Page 51 of Santa's Wish
"It will repel them. Your blood will smell heavily of alcohol. If they bite you, they'll experience the same side effects as when they eat human food. If they harm you, it won't be pleasant."
"What if that doesn't stop them?" I asked.
"I've tied you to Santa's wards using your blood. If something happens to you, he'll feel it, the same way he would sense an intruder."
"What if they send humans or shifters during the day?" I asked.
Enid glanced at Kristin and Memphis. "Stick together. From what Colette told the council, these vampires are resourceful. Human and shifter threats are highly possible. Don't go anywhere alone, if you can help it."
I would be Kristin and Memphis's new shadow until it was safe.
During our daily debrief meeting,Colette introduced me to Rocky. The tall, lanky vampire with dark brown skin and thick cornrow braids set one of his to-go cups on my desk to free a hand for me to shake.
"Rocky's our youngest vampire in Boston," Colette said. "All of two months."
"If you say so," he said. "I don't remember much about it."
Colette nodded. "That's expected. The blood lust is overpowering at first. How is your training going?"
He grabbed his second cup of blood from the corner of my desk and clutched it to his chest. "It's still going." He took a gulp from one cup, and then the other, double fisting them. Was this my future?
Colette looked like she had more questions, but each time she opened her mouth, Rocky took a drink. "This isn't helping," she finally decided. "Thank you, Rocky. You may go now."
He vanished in a flash, with a rustle of papers on top of the filing cabinet outside Colette's office.
"Your experience will differ from most new vampires. My line, Empress Marcella's line, can help our vampire progeny through the first months of the transition. Our mind control will help you stifle your urges around humans, and we'll provide an unending supply of real blood."
"I know you're trying to make me feel better about becoming a vampire," I said slowly, not wanting to anger her. "What if I don't want to?"
"I want you to live." She took a sip of her drink. "That's the most important thing. As a human, you're fragile."
I remembered the pain of my leg breaking, and I agreed. If my choices were between living and dying, I would always choose to live.
I asked her the question I'd first asked Santa. "Do you remember when you were turned? What was it like?"
She laughed. "Yes."
Well, that was better than Santa's answer, at least.
"I hated the empress, my sire, for the first two weeks. I couldn't get her out of my head. Back then, blood donors had to be coerced, so we spent most nights feasting on any who mistakenly offered to buy our services as streetwalkers. Empress Marcella is incredibly talented in that regard. She could make a man think he'd experienced all the pleasure of Santa's VIP room without touching anything but his neck."
Even though my brain power was analytical, the psychological aspects of mind control intrigued me.
"Do you think I'll have that kind of power?"
"No. You might have telepathy or even telekinesis, but the skill wanes the further removed you are from the empress's blood." She leaned forward and lowered her voice, setting me on edge. "It wouldn't surprise me if that was the real reason she chose me to turn you, rather than visiting herself. While she is the smartest vampire I've ever met, she knows her weaknesses, of which math is one."
Her archaic way of speaking made me snort alaugh. "I may be good with numbers, but I'm horrible with people. That wouldn't improve, even if I could control their minds. I'm no competition for her empire."
"Maybe." Colette leaned back in her chair, and the tension in my shoulders eased. "What other questions do you have?"
I asked her about the training Rocky had mentioned. Mine would be on-the-job with Colette. I was relieved I could stick with my small circle of friends and colleagues while I went through something so momentous.
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. If I had to become a vampire, allowing one of the empress's progeny to turn me would save me some of the hassle, and it would save Santa from having to sire me before I got too old and ugly for him, if he was still around. "I'll do it."
"Fantastic. We have some paperwork for you to sign, and then I'll take a picture of it to send to Rome."
Fifteen minutes later, I left her office with thoughts of super speed and strength, and of possibly being able to use the force. I returned to my desk to grab my coat and scarf, wondering if I would even need them afterward, since Santa didn't seem to feel the cold.
