Chapter 6
"Wade LeFleur, Icelandic royalty..." Kemesha, my best friend and permanent roommate, read aloud from the screen of my laptop. I quickly tilted the screen down, blocking her view.
I spun around, accidentally bumping my head into her smaller but full chest. Like me, she worked the pole, but at a different club called Redlust—a club strictly for humans and vampires and the second biggest in the city. She was raking in the cash, practically scooping it up with open arms.
"What are you reading?" she asked, her tall, surgically enhanced curves ducking to catch a glimpse of the screen. I shifted, completely blocking her view.
"Just reading some stuff, you know," I said, trying to sound casual.
"Be specific," she pressed, moving around to the counter.
"You've never seen someone read before?" I scoffed, throwing a glance at the caramel-haired girl. Her hair was lighter, almost bronde, straight and long, reaching her elbows. She braided it every night, so now it had a soft wave to it.
Her light brown brows furrowed in confusion.
She was pretty, no doubt, but we both knew beauty doesn't last forever.
By the time we hit forty, it's game over.
Wrinkles start creeping in, and no matter how much anti-aging cream you slap on, they punch back harder and faster.
"You never read," she teased, laughing. "I read.
You don't. And from the looks of it, you were reading about a vampire. "
Her lips already had faint lines around them, but they only showed when she smirked or laughed—which she was doing right now.
"Why couldn't it be a human?" I countered.
"Because all the human royalty is dead. Only vampire royalty remains."
Every time I talked about humans—how much we've failed—it really annoyed me.
We have nothing. We lack everything. We're lazy.
We don't own any major corporations. It's ironic that the club Kemesha works at is for humans and vamps, yet it's managed only by a vampire, claiming to look out for humans. For them, it's always about the money.
"So, who's Wade?" she asked, picking up the skillet. I raised the laptop again, trying to refocus.
"Uh... a vampire," I muttered.
"I got that, Xans. He's a vampire royal from Iceland. I'm asking what's so special about him."
"She's a woman," I mumbled under my breath.
"A woman with a man's name?" she said, cracking eggs into the pan. She paused for a moment, the empty eggshells in her hands, her gaze distant. "Still doesn't explain why you're reading up on her."
"Isn't egg a breakfast meal? And it's like 2 p.m. now," I said, groaning. I shouldn't have reminded myself of the time. I had work, and the thought of the looming shift weighed on me. I wanted to quit, but Barren wasn't lenient when it came to late rent payments.
We'd always managed to cover it, but we'd seen him toss out too many people—their clothes flung from windows, their tear-streaked faces begging on the curb for just a few more days.
Barren, a vampire with no empathy for humans, ruled over this place, though it was humans who lived here.
The world wasn't filled with suffering vampires, but it sure was full of suffering humans.
And yet, despite their hatred for us, we humans were the ones lining their pockets. What a dysfunctional world.
Kemesha's pale mint-green eyes locked onto mine with a sharp glare.
"Alright, I won't push it," she said. "So, she's a mute woman who just bought out your club?"
"Yeah. She bought it from Cloney—the boss you can't seem to stop screwing."
I groaned at her calling out my dirty deeds. "It was business, you know why we slept together. Last night, I went to his office, and everything was cleaned out. It's strange because just the other day, everything was still there—the cabinet... the bed."
She chuckled as she turned to place the skillet on the stove. Just as she did, she let out a groan, hopping on one leg after bumping her toes into the dishwasher again. The space was cramped, with the laundry room, kitchen, and dining room all crammed into one area.
Her face twisted in pain as she hobbled over to the stool, staring down in disbelief. I felt the same way every time I stubbed my toes—it was becoming a routine. "Cloney's obviously on the run. Probably made some shady deals with investors."
"I get why corporates would buy the club, but where would they even find a place like this? Corporates don't deal with this kind of business. They leave that to pimps and humans."
Kem rubbed her toes, wincing. "He probably sold it with everything in it, which is why he's the only thing leaving—along with the cabinet and the bed," she said with a smirk. "But Wade?"
"And Jager," I added.
"Two of them?"
"Two weird vampires," I muttered, recalling what I'd done for that ten-thousand-dollar tip.
"What changes are they making?" she asked.
"I don't know. All I know is that I could come home with all my money, but I should wear jeans and a T-shirt." My face scrunched in distaste. "I'm not doing that. And I can't work the pole; I have to serve drinks instead, and I'm not about to do that."
I loved dancing and earning my money that way. The way men stared at me fueled my confidence. Sure, some guys made comments here and there, but it never bothered me. It was just part of the job. Serving liquor wasn't enough to satisfy me.
Kemisha walked back over, preparing her eggs. "Looks like you'll have to find another club. Want to come to mine?"
"No thanks. You know I'm tied to this club, and I have a plan. If I leave, it's for something better."
She turned to me, giving me that skeptical look. "Is there really anything better?"
I shrugged. I wanted to believe something better awaited me, but the land felt practically deserted for humans. The universities were overflowing with vampires, and all the jobs were being snatched up by those same creatures.
"What do you suggest?"
She slid a plate of hot eggs in front of me, the scent reminding me that I hadn't eaten all day.
I stared at her plate with longing. She smirked as she got up to place another plate in front of me.
She offered me bread, but I declined. I was determined to work the pole, and no one could stop me.
I didn't need a full stomach—just enough energy to get through the night.
Cloney owned the club, but we, the girls, did whatever we wanted, as long as he got his cut. Maybe Jager and Wade should stick to that philosophy.
"I suggest we save all our money until we turn forty, then try to buy a little house and settle down. It's the best we can hope for."
"And how long do you think we could live off that? I doubt we'll be in demand for that long."
"They need our blood," I replied.
Kemisha had a few hole scars dotted across her pink-tan skin from giving blood. I just couldn't bring myself to do it; it wasn't my thing, and I never forced myself to try.
"I can't give blood."
"Can't or won't? There's a difference."
"Both," I answered.
"Blood giving isn't so bad."
The size of the needle alone was torture to look at, let alone the thought of having it injected and left in for twenty minutes while I watched my blood flow out.
All they offered in return were sugar cubes to help rebuild the blood count, only to have them back at it again shortly after. It felt like they were milking us dry.
"One day your heart will stop. This whole blood-giving thing is like taking a calf from its mother, robbing her of her milk. I hate to say it, but it's true. We need a better plan for making money."
"I have other plans," she said, pushing her hair from her mouth, which had gotten tangled with the remnants of her egg sandwich. "I'm going to marry a vampire."
"Impossible. No vampire would ever want to settle down with us. We're just food."
"Not true," she replied, getting up to head over to the messy center table. It was cluttered with pills and a few stray dollars we occasionally borrowed when we were short on cash and the delivery guy came by. The table served as our bank, footrest, and random catchall.
Kemisha returned with her phone and handed it to me, showing me a couple.
I could immediately tell who was the vampire and who was the human.
The woman vampire looked like they all did: long, jet-black hair and red eyes that pierced like daggers.
They possessed an otherworldly beauty, completely wrinkle-free, whether smiling or frowning—as if they had undergone some kind of surgical enhancement. They were simply perfect.
The male vampires typically had black hair that turned a harsh bone white as they aged, their hair lacking any softness. Their bodies were well-defined, even if they were overweight. Their skin appeared stiff, as if stretched tightly over their frames.
I scrolled through the couple's Instagram page, intrigued. It featured a human man and a vampire woman, married for two years and seemingly going strong. Their videos had all gone viral.
"They've practically set the trend; there are even dating websites for humans and vampires to connect."
"Mandy and Charles got lucky. To be so in love?" I remarked.
"They're counting down the days until they hit three years together, so Mandy can turn him."
"That's impossible. That's been illegal for years."
"There's a law that states if you've been married for three years or more and can provide proof of your relationship, like photos and videos, then your vampire partner has the right to turn you."
"I don't like it. Even with dating websites, it's still not real love. Mandy clearly views Charles as food. Just look at his neck!"
"That's the least he can do. She's the one with the assets."
"So, it's still all a business transaction and not love?"
"Look at them! They're adorable together. It is love—just a different kind. He loves her enough to be her food, and she loves him enough to be his personal bank."
"And you want that for yourself?"
"Absolutely! Just imagine: finding a vampire, getting married, and in three years he turns you. You could go to university and work in corporate."
I sighed heavily. "I hate this, Kem. Do you remember when everyone was equal? When humans had privileges...Original privileges?"
"I know, but we can't just live in the past. We can do this—find vampire lovers."
"You can," I said, rising from my seat. "But I won't be falling for a bloodsucking cockroach."
She laughed. "Maybe you will."
"Never!"
"Wade?"
"She's just my new boss. Nothing more. I was simply curious about them, that's all."
"If you say so."
"That's exactly what I said: nothing. I can't be food for them. No way!" I replied.