Such treatment would have killed a human butalmost nothing but sunlight, silver, or staking can kill a vamp.But though my best friend was able to heal almost any wound, shecould still feel pain—and frequently did thanks to Celeste’sviolent temper.
I hated Taylor’s maker with a passion butthere was nothing I could legally do to help my friend. My job wasto police vampire/human relations and check for vampire abuse ofhumans. But vampire abuse of other vampires was a different story.As far as the government was concerned, vampires were free to useand abuse each other any way they wanted to and we were strictlyforbidden to interfere in their relationships.
For a while I had tried citing Celeste forthe smallest infractions, making her professional life as hard as Icould. But that only earned Taylor more abuse so I had to stop andnow we were stuck at an unhappy stalemate. I left Celeste strictlyalone and Taylor was allowed to “sneak out” every once in a whileto vent to me about her horrible life.
I had fitted my spare bedroom withlight-tight drapes and put aluminum foil over the windows for extraprotection and sometimes she spent the day with me but Celestenever let her get away for long. She had a way of calling Taylor, amind control so complete that my friend would be in severe pain ifshe didn’t answer the summons of her maker. So, a few overnight andoverday stays excluded, we were never going to be roommatesagain.
To be honest, it was probably a good thingTaylor couldn’t stay with me permanently. Despite Celeste’soriginal feeling that she had “potential,” my best friend waspretty much the worst vampire I had ever seen. She was unable toglamour anyone, so getting enough blood to survive was a realproblem for her. Of course, with her looks, there were plenty ofhuman men who would have been willing donors. But Taylor wasn’table to do glam-sex and even if she could have, she wasn’t willingto trade sexual favors for blood. I didn’t blame her there—sheshouldn’t have to become a whore to survive. There were other ,less legal ways, to get blood and being a vampire she was strongenough to take what she wanted by force. But she wasn’t the kind ofperson who would do such a thing, which made her unlike just aboutevery other vamp I’d ever met.
Her incompetence in her new life—or undeath,whichever you prefer, weighed heavily on my best friend. She hadalways been the best and the brightest—the top of the class. But asa vamp she had finally found something she didn’t excel at and nowit was her entire life. Unfortunately, being a sucky vamp meant shewent hungry a lot, which was where I came in. If anyone had evertold me I would be a willing donor for a vampire, I would havelaughed in their face. But I couldn’t sit by and see my best friendstarve—especially when her condition was my fault in the firstplace.
“Tell me,” I said, patting her knee gently.“Just say it, Taylor. Has she been hitting you again?”
Taylor shook her head, her long dark hairswirling with the gesture. “I wish it was only that—I’m used tobeing hit by now.” She sniffed. “You know I never broke a singlebone back when I was human? Not even a fracture. But now I’ve hadevery bone in my body broken multiple times. Of course, they healalmost immediately but it still hurts. You know.”
“I know,” I said, my throat tight. God, howI hated that abusive bitch, Celeste! If Taylor was still human anda man was doing this to her, we could have gotten a restrainingorder and hidden my friend away in a shelter somewhere. But therewas no such thing in the vampire world—it was eat or be eaten andTaylor was at the very bottom of the food chain.
“Anyway…” Taylor took a deep breath.“Celeste has guests in town this week. Some important vamps fromsome other state and she wants to impress them—especially this one,Roderick. He’s the main VIP, I guess.”
“Yes…” I wasn’t sure where this story wasgoing but I was betting I wouldn’t like the conclusion.
“So she…she…” Taylor’s eyes began to fillwith blood tears again. “She’s been loaning me out. I mean, shegave me to him for the week. Told him to do anything he wanted withme. And he…” She shook her head. “I can’t even tell you some of thethings he’s been making me do. He’s into bondage and domination andhe ties me up so I can’t get away while he…he…” She put a hand overher eyes.
“Oh, Taylor.” I grabbed her other hand anddidn’t complain when she squeezed it hard enough to make my bonescreak.
“The worst thing is the sex. He tells me I’mhis whore. And the things he does to me…and makes me do to him…”She shook her head, unable to continue. “I just…I feel sodirty. I wish I was dead but I can’t die. I’ve thought aboutstaying out after dawn and just letting the sun take care ofbusiness but Celeste can feel it when I’m thinking about it and shemakes me come in.”
“Taylor, no!” Despite her circumstances, Iwas shocked to hear my friend talk about suicide. “No, you can’tmean that. Don’t even say it.”
“Why not?” Taylor rubbed at the tears on herface, leaving bloody smudges across her high cheekbones like warpaint. “I hate my life now. My entire existence is all aboutpleasing Celeste but no matter what I do she hates me. She says I’mthe worst excuse for a vampire she’s ever seen and that I deservewhatever punishment she gives me because I’m so bad. And now…I’mnothing but her whore, Addison. You know I was never one to sleeparound but I don’t even have control of my own
