Page 18 of Cinderella and Her Vampires (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 5)

“He’s here because of me. I didn’t know the stories were true,” she said. “Just tell me if he’s here. Please. I don’t know what his name is, but I can describe him.”

“Without a name, I’m afraid none of us can help you,” I said. “You humans tend to start looking alike after a while.”

“Oh sure. Just like if you met one vampire, you’ve essentially met them all,” she said.

“Cute,” Brock said. “Isn’t she?”

She stood taller, squaring her shoulders to make herself appear more dominant. “I’m not leaving here. Not without making sure he’s not here. Not without knowing I was not responsible for harm coming to him.”

I glared at Brock for instigating the situation. But as this woman made her demands clear, with which I was certain she had done with much resistance to repeating herself again, I thought about what it was about the woman that had me willing to kneel at her feet.

What changed?

Who was she to command such a response from me?

Why her?

Why now?

However, I figured the biggest question, for the time being, had nothing to do with me. Instead, it had everything to do with her. Her motivation for walking into a proverbial death trap. Her reasons behind her motives on seeking out the wellbeing of a man she had no connection to.

“Why do you care about a human you have no attachments to?” I asked.

“Are we going to keep playing this game all night long?” she asked. “Because if that’s what it takes to get me what I want, then fine. Whatever. But I’m not leaving here without knowing one hundred percent sure that the man I’m looking for isn’t here.”

A couple of seconds tick by as she takes a few deep breaths.

From under her breath, she muttered, “Gorgeous but deaf and dumber than a box of rocks.”

I chuckled. Brock glared at her, and Xavier stiffened as though she had slapped him. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her back against the wall. “I’m not moving here until you tell me where he is.”

“Then at least allow us the courtesy of introductions. It’s going to be a long night for all of us… perhaps it would be better to know who we are dealing with? Xavier is my dark-haired friend, and the other one is Brock.”

She shrugged. “I don’t really give a damn who you are, what you are, or what you call yourselves. I’m here for one thing and one thing only. Once I have that, I’ll be on my way. No need to make this an all-night thing.”

“Oh, come now,” I said. “It’s only polite to introduce yourself. Especially since you broke into my home and disrupted the peace, especially at such a late hour.”

She shifted her gaze between the three of us. I could tell she wasn’t convinced.

“You’re really going to lecture me on proper etiquette?” she asked, settling her blazing blue eyes on me. “You have no room to talk!”

I shrugged. “Perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement?”

“Like what? You give me what I want, and you get however much of my blood in return?”

Normally, the insolence would have pissed me off, but it was somehow cute coming from her. She intrigued me in ways that were both surprising and new. I wanted to know more about her. Frankly, I wanted to know everything about her. Including the way her blood tasted.

But I had to play everything cool, if not at an even simmer, until I could get her right where I wanted her. And with the three of us working together, I knew it wouldn’t take long.

“More like, perhaps, we can have a calm discussion and come to an agreement,” I said. “Maybe we should take this to my office. We would be much more comfortable in there.”

I ignored the questioning glances Brock and Xavier fired in my direction. I only focused on the woman in front of me. She was all I cared about. She was all I could think about. And it seemed she was giving my proposal some real thought.

After several moments, she said, “Fine. Lead the way. But no funny business.”

I chuckled. “I assure you we will remain at our best behavior.”

She leveled her gaze on Brock and Xavier before removing herself from the wall. “I better not regret this.”

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