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“It’s nice,” he finally said.
“Good. I’m glad you find it acceptable.”
“It’s not as big as the guest quarters at my own home,” he said, looking over his shoulder at me. “But I know each city is different.”
“That’s right,” I nodded. “Not every city is ruled by a complete asshole.”
It was a low blog, but I was feeling feisty and annoyed. Why was Norman here? I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew it was something bad. There was no chance at all that whatever was happening was a good thing. If he was here, it was to get people riled up or to cause a commotion.
I’d already warned the citizens of Darkvale about my brother’s arrival. Both the humans and vampires knew to be wary. Our citizens were already nervous about wandering from one vampire town to another. The humans already knew they had to get permission to leave before they wandered outside of the gates, but then, the vampires did, too. Everything in my city was carefully monitored, and I was certain that things around the mansion were going to be just fine.
But he was going to try something.
He was going to pull something.
I didn’t know what, and I didn’t know when, but Norman hadn’t exactly made a social visit in a very long time. His arrival was going to bring chaos, but I didn’t know how.
And I didn’t know how to stop it.
3
Juliet
“DON’T GO,” CLARISSA, my associate at the hospital, shook her head. “You shouldn’t go.”
“It’s a bad decision,” I agreed. I ran my hands through my hair nervously. I knew it was a bad decision. “But I don’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice, Juliet.”
“Maybe,” I agreed slowly. “But the choice isn’t always something we want or like or agree with.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Clarissa said. She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. The plan? That was a good question. For someone who was paid to be organized, I felt wildly out of my element this time. I felt out of control and tired and like I had been thrown into chaos.
“My plan?” I looked around my desk. It was neat and tidy like every other aspect of my life. I kept things in my world clean, organized, and carefully arranged. “My plan is to finish my shift and then go to the vampire’s lair.”
“You don’t need to packed first?”
Clarissa was organized to a fault. We both were, but she took organization to a new level. I’d been to her apartment once, and she had color-coded everything in her house: the bowls, the spoons, and the plates. She’d organized her shoes and her closet and even her hair care products. It was a bit much, even for me.
“I’m packed,” I told her. As soon as I realized I was going to be spending time at Mr. Colin’s house, I started formulating the different items I’d need. Oh, I didn’t think of weapons. I didn’t need things like stakes or silver bullets or anything like that. I already knew I wouldn’t win a fight against a vampire. More importantly, I didn’t really want to. I wasn’t exactly a fan of the idea of living forever. If a vampire wanted to kill me, then I would do exactly what the gravestones always said.
I’d rest in peace.
“Peace” was something I hadn’t felt in many, many years. Last year, there was a small attack on the city. A wall was breached and a group of...something...came in. No one really knew who or what they were, but it had been terrible. Colin’s wife had died, along with citizens who protected her. My brother, Matt, had been among them. He’d died trying to protect the Lady Elizabeth. He was a hero, I knew. Everyone always told me he was a hero, but that didn’t change the fact that was gone.
And I missed him.
“Of course, you are,” Clarissa said, bringing me back to reality. “You’re always ready for everything, aren’t you?”
“I try my best,” I shrugged. The truth was that ever since Matt died, I’d been basically running on autopilot. People always thought I did a great job with running the hospital because I worked constantly. The reality was that I didn’t want to take a break because of what it might mean. If I took a break, I’d have to face the fact that my brother was gone and that I was the one who had lost him.
“So,” Clarissa leaned closer to the front of my desk. We were alone in my office, which was unusual. As an administrator, I almost always had people coming and going in and out of my space. I often joked that I might as well put my desk right in the hallway because doctors, nurses, vampires, humans, and staff members were constantly flowing in and out of the room. “Is he sexy?”
“What?”
“Colin,” she lowered her voice. “Is he sexy?”
“Why would you ask me that? He’s a vampire.”
