gave him the eerie sensation of being watched.
The four of them walked down the hallway in silence toward a massive arched doorway made of wood, which conjured images of medieval times, but the camera watching them with its blinking red eye brought him back to the present.
Before they reached the doorway, Pete stepped ahead with Maya clinging to his arm like a damsel in distress. The girl looked terrified, and by all accounts, she probably should be. Pete placed his thumb on a button to the left of the door, and a moment later, it swung open.
“Stay close,” Olivia said as they followed Pete. “Lots of listening and no talking.”
“No promises,” he said evenly.
She shot him a look of warning but didn’t respond. After what felt like forever, they finally arrived at their first destination. Another ornate, wooden door fit for a castle swung open, but the room inside was decked from floor to ceiling with LCD screens and filled with cigarette smoke. An older woman sat behind a massive desk, puffing away on what was clearly not her first smoke of the day.
“It’s about damn time,” she rasped as she crushed the cigarette in an ashtray overflowing with butts. “You know, for someone who doesn’t like to turn new vampires, you’ve done it twice this year already.”
“Thanks for the reminder, Millicent,” Olivia responded humorlessly. “We need to register him ASAP so he can help us hunt the rogues.”
“Yeah, I heard.” Millicent fiddled with her lighter. “Before you go hunting, be sure to see Xavier in the lab. He wants to know if that synthetic blood worked, and I think he’s got a new weapon.” She wagged a finger at Olivia. “No more younglings outta you this year. You’ve hit your annual limit.”
“Limit?” Doug asked with a curious look to the others. “There’s a limit on how many vampires you can create? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Of course it does.” Millicent walked up to him, her hands in the pockets of her suit jacket, and looked him up and down. “You’re a big one. You sure can pick ’em, Olivia. Anyway, too many vamps can cause a food shortage.”
“You mean, people,” Doug said sharply.
“Yes, people. Come ’ere.” Millicent grabbed his hand and brought him to the back wall that looked more like one enormous computer network. He went with her and surmised that even as a human, this older woman wouldn’t have been someone to tangle with.
She punched buttons on the large touch screen, and a stainless steel platform slid out. She put his left hand on it and punched a few more buttons. A flash went off as his picture was taken, and a needle quickly pricked his finger, taking a blood sample.
Doug removed his hand and watched as the small puncture closed and vanished. He opened and closed his hand, rubbing at it absently as he moved back to stand with the others again.
She punched a couple more spots on the screen, and seconds later an electronic identification card came up with his picture. “Too many vampires, and we’d all eventually starve to death. We can survive on vampire blood if we have to, but too much of it, and we can get a little nuts.”
The screen blinked, and a loud beeping sounded as Doug’s ID flickered to life on the screen. Doug Paxton: Vampire 12-52-6459—Maker: Olivia Hollingsworth.
So that was it? He was a vampire, and the woman of his dreams had turned his life into a nightmare.
“There.” She lit another cigarette and took a long drag. “Your newest coven member is registered. Now, don’t go rescuing any more dying humans, or you’ll answer to Czar Augustus. And from what I’m hearing, you’re in enough trouble as it is.”
“Thank you, Millicent.”
The door swung shut soundlessly, and they continued down the stone hallway, turning several times and making Doug feel like a rat in a maze.
Doug stopped walking, and Olivia gave him a curious look. “What?”
“You said that once I registered, you’d give me a gun.” He stuck his hand out and moved closer, daring her to deny him. “How about it?”
He invaded her space, but those emerald green eyes were glued to him, tracking his every move. Doug dropped his hand and stopped inches from her as her familiar scent wafted over him, testing his resolve.
“Gun,” he whispered. “Now.”
The corner of Olivia’s mouth lifted. Eyes on his, she reached beneath her jacket with both hands and withdrew a sleek, black gun and two magazines. She held them up and ejected the magazine to show it to him.
“It’s a semiautomatic loaded with mahogany and sterling rounds. Put one in the brain or heart, and these will turn a vamp to dust. But hit ’em anywhere else, and it’ll just slow ’em down, so be sure you shoot to kill.”
She placed them in his hands, and when her fingertips brushed his palm, fire flickered over his skin and his fangs broke free. Lust and need roared through his blood. Olivia’s eyes glanced to his bared fangs, and her tongue flicked out, moistening that gorgeous mouth.
“Believe me.” Doug leaned closer, his lips a breath away from hers, and whispered, “I won’t miss.”
“Good.” Olivia blinked and stepped away as she squared her shoulders. “See that you don’t.”
Doug stuck the magazines in the pocket of his coat and reached behind him, tucking the gun in the waist of pants. He didn’t miss the curious looks from Maya and Pete, but he couldn’t blame them. He and Olivia stood there eye-fucking each other like a couple of horny kids, and until two seconds ago, he had forgotten the two of them were even there.
“Let’s go,” she commanded.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with an exaggerated salute.
Olivia gave him the finger as she walked on, and he chuckled. She was tough as nails, and despite everything that had transpired, she still turned him on. He admired the way she handled Maya and the rest of her coven. The woman was powerful and commanding, but she was also sensitive and empathetic.
He studied her carefully, and it dawned on him how alike they were. Olivia was a rescuer and a protector. She seemed consumed by the need to save people, cats, dogs… vampires. He wondered what drove her? Who was she really trying to rescue?
The hallway opened into a cavernous space that looked like something out of ancient Rome. White marble statues of gods and goddesses lined the circular room, and at the center were towering white columns, framing pristine double doors of black-and-white- swirled marble.
“Welcome to the Presidium’s New York office,” Pete said. He placed a hand on Doug’s left shoulder and leaned in. “Looks like Caesar’s Palace in Vegas, doesn’t it?”
“You aren’t kidding.” Doug rubbed his chin as he they walked down the four steps and into the center of the room. He gestured to the statues. “Are these gods and goddesses?”
“Yes,” Olivia said with a snort of derision. “These are a few of Czar Augustus’s mementos from his human life in ancient Rome. For a guy who looks down on humans, I always thought it odd that he surrounds himself with so many keepsakes from his human life. This room leads to the Presidium’s main chamber, which is where official proceedings take place.”
“I would’ve expected decor more like your club.” He continued to look around them, wanting to know any way in or out. “This seems odd.”
“The czars rule for two centuries in each city, and then a new czar takes over.” Olivia kept her voice down, and he noticed her hand resting on the gun at her hip. “It’s like when a new president moves into the White House and redecorates. Augustus was a senator in ancient Rome, so he decorated like this.”
They moved slowly through the massive room, and their movements echoed. As each sound bounced back, Doug realized that the sound waves were helping him
Doug said nothing as Olivia watched him but simply nodded his understanding. His senses were on high alert, and he couldn’t escape the feeling that something bad was about to go down. They continued across the open space to the steps that led to the double doors, but before the four of them even hit the first step, the doors swung open to welcome them.
“Olivia, I’m scared.” Maya clung to Olivia’s arm like a child and refused to move forward. Doug couldn’t get
