Page 28 of A Vow for the Vamp
“That’s not who you are anymore.”
His lips press against my neck, and I lean into him. His nearness is comforting. He’s letting me know that I won’t scare him away.
“No. It’s not who I am anymore, but I can never forgive myself for the things I’ve done.”
I pause because I hate talking about this part of my life. Inevertalk about this part of my life. Only Layla knows the things I have done.
“Tell me more.”
Such a gentle command.
This man, thishuman,makes me want to share everything with him.
“When I arrived in New York City in the 1800s, my reputation followed. I was approached by some elder vampires. They were part of an organization called WOVE or World Organization of Vampire Elites. They wanted to form a council and implement rules for our kind. They sought me out to serve on it, and I did because it was about time vampires had rules to follow in order to live in this human world.
“Up until then, we could kill as we pleased and turn any human we wanted. But people were noticing and with technology rapidly advancing, rumors spread quickly. Fear was rampant. We had to protect ourselves because the humans formed teams of hunters to find and kill us.”
Teddy places another kiss on my neck, and I close my eyes. Every time he touches me, a thrill shoots between my legs.
“What are the rules?”
“No feeding in public, violators have their fangs ripped out.” He sucks in a sharp breath. “It’s painful, but they grow back after a few weeks.”
“What else?”
“No turning a human unless given approval by the council. If a vampire were to break this rule, both sire and newborn vamp are killed.”
“That’s harsh,” Teddy says and spins me back around to continue dancing.
“We have to control the vampire population. If too many humans die, we run out of food. If too many are turned, we run out of food. We have synthetic blood, but it’s only for emergency situations. It’s not sustainable.”
The song is coming to an end and Teddy dips me. I yelp.
Then Ilaugh.
Not the first time he’s made me feel joy.
And I love it so much.
He tugs me upright and kisses me, first on the lips, then along my blood-streaked tears. I gasp when his tongue laps up the mess. He hums the moment the blood hits his taste buds. It takes him a couple minutes to clean it all before he pulls back with a goofy smile.
God, he’s too cute.
“This feral vampire,” he begins. “What will happen to them?”
“They will be caught and killed. They broke our number one rule. No killing humans. This vampire is putting our existence at risk of discovery. We have vampires embedded with the NYPD so we can cleanup these murders and compel humans who were witnesses, but there’s always a chance someone will be missed and with cellphones in every hand...”
A new Etta James song plays,I Just Want To Make Love To You,and Teddy’s palm returns to the small of my back, the other cupping my hand. Before tonight, it’s been decades since I’ve danced with anyone. Perhaps longer. Mostly because I’m not a fan of dancing. I have two left feet that refuse to find the beat.
But I love dancing with Teddy.
“Are there rules about compelling?”
“Yes. No compelling for sexual pleasure. No compelling a human to commit a crime. And no repeat compelling as it could cause brain damage.”
“You said you tried to compel me, but it didn’t work.”
I peel myself from his grip and drop my arms.
