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She crossed her arms and drummed her fingers along her bicep. “I think your dance card is full. Besides, are you familiar with how a newspaper operates, Kaien? Do you know how to assimilate into human culture? It seems to me you’ve been holding up with your fellow Raeths for the past few centuries and I’m nearly certain you’re incapable of donning a mortal mask.”
Fortunately, Blair had a background in freelance journalism. Given her extensive worldly travels, writing vacation pieces and articles about the hottest travel locations came naturally. Whenever she ran low on funds, all she had to do was submit another piece.
Never once had she disliked seeing her pen name in print.
“I’m perfectly capable of acting human, Blair. I’m alsonota vampire—the same breed that theCitizensseems to hold the most contempt against, and the one breed that most of their weaponry is engineered for.”
“Need I remind you that not everyone on the newsroom floor is a member of theCitizens? Torrin, sure, maybe a few of his fellows, but most of the people in the organization are ordinary humans.”
Kaien didn’t look convinced, and she was tired of this interaction already.
“Is this concern? For me?” She rested a hand on her chest and batted her eyes at him. “Why, I’m flattered.”
He scoffed. “It’s concern for my sister’s pet. If you die, it’ll hurt her.”
“I can handle myself. I haven’t lived eight hundred years by being stupid.”
“And yet that’s half the time I’ve walked the earth and even I know this is a bad idea.”
“If I recall correctly, you’re somewhere in the neighborhood of twelve hundred years old.” She affected a concerned air then added, “Math is hard, I understand.”
Kaien ignored her. “This isn’t wise.”
“I never said it was.” Straightening, she made a shooing gesture with her hands. “Run along now, Kaien. You’ve done your due diligence.”
And to her surprise, he did.
***
The vampire’s Headquarters in New York City was a jewel of modern architecture. An onyx black marble coated the exterior, sleek yet subtle, and the windows were so darkly tinted that nothing and no one could have seen inside. The doors inside had been built to withstand nearly anything, and the interior’s plans mimicked the design.
It was a stronghold, a defensive fortress devised to be a saving grace should there be any attack on the vampire nation. The only lettering that graced the building were the three characters of its postal address.
To Blair, it looked like a prison.
Blair had never coveted the place Drake Castellanos held in society. Her younger vampiric ‘brother’ for all intents and purposes, Drake had been sired by Nina roughly four decades after she was and had always found himself in the social spotlight. The alpha male served as the figurehead of the vampire nation and had for centuries.
Presiding alongside him were nine other vampire councilors, all of whom functioned as the judge and jury for any of their breed who committed crimes or crossed the line into bloodlust.
When the council had formed five centuries ago, Blair had staunchly refused any involvement with them, recusing herself from any and all proceedings. Their rigid structure didn’t suit her then and they certainly didn’t appeal now, in this age of freedom.
She knew they’d passed a law requiring her to drink from bagged blood, for example, but she’d studiously ignored it.
Today, three of those councilors would seek to question her before she set out on her mission. In addition to Drake, Kane sat as the presiding leader of the council, and would attend the inquisition as well. Rounding out the party was Lucius.
Blair’s fledgling had come out of his torturous detention with theCitizensmated to Circe, the one who’d miraculously rescued him from their clutches. The young Raeth woman was a member of one of the clans represented on the dignitary panel, this one led by the brusque Raeth sovereign Isaiah.
By the time she and Nina teleported inside, two council members were already waiting in the foyer to receive them. Blair’s shoulders slumped when she found that Lucius was not among them.
The click of Nina’s stilettos echoed sharply on the white marble floors as they drew near the pair of men.
“Where is my fledgling?”
“He’s coming with Isaiah. He was in Utah with Circe and bummed a ride.”
Blair chuckled. “Bummed a ride? What are you, a Millennial?”
Drake’s earthy brown eyes glinted before he stepped forward and purposefully swathed her much smaller frame in a bear hug. “Good to see you, too, sister-mine.”
