Page 7 of Claiming Her Vampire

“Never think of touching her. Ever,” I grit out through clenched teeth. “She belongs to me.”

“Yes, King.” He lowers his head, knowing this is the time to defer to me.

“What is her name?” I demand.

“Serenity.”

“I need to see her.” I push Tristan from the door, intent on getting to her, taking her away with me. I snarl when I feel Bash holding me back.

I slide my hand to the hilt of my blade. He quickly backs off.

“Just listen first,” he begs, his hands lifted in a calming gesture. “She’s human. She has no idea you are a vampire. She will never trust you if you storm down there and scare her. Think of the last time.”

I use every ounce of control not to rip his head off and go to her. I take a few deep breaths, breathing in the aroma still clinging to Tristan and thinking over his words.

“Yes. I don’t want to scare her, ever.” Just the thought of her cringing from me brings me pain. “I need to get used to her scent, adapt to it, so I don’t lose it.” The red that infused me started to dissipate slowly.

“You have to stay up here with Tristan, with the door open. I will go down and speak with her.”

The growl that slips out can’t be helped. “Do not touch her.”

“I swear, I won’t. Do you trust me to take care of your mate, my King?” he asks reverently.

He values the bond just as much as I do. “Yes,” I decide, knowing deep down he won’t do anything to scare her. “Hire her.”

“Are you sure? You will have to see her interact with many male customers,” he warns.

“Do it.” I appreciate his concern, but I need to have her close. I remember how the panthers reacted to finding Harmony. Shifters can control their urges slightly better than vampires. But as a whole, we are possessive of our mates and being separated from them is torture. When a shifter female scents her mate, she automatically goes into heat and will not find relief until she mates sexually with her mate or mates. Sometimes just being close to them helps the heat. That’s what happened to Harmony. I met Harmony while helping the West brothers. She was their mate who was in trouble. Usually, I like to stay out of everyone's business unless it affects me and mine, but in this case, I thought I would give it a shot. The world is changing fast. More and more humans are finding out about our world, and many would take pleasure in hurting us. Too many humans are discovering us, and it concerns me. So my main goal was to gain their favor so I could call it in when I needed it. But when I met Harmony, she was strong, beautiful, and resilient. And not scared of me, not entirely at least. Not to mention naked. I can see her clearly in my memories. I would never tell her mates how hard I was at the time, or they would refuse to allow me to spend time with her now. “I can’t let her leave here without the promise of seeing her as much as I can. Hire her, and have her start tonight if she can. Warn every vampire in this building. They will protect her with their life. She is their queen. But no one puts hands on her in any way.” Seeing Harmony’s dedication to her friend and mates changed something inside me. Although her mates are still not comfortable with me just dropping in whenever I want, they allow me to sit at their table from time to time. I also have her in my contacts to text whenever I want.

“Of course. She just became the most important person in this coven. Hopefully, once you smell her, knowing she is here, close, some of the control will come back.” Bash nods at me and then bows his head. He isn’t taking any chances.

“Tristan, turn on the cameras to the bar. I need to see her before I meet her.” He hurries to the desk to do as I ask. “How long before we open?” I ask Bash.

“Two hours. You have that long to collect yourself.”

I nod. “Go, I will be watching. The beast is not in control anymore, but if I see something I don’t like, that could change quickly,” I warn.

“Got it. Don’t kill Tristan while I’m gone.” He holds his hand out to me, silently asking for his trust.

I search his face and clasp his hand when I find what I’m looking for. I force my body to move over to the desk when he leaves the room.

Tristan observes me as I slowly sit in my chair. I look at my computer screen and grip the edge of my desk to keep seated. The woman sitting patiently at the bar is looking around curiously. Her long blonde hair shines in the lights. She hears Bash coming and gets to her feet, giving me a clear view of her face and body. Holy shit. She’s short with an ass I want to take a bite out of. My hands would span her waist. The world stops as I gaze at her face. This is the face I will be blessed with for the rest of my long life.

My mate is beautiful. Stunning. Mine. All mine.

Chapter Four

Serenity

I discreetly sniff myself. I don’t smell. I made sure to put on deodorant and a light perfume before coming. The strange man that came down to see me is acting weird. Sitting three stools down from me, he didn’t even greet me with a handshake. He has white hair but doesn’t seem much older than me. His eyes are startling, a very light blue, almost white. He’s been perfectly polite. Almost too polite.

“So you have waitress experience?” he asks.

“Yes, I worked at a diner for many years. It may not be as exciting as working here, but I think I can handle it.” I give him my best smile. But he doesn’t linger over any of my features, his eyes moving constantly.

“You just moved here?”

“Yes.” I shift uncomfortably.

---