asked quickly, “Did you finish the paperwork?”
“I just need Steven’s signature. Assuming he actually lets me do my job for once. What kind of mood is he in today? I haven’t—” I unintentionally cut myself off with a massive yawn.
Harper grabbed one of the lattes and lifted it toward my face. “Here. Drink this.”
I snagged it from her before she literally poured coffee into my mouth. We both knew she really would.
And since that was the second gathering I’d skipped in a row, I was going to be living on even more caffeine than usual instead of blood for the next week.
Vampires were in hiding, so we couldn’t just go around biting humans every time hunger struck.
Two weeks without drinking blood meant both healing and functioning slower, but it wasn’t the end of the world unless you were attacked or something.
Vampires were basically just enhanced, immortal humans who could survive better than our mortal counterparts. Our bodies were stronger in every way, but the difference wasn’t extreme.
Our systems burned through blood to keep us alive, which was why being attacked was more dangerous if you weren’t feeding regularly.
