Chapter 1 #3
“Not exactly,” Mandy replied. “Like I said, there has been an unfortunate change in circumstances for the candidate we’d made the offer to.
I want to reiterate that we really were impressed with your interview and felt like there was certainly a place for you on the team.
It was just a question of having two equally qualified applicants, but now you’re our first pick. We’d like to offer you the job.”
“Oh my God. Mandy, thank you. Really. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes,” she responded, relief infusing her voice. “It would save me the headache of having to open another round of interviews. We’ve already had this position open for so long…”
He admired her bluntness, at least. “Then yes, I accept the offer.”
Mandy took a deep inhale. “Great, Tobias. That really is just great.”
“When do you want me to start?” Tobias could barely finish his question before Mandy broke in with an answer.
“Honestly? This afternoon would be ideal.”
Tobias had to fight back shame at just how desperate sounding she was – after all, he was the cause. “I can be there.”
“You’ve really saved me. A member of staff will meet you outside the Bodleian Old Library at one pm this afternoon, if you’re available.
You’ll receive a full tour, followed by some light training.
Manuscript handling protocols, various HR procedures – you understand the boring checklist type activities that we’ve got to get under way.
I’m afraid it’s not going to be glamorous for a few shifts, but we promise you’ll be out in the stacks in no time once you’ve familiarised yourself with our system. ”
“Consider me available at one,” Tobias said, hoping to offer Mandy a chance to laugh, but she kept quiet.
He couldn’t blame her. She had likely woken to the news that her new employee had been the latest target of Oxford’s serial attacker, and the pressure from her bosses to fill the role would’ve been too much.
“I want you to know just how excited I am to start.”
“In the meantime, I’ve just emailed you a few documents regarding our policies.
If you could read through them before you get here, that would save us some time later.
” Tobias had already opened his email and was clicking the notification of the new message that popped in.
It had three attachments, all of which he opened to scan later.
“We will see you shortly, Tobias. Thank you, again.”
“I should be the one thanking you,” he replied, before abruptly ending the call.
Tobias checked the time, seeing that it was almost nine in the morning, which meant he had just over three hours to get ready before he had to leave.
He got out of bed, undressed, and stood beneath the shower, his head tipped up as the pinpricks of cold water stung against his skin.
When he got out, he brushed his teeth within an inch of their life, then flossed to ensure there wasn’t any skin, or dried blood, caught between them.
In the mirror, Tobias let his canines elongate, studying the monstrous expression looking back at him.
His humanity may have been stolen, but at least he could still see his reflection.
That kind of lore was just a bunch of misconceptions about vampires planted in popular media by vampires, all to help them hide in the real world.
A supposed weakness to garlic was another made-up myth.
The inability to step on holy ground yet another, proven incorrect by the fact Tobias himself lived in the converted basement of an old church at the moment.
Same with walking in daylight. Metamorphosis into bats, wolves, and other creatures of the night were all supposed vampiric traits that belonged in a fantasy novel, not real life.
Tobias and the few other vampires he’d met did have enhanced senses.
Some of them, like Tobias himself, could sense even more – in his case, the aura around a living creature, which would tell him their emotional state.
But that was about it, besides needing to drink blood to survive and being very, very hard to kill.
He parted his damp, pale blond hair and brushed it over, tucking the slight curl of his fringe behind his ear.
He pinched his cheeks to get some colour into them, making him look a little more alive.
Tobias picked out an outfit – a white button-down shirt, a moss-green cardigan, and a pair of slim trousers belted at his narrow waist. He didn’t need the round tortoiseshell glasses to see, but he put them on for the aesthetic.
Nothing screamed Oxford librarian like glasses, baggy knitwear, and scuffed loafers.
He had to fit in, a skill he had perfected in all his years walking the earth, having to adapt from era to era.
It was more important now than ever. Because today wasn’t only the first day of his new job – it was the day he finally stood before the son of the man who ruined his life and began the process of doing it right fucking back.
Tobias had two weeks to infiltrate the Damianos family home, and Alexander was his golden ticket inside its walls.
The countdown to his revenge began today.