Page 27 of The Monster and the Last Blood Match

Unceremoniously, he opened the doors once more and left the elevator. She grumbled under her breath but followed him. There was clearly a reason for him to give her that warning. Perhaps she needed to be more careful at his work, surrounded by a sea of vampires. She stuck close to his side as they made their way to his office.

“Becks?” she whispered when she felt eyes on her from all directions. “Does everyone know?”

“Know what?”

“You know…”

“That you are human?” he asked. “Yes, I think that’s quite obvious.”

Of course, that wasn’t what she had meant. She wondered if they all knew that Beckham was her Sponsor. Did they all look down on her for becoming a human employee? They needed people like her to make any money and keep the company afloat. But that didn’t mean they didn’t judge the humans who worked for them. She had seen worse behavior from her own kind. She couldn’t imagine how much she would be shunned by the vampires.

But she didn’t voice any of her concerns as they walked through the corridor.

Unsurprisingly, Beckham had a corner office on the top floor. The heights were dizzying, and she quickly looked away from the window. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but it was still intimidating.

Beckham walked to a big black desk facing a giant wall of screens. He tapped a few things on his computer and zoned out to his work.

“Anderson,” someone called from the doorway.

Reyna whipped around and saw a man walk in. He was tall, fair, and not exactly handsome, but he carried himself with authority. She couldn’t imagine anyone else barging into Beckham’s office otherwise.

“Batiste,” Beckham said casually. She could hear an edge to his voice, though. This must be one of the vampires to be wary of.

“Is this her?” His eyes crawled over her skin, and she suddenly felt completely exposed in her small black dress.

“Yes. Reyna, this is Roland Batiste.”

Roland stalked across the room and held his hand out. She slowly placed hers in his.

“Hi,” she said uncertainly.

“Pleasure is all mine, mademoiselle. You are simplymagnifique.” He kissed her hand dramatically. “William was right. The absolutebest.”

“Do you mind, Roland?” Beckham said, suddenly standing right next to her and touching her elbow.

She shouldn’t gain warmth from his nearness, but she did. Roland made her skin crawl. There was something about him that sent off bad vibes. She suddenly understood what Beckham had meant in the elevator. Roland was dangerous. She could feel it in her very being. It scared her that Beckham was somehow the good guy in this situation. Everything about it terrified her.

“Mais bien sûr.”

Reyna looked up at Beckham quizzically. She didn’t understand what he was saying. “Is that French?” she asked.

Roland laughed. “Indeed it is. I saidbut of course.Where are my manners?”

“Lacking as usual,” Beckham said dryly.

Roland continued to chuckle as if Beckham had honestly said something funny. Reyna could see he was quite serious. He didn’t want anyone, especially not this Roland, to touch her.

“William wants us in the meeting room in five. I’m going to bring my pet as well. Wait until you see her. She’s what you Americans call a knockout.”

Beckham waved him off irritably, and Roland left the room. Reyna released a breath at his departure.

“Is that the kind of person you meant when you said you were nice?”

He was still looking at the door, but he hadn’t let her go. His voice was stern when he spoke next. “Yes. That is exactly what I meant.”

Chapter Nine

“Do exactly what I say,” Beckham said as they approached the open conference room door.

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