The Vampire's Assistant(2)

It was a hope anyway.





Chapter Two




“How many were killed?”

“Three, sir.” The tall, muscular dark-haired man stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze directed to the front of him as he reported on the attack on their tribe. “Your assistant and receptionist were two of the causalities, sir. They got caught in the crossfire.”

“Bloody hell!” Nikolas Vaile slammed his fists down into the desk, uncaring when the solid wood cracked beneath the pressure. Three souls lost to a stupid attempt to take over his tribe. “When will these morons learn to leave well enough alone?”

“We believe a small band of rogues has moved into the area. The six that attacked the building were all killed, but more have been spotted at the edges of our territory.”

“I want then found, Louis. The second they step foot inside my territory, I want them caught and brought to me. I want to know why they believe they can attack my tribe and get away with it.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll see that it’s done.”

“Where’s my mother?”

“She’s been taken to the panic room on the fifth floor, sir, along with my mother.” Something ticked in Louis’s jaw. “I have Aldrich guarding them personally, sir.”

“Good.” Nikolas nodded his head and then turned to walk over to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows he had in his office. “I want them taken to my country estate just as soon as it’s safe to transport them.”

“You know your mother won’t go.”

Nikolas smirked even as he nodded his agreement with that assessment. He got his stubbornness from her. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Yes, sir.”

The silence was heavy, weighing down on Nikolas almost as much as a conversation would. The mantle of leadership was not what he thought it would be when he took over after his father was killed. It had seemed so glamorous to be the king, and yet now he knew it was one of the hardest jobs ever created.

Nikolas pressed his hands against the special UV glass, staring down at all the lights in the city. “Do you think they know we are here, Louis?”

“Sir?”

“Humans. Do you think they actually know we are here or do they just see a tall building in the middle of the city?”

“I think that some know. It is impossible to keep a secret in a world like ours, especially considering the advances in technology over the last hundred years. It was much easier to stay hidden in the past. Nowadays, everyone has a cell phone with a recording device and a blog.”

“I often wonder what they would do if they knew Vaile Industries was created to provide synthetic blood to vampires around the world.”

“Vaile Industries provides much more than that, most of it to human hospitals. I believe if the humans found out about us, they would look the other way just to keep receiving the pharmaceutical products we produce.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Louis. The government would step in and take over. We would be sent to our very own research labs.” Nikolas had seen stuff like that happen before. He didn’t want to experience it again. Some of the worst crimes imaginable had been perpetrated against vampires in the name of saving the human race from monsters.

“Will there be anything else, sir? I want to check on the cleanup.”

Nikolas continued to look down at the city lights as he shook his head. “No, that will be all.”

“Very good, sir.” A moment later, Nikolas heard the soft snick of his office door closing.

He watched out the window for another few minutes then went over to the sideboard. He pulled the crystal top off the decanter and poured himself a small glass of scotch. He downed the first one instantly before pouring another glass. This time, he replaced the crystal lid and carried the glass over to his desk.

He was going to need another desk.

Nikolas picked up his phone and dialed maintenance. “This is Vaile,” he said when someone answered the line. “I need a new desk in my office.” He hung up without waiting for a reply. He knew it would get done. His maintenance staff was of the best quality.

He wished he could say the same for his security. He knew Louis was blaming himself as the man was his head of security and second-in-command, but even this had slipped past the man. They thought they would be safe high up in the towering building.

They were wrong.

They thought others would not attack them because of the need for secrecy. Again, they were wrong. They thought they would be safe during the daylight hours because vampires couldn’t stand sunlight. The rogues had found a way around that—the sewers.

And that was what they had all missed.

The fucking sewers. The damn things went throughout the city and connected to just about everywhere. The rogues were using them as highways to get from building to building without going out into the sunlight.

Nikolas sat down in his chair, fingering his glass as he stared off into the night sky he could see just beyond his large windows. He knew what he had to do, and it was something that made his stomach churn. Under the circumstances, he had no choice.

Nikolas picked up the phone and dialed a number very few people had. “Marcus.”

“Nikolas,” came the deep reply.

“You’ve heard?” He knew the man had. Not much got by Marcus Aguilera.

“I did.”

“They came through the sewers, Marcus.” Nikolas knew he had shocked Marcus when silence came over the line. “We killed six of them, but more have been seen at the edges of my territory, which means—”

“Which means they are more than likely headed into my territory.”

And that was the reason Nikolas had called one of his most dangerous adversaries. He wouldn’t shed a single tear if Marcus lost his head to a sharp blade, but if someone was going to kill the bloody bastard, Nikolas wanted to be the one to swing the blade, not some rogue vampires that came in through the sewer system.

That was a cowardly move.

“Check your sewer entrances, Marcus.” Nikolas hung up the phone. He had nothing else to say. He was not friends with Marcus, but he wasn’t exactly enemies either. They had a long-standing animosity toward each other. Their territories bordered each other. They were often called on to work together to keep their people safe. That did not make them bosom buddies.

It made them…not enemies.

Nikolas took another sip of his scotch and then dropped his head back on the back of the chair. He stared up the ceiling, feeling more alone in that moment than he could ever remember feeling.

He was over six hundred years old. He doubted at this late stage of his life that he would find a mate to share his life with. He had been looking for more than half his lifetime, never finding the one fated to be his.

Besides his mother, he had no one. No close friends. No long term lover. No one to help shoulder some of his world. That made him wonder if his father had been glad when his time finally came. It seemed like it would almost be a relief.

Nikolas groaned when someone knocked on his office door. As much as he wished he could ignore it, he couldn’t. He blew out a heavy breath and then straightened up, brushing his hand down over his shirt and tie.

“Come,” he called out when he heard another knock. Nikolas stood as soon as he saw his Bella Vaile walk in. He had better manners than to stay sitting in the presence of a woman, and his mother. “Hello, Mother. I’m glad you are okay.”

“It takes more than a couple of rogues to take me out.”

Nikolas smiled as he leaned down and brushed his lips across the cheek his mother angled up to him. “Of course, Mother.”

“I will not be relegated to the country, Niko.” She walked over to look out the window just as he had. Another thing he got from his mother. They both liked looking at the city lights. “Louis said your assistant was killed in the attack.”

Nikolas’s jaw clenched for a moment. “That is correct.”

Bella glanced back over her shoulder. “And your receptionist as well?”

Nikolas nodded.

“Very well. I will put out an ad that you are looking for another assistant. I will be your receptionist until you can hire a new one. I will help you weed out those not suitable to be your personal assistant.”

“Mother—” His mouth snapped shut when Bella held up her hand.

“I was your father’s personal assistant for more than fifty years. I know this business inside and out. I know what you need in a personal assistant.”

Nikolas knew better than to argue with his mother. Besides the fact that she deserved his respect, he knew she was right. He couldn’t go without a receptionist or a personal assistant for more than a couple of days. Just because they had been attacked, that didn’t mean the human world would stop revolving.

“All right, Mother.” He knew he would probably agree whether he liked it or not. Bella was his mother, after all. There were some decisions he had to make regardless of her opinion, even if she usually knew what was best. “But I want this process over and done with by the end of the week. I don’t have time to be interviewing everyone.”

Bella’s perfectly manicured eyebrow rose. “I will handle everything.”

That was what he was afraid of.





Chapter Three




Jon pushed his hand through his hair as he picked up the phone, tired, frustrated, and just about ready to scream. “Hello?”