Chapter 4 #2
“Hey, no spilling blood in AzRIO. I am not scrubbing those stains out of the carpet again.” Dessa rose and put a hand on the Vampire’s shoulder. “Besides, Rhett, are you really going to let a brand-new Cog get a rise out of you after twenty minutes on the job?”
Rhett released Jamison, outrage still glowing in his dark eyes. “He started it!”
“And you.” She turned to Jamison. “Apparently I have to state the obvious. Don’t provoke the Vampires. Maybe I didn’t get to this part of the training yet, but they are violent, mercurial, and extremely proud. They don’t take insults well and have little sense of humor.”
“That is a stereotype.” Rhett sniffed. “I happen to have a delightful wit.”
“Yeah, Blue.” Jamison straightened his shirt, determined to act like being threatened by a Vampire on his first day had definitely not ruffled his feathers. “It was just a little light banter.”
“Right.” Dessa’s lips flattened, and she took a step toward him, lowering her voice. “Look, if you’re not going to take this seriously, just go home.”
Jamison’s stomach dropped. Though he’d been familiar with her cold shoulder in high school, he’d been hoping they could start fresh here. But the new start wasn’t going like he’d hoped.
“I did see that girl though,” Julia said as she moved toward the door. “A couple of weeks ago, she was with a pack of young Weres.”
Dessa tensed. “Did you know any of their names? What did they look like?”
“I didn’t think anything of it at the time. But they were hanging out by the ice cream place next to the theater. You know how kids are.” Julia waved as she walked out with long, languid strides. “Good luck finding her.”
“Dessa McKinney, I look forward to working with you in the future.” Rhett’s polite smile dropped as he side-eyed Jamison. “Not so much that one.”
“Likewise,” Jamison called as Rhett donned his sunglasses and stepped out onto the walk. He unfurled his umbrella in the morning sunlight, and together, he and Julia strode off across the street.
The office was only silent for a moment before Dessa whirled on him. “You can’t just go around accusing Vampires of taking missing people!”
Jamison gave her what he hoped was a disarming smile. “Why not?”
“Okay, crash course.” Dessa pointed off in different directions as if he could see the subjects in question.
“There are two Vampire clans in town. One is the Azalea Fangs, which you just met, and you’re lucky, because they’re the reasonable sort.
The other is the Crimson Teeth, and they would’ve tried to kill you for an offense like that. ”
“Okay, so obviously the myth that Vampires are dangerous is true.” Jamison sauntered between their desks as he considered everything. “But they can’t just kill people without the law stepping in…right?”
“Everything in the paranormal world is dangerous. Vampires, Werewolves, and Magickers are all stronger than you, and they’ve evolved in a culture where only the fiercest survive.
For the most part, they police their own, but they die all the time.
They’re under strict direction to avoid the Nescient world, but if you provoke them and become a casualty of your own stupidity, they pay a fine and move on with their lives. ”
“One hundred thirty-seven dollars and four cents,” Arthur said from the back in his flat monotone.
Jamison’s eyes bugged out of his head. “That’s it?”
“And to be fair…” Melba’s gaze shuttered, a shadowed expression clinging to her wrinkles.
“As the heir apparent of the Kane Enterprise Group”—her grimace deepened—“there are probably some who would gladly pay that to get a shot at you. Your family has been trying to buy out paranormal businesses for ages, and that was before the murders.”
“I didn’t even know about paranormal businesses until last year, and that case was dropped.” Jamison ran an agitated hand through his hair. He thought he could at least win over Melba, but narrow-eyed suspicion radiated even from her. “Why is the fine so low anyway?”
“Because now that you’re part of the paranormal community, one of the unwritten laws is: don’t be stupid.” Dessa gave him a look of finality and walked to her chair, tucking her dark hair behind her ears.
“But I’m still way in the dark when it comes to this stuff.” Jamison followed Dessa to her desk, the sudden awareness of his own ignorance threatening to drown him in a tidal wave. “Like, yeah, I can be stupid sometimes, but in this case, I don’t even know what I’m being stupid about.”
The words were barely out of his mouth when Arthur thrust a sheet of paper into his hand before retreating back to his desk like Jamison’s ignorance might be contagious.
Jamison read the title aloud. “The Azalea Springs Records and Intermediary Office’s (AzRIO’s) introduction to the Azalea Springs Paranormal Community (PC).” Dude, what was their deal with acronyms?
“Why, thank you, Arthur.” Dessa flicked the paper in Jamison’s hands with a smile. “You can consider this your first assignment as an intern, Jamison Kane. Study up, and until you know what you’re talking about, I’d advise you to keep your mouth shut.”
Jamison blinked as he tried to process everything that had just happened. He’d been in the office for an hour, and he’d almost gotten killed by a “nice” Vampire. So much for it being an easy gig or a safer option than trying to ignore the thing running rampant inside him.
Maybe he’d been wrong after all.