Midnight Magic, page 131
“There are books and movies featuring vampires but I never would have considered any of it real. Do ghosts exist? What about shifters? Or witches? Maybe, I mean, who knows? We can’t really rule that out now, right?” She used the conditioner on her hair and continued her one sided conversation.
“I wish you could be here with me. I think you’d like Tawne, her men, and their home.” Rinsing the conditioner, she picked up the bar soap and made quick work of her face. Once she rinsed it, she continued. “I guess that’s all I have to say. Oh, and wish me luck. I think I’m going to give it a shot. I still don’t know yet, because of the feeding and shit. I can’t imagine that feels good. And just because Tawne had no reaction doesn’t mean she didn’t feel any pain.”
She turned off the water and opened the door. Reaching out, she grabbed her towel and towel dried her hair, then her body. She wrapped her hair in the towel and stared at her naked self in the mirror.
She had lost so much weight. She looked unhealthy. Brandi thought how she must have looked to Tawne before she cleaned up. “I never want to go back to the streets,” she whispered.
Brandi opted for a royal blue long-sleeved t-shirt, jeans, and knee high boots. She braided her hair to the side and left the room. When she reached the halfway point on the stairs, the smell of food made her belly growl.
She raced down the remaining steps toward the kitchen, then froze.
Three of the vampires were in the kitchen cooking. She looked around the room, but Tawne was nowhere to be found.
Chayton turned first and did a double take. “Well, good morning.”
Brandi held up a hand and waved but didn’t return the morning gesture.
“Are you hungry?” Christofano asked and looked over his shoulder to her.
She nodded. “Is this for all four of us?”
Evan shook his head and placed a decanter of orange juice on the table. “It’s all for you, and this is freshly squeezed.”
Brandi’s mouth salivated at the thought of drinking orange juice. She crossed the room and picked up the glass pitcher, then poured the contents into the single cup set on the table. She immediately brought the glass to her mouth, and her tongue exploded with the taste of the orange. It was incredible.
Bringing her glass back down, she set it on the table. “The orphanage only bought the stuff from the grocery stores. I don’t know how much was orange juice and how much was water, but this is so good.”
Chayton pointed to his mouth and Brandi licked her upper lip. He chuckled and turned back to the breakfast he was cooking. Evan took a seat next to her, then Christofano.
She blinked and realized she was between two vampires. She wasn’t sure how she felt about this.
“Don’t worry, we’re not going to hurt you,” Evan said, addressing her anxiety over the situation.
She guessed her squirming in the seat gave it away.
“Even if we weren’t fed,” Christofano started, “we would not feed on you without your consent. Besides, we have our Tawne.”
She nodded and crossed one leg over the other. “It seems my whole life has been a lie. Next thing you’ll be telling me, is that you don’t burst into flames in the sun.”
Evan pressed his lips together and Christofano attempted to cough over a chuckle. Then, the door to the kitchen opened and sunlight spilled into the kitchen. It was Will who stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
He had on what could be described as a hunter’s hat, the one where the wool covered his ears. He wore sunglasses, a long-sleeved shirt, pants, boots, and gloves.
Brandi just stared at him, mouth agape.
“Umm”, he started. “Why is our guest trying to catch flies?”
She closed her mouth and shook her head. “Nice to see you, too, Will.” She sighed and leaned on the table, holding her head in her hand, not believing what just happened. “Fuck, you’re the sparkly kind of vampires, aren’t you?”
Three of them chuckled and it was Will who spoke. “That’s all shit. No one sparkles unless you’re wearing a fuck ton of glitter.”
She giggled at this then cleared her throat. “But you didn’t burn?”
“Not everything about us is Hollywood,” he answered.
Chayton brought the food to the table and Will made his way over to her. He bent down to one knee and reached for her hand.
She hesitated at first, then decided to give her hand to him.
He took it and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “Please forgive my rudeness the other night. I can be… overbearing.”
“You were more than that,” Chayton told him. “You were an asshole and she didn’t deserve that.”
Will growled at the man. “I’m trying here.”
“Leave him alone,” Brandi announced. “I forgive you, Will. We’ll start over with a clean slate. How about that.”
He nodded and stood. He made his way to a seat at the table, as did Chayton. “So, I bet you have questions,” Will said.
“How old are you?” she asked.
One by one, each vampire answered. Each told their backstory of how they became part of this world, and the Covenant, and Malik, their leader, helped them find their place in society.
“Who exactly is Malik?” she asked.
“He’s like our president, if you think of it that way,” Will offered. “He rules North and South America. All decisions are finalized by him, and if we’re ever in need of backup, he never hesitates. He’s joined by his own brothers-in-arms, Bishop Adam and Dash Santana.”
“So there’s three rulers of North and South America?”
“No, that’s just Malik. Bishop and Dash are his backup. Think of them as two Vice Presidents by his side.”
She nodded and crossed her legs in the other direction. “Understood.” She paused for a moment, then tilted her head. “Why do you not feed on humans?”
“We can,” Chayton said. “But it would be the equivalent of human’s only eating tofu. It’s bland with no taste unless it’s cooked with something else. Human blood does nothing for us, other than leaving us thirsty for more blood.”
She considered this, then continued. “And this serum can change my DNA and make me a blood demon?”
“No,” he stated. “The serum only changes your blood. Everything else about you remains as is. Once you’re paired with a vampire, or vampires, and you drink their blood, your life will begin to move at a much slower pace. You’ll still age, but at eighty you’ll still look the age you are now.”
“Wow,” she whispered. “Will I be able to gain or lose weight?”
“Of course,” he said. “You’re still human.”
She lifted a brow. “This might be TMI, but will I still have a period?”
Chayton grinned. “Actually, no. It’ll stop. That’s been my experience with our first transitioned human, Tawne. She no longer has a period.”
“I bet she’s happy about that.”
He chuckled. “Most days, yes. Others, she doesn’t bring it up.”
Will leaned forward and pressed his forearms to the table. “Do you still have questions?”
“Just a few more.”
He nodded. “Then go ahead.”
She nibbled on her lip and looked at the four vampires in front of her. She sighed, then blurted out her question. “Does it hurt when the human is fed on?”
Christofano shook his head. “Not in the least. We have a solution in our saliva that will numb the skin of a human, blood demon, whoever we’re feeding on. All they feel is… well?” He looked at Evan, then Will.
“It’ll feel like an orgasm that’s triggered almost instantly,” Will answered. “It can be quite intense.”
“Then how does a blood demon or human keep from fucking her vampire?” She cringed when their brows rose. “I’m sorry for being vulgar.”
“Don’t be,” Will offered. “It’s quite refreshing. Everyone at the covenant is so prim and proper.” He visibly shook it off as if he were disgusted at the thought.
She giggled.
“To answer your question,” Evan started. “It’s truly up to the blood demon and her vampire, or vampires, if they choose to cross that line.”
“All right. How about female vampires? Do they exist?”
“Of course,” Will answered.
“Right, that was a stupid question.”
“Not stupid,” Christofano added. “It’s a fair question. Yes, we have female vampires in our world. Unfortunately, it seems only women are birthed as blood demons.”
She didn’t expect that as an answer. “Then how do they feed? Do they take mates?”
“There’s volunteers at the covenant,” Evan answered. “They can feed there.”
“We’re also testing the serum on men to see if it’s adaptable. So far, it’s not taken.” He frowned. “But we’re still working on it.”
Brandi nodded and folded her hands on the table. “Okay, one more question. Where do I sign up?”
CHAPTER 5
Sitting in a chair, similar to that of a dentist but with straps, wasn’t how Brandi imagined her day would be like. A few days had passed since she agreed to the serum. She spent most of her time with Tawne, catching up from their school days, and what it was like to live with four vampires.
Four men to love, four men to have sex with, and no one gets jealous. They share her and also spend one on one time with her.
As Doctor Blair strapped her into the chair, she looked over to where Tawne stood. Her friend crossed the room and took her hand.
“You promise it doesn’t hurt?” Brandi asked. She was nervous, rightfully so. She was about to change not only what she was, but who she was, all in the name of having a life outside of the streets.
Was she selling her soul to do this?
Maybe… maybe not. However, right now, this felt like it was her only option in life.
She never wanted to return to the streets. That, she knew. And if it meant giving herself to vampires of this Covenant, then so be it. Then again, there was the feedings.
“I promise, you’ll only feel the pinch from the needle. Everything else is nothing. You won’t feel a thing. You’ll still be Brandi, but like super Brandi. Your blood will change and you’ll become sustenance for vampires. Nothing else will happen.”
“But eventually, my aging will slow, I’ll live longer, and I’ll have a home.”
Tawne squeezed her hand. “I promise, you’ll have a home no matter what happens.”
Brandi felt her eyes burn with tears and her heart ached with the love her friend was giving her. They hadn’t seen each other in a few years, but it was as if time hadn’t passed between them. She didn’t deserve this kindness from Tawne, but she also didn’t deserve to live on the streets.
Brandi pulled Tawne closer, then whispered, “After this, can we have a spa day? I’d love to get a makeover and cut some of this hair off my head.”
Tawne grinned. “Absolutely. We’ll have the works done.”
“All right, Brandi,” Doctor Blair started. He held a syringe in one hand, a gauze bandage in the other. “Are you ready?”
She took a deep breath and quickly nodded. She wouldn’t change her mind about this. She was in, one hundred percent. “Let’s do this.”
Chayton Blair looked at his concubine, Tawne, winked at her, then turned his attention back to Brandi. “Here we go, and here’s to your future, Brandi.”
“Here’s to my future,” she repeated.
As the needle drew closer, she closed her eyes and held her breath. Needles and Brandi weren’t exactly on good terms with each other. The streets were covered with users and dirty needles were everywhere.
The pinch happened and she gritted her teeth.
“It’s over,” Tawne whispered.
Doctor Blair held the gauze against her arm, then using paper tape, fastened it to her bicep. “All done. Congratulations and welcome to the world of vampires and blood demons, Brandi. I hope it gives you everything you could ever dream of.” He brushed his hand over her head, something like a fatherly move, maybe endearment.
She smiled and a tear slipped from her eye, running into her hair. “You’ve all been so good to me. Thank you. Also...” She blushed as Chayton and Tawne began unfastening her from the seat. “I don’t have insurance to cover this. I promise to pay it off to you, though.”
“It’s already covered,” Tawne told her. “The Covenant covers any human who decides to become a synthetic blood demon. You have nothing to worry about.”
She didn’t know what to say to that.
Where had this world been her entire life?
“Thank you,” she whispered through a hiccup, before sitting up and breaking down into hysterics. “Thank you so much.”
“I’ll take this as my leave,” Chayton said and made his way to Tawne, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll see you back home?”
She nodded. “After a while. Girl time first.”
He took his leave and Tawne wrapped her arms around her friend. “You never, ever, have to go back to where you came from. I promise. This is your new life. You’ll have so much time for the things you want to do and the things you didn’t know you wanted to do and learn.”
Brandi sniffed and let go of Tawne. “Good to know. What have you done with your new life?”
“I do things here and there the Covenant asks of me. My friend, Oliva, a pure blood demon, works for the Covenant doing curator type stuff. And my newest friend, Sadie, also a blood demon, has become a bestselling author of paranormal romance. Specifically vampires.” She winked. “Whatever your passion and whatever drives you, the Covenant will help you out any way they can. Malik, Bishop, and Dash are all amazing. They truly care about us and our families.”
“That’s good to know.” Brandi thought about what her passion would be and immediately it was offering security to those who lived in an orphanage their entire life and had no direction to go once they turn eighteen.
“You’ll now be listed in our directory of blood demons, so you’re aware,” Tawne informed her.
“You have a directory?”
Her friend nodded. “It’s to keep track of us and where we are. It’s not a way to control us. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. It’s like a register. It has our names and who we’re paired to.”
Brandi nodded and turned in the seat, setting her feet on the floor. She didn’t feel any different. Her arm was a little sore from the injection, but otherwise, she felt… normal.
“So, shall we go to the spa and have some fun?” Tawne asked.
Brandi grinned. “Yes, please!”
After three hours of being pampered, scrubbed, nails painted, and a fresh haircut, both women were ready to take on the world.
Or so to speak.
Brandi spun in a circle for Tawne. “They cut a few inches off, but I wanted to go more. They suggested doing a little at a time instead of going drastic.”
Tawne shrugged. “I suppose they’re right, but it’s your hair.”
“Right? That’s what I said.”
“Well, from here we need to get you ready for the claiming ceremony.”
Brandi stopped walking and grabbed Tawne’s arm. “Wait, what? Now? Today?” She felt her pulse quicken and her anxiety shot sky high. Her breathing sped up and she felt as if she would hyperventilate.
“First, you need to calm yourself down. Remember, you’re the one in charge. You’re going to have a guard with you at all times. The one we keep close by is Jesse. You’ll like him. Just keep in mind, you do not have to accept the invite from a vampire just because he offers his hand.”
Brandi nodded and bent down, pressing her palms to her knees. “I got it. Thank you. I’ll get myself together shortly. Just… you know.” She stood and gave her attention to Tawne. “This is huge for me. Going from nothing to pretty much everything.”
“I won’t try to pretend to understand how you’re feeling. All I’ll do is be here for you, no matter what.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
Brandi hesitated asking her question, because she knew it might offend Tawne, but she needed to know.
“Why are you being so nice to me? To be honest, I don’t understand it.”
“Easy,” Tawne smiled. “You were not given the choice in how your life played out. It wasn’t fair and no one took the time to accept you, teach you about real life, and being kicked out just because you’re eighteen and the state cut you off was totally not fair. I just want you to have a good life, a home, clothes on your back, and food in your stomach.” She grinned. “If that includes some sexy hot men, why not indulge?”
Brandi pressed her lips together, then giggled. “I still cannot believe this is happening!”
Upon returning home, there was a team of people inside Brandi didn’t recognize, each holding some type of instrument, clothes, and what looked like lots of nail polish.
Brandi took a step back and held onto Tawne’s arm. “What is this?”
“It’s okay. This here is the trifecta of beauty teams. They dressed both me and Olivia. Now, they’re here for you.”
“But I just got a makeover and my hair cut,” she protested.
“Not by us you didn’t,” the one with the blow dryer said. “Come on, girl. Let’s get started.”
She had a southern drawl and Brandi still wasn’t sure about this. “This is for the ceremony, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the woman said and Brandi saw the fangs in her mouth.
She gasped. “You’re vampires, too?”
“Hell to the yes,” the man said.
“My name is Amanda. I’ll be doing your hair. This here is Jackie and she’ll work on your nails. Our boy toy, here, is Bryce. He’ll be dressing you.”
