Page 3 of Eleazar

Eleazar nodded. “Good. Keep a tight leash on them. We can’t afford any mistakes or slip-ups. I’ve already dealt with a few of your men who were getting too reckless.”

Lazarus was a younger vampire, barely a century old. He had a lot to learn about being a coven leader, but Eleazar was confident he would learn quickly. Lazarus had been a ruthless loan shark before this, and if he wanted to continue that aspect of his career, so be it, just as long as he didn’t fuck this up.

“If there are any issues, you know where to find me,” Eleazar said.

He signaled to his men that they were leaving and made his way out of the club. That meeting could have been a phone call, though Eleazar had a feeling that Lazarus had summoned him for a show of power. Eleazar had allowed it. This time. If Lazarus summoned him again, he would quickly remind the vampire who held the actual power.

As he rode back to his estate, his thoughts drifted to Andrew, the way the human had looked at him, the way he had spoken to him. Eleazar had never been attracted to a human before, but Andrew was different. There was a fire in him, a hunger to succeed that Eleazar couldn’t ignore.

He wondered what it would be like to have Andrew in his bed, to watch him writhe and moan under his touch. Would he be able to resist the temptation to feed on him? Eleazar had never fed on a human servant before, but with Andrew, he had a feeling it would be a challenge to keep his fangs to himself.

Was it wise to hire the human if Eleazar was so attracted to him? He sighed as he watched the city go by. He’d been alone for so long, taking lovers here and there but never keeping any. He’d always been careful to never let his emotions get too involved, to never let anyone get too close to him. Because Eleazar didn’t trust anyone implicitly. Not even his coven.

There were just too many who wouldn’t hesitate to try and kill Eleazar and take over his position of power. Did he think anyone in his coven would actually betray him? In his world, Eleazar wouldn’t put it past anyone to try.

When he arrived at his estate, he dismissed Sirius and made his way inside. Eleazar walked through the living area and into his bedroom, where he started to pace. A habit no one knew about. Not a single coven member knew that Eleazar lived in a constant state of stress. Running a city was so difficult that if Eleazar were human, he’d probably have a severe case of indigestion.

As he moved about his room, Eleazar tried to force thoughts of Andrew from his mind. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the image of the young man from his thoughts. His gray eyes, his tousled brown hair, the curve of his lips, or his compact body.

A body he wouldn’t mind exploring at length.

Eleazar groaned and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He needed a distraction, something to take his mind off Andrew. He opened his curtains, staring at the city below.

But he couldn’t find any solace in the view. His mind was too consumed with thoughts of the human he had just hired. Maybe it was foolish to even consider acting on his attraction to Andrew.

Honestly, he wasn’t even sure why he’d hired Andrew. Eleazar already employed Sonny, a human who cleaned the house and ran errands during daylight hours.

So why had he interviewed someone to serve him when Sonny was already doing that? Ever since Zakrem’s death, Eleazar hadn’t been the same, and deep down, he was lonely. He didn’t want to think that that was the reason he’d hired Andrew, but couldn’t say for sure.

Eleazar closed his eyes, searching for Andrew in his mind. Very few knew he could do that, enter someone’s mind whenever he wanted to. It was an invasion, but Eleazar wanted to know what Andrew was doing, what he was thinking, and if he had a lover.

He found the human, and he saw Andrew looking through bills, setting them aside into categories, school debt, utilities, credit cards.

“I have to pay down my school debt first, but I can’t put off my credit cards for too long,” Andrew said to himself as he stared at the papers laid out on the table. He never looked around, never allowing Eleazar to see the young man’s surroundings.

Eleazar was just enjoying Andrew’s voice, the way he sighed, and the sight of the plate of cookies in front of him. The human had a sweet tooth.

Then Andrew grew still. “Is someone there?”

There was no way he could know that Eleazar was in his mind. Eleazar used shields to hide himself. But he felt Andrew poking around in his head, as if he knew Eleazar was there.

Quickly, Eleazar pulled back. How? How could Andrew know? That was impossible. Eleazar had been entering minds for centuries, and this was the first time anyone suspected him of being there.

Maybe there was more to the human than met the eye. Interesting. Eleazar smiled. He was definitely looking forward to getting to know Andrew better. He was also going to find out how the human had known he was there.

Could Andrew be his mate? That would explain Eleazar’s overwhelming attraction to him. It would also explain how the human had known Eleazar had been in his mind.

One would think that, as old as Eleazar was, he would know if Andrew was his mate, but it didn’t work that way with vampires. They had a sense, but until their mating bond snapped into place, a vampire couldn’t be certain.

And there was only one way to find out. Sex. The act soldered souls, and from what Eleazar had heard, there would be no mistaking the truth once it was in place.

Now Eleazar was very interested in getting to know Andrew even better.

* * * *

The night sky was ablaze with stars when Andrew arrived at Mr. Bancroft’s estate the following evening. He couldn’t believe his luck when he was offered the position of personal assistant. Mr. Bancroft hadn’t exactly told Andrew what his duties would be, but he couldn’t wait to find out. As he parked his car, he took a deep breath, feeling both nervous and excited. He walked toward the front door, and it opened before he could knock.

Shayde stood in front of him, a sly grin on his face. “Good evening, Mr. Wendell. Please follow me.”

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