Page 74 of Wicked Bite
I turned back to Martin. “Hi, I’m Piper. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Ohhh, I love the take-charge dynamic we have going.” He motioned between Grayson and me. “I can totally work with this.”
He handed me the canvas bag. “First things first, clothes. I’m sure you’ll have closets full to choose from, but for now let’s do away with the hospital gown look. It’s so . . . Girl, Interrupted.”
I peeked into the bag and pulled out a single black dress. It was long-sleeved with a deep V-cut neckline that would go down to my belly button and a high slit that would show a whole lot of thigh. “Is this going to fit?”
Martin pressed a few buttons on his iPad. “Perfectly. I got your measurements from the doctor.”
He pulled a pamphlet from the inside pocket of his suit coat. “Now, there are some really great options for blood from the Royal Reserves of Practice Blood, or the RRPB as we like to call it. You can choose your blood by flavors or even favorite blood type. And for our fun party vampires we totally have spiked blood.”
“I’m sorry, what?” It all sounded like gibberish to me.
He opened the pamphlet and handed it to me. “Every vampire can order whatever kind of blood they require to survive from our stores, and it’ll be delivered right to your door.”
“I can order a human?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No, we prefer no unwanted guests. The blood comes in these very discrete bags.” He pointed to a line of swatches. “And you can pick the color bag you like. Kind of like a juice box for any time. Either on the go or at home.”
“How do I know what kind of blood I like?” This was the weirdest conversation I’d ever had in my life.
“Oh, that gets even better. For our newly turned vampires, we have a sampler starter set. For the next four weeks, we will send you a sample box of all the different blood types and flavors we have to offer, and you can pick from there. And there is no obligation, you can change your order at any time.”
“Why does this sound like an infomercial? I thought you all were going to have to teach me to hunt?”
Grayson pressed his hand to his mouth, fighting a smile. “We’ve come quite the long way since the old hunt and kill in alleys days. Everything is made in our world to keep both humans and vampires safe.”
I pursed my lips and turned the pamphlet over. “Efficient. I like it.”
“Excellent! So I’ll sign you up for the samplers, and when you figure out what you like, we’ll just tailor it to your taste.” He winked and lowered his voice. “I’ll add the spiked side samplers just for fun.”
My cheeks heated. “That sounds like fun.”
He pulled a phone from his back pocket and handed it to me. “This is your new phone. It has all the vampire apps set up in it. The alarms for sun-up and sun-down are already present and connected to our mainframe, so they’ll automatically update no matter the season. There’s also an app for vamp-friendly bars, restaurants, and entertainment.”
I swiped up and the phone opened for me right away. It looked like an iPhone but way more advanced. “Is this an iPhone?”
He scoffed. “Honey, no, where do you think they got that technology? Not from humans, I can tell you that.”
“Wow. Okay.”
“I also have my number and Prince Grayson’s programmed in there. So, any time you’d like to hang out, I am around. Because all of this—the wild hair, bright eyes, and zero fucks attitude—is just fabulous,” he motioned to me, “and I am here for it.”
“I have to call Dice and let her know I’m okay.”
Silence.
“What?”
They exchanged a look and Grayson readjusted himself in the chair. “Love, you can’t call Dice. As far as she knows, you died in that car accident. It’s imperative that our world remain a secret from humans.”
“Oh, but she wouldn’t tell anyone.” I shook my head. “I swear she wouldn’t.”
Martin placed his hand over mine. “Humans cannot know about our world. It’s illegal, and if she did find out, it could end up costing your friend her life. It is best that you both grieve each other and then continue living your lives. You wouldn’t want to put her in danger, would you?”
“No.” I hung my head and tears pricked at the back of my eyes. “I would never want to hurt her.”
Martin gave my hand a squeeze and offered a sympathetic smile. “I know it’s going to be a transition, but I am here to make it as smooth as possible for you.”
