Adopt a Vampire
: Chapter 1

When people got out of work late, they usually focused on getting home, what to have for a quick dinner, and how fast they could get into comfy sweats. I wasn’t any different, although my dinner options were extremely limited thanks to my diet. I hated diets. I especially hated them when they didn’t come with an option tag. At least it was Thursday, so I only had to survive one more day of work this week before I could become a couch potato.

My mind focused on my (lack of) dinner plans, I didn’t immediately notice the two guys across the street from my downtown office building. I probably wouldn’t have noticed them at all, but since the change six years ago, my senses were now a lot keener than the average human’s. When the dry Arizona breeze swept my direction, it brought their scent with it, and I froze, keys in hand, halfway reaching for the car door.

What…was that? It smelled like fur and human and iron-rich blood.

They’d caught some hint of me, too, as they were standing very still and watching me with unnatural focus. I swallowed hard and stared back, not sure what to make of this. They were the first supernatural beings I’d seen in six years, and I had no experience whatsoever with weres. At least, judging from the smell, I assumed them to be a were-something. Werewolves, werepanthers—something warm-blooded and furry.

Oh boy. What should I do, here? I’d chosen Arizona on purpose, Flagstaff in particular, as I hadn’t wanted to get involved with the supernatural world. The one brush I’d had with it six years ago had done enough damage physically and mentally, so I didn’t really want to mix with it again. I’d lived here peacefully for six years without any run-ins, so I didn’t know how to take the appearance of these two. Were they just passing through?

As if to answer my question, they looked either direction, then crossed the somewhat busy street, moving a touch faster than a human could manage at a speed walk, only slowing when they reached the sidewalk on my side. I turned to track them, dropping my briefcase and keys on the hood of my car to free up my hands. I had no idea if my weakened state could compete with two weres at full strength. Somehow, I doubted it. I wasn’t exactly in peak physical condition these days.

Stopping five feet away, the taller one with two-toned hair informed me flatly, “This is our territory. You can tell Oscar to keep to his own land.”

Despite fear causing my heart to beat a staccato against my ribs, I cocked my head. Interesting. Had he mistaken me for someone else? “I’m sorry…who?”

They blinked at me.

I stared back. Did I need to run for my life or…?

“Oscar,” the other one said, his dark brows drawing together as if he wasn’t sure whether to be confused or angry I was pulling his leg. “You know.”

“Ah, no. Really don’t,” I assured him sincerely. I assumed Oscar was another vampire they knew, maybe someone powerful? I knew zilch about vampire politics and society, so I could only hazard a guess. “I’m not affiliated with any group or family or whatever you call them. Are you two living here? In Flagstaff, I mean.”

They stared at me some more.

I stared back, not sure what they’d found so discombobulating. Was it my question of where they lived? I mean, it was a common question with humans, but maybe it was taboo in the supernatural world?

“You’re a vampire,” Two Tone said slowly, head canting in obvious confusion, “and you don’t know who Oscar is.”

I gave him my best disarming smile, the one I gave little old ladies. See? I’m harmless, so please do not squish me. “Yeah, sorry, no idea. I take it me being here is some sort of territorial no-no?”

The shorter one shifted forward as I spoke, and his slender frame displayed a more relaxed stance now, his gaze blatantly sizing me up. I knew what I looked like to him—dark hair, pale skin, painfully thin body that even my nice navy suit couldn’t disguise. I wasn’t the amazingly beautiful vampire from the movies and books, just an average guy who didn’t look like Frankenstein’s monster. Obviously, I wasn’t egging for a fight or accustomed to them. He didn’t look hostile, just thoughtful, which made my own guard lower. Maybe not all supernaturals were scary assholes? “It would be, if you were one of Oscar’s. So if you’re not his, which clan do you belong to?”

Yeah, I was not about to just hand out my life story without some information in return, but these two weren’t looking quite as lethal as before, their metaphorical hackles subsiding a little, so I chose to take a risk. It was either that, or waste my one chance to learn how to survive in this new world, ’cause clearly I was sucking at it. So yea, maybe a little conversation here wouldn’t hurt anything. “Tell you what, let’s just do full introductions all around, shall we? I’m Jesse, and you are?”

“Cesar,” the man with two-toned hair responded with a respectful look in his eye, as if he appreciated the gesture of civility. “This is my cousin, Luis. We’re from Walker Pack.”

“Nice to meet you,” I greeted and hoped that stayed true. “To answer, I’m not from a, uh, group. I’ve only met one other vampire, the one who turned me, and I haven’t seen him in six years.”

They slowly blinked, then looked at each other like I’d announced the moon really was made of cheese. It lasted only a second before Cesar looked me over from head to toe again, and this time his expression turned puzzled with concern. “You’re not a rogue.”

That much, at least, I knew something about. “No.”

“The vamp who turned you, he was?”

“Yeah. It’s how I know what you mean.” I shrugged, not having anything else to say without a lot of swearing being involved. The vampire who’d turned me had never outright said he was a rogue, but the way he’d appeared and then disappeared from my life had pretty much connected the dots. “But how can you tell?”

“You’re not well fed,” Cesar answered bluntly, and he closed the rest of the distance between us, standing in a more conversational range. “Listen, Jesse. This is not a good position for you to be in. We’ve got three groups edging in on this territory, and one of them’s a vampire clan. If you don’t align with Oscar’s people pretty quickly, someone might mistake you as a rogue, and they’ll tear your head off before you can get a hello out. We only hesitated because you weren’t doing anything hostile, and we didn’t want to start trouble.”

Hence they’d tried warning me off first. Got it. “I don’t like the idea of just waltzing up to their territory and introducing myself. For one thing, I don’t even know where they are.” Not to mention they might not exactly be the friendly type.

“Yeah, that’s not a good idea,” he said, scratching the scruff on his chin. “Tell you what. Let me call my alpha, see if we can get you under our protection until we can reach Oscar. I don’t want you to be accidentally killed and them getting in a huff about a vampire dying on our turf.”

I could see how that would start a war, even if I wasn’t one of theirs. Still… “Look, just so we’re clear, I don’t want to actually be part of any vampire cult or what have you. It’s not my idea of a good time, having someone be master over me. I only want to meet them, ask a few questions.”

They gave me the “he’s strange” look again. I got that look a lot, so it didn’t really phase me anymore.

“Jesse”—Luis couldn’t be much older than me, but still he spoke as if trying to explain something to a child—“you really can’t afford to be out here on your own. I know you’ve managed for a while, so you think you can keep going, but we’ve got some pretty heavy hitters moving in. It’s a miracle you haven’t been caught between two sides already. And really? You’re too weak to survive the fallout if you did. You look like I can break you over my knee.”

Ruefully, I had to admit he had a point. According to movies and lore, vampires were supposed to be ridiculously strong, and the first year after turning, I was. I could bench press five hundred pounds and do ridiculous leaps and feats of strength normally reserved for Olympic athletes. After that, though, I’d been in a steady decline. I’d tried to offset it by eating everything I could think of to stay healthy, but I’d only suffered excruciating stomach pain for my attempts. Seemed the stories had one thing right—a vampire fed best fresh from a human.

And I refused to.

I paused, thinking hard and fast. Should I go along with this? They had good points, and I didn’t like the idea of being caught in a clash of supernaturals who would certainly be stronger than me. Still, I’d avoided trouble for six years. I could always replace a new job and move. It wasn’t like I had vital reasons for staying in Arizona.

Then again, would it hurt to at least meet their alpha? Learn more about werewolves and the supernatural world? Really, I couldn’t avoid future trouble without more information than I currently had. Frankly, right now I knew basically nada. “All right. I at least would like to talk to him.”

Relieved, Cesar instantly fished his cell out of his pocket and speed-dialed someone. They picked up on the third ring, and I could clearly hear both sides of the conversation from where I stood. “Barrett, its Cesar. We have an interesting problem. There’s a vamp living here in Flagstaff, but he’s not one of Oscar’s.”

“Rogue?” a smooth tenor voice demanded from the other side.

“No way he is. He’s actually quite polite, introduced himself and everything.” Cesar shot me a grin. “Says he was turned six years ago by a rogue, and we’re the first supernaturals he’s seen since.”

“Shit. Poor kid.”

I rolled my eyes a little at his assumption. At thirty-three, I couldn’t be considered a kid by anyone’s standards.

“Look, Barrett, he’s…not in good shape. I don’t think he’ll survive much longer out here. Can we bring him in until we tell Oscar about him?”

“An abandoned vampire out on his own for six years? Of course he’s not in good shape. Shit, just by being loose, he can start a war without meaning to. Yeah, bring him in—”

Now I balked. “Wait, wait! You want me to go stay in werewolf territory?”

I got “duh” looks from two people and probably a third, not that I could see through the phone screen.

I glared right back at them. “You seriously expect me to take the word of three people I’ve barely met and follow you home? Honey bunches of nope, that is not happening.”

“Jesse,” Luis said, trying to reason with me in that slightly condescending tone parents used for unreasonable kids, “you really can’t stay out here. You would be much safer at home with us—”

“It’s like that T-shirt,” I grumbled rhetorically to the mild evening air. “You have to show me the candy first, then I get into the van. I’m not stupid.”

From the alpha on the line, there was a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Well, at least he saw where I was coming from.

“I don’t know you,” I told them both bluntly, crossing my arms. “I only have your word things are going to get crazy.”

“Cesar,” the alpha started, “he does have a point, and he’s right to be wary. Where are you three?”

“Downtown, near the courthouse.”

“All right. Ask him if he’s comfortable meeting me at Sweet Aroma Café.”

The café was literally a block down and one of the few places I could order coconut water straight and not get weird looks from the staff. “That’s fine.”

He’d obviously heard me as he said, “Give me twenty minutes.”

Cesar hung up and pocketed the phone, giving me a sideways look. “Don’t we need to feed you first?”

I stretched my mouth out in a simulacrum of a grin. “Don’t worry. I don’t snack on people.”

Barrett the Alpha looked like a model. He had a lean build, and while not the bulky type, he clearly possessed a sculpted physique. Even while sitting down, his exposed forearms displayed a ripple of muscle beneath his deep bronze skin, and he radiated authority to the point of being nearly overpowering. Damn, if strength determined the alpha in a werewolf pack, then he was very obviously the guaranteed winner.

His black hair had been cut in a short buzz on the sides, with slightly more length on top. I wanted to put him in his forties, just from the fine lines around his eyes and mouth and the general air of maturity about him, but I had no idea if my guess was accurate. Did werewolves age slower than humans?

I’d arrived at the outdoor table where the three weres sat amidst my assessment and slowly sank into the only available seat. Since I’d been warily watching the alpha now sitting across from me, it was hard to miss his dark brown eyes taking me in and the brief flash of a frown before his expression turned into something more professional. “I’m Barrett Walker. You’ve already met Luis and Cesar.”

“Jesse Hunt,” I said, offering a hand. He hesitated a second, surprised at the gesture, then slowly took it, his calloused hand folding over mine. I could feel the strength behind his grip. I had no idea what he actually did for a living, but it must have required that strength, as dust and mortar of some sort were smudged in various places. Stonemason, maybe? He smelled of stone, powder, sweat, and sunshine, a not unpleasant concoction.

“Well, Jesse, I have to say I didn’t expect to casually sit down to dine with a vampire when I got up this morning.” He gave me a quick smile, a lopsided expression that relayed dry humor. “Tell me, how long have you been in Flagstaff?”

“About six years,” I admitted. “I tried to stay where I was before…well, before.” I didn’t know how to say this with people all around us, so I lowered my voice a smidge to avoid being overheard. “But it didn’t work out well. I wasn’t at work for a few days, and when I went back, too many people caught on to me acting different, more withdrawn, and thought I was on drugs. I eventually had to move, and my maker had briefly mentioned that most supernats didn’t like to live in the desert, so I came to Arizona. It’s worked out pretty well the past six years.”

“We’re expanding territory because we’ve basically overpopulated the other favorite places to live,” Barrett admitted openly. “And not everyone dislikes the desert. In this case, it works out well for your people, and for mine, so long as we have large empty places to run around. We’ve got a group of witches who are budging in here, and it’s causing some conflict because we didn’t expect them. Honestly, they’re the ones I’m worried about the most where you’re concerned. They’ve got some hotheads.”

I grimaced. He didn’t have to tell me that. It was a group of witches that led to me being turned in the first place. “How many?”

He caught my uneasy reaction but didn’t comment. “We can’t get a fixed number on them, which is part of the problem. They stuck to the southwest part of town for the first few months, but now they’re flexing and pushing, and we see them up here sometimes too.” He adjusted his forearms against the tabletop, making the glass shift in its metal frame. “Oscar’s people aren’t settled yet, not really, so they’re still trying out areas and figuring out which spots they’re going to fight to keep. We’ve been here longest, as we moved in eight months ago.”

“So this is all very new.” I sat back, frowning. That did make sense. No wonder I hadn’t seen anyone before now, if they’d started on the outskirts of town and were feeling their way toward the center. I lived and worked downtown, so of course I hadn’t been in anyone’s sight yet, but that changed as of today. If I had run across another vampire, or one of those witches, would I have ended up at this outdoor table in front of the café? Or would I be fighting for my life right now?

Probably the latter.

“Jesse, I have to ask some questions.” Barrett looked at me carefully, as if trying to gauge my reaction.

“I’ve got some too,” I admitted steadily. A little game of quid pro quo seemed appropriate for this setting. “Since you’ve been explaining a lot, you start.”

He very obviously phrased the question in his head before speaking it. “How are you surviving?”

A very wise question, if he still considered bringing me into his territory a good idea. “Coconut water.”

Barrett winced.

I felt defensive for some reason and snipped at him, “What was I supposed to do? I’m not feeding from people. Coconut water is very similar to blood. More acidic and without all the same nutrients, sure, but close enough to keep me alive. I tried eating raw steak and other foods, to offset things, but for some reason my system didn’t like it. So now I’m on a permanent liquid diet.”

“Damn,” Cesar muttered to himself, sitting on Barrett’s right side. “No wonder you’re stick-thin.”

I glared at him mutinously. I wasn’t on this extreme diet because I wanted to be. Human food literally did nothing for me. It tasted fine, I could eat and enjoy it, but my body always rebelled soon after, which led to hours in pain and still feeling weak. I could eat all day and starve. The coconut water was the only thing I’d found I could subsist on. “My turn for a question, I think. You said Oscar is new to the area. What’s he like?”

“Not much known about him,” Barrett admitted, still watching me with open pity. “He’s not actually a clan master, you understand, but a lieutenant for one. Oscar’s here with about twenty others, and I think they’re just placeholders more than anything else. A way for his master to expand territory while it’s still open to be claimed. I’ve met Oscar exactly twice, and he’s amiable enough if you’re polite and open to negotiation. Or at least, he didn’t act like a complete asshole. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a jerk, but all vampires are jerks to weres. It’s a superiority thing, but you likely won’t have an issue with him. His master is Nash, one of the oldest vamps, and he’s up in Vancouver.”

This surprised me, but I didn’t know why. Vancouver, as a city, wasn’t that old. I guess I expected him to say an older place, like Boston or something. “So this is more like a branch office.”

“Something like that, yeah. Look, I know you’re not keen on mixing with vamps, the only time you did it led to this”—he gave me a general wave of the hand to indicate all my vampiricalness—“but not all of them are bad. I can at least vouch for Oscar. He isn’t a bad guy. If we explain the situation to him, at the very least he’ll ensure you’re within the clan’s boundaries and aren’t hassled.”

“Yeah, but at what cost?” I stared Barrett down as he faltered. “Look, I’m not used to having someone to answer to. I’m not saying I want to go hog wild, here, but I have a feeling joining a vampire group is like joining the army. Forever. Not my cup of tea.”

“It’s more like being part of a large community,” Luis said, correcting me. He leaned back in his chair, comfortably sitting to keep us both in view as he talked. “Only the top vamp leaders will order you around, and they rarely do this. I mean, Nash’s clan—clan is the official term for vampires—is huge, almost a thousand people. There’s no way he has time to order every single person around.”

Said like that, it did ease my fears. Clan, huh? He said it wasn’t like the military, but I wondered if it might be something more like a family? I hadn’t had one of those in a long time and my heart ached at the thought of getting to have one again. It hadn’t been fun living on my own for a long stretch of time, and the novelty wore off in the first six months. I still didn’t know these people, so I didn’t have any intention of just jumping into matters, but I didn’t mind at least meeting them. If nothing else, I had a lot of questions I wanted answered about being a vampire. “I guess it doesn’t hurt to at least talk to them.”

“I really, really don’t want anyone to mistake you as a rogue,” Barrett informed me with transparent sincerity. “It will cause all sorts of issues for us, and you seem like a nice guy. It’ll be a pity to see you hurt. Let’s at least notify Oscar you’re here so mistakes won’t be made, yeah? And come home with me for the evening, stay with us until someone from the clan can come meet you. It’ll be a lot safer, and I won’t have a nervous breakdown that way.” Barrett shot me a cheeky grin before adding, “And before you protest, just know I’m Cuban, and we love hosting people. Not to mention most of my pack treats my house like their own, anyway. I promise, you won’t be a burden, and I can guarantee my people will treat you well.”

Strangely, I believed him. Over the course of our conversation, my guard had slipped, and I didn’t fear for my safety at all. Which…uh, why?

Instincts, I’m asking a question, here. Would love a response, please and thank you. This man could break me like a toothpick.

Of course, part of me still hesitated because going home with three relative strangers seemed like a poor life decision, but truthfully, they could force me into a car if they wanted to. Barrett alone could do so with one arm. I also got this sincere vibe from him, or maybe it was his body language. He’d been very open with me, and it made me want to respond in kind. I just didn’t think I was in danger with him. Call me crazy, but my instincts insisted I was safe as houses. He’d politely asked, he had good reasons, and it wouldn’t kill me to spend a few hours at his house cooling my heels. “If we don’t get an answer by nine, I’ll return to my place. I’m right off this square, so it’s not like I’m openly in someone else’s territory, right?”

“Just ours,” he assured me with a grin. “And yeah, that’s fine. But still, I think Oscar will answer pretty quickly. I’ll be surprised if this takes more than two hours to resolve.”

“Come home and let us feed you, yeah?” Cesar invited with a waggle of his brows. “I’ll let you snack on me.”

I frowned at him. “No, thank you.”

Not expecting my response, he pulled his head back. “Why not? Seriously, you’re a vamp, what do you have against blood?”

“You smell like wet dog,” I retorted. “No way.”

Barrett threw his head back and howled a laugh.