Chapter 4
STILL MONDAY
IN WHICH JAMISON FEELS UNDERDRESSED
Jamison stared at Dessa, trying to make her understand the impossibility of his crappy situation, but suddenly he was in high school all over again, falling into the azure pools of her eyes.
This time though, she was actually looking back at him.
It was probably only because she was trying to suss out if he would murder her when her back was turned, but at this point he’d take it.
Baby steps.
Honestly, he was still reeling from the fact that she was here at all, much less his new coworker.
She started to say something, and he braced himself for the worst, when a knock at the door had them turning toward the entry.
Outside on the sidewalk, a tall, pale dude in a suit stood next to a pink-haired girl in a long-sleeved maxi dress, both snugged together under a huge black umbrella.
Dessa rose, blowing her hair out of her face before she opened the door.
The guy, who looked like he couldn’t be more than a few years older than them, peered at her through his dark sunglasses. “May we come in?”
Jamison’s curse prickled with something almost like curiosity, and he wished for the love of all things normal that his stupid magical baggage would just leave him alone already. Still, it was enough to get him to pay attention.
“Walk-in or appointment?” Dessa asked.
“Walk-in.” The man removed his sunglasses and tucked them into his breast pocket. “We want to register a new addition to our clan.”
Dessa looked over her shoulder, and Melba answered the unasked question, “We don’t have any appointments this morning. They’re good.”
Dessa opened the door wider. “Please come in. Welcome to AzRIO.” She gestured to the sitting area where Richard had turned his baleful attention to the muted TV. “You can have a seat while we get your paperwork ready.”
It all just seemed so ridiculously mundane; there was little Jamison could do but stare.
“Thank you.” The man bobbed his head, tone dripping with condescension as he snapped the umbrella closed and stepped inside, flashing Vampiric canines.
Ah, well that made more sense.
Despite the questions pinballing through his head, Jamison tried not to react. If these were Vampires, why were they out during the day? Were all the urban legends about them true? Were they dangerous? Were they dead? Immortal? How did they change people?
Running a hand through his brown, neatly styled hair, the Vampire canvassed the space with a frown as his companion stepped in after him. “I’m afraid we were looking for Mr. Brad McKinney, Miss…” He trailed off with a pointed look.
“I’m Dessa McKinney, the new lead intermediary while my uncle is out.” Dessa introduced the others in turn. “And Jamison there is our new secretary.”
Secretary? He snorted. At least that sounded like something he could handle. His dad would probably have a conniption when he found out, but that only made Jamison want to laugh more.
“A pleasure, I’m sure. My name is Rhett Carline, the liaison for the Azalea Fang Clan, and this is Julia Bowers, recently moved from Lithfield.
I trust you’ll be able to handle our affairs in a timely fashion.
” They strode to the sitting area, and the woman lowered herself onto the couch before picking up a magazine.
With brand-name, tailored clothes and oozing snobbish boredom, they would’ve fit in well with Jamison’s old crowd.
Not that he was proud of that—the rich set had always adopted him instead of the other way around.
Was it possible that pre-curse, he’d been hanging out with Vampires without knowing it?
“We’ll get the process started right away.
” Dessa headed for a file cabinet when the curly-headed guy, who’d been hiding in the corner, darted out from behind his computer and thrust a clipboard in front of her.
He said nothing as Dessa took the forms before spinning on his heel and practically running back to his desk.
Dessa looked as perplexed by this as Jamison felt, and he had to hide a smile behind his hand. This place was weird with a capital W.
Dessa passed Julia the clipboard. “If you could just fill this out, we should be able to process it and get you a new ID within the week.”
Julia looked down her nose at the paperwork and then at Dessa. “And why do I have to do this, again?”
“Since paranormal citizens fall outside the normal jurisdiction of Nescient Law, it’s one of the responsibilities of the Records and Intermediary Office to protect our paranormal citizens.
We track the size of clans to ensure no one is changing humans en masse using irresponsible or nonconsensual methods, and also to discourage culling, rampant dueling, clan wars, or Vampire hunts.
” Dessa rattled off the speech in a way that clearly indicated she’d said it a million times before.
“And as other paranormal sectors can be very territorial, the ID will provide you some protection as a member of the community.”
“Um, clan wars?” Jamison rose from his chair, curiosity overcoming him. He was so out of his depth here, he suddenly wasn’t sure he was even qualified to be the secretary. “You mean like between the Werewolves and Vampires?”
“Usually when conflict arises, it’s between paranormal clans of the same nature,” Dessa said. “Vampires are most aggressive toward other Vampire clans, and same with the Werewolves. But yes, cross-nature conflicts have also been known to occur in the absence of proper diplomacy.”
Rhett narrowed his eyes. “Well, at least it sounds like you are well-acquainted with our ways.”
“She was born and raised here, Rhett,” Melba called. “You can drop the attitude already; she’s lived here longer than you.”
“I’m being perfectly polite.” Rhett cocked his head at Dessa. “Though I suppose if you’re the new intermediary, we’ll be getting to know each other better.”
Dessa raised an eyebrow as she leaned against her desk. “If you think buttering me up is going to get the Fang Clan preference in disputes, you can think twice. Brad’s a pushover compared to me.”
Rhett flashed his fangs again. “I welcome a worthy opponent.”
“Five minutes into a change in regime, and a war is brewing already,” Richard said, not taking his eyes away from the TV. “I’m telling you this girl is going to be a disaster.”
Rhett continued as if the ghost hadn’t spoken. At this point, Jamison was beginning to think that was the best policy. “I do think it would be difficult to assume Brad’s responsibilities without his Uncanny gifts.”
Dessa crossed her arms with her own challenging grin. “It’s a good thing I can do difficult things then.”
“Uncanny gifts?” Jamison leaned forward, his hands stuffed in his pockets. “Is that, like, different than regular magic?”
Rhett turned as if noticing him for the first time, and he let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Don’t tell me you brought a Nescient into AzRIO? It’s worse than I thought.”
“It certainly is,” Richard chimed in, and Dessa looked ready to strangle him, while Melba took it all in with a nonzero amount of glee radiating from her crow’s feet.
“Okay, I’ve gotta ask,” Jamison said. “Are all Vampires asshats, or is it just this one?”
Rhett glared at him, but Julia snorted. “I’d be careful who you offend, but to answer your question, I’d like to think that most Vampires are better mannered than our dear Rhett.”
She patted Rhett on the shoulder, and the pulsing blood vessel in his temple receded enough for Jamison to press on.
“If you’re new to the clan, does that mean you were newly changed or just new to the area?”
“Both, I suppose. My application was finally approved last year—such a relief to my husband, though he’s on business in London this week.
” Julia’s pen flicked across the form as a bemused smile crossed her face.
“Lucky for you, my new-Vampire jitters are finally starting to wear off, otherwise I might’ve tried to take a bite out of you.
” She rose, flashing a sharp-toothed smile.
“But you might want to keep your distance still, just in case. Vampires are at their strongest when freshly turned.”
“If you’re finished, I’ll take your photo over here.” Melba beckoned the woman to the back.
Jamison scratched his head. Wasn’t there a myth about Vampires not showing up in mirrors and pictures? He had a feeling he’d be asking a lot of stupid questions in this office. “I’m guessing most of the Vampire legends aren’t true, then?”
“You’d be right,” Dessa said, counting on her fingers.
“No coffins but need twelve hours of sleep a day, mortal but long-lived, sensitive to sun but it’s not deadly.
Their official selection process for turning would blow your mind, but the Vampirism infection can be passed genetically, and they can be sustained on the blood of any animal. ”
“Though we prefer humans.” Rhett flashed his fangs again, and Jamison’s prickly magic gurgled within him.
If Jamison had any sense of self-preservation, he probably would’ve backed off, but according to just about everyone, common sense wasn’t his strong suit. Also, provoking this guy was way too fun.
“Huh.” Jamison tapped the flyer on the wall. “If you like humans so much, do you know anything about the missing girl, Carly Jowett?”
Before Jamison could blink, Rhett closed the distance, took a hold of his shirt, and shoved him against the wall with his fangs bared. “Are you accusing me of something?”
Jamison’s curse boiled within him, almost as if it were warning him of danger. But even if it was, it wasn’t screaming death—maybe just bodily harm—and Jamison could handle that. So naturally, he lifted his chin with a smile. “Just a question. Kind of weird you’re getting so defensive about it.”