"The kiss?" I remember hearing about that before. I think it was how Kat referred to the act of changing a human into a vampire. "I thought it was difficult to turn people into vampires."
Rick lifted one shoulder. "That's true. You're the first on this continent to survive the change in a few years. Part of that is because we are extremely particular in who we turn. Our past is a cautionary tale about what happens when our species becomes overpopulated. The Black Death of the 1300s was evidence of that."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"A plague wasn't the reason so many people died in that time," Nathan said from where he leaned against the wall, my bag sitting at his side. "We grew to be too many and couldn't control our population. What resulted, was one of the deadliest events in human history."
"That's why the application process is so rigorous. To prevent any megalomaniacs intent on establishing domination of the human race from being changed. Plus, we have to ensure compatibility and assess an applicant's chances of surviving the kiss. Even with all these measures, only about thirty percent rise that first night."
I listened, even as anger coiled deep inside. How had I gotten so lucky as to skip that process? By the sound of it, I would never have been on the list to begin with. That meant Thomas really had been acting outside their society’s directives when he disrupted my life. And here I'd put him on the metaphorical throne for much of the Midwest. Go me.
"Companions are moved to the top of the line," Theo said, his voice quiet and surprisingly soothing.
I nodded but didn't comment. If he wanted to be a walking meal for a chance to join the undead ranks, bully for him. Not a trade I would have made, but to each their own.
Rick popped to his feet. "I'm glad I got to meet you. Everyone's been curious about who the new occupant would be since they started construction. Glad I was the first to welcome you to our humble ranks."
He swept out the room as quickly as he came, taking his whirlwind energy with him. Theo gave me a chin nod before slinking after Rick.
"What did he mean by 'since they started construction'?" I asked, staring after the two.
"You caught that, did you?"
I shot Nathan a quelling glance. He ran one hand through his hair looking abashed.
His answering grin was quick. "I guess there's no point keeping it from you. You're bound to find out sooner or later with this lot. They're all a bunch of gossips in this place." He stepped toward me, picking up my bag and setting it down next to me. He turned and sprawled out on my bed, making himself comfortable in the place Rick had just vacated. He folded his arms behind his head, his biceps bulging and his well-built chest on display. The oak tree that marked his allegiance to Liam was showcased nicely on his forearm. "This isn't a guest room per se."
I narrowed my eyes at him but didn't respond. Silence sometimes had a better effect on people than bombarding them with a ton of questions.
He sighed. "This room was always earmarked for you. After the selection, we had it renovated so it would be ready when you decided to come in from the cold."
"If," I corrected him.
He rolled his eyes but didn't fight me on that. "If you came in from the cold."
I looked around with new eyes. "Who commissioned the construction?"
"Does it really matter? It's yours now. Enjoy it. The companion you just met would have murdered his own mother for the opportunities you've been given."
I leaned close, careful to keep my body off his and set one hand on his chest. His body tightened under mine and a male awareness entered his gaze. I moved closer, as if to kiss him, before pausing. "And did he have a choice in being here?" My nails dug into his shirt, pricking the skin beneath as I met his gaze with dead seriousness.
He stiffened, any hint of desire vanishing.
My smile was grim. "Because I didn't. My entire life, the one I fought for, bled for—gone after a single night. Excuse me if I'm not as appreciative of the perks as you'd like."
His face softened, and he looked at me with an understanding I found uncomfortable. "You need to get over this. You're not the only one who has faced hardships and trials. Yours may be different than the rest of ours, but each of us have horrors in our past. Holding onto this anger will do nothing but poison you against any good that might come of your situation."
I sat up and looked away. His words had merit, and the concept was something I was working on. It was still hard. I didn't always deal with change as gracefully as I should. For the first two years after my turn, I'd buried my head in the sand hoping this vampire thing would just go away. That hadn't happened, and I'd spent the last few months trying to educate myself about this world, so I could be the commander of my own destiny.
Nathan popped off my bed, the seriousness of before forgotten. "I'll give you a moment to get unpacked while I familiarize myself with your TV. When you're done, I'll show you around."
"Don't you have anything better to do than play tour guide for me?" I shouted after him as he disappeared into the next room.
"Nope. Liam said I'm all yours for the night. So, resign yourself to my awesome company for the next few hours."
CHAPTER FOUR
GREAT. JUST WHAT I needed. A chaperone.
Impatience thrummed under my skin. I wanted to be out there searching for Caroline. Not sitting here twiddling my thumbs as Brax and his merry band of psychos closed in on my friend.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax. The good news was that Caroline wasn't quite the innocent college professor they probably assumed she was. She had almost as much street smarts as I did—a result of our misspent youth. She would know to stay away from her normal haunts and to keep from using her credit cards so they couldn't track her.
Most people wouldn't be able to track a person's credit cards, but despite all the mystical crap about this world, Liam and Brax have proven adept at manipulating technology.
That reminded me. I fished in my bag and pulled out my wallet before flipping it open. I thumbed through it. My search didn't take long. I had few credit cards; beyond my driver's license, a library card, and my business card for Hermes, there wasn't a lot in there to look through. My credit card was gone, as was the hundred bucks I'd had in there last night.
She'd taken them. Good. Liam or Brax would figure out they should track my credit card use before long, but in the meantime, what she'd taken should give her a head start.