In the echoing silence, the man stood up and sauntered towards her. “Hey, I’m Seth. What’s your name, beautiful?”
His scent drifted towards her, and suddenly all the oxygen was sucked from the room, and the walls started closing in on her. Caroline stumbled backwards till her back hit the door. “I thought we were supposed to remain anonymous.”
His lip curled up in a smirk. “That’s just for the paperwork. But if someone’s going to be sucking my neck, I want them calling my name, not number 27. Don’t you?”
As he moved closer, she could see a tuft of brown hair curling above his vee neck and a small belly that strained against his shirt. He was older than her, maybe 35, with a confidence that made it obvious he’d done this many times before.
He was nowhere near as attractive as Roric, but she could hear his blood pulsing through the vein in his neck, each whoosh sending out a puff of his intoxicating human scent. She knew his blood would taste better than anything she’d ever drank before, and her body screamed for it, but her stomach lurched at the thought.
The man stepped close enough to touch her, too close. Caroline’s body shook as he stroked a finger down her cheek, and she squirmed against the door. Her breath came in ragged gasps that drew in the rich scent of his blood. It tingled in the back of her throat, taunting her with a desire so intense it threatened to overwhelm her. The only thing keeping her from lunging at his throat was the fear that lanced through her gut, pinning her in place.
“What’s wrong, baby? You nervous? I won’t bite, I promise. But I hope you do.” He winked at her and moved closer, his hot breath warming her cheek. Sweat beaded up on her forehead.
Why was she scared of him? She was the predator, not him. So why did she feel so threatened? She didn’t feel this way when she drank from Roric. In fact, it was the best experience of her life.
“It’s my first time,” she blurted out then instantly regretted it. She didn’t know why, but it made her feel even more vulnerable.
“Ah, no wonder you look like a timid, little mouse. Don’t worry, darling. I’ll tell you what I like.” He took her hand and started to pull her towards the couch, but Caroline’s legs were cement pilings, anchoring her in place.
An image of herself draped over him on the couch, her mouth at his neck, sucking as he stroked her body, flashed through her mind. Her stomach flip-flopped, disgust and desire warring inside her belly. Panicked, she whipped around and scrambled for the doorknob then yanked it open and threw herself out into the hall. She gasped as the cool, clean air hit her and took off towards the exit, too afraid to look back to see if the man was following her.
Natasha gawked at her as Caroline burst through the door panting, her chest heaving. The receptionist jumped up and rushed towards her. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”
“No, no. I just can’t… I can’t drink from him.” Caroline shook her head and buried her face in her hands when she saw the people in the waiting room staring at her.
“Did you need a different volunteer? Maybe a female? Or a vampire instead of a human? Do you want me to call your mentor?” Natasha’s hands fluttered around Caroline like she wanted to comfort her but wasn’t sure how Caroline would react.
Roric’s face flashed before her eyes. He was what she needed, the only one she wanted.
Chapter 28
The walk down the hallway to the large room at the end where the Council held meetings felt like a walk to the gallows, even though he was in his own home. Roric’s boots thudded quietly on the thick, oriental runner, and he tried to slow his racing heartbeat to the rhythm.
The door was closed when he got there, but he could hear the muted sound of multiple voices even through the thick slab of solid wood. He was a few minutes early. He didn’t know if he should knock, go on in, or wait on the ornate bench out in the hallway. He’d probably break the tiny bench, so he settled for pacing back and forth in the small enclave instead.
At 10 pm on the dot, the door opened. Roric stopped pacing and swung towards it as one of the lower-ranking council members emerged. “Roric, they’re ready for you now.”
He gritted his teeth, swallowed, and nodded then followed the man into the room. A large, mahogany table took up most of the square footage, but the seven men around it dominated the space. His father sat at the head, a compelling man who didn’t look much older than Roric thanks to his vampire immortality but with an air of wisdom and experience that hinted at his age.
He and the other council members were dressed in a uniform of tailored suits and power ties, starched dress shirts with stiff, white cuffs and collars. Roric dug a finger into the snug collar of his only dress shirt and tie and glanced down self-consciously at the heavy boots peeking out of his too-tight dress pants. Did he look as out of place as he felt? He was definitely buying a new suit and dress shoes after this.
“You all know my son. Have a seat, Roric.” His father gestured to one of the open seats near the door. It simultaneously taunted and comforted him that at least he could make a quick exit if things got ugly.
He’d been to a few council meetings before — the most recent and notable one when he was elected to run the Vampire Enforcement Agency — and never felt this nervous before. But then again, he’d never been guilty of such an egregious crime before, either.
His father had been kind, or cruel, enough to forewarn him that he’d be called before the council, but he’d been close-lipped about why they wanted to see him. Which, of course, left Roric freaking out for the last few days wondering if the axe was about to drop. His father hadn’t acted much different towards him, though, so Roric still held out hope that this wasn’t the end of his career, or his life.
His father picked up a small stack of papers and tapped them against the table. “Roric, as I know you’re aware, reports of vampire attacks have increased dramatically over the last few months, as much as 10%, as well as missing persons reports. At least four victims have been found dead of vampire venom this year alone, and more than a dozen newly-turned vampires claim they were venomized against their will. The number of new vampires seeking blood from the sanguinarium is at an all-time high, 20% above last year’s average.”
The numbers hit Roric like shotgun pellets. He knew things had gotten bad, but hearing it spelled out in cold percentages made it sound even worse than he thought. He steepled his hands over his mouth, resisting the urge to cover his whole face.
“Now, obviously, this problem is not new. These rising rates were the reason the Vampire Enforcement Agency was created in the first place. However, despite our best efforts, the problem seems to be getting worse. Can you explain why this is?” His father and all the other council members swiveled in their chairs to look at him.
Roric sat up straighter and resisted the urge to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He knew how bad it looked, but his agents had been doing the best they could. “Sir, my agents and I are working hard to deal with all the rogue vamp activity, but for every rogue we bring in, two more pop up to take his place. A lot of times, we don’t have the manpower to deal with all the reports that come in each night. Before you called this meeting, I was going to request a budget increase so I could hire some more agents.”
His father pursed his lips then waved his hand. Roric cringed. Obviously, this was not the right time to suggest that. “Yes, well, as long as the number of incidents continues to rise, we may consider that request. However, that doesn’t explain why the problem is growing. Any speculations?”
He hadn’t intended to bring up his suspicion until he had more evidence, but his ass was on the line here, and they wanted answers. It wouldn’t hurt to toss out his idea, even if he had no real evidence to support it. “Sir, I have reason to believe, based on things some of the rogue vamps have said, that a rebellion might be developing — a group of vampires who believe our race is superior to humans and shouldn’t be restricted by laws meant to protect them. One implied that soon they would outnumber those of us
who follow the laws.”
The group sat silently for a long moment, and Roric tried not to squirm as they stared at him. “Are you suggesting they might be purposely turning humans to build their ranks?”
“Yes, sir, that would explain why so many humans are being turned. These newly-turned vampires aren’t being mentored; they’re left to fend for themselves, which could explain the increase in attacks on humans.”
His father raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Interesting. This is a theory we should explore. However, since by your own admission, the agency is understaffed, we may need to bring in an additional task force to look into this, especially since—”
He paused long enough that Roric had time to imagine every possible way he could finish that sentence. None of them gave him any hope of getting out of there alive. Sweat pooled under his arms, probably leaving stains on his shirt, and his leg started to bounce under the table.
“—an anonymous source has accused some of our agents of unlawful behavior, such as feeding off humans and turning them without going through the proper channels. Have you seen any evidence of this?”
Roric’s stomach knotted into a giant, twisted wad, and he dug his fingers into his thighs to stop his knees from knocking against the bottom of the table. “No, sir.” He cringed at the way his voice cracked and didn’t dare say anything else.
His father smoothed a hand down his red tie. “Well, the source mentioned the names of two newly-turned vampires specifically. We’ve summoned them for questioning. Normally, we’d leave that to the agency, but since that would be a conflict of interest, we thought it best to hear their testimony ourselves.”
Roric’s heart seized in his chest, stopping his lungs as well, and his whole body turned to ice. He knew exactly who the witnesses were — Caroline and Ivy. And one word out of either of them was enough to bring him and Taven down and the whole agency crashing to the ground around them.
Ivy might be willing to keep quiet. Last he knew, she and Taven were still an item, but it had been several days already, and Taven’s love ‘em and leave ‘em reputation meant he was likely to toss her any day now.
But Caroline was the bigger worry. She was more fierce than any woman he’d ever met. She’d refused her attackers blood with his venom coursing through her veins, compelling her to feed, she’d insisted on returning to work less than a day after being changed, and the one that hit him personally — she’d rejected him right after drinking from his vein when she should’ve been feeling incredibly bonded to him. God knew he felt bonded to her. Her telling him to stay away from her and walking away had felt like having his heart ripped from his chest and tossed in a shredder.
As bad as that hurt, at first it was easier to stay away from her, to hide and lick his wounds. But it didn’t take long before his desire for her outweighed the pain of her rejection. Then he had to force himself to stay away. He figured she had to be feeling the same way and eventually she’d give in and come back to him, but when he got that call from the clinic saying she was there to feed and wanting him to vouch for her, he knew he’d lost her for good.
The question was, was she still angry enough at him to ruin him out of spite, or would she keep his secret for the sake of the agency? He had no idea.
“Roric, I’d like you to wait in the hall while we question the witnesses. I’m sure we’ll want to speak with you again afterwards.” His father waved his hand at him, indicating he should leave, then turned towards the man who’d ushered Roric in earlier. “Ceedric, please bring in the first witness.”
Roric stood up and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway. He expected to see Caroline and Ivy waiting out there, but it was empty. Ceedric took a few steps down the hall and knocked on a door then opened it. Ivy came out a few seconds later and followed Ceedric into the conference room. She smiled at Roric on the way which gave him a tiny boost of reassurance.
Where was Caroline? Was she in that room, too? Probably not. They would want to keep the witnesses separate. He was tempted to knock on all the doors, looking for her, but he wasn’t sure talking to her would make things any better. Considering how riled up she got whenever he was around, he’d probably just get her angry and make her more likely to narc on him. Instead, he paced up and down the hall again, wearing a path in the antique runner and working himself into a nervous wreck.
Ten minutes later, the conference room door opened again, and Ivy emerged. He was too busy watching Ceedric to pay any attention to her, though. The councilman rapped on the door next to the room where Ivy was waiting, and it opened, revealing a nervous-looking Caroline. Her eyes immediately went to Roric’s, pinning him with an expression so complex he couldn’t decipher it. He held her gaze until she turned into the conference room.
“Hey Roric.” The sound of his name jolted him out of his fugue, and he turned to look at Ivy.
“Hey, how’d it go?” He tried his best to keep it casual even though he was strung up by his balls, wondering what would happen.
“Just fine. I told them about the rogue who attacked me and answered a few questions. No biggie.” She winked at him, and he exhaled loudly.
“Good. Glad it wasn’t too scary.”
“Gotta go. Taven’s chomping at the bit to hear about it. Talk to you later, okay?” He nodded absentmindedly as she trotted away.
He went back to pacing, occasionally perching on the edge of the bench then jumping up again when the stress got too strong for him to sit still. Caroline was in there for at least 20 minutes, each of them more excruciating than the last, before the door finally opened.
Roric stared at her, trying to read her thoughts in the reflections of her eyes. When her lips curved in the slightest hint of a smile, his heart sped up, faster than an airplane propeller. “Caroline, I’d really like to talk to you… after. Will you wait for me?”
She nodded slowly, and the plane in his chest took off, trying to drag his body with it.
Roric entered the conference room feeling better than he had in days, despite the scrutiny by the council. He took his seat and waited to hear what they would say, but he was almost positive that Caroline had covered for him.
Roric’s father looked at him with more confidence now. “Well, the witnesses both tell similar stories of rogue vampire attacks and make no mention of inappropriate behavior on the part of the agency, so for now, we’ll shelve the accusations.” His eyes narrowed. “But be aware that should any further allegations be made, there will be a full investigation.”
Roric tensed and straightened his tie. “Yes, sir. I understand, and I’ll make sure my agents represent the agency honorably.”
“We’ll discuss increasing the budget to allow for more agents and bring your theory about a rebellion under consideration. The idea is conceivable if reprehensible. For now, take every threat seriously and concentrate on containing any vampires who break the laws.”
“Sir, perhaps some education would be helpful? It might decrease the number of deaths after venomization if humans better understood that they could still live full, satisfying lives as vampires. Maybe we could do a few television interviews or speak at the high schools and colleges.” His mind went to Caroline and how she assumed that death would be better than being turned.
The other council members murmured, and his father quirked an eyebrow. “That sounds like a good idea. We’ll consider that, as well. That will be all for now, Roric. Thank you for your time.” His father turned towards the man besides him, dismissing Roric.
He sighed, and the tension started to drain off of him in shivers. He had other ideas he wanted to share, but he didn’t want to push his luck. He was just grateful his head wasn’t on the chopping block. He stood up and let himself out of the room as the council members started talking amongst themselves, his nerves suddenly ratcheting up again at the thought of talking to Caroline.
Chapter 29
The hallway was empty. Roric stumbled to a stop outside the door and craned his neck to lo
ok down the length of the hall, but no one was there. She’d left. Of course she had. Why did he get his hopes up? Just because she’d given him that look that said maybe she was starting to feel even a hint of what he felt for her.
Seeing her face for a moment had brightened his bleak mood like a bottle rocket exploding in front of him, but just like the firework, the light had disappeared in an instant, leaving the sky darker than before.
He trudged to his room, barely enough energy in his body to climb the stairs. It was a good thing he was off tonight; he was going to be useless for the rest of the night. Maybe the rest of his life.
This was exactly why he’d waited all those years, why he’d never taken a vein. He knew his heart was too susceptible. Most guys would say that made him weak, less of a man. But he thought maybe it would’ve been a benefit if he’d waited for the right one — he would’ve loved her completely. But now it was a curse, one he’d have to bear for the rest of his life. He knew he’d never totally purge himself of Caroline. She would haunt his mind forever, but she’d never be his.
He climbed the final step with a sigh and forced himself to walk the last few feet to his room. He intended to crash as soon as he got there and not get up till the gaping hole in his heart had healed. Of course, that would be never.
He pushed through the doorway and shook his head at the sight of Caroline. He was so desperate, he was hallucinating.
“Hi Roric.”
Wait, did hallucinations talk? He stepped closer and reached out a hand, expecting the apparition to disappear, but he touched flesh instead.
“I hope you don’t mind me waiting here. I didn’t think it would be good for the council to hear us talking.”
He shook his head and resisted the urge to say all the things he was thinking about — how she belonged here, this was her home, and she was welcome to stay here forever. “It’s good to see you. You look… well.”
Compelled by the Vampire: Vampire Enforcement Agency Series Book 1 Page 17
