“I am your Monitor for this Challenge, Gwynnore. Lord Belshazzar ordered it just now. I shadow you everywhere.”
Fucking jackass!
Why was he doing this to me?
My blood boiled, wanting to throttle the overlord.
But, my asshole father’s advice flittered in my mind.
Don’t let the heart get involved. This was business.
I breathed through it. Breathe.
I attempted to hedge, “Good, you can—”
“Do nothing.” He held up his tan hand. “I can do nothing. I’m merely here to make sure that you follow the rules of the Challenge. Stop the act.”
I was going to have this son of a bitch following me the whole time.
Now, I wished I hadn’t fucked him.
I didn’t need easy temptation hanging around. Just more complications. I pushed through the door to my apartments and tossed the file on my desk in the study.
“I need to feed, Adelie.”
“Of course.” She scurried out of the room to find me a suitable source of blood.
Nial settled into the chair, grabbing a book off the shelf. He tossed his legs over the side and started paging through. “Remember, they’re watching.”
“Remember, you’re a pain in my ass and need to just stay quiet, you prick.”
“Mmm. You didn’t think that last night.”
“Shut up, Niallan.”
I soundly ignored him and turned away, walking over to my desk. I would allow him to live—right now—because I didn’t want the overlords too pissed at me. I flopped the idiotic folder open again and stared at the human. He’d be tasty. I could do this easily. Find him, fuck him in full view of the public, and leave him to rot in the aftermath.
Humans and their fragile sexuality.
They were so shy about taking their pleasure, making sure no one else could see them.
Caught on camera, that would be enough humiliation to do him in.
So what was this? What was the catch?
I started reading through the file.
Timothy Ginter, millionaire. Entrepreneur. There were lines and lines of paperwork describing transactions that read like fraud, embezzlement, laundering. Money had become complicated. People didn’t hoard gold and gems anymore. There were some who still did, like Lord Belshazzar and Lord Pippin, but there were others who had moved along in their financial savvy and no longer held those.
I was not going to be one of the individuals who gave up her hoard, either, to this new investment style or to anyone who was looking for it.
But if this political hopeful was embezzling, why would Cato want me after him? Why specifically humiliate him? I tapped on my computer, running a search on the Internet for this man. Hundreds upon hundreds of articles appeared. Interviews, articles, more financial advice.
Cato was after him because of money. He had to be.
But what about the money? Why specifically this man?
I didn’t have much time. I knew the other overlords would want to see cunning and insight put into this. I couldn’t just go there, fuck him, and let the press handle it. I had to be smart about this.
The cell phone on my desk pinged, and I picked it up.
Adelie was ready for me.
I stood to head where I would partake of the fresh blood—and stopped. Glancing over at Nial in the chair, I reconsidered. We held humans in the dungeons as chattel—some willing, some not. We snacked on them like they were cookies and pastries. We dined on them, draining them to the point of death. We had preferred locations, necks or wrists.
Was it any wonder these vampires around us were pathetic? Where was the hunt? Where was the prize? Where was the pure sexual release in taking nourishment from the prey we had tracked and coaxed to remember nothing and to live only if we chose?
Where was the kill anymore?
I texted Adelie. Never mind. I’m going hunting later.
I sat down to read more of the file I had, needing to tease out what was going on here.
Seconds later, the door burst open. Adelie stumbled inside. “You’re going to hunt?”
“Later. I need to—”
“Hunt what?” Nial asked, disinterested.
I snorted. “My dinner.”
He peered over his book. “Dinner, eh?”
“Master Niallan, tell her she can’t. A queen would never hunt her dinner. It’s—”
“I’m not the queen yet, am I?” I snapped.
“But you are the candidate.”
I slammed my hand on the desk. “I am not the queen yet. I don’t want to be fed. I want to hunt. I want to go out and find blood that will sustain me on my own.”
“Gwen has a point.” Nial yawned, bored with her argument.
Adelie looked at him. “She needs to stay here, safe.”
“Nowhere that creep Cato roams is safe.”
“Master Niallan!”
He sighed and held the book up, his tone full of false pleas. “Oh, Gwen, please don’t go out and find your own food—like the hunter you are.”
In a fleet movement, my best friend was in front of Nial’s chair and flipped him up and over in it. “You ass! If she goes out and hunts for her meal, who knows what will happen!”
“She might, I don’t know, eat?” He mocked, picking himself up off the floor and brushing off his pants. Then he took one step forward. Nial placed his intimidating body directly in front of hers, dwarfing Adelie’s tiny frame. His eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as his gaze ran over each of her features. On the quietest growl, he hissed, “And if you dare to touch me again, vampire, no one will find your remains. Understand?”
Sizzling energy crackled inside my apartments, his power trickling out.
I held still, locking my legs.
My lungs seized, no air flowing.
I wanted to bow down to that power.
Uncontrollable. Untamable. Immense and raw.
Dark and disheveled. Hungry. Barbaric.
An Original’s power. Only a pin drop of it.
And I was ready to lick his feet. Lick each of his toes to clean off any filth.
I ground my jaws together, my frame vibrating.
Do not move. Do not move.
Adelie’s forehead hit the floor as she knelt, unable to do anything else.
She sputtered on a gasp, “My apologies, Original.”
Still…he stared down at her.
Contempt radiated from him.
I heaved in a lungful of oxygen by mere force of will, then I flipped the table next to me with shaking muscles. All to gain his attention. “Cut the shit, Nial.”
Smoldering eyes flicked in my direction.
One second. Two seconds.
Gradually, the power dissipated.
I breathed a wobbly sigh of relief.
My eyes landed on the mess I’d just made in my study. Anything not to look into his powerful eyes. Eyes that could steal all my power. Sinful and indulgent…and terrifying as hell.
I walked around the table and picked up a sheet that had spilled out and across my floor. Unbidden, a small smile flittered across my lips. Here was my ‘in.’ Here was the way I could destroy the human. I looked over to where the two idiots were pulling themselves together.
I stated, calmly, “Get my weapons, Adelie. Nial, go do whatever it is you need to do. I know where to start, and I only have forty-seven and a half hours to make Cato happy.”
*