Dad came back to the office, but his face didn’t reveal any emotion.
‘We found a syringe with blood on the pavement; we don’t know yet if it’s evidence, but it was in the exact spot where Claudia was kidnapped. I need to get it into the lab as soon as possible,’ Dad explained, looking deeply confused.
‘Syringe with blood? What about the fingerprints or the make of the van? You’ve got to have something?’ I started asking. Dad was an operations lieutenant in the Paranormal Unit of the British Police, so he was used to these sorts of cases.
We were both worried about my cousin. Claudia was full-blooded elf. She studied in London and never got herself into any trouble, so I had no idea why anyone would want to target her. I couldn’t imagine how my aunt Dorothy would feel when she found out that her only daughter had been kidnapped.
‘Magic Shot!’ I said, springing to my feet.
‘A magic what?’
‘I’ve just been at a meeting with that huge manufacturing company in Brunel Industrial Park, and apparently they are starting production of an injection that would allow vampires to avoid drinking from humans. What if that’s their product?’ I asked, as this just came to my mind unexpectedly.
‘Yeah, I heard about that. It’s a new product,’ said Stewart, one of Dad’s subordinates who just came back to the room.
‘Get that syringe to the lab and ask them to find whatever they can,’ Dad ordered. ‘And you, young lady, are going home with one of my guys. And from now on I want you to be more careful. Don’t go out alone in the night, and I mean it.’
‘But dad I want to help; it’s Claudia—’
‘Leave this to me and to the rest of the Unit. Now off you go, and don’t mention anything to your mother; we can’t let her worry.’
I tried to protest a few times, but Dad was adamant to send me home with Dannika, who was patrolling the neighbourhood. Dad tried to protect my mother from all the magic because she was a human and he knew that she wouldn’t handle that sort of news very well. I was still pissed off when Dannika dropped me home. Claudia was on my mind and I had a bad feeling that the syringe that Dad found on the crime scene might have been produced by La Caz Corporation.
It was nearly eleven when I sat down to have my dinner. I couldn’t stop thinking about that vampire Nathaniel La Caz. If that shot was his, then I knew that I had to talk to him again. Dad wanted me to stay away from that investigation, but Claudia was a family, and I was determined to find her. After all, she’d been taken away right in front of my eyes.
As I lay in bed, Nathaniel filled my thoughts. I’d broken up with my psycho ex-boyfriend a year ago and hadn’t been out with anyone since then, but…Nathaniel La Caz? He was an immortal bloodsucker. He was nothing like I was expecting. All these new emotions were silly and surprising. I shook my head; what a mismatch.
He and my cousin were still on my mind when I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter five
He only signed the contract because he wants you; there is no other reason.
I had large circles under my eyes when I rolled into the office next day. My head was hurting, but luckily it was a day shift, so I could go home at five. I was expecting to see Rufus, my regional manager today. He was probably eager to know how my meeting went yesterday. After all, La Caz Corporation just became one of our largest clients.
Paranormal Personnel had only one branch in London. Rufus looked after us and three other branches in Manchester, Bristol, and Northampton. We were based in Croydon, on a second floor, just off the busy high street. The office was spacious with dark brown carpets, three desks, and two small rooms where we sometimes interviewed our candidates. The waiting area had two black sofas from IKEA.
If anyone walked into our office, they would say it was just plain dull. Sometimes we had ordinary humans who walked in off the street. We would take their CV, ask them standard questions about their work history, and tell them we would be in contact. The truth was we never called them back because we never had work for ordinary people.
Our agency dealt with all paranormal creatures: fairies, vampires, witches, hags, wizards, mermaids, elves, werewolves, giants, and trolls. Two other agencies in London specialised with paranormal recruitment, but we had more employers onboard and more customers. Of course, Londoners had no idea that all these supernatural creatures were living right here among them. Most of them didn’t even realize that some of their staff could only work at night or could transform into a wolf.
It was the twenty-first century and people didn’t believe in that sort of nonsense. No one knew if she or he had married an elf or a troll. There were circumstances where paranormals revealed their true existence, but that rarely took place. Jennifer was a mermaid, but she wasn’t going to rant about it everywhere she went. If her potential date looked at her, he would see a very attractive twenty-five-year-old woman. Ordinary people had no idea that not only London but also most of the world was full of supernatural beings.
Every creature understood they were living in the twenty-first century. We had our own clubs, gyms, and shops and we lived among humans without jeopardising our own identity. Most of the employers who dealt with our company wanted to utilize paranormal staff. Our job was to match the right candidates to the right positions so the business was profitable.
I had a lot of work to do before noon. Kate, my co-worker arrived just after nine and made coffee for both of us. I called Dad, and after a bit of convincing, he finally revealed that the syringe with blood that had been found yesterday belonged to La Caz Corporation. Dad refused to say any more and I had clients in, so I had to end my tense conversation with him.
My aunt Dorothy called, crying and asking me about what I saw. She was breaking my heart when she sobbed into the phone. I explained as much as I could, but when she hung up I was ready to jump into a taxi and question La Caz myself. But I knew that this was a bad idea. I had no proof that he had something to do with kidnapping my cousin. I was making too broad an assumption. Maybe he had nothing to do with it. But I wasn’t going to sit calmly in the office while my cousin was missing. I had to help with a search whether Dad liked it or not.
Rufus was not reachable, as usual. I knew that he was still in London, but I was expecting him to pop in to the office and congratulate me. I was also hoping that he would finally promote me. I had done a lot of legwork to secure the contract with La Caz Corporation. I had been on the phone to their HR department nearly every day trying to organise this meeting. Other agencies were trying to get there as well, but in the end he chose us. We were going to make a lot of money from that contract, so I couldn’t ruin this relationship because I was impatient
He only signed the contract because he wants you; there is no other reason. I waved off this thought, biting my lip. He couldn’t possibly have signed up with Paranormal Personnel because of me. No one in his right mind would even think like that, especially not Nathaniel La Caz. But deep down I sort of knew that my subconscious was right. I couldn’t deny that instant connection between us.
So the time dragged until lunch, and I kept going over the kidnapping in my head. But I still couldn’t remember anything specific about those men. At half past twelve, one fairy came in looking for call centre work. I took her CV and asked her to come to register on Monday. Kate went to lunch and I stayed, waiting for an email from the HR director and worrying about my poor cousin, when I heard someone at the door.
‘I’ll be with you in a moment,’ I called out, staring at the screen for longer than I should have. Then the same intense smell hit me out of the blue: mint leaves and lemon. My skin buzzed again. I lifted my eyes and found myself staring at Nathaniel La Caz, who was standing in front of my desk in broad daylight.
‘Mother of God, what the hell are you doing out of your coffin?’ I got up, dropping the pen I was chewing onto the floor. My heartbeat, as usual, gave me away.
‘Well, hello to you, too, dear Julia,’ he said, with his sexy low voice that s
ent a shiver down my spine.
I was staring at him, bewildered, my jaw hanging open. ‘Seriously, aren’t you a vampire?’
He laughed. ‘I’m a Dhampir, Julia, so I don’t need to hide from the sunlight.’ He looked around the office. This gave me time to pull myself together. My heart was pounding, letting me know that I wasn’t making any progress with my self-control. Then I heard the door again and saw Rufus marching towards us.
‘Oh, Mr. La Caz, I can see that Julia is already keeping you company.’
I was speechless, glancing from Nathaniel to Rufus and not getting what was going on. La Caz looked relaxed in his grey suit. I spotted a Rolex on his wrist.
Hello, this over-pretentious bastard had a Rolex! What a show-off.
‘Rufus,’ I began, clearing my throat, ‘I’ve been trying to get hold of you all morning.’
‘Oh yes, Julia. Mr. La Caz here called me out of the blue and explained everything that happened during the meeting. He wanted to see Paranormal Personnel for himself, so I offered to drive him here,’ Rufus explained, smiling. Most of the female vampires in the office had a crush on Rufus. He was tall, nearly six foot four, and always dressed in a suit. He had light brown hair trimmed short and today he was unshaven, which just added more magnetism to his look. After all, he was a giant.
Since all the paranormal creatures started breeding with humans centuries ago, they lost their species-specific looks. Trolls weren’t ugly, giants weren’t ten feet tall, and elves didn’t have pointed ears. However, we all had certain characteristics that helped us to recognise each other. Only vampires kept their paleness and thirst for blood, but they also adapted; they had to. Rufus was incredibly sexy, but when La Caz was standing here in all his glory, I was breathless. Nathaniel was just so hot. His body was toned and firm, he must have worked out a lot. He looked amazing in that grey suit.
‘Right,’ I muttered, staring at Rufus, who had no idea what was happening inside my chest. I didn’t believe he was here because he wanted to check out the office. No managing director of any serious company would ask to do that, especially, not a vampire who owned millions of pounds. At the same time I wanted to question him about the shot and Claudia’s kidnapping.
‘So, welcome to Paranormal Personnel, Mr. La Caz. Would you like a cup of coffee with a dash of blood?’ I asked with obvious sarcasm in the steadiest voice I was able to produce. Rufus’s phone started ringing.
Nathaniel sucked a long breath and arched his eyebrow. ‘I would love to have you on this desk, Miss Taylor. You can’t even imagine how much you turn me on,’ he whispered, leaning towards my desk. The air was dripping with his scent, and I tried to swallow, but instead I let out an uncontrolled gasp. His face was only a few inches away from mine. I restrained my body from shaking and producing flames. I had to close my eyes for a second or two just to pull away from him.
‘What the hell are you doing here, Nathaniel? Let’s face it; you didn’t come here to see our office, did you?’ I asked him in a husky tone.
‘I came here because I wanted to see you,’ he said quietly. Rufus’s back was turned to us and thank God for that, because I didn’t want him to witness this scene. I felt a bead of sweat start rolling down my back and my heart stuttered in my chest.
‘Well, you’ve seen me. Now, I’ve a lot of work to do, so just skip this bullshit and leave me alone,’ I said, sitting back down and trying to make myself busy.
Rufus flipped his phone off. ‘Julia, Mr. La Caz was telling me how you convinced him to sign up with us. We will need to take on a few extra staff here. La Caz Corporation is starting the production of a shot that eases the demand of blood from humans so they will have to take on a lot of temps.’ Rufus looked excited.
‘Yes, so we will need at least a hundred temps for the next few weeks,’ said La Caz, his tone dry.
‘Julia will take care of this; she knows what she is doing,’ Rufus assured him
‘I don’t doubt that. Miss Taylor here already gave me the impression that she had everything under control. Do you think I can have a private word with her?’ he asked Rufus. My regional manager looked surprised by this unusual request, but he flashed La Caz a positive smile. I didn’t understand why he had to ask Rufus’s permission; I was still standing there and I was capable of making my own decisions.
‘Of course, you can use the interview room, Mr. La Caz. I have another phone call I need to make,’ Rufus said. He sent me a sharp gaze to do whatever La Caz wanted. I had no other choice but to obey.
I hate being in a room that has been over-infused with testosterone.
I got up and marched to the interview room. Nathaniel was right beside me. As soon as he closed the door behind him, I found myself breathless, locked in this small space with him.
Chapter six
Bastard. He was enjoying playing with me.
I decided it would be safer for me to stand by the window, as far away from Mr. I-want-you-now as possible. I didn’t have a good feeling about this, and I didn’t want to be alone with him. Mostly because of my extreme attraction to him. Ironically, he made me feel safe and I loved the way he smelled: not like any other creature I’d ever met.
Dhampir. What’s that even mean? So if he can walk in the daytime, does that mean he is not a vampire at all?
He was watching me again and that annoying grin was still on his handsome face. His hazel eyes moved from my eyes to my neck and then travelled down to my waist, hips, and legs. My unease grew in leaps and bounds, and I just wanted to get this over with. I was afraid that my excess magic would give me away again.
‘What do you want, Mr. La Caz? I don’t have time for this,’ I snapped, acting brave, but my voice was too high.
His hands were in his pockets and he was obviously enjoying the way he made me feel. ‘As I said before, please call me Nathaniel.’
‘That’s unprofessional, Mr. La Caz; we will be working together,’ I said, sucking the corner of my lips. He smiled and stepped towards me, inhaling the air around us.
‘I want to take you out for dinner, Miss Taylor, and I won’t take no for an answer,’ he said, licking his upper lip. My brain stuck shut, I couldn’t make any sound during the long moment that passed. He can’t be serious; he is not asking me out.
I was aware that my upper lip was trembling and I had to look ridiculous, but I didn’t know how to react or what to say.
‘How long are we going to stand here, Julia? I thought you had a busy day?’ he asked with amusement. I blinked twice and took a step back.
‘Mr. La Caz, I don’t like your odd sense of humour,’ I said, shifting my weight to the right.
He ran his hands through his sandy hair and my pulse increased. Then, before I could do anything, he was right beside me; I didn’t even know how he got to me so fast. His body was pressed closely to mine and his lips were brushing against my ear. I shivered as the heat from his touch burned my skin. The magic inside me stirred. I gasped and pure fear embraced my soul. I was petrified he was going to sink his fangs into my neck.
‘Don’t play with me, Julia. I'm not a patient vampire. I want to get to know you a little better.’
Every word sent a tremor down my spine, and I wanted to get away from him, but I couldn’t move. I was too scared and his scent overwhelmed me. I was falling down while the blood rushed to my ears. He brushed his thumb down my neck and let go of a small controlled breath. My heart skipped a beat. His touch was like a hot-wire, mentally confusing or erratic, but I wanted him to continue caressing me.
In a split second, he pulled away from me, and I drew a long breath.
‘I don’t think so, Mr. La Caz. I don’t date people I work with,’ I responded, with obvious uneasiness. My cheeks were scarlet.
‘Julia, we technically won’t work together. You’ll be dealing with my HR director, so there is nothing to worry about.’
‘I’m sorry, Nathaniel, but the answer is no. We aren’t going out for dinner,’ I said and touched the doo
r handle. It was time to end this absurd conversation. He wasn’t going to intimidate me any further. I wasn’t sure if I should talk about my cousin’s kidnapping with him, but I couldn’t just let it go. Besides, Dad would probably have to speak to him sooner or later. From the business point of view I should’ve kept my mouth shut, but my cousin’s life was more important than anything.
‘I have to say that I’m disappointed, Miss Taylor, but I don’t give up so easily,’ he said, massaging his wrist.
He was just about to leave when I said, ‘I wanted to ask you about something else.’
He turned around slowly.
‘You see, yesterday just after the meeting, I witnessed two large paranormals dragging my cousin to a black van in the late afternoon. She has been missing ever since, and all my family is very worried.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that, and I’m assuming that you believe that this was a premeditated kidnapping?’
‘Yes, I do and the reason I’m talking about this with you is because yesterday Mr. Porter talked about your production of Magic Shot. My father, who works for Paranormal Units, found a syringe with blood at the crime scene. He ran some checks and he found that that serum had been produced by your company. My dad suspects that one of the men accidentally dropped it when they were trying to abduct my cousin,’ I explained with a steady voice and his relaxed expression shifted.
He pursed his fully kissable lips and clenched his fists. ‘Miss. Taylor, I should be offended. You don’t have any proof and your accusation is lacking in substance. Our Magic Shot is not yet available. Although I do understand your concerns, and I would also ask those questions if a member of my family’s life were on the line. I know that you must be very upset about what’s happened and you probably want to help your father.’
Paranormal Personnel Saga Box Set - Books 1-3 Page 3
