Chapter 1: Heir to an Empire

In the gritty light of the workroom, Isaac Astor's pallor shone like a beacon. His icy eyes and fair hair were unnatural against the rising smog. Behind him, a group of men with batons stood stoically. Despite their broad shoulders and gruff looks, they seemed to offer no real threat when compared to Isaac's otherworldly presence.

From a high table in the back, Lavinia Devon watched with unchecked interest as the young man stopped to greet the foreman. She could tell that while she had never seen this man before, his presence here was routine. The girls on either side of her moved nervously, their work becoming sloppy as they glanced between the well-dressed man and their own hands.

Isaac pointed to a girl near where he stood and one of the men behind him seized her upper arm, dragging her to stand face to face with Isaac. The smile that flashed across his face as the girl recoiled was cold and cruel, but Lavinia could not look away. As Isaac tilted the girl's chin up she felt a flush sweep across her own neck.

"She will do just fine," he said, pushing the quaking girl back into the waiting arms of the guards.

This process repeated itself as Isaac wound his way across the room. Some of the girls he inspected were sent back to work, looks of relief on their faces. When he gave his nod of approval to others they screamed as they were dragged away.

"Get your hands off me!" The shriek came from one particularly stricken girl who spit at Isaac as he tried to touch her face. As she fought and clawed at him, Lavinia took the opportunity to lean into the taller girl beside her.

"What is this? Where are those girls going?"

The taller girl glanced between Lavinia and the crying girl. "Astor is choosing his next batch of meals."

"Astor…"

That name was familiar to Lavinia. Everyone knew the Astor Family, a Vampire Clan that had control of an entire supply chain of blood. Every vulnerable citizen knew the process. Astor Industries grew and manufactured blood to sell to other vampires, eliminating the need to hunt. But blood does not grow without life. Rumors swirled around that family that they ran farms, raising humans for the slaughter, and selling their blood. The poorest clients made do with synthetic while the aristocrats had their pick of whole bodies to feed on.

"He is the heir to the company," the girl began. "Isaac. He's come in here a few times since I've been working here. The girls he takes never come back."

Lavinia looked back to Isaac as a loud thud echoed through the workhouse. He dropped the previously struggling girl's body to the floor and wiped a thin trail of fresh blood from his lips and pushed his now disordered hair back out of his eyes.

"I had hoped your stock would be more compliant than last time, foreman. It really is quite disappointing to have such trouble on such a mundane errand." He brushed his hands off on his trousers and resumed his walk about the room. He skipped entirely over the table where the workers were obscured by crude protective equipment.

"What is he looking for?" Lavinia asked.

"He is very particular about his blood bags," replied the taller girl. She grimaced. "They say he likes his meals to be pretty."

As he stalked the tables, a look of merciless amusement took over his angled features. He seemed to be enjoying the discomfort around him. There was something cruel in the way that he was enticed by the scared girls, almost feeding on their apprehension.

Finally, his light eyes fell on Lavinia. She felt a rush and her body tensed. Setting her face, she refused to wince, not wanted to give him the satisfaction. Isaac tilted his head and curled his mouth into a smirk. He wound his way around Lavinia's table, hardly giving the other girls time to scatter. Up close, Isaac's beauty was even more pronounced. His eyes glittered as he stood over Lavinia, his height forcing her to crane her neck to maintain eye contact.

Isaac reached out with one hand to touch her cheek and Lavinia caught the distinct scent of coppery blood mixed with something like wood burning. It was not an unpleasant smell. It was almost enchantingly warm when juxtaposed with Isaac's otherwise frigid appearance.

"What is your name?" His voice was barely above a whisper, but it rang clearly over the din of the workroom.

"Lavinia. Lavinia Devon." She fought against every instinct to shrink away, instead, meeting his gaze head-on.

"I don't believe I've seen you before, Ms. Devon. You must be new." His voice dripped with insincere interest.

Lavinia glanced between Isaac's eyes and his still stained lips. She knew he wanted a reaction from her. But she would not give in. Every part of her wanted to push him away or cower out of his gaze, but she could not bring herself to. Something behind his eyes had baited her, making her lean up in Isaac's face.

"Do you always take this long when picking your meals, or am I just that hard to make a decision on?"

Isaac outright laughed, his guards who managing a collective chuckle behind him.

"Oh, that's not what I'm deciding. A pretty face like yours is impossible to pass up. No," Isaac leaned forward until his lips were pressed to Lavinia's throat. Her eyes widened. "On the one hand, I could drain you dry, right here, right now. I do not take well to being talked back to. But on the other hand, that might be a waste of your beauty. I could instead, take you home with the others and feed just enough to keep you alive but without all this pesky aggression and repeat until you're a husk, just a vessel of blood."

Lavinia shivered almost imperceptibly. Isaac leaned back from her, clearly satiated that he had finally gotten a reaction.

"Something wrong?"

"No," she said flatly, forcing herself to look back up. "Not at all. You overestimate your effect, Astor."

"Is that so?"

"If I should be shaking and crying like the rest of these girls at the mere sight of you, why bring your little posse? Surely you could handle a few skinny girls yourself. Or are all the rumors about vampires just folk tales? Are you really just a bloodless leech with nothing all that special to offer?" Lavinia glared him down, trying not to betray any of her true fear.

Isaac paused for a second, then wrapped one of his long-fingered hands around the back of her neck, pulling her towards him. "Lavinia Devon, I look forward to breaking you."