Eternal Service by Regina Morris Read Free Book Online

the man’s look was stoic and no laughter followed. She gazed over to Ben, who was too focused to notice.
    Raymond cursed inwardly. Of course she’d look over to Ben for any guidance during this interview. Raymond’s youthful appearance made him look like a joke, instead of the team lead. Raymond waited until she shifted her eyes in his direction, then he bared his fangs to show her there was no joke. Ben followed suit, and bared his fangs as well.
    Alex practically jumped out of her chair, her eyes wide in fright. Ben focused even more, mentally painting gallons of yellow paint over her aura. To Ben’s credit, Alex slumped back into her chair. Her response was very calm indeed. Alex’s eyes bulged in her head as she shifted in her seat. Next she pointed at Raymond’s fangs and asked, “Are those real? Can I touch them?”
    “No, you can’t touch them!” Raymond exclaimed. He glared over at Ben to have him tone the mellowing down. Bright canary yellow wasn’t the best color for an aura anyway.
    Ben turned down the aura paint job and she reacted in a way more in line with someone whose world had been turned upside down.
    “Whoa, whoa, whoa” she insisted as she held up her hands.
    Raymond easily read her thought waves now. They were a roller–coaster of emotions. So many thoughts pummeled him that he became dizzy himself. Thankfully, Ben was at the helm of her mental carnival ride and prevented Alex from panicking.
    Raymond felt sorry for Alex. She woke up this morning understanding the world. Now everything was torn apart. As her thoughts subsided and calmed, Raymond nodded to Dixon to continue.
    “Immortals, vampires … whatever you want to call them. They go by either name. They live among us. Their numbers are small. The Colony itself has less than a dozen members.
    Alex examined Raymond. “Vampires? OK. So next you’re going to tell me that werewolves and leprechauns exist? What’s next? Should I worry about running into a mermaid when I go swimming? Or even a unicorn at the Bronx zoo?”
    Alex paused as she caught her breath. “You appear human. … Well, except for the fangs. You live among humans?”
    Raymond liked that she directed her question at him, and not Ben. Most Director candidates treated him as a zoo specimen at this point in the interview. The woman was either properly bred, or incredibly open-minded and brave. Either way, he appreciated her manners and it was a point in her favor. “We don’t grow older, but we can alter our appearance by our blood consumption. The more human blood we have in our system, the younger we appear. If we consume daily amounts of blood, we can look to be in our 20s. If we feed once a week, we look in our 30s. If we feed every 6–8 weeks, we can look as old as the President himself. Of course, it depends on how much we consume at each feeding.”
    Her voice cracked. “You look well fed.”
    Raymond noticed she crossed her arms and leaned away from him. Her body language and thought patterns spoke volumes. She was scared. She remained under control thanks to Ben, but scared nonetheless. “I’m not hungry right now,” he lied. Vampires were always hungry. He sensed her elevated heart rate, and had even stared at her jugular vein once or twice. Her blood type was A+. Sweet and delicious. He wondered if other parts of her tasted as delectable. Her lips certainly looked plump and inviting.
    “So you can be 20 one day, and the next day 70?” She relaxed her stance. Whether it was her own choosing or Ben’s doing, Raymond wasn’t sure.
    “In theory, yes,” Raymond answered. “Aging that quickly in such a short amount of time usually means that we’ve been physically hurt in some way; maybe even dying. When hurt, we age rapidly and need human blood immediately. Under normal circumstances, we never change our age that quickly intentionally because the switch in our feeding habits, from young to old, can cause serious discomfort in us. Painful reactions,