Clara smiled. "You have risen from the dead and have healed all your wounds. You have no pulse. You do not breathe, and we've been giving you blood so that you can survive.
And the last thing you can remember is a tingling in your neck before you died." She clasped her hands together. "I've read your personnel file, Shamira. I know you're not stupid, even if your former bosses thought you were. You can figure this --"
"Vampire? You're kidding, right? You have to --"
"Wanna go ahead and say 'But there's no such thing as vampires' so we can get that out of the way?"
"There's no such thing as vampires!"
"Thanks. Vampires do exist. So do werewolves and other lycanthropes, and magic and all that stuff.
Not everything you've heard is correct, but there are blood-sucking creatures of the night that inhabit this world.
I'm one of them and now so are you. And don't start looking around for hidden cameras or anything like that. Here, maybe this will help."
She opened her mouth, pointed to her perfect pearly whites, then her canine teeth extended into sharp pointed fangs.
"Jesus Christ!" Naked or not, she scrambled backward off the bed, rolling over backward and colliding with a nightstand, almost depositing a glass lamp onto her already damaged noggin.
"Not exactly." She rolled her eyes when Shamira formed her fingers into the shape of a cross. "Shamira, I'm not even a Christian. I'm Native American. Why do you think that would work?"
Shamira felt a little embarrassed. "Dunno. Works in the movies."
"Well, the movies are wrong on that one. Okay, Vampire 101. The strengths and weaknesses of a vampire depend greatly on how old he or she is.
There are five categories of vamps. You and I are fledglings, and we will be until a century after we were created. Then we become shadows for the next century.
For a century after that, you're a full vampire, followed by a master vampire, and then a vampire lord. If you survive that long, then you're doing pretty damn well, because there aren't a lot of them."
"Once you become a vampire, you're given your own territory, and that territory gets bigger as you get older.
Vampires challenge each other for territories if the other guy or gal has something juicier or wealthier or . . . well, sometimes just because.
That was what you got caught up in. Shane had arranged to meet with these guys about a land deal but didn't trust them. Figured if we met in a public place and had some outside people watching then things would go smoothly."
"That didn't look smooth to me," Shamira said. "Honestly, they looked like petty thugs in nice suits." Of course, that hadn't stopped their guns from working.
"They were. There's a clown out there who wants to muscle in on Shane's . . . Shane's our sire, by the way . . . territory, which is pretty much all of Atlanta and its suburbs."
"Is that big?" Shamira asked. 'I can't believe I'm having this conversation.'
"Huge. Both in area and importance. Atlanta is one of the primary transition points for magical beings entering the United States. Kind of a mystical Ellis Island. That means lots of money and prestige flow through here.
We weren't expecting anything so blatant, which means the guy who tried to backstab us is in for a world of hell from the Tribunal, which is the fancy word for the big council of mystical creatures that makes sure no one does anything stupid that would endanger the rest of us." Someone chose that moment to knock on the door. "Come in!"
Shamira's eyes almost popped out of their sockets when a gorgeous black (excuse me, "African American") woman strolled into the room. She had a body like Halle Berry, though her skin was a bit darker.
She had a short afro which, on her, was actually pretty cute and her breasts were perfectly proportioned to that hourglass figure. She was dressed in a PVC teddy that thrust her breasts upward, and a black thong that was little more than a string with an eye patch on the front.
Topping it all off was an elegant iron collar. Suddenly, Shamira felt embarrassed at being naked again. Next to these two women, she felt something like a rhinoceros.
The woman, who Shamira assumed was Monique, walked with lowered eyes. She knelt at Clara's feet and offered up a pair of designer sweats like it was a sacrifice. "As you requested, Mistress Clara."
"What is with the whole Mistress --" Shamira started to say, then watched as Clara took Monique's head roughly by the hair and pushed her face down to the toes of those leather moccasins.
"You were insolent earlier," Clara said sternly. "You should know that just because we have a guest you should not forget your place."
"But Mistress Clara, I was in my workshop when you called."
Clara's face softened. "Then you behaved properly."
"What is with you?" Shamira asked. "Can't you weirdos wait to play your games until after I'm out of here?"
Clara raised an eyebrow. "Weirdos?" She looked down at Monique. "Do you consider us weird?"
"No, Mistress Clara."
"No?" Shamira asked incredulously. "Bondage vampires from hell isn't weird?"
"Monique is a werewolf, not a vampire. And no, it isn't odd for us at all."
"Werewolf?"
Clara smiled. "Our guest is a woman of few words," she said. "Monique, I think she might like a display."
"Display?" Shamira asked. "What kind of display?"
Monique stood up and quickly undressed. While this was happening, Shamira pulled on the sweats, which were way too tight for her. Her breasts were amazingly firm (thank you Mr. Plastic Surgeon), so the lack of a bra wasn't a problem.
She actually had a pair of sweat pants and a tight workout shirt that was cut low enough to entice the views of every guy at the gym. Or girls. 'What is it with you thinking about girls recently?'
It didn't take long for Monique to get rid of her clothing. Shamira then watched as her skin began to glow and shift, the muscles and bones rearranging themselves under that exterior.
Fur sprouted everywhere and, in the course of about thirty seconds, Shamira had a full-blown wolf sitting in the bedroom. She probably should have screamed or run, but instead just said
"Beautiful." She reached a handout, and the wolf sniffed her, then licked her hand.
"She thinks you're beautiful," Clara said. "There just may be hope for her yet. Sit!" The wolf sat. "Shamira, vampires tend to collect broods about them. These broods become that vampire's support organization as he or she comes into power.
You can't create vampires until you are at least two centuries old, so the members of the brood tend to be less powerful than their creator. Shane also has made friends and allies amongst the other races and the magic community, so his brood is more diverse. I think that makes him more formidable.
Vampires are also very sexual creatures. At least the movies got that part right. And since vampires tend to live a long time, they surround themselves with people like them. Shane is a sexual dom. Please don't tell me that I need to explain what that is?"
"Nuh-oh," Shamira replied. "I think I've got that one."
"Well, everyone who lives here is part of that scene. Some are doms or dommes, some are subs, and others are switches. A switch is someone who can play either role, depending on their mood."
Shamira shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Glad I won't be living here then."
"That's . . . unfortunate," Clara said, running her gaze up and down that magnificent body. Oh, the things she could do with a woman like this. "I realize this is a lot to take in, and Shane will want to talk to you before morning. Yes, vampires sleep during the day. Daylight doesn't kill older vamps, but it definitely weakens them. Fledglings can actually move about during the day or night, depending on their preference." She folded her hands in front of her. She was actually surprised that Shamira was handling it so well. "Do you have any questions?" Shamira scratched the wolf behind the ears. The wolf seemed to like it. "I don't even know where to begin," she muttered. "Well as I said, I'm going to be your guide, but you can ask questions of anyone in the house. I'll introduce you in a little while. Monique, change!" She waited until the wolf was once again a gorgeous naked black woman, who still sat at Clara's feet. Clara grabbed her hair and yanked her head backward, plantin
"Oh, you can't see him. He's a poltergeist. Actually, he's part of the security team too . . . in a way. He's somehow attached to the land this house is built on, but don't worry. If you have permission to be here, he'll leave you alone." Shamira gulped. "Great. Poltergeist." "Yeah. So if you see the television on in the break room, don't turn it off. He loves soap operas." Then, as if that wasn't a weird conversation stopper, Clara continued. "Cowboy guy there is Henry. He's a dom. The ones standing are doms if you haven't figured that out, and the kneeling ones are submissives. Lillian and Renata are the only two switches." "Anyway, Henry and the blond guy on his knees, whose name is Bjorne, are both enforcers. Means basically they run errands, interact with the public and help keep the peace. You and Henry have a lot in common. He was a sheriff back in his mortal days. Both he and Bjorne are vampires: Bjorne is a shadow and Henry is a fledgling, but only for another six months.
Shamira could see the cogs turning in Shane's head, figuring out how she could be useful to him. "Listen, I guess I owe you thanks for . . . doing what you did. I guess I'm just not sure why you did it or what you expect of me?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a couple of the other residents arrive and be seated. She guessed it was close to dinner. "Hey . . . Uhm . . . dinner --" Clara placed a hand on her young charge's arm. "Fledglings can eat normal food or consume blood. Feeding is an art, so Shane thought it would be wise to present you with a normal meal this evening. Personally, I prefer to drink blood, but I'll be dining on solid food today. Make you feel more at home." "As for what I want from you and why I changed you --" Shane paused. "First, I owed you something for helping us out that night. I had agents in place that you couldn't have known about, but we had still found ourselves in an awkward predicament where innocents might have gotten hurt. You showed great
They got to the garage and Shamira's heart and mind took another shock. The garage was an attached building, and inside was every kind of vehicular toy you could imagine. Truck, cars, motorcycles . . . hell, there were even golf carts. "Damn, now all I need is a golf course," she murmured. Clara smiled. "Shane has a nine-hole course on the property. He turns on the night lights and plays to unwind sometimes. You play?" "A bit. I'm not great." "Shane would be thrilled to have someone to play with," Clara replied. "The only other person who plays is Banshee and well, she's a sore loser. Love her to death, but don't ever get competitive with her." "I'll keep that in mind." Normally, Shamira wasn't a car person, but she couldn't help but drool over the selection she was looking at. "Which one are we taking? Oh my God, he has a Prius?!"
"It's a magical drug. It's a mixture of vamp blood, were blood, and some faerie blood to bind it. Makes the user pretty much God-like for about thirty minutes before the crash. Unless they're in good shape, it might collapse their heart and make their brains leak out their ears. It's the most illegal drug in the underworld of course, but that doesn't stop people from dealing with it. It's death to be caught carrying or distributing.""Death?!""Considering the blood has to be harvested from a dying host, yeah. Our world is dangerous," Renata said, looking a bit impatient. "Keep that in mind."Shamira realized that not everyone in Shane's brood was necessarily happy about her being brought over. She wondered if she'd done something to offend this woman. She had seemed nice earlier, and Clara had said she was normally perky. "How many doses per vial?""One."
Travis motioned for her to follow, so the three of them went charging through the bar, through another door, and into what looked like a holding cell. A single light swung overhead, making the room seem even more ominous by casting shadows in the corners. There was also a drain in the middle of the floor. Shamira didn't want to think about that. The security forces were backed up against one wall; one perpetrator sat cowering in a corner, and the other held a young woman by the throat. "Don't come any damn closer!" the man said, snarling like an animal. His eyes were as red as a sunset and his face had lost all vestiges of humanity. "Clear the damn way! I'm taking her and leaving. Anyone tries to stop me and she dies, along with the would-be hero. Got that?" Travis motioned for Renata and Shamira to move back. They wer
'Screw him,' she thought. 'This is his fault, so he doesn't get a break.' She threw a punch as his too-damn-pretty-anyway face, but she missed by a country mile. He had moved so quickly that it was as if she had swung at him in deep water. Her next swing missed as well, as did her attempt to kick him in the knee."Fight me damn it," Shamira growled when she realized that Shane wouldn't fight back. She stood there for a moment, wanting badly for him to swing. She wanted him to hit her so hard that she didn't wake up again. She wanted anything but to feel the way that she did at that moment. "You should have just let me die. Why couldn't you just let me die?"He sighed. "Because I saw someone I thought would be worth saving. I don't regret it. You saved an innocent life tonight. Doesn't that count in your mind?""I killed someone!" she hissed violently. "I don't even know what the hell I am. I d
He stood up. "I would like my keys back though. You stranded the others at Prometheus." He smiled, but she didn't smile back. She just handed over the keys. "I won't ask that you make your decision now. You haven't even really had a chance to get used to being a vampire yet, much less this other business.You are welcome to stay at the house while you figure things out. Talk to the others. They can help, and they want to. Clara has been sick with worry since you ran out." He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "And if you think that I have unusual designs for you and your body, then you might want to ask her what SHE'S been thinking." He got into his car and drove away.Shamira shivered a bit, but not from the cold. Sure, Clara had made some "interesting" comments, but she had just assumed it was vampire freakiness. But she wanted Shamira too?She took another look at her family hom