Page 2 of My Mr. Vampire

After everything that happened, Zand moved me from The Castle to his luxury loft downtown. I didn’t have to pack any of my things. Zand shipped most of my belongings from my apartment to his place.

It put my mind at ease knowing I didn’t have to go back to the place where Lonzo brutally attacked me. I knew one day I would have to go back and face the pain. Thank God that day was not today. It had only been two weeks, but I was still a bit shaken by the extreme violence I witnessed firsthand. I didn’t fear Zand. It was just the fact this wasn’t a horror movie. This was real life. This was my life— my life with my vampire boyfriend.

It was very important for things to go back to normal. I needed my regular routine. So, I showed up at work every day. I made it through the days with a fake smile on my made-up face. I didn’t want anyone to know what I’d been through.

I was safe, but being away from Zand while I was at work made me a little antsy. His presence gave me comfort. His vampire strength made me feel safe and secure. He was powerful and he could protect me if anything jumped off.

Although I knew the threat was terminated, Lonzo had a notorious family full of criminals. There was his psychotic sister, Marisol. I still couldn’t believe she drove all the way to Chicago from Minnesota with her violent cousin to beat the shit out of me. Maybe their plan was to kill me. I still didn’t know what Marisol’s intentions were. I knew she always disliked me. Her first gripe was I wasn’t Mexican. She made sure I knew I wasn’t welcomed in the Lopez family. That was back when I didn’t know who these people really were.

As far as I knew, she only was aware of the location of my apartment complex, and I didn’t stay there anymore. I didn’t know how much information her brother had shared with her about me. I wondered if she knew he was coming to Chicago to kill me.

Did she have anything to do with Craig’s death? Before Lonzo’s demise, he mentioned Marisol attacked me. Sure, Lonzo was dead, but there could be some other relatives of these lunatics I had to worry about.

There was the female cousin. I had no idea what she looked like or her name. Lonzo didn’t call her by name, so I didn’t have any clue who she was. After two weeks, I hadn’t seen any of them. I couldn’t help but take that as a good sign.

I had to always be on guard and looking over my shoulder before Lonzo was killed. That was why I felt the safest when I was with Zand. I knew I couldn’t be with him twenty-four seven, but I wished I could quit this job or take some kind of leave of absence. Mentally, I needed to get myself together. I had been through hell and back in the last few months. Some months weregood. Some of that time was extremely bad. Finding Zand and falling in love with him was the best part.

The drama of my recent past made me anxious and jittery. I tried to hide it from my coworkers as best I could. I didn’t know how long the feeling would last. This might have been some form of PTSD, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t have anyone to share my inner personal thoughts with. I couldn’t talk to a therapist because I couldn’t be honest about the vampires. Sharing what I knew with Morgan was impossible for me. She had a lot on her plate.

I didn’t know all the rules of the vampire people, but I was sure they wanted to remain in the dark. Also, it just wasn’t a good idea to give Morgan more to worry about after her boyfriend’s passing.

After getting through my nine-hour shift in the office, I was chauffeured to my new home. Josh drove me to and from work in a black Rezvani Arsenal SUV with dark tints. I’d never seen or heard of the truck before. I googled the truck that looked like a tank and read it had bulletproof glass, bulletproof body panels and run-flat tires. If I didn’t know Zand was loaded, the quarter of a million-dollar luxury armored truck he chauffeured me around in made that perfectly clear.

Josh worked security for Zand at The Castle. He was a tall, blonde bulky guy that looked like he could rip someone’s head off. He also looked like he could be a stand-in for a superhero. Josh was super chill, but he was a brick of a man. He wasn’t the type of guy you would want to make angry.

My bodyguard, slash driver, was nice enough on the quiet rides to and from the loft. I wondered if he was a vampire or a human. I had my suspicions, but no concrete proof. There was something in his coloring that didn’t give anything away. He was a pale White man but not pale in a way that told me he was a vampire. Every White person was pale in the fall and winter months. I just couldn’t see anything in Josh that gave me a clue.I was smart not to stare at him, but I watched him closely and covertly.

I didn’t know why I wanted to know his origins so badly. I was curious. Zand’s mysterious life intrigued me, and I wanted to know about everyone in it. Some of his employees were obviously vampires.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Natasha, his head of security, was a vamp. At first, I didn’t even notice it. But now, with everything I’ve learned, it’s so evident. Her strong Russian accent and overall demeanor exuded power and strength like that of Wonder Woman. Unlike other women, she didn’t seem afraid or intimidated by men. She could walk the streets at night without any cares or concerns. Her confidence was next level and now I knew it was because she was supernatural.

I had so many questions. I was reluctant to ask. I hoped Zand what provide the answers I so desperately craved. If not, I would just be more confused. I needed to know how to maneuver in his world.

Josh was pleasant for such a big, hulking man. On the ride to the loft, he was mostly quiet. Today was like every other day. I looked forward to seeing Zand. He made sure he slept during the daytime, so he would be up when I got home from work.

I leaned back into the leather seats of the truck and almost drifted off to sleep. Then my cell phone rang in my purse that lay beside me on the seat. I reached into the side pocket and retrieved my cell. Peering down, I read the screen. I answered as soon as I read Morgan’s name.

“Hey.” I tried to sound like my old self. The problem was, I could barely remember my old self.

“What you doing girly-pop?” She asked.

“I just left work.”

“Good. I was trying to give you time to get out of there.”

“I’m out now and on my way home.” Not a total lie. I was just on my way to Zand’s home.

“How was your day?” She asked me, and I was probably the one that should be asking her that question.

“It was fine, a lot of sick kids, a lot of flu shots. How was your day?”

“Ah, same ole lackluster bullshit. I was thinking about coming down to visit you for a few days. I really need to get away from this place.”

“You work remote. What are you getting away from?” I asked.

“Girl, boring Bloomington.”

I hadn’t mentioned to Morgan that I didn’t live in the apartment anymore. I withheld information because if I told her a little part of what was going on with me, she would have questions. The more questions she had, the more things I would have to reveal, and I couldn’t lie to her. She knew me too well.

---