I leave the great hall unsure of what lies ahead. I only know that a small part of me feels good to close this long chapter of my existence. Mr. Nice is no more. The world now knows the real me. They can take it or leave it. But I stand tall. And ready for entombment.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
I pace my cell for what feels like a week. Perhaps it has been. There is no light down here. I have no phone. No one has come to see me or give word on the status of my sentencing.
With each and every minute that ticks by, my despair grows. I thought this was going to be fairly simple. Entombment. Just as Vanderhorst proposed as part of our agreement.
But this delay could mean they are pushing for death. If I were the king, I would. It serves no purpose having a powerful vampire like me roaming about. It’s like I said before, friends. Our world is made up of two kinds of vampires. Those who obey the laws, and those who don’t. Me? I used to be a “don’t” but now fall somewhere in the middle. I do not care for anarchy and chaos, but some of the old ways make sense. For example, if a vampire comes after the people I care about, there will be no trial. There will be no discussions. I will drop the match.
“Sir?” The guard shows up. “They’re ready for you.”
I swallow down the grit in my throat. “Is she still here?” I ask.
“Who?”
“That woman in the pink dress.”
His eyes light up with lust. “Brandi Botellino? Oh yeaaah, she’s still here.”
I narrow my eyes.
“Yes, sir.” He clears his throat. “She is still here.”
“Ask her to leave. I do not wish her to see more.” It is time for her to get on with her life. She should take the cure, be happy, live free.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“Why? What have they done to her?” I grab the bars of my cell.
“Nothing. She’s fine. But…why don’t you let her explain?”
I am confused. What could she possibly have to explain?
I follow the guard back up to the great hall. To my surprise it is even more packed than before. Standing room only. I see many faces from the past. Evil vampires, really, really evil vampires, and some good ones. Everyone is quiet, and a deep chill runs through my bones. This does not look good.
I walk to the front of the room, and this time I see Brandi sitting next to Miriam, holding hands. Wow. I did not see that coming.
“Mr. Racker, please remain standing for sentencing,” says the clerk.
Freddy stands, too, and gives me a stern look. I bet he’s enjoying this. Well, actually, it would be Michael who is savoring the moment. Revenge is his.
“Steviuus Nicephorus Racker, after much debate and testimony from members of the community, including my own brother, we were compelled to reconsider the harshness of the applicable punishment. You are hereby sentenced to one hundred years of community service as our general of the army.”
Huh?
He continues, “I will be vacating my throne soon, and as we reestablish the prior system of leadership councils, we will require someone with a very firm hand to keep the order. Someone who is loyal and willing to protect those around him but also knows all the tricks and treachery our kind is capable of. Someone who understands the complexities of our society. And since I do not know another vampire who scares the hell out of everyone quite like you, I am confident you are just what our vampire nations need at this critical juncture.”
My mouth flaps. I am speechless.
“In addition,” he goes on, “you will promise to spend holidays with your family and cease all rivalries with me.” He means his brother, Michael. “You understand that you are ineligible for the cure until your sentence is served.” Freddy exhales sharply. “Do you accept these terms?”
I nod dumbly.
“Good. This hearing is adjourned. Refreshments are in the lobby, including free ice cream. Our special today is bloody berry in our newly remodeled store.” The headquarters doubles as an ice-cream company. Did I fail to mention that? Everyone must have a cover story in the human world. Ice-cream mogul is the king’s.
The room starts to empty, but I am left glued to the floor, my feet unable to move.
“Racker?” Brandi comes up. “Are you all right?”
I blink. “I don’t understand what just happened.”
She stands in front of me. “I think it’s pretty obvious, don’t you?”
I shake my head. “How am I still alive right now? I thought for certain they were going to dust me.”
“Your family came to your rescue.”
I frown just as Miriam, Michael, and Stella walk up.
“I want to see you Sunday for dinner,” says Miriam and walks off. Stella trails behind her and sticks her tongue out at me, then smiles.
I look at Michael, who is standing beside Brandi. “What happened?” I ask him.
Michael claps me on the shoulder. “You could’ve hurt my family and thrown our people back into civil war. You didn’t. Plus, your woman here put up a good fight. See you Sunday.” He walks off to join the crowd outside.
I look down at Brandi. “What did you say?”
“I just told them about the man I recently met who almost died twice saving me.”
“And they believed you?”
“There were witnesses to back me up. Remember the other women at Julia’s? They showed up. So did a couple of the guys from my dad’s compound. And then of course your mother told everyone how you swooped in and rescued her when some vampire was about to take her head off. And I guess there was that incident at that bar in Vegas—you saved the king’s brother?”
Michael testified for me?
“The list of good deeds was not nearly as long as your rap sheet,” Brandi says, “but it was pretty powerful stuff. Oh, and your mom, she’s great. The two of us are going to get along really well, which is wonderful. Since you and I’ll be getting married soon.”
“Married?” I raise a brow.
“I’m guessing you want to sleep with me, and I already told you: I’m saving myself.”
“You are being serious right now?” We haven’t even kissed. “You want to be with a vampire who was just saved from death because he is notoriously evil?”
She steps in closer and bats her eyelashes. “I know who you are, Mr. Sweet. And he’s the man I want to be with forever.”
“You’re not going to take the cure?”
“I think it’s an option after you’ve served your sentence—and if it’s something we want to do together, provided they figure out a way to make it work on you and prevent you from turning into a baby. I don’t think I could handle that.”
I thread my fingers in the back of her hair and band my arm around her waist. “Can you handle this?” I lean down and press my mouth to her soft lips.
The rush is unlike anything I’ve ever known. Heat, energy, tingles in very sexual places. I suddenly understand what all the fuss is about. Falling in love with the perfect woman, your one true mate, is a drug like nothing else. Suddenly, I know the journey has ended. I am home. And I am so incredibly horny.
“Where’s the nearest wedding chapel?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Five weeks later, I am about to lie with my new wife. Brandi Racker. Or Mrs. Sweet as I call her in private. The ceremony was a quiet one at a local chapel in Phoenix. Family only. Michael was my worst best man—Miriam forced him to play the role, and he scowled the entire time. I think he misses having me as his adversary. Miriam cried through the entire ceremony. I do not know if they were tears of joy because I will never torment her marriage again, or because she was truly overjoyed for my happiness. Stella continued to be the mischievous defiant girl I adore. She will make a great leader someday.
As for the delay in our nuptial ceremony, and my constant need for very loose pants—Brandi’s kisses are like no other—we had to put our own needs on hold following my trial.
I had not been aware at
the time, but Brandi’s little sister had been taken into Child Services’ custody following Hugo’s arrest. I simply assumed Katarina had gotten her. So did Brandi.
But a few days later, I managed to track down Nails and Katarina for my soon-to-be wife (so we could invite them to the wedding), and we discovered that Marigold was in custody.
Of course, we had to hire a lawyer, petition for Brandi to take custody, and then the real problems began.
Marigold, who is not much older than Stella, refused to come with us. She told the authorities that her sister is a vampire. And so is her fiancé. So, of course, Marigold was placed in psychiatric care.
Brandi was heartbroken. But I understood. The poor thing had just been abandoned by her mother and traded in for a vampire named Nails. Hugo had brainwashed Marigold to hate vampires, Brandi included. Her mother’s departure was simply evidence to never trust our kind. Evil. It seemed that Hugo would have his slice of revenge after all.
Except that I am vampire man. Vampire on the outside. Man on the inside. And still just a little evil. I am willing to break the rules to protect those I love. Consequences be damned.
Oh, and also, I am now the second most powerful vampire in the world. General Racker. Has a very nice ring to it.
So I did what any loving man in power would do for his betrothed, and I stole Marigold. Then I took a page out of Liza’s book and treated Marigold with kindness. I showed her the good a vampire could do for the world if they chose to. I brought her to Miriam’s public library, introduced her to Stella, and took her to a Vampires for Caring meeting. She got to see some pretty extraordinary vampires. Some even have human spouses.
Marigold still clings to some rather strange ideas, such as vampires came from the devil, but I was simply honest. “I do not know where we came from. Just as humans do not.” God? Aliens? Evolution? “All I can tell you is that we were human once. Some of us will be again. And everyone must choose how to live their lives. Whether it’s eighty years or eight centuries. But it is our choice, and no one else’s.”
Brandi liked that answer.
Now Marigold seems to be settling in, cautious but curious about what her beloved sister has become and how we eat so many hot peppers in one sitting. I am confident that with time, Marigold will make up her own mind and see us as the family who will always be there for her.
That brings me to my point: We postponed the wedding until Marigold would be comfortable enough to stay with Miriam, Michael, and Stella for a few days.
I strip off my tux, put on my white robe, and open the tap to fill the sunken tub with hot water. I pour a little jalapeño oil in the water for Brandi’s enjoyment. Soft Latin-techno plays over the surround system throughout the house so that we can hear it no matter what room we end up in.
“Seriously?” Panting, Brandi bursts into the master bath, still in her white lace wedding dress. “This is your place?”
I smile. “Our place.”
“But, but…why were you staying at your parents’ house before?”
“Well, I could hardly fend for myself. I was only five.”
“Very funny. You’re over three hundred years old, and you look about twenty-five.”
“I suppose I enjoyed living in a home versus a house. Now, anywhere we go, it will be home if you are with me. I have several other properties in—”
“Nope. No, thank you. I’m all done with change for a while. This place is perfect. Room for Marigold, the school is close by, and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of the view. That pool with the waterfall is amazing.”
She doesn’t know it yet, but she will learn after a few decades that the newness wears off. Material things only provide a small bit of comfort for immortals. “Houses, cars, jewelry, yachts, and private jets come and go. I have plenty of those. But there is only one you.” I close the gap between us. “Your happiness is the only thing that matters.”
“You say that now, but what happens in twenty, thirty, a hundred years? Will you still want me then?”
She doesn’t get it, does she? “I have waited over three hundred years for you. Do you honestly think I will ever take you for granted?” I slide my hand to the back of her neck and kiss her hard because the time for words is over. I am a vampire of action. And she is going to get plenty of it.
I move my mouth over hers, and her lips are like rose petals made of seductive magic. Her soft body is a beacon to my possessive vampire male. Her face makes me forget any other woman exists.
I scoop her up and take her to the king-size bed in the other room, where I have placed fresh white linens with rose petals atop—well, I had one of my men do it, but it’s the thought that counts. The curtains are open, exposing the balcony with a view of the city below. Candles flicker in the fireplace because, well, it’s hot outside and a fire doesn’t sound appealing. But she does. She is perfect. Our wedding was perfect. And I know sex will be perfect.
I lay her on the bed, caressing her with my loving gaze. She is so beautiful I hardly have the words to describe what she does to me. “I’m going to pound you into this mattress until it breaks, little virgin.”
She laughs. “Wow. That sounds rough. How about we take it easy the first time? Save the pounding for the second round.”
I strip off her clothing by ripping her wedding gown down the middle.
“Hey, I wanted to save that,” she protests.
“I will buy you another.”
I shed my robe, and her eyes go wide at the sight of my erection. “Oh crap. No wonder why you never had sex with a human woman.”
I smile proudly. I am both a shower and a grower. Big just gets bigger. “I wasn’t called Mr. Nice for nothing.”
“Yeah, but…then shouldn’t your name have been…Mr. Cockasauru—”
“Silence.” I lay myself between her thighs, pinning her hands above her head. “No more words. Only moaning.”
I thrust and then…feel our bodies melt into one. It is better than I could have imagined.
Sixty seconds later…
“Um…” Brandi holds the covers over her chest as I lay beside her, panting. “That was…um…”
“That’s never happened before. I swear.” It’s the truth.
“Well, it didn’t hurt as much as I thought. Guess the whole vampire-body thing has some perks.”
I cannot believe this. I turn onto my side. “It is your fault. Weeks of teasing and kissing and strutting around in your sexy clothing.”
“What? I wore jeans and whatever.”
“Exactly. So enticing. If you want me to last longer, you’re going to have to try harder. Be less…you know. Provocative and sexy.”
She laughs and beams at me. “You really are funny. You know that?”
I smile. I love that she still looks at me even if I botched her first time. “I love you, Brandi.”
“I love you, too. And I’m so happy to start this new life with you.”
“I am pleased you say that, because it comes with many other perks.” Me for one. And also…
“Oh!” Her big eyes light up. “What’s that?”
“Your perk.” Vampires might take forever to find their mates and fall in love, but they do not need much time to recuperate in the bedroom. “Now prepare yourself, woman. This is a onetime-only encore just for you.” Some kinky Mr. Nice-style lovemaking coming right up. I feel she deserves to experience supreme lovemaking at its finest. After all, she is my one true love. I would do anything for her, including being perfectly nice.
THE END?
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Hello to all my vampire fans out there! I hope you enjoyed Mr. Sweet’s journey! I like that he found his place in the world, while being just a tiny bit evil. Ha!
I don’t have plans for more Librarian’s Vampire Assistant books at the moment, but you can always check in here for possible updates:
www.mimijean.net/lva-series.html
Always best to subscribe to my fantastic, non-spammy newsletter for all th
e updates on upcoming releases:
www.mimijean.net/get-news-from-mimi.html
If you are looking for one of my coveted signed bookmarks for your collection, you know what to do!
STEP ONE: Email me at [email protected]
STEP TWO: Provide your complete shipping address with country (if you’re outside of the US).
STEP THREE: If you LOVED this story and wrote a review, be sure to provide a link or screenshot. I will do my very best to include extra goodies. It is first ask, first get! (NOTE: I have a very limited supply of magnets this time around.)
STEP FOUR: Give me about 3–4 weeks to sign a mountain of swag.
With Sweet Hugs,
Mimi
PS – Looking for the Vampire Man Playlist? LISTEN ON SPOTIFY
Acknowledgments
A huge gushing thank-you to everyone who worked on and pitched in to make Vampire Man sparkle and shine! (Book #51! Woohoo!) Author Kylie Gilmore, Dali, Paul, Su, Stephanie, and Pauline.
Also, thank you to Susan Manson for the inspiration for Narcissimo’s name (she came up with Narcissus on the fan group page)! It was a perfect fit for Nice’s maker.
As always, huge hugs to my dudes for always being there, ready to pitch in with the never-ending work. I love you.
Big Hugs,
Mimi
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF is a New York Times bestselling author who’s sold over one million books around the world. Although she obtained her MBA and worked for more than fifteen years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dreams.
Mimi lives with her Latin lover hubby, two pirates-in-training (their boys), and their three spunky dragons (really, just very tiny dogs with big attitudes) Snowy, Mini, and Mack, in the vampire-unfriendly state of Arizona.
She hopes to make you laugh when you need it most and continues to pray daily that leather pants will make a big comeback for men.
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