Sassy Ever After: Sassy Desires (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Taylor Dawn

  Two

  LAYTON SAT IN HIS OFFICE with a blank stare directed toward his MacBook. He’d forgotten what he’d come in for and the only thing he’d accomplished was wasting his night with none other than a stupid human. The moon would soon replace the rising sun and with it, that meant slumber for him and every other member of the undead club. The vampire lore was correct—sleep during light hours and work during the backdrop of night. It was a routine he was tired of. In fact, Layton found annoyance with just about every aspect of his non-human form. Over the past century, he’d convinced himself that he made the choice to take on his current burden. But the truth lurked in the back of his mottled mind. It was one reason he despised his sister, Astrid. The choice wasn’t his, it was hers. Layton was ready to sink to the bottom of the frigid ocean but Astrid felt she had more life to live. Her fear of loneliness spurred him to do the unthinkable. She didn’t deserve the blame for what he’d become, but that didn’t stop him from harboring ill will toward her. That’s why he said no to everything as of late. The word yes held too many consequences, ones that could alter fate and blur the lines between right and wrong. His humanity slipped further from his grasp with each tick of his eternal clock, counting down the seconds when he would rise from his sleep and exist as nothing more than a bloodthirsty shell.

  “Hey,” Astrid peeked around the office door.

  “Do you need something?” Layton didn’t look up, his eyes still bore into the screen of his laptop.

  “No. Well…,” she sounded unsure of herself as she stepped further into his private space—something uncharacteristic of his twin.

  “Out with it, Astrid. I don’t have time for guessing games.” His annoyance mounted as she stood there staring at him.

  “We’re immortal, we have all the time in the world.” She took a seat in the chair across from his desk. Just when she opened her mouth to speak again, she snapped it shut, then leaned forward to pick up something on his desk.

  “Why do you have a picture of this guy?” she held the image up.

  “The injured human brought it in. Seems he’s missing.” Layton intertwined his fingers and placed them over his mouth.

  “Missing? He was just here a little over a week ago. Said he was wanting to be a donor but I turned him away. There was something not right about him.”

  “As in?”

  I don’t know, maybe a little shady. You know how well we screen our donors. I was trying to be cautious.”

  “Did he say anything? Where he was going perhaps?”

  “Of course not.” Astrid flung the photo back to his desk, the thin piece of paper sliding across the surface and to the floor.

  “What about silently? Did you catch anything then?” Layton knew his sister used her mind reading abilities to get what she wanted from anyone. She was a master manipulator who’d had over a century to perfect her craft. He hated to think what kind of trouble she would have found herself in, had she stayed in her human form.

  “It was too close to dawn. You know I can’t muster up enough energy that close to sunrise.” She defended. She was right. Each vampire had a special gift. But, the closer it came to dawn, the more that gift would wane. However, Layton’s gift was useless. They all had unstoppable strength, a sense of smell that could locate blood for miles and the ability to heal at a rapid pace if they were injured. On top of those things, Layton also could day walk. But just as their gifts weakened at sun up, his drained, causing him to anger. He’d tried to power through it but all he ended up with was a burn that took two nights to heal. Ultraviolet rays were a bitch.

  “Do me a favor and ask around about him. See if anyone else talked to him when he was here,” Layton stood from his chair and peered out the small window behind him.

  “Why do you care what this human was up to?” Astrid pretended to be uninterested by checking her manicure, but he knew she was focused in on the subject like an eagle on its prey.

  “I don’t,” he said.

  “Wait, is this about that girl who came in here?”

  “It has nothing to do with anyone. I asked you to do something for me and you’ll fucking do it. End of story.”

  “Fine.” Astrid stood and stomped from the room. Not that he’d admit it to his sister or anyone but yes, it had everything to do with the human girl. She’d been on his mind ever since he dropped her off at her tiny house. Even with her chatty lips and forced cheerful attitude, she was intriguing. It was like getting a new toy on Christmas morning. He didn’t want to sit down at the dinner table to eat, he wanted to stay in the living room and play with his shiny new object while the twinkling lights of the tree shone on his skin. The human had enveloped his thoughts and he wasn’t sure why. They were food and that was how he looked at them. None of them were friends, they were a meal. So, why in the hell was he consumed with thoughts of Gia Pendleton?

  ***

  “I told you to stay away from that place, Gia.” Gia’s Dad scolded her.

  “Dad, I had to see if they knew anything about Zach. You know I’m terrible at following directions,” she said while popping a grape into her mouth. “Besides, I seem to be the only one looking for him. The police are useless.”

  “Give them time. I’m sure they’ll find a solid lead.”

  “I have given them time. I want to know Zach is safe, Dad. I hate the thought of my brother being out there and hurt. Or worse.” Emotion blanketed her words as she tossed another grape between her lips.

  “I want you to be careful. I know those vamps have been living around us for a while, but you can never be too cautious.” Gia stood from her seat at the kitchen table and walked to her dad. She threw her arms around his neck, hugged him tight and gave him a kiss on the back of the head.

  “I’ll be careful, I promise. I’ve gotta get to work."

  “Do you need a ride?” her dad asked.

  “Nope, I’ll take the bus.” Gia lifted the strap of her purse onto her shoulder and headed for the back door. “Oh, would you care if I borrowed your car tonight? Micah wants me to come to a party.”

  “If that boy wants you at a party, he should pick you up. That’s the polite thing to do,” her dad grumbled.

  “So that’s a no?” she cringed.

  “Yes, you can borrow it. Just fill up the tank before you bring it back.”

  “I will. Thanks,” Gia said as she let the door close behind her. She tried her hardest to keep the situation with her brother from consuming her. It was no use, though. Zach was out there somewhere and something in her gut was telling her that trouble was brewing. Why would a twenty-four-year-old man just up and disappear? It didn’t make a lick of sense. Shaking her head, she morphed from personal life mode to work mode as the city bus pulled up to her stop. The hiss of the breaks and the screech of the doors opening pulled her from her thoughts. She couldn’t have distractions when she was at work, if she did, it could cause her to lose her job. With her dad’s medical costs, she couldn’t afford to be unemployed. She’d been caring for her dad since she was old enough to have a job. His Type 1 diabetes and disability status made it hard for him to earn enough income to support himself and to buy the special medicine needed to keep his levels in check. Gia had offered for him to move into her home but he refused many times. He didn’t want to be a hindrance to her personal and social life. Gia had little of either. Her life consisted of work and maybe a party every so often. With her work schedule, she didn’t do much socializing beyond helping guests at her job inside The Venetian. Micah must have known she needed to let loose since urging her to attend the party that night. She would’ve said no, but Zach’s best friend was always there for her whether she needed a helping hand or even a shoulder to cry on. He was a sweetheart who would give the shirt off his back to help anyone in need. Gia quite enjoyed spending time with the younger man.

  “You’re here early,” Gia’s co-worker Yvonne said as Gia pulled up the timesheet screen on her computer.

  “Yep. Carl will let
me leave thirty minutes early since I came in early. I have a thing tonight,” she smiled.

  “Wow, you’re doing something for once? Be still my beating heart,” Yvonne grabbed her chest and flipped her ebony hair over her shoulder. “I’ve been telling you to get a life for the past three years.”

  “Yadda, yadda, blah, blah,” Gia shook her head. Sure, Yvonne had been urging her to go out more and have fun but Gia wasn’t really the party girl type. She would have rather focused on family and work. She didn’t see anything wrong with having her priorities where they lie.

  “Have you heard from your brother yet?” Yvonne’s voice softened as she broached the subject of Gia’s little brother.

  “Not yet.” She sighed.

  “I’m sure he’s fine.”

  “I don’t want to think about it while I’m at work.” Gia had a successful clock-in and was ready to start her shift. Her station at the front desk afforded her a personal interaction with people, which she loved. It was a great job that brought home a comfortable paycheck and the best part was, she could stay at the glamorous hotel for a quarter of what it would cost anyone else. Not that she would want to stay there. Her own home was less than five miles away. Four of her eight hours passed by with no major incidents. Besides a complaint that a kid kept urinating in the pool, things were running at a smooth pace. The sun had gone down though and with it, the crazies reared their ugly heads.

  “Excuse me, Miss,” a balding man in his forties propped his arms on the desk and pinned Gia with an angry stare.

  “Hi there, how can we assist you?” she asked with a cheerful attitude.

  “You can start by opening that drawer and handing over the cash, bitch,” he reached around his back and pulled out a gun.

  “Sir, please put that away.” Gia couldn’t understand why someone would be ballsy enough to think they could rob the hotel. There were security cameras and guards dotting almost every inch of the place.

  “No, how about I blow your fucking brains out with it?” he stepped back and pointed the barrel of the gun in the air. When he fired a shot at the intricate ceiling, Gia darted from behind the counter to get away. “Not so fast!” she heard him yell, then fired another round. Pain lanced through Gia’s left bicep, her right hand covering the wound. When she fell to the floor, she looked up at the man who had the gun. He directed it at her once more, causing fear to course through her.

  “I would suggest you put that away,” she recognized Layton’s voice from the night before.

  “Fuck you, buddy,” the man cursed. In rapid succession, Gia watched as Layton disarmed the man and took him to the floor so security could cuff him. She rose to her feet and hurried to the ladies’ room to assess her arm. She unbuttoned the stark white shirt and yanked it down her shoulders.

  “Not again,” she sighed. The anomaly had been happening more often than not when she got injured and it was becoming an issue.

  “You all right?” she startled when she heard and saw Layton leaning against the wall of the room.

  “I’m good.” She picked up her blazer and covered the shirt.

  “Let me see it,” he said.

  “That’s unnecessary.” Gia washed her hands and grabbed a towel to dry them.

  “I saw that bullet hit you. You will need stitches.” He stepped closer.

  “It’s just a scratch not even worth a Band-Aid.”

  “How’s your knee from last night?” he reminded her of what had happened the night before.

  “Turns out it wasn’t that bad either.” She tried to brush past him but he grabbed her arm.

  “It doesn’t hurt?” she realized he was squeezing the arm that had just been shot.

  “Take your shirt off, I want to see it.” He ordered.

  “No.”

  “Take the fucking shirt off or I will rip it from your body.”

  “Fine,” she unbuttoned the blazer.

  “There you are,” Yvonne popped into the ladies’ room, “Oh, I didn’t realize…Carl wants you in his office to fill out an incident report.”

  “I’ll be right there,” Gia peeked around Layton. Yvonne exited the room and left her alone with the crabby vampire once more.

  “Listen, if I don’t go now, I’ll lose my job. My dad depends on me to help him out. Please let me by,” she pleaded.

  Layton stepped to the side, “We will talk later,” his words held a hint of danger but she didn’t want to concentrate on them too much. Most vamps were all bark and minimal bite. She could only assume that Layton Kyle was the same.

  Three

  LAYTON WAITED OUTSIDE The Venetian until Gia’s shift was over. Several passersby’s shot him looks of disgust but he didn’t give a shit. It was unfortunate that there was discrimination against vampires in the current day and age. When a human spotted the pale skin and bright irises, they shied away or turned up their noses. Throughout the years, he’d seen the human population accept that his kind was among them but, as of late, he realized that not all humans wanted a vamp best friend. The snarky comments and whispers should have gotten on his nerves but he knew human nature was full of judgment. It wasn’t something that could change with the flick of a pen either.

  “Hey man, if you need blood, I’m available,” a scrawny man with thinning hair and a mole beside his lip stood beside Layton. There was one thing a vampire had to watch out for and that was drug users. If one of Layton’s kind drank blood from a user, it could weaken them to the point of incapacity and sometimes, death.

  “Thank you for the offer but I’m not hungry,” Layton didn’t bother making eye contact with the obvious junkie.

  “You fuckers are too picky. Blood is blood,” The guy stated. With swift movements, Layton snatched the man up and pinned him against the brick façade of the building, his feet dangling as he struggled to free himself.

  “It would seem that you think you can make a quick buck selling your tainted blood to unsuspecting vampires. I should rip your throat out right here for what you’re doing to us.”

  “Put me down and I won’t do it anymore, I swear, man.”

  “Put him down,” Layton dropped the man to the pavement at the sound of Gia’s voice somewhere behind him. It didn’t take long for the man to flee the scene after his release. “Do you have to act like an animal all the time?” she moved closer, her scent brushing across his senses.

  “Where are you going?” he asked upon seeing her in something besides the work clothing she had on earlier.

  “It’s none of your business,” she shook her head.

  “Tell me where you’re going.” He demanded.

  “What is it with you ordering me around every time you see me? Trust me, I don’t have daddy issues. You can stop the macho peacocking routine any time now.”

  “Do you have a ride?” he straightened his spine and asked.

  Gia rolled her eyes and stood toe to toe with him. “Stop trying to take care of me, okay?”

  Layton surprised himself when the phrase, “I need to,” slipped from his lips.

  “No, you don’t. I’m sure you have a busy life and have plenty to keep your time occupied.”

  “I need to talk to you,” he locked gazes with her and felt as if he’d was transported to a time in his life when he was happy.

  “Then talk,” she laughed.

  “My sister spoke with your brother a few nights before he disappeared.” He revealed.

  “What? Well, does she know where he is?” Excitement crossed her features.

  “No. She doesn’t know where he is. But I can help you find him.”

  “Really?” a glimmer of what he assumed was hope lit inside her.

  “Yes. However, I will need something in return for my help.”

  “Great. What now, you want me to be your blood bag?” She propped her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow.

  “I have plenty of donors to quench my thirst. What I want from you is on a more, intimate level.”

  “You’re scar
ing me.” She stepped back and put a few feet of distance between them.

  “In exchange for my help, you will be mine at Club Desire,” He stated with confidence.

  Gia’s expression went from stoic to humor laced. Her sweet voice broke out into a fit of laughter and soon she doubled over, holding her stomach. “You had me. I didn’t think you were a comedian but I know differently now,” she chuckled.

  “My offer is serious.”

  “Are you kidding me? Why would I agree to such a thing?”

  “Because without me, it will be difficult to locate your brother.”

  “Wow, you are full of yourself, aren’t you? I will find Zach.”

  “Then tell me what you plan to do when you encounter a vampire that isn’t as pleasant as myself?”

  “You? Pleasant? That’s hysterical. You’ve been nothing but a dick since the moment I walked into your office. I asked for help and you refused to acknowledge that I was even standing there.”

  “I’ve changed my mind.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Go crawl into your coffin and leave me alone,” she turned away from him and walked toward the street. Layton wasn’t letting her walk away. It had been years since he had an interest in anything other than despair. Gia was a force of nature, one that could prove fun. “Stop,” he ordered while standing in front of her.

  “What?”

  “I would like to apologize for the way I behaved last night.”

  “You can’t say you’re sorry and expect me to give into you. Life doesn’t work like that.” She glanced around him, “I have to go.”

  “Hey, is everything okay?” A younger man opened the door on a silver car for Gia. Layton lifted his nose to the air and caught a familiar scent. Did Gia know she was getting into the car with a wolf?

  “Yeah, I’m great.” She leaned in and returned the hug the man had given her.

  “Who’s that dude?”

  Gia looked back at Layton, “That’s nobody. Let’s get out of here.” She took her seat in the car and soon it was pulling away. Layton didn’t have bouts of jealousy but at that moment, he wanted to tear the wolf limb from limb. Vampire and wolves would never be best friends and seeing her leave with one had him livid. He had already decided that for a short period, Gia belonged to him. It was a matter of convincing her of that fact.