Page 3 of Born Wicked

I turn on some music, and I crank it loud. It’s a little bit of everything. Loud, screaming, energetic. Soothing, beautiful, and haunting. I didn’t even realize this when I signed for the place, but there is a speaker system that runs through the entire apartment. So no matter where I go, the music follows me.

I start in the closet first since clothing makes up the majority of my belongings. One expensive item at a time, I hang the clothes Elena bought for me in the closet. Most of them are way too over the top. Most of them I would be too scared to wear on a day-to-day basis, because if they were to get ruined, there goes hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars down the drain. But there are the core pieces that I have worn over and over. And I find myself feeling especially fond of the clothes I bought most recently. The clothes I acquired when I literally ran out of my engagement party with nothing, the clothes I bought when Roman drove me to Target and paid for the things on his own dime.

Considering I’m taking my time, it takes me over an hour to hang everything in the closet. It’s extremely satisfying when the task is complete. The closet is well organized, with plenty of space for everything. I feel like a full-blown grown-up right now.

I organize my things in the bathroom next, taking notes of things I need to pick up to sort it just right. Maybe a little bit of Sebastian rubbed off on me while we were together. He was meticulously organized, nearly to the extent of obsession. Before coming to Chicago, I would definitely not have called myself an organized person. My crappy apartment was constant chaos. Elena hated going there whenever she came into town.

Maybe it was Sebastian, maybe it’s just plain, simple growing up.

But in twenty minutes, everything has a place.

I walk out into the living room when I’m finished. Elena truly thought of everything. All the furniture is just right. There’s a cozy, comfortable rug laid out on the floor. There’s even a TV hung on the wall across from the couch. I can’t remember the last time I had time to sit and watch TV, but I suppose the space would have felt a little bare without it. First world problems.

There are two boxes sitting on the floor next to the couch, and upon investigation, I find they contain decor pieces. Things to hang on the wall, things to set on the end tables. I start spreading them around. I’m not sure this is where Elena had intended them to go, but again, this is my place. There are a few nails still in the wall from a previous tenant, so without tools of my own, I have no other option but to hang my new pictures from them. They look decent enough to me.

Three more boxes are sitting on the counter in the kitchen. There, I find a set of flatware as well as a set of dishes. Next, I find a fancy set of cookware. Truly, Elena thought of everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a knock on the door in an hour with someone carrying a grocery delivery.

Besides food, now all I need is a stash of blood in the refrigerator.

Shit. I haven’t even thought about that yet. Sebastian was in charge of the blood trade in this city. With his access at his hospital, he could easily get blood to supply Chicago and its vampire residents. Does that fall on me now? Am I now to be hospital administrator, doctor, Night Council member, and blood kingpin?

I’m capable, but there’s only so much even I can handle.

One thing at a time, Juliet, I think to myself.Finish unpacking. Get some sleep. Tackle the disaster at the hospital tomorrow.

So, with all my settling-in now finished, all accomplished in under four hours, I head into my bedroom.Mybedroom. For the first time, I can truly say that this ismyspace. That’smybed. Sebastian doesn’t own it. Mason doesn’t own it. Roman isn’t letting me crash on it.

It’smydamn bed.

I strip my clothes off, letting them fall to the floor. There, the place is broken in, christened by my naked body and dirty clothes on the floor.

I pull back the comforter and slip under the sheets. My head falls back onto pillows that I own, and I close my eyes.

My world has fallen apart. Everything’s a wreck.

But at least this place is mine now. At least I have a home.

I block it all out, tell my brain to shut the hell up, and fall into one of the best sleeps of my life.

CHAPTERTWO

“I needyou to sign off on that new pulmonary machine,” yet another employee asks as they step into my office. I withhold a sigh as I hold out a hand for the paperwork. I’m tired. It’s been a long day. But we’re far from being through this mess, and there is no end in sight.

She hands it to me. I scan through the page, nearly keeling over dead when I see the price of the equipment. It’s insane.

“This was the best pricing you’ve found?” I ask.

“It is, Dr. Doe,” she confirms with a nod. “Dr. Vincent has had me pricing around for one of these for a few weeks now.”

I give a simple nod and sign my name on the line. She takes the paper with a simple smile and steps back out.

This office was used for storage. But with Sebastian gone, and who the hell knows if we’ll ever see him again, I absolutely needed a change of scenery, anything that wasn’t his office where we had spent so much intimate time. My new office isn’t fancy. White walls with polished gray marble floors. My desk is black and massive. There are black bookcases surrounding me, though, for the most part, they’re empty.

Jon steps inside almost as soon as the woman leaves. He’s got a stack of binders, eight deep. He carries them to my desk and sets them on the corner. “This is the last of them from his office. Looks like these are from when this hospital was built. Good to keep, not so useful in the foreseeable future.”

“And that’s everything?” I ask, somewhat doubtful.

“That’s everything,” Jon says with a nod. “You’ve made it through all of it.”

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