Wordless: new adult paranormal romance (Age of Blood Book 1) (6 page)

It turned out that her first assessment had been accurate: although she’d bitten her, and most probably touched her vagina less than twenty-four hours earlier, Jessica’s presence was a blessing.

That wasn’t a tribute to the vampire’s character, as much as a judgment on her fellow human’s bitchiness. Agnes was a piece of work. The kind she’d only encountered in Mean Girls and other teenage flicks on TV. Her weapon of choice was passive-aggressive comments such as “You’re very lucky. With those
tiny
boobs, it will be so much easier to find you suitable tops,” or “I cannot fathom why those trousers just won’t go past your hips, darling.”

Politeness was a second nature to Fay, so she only smiled and thanked her for the “compliments.” Nothing was spared: her wavy hair, her height, her coloring. She mused, trying to get Agnes’ point. Was she supposed to be self-conscious?

The thing was, no amount of self-bashing would make either feature change, so whatever. She knew she wasn’t as pretty as traditional beauties like Agnes. From her few memories and the handful of pictures she’d seen over the years, she’d gathered that mother had been a tiny, gorgeous Latina, her father, a handsome Caucasian; as a mixture of the two, she was weird, however she’d never wished to be anything but what she was, especially when she’d seen the attention Cece had got, because of her appearance.

The store they’d entered was many girls’ idea of heaven: everything she’d ever salivated over was casually lying around on smart display. Considering that everywhere she turned, she saw half a dozen things she would have loved to wear, she had to hand it to Agnes: managing to sabotage her took some skills.

Fay was actually not nearly as stupid as she liked to pretend to be, to ensure she stayed under the radar. She may smile and nod a lot, but she generally had a set opinion on a lot of things, and fashion was not an exception.

She hadn’t been at liberty to express her taste, but she had a pretty good idea of what would fit her. None of what the bitchy blonde made her try was even remotely favoring her.

Speak up, Fay. Tell her to bugger off.

But she couldn’t. Three, four times, she tried to open her mouth, and just closed it, like the pushover she was.

She’s just a human. She can’t hurt you. Speak up.

She was gearing up for a conflict, when the door of her changing room opened, in front of the frightening, and striking ebony William had called Jessica.

Her eyes were glistening, like every angry, hungry, or excited vampire she knew. Fay froze, and somehow prevented herself from taking a step back.

“You look ridiculous,” the vampire stated, gesturing to her outfit.

She did. Everything Jessica picked was gorgeous and expensive, but also completely wrong for her. Plunging necklines against her
tiny boobs
. Pale colors that made her darker skin look sickly. Long pants that drowned her shape. 

“Do you need help?”

Fay nodded before she considered it. Did that mean she’d owe a favor to Jessica? She wasn’t sure she wanted that… but it did probably beat looking like a meringue in that white blouse with
ruffles
on the sleeves.

Jessica got a phone out and scrolled through her contacts before pressing on a name Fay couldn’t read upside down.

She was fascinated by the whole thing, though. She hadn’t had a phone for years and the sleek, modern thing in the vampire’s hand seem almost alien – a highly advanced technology, compared to what she knew.

Fay recalled that she used to love gadgets – yet another thing that had been stripped from her personality.

Almost everything that had defined her had vanished, leaving her bare, empty. How sad was that?

Jessica’s voice pulled her from that depressing thought.

“Hey. I’m in Saks with the boss’s latest stray. He’s sent Agnes to outfit her.”

The person on the other end replied something her human ears couldn’t catch.

“Yeah, worse. You’re free?”

Jessica was smiling and thanking her contact, before hanging up.

“She’s close. Just hang on ten minutes.
Don’t
let her buy any of that crap,” the vampire stressed, before leaving her alone with her offensive wardrobe, wondering who the hell “she” could be.

Soon enough, she had an answer.

“She” was Aphrodite, Bathsheba, Juliet, Medusa, and every female so stunning poets and painters had had no choice but to represent them over the ages, all rolled into one.

Fay was dumbstruck, completely blown away. The entire scene happened before she could regain her wits and manage to utter a word. 

Vampires were generally more attractive than most of the population. Over ninety percent of them had been made by an immortal, because they’d either earned it, or slept their way through the path to immortality. That meant only beautiful or highly gifted people made the cut, and the vampirisation process made them more exceptional yet; they ended up as a healthier version of themselves – both in mind and body.

Good looks were easier to come by than remarkable skills, hence why nine vampires out of ten could have featured on the cover of a fashion magazine; but the creature that joined them was another matter altogether. She wasn’t beautiful; that common word didn’t cut it.

Her knee-length strawberry blond hair shone like soft, newly made plastic, every single one of her feature was perfect – heart-shaped face, little turned up nose, long lashes. Nature shouldn’t have added up all of those blessings in one individual.

“I’m delighted to bump into you,” she said to Agnes, in particular, her voice sweet, melodious. “I was so lonely by myself.”

Her adorable pout made Fay want to give her a hug; an achievement, considering that female unmistakably belonged to the bloodsucking variety. Most vampires retracted their fangs unless they were feeding, but she hers were unabashedly extended, flashing whenever she smiled.

They looked cute. How the
hell
could fangs – elongated canines designed to cut through human skin – look cute?

“You must be the new girl. I’m Charlotte,” she introduced herself, holding up a hand Fay shook numbly. “We’ll be living together.”

Fay couldn’t even pretend to be upset; sure, learning that the vampire who featured in her fantasies was taken brought a pang of disappointment, but one only had to look at that magnificent woman to understand they belonged together.

It also explained why William hadn’t been even remotely interested in using Fay – unlike every vampire she’d met before him.
Of
course
, he would be faithful to a woman such as her.

For all her beauty, Charlotte wasn’t even a little bit catty. She eagerly shook her hand, friendly, welcoming, and if Fay wasn’t mistaken, she also briefly winked her way, before turning back towards Agnes. “I’ll stay with you, if you don’t mind.”

Despite the gracious formulation, there was no way to decline that “request”. Fay just watched and learned her display of quiet, assured dominance.

Charlotte wasn’t much taller than her, yet everything in her stance silently proclaimed that she was in control here.

Fay hadn’t noticed them at first, but now she saw the pupils under her long lashes; ageless, cold sky blue eyes. Shit. She was an ancient, too. That explained her commanding presence, but not her soft, approachable demeanor. The conundrum got her frowning for so long she could already feel another headache coming.

Meanwhile, Agnes magically lost the bulk of the unattractive outfits, and started to choose things that were actually likely to fit and suit Fay. Cute high necklines, sleeveless tops, bold red and bright yellows perfect against her skin, backless blouses, Peplum coats and dresses that showed off her waist, wide belts, and yes, plunge necklines, too – but not the kind that were meant to show off the goods; simple, casual, loose-fitted ones that gave her a careless look.

Now she had one – or two – women in her corner, Fay did manage to find her voice. She said no, twice. She asked to walk around the store and select a few things for herself, too.

“Seriously?” Agnes grimaced at the tiny jacket Fay held up.

It was pretty useless, to be entirely frank – the soft, dark red leather garment was cropped at the waist, so it wasn’t likely to be much help against rain or wind, but it was pretty badass. Fay was desperate for a little bit of badass in her life.

“I love it,” Charlotte grinned – probably just to antagonize Agnes, who quickly changed her tune.

“Sure, it’s gorgeous, but she doesn’t have anything that would go with it.”

They went back to the casual section, replacing one or two of the dresses she hadn’t really wanted with long tops, leggings and more notably, a pair of boots.

Hours later, Fay was still smiling from ear to ear every time she caught a glimpse of those boots in the window displays they passed by. Yes, she’d worn them right away.

The block heels were sturdy, easy to manage although she wasn’t used to it, and it had granted her an extra three and a half inches, making her almost as tall as Charlotte. They were lace-up and Jessica helpfully noted that they’d make her kicks pretty powerful.

“You can hide a few blades in here, too,” the other vampire added.

Fay was likely to cut off her toes if she attempted to, but it didn’t stop her from beaming nonetheless. It may just be appearances, but there was some sense in the whole
fake it till you make it
thing. She’d never felt so powerful – and in control of her life. 

As soon as they’d walked out of Saks, Agnes was making her excuses.

“Jessica and Charlotte will have to take you to the spa, if you want to go; I have another appointment,” she lied, leaving a credit card behind.

Although Fay had now been entrusted to the care of two vampires, she finally relaxed.

“What was that about?” she enquired, turning to Jessica, who shrugged.

“Agnes can’t stand any sort of competition – from humans, in any case.”

She was biting her lip, obviously wanting to add something, but it was Charlotte who spelt it out, rolling her eyes.

“It’s about William. She’d like to become relevant to him. I know my brother, and that’s as likely to happen as another Ragnarok.”

Her
brother
?

Now Charlotte had pointed out the connection, Fay saw the resemblance. William might have darker hair – dirty blond, rather than her reddish honey – but otherwise, they definitely bore similar features. They were equally stunning, for one.

She couldn’t help it: she was grinning like the fool she was, now it was obvious that the perfect creature wasn’t her savior’s wife.

Stupid. Completely, utterly stupid.

Sure, he might not be attached to that particular vampire, but the point was that he belonged with someone just as remarkable – kind, beautiful and kick ass.

And dammit, was she really getting obsessive over some guy she’d met under twenty-four hours ago? Some
vampiric
guy, at that. 

There was something wrong with her brain.

“Thank you,” she told the vampire. “You’ve obviously intimidated her.”

“That would be because I’m crazy,” Charlotte replied casually. “She knows I wouldn’t think twice before bleeding someone who displeases me.” Then, although she’d just given the weather forecast, she offered: “Should we go to a spa, then? On me, ladies.”

Fay shook her head, still smiling, and deciding that she was the crazy one: instead of running the other way, screaming, she smirked and followed the self-proclaimed nutcase to a beauty parlor, without having the decency of being even a little bit scared of her.

She had no idea what kind of wonderland she’d stepped into when she’d crossed the borders of New York City, but she was definitely enjoying the ride.

Six

He knew he’d made the right decision as soon as they walked in.

Next to Jessica and Charlotte, Fay
should
have appeared significantly inferior; not in a bad way, but having humans and vampires side by side was like comparing cats and tigers, usually. Humans were cute – vampires, magnificent or at the very least, intimidating.

Fay wore heeled ankle boots that made her legs look like they belonged around his shoulders, especially in the skinny jeans which covered her lean legs, emphasizing on the curve of her hips. Her soft, silky white top fell mid-thighs, under a blood red leather jacket. Her hair had new layers, and cascaded down her back in waves. She wore make-up, too: not a lot, but her plump lips were red, and her eyes, highlighted by a graceful black line.

She was a tiger, alright.

That
was not what he’d had in mind, when he’d asked for a makeover. Her style was so diametrically opposite to the usual smart, conservative, or fashionable things Agnes valued, he didn’t believe for one second that she had a thing to do with it.

As the personal shopper was nowhere to be seen, and Charlotte was now accompanying Fay, he could hazard a guess as to where it had all gone wrong. He glared at his sister, who blew him a kiss.

Forcing himself to appear somewhat civilized, William turned to the mini bombshell and forced a smile.

“How did it go?”

The darn girl had the gall to blush.
Fuck
.

His dick twitched in agreement.
Yes, let’s fuck,
it said quite clearly, forgetting how uncooperative it had been the last time it had found itself inside a wet pussy.

It wanted hers. And her mouth. And darn, that fantastic ass, too.

“Thank you for the clothes,” she replied shyly, looking down.

Her subdued demeanor was torture. He wanted to tell her to kneel and call him sir. 

Jess replied to his actual question, breaking his focus before he could do something he regretted – like ripping those clothes off.

Then, he’d buy the entire outfit twenty times, to do it over and over again.

“It was pretty good, after Charlotte scared Agnes into not trying to make Fay look ridiculous in epaulettes.”

“And ruffles,” the girl interjected helpfully.

Oh, hell. Ruffles? He thought they’d have passed a law against that monstrosity by now.

“Thanks, sister.”

“You’re welcome.” And because Charlotte couldn’t have been helpful and leave it at that, she added, “just try not to send your whore with a girl who’s prettier than her in the future.”

An unexpected chuckle made him turned towards Fay again, surprised and perhaps a little bit irritated, too. She’d warmed up to his sister so quickly, and she still looked at him as though she expected him to pounce on her any second.

Calm down,
he told himself, biting back whatever he might have said.
And get the heck out of here.

“Going anywhere?”

Charlotte was pointing to the small, tattered Louis Vuitton wardrobe case she ought to recognize; she’d purchased it for him somewhere around nineteen twenty, before it had become a statement.

William didn’t bother with clothes or personal hygiene essentials – that, he could easily purchase – but no way was he going anywhere without his favorite arsenal of weapons, and all of them fit perfectly in there.

“Yes, I’m on my way out. I’ve left you a to do list.”

Jess immediately stood straighter, adopting a professional composure.

“Are we back on the case?”

“No.” Well, at least,
she
wasn’t. “You’re staying here on an assignment. I’ll send you a briefing.” A very short, simple briefing: take care of Fay. “Michael wants me at Court.”

That wasn’t a lie, strictly speaking; Michael
always
wanted him at Court. That didn’t exactly mean that he was actually needed.

“I’m sure he does,” his dear sister snorted with a knowing grin. “Well, gives my best to the King. Tell him he’s toast if he forgets my birthday this year.”

William smiled and kissed his sister’s cheeks. Then, he wasn’t entirely sure what happened, but next thing he knew, his lips had just touched Fay’s forehead. He was practically bent in two to reach her.

He froze at the sudden and powerful jolt of energy that simple touch had caused.

Hell
. Door. Where was the door?

“Take care,” he said to no one in particular, before hurrying out of the doors.

Sometimes, there was no shame in waving a white flag and running the fuck out of there.

Every day, she woke up at twilight, cold and shivering at the nightmares. The memories. The guilt.

The guilt was prominent. The shadow of everyone she’d left behind – and Cece in particular – wasn’t far every time something good happened to her; a ghost reminding her that she didn’t deserve any of it.

She was treated like a princess, there was no other word for it. Day three, she was given a bank card with her name on it, and informed that a huge personal allowance was going to get transferred in her account on a regular basis.

“What is it for?” she asked, confused.

They’d purchased anything she could possibly want, she already had a laptop in her room, and a phone just like Jessica’s mysteriously appeared next to it.

“Anything,” Charlotte shrugged, before amending that statement, mentioning that she wasn’t
allowed to purchase drugs.

“It’s strictly forbidden at the Academy,” she’d explained, as though it needed justification.

“I can’t take it… it’s too much.”

“Two hundred dollars a week is
hardly
a fortune, Fay. It’s a very basic allowance – to cover your food when you’re out for lunch, the occasional coffee and some nights out with your friends. You’ll wish you had more when you’re used to NYC.”

Unlikely.

“If you need some extra cash, you can work for it,” she added. “There’s always some inventorying and other boring stuff to do – just ask. But the Academy will keep you busy, and you shouldn’t worry about anything but your studies. Your pocket money comes from my account; feel free to give it back to me when you get a job if you want to.”

The knot in her stomach loosened. Firstly, it wasn’t another thing she owed to William – that was a considerable bonus point. But the prospect of being able to pay it back was what sold her on it; although, from what she could tell of Charlotte’s demeanor, the vampire wasn’t particularly bothered whether she did or not.

Armed with her own money – of sort – she felt bold enough to mention going out in the city the next day; no one protested.

Would that ever fail to surprise her?

“Let’s go, then,” Jessica said.

She’d tagged along, trailing a couple of meters behind her.

Admittedly, Fay had wondered if she was there to ensure she wasn’t running away, but an incident cleared that up.

Some guy of the bloodsucking sort stopped her and got a bit too friendly.

“Come on, beautiful,” he’d said, his nostrils visibly inhaling her scent. “You know you want me.”

She’d said no. Three times. By the third one, it was firm and dismissive. Something in his conduct – and the fact that he hadn’t lifted his hand to strike her – made her understand that he wasn’t going to hurt her in public.

Her confidence grew exponentially; she came out of her shell and just told him to fuck off.

“Don’t be like that, da’ling. I’ll make you come so hard you…”

He never finished that sentiment, thrown a good ten steps back so quickly Fay didn’t even see the movements. All she knew was that Jessica was next to her, glaring at the vampire.

“She fucking said
no
, dickwit.”

Fay stared open mouthed, almost drooling.

Damn if Jessica didn’t look – and sounded – kick ass.

She wanted that. She wanted to be able to glare like that and have men cower away sprouting apologies.

Sure, it wasn’t likely, given the fact that she was a hundred percent human, and a tiny little one at that, but a girl could dream.

“That was amazing.”

Jessica just shrugged, gesturing forward.

“Carry on, then.”

She bit her lip and frowned.

“Spit it out.”

“You could walk with me?”

It was just silly to have her follow her from a distance.

Jessica looked surprised, but she grinned.

“I sure can. Where are we headed?”

“I wanted to see the MET.”

They continued on their way. Turned out, Jessica could have been a curator for the museum; she knew every piece in and out.

“Did you study history?” she asked, wondering at her erudition.

“Nah. I was there when they opened the MET, and every time they’ve added a piece, I did my homework.” Seeing her inquisitive expression, Jessica added, “I’m from New York, born and bred right after the Civil War.”

“That must have been a hard time to grow up in.”

She didn’t point out the obvious: Jessica was black.

She cackled in response.

“Hard doesn’t begin to cover it, girl. But I learnt to defend myself pretty damned quick – that’s how William noticed me. I was showing some low-life that no meant
no
when we met. Thing was, the low-life happened to be a vampire. I never had a chance.”

Fascinated, Fay opened her mouth before wondering if she was being indiscreet. She didn’t want her new friend to be offended.

“You’re going to have to learn to stop overthinking and just say what you want to, girl.”

Yeah, right. That was likely to happen.

She’d seen with her own eyes that asking the wrong question could cost someone all his blood; she wasn’t making that mistake.

“I’d like you to go on. Explain what happened.”

“The guy tried to drain me; I would have died. Then, vampires had rules that were more severely punished than they are now – they had to preserve their anonymity, you see. So, once it was clear that he intended to break the law, William broke his neck. That kept him out of commission for an hour or two. He took us both back to his Coven – that punk, to be judged, me, to see if I was going to make it. When it was clear I was, I became a problem. I knew about them. The patriarchs were going to have to kill me for the greater good, or whatnot. William said he’d change me instead and here I am.”

She could see it clear as day. He’d probably worn a top hat and a tail coat, carelessly elegant just as he was right now. A gentleman coming at the lady’s rescue – again.

Yeah, she was swooning.

That made her frown. There was no way that Jessica hadn’t felt like throwing herself at him, just like Fay did.

Obviously she was an open book, because the vampire smirked knowingly.

“Yeah, I had a crush. However, William doesn’t touch anyone who is into him because of gratitude.”

Fay took that for what it was: a little warning. She didn’t need it: she had no intention of making a fool of herself by propositioning her saviour.

What Jessica had said didn’t quite apply to her, though. She hadn’t developed her “crush” because he’d rescued her; her fascination had started the moment they’d met, and was growing with everything she learnt about him.

It was a moot point. There was no way she could compete for his attention against the likes of Agnes or Jessica, and she knew it. Besides, she was completely unable to think anything remotely coherent whenever he was near.

She could answer basic questions, she could try and smile, but the very idea of attempting to seduce
anyone
was preposterous; let alone a gorgeous, perfect, intimidating man such as him.

She was perfectly content to admire him from afar.