Mercy's Debt (Montgomery's Vampires Series Book One) by Sloan Archer Read Free Book Online Page B

asked you to come here,” Michael said.
    I nodded . “The thought has crossed my mind, yes.”
    “Mercy,” he contin ued apprehensively, “I am just going to cut to the chase and throw this out there. We- Marlena and I- would like you to work for us.”
    “Doing what exactly?” I asked.
    Michael looked beyond uncomfortable . I seriously hoped that he and his wife weren’t sex freaks who wanted to tie me up in their dungeon and throw canned creamed spinach on my naked body while I called them “master.”
    “B efore we can tell you more,” Marlena said, “I have to ask you to give us your word that you won’t repeat anything that we’re going to discuss with you. I’m not sure how much Michael has told you about Dignitary, but we run our business very cautiously. Our clients are very powerful and they value our discretion. For that reason, I’m afraid that we really do need you to promise us that you’ll keep a tight lip, whether or not you decide to accept our offer.”
    Yep. Sex freaks. I totally knew it.
    “Of course,” I conceded. “I promise. You have my word.”
    They exchanged a look and Mich ael sighed. “Okay, here goes,” he said. Marlena reached over and squeezed his hand. “Dignitary offers a chaperone service to its clients, both male and female. Now, before you jump to any conclusions, allow me to clarify my use of the word chaperone . We are most certainly not operating a brothel or anything even close. We simply offer human companions to our clients.”
    I stared at him, confused. “I’m not quite following you- human companions ?” What other kind would there be?
    “Okay, l et me try a different angle,” he said exasperatedly. “You see, Mercy, when I spoke earlier of humans having different hours from us, what I was suggesting was that we, Marlena and I, are different from you.”
    “Different, ” I repeated.
    “Oh, fo r Pete’s sake!” Marlena gasped, throwing her hands up. “You’re not making any sense, Michael! Just spit it out!” She turned to me and took my hand in hers, gazing into my eyes. “I am certain that you are going to find this difficult to believe, Mercy, but we run a service for vampires.”
    Vampires?
    I snorted, shifting my eyes back and forth between my two hosts, who were clearly not sharing my amusement. They stared back at me earnestly, Michael backing his wife’s claim.
    I glanced at my purse hanging on the coatrack and thought of the pepper spray inside, feeling an acute concern for my safety. These people were clearly out of their minds.
    This was much worse than them merely being ordinary sex freaks. At least I’d been formally educated on how to treat run-of-the-mill dysfunctions. People who believed in wizards, werewolves, and vampires were an entirely different story. They were an extra special kind of crazy I wasn’t equipped to deal with. I thought of the front door, wondering how far I’d get if I made a run for it, or if I could manage not to get lost in the massive house before one of them caught up with me.
    Just then , a boy who looked about twenty walked into the room carrying my cappuccino. Like Marlena, he was inhumanly beautiful. His skin was pale, too, yet his hair and eyes were dark and appeared Mediterranean in origin. Without a word, he set the drink down on the coffee table in front of me and turned to leave the room.
    “Wait a moment, Stephano,” Michael said to the boy.
    “Yes?” he asked serenely.
    Michael turned to face me. “Mercy, I know that you are probably frightened of us right now, and I cannot blame you,” he said. “You surely must be thinking my wife and I are utterly insane. But, please, stay here for a bit longer and hear us out, okay?”
    I nodded my head emotionlessly ; like I was going to argue with a nutcase.
    Michael turned back to Stephano and said, “Do you remember that thing you have done for me in the past?”
    “Of course,” he said.
    “Would you mind doing it again for