Chapter 5 #2
“Oh, I remember,” I muse, a picture easily forming in my mind since the guy’s famous. Thick chestnut hair, intense dark eyes, and a jawline cut from marble. Sexy as fuck, if hot brainiacs with slutty glasses do it for you.
Before I met Elliott Faulkner, I’d seen his face splashed across tabloids, accompanied by headlines touting his various scientific discoveries as modern miracles.
He invented Rapi-Gen cream. He cured cancer, for fuck’s sake.
The man’s social skills leave a lot to be desired– when we met, he just stared like a creep and barely said a word– but there’s no denying his brilliance.
James nods once, then moves right along. “I’ve crossed paths on occasion with vampires who possess the gift of persuasion. They can get inside the human mind, talk them into spilling their darkest secrets.”
I raise my glass to my lips, chugging down the rest of my whiskey while my brain works overtime to process this new information. Then I lower it, shaking my head slowly. “That is… deeply horrifying,” I mutter.
Taylor winces, flicking James a side-eyed glance.
I follow her gaze, squinting at him. “Wait, do you have a vampy superpower?” I ask, suddenly on edge.
If this dude’s been reading my mind, I swear I’ll stake his ass.
He dips his chin in a nod, and I sit up straighter.
“What is it?”
“Superior strength.”
I snort, faking a yawn as relief crashes through me. “Boring.”
His mouth twitches faintly. “Among my kind, the strongest hold the most power. Persuasion has little value against someone who can tear your head from your shoulders without effort.”
Well. At least he’s honest.
“So that’s how you became a king?” I question, blowing right past the casual threat of violence.
He nods again.
I set my empty glass aside, still struggling to process everything. The more I learn about vamps, the more insane their world sounds. Royalty, blood bonds, secret powers…
Taylor catches me staring and offers a sympathetic little smile, like she knows exactly what I’m thinking. I’ve got a bone to pick with her for not divulging all of this sooner, but something tells me that was James’ influence, not her own choice to keep me in the dark.
“So if you’re crazy strong, can’t you just, like, hulk smash this guy and be done with it?” I muse, narrowing my eyes on James.
He exhales through his nose, rubbing two fingers against his temple as though I’m giving him a migraine. “If only it were that simple. The problem isn’t this one singular vampire, it’s that questions are being asked at all.”
Ozzy suddenly perks up, swatting at James’ hair.
He reaches over his shoulder with a grunt and catches the kitten one-handed, depositing him on Taylor’s lap, who giggles in response.
James watches her for a moment, his expression softening in a way I’m still not used to seeing on him.
Then he looks back at me, the warmth vanishing completely.
“I need you to understand the gravity of this situation,” he says, leveling me with the kind of stare that’d make a lesser woman squirm. “Secrets are a valuable commodity amongst my kind, and some go to extreme measures to guard them. You’re aware that my butler is mute, yes?”
I jerk a nod, though I’m not entirely convinced ol’ Huxley isn’t just holding out on me.
“His former employer removed his tongue after a security breach,” James supplies.
My eyes widen in horror. “Jesus.”
“Vampires protect their secrets ruthlessly,” he deadpans.
“So what, you wanna cut out my tongue so I can’t spill yours?”
He tilts his head like he’s actually considering it, but Taylor immediately turns a scowl on him, swatting his chest with the back of a hand. “Don’t you dare,” she warns.
I snort, sticking out my tongue tauntingly.
James glares back at me.
“I think what he’s trying to say is that it’s probably not safe for you to keep working for Bite,” Taylor sighs, promptly steering the conversation away from bodily mutilation.
“I don’t think it’s safe for her to be around vampires at all,” James mutters.
I bark a laugh. “Well that feels wildly impractical considering they basically own the city.”
“Exactly,” he growls.
I narrow my eyes, irritation prickling beneath my skin. “Get to the point, James.”
His jaw tightens, his grip shifting on Taylor’s thigh. “I have properties across the country. You can disappear somewhere secure. Live out your days quietly, comfortably…”
I fold my arms with a huff. “No.”
“Told you,” Taylor mutters into her drink.
“Then the alternative would be for a powerful vampire to formally claim you as their source,” James says, his eyes still locked on mine.
I blink back at him. “Like… exclusive donor status?”
“Yes,” he replies flatly. “If you’re claimed, it would be a violation of vampire law for another to touch you without permission.”
A smirk pulls at my mouth. “So basically someone pees on my leg and calls dibs?”
Taylor chokes on her whiskey trying not to laugh, while James looks deeply unimpressed.
“To be a vampire’s source is considered a tremendous honor,” he states.
“Sure it is.” I roll my eyes, leaning back against the sofa cushions. “So, who do you have in mind for this whole…” I wave a hand, gesturing vaguely, “source thing.”
“My progeny Lucien would be suitable.”
I wrinkle my nose, shaking my head. “Hard pass.”
“Really?” Taylor asks, brows lifting. “I thought you two hit it off at the donor gala.”
“Yeah, we hooked up,” I quip. “But it was…” I trail off, huffing a quiet laugh. “Let’s just say our sexual tastes don’t really align.”
She squints. “Meaning?”
“He begged me to step on his balls in six-inch stilettos.”
She makes a strangled noise, her mouth dropping open in shock.
“Hey, no judgment!” I amend, holding up both hands. “I’m not one to kink shame, but that particular kink is just not my thing.”
Taylor whips toward James, wide-eyed. “Did you know he…?”
James nods, and she covers her responding gasp with a hand, scandalized.