Obsessed with the Vampire: A Paranormal Romance (Vampire Enforcement Agency Book 2) Page 2

  “Hey Taven, do you remember Raven Lorenzo? She’s going to be helping us deal with all the newly-turned vamps.”

  Taven looked her up and down appreciatively and shook her hand, giving her a devilish smile. “Oh yeah, hey, nice to see you again.”

  Roric frowned at him. “You heading out? Don’t want to keep Ivy waiting.”

  Taven rolled his eyes but headed for the door.

  Roric turned back to Raven, eager to end the conversation. “It’s getting late, I should let you go. I guess you can work whatever hours seem best to you, but the agents come in at 8 pm for a quick briefing before heading out into the field.”

  “Can you give me a run down of how you operate? I’m so excited to get started.”

  He swallowed a sigh. At least she’d dropped the questions about his credentials. He led her to his office where there were two chairs so they could sit while they talked.

  Two hours later, he’d told her everything there was to know about the Agency and answered a million questions. She seemed sharp and eager, if a bit overconfident. Hopefully she’d come up with some good ideas for dealing with the growing population of newly-turned vamps.

  When Roric finally managed to convince her to go home, he was exhausted and starving. Suddenly, he realized he’d never texted Caroline to let her know he was staying late. He hustled to his cruiser and booked it home, wondering why she hadn’t texted him to ask where he was. She hadn’t agreed to move in yet, but she was there most days.

  His mind instantly filled with worries. What if she’d lost control and attacked someone? Worse, what if something had happened to her and she was hurt or in danger?

  He roared into the driveway of the old mansion his family had lived in for generations, parked his VEA cruiser by the back door, and leapt up the creaky, wooden stairs to his suite.

  The air smelled different than usual, like bread or candle wax with a hint of something meaty, but there was no sign of life. The place looked the same as he left it. Except there was no Caroline. It felt cold, empty, and lifeless without her. He couldn’t wait for her to move in so she’d be here all the time.

  She hadn’t mentioned any plans, had she? A girl’s night with her friend Piper, maybe? If so, he didn’t remember it. Or maybe he wasn’t paying attention. His mother always used to complain that his father didn’t listen to her. She thought he wasn’t interested in anything about her except blood or sex. The last thing Roric wanted was to make Caroline feel like his mother did, but he was so much like his father, it was a constant worry that their relationship would turn out the same.

  He checked his phone, but there were no missed calls or texts from her. It was so late, she was probably asleep by now, so he hated to wake her if she was. He grabbed a blood bag from the fridge to quench his thirst and tore the tube open as he headed down the hall towards Taven’s room.

  Hopefully his brother might still be awake and know something. Taven usually stayed up late. A glimmer of light leaked from the crack at the bottom of the door, and Roric could hear noises, so he knocked and waited, sucking on the blood bag.

  The thick, cold, anonymous vampire blood soured his stomach. He didn’t know how he’d survived off of it for most of his life. It tasted nothing like the hot, fresh blood he sucked from his lover.

  A few seconds later, a rumpled-looking Taven cracked the door open and peeked out at him, his dark hair mussed and his eyes hooded. “This better be important.”

  “Have you seen Caroline since you got home?”

  Taven opened the door enough to slip out into the hallway, wearing nothing but black silk boxers and a strange look on his face. “Yeah, she was in your room earlier. She’s not there?”

  “No, and I haven’t heard from her, either.”

  Taven put his hands on his hips, and Roric noticed his boxers were inside out. “Did you tell her you were going to be late?”

  Roric winced. “No, I got caught up talking to Raven and forgot. I never expected to be there so long.”

  Taven blew out his cheeks and covered his mouth with his fist, hiding a smirk. “Dude, even I know better than that.”

  “I know, I should’ve texted her. I wonder why she left, though?”

  “She’s probably really mad. She had something special planned for you.”

  “She did? What?”

  Taven winced and worked his jaw like he wanted to say something but knew he shouldn’t. Self control wasn’t his strong suit, though. “She made you a fancy dinner. She was gonna agree to move in with you.”

  Roric’s eyes bulged, and he dug his fingers into the doorframe. “Oh, shit. I’m really in the doghouse, aren’t I?”

  Taven ran his fingers through his bedhead, making it worse. “Yeah, but don’t mention I told you. She asked me not to.”

  Roric rolled his eyes, but he was grateful Taven had spilled. But why didn’t Caroline want Roric to know? Did she just want to make sure she got a chance to tell him before Taven said something about it, or had she changed her mind? His relationship with Caroline was like a house of cards. One wrong move was all it took to send it crashing to the ground.

  What should he do now? He wanted to go to her apartment right now and beg her to come home with him. But if she didn’t want him to know what she had planned, that probably wouldn’t go over well. Maybe he should just apologize for being late and let it go, give her a chance to forgive him. Hopefully she’d come around.

  Chapter 3

  As soon as she woke, Caroline reached out to grab her phone before her eyes were even open. She pressed the home button and peeked through the cracks of her eyelashes at the too-bright screen, but it was blank. No missed calls or texts from Roric. She scowled and slapped the phone down on the other side of the bed, which also showed no sign of him.

  What was up with him? He was the one who was always wanting more. She was usually pushing him away. But after she decided to take it to the next level he disappears? That was one thing vampires had in common with humans — men were jerks.

  Fine. She had her own life. She didn’t want to be dependent on Roric, anyway. Vampires could not be trusted. How many times did she have to be reminded of that?

  She got out of bed and got ready for work, resisting the urge to text Roric. He owed her a text, not the other way around. But every time her eyes landed on her phone, her hand automatically reached for it. Frustrated, she grabbed the phone and shoved it in her pocket.

  She drank a blood bag and stuck a couple more in an insulated lunch bag. Her cravings had calmed some since she was first turned, and she was able to work now without constantly wanting to attack the customers, but she had also gotten used to drinking from the vein every day. Blood bags filled her belly but didn’t do much to satisfy the craving. But Roric had lived his whole life on blood bags till he met Caroline, so she should be able to go a couple days on them.

  The last orange sliver of sun was disappearing below the horizon as she left for work, and her old Neon with new window tinting was parked right in front of her apartment, so Caroline dashed for the car without bothering to grab a hat or coat.

  The bar she worked at was classier than most, and the uniform was fairly modest. Her long-sleeve, black tee covered most of her top, and the black tights beneath her short, black skirt protected her legs. She felt a tingle as the sun’s rays hit her face and hands, but it wasn’t enough to burn.

  The parking lot in front of the West End Taproom was mostly empty when she pulled in, and Caroline couldn’t decide if she was grateful or disappointed. A full bar meant she’d be too busy to think about why Roric hadn’t called, but it also meant a lot more human blood to tempt her.

  She parked in back then went inside, stowing her lunch bag in her locker and tying on her waist apron. The little mirror inside her locker assured her that her long, blonde hair and bright red lipstick were in place, but she had to force the sexy smile that earned her the best tips. She plumped up her boobs to make her cleavage look better then slammed the
locker. The hollow, metal clang echoed the way she felt.

  At least she’d been turned while she was still young and beautiful. Born vampires stopped aging in their 20s and were naturally very attractive, but humans could be changed at any age, and they were stuck with whatever looks they had.

  Satisfied with her appearance if not her mood, Caroline headed out to the bar and slipped in beside her favorite coworker, Gray, who was pouring a whiskey sour and flirting with the cute guy who ordered it. Gray pushed the drink across the bar, leaned over to whisper something to the customer, then turned towards Caroline.

  “Hey, beautiful! How’d it go last night?”

  Caroline’s carefully-crafted smile disintegrated. “He never showed. Never called or texted, either.”

  Grey put his hands on his hips, flexing the trim muscles poking out from beneath the rolled-up sleeves of his black silk shirt, and his bright blue eyes widened as his mouth fell open. “That bastard! How dare he ghost you like that! I hope you told him off.”

  Caroline shook her head and busied herself drying shot glasses so she didn’t have to make eye contact. “No, I just tossed everything and went home.”

  A male customer made eyes at Caroline then gestured for her, so she plastered her smile back on and went over to him. But Gray followed behind her, barely give her a chance to take the order before he started talking again. “You mean you haven’t talked to him today, either?”

  Caroline shook her head and started pouring the customer’s rum and Coke, but her hands were shaky. “His brother said he was tied up at work, so I guess he had his reasons.”

  Grey took the bottle from her and finished making the drink. “I’m sorry, Care. You want me to rip him a new one for you? Cuz I’d be happy to.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  Caroline snorted and shook her head. “I’m taking it as a sign that this was a bad idea.”

  “Caroline, you two are obviously into each other. Every time I see you together I get turned on just watching the chemistry between you! He’s a guy. Guys do dumb stuff like forget to call. Let him know that’s not okay, but don’t give up on him.” Gray slid the drink across the glossy, oak bar to her customer without acknowledging him and kept talking to Caroline. So much for that tip.

  “Hey, turn that up, will you?” A customer pointed at the TV in the corner. The headline said, “VEA announces new leadership,” and Roric’s face flashed across the screen. Gray and Caroline exchanged a shocked look, then Gray pointed the remote at the TV and turned up the volume.

  “The VEA has created a new division in the wake of a recent increase in unauthorized vampire transformations. Modesa-native Raven Lorenzo has been brought on as the new director in charge of this division. We go now to Roric Asheron, head of the VEA…”

  Caroline watched as Roric gave a glowing introduction to the new agent, a gorgeous vampire with sleek, black hair that came to a point at her jaw like a raven wing. She stood shoulder to shoulder with Roric, looking powerful and confident in a form-fitting designer suit, and smiled coyly at him as he extolled her virtues.

  Caroline glanced down at her barmaid uniform, suddenly feeling a lot less attractive. Why would Roric, a wealthy and powerful vampire from a prestigious family, want someone like Caroline, a poor, uneducated bartender who had an intense aversion to his kind? Especially when he could be with someone like Raven?

  After Roric finished singing her praises, the woman spoke, her voice just as compelling as her appearance. “I’ll be working hand-in-hand with Agent Asheron and his men to help locate, educate, and mentor newly-turned vampires. We also hope to implement educational programs to help dispel some of the myths about vampirism. Ignorance is the enemy here, not vampires.”

  Gray nodded at the TV. “Nice catchphrase. Did you know about this?”

  “Not a clue. Roric never mentioned her.” It seemed like a big deal. Why wouldn’t he tell her about it? Was that why he was late last night, because he was working with her? Jealousy rolled through her belly, making her feel sick to her stomach.

  “She’s hot. You better watch out for her. Looks like she and Roric are mighty chummy.”

  Caroline glared at him. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  She grabbed a wad of used napkins off the bar and tossed them in the overflowing trash bin, but they fell out. She sighed, picked them up, and pulled the bag out of the can then tied it closed. “I’m going to take out the trash.”

  She tossed the bag over her shoulder and stomped off, glad to have a reason to get out of there for a minute even if the menial task did emphasize the inequality between her and the sexy, new VEA agent who would be “working hand-in-hand with Agent Asheron.”

  She was so distracted by her thoughts, she didn’t notice the female vampire attacking the human beside the dumpster till she heard him scream.

  She dropped the bag of trash and darted towards them, her legs moving faster than she ever thought she was capable of running. The vampire must’ve heard her coming, but she didn’t immediately bolt. Her fangs were buried in the man’s jugular, and both of them were moaning. The man clung to the vampire, his hands groping her body and his head lolled back, exposing his neck.

  He was young, probably her age, and he looked strong, but no human was strong enough to fight off a vampire. And the endorphins that raced through a human when a vampire fed on them kept them docile. Most humans were too overcome with lust to fight back when a vampire bit them. The only way this would end was if Caroline intervened.

  Fear sliced through her, quickening her already-racing heart and making her steps falter as she closed the gap between them. Was she brave enough to fight this vampire to get her to stop? The vamp didn’t look any bigger than Caroline, but she’d just drank fresh blood. How strong was she?

  Caroline yelled as she ran, hoping to jolt the woman out of her feeding frenzy. “Get away from him!”

  The vampire yanked her fangs from her victim’s neck and whipped her head around as Caroline leapt on her, landing on her back and wrapping her arms around her. The vampire stumbled backwards and clawed at Caroline’s arms, hissing.

  “Run!” Caroline shouted at the human, but he stood there, dazed, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly.

  The vampire threw herself backwards, slamming Caroline into the ground and knocking her off. She jumped up and headed for the human, but Caroline flung herself towards her again, hurling them both to the ground. They rolled and tussled, swiping at each other. The cold, rough asphalt grated at her skin, and the vampire shredded her clothes as she clawed at her.

  The other vampire was definitely stronger than Caroline. Caroline would never be able to subdue her, and if they kept fighting, she might tear Caroline apart. As it was, her body was already crisscrossed with burning claw marks. Should she let her go and call Roric for help? But the vampire would probably go right back to her victim. The best she could do was try to persuade her to leave.

  She shook the woman’s shoulders, smacking her head against the pavement. “Listen to me! I’m going to back off, but I’m not going to let you hurt that man. If you get out of here, I’ll let you leave before I call the VEA. Otherwise, I’ll keep fighting you till they get here.”

  The vampire growled and hissed at her, reaching for her neck. Caroline jumped off of her. The woman leapt to a crouch, glanced at the man, then back at Caroline. Caroline yanked her phone from her pocket and pulled up Roric’s contact, flashing the screen towards the vampire.

  “My boyfriend is the head of the VEA. You don’t want to be here when he gets here.”

  The woman glanced back at the human, so Caroline pressed the call button, and the phone started ringing. The vampire howled then took off, disappearing like a phantom into the night.

  Caroline’s body shuddered and she let out a shaky breath as she turned towards the human. “Are you alright?”

  He snarled at her and rushed towards her, teeth bared.

  Chapter 4

  Roric wo
ke to his phone ringing. He sighed and stretched out an arm towards Caroline, planning to ignore it, but the empty bed had him scrambling for the phone. The name on the screen registered as he lifted it to his ear.

  Not Caroline. His father. “Roric, the council wants to hold a press conference today to introduce Raven and discuss our plans for handling the influx of newly-turned vampires. Can you be at the office by 5? They’d like to feature us on the 6 o’clock news. That should give you and Raven time to come up with a speech.”

  “I’ll be there.” Roric knew better than to think it was a request. He glanced at the clock. 4:30. Shit, he didn’t have time to shower, but he definitely needed one. Why did it smell like rotting meat in here? Was that him? He sniffed his pits but they weren’t the source of the weird odor. He hung up the phone, grumbling a sarcastic thank you for the late notice, and dashed towards the bathroom.

  He wanted to call Caroline, but it wasn’t a conversation he wanted to rush. He jumped in the shower, hoping he’d get a chance to talk to her after the interview. Fifteen minutes later, he headed out the door, wearing his only dress shirt and tie and wishing once again that he had some better-fitting dress clothes.

  A news van sat in the Agency parking lot, and a film crew was setting up cameras in front of the Agency seal on the back wall of the front office. His father and a few council members were waiting for him when he walked inside.

  His father gave Roric a once-over but didn’t say anything. Roric decided that meant he looked acceptable. He probably should’ve worn a suit coat, but he was an agent, not a councilman. His normal uniform was jeans, a tee shirt, and a holster full of weapons.

  “Thanks for coming in, son. We’d like to go over a few pointers with you before the interview. Let’s go in the briefing room.” His father gestured towards the hallway, and Roric followed him and the other councilmen into the only room in the office large enough for everyone to comfortably fit since the front room was crowded with people from the television station.