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“I’m… not entirely human.”
“Oh?” Her tone was uncomfortably even, like we were discussing the weather and not whether or not I was a nightmare incarnate.
“Not human at all, actually. Never have been.” I tugged at a strand of hair, desperately trying to gauge her feelings from the tension in her back. “In fact, it seems incredibly overrated.”
“I see.”
Only after she had carefully constructed a steaming cup of coffee with far too many helpings of sugar, did she look at me. She took a long sip of what had to have been scalding hot liquid and peered at me over her cup. “Okay. Explain yourself.”
“What?” My strangled voice came out a little higher than I had expected and I cringed at her placid expression.
Sky motioned with her hand, nursing her ‘cup number five’ with the other. “This bargain, proposition, whatever it is. Why do you need me to pretend to be your girlfriend?”
I blew out a breath and scratched the back of my neck. “So you’re considering it?”
My hopeful expression was met with a blank stare. Sky strode past me and settled herself on a beaten blue couch. “I want to know why you chose me. Why did you go out of your way to find me, and why do you think I would ever be able to pull off a ruse like that?”
With nowhere else to sit, I remained standing, wringing my hands while she looked me up and down. All of my previous confidence was gone. Now that I was out of the office and standing right in front of her, seeking out this woman and convincing her to date me sounded insane. The plan had seemed much better in my head.
When I first discovered her name back at the office with Hunter jeering over my shoulder, it felt like everything suddenly fell into place. Fate proved kind for once, and my mate couldn’t have arrived at a more perfect time. But now that I was here, all my worries made themselves apparent at once. I thought of every reason why this was a stupid idea. I considered every possible way this could all go wrong. And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to simply leave. Not yet. I wanted to know this woman, and I wanted her to know me.
“Okay.” I had chosen this path, now it was time to walk it. I flashed her a dazzling smile, one that quickly morphed into a smirk when I saw the slight flush in her cheeks. Her blushing gave me a shred of confidence and I was ready to roll with it. “Okay. I’ll keep it simple.”
I would tell her the truth. Maybe not thewholetruth, not yet at least, but as close as I could get without her assuming I was completely out of my mind.
“So yes, vampires exist and I’m one of them—a born vampire.” I tried to brush over that part quickly, but I noted her slight intake of breath. “Anyway, my coven, we rule Manhattan. Two years ago, my brother, the leader of this coven… died. It’s a long story.”
It was a long and painful story that I didn’t want to think about, let alone get into with a stranger.
“I stepped up to rule in his place as queen—you know, because we have those. But I don’t wear a crown or live in a castle or anything. It’s more of a title, and there’s this ritual that involves a snake and–”
“Is this the simple version?” Sky sounded exasperated, and I realized that her cool, calm demeanor was a facade. Her eyes had widened significantly and she looked like she might just drop her precious cup number five.
“Right, right. Simple, sorry.” I stumbled over my words, flashing her a sheepish grin as I struggled to organize my thoughts. “As I was saying, I rule this coven. But my cousin, another born vampire, and a huge asshole at that… never mind. He doesn’t like the idea of a woman ruling the coven, and he believes the title should have passed to him. He’s been stirring up some chaos among the supernaturals in the city, trying to convince them I’m not fit to rule.”
“Sexist, possibly homophobic cousin. Got it.” Sky nodded like she was taking notes, and took another long swig of her coffee.
“Yes! Just an absolute ass of a man. Satan’s anus, if you will.”
Sky jumped slightly in her seat when I raised my voice and I was careful to lower it again before continuing, “So, you see, I need to find a mate to secure my rule. Once I’m bonded with someone, nobody will be able to question my position. It’s all very political and convoluted but that’s highborns for you.”
My quip went straight over her head considering the poor woman had no idea what highborn vampires were. She hadn’t known vampires existed until two days ago. I bit my lip as she stared at me blankly.
“Anyway, there are a lot of eligible bachelors, as my mother would say, all of whom are vying for my hand. They want to snatch a seat on the throne and think they can get it by marrying me. You following?”
Sky gulped her coffee, nodding between sips. “I’m following.”
She had no idea what I was talking about.
“Well, this is where you come in.” I shot her two finger guns and immediately regretted it. “I need you to pretend to be my lover—my potential mate—to keep those eligible bachelors at bay while I secure my place on the throne.”
The potential mate part was bullshit. I knew she was my mate. Hell, her very presence was enough to get my head spinning and my knees weak. But I couldn’t come on too strong during our first real interaction. Having her hang around would give us the chance to get to know each other. And then, maybe, I would know if she could feel it too.
“So, what do you say?” I tried my best to look non-threatening, and definitely not desperate, like I wasn’t offering her my bleeding heart on a platter.
Sky narrowed her eyes, keenly suspicious of my story. “But why me, specifically? Surely there is someone else in this wretched city who would leap at the chance to play girlfriend to the vampire queen.”
She knew I was hiding something, that much was apparent. It was one of my biggest flaws, all my emotions sat right there on my face.
