Page 6 of Hot Vampire Next Door: Season Three

There are all of these little memories that I brushed off at the time, thinking they were nothing.

Would Damien go so far as to kill a mortal for touching my sister?

I think Bran would.

I think his brother might be worse.

Sometimes it's weird to think back on all of the forked paths we ignored, and the others we took.

The Pledge office is at the end of a hallway where arched doors open to an annex. There's a high counter that separates the annex from the rest of the admin.

Alice, one of the assistants, stands at the counter stamping paperwork with vigor.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk-thunk.

Bran and I enter the annex and Alice looks up and sputters on a greeting.

"Hi Alice," I say, trying to stop her flustering.

"Jessie! Hi! Wow. Hey." She looks at Bran with quick interest, her face burning red before turning back to me. "Is it time for your Pledge already?" She trails off in a nervous giggle.

"Yep. Can you help me get started?"

"Of course." She sets the stamp down and grabs a few sheets of paper and a pen. "Come this way. I'll put you in one of the consultation rooms and a Pledge Clerk will be with you shortly."

She leads us down another hall of closed doors and shows us into room #3.

"Go ahead and get started on that paperwork. I'll have a clerk in soon."

"Thanks."

The door clicks shut behind us a little too loudly.

I sit at the table in the center of the room while Bran circles it with interest.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for cameras or microphones."

"Seriously? I don't think the mortal court has a budget for that."

"Better to be sure."

There are two windows behind me that overlook the nearest side street. Bran stops at one and leans against the casing while I work at the forms.

It's basic information that I've filled out many times before, but now I have to question whether any of it is true. Parents? Not biological. Birthday? Who knows? Ethnicity? No clue.

"Should I even be here?" I ask Bran while marking off several boxes on the form. "I'm technically not human."

"They don't know that. And we're not going to offer it. Not yet, anyway."

"What happens afterward? Like after I'm Pledged? After Rita undoes the binding? There isn't a single fae in Midnight bound to a vampire house. Someone's going to get bent out of shape about it."

"But there's little they can do after the fact."

I finish one form and start on the second.

Bran shifts to the other window.

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