Chapter 2 #2
Was it the smartest, most thoughtful thing I could’ve said?
No.
It was not.
But it was all I could come up with, given the shock of the moment.
When two vampires bit each other, it mated them for life, tying their bodies and souls together in a way that enabled their blood to sustain each other. It was deep, sacred magic. Being bitten was really fucking far from casual for us, even if you didn’t return the bite.
The Alpha’s glowing green gaze snapped to the room beyond us.
Mine followed, and the blood drained from my face.
Everyone was staring at us in horror. Including Harper, though the reason for her stare definitely wasn’t the word Maverick had just labeled me with.
Vampire.
All of my coworkers knew what I was.
Life as I knew it was over.
Full stop.
Do not pass go, do not collect 200.
Everyone I worked with was going to think I was the one who killed Steven. They were going to see me as a monster, and there was nothing I could do to change that.
Without further ado, Maverick grabbed me by the waist, hauled me off the floor, and threw me over his shoulder.
There was no point in fighting him. He was going to win, and my neck was still bleeding.
I’d screwed myself by skipping the last two weeks of drinking blood.
I wasn’t even sure my body could heal a wound like that without feeding.
My head smacked into his gigantic back as he strode toward the elevator without another word to his goons or my coworkers.
A whole new round of pain blossomed in the bite wound he’d given me with every step he took, making the torn skin hotter. I groaned at the burn of it, pressing my hand to the side of my throat in an effort to stop the bleeding.
Trying to breathe through the pain, I inhaled vanilla and cinnamon.
My exhales were quick, so I could resume sucking in the Alpha’s scent like I was addicted.
He’d just attacked me. I shouldn’t like the way he smelled.
I did anyway, though.
It didn’t help that my eyes were drawn to his chiseled ass and massive thighs. For the life of me, I couldn’t look away.
The Alpha stabbed a button, and his hands tightened on the backs of my legs as the elevator’s doors closed at a snail’s pace. The lift was known for being slow in every way.
“Can you put me down? I’m bleeding all over your fancy elevator,” I said around my throbbing fangs, my hand still pressed tightly to the wound on my neck. My words were slightly muffled by my teeth. “I don’t think hanging like this is helping with the—oof.”
He set me on my feet in front of him, facing the back of the elevator. My fangs were only a couple inches lower than his throat, and I could envision myself biting him there way too easily.
I tried to shake the mental image.
I wasn’t a monster. I drank from the wrist, like any civilized vampire. Feeding from the throat was a sure way to channel the most animalistic side any vampire possessed and possibly end up killing—or turning—someone. Both of which were equally unacceptable in our society.
Cruel, on top of that.
Turned vampires could never learn to control themselves the way born vampires could. They were ticking time bombs—and they usually went off within a few weeks of being turned. They had a 100% death rate, because letting them live was too dangerous for humans.
For a vampire, turning a human would get you killed by all the people you loved, so it hadn’t been done since the war.
The elevator dinged as it stopped partway down. I was facing the back of it, so I wasn’t sure which floor we were on.
“Wait for the next one,” the Alpha commanded, hitting the button to close the doors.
A few people mumbled apologies before the doors shut again.
Maverick grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away from the wound on my neck, pushing a few bloody strands of my tangled brown hair out of the way with his other hand. My ponytail was definitely loose after he tackled me earlier.
He glared down at the injury. “Why are you still bleeding?”
There was no point in lying to him. “I haven’t fed in two weeks. My system slows more the longer I go without drinking blood. I’m basically human right now.”
Weaker than a human, actually, but he didn’t need to know that.
“You just drained a full-grown man, Bloom.” He emphasized my name in a way that said he felt some way about it.
I kind of wanted to punch him in the face for the tone of his voice.
I also didn’t know how to punch someone in the face. Which would make doing so pretty difficult.
“I didn’t kill Steven.” I tugged my wrist out of the werewolf’s grip and pressed my hand to my wound again.
“Who did, then?”
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t have an answer.
“How many other vampires work in this building?” he pressed.
“None. I know all of the vampires in the city.” Sure, someone could’ve snuck in, but there would be no way for them to feed without it making the news. Werewolves, humans, and hospitals in particular knew exactly what it looked like when a vampire bit someone.
And they hunted us for it.
Just a few months ago, a woman from one of the founding vampire families in the city had been taken out by Maverick’s Beta, his right-hand man.
The Alpha scowled. “You’re obviously the murderer.”
He seemed significantly less level-headed than he had been in the office before he bit me. I guess finding a vampire really brought out the beast in him. He was definitely going to kill me.
And if he was going to kill me either way, there was no reason not to at least try to defend myself.
“I understand why that would seem like the answer, but draining the person everyone knows is my least-favorite co-worker would be the stupidest thing I could possibly do. I might as well just show up to work with a nametag that says, ‘Hi, I’m a Vampire’.”
“You got angry and lost control.”
“I never lose control, and I have no motive. Have you met Celeste? She’s going to take his place, and she’s almost as much of a pain in the ass as he is.” I paused. “Er, was.”
The elevator finally dinged again as it reached the bottom floor, but Maverick made no move to step out. I didn’t dare take the first step either, in case that was somehow the excuse he was looking for to kill me.
When he neither killed me nor started walking, I added, “You’re the one who lost control. Why the hell did you bite me?”
His nostrils flared.
Rather than answering me, he grabbed my waist and threw me over his shoulder again, a little more gently.
He stormed out of the elevator and through the lobby.
Sounds of shock echoed behind us. Maverick ignored them, carrying me outside and down the sidewalk. Thanks to my lack of blood, the early January air felt much colder than usual. My gigantic sweater, leggings, and combat boots helped ease the chill.
People were definitely taking pictures and recording us. While having similar reactions to everyone in the lobby.
Someone slipped on a patch of ice, and I winced when I heard the thud of their ass hitting the concrete, followed by the groan of pain.
I sincerely hoped my hair would hide my identity, or I was going to be even more screwed.
“Don’t you have a more discreet way to get around?” I mumbled against his back.
The city we lived in, Vast, was monstrous. It had been a thriving vampire stronghold at one point, and the architecture showed it. All of the buildings were tall and made out of stone, with intricate details and arched windows.
Most of the stained glass that existed at one point had been replaced with newer, more efficient windows, but a few buildings still had it proudly on display.