Maybe he’ll finally lose his virginity…poor guy. Never did understand why he wanted to live in a monastery. Celibacy is very unnatural for a vampire.
“Ready?” Gretta appears on cue with her hot-pink lips, blazer cleavage, and bright smile.
I give her a knowing look. “Yes, your king here was just going through his speech one last time. He’s ready.”
“I do not need you, cousin, to tell her that. I am king. I have a mouth and can speak for myself,” Freddy says in a cold, unfeeling voice and gives me a wink.
Very good impersonation! My balls even quivered with a little fear. Excellent.
He stretches out his hand to Gretta, who goes all goo-goo eyes. Yes, I think we do have a match.
“Daddy!” Stella comes running through the doorway. I sweep her into my arms and then look around to make sure no one saw that. Just Gretta and Freddy. A relief.
“Baby, you must be more careful. You are to call me Freddy now. Okay? And where are Lula and Alex?” They are supposed to be watching her. Two minutes. That’s all Freddy asked.
“They said they had to leave,” she tells me in her tiny voice.
“Leave? To where?” I ask.
“Auntie Lula said she had to take care of something very important.”
More important than watching my daughter?
Stella adds, “Oh, and she said she had to borrow your ice-cream truck.”
I just bought that thing! I thought it would be nice for special events. I slide my phone from my pocket and call Lula. No answer. Calling Alex results in the same.
“I knew I shouldn’t have trusted her again. They probably decided to take off on their honeymoon.” So like Lula to simply up and leave in the middle of a big moment.
“A problem for another day. Everyone is waiting,” Freddy says.
“I know.” I bob my head. I cannot lose sleep over another of Lula’s childish, selfish actions. I have enough on my plate, trying to ensure Freddy takes over without issues, administering the cure, and figuring out how to get Miriam back without risking her life. I have no doubt her grandma will kill her if I disobey. She’s already tried twice.
“Let us go,” I say.
Freddy, Gretta, Stella, and I take the elevator to the ground floor and enter the great hall.
“Good luck, sir,” I say. Stella and I hang back near the rear door while Freddy and Gretta take the stage.
“Can we get bloody ice cream after this?” Stella asks.
Aww… Hearing her take a step toward accepting her vampire-self warms my vampire blood. “Yes. But only if you’re a good girl and be very quiet. Our king is about to speak.” I straighten my back and beam with pride toward the front of the great hall. I hope this works. We have to prove the serum is real, but our proof left the building. And took my heart with her.
I lift my chin and watch with bated breath. The meeting hall is packed, and every vampire is abuzz with gossip:
“What could this be about?”
“I heard his librarian dumped him and now he’s with Gretta.”
“He’s so hot. Not like his lame doppelganger cousin.”
Lame? I mentally shrug. At least the gossip is working as planned.
“Ready, sir.” The IT guy gives Freddy the nod. The societies are all online and watching. Freddy is about to make history and change the world forever.
He steps up to the microphone and clears his throat. “Fellow society members…” He tells the crowd about his miraculous discovery and the side effects. The room is so silent and still, you could hear a bat flap its wings from a mile away. I cannot tell if they think the king has lost his mind or if they are in awe.
The king continues, explaining that while the cure might not be perfect, it is a chance to rewind the clock and start over. “We can give you back a piece of the life you once had.”
A frenzy of snickers and skeptical whispers fills the room.
No one believes him. Of course, being the smart vampires that we are, Freddy is prepared.
He nods at the guards, who leave and return with a woman with a brown bob, wearing an orange jumpsuit. Her name is Viviana. She was once my assistant while I led the Society of Sunshine Love in Arizona, and was put in jail for treason. She fed information to Clive during the Uprising, and while I know her betrayal was justification to have her executed, I also know she feared for her children’s well-being. She was very young when she was turned, and she hasn’t been a vampire long. Her entire human family was used as leverage against her.
“Michael?” Vivian’s teary eyes lock onto Freddy, who’s still standing on the stage with Gretta. “Please don’t dust me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry!”
I tighten my grip on Stella’s hand. Now that I have my soul back, I know how much Viviana has suffered being separated from her family. My chest fills with warmth. “Viviana gets to be a mother again,” I whisper to Stella, who nods but doesn’t seem to understand how big this moment is.
Freddy looks down at Viviana, no emotion in his eyes.
Such a great actor, this guy! We really should have vampire Oscars.
“Everyone,” he says, “Viviana is one of the traitors who helped Cluentius Boethius on his mission to send us all back to the Dark Ages. However, I know this woman personally. She served under me once, and I believe she is a good person, but a horrible vampire. Therefore, I have decided that she is about to get her old life back.”
King Freddy gives the nod, and one of the guards forces a dropper into her mouth. She struggles. I know it is because she does not believe him.
Vivian collapses. The vampires around her exchange glances and then start to sniff.
That’s right, people, the Executioner is now the Ex-Vampirer. You’re welcome, I think proudly.
“Come. Time for us to go.” My work here is done. I turn to leave with
