Page 62 of Dear Mr. Vampire

“No, I don’t believe so, but I can find him if you like.”

“Yes, I just want to keep and eye on him. I want to make sure he’s left town.”

“Yes, of course. Any other requests?”

“Human food. Chanel will be hungry when she wakes. If she can eat I want to make sure there’s something here for her.”

“I will send Josh out, and see what Uber eats can deliver.”

“I appreciate everything you have done.”

“It’s my job. Don’t worry. I am here to make your life easier. This is our sanctuary.”

“I need one more thing.”

“Of course.”

“My ex-wife, I want to make sure she’s left town. I don’t have time for any more drama.”

“If there’s drama. I will handle it. It’s business as usual.”

“Seems you have everything under control.”

“We have everything under control.” Natasha stood. She had an instinct for timing and there was really nothing more to say.

I watched her leave my office. I needed guidance and calling my father was an option but I couldn’t bother with him. He would have many questions. He would scold me for falling for another woman. He would admonish me for involving myself in human issues. He had been a vampire for so long he couldn’tremember when he was human. I remembered that time and I didn’t think I was superior to them.

Chanel was different. She was mine, and I wouldn’t be made to feel guilty for loving her.

I reached under my desk and removed a bottle of wine. My wine was blood but it was all the same to me. I removed the corkscrew from the desk drawer. I didn’t need a glass. Turning the bottle up to my lips did the trick. I drank the bottle to the half way mark. It was a nice blend but never as good as drinking from the vein. Lonzo’s blood was satisfactory. I wouldn’t call it delicious but it was nourishing all the same.

I needed to shower and change. I used the shower in my office. I had a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt in the attached bath. I sat quietly for a while and then I knew it was time. I had to face the music, in this case, Chanel.

CHAPTER TWENTY

ZAND

Chanel was truly a lovely sight lying in my King size bed with crisp white linens. Her hair was a tangled mess, but to me she was still a sleeping beauty. She had been out for over eight hours. If I couldn’t hear her breathing, I would’ve panicked, believing I had given her too much of the M99. I had only used etorphine a few times. I wanted to use something that wouldn’t harm my girl.

This could be the end of us, and I knew it. I loved her. I was in love with her. I never thought I would ever feel this way again. I’d lived too long and seen too many things to ever truly believe in love. I thought I loved Teresa, but that was a false love. Chanel was the real thing.

My love didn’t matter now. Chanel had seen the real me. Decisions had to be made in order to preserve my people and our way of life. I didn’t want to see her dead or institutionalized. There were only two options for people that knew the truth about me and were unwilling to wrap their minds around it. If she had to die, I didn’t want to be the one to do it. It would rip me to shreds. Now that I’d found love, it could be ripped away from me. If I could get a migraine, I would have one now. Therewas so much to contemplate and not enough time to think. This was a crisis that twisted me in knots.

I could hear her rustling in her sleep. In seconds, her eyelids fluttered open. I wanted to rush to her side and comfort her with a slew of kisses. That gesture wasn’t wise. So I sat at least ten feet away from her in a chair. I led with trepidation. I could repulse her with who I am.

There was no need for more panic. With any luck there was no need for more death. She’d seen it all. She’d seen the monster. I just didn’t know how she would react after the tornado moved out to sea, after damaging all that she once knew.

“Zand.”

“Chanel.” I sat very still. I didn’t want to alarm her in any way. She had been through a lot of trauma in the last twenty-four hours.

“Where am I?” Her delicate voice was slightly raspy.

“The basement.”

Her mouth frowned, and her eyes darted around the room. “No, I’m not. This isn’t your apartment.”

“It’s the basement of the club.”

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