Page 9 of The Monster and the Last Blood Match

“Of course,” she mumbled, looking away. “I didn’t mean… I just… Never mind.”

“As I was saying, your room is down the hall. The refrigerator is completely stocked, but if there is something specific you like, you have access to my butler, who will get you anything you like.”

“I’m sorry, did you saybutler?”

“His line is programmed in your phone,” Beckham explained.

“So, reallyanything?”

“Within reason, of course. Now, that is all the time I have for you today. I must get back to work.” He turned and began walking away from her.

“Wait,” she called, reaching her hand out. When he turned and looked at her as if she were the biggest nuisance he had ever seen, she let her hand drop. “I want to make sure I understand the rules. I can leave?”

Beckham raised an eyebrow. “So, eager to leave already?”

“No,” she said, taking a step backward at his look. “I wanted to know if I was permitted to leave.”

She needed to see her brothers as soon as possible but didn’t want to break any rules on the first day of her new job.

“You are not my prisoner. You may come and go as you please, but as my houseguest I do like to know where you are at all times. Text me when you come and go.”

“Oh.” She breathed out softly.

“I’m paying a lot of money for you to be here. I don’t want to waste my investment,” he said plainly.

She shuddered at the word. She was here as a feeder and nothing more. He didn’t even have the decency to hide the underlying humiliation of her purpose.

“Investment,” she repeated hollowly.

“Yes, Miss Carpenter. You are a very very expensive investment,” he repeated harshly.

“I see. So, are we going to do this, then?” she spat.

Her anger flared and intensified immediately. She yanked her shirt aside at her throat and bared her neck. This was what she was here for, right? Forget the fancy penthouse, new phone, a refrigerator with enough food to feed her entire apartment complex back in the warehouses, her own room, or a butler. Plain and simple. She was food. She sustained him. If she was here to do a job, then she wanted to remind herself exactly why she was here. She couldn’t let the fancy place she had walked into glamour her thoughts. None of this was hers. She was here at the mercy of a vampire who could send her away for a replacement as easily as he could drain her dry. She refused to forget that again.

Her hands trembled as fear pricked at her. And she waited, refusing to back down, even when Beckham made no move toward her.

Beckham cocked his head to the side, simply watching her. “I’m not hungry, and you should—” He looked her up and down. “Freshen up.”

And with that he walked down the hall, into a room, and slammed the door.

She righted herself slowly. Her breathing was uneven, and she couldn’t believe what had just happened. He had rejected her. Completely and utterly rejected her.

Somehow that damn man made her feel even more insulted in his absence.

Chapter Four

Reyna jolted out of sleep and bolted upright in bed. She slapped her hand to her heaving chest. Her heart rate was through the roof, and for a moment she couldn’t remember where she was or why she was there. She breathed out twice heavily as she took in her surroundings.

Visage.

Beckham.

Penthouse.

Large fluffy white bed, white plush carpet, long hanging curtains in the softest green. She had an empty walk-in closet that she was sure she would never have occasion to fill, and her own bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub and a large waterfall shower.

She had spent more than a half hour last night under the showerhead, scrubbing every inch of her body in the boiling water. She hadn’t even realized how dirty she was. It was as if she had entirely new skin. And her dark hair, which had always been dull and flat, had fallen in soft, shiny tresses down her back due to the expensive shampoo and conditioner treatment.

---