Adopt a Vampire
: Chapter 3

I froze, going unnaturally still as only a vampire could. He didn’t really mean that, did he? A vampire, living with werewolves? Was this even a thing?

Marissa and Hector both drew in sharp breaths of surprise, so clearly they hadn’t expected Barrett’s offer either. However, neither protested. They looked at their alpha, first in wonder, then shrewdly, as if they’d caught on to his line of reasoning.

Bully for them, but that didn’t mean I got it. “You want me—a vampire—to live with your pack?”

Barrett shrugged like this wasn’t the big deal I was making it out to be. “Why not? As I said, I like you. And you’ll be a benefit to my pack. Wouldn’t you rather stay with us, enjoy having the family and protection that comes along with joining us? Plus, we’re super fun. We have big dinners every night, and family game nights once a week, and usually there’s a live music night that happens at least once a month so people can cut loose and dance.”

I opened my mouth to say, well, something, only to close it again slowly. He had me there. I’d been alone for years and frankly hadn’t enjoyed it. It was nerve-racking to be out on my own, and even though I managed, it wouldn’t have been my first choice. I just hadn’t had an alternative. But now, suddenly, I did. With people I barely knew.

People who’d automatically come to my defense. People who’d fed me while I was starving and on death’s door.

I’d yearned for years to have just a single soul I could confide in, and here I was being offered all of that. My heartstrings tugged at the sharp longing that filled me. I yearned for a family again and this…this was something I’d never even dreamed of, being offered to me on a silver platter.

What would it be like, really, living among them? I’d seen how much affection they had for each other, how they instantly pulled together defensively if there was trouble. It hadn’t taken more than two hours around them to see this all very clearly. If I was with them, if I was one of them…the mental image filled me to bursting. I hadn’t felt hope like this in years.

I was not by nature a reckless person, or one given to following their instincts. It prevented me from just jumping in. I went with caution instead. “Barrett. I like the sound of this offer, you’ve no idea how much, but I don’t want us to act impulsively. Maybe let’s do this on a trial basis? Take the next six months and decide. Right now, I barely know enough to really make an informed decision.”

He nodded, mouth easing up into a smile. “I thought you’d say that. And it’s more than fine. Reasonable, really. If in six months, we replace a vampire clan who will do right by you, I’ll let you go without protest. Sound fair?”

And that was the only way he’d let me go, eh? The thought amused me. I figured part of being alpha was having very high protective instincts. He’d certainly taken a liking to me quickly enough. “Okay by me.”

“Good. We need to do a few things tonight. First, call into work and take tomorrow off.” He touched my throat lightly, frowning. “Hector said you’ll be well, but there will still be a mark, and it will be hard to explain to your coworkers. And this way you’ll have the full weekend to recover.”

I grimaced in agreement. “Yeah, okay. You’re going to insist I move into this subdivision, aren’t you?”

“It’s not safe for you at your apartment,” he agreed, although not unsympathetically. “For now, stay in my house. I’ve got a guest bedroom no one’s using, and it’s better to keep you close until I can figure out what the hell is going on.”

I thought about it—about going home and being attacked on the way by vampires stronger than me and not having any allies at hand. Yeah, no. Let’s avoid that possible future. “Can I at least pack some stuff up?”

“Sure. I’ll go with you. But not tonight, okay? I know you’re feeling better, and you certainly look better, but after that kind of blood loss you’re likely anemic.”

“Change ‘likely’ for ‘definitely’ and you’ll be closer to the mark,” Hector informed us both bluntly. “I want to keep you under observation, Jesse. All right?”

It was really hard to argue with people who had nothing more than your well-being in mind. “Okay, but you think going to work on Monday will be fine?”

“Supernaturals don’t usually move much during the day in obvious attacks,” Barrett explained patiently. “Too many witnesses. Trouble will start when you leave work in the evening. For the next few weeks, at least, someone will take you to and from work. I’d rather not leave things to chance until we have it in their heads you’re part of us now.”

So act like a teenager being picked up from school. Got it.

“Tonight, do you feel well enough to go downstairs?” Barrett asked, a touch of worry in his tone. “I want to introduce you to everyone and explain things.”

“I really do feel better than I have in a long while,” I assured him, meaning every word. It was actually crazy how much better I felt. Blood for the win! “And I’d like to properly say hi.”

“All right. Let’s do that first. Then I’ll deal with Oscar.”

Did it make me a bad person to look forward to the shit show that would follow when he did get Oscar on the phone? Maybe I should record it for future listening pleasure.

Marissa and Hector went ahead of us, and Barrett borderline hovered as I climbed out of the bed and headed for the door. I did have some lightheadedness, once I was on my own feet, but I couldn’t describe just how indifferent I was to the sensation. I felt full, a feeling I’d nearly forgotten. I had a higher energy level, too; it didn’t drain me to just stand there and carry my own weight. I felt like a cancer patient who had finally been taken off the treatments and given a new lease on life. I nearly bounced down the stairs, I was so happy.

More people had arrived in the time I’d been recovering, and the living room, dining room, and the patio outside were standing room only. If there were less than two hundred people crammed in here, I would eat my shoes. What were they all doing here? Had they come in to get an explanation of why a vampire attacked another vampire on their territory? We paused on the staircase, not only because it was the only sensible place to stop, but also to give everyone a good look at me, Barrett standing so close our shoulders brushed together.

“Everyone here?” he asked the crowd in general.

“Some of the kids are asleep, but everyone else is here,” someone assured him from the bottom of the stairs.

“Good.” Barrett took in a breath before pitching his voice to be heard even outside. “I’m sure some of you are wondering what the hell is going on. First, let me introduce the man at my side. This is Jesse. We met him this afternoon. He’s clanless, turned by a rogue vampire six years ago—”

There were several hisses and unhappy grumbles, and more than one person shot me a sympathetic look. I found their reaction interesting. Was it something to pity, me out on my own? Is that why they looked at me this way?

“—and we’re the first supernaturals he’s seen since his turning. I brought him here for safety until we could arrange a meeting with Oscar. Oscar instead sent someone else to meet him, and that person attacked him without provocation. Pretty sure you caught that part,” Barrett tacked on dryly, making a few snort in laughter. “Oscar is going to regret his choice tonight because Jesse’s a lawyer. He specializes in real estate and tax law.”

Someone whistled appreciatively and I could hear a few muted conversations break out. Was it really so odd, having a vampire with marketable skills? Or at least skills that fit in with this modern age?

“Pack.” Barrett’s tone went firmer, harder, like a commander speaking to his troops. “I have offered Jesse a place in Walker. He has provisionally accepted, as we both agreed it wise to have a trial basis of six months.”

People really erupted with questions then. I couldn’t pick out all the words, but the tone was incredulous, not irate. They weren’t against this? I searched faces, expressions, and they were certainly surprised but not fearful. Not antagonistic. It was just like earlier, when some accepted my presence after just a wave from their alpha. They really weren’t at all worried about a vampire staying in their territory?

Barrett held up a hand. “I know you have more than a few questions, and I encourage you to talk to Jesse and ask them. You’ll like him too, I think.” He cast me a quick wink, and I kid you not, I blushed. Dammit, why were confident men my weakness? “But I want this to be clear. I don’t trust the other vampires with him right now, so if he goes out, one of you please go with him. At least for the next several weeks. Also, I need a roster sheet of those willing to be his blood donor. Jesse’s been starving for the past six years due to a lack of donors, and I won’t let it continue while he’s with our pack.”

One brave man in the front of the staircase waved a hand to get his alpha’s attention. “Barrett, who’s he staying with?”

“Me, for now.”

Another woman lifted a hand. “You said provisional, but is he just staying here?”

“He’s pack until I say otherwise,” Barrett answered bluntly.

I looked over the sea of faces and thought about being pack—essentially family—to everyone here. I wasn’t sure whether to be overwhelmed or…you know what, overwhelmed about covered it.

Someone finally pitched a question my direction, a pale brunet who bore a striking resemblance to Marissa. “And what do you think about all of this?”

“I think he’s crazy, but a good crazy,” I answered, the words just popping out of my mouth before I could check them. More than a few snickered and I shrugged, relieved to replace Barrett grinning at me. He wasn’t the type to be easily offended, apparently. “Look, I said okay to this provisionally because I really don’t know much about werewolves, and I didn’t think it a good idea to jump into this without knowing anything. But you’ve been good to me so far, and I’d like to return the favor.”

“That’s okay by us,” a man to my right responded, and good god, did his parents feed him whole cows for breakfast as a child? He was massive. He was probably the size of a horse when he shifted. “Where’s a signup to be your donor, Jesse?”

“I’ve no idea,” I admitted honestly, and smiled when he gave me an exasperated look. “I’ll get something posted to the fridge tonight, how’s that?”

“That works.”

“Any other questions? No? All right, dismissed.” Barrett waved them off and people dispersed.

I regarded them all with some puzzlement. Really? They didn’t have any issue with a vampire living in their territory? I could understand if Barrett had a stranglehold on them, but that obviously wasn’t the case, as he encouraged questions. Maybe they were just taking a wait-and-see approach. I certainly was.

“Okay, let’s get the signup sheet going”—Barrett put his hands on my shoulders, his warm skin like heating pads against my own even through the pullover as he steered me toward the dining room—“and then call Oscar. I’ll put you on speaker for the conversation. I’m sure you’ll have a few choice words for the man.”

“That I do,” I agreed darkly.

Marissa, two steps ahead of us, had already stolen a piece of paper from the printer and had scribbled something in marker at the top: Jesse’s donor list. Don’t make this kinky, people. I stopped at the fridge and stared at it, perplexed. “Kinky?”

Clearing his throat, Barrett kept his face and voice admirably neutral as he explained, “There’s some interesting stories about blood parties and orgies where vampires are concerned.”

“And that’s as much as I need to know,” I stated decisively. “Thank you, Alpha.”

Something that sounded suspiciously like a laugh came from behind us before Luis, one of the two werewolves I’d met downtown, wrote his name on the sheet. He winked at me. “Shame, that. I know a few of the girls were interested in making things fun.”

I craned my neck to look at him steadily, not about to back down at his teasing. “I’m afraid I’ll be a disappointment to the ladies. Wrong gender for me.”

Luis’s thick eyebrows shot up. “Vampires can be gay?”

I just looked at him wearily.

Barrett chuckled behind me, a muted sound as if he were trying to hold back but failing. “You stepped right into that one, Luis. There’s gay, bi, demi, trans, and asexual werewolves, just like people. Why not vampires?”

“But they’re supposed to be famous for seducing virgin girls,” Luis protested, and the gleam in his hazel eyes suggested he liked stirring the pot just to get a reaction.

“Their bite is supposed to be an aphrodisiac too, and that’s clearly a tall tale,” Barrett responded, tone going desert dry. “Thank you for volunteering. Come in the morning.”

Shrugging good-naturedly, Luis moved off. I shook my head, wondering aloud, “I’m going to get the question a lot, aren’t I?”

Barrett clapped me on the back, subtly moving me toward the dining table again. Was he normally this tactile? “Probably. To be fair, we don’t really know much about vampires, aside from clan politics, territories, and who their leaders are. But when it comes to feeding habits, relationships, and all of that? I probably know as much as you do.”

And that wasn’t saying much. Well, this should be interesting all around, as they’d expect me to act like a vampire, but really, I was a human who had a vampire body. I wouldn’t react as they’d expect.

Marissa supervised a few others signing up. “Jesse, how many times do you feed per day?” she asked over her shoulder.

I stared at her, nonplussed. “Uh, well, technically I eat all day?”

Barrett frowned at my answer, and he and Marissa both stared at me in concern.

That sounded wrong, didn’t it? I hastily rectified their assumption. “I have no idea how much blood I’ll need per day. I’ve never had the option before, after all. I normally sip on coconut water throughout the day and then drink, like, a gallon of it for dinner.”

“So you don’t know,” Marissa translated slowly, “if you need three meals a day or if one will suffice.”

I nodded in confirmation, hands splayed in a shrug. “No clue.”

“Let’s err on the side of caution,” Hector suggested. I hadn’t realized he’d joined in on the conversation, but he stood next to the open doorway of the kitchen, his wide shoulders propped up against the doorframe. “He’s in a stage of recovery, after all. He’ll likely need more blood than normal. Say, three meals a day. If he’s feeling too full, we’ll back off and adjust accordingly. I’m pretty sure vampires don’t eat three times a day, but it’s just rumor. I’ve no way to confirm it.”

Not without asking very pointed questions of another vampire, and no one seemed to think this a good idea. Not even me.

“Three times a day. Okay.” Marissa bent back to the feeding chart, organizing people. Was this an occupational habit, the need to see to my diet? I certainly wouldn’t argue. She knew these people better than I did.

Barrett pulled out his phone and dialed Oscar’s number before putting it on speaker and setting it on the mahogany wood between us. He leaned in, his hand lingering near my forearm. Now that I knew what he tasted like, how it felt to have his hands on me, I was much more aware of him than before. I felt the mildest tingle on my skin and fought it down. Attraction was a rare thing these days. I’d been so hungry, so focused on surviving, I hadn’t properly looked at someone in ages. From first sight, I’d considered Barrett handsome, but I initially hadn’t really felt much in the way of attraction. He had a very unique look to him with those high cheekbones, and I had a feeling the more you knew about him, the more attractive he became.

The phone rang three times before a clipped British voice answered coolly, “Walker. You had best have an excellent explanation of why you harmed one of mine.”

“Oh, I do,” Barrett growled, sounding like the wolf he was. “First let’s hear your explanation of why your vampire attacked a guest on my territory without warning or provocation.”

There was an audible hiccup followed by an irritated reply. “I beg your pardon? My liaison said he was attacked.”

“Your liaison hopped out of his SUV, told me he’d ‘handle this,’ and then attacked Jesse without any warning or provocation.” Barrett met my eyes as he said this, inviting me to join if I had something to add.

“Mr. Oscar”—I leaned forward to speak clearly into the phone—“I’m Jesse. I’m afraid that your liaison is twisting the facts in order to cover his ass. Barrett and I were standing in the front yard talking, waiting on him, when he arrived. We didn’t even get the man’s name or a proper hello out before he attacked me with some sort of bladed weapon. Barrett broke his arm to prevent him attacking again.”

“I see. Jesse, I have two questions for you.”

From the sound of his voice, it sounded like Blondie was going to be murdered after Oscar hung up the phone. I smiled at the thought. “By all means, please ask.”

“Why did you not properly contact a vampire clan before this?”

“I didn’t even know vampires had clans before today,” I answered truthfully. “The rogue vampire who turned me didn’t explain anything about vampire society. He covered the general dangers to avoid, how to hunt prey, and then left.”

Oscar let out a hissing breath like a cat thrown under a waterfall. “Might I have the name of the man who turned you?”

“I only know him by Huxley.”

“The name is not familiar to me. Where were you turned?”

“Virginia. Just south of Belleview.”

A contemplative pause. “Thank you. I’ll, hmm, look further into it and report this matter to the clan in charge of that region. For now, Mr. Jesse, you have my profuse apologies. My liaison swore up and down you were an out-of-control rogue vampire, and he was only fulfilling his duty by quickly exterminating you. That is clearly not the case.”

Yeah, me still sitting here with the werewolves after the attack and Barrett calling to ream him out was a pretty good indication Blondie screwed up pretty badly. Me calmly answering Oscar’s questions put the final nail in the coffin. (Was that a bad pun for a vampire to make?)

“Oscar, I’ll be blunt with you. I’ve offered Jesse a place here in my pack, and he’s accepted it.” Barrett announced this with smug pleasure. I think he enjoyed saying it a tad too much.

There was a brief splutter from the other vampire. “Now wait one moment. I agree this matter has been bungled, but a young vampire has no business living with werewolves. There is much about himself and his new nature he needs to learn. It’s entirely unacceptable for him to stay with you.”

Even though Oscar couldn’t see it over the phone, Barrett crossed both arms over his chest and glared down at the phone. “I don’t trust him with you. For that matter, he doesn’t trust vampires at all now. He’s only had bad experiences with your people. We’re keeping him.”

A hint of annoyance started to bleed into Oscar’s voice. “And how do you expect for him to be comfortable with all of you? Your phases during the full moon will be alarming for him to witness. And he can hardly be expected to feed from a werewolf, the very thought is—” Oscar didn’t make a gagging noise, but he came damn close.

Tired of all this posturing, I pulled the phone a little closer and informed him primly, “Actually, werewolves are quite delicious. And this isn’t your choice, or Barrett’s, but mine. I’ve made it.” I stabbed the phone to end the call. “Posturing prick.”

Barrett grinned. “I knew I liked you for a reason. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Oscar so ruffled. He will no doubt try something to winnow his way back into my good graces. To avoid territorial disputes, I’ll eventually give in, but we’ll worry about it later. For now, let’s get you properly settled for the night.”

We stood, and I felt like I should say something. “Barrett. Thanks. I know you didn’t have to do any of this, and it’s going to cause you trouble, so…thanks.”

He relaxed into this cocky smile that gave him a slightly bad-boy air. “Welcome to the pack, Jesse.”