Four Centuries (Damned and Cursed Book 7) by Glenn Bullion Read Free Book Online Page B

eyebrow.   "Oh, did you, now?"
    "Of course.   Every city has someone like you.   A vampire that thinks they control everything, that everything has to go through them.   Okay, what number are you thinking?   Three percent?   Just to leave me the fuck alone?"
    "I don't want any of your business.   But I would like to know what you're business is."
    Frank gestured for her to follow.   He grimaced at the carpet, and opened the first door he came to.   Inside was another room set up identically to the one Victoria had seen before.
    "The Vermilion provides a service to vampires and humans both."   With that one sentence, everything clicked.   Frank didn't need to say another word, but he did anyway, going into full-blown salesman mode.   "Believe it or not, I know a thing or two about vampires.   They need blood.   It so happens there's a small culture of people out there more than willing to give it.   For their own perks, of course.   We're kind of like a matchmaking site.   The vampires don't have to hunt.   There's no risk of getting caught.   The regular people, well…I'm sure you know what your fangs do to us common folk."
    Indeed, Victoria did.
    "Everybody wins," Frank went on.   "And, I won't lie, we do too.   We charge humans and vampires both.   We've only been up and running a few weeks, but it's definitely been a hit."
    Of that, she was quite sure.   She wondered how many bodies crossed the beds in the Vermilion already.   Emma had obviously graced the sheets more times than was healthy.   The entire concept set her on edge.   It was essentially an underground site for the supernatural.   But she'd done many questionable things in her life.   She wasn't one to throw moral darts at others.
    The idea also was an old one.   A consensual, social feeding ground.   She'd seen them before.   Some worked out rather well, for a time, while others devolved into mere animalistic orgies.
    In the end, they all failed.
    The secret to a long life for a vampire was quite simple.   Keep a low profile.   It was also good advice for a witch, and she'd been trying to constantly beat the message into Kevin's head since they first became friends.   Social feeding was many things, many of which were pleasurable.   But low profile was not one of them.
    Still, it was not her place to tell Frank or anyone else how to live their life.   If they wanted to rent a room in the basement of a dance club, feed, and have sex, that was their right.
    Victoria had her own blood supply, and still enjoyed the hunt.   But if she were ever in a bind, maybe she'd schedule an appointment at the Vermilion.
    "You have a place we can sit down and talk?"
    "You're not going to beat me up, are you?"
    "Not unless you try to beat me up first."
    "And, you're…not going to put your fangs in me?   I'm sure I'd enjoy it and everything.   But my heart isn't like it used to be."
    She smiled.   "I'll keep my fangs to myself."
    Frank nodded.   "Yeah, in my office."
    She followed him to the room at the end of the hall.   As they approached, the vampire opened the door, nearly bumping into Frank.   He nursed slowly from a dark bottle of blood.   His wounds had already healed, with only his ruined clothes serving as a reminder of his encounter with Victoria.
    "You okay?" Frank asked.
    He nodded, avoiding eye contact with Victoria.   Old mortal hang-ups could work their way into the psyche of a young vampire.   Whether he was embarrassed by being humbled by a woman, his own lack of life experience, or looking foolish in front of Frank, she didn't know.
    He gently touched her by the shoulder to get her attention.
    "Hey, uh…I'm Michael."
    She smiled.   "Pleased to meet you, Michael."
    He gestured to her hands.   "Would you show me that one day?"
    "Certainly."
    "Would you check on Kate?" Frank asked.   "Make sure she's not shitting herself up there?"
    Michael nodded and left them alone.   Frank led her inside his office.   He sat