Sexiest Vampire Alive(7)

“We’re no’ questioning yer bravery, lad,” Angus said. “In fact, we’re relying on it.”

“For what? Tell me what you want.”

“You have different skills than we do,” Jean-Luc said. “Because of your youth you know how to maneuver through the modern world of business and technology.”

Roman smiled. “And you’ve proven yourself adept at handling people and persuading them to do what you want.”

“Without threatening them with a sword,” Angus added. “Ye have a modern approach that we’re lacking.”

Gregori frowned. No doubt they thought they were complimenting him, but somehow he felt like he was being called manipulative. Using a sword might be old-fashioned, but it was blatantly honest. “I’m not that bad with a sword, you know. I’ve been practicing with Ian at the school during my time off.”

“We don’t need a swordsman for this job,” Zoltan said.

Angus drummed his fingers on the table. “The problem is we doona want Sean Whelan to act as our sole representative to the president.”

“We don’t trust him,” Zoltan muttered.

“So we need our own special envoy,” Jean-Luc added. “Someone we can trust to represent the best interests of Vamps all over the world. A Vamp who is modern, works hard at a steady job, and has never bitten a mortal. A Vamp who appears completely safe and harmless.”

Safe and harmless. Somehow those words felt like the worst of insults. Gregori yanked at his tie to loosen it. “You’re choosing me ’cause you think I’m an Undead Pillsbury Doughboy?” He shook his head. “No. Hell, no.”

Roman gave him an irritated look. “You’re a marketing expert, Gregori. You understand the importance of how we are perceived. If we’re seen as a bunch of dangerous, bloodthirsty monsters, it could mean the end for us. You can honestly present the image we want because it is what you are: a modern-day, well-educated, hardworking, harmless Vamp.”

Harmless. Shit. He was tempted to sink his teeth into a mortal just to prove them wrong. But he kept his frustration in check. “Look, it’s late, so let’s continue this conversation tonight. If you give me a few hours, I’m sure I can come up with a better plan.”

“Nay!” Angus thumped a fist on the table. “We doona need another plan. The decision was made. The vote was unanimous.”

“All the Coven Masters agreed.” Roman stood, his expression stern and stubborn. “Gregori, we’re counting on you. You are the plan.”





Chapter Three



They were counting on him. Every freaking Coven Master in the Vamp world. Gregori headed for his office at Romatech, still reeling from the news.

He didn’t let anyone see how tense he was. He even grinned at Laszlo when he passed him in the hall, and gave him a high five. Stay cool. Act like you belong. It’s the best way to fit in. That was the mantra Gregori had adopted eighteen years ago, after the shock of waking up to find himself Undead.

And now he was the plan? He didn’t know if he should be flattered or pissed. Flattered, maybe, if thousands of Vamps were trusting him to keep them safe.

He snorted as he wrenched his office door open. Safe? What a joke! For the last eighteen years, he’d been the one the old warrior guys threatened to kill for the fun of it.

He shut the door, then hit the light switch so hard, it cracked the plastic cover plate in two.

“Shit.” He strode across the office and skirted his desk to peer outside the window. Lampposts illuminated the parking lot, but as always, his gaze wandered to the same dark spot, the place where he’d died as a mortal.

There were no cars to obstruct his view. Most Vamps simply teleported from place to place. Sometimes Gregori drove to work to make sure he remembered how, but as the years slipped by, those mortal skills seemed increasingly unimportant and unnecessary.

Memories swirled through his mind—the dark night, the terror and pain of the attack, the hot burn of blood and icy fear of death, the muted screams from his mother as he’d faded away. The memories haunted him for only a few seconds before he knocked them away. Over the years, he’d learn to react quickly.

He’d been transformed in 1993, six years after Roman invented synthetic blood, so he was something of a rarity in the vampire world. It gave the old guys one of their favorite labels for teasing him. The bottle-fed baby.

A few nights after being transformed, he had realized that if he was going to succeed in his new life, he needed to embrace it. Leave the old world behind. Stay cool. Act like you belong.

So he’d worked hard at fitting into the vampire world. He’d practiced mind control, levitation, and teleportation until he was just as skilled as the old guys. He’d worked hard at Romatech, and in 1998 he’d become vice president of marketing.