Page 10 of Royal Bite
Her name had been called. She held back a smile as she took in the sympathetic looks of the patrons in the diner. She didn’t want to appear like a weirdo and grin at them. Instead, she nodded and gave them a tight smile. She pushed her plate away just as Cecilia returned to her table. Suddenly, she was no longer hungry.
“Here’s your check, hun. Pay when you’re ready.” Cecelia gave her a look of pity as she sat the small piece of paper on the table.
“I’m ready now.” Stormey gave a dry laugh.
Cecilia just didn’t know how ready Stormey was, and she wasn’t talking about paying for her meal. This was something she had been waiting for. She stood and walked to the front and paid her tab.
“Stormey Jaymes?”
Two large men were waiting for her at her home. A dark-colored SUV was parked on the road in front of her house. She swallowed hard at the size of them. They were pushing six and a half feet tall, muscular, and she pitied anyone who tried to fight them or run.
She slowed down and paused close to them.
This was it.
She hadn’t thought they would arrive that fast. But then again, they were probably alerted before the draft was announced. She imagined there were many humans who didn’t want to be drafted and sent away to a vampire. She had heard of people who had run and been captured. Occasionally there was a news story of a human who was evading the draft and there was a manhunt for them. These two would get no fight out of her.
“Yes, that is me.” She cleared her throat and tightened her grip on her bag.
“You are to come with us. We are your escort,” the one with long dark hair said.
“Am I allowed to get my things?” she asked. Stormey walked toward her home and prayed she would be able to take her things with her.
“Of course.” The blond one kept his hair cut close to his head.
They parted to allow her to go inside. Blondie followed her in. His massive size made the place feel like a small closet. He took up basically all of the living room.
“Pack one bag with anything of value to you.”
“I’m actually already packed,” she admitted sheepishly.
His eyebrows rose, but he didn’t say a word. Stormey took one last look at the house. She wouldn’t miss anything here.
She turned back around to Blondie. “I’m ready.”
Stormey followed him out. She closed and locked the door behind her. The dark-haired escort held the SUV’s back door open for her. Blondie took her bag from her and walked to the back of the vehicle. She got in the truck and settled back in the plush leather seat.
She took a final glance at the house that had been her haven for the past few years. Her vision blurred slightly, but she blinked back the tears. She wouldn’t be sad, no, this was a joyous occasion. She felt it deep in her bones that her life was truly just beginning.
Her two escorts entered the SUV. They soon sped away from the life she knew. Once she was settled, she would send word to the orphanage of her being drafted. She hated that she hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye to the children and Ms. Greta.
“Are you able to tell me where we are going?” she asked.
There was a snort from the front seat. She couldn’t tell which one of the guards it was.
“We are not to give you any information,” Blondie said.
“Not even the state or the city?” She gasped. Well, that was unfair. They had been traveling for a short while now, and it was going to kill her to not know where she was going.
“We can at least tell her the town,” Dark Hair muttered. He was driving the SUV. He guided them onto the nearly empty highway.
Stormey leaned forward so she could see Blondie.
“Who am I going to tell if you give me a tiny bit of information?” she stated. If they could just give her a little, it would calm her nerves. She rubbed her palms on her thighs.
“Fine.” Blondie sighed. He ran a hand along his face.
She couldn’t tell if they were vampires or human. It was widely known that humans were employed by vampires. With the size of these two, they had to be vampires.
