Page 22 of Tainted Blood

“He’s too power-hungry,” Marcus said quickly, turning to his sire. “He was fine until you gave him a nest. He’s expanding too fast, and it will collapse on him if he’s not careful. He’s making allies without guidance from anyone else, which will cause fractures in the bloodline’s unity.” Marcus made a face. “And he comes back here, trying to treat me like the help. Every time he visits, he’s a little ruder about how he has a nest, and I don’t, which means there must be something wrong with me. One day, I’m going to kill him, and he’ll have no one to blame but himself. You keep telling me to play nice with him, though, so I put up with it.”

“If you want to rip off one of his arms and beat him with it next time he visits, you’re more than welcome to,” Isaiah said, sighing heavily. “But while I’m doing this, you can build a case on why I need to tighten the leash on Corban when he hasn't broken any rules. I’ll read it and seriously consider it because you never drop it.”

Marcus’s eyes turned red as he smiled, giving me the vibe of a shark that scented blood in the water.

“Oh, I can certainly put something together while I watch over the city and the nest.” Marcus nodded toward us one last time, then headed up the stairs.

“You know, he’s ripped Corban’s arm off and beaten him with it before,” Isaiah said, staring at where Marcus was once standing. “Probably a few decades ago now. It helped for a little while. Not long enough, but a little while.”

“I like Marcus,” I said decisively.

“Don’t pick sides in my family. They’ll eat you alive.” Isaiah, seeming distracted, pulled out his phone and started tapping on it, but I couldn’t see the screen. “He’s right about Corban. I’ve been distracted, and he caught me off guard tonight. He played that very well. Right before he had to leave, a chance meeting with Everly… bringing up how I took Corban to Savannah…” He shoved his phone away when he was done, looking at us again. “We need to get upstairs.”

“Isaiah, if you ever find that someone in your bloodline is out of hand, you can always call me,” Alexius offered.

I slowly covered my mouth, trying to hide the smile beginning to form.

“Yes, I know. Let’s get upstairs.” Isaiah started for the stairs before turning back to us. “Oh, there’s one thing I think we forgot to mention to Everly.”

“What?” Alexius’s frown didn’t need to be seen. It could be heard.

“Don’t drink blood offered by another vampire.”

Furrowing my brows, I wondered why that was even something he needed to tell me, but Alexius hummed in agreement, nodding.

“Why would I ever consider it?” I asked, trying to understand. “You got mad at Alexius for giving me blood right after we arrived.”

“The rules for these events are… lax in some areas. Isaiah got onto me because I gave you blood I was already drinking, but in this situation, he’s saying don’t accept a fresh glass from anyone, like a drink prepared for you. Only feed from the blood placed in our suite or from one of the human staff, who will occasionally pass through, asking if anyone needs anything.”

“Lax…” I still didn’t understand.

“While drinking the blood of other supernaturals is illegal, it’s also an expensive black-market gift between vampires. If they’re caught, they have to do a number of things to keep from getting in trouble, like proving the blood was willingly donated. That means their contraband will only be confiscated and destroyed. If they can’t prove it…” Isaiah shrugged. “Someone will kill them for it. They also need to keep consumption to a minimum. They can’t develop a taste for it. A single pint every so often is a small thing, but they can’t go out hunting fae, werewolves, or witches.”

“Oh…” My eyes went wide as I finally understood. “Are you saying that supernatural blood is like Cuban contraband to humans in the United States?”

“Actually… yes,” Isaiah confirmed, nodding. Then he pulled out a cigar, chuckling. “Though I have some of that, I don’t keep supernatural blood in my home.”

“So, don’t drink anything offered to you. It might not be human, and you might not notice,” Alexius continued, shaking his head at the cigar like it offended him. “You don’t smoke.”

“No, I don’t, but it’s fun to have, and it’s finally useful,” Isaiah said with a chuckle, then walked out as he put it back into the inner pocket of his blazer.

Alexius gestured for me to follow Isaiah, then walked up the stairs behind me. Entering the entry hall, one side of the room had a line of staff waiting to jump into action. Alexius stood between Isaiah and me, leaving me at the end.

“Now, to see how rude everyone will be,” Isaiah declared. “I wonder who is going to try the fashionably late entrance this time.”

We only waited five minutes for the first of the ancients to arrive.

11

Ididn’t breathe as they walked in, not knowing if I could make it look natural. Several vehicles arrived at the same time, and the staff jumped into action to get things moving while I stood with Alexius and Isaiah to greet them. As the first four vampires entered, I was hoping I would get a last-minute reprieve, a chance to escape before needing to do these introductions.

I didn’t get one. Isaiah reached out to shake the hand of the first in this group.

“Kamose, it’s good to see you,” Isaiah said with a smile. “How’s Cairo?”

“It’s Cairo, therefore it’s always perfect,” Kamose answered with a deep chuckle that had a sultry masculinity that would have gotten the attention of any friend I’d ever had, even the ones who didn’t like men. He had short black hair and light brown eyes, and wasn't as tall as Alexius or Isaiah, but he was clearly in shape under his tailored designer suit. Like the ones Isaiah and Alexius were sporting, it was all black.

“Certainly, even when it’s so hot that we are all going to melt.” Isaiah’s sarcasm could be read across the room.

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