Tessa’s POV“She has the very same bite marks on her body as all the other victims around the city recently,” I pointed out. “Which means they really were vampire attacks. This whole time…”I peered up at him as he nodded his head once.“Yes,” he answered. “That’s why I’m here. To put a stop to that. The problem finding them and capturing them.”Knowing there are vampires running around the city sent a shiver down my spine.This death was too close to home. This was somebody that I knew and liked. This was my classmate. Just earlier this afternoon I lent her my cardigan that she was still wearing and is currently inside of the body bag with her.This could have been any of us.It could have been me.I wrapped my arms around my body, hugging myself tightly. I felt cold and ill at the very thought that vampires were lurking around, draining humans of their blood, and killing them.Joseph was a vampire, but he had said that he was highly trained. These vampires were considered new, and t
Joseph’s POVThe same familiar officer that typically stands guard near the entrance of the building and takes his job way too seriously was getting on my last nerve. I already couldn’t stand this man, now it seems he’s about to pose a threat to Tessa.His hand was still wrapped around his gun, long after I explained that Tessa wasn’t an issue, and that she was going to remain by my side during our time here.He was very persistent in getting her out of there, despite me telling him that wasn’t going to happen.I could feel Tessa’s fear boiling inside of her as she hid behind me. She also noticed the gun and she worried that he might use it on her. I wouldn’t put it past him to do something stupid like that.Jordan was a fairly new Nightwalker officer and he played everything by the book. This wasn’t a bad thing exactly, but in this situation, it was very annoying.“Step back, Officer Jordan,” I warned for the hundredth time.He was still glaring at Tessa like he was worried she would
Tessa’s POVIs this why Joseph didn’t want to come with me to this examination? Because he knew this was going to happen?I felt humiliated that he didn’t give me even the slightest warning.I was even more humiliated because this woman I had never met before, Lisa, was staring at me and waiting for me to get completely undressed.“It won’t take long,” she assured me, a frown on her face. “I’m assuming they didn’t explain what this examination is.”“Not at all.”She sighed and shook her head.“I shouldn’t be surprised.”She went towards the counter and pulled out what looked like a flashlight.“This is a black light. When I turn off the lights and point this at you, it’ll show me all areas in which you could be infected.”“Infected?”“They really explained nothing,” she said, furrowing her brows together.“Vampires release a venom in their fangs when they bite a human and this venom will possibly turn you into a vampire if you are killed with it in your system. There are usually trace
Tessa’s POVThe realization was in Joseph’s eyes as he continued to stare at me. Chief Mulligan was also staring at me, but his look was more out of curiosity than anything.I stared between them both, very confused.“Why are you looking at me?” I asked, a little worried clear in my tone.“Because there’s something about you that’s special…” Joseph said, almost thoughtfully. My entire face warmed as he continued to stare at me. “I mean your blood…” he adds. “It’s addictive. It’s almost potent. So, when others are around you, they obtain your scent for a short while.”“My scent?” I asked with a frown. “Like the scent of my blood?”“Vampires have a very keen sense of smell,” Joseph nodded. “So, we can pick up the scent of a human easily.”“So, what does any of this mean? What do vampire attacks have to do with me?” I asked, raising my brows.“The victims…” Mulligan began slowly, meeting my eyes. “Have they been around you?”I thought about it for a moment before nodding my head.“The vi
Tessa’s POVI knew my entire face was incredibly red. He had this amused look in his eyes, despite his face being expressionless and I’m not sure how he managed to do that.The last thing I wanted was for Chief Mulligan to know about my one-night stand with Joseph, but here he was… putting it on display.Mulligan looked between the two of us with raised brows, saying nothing as awkwardness sat in the middle of the room. None of us spoke for a short while.I looked down at my feet, hoping that the heat would soon leave my face and it would return to its normal color.“I’m just saying—”“Shut up,” I said quickly, raising my gaze to meet his eyes.He looked at me for a moment longer before shrugging and turning back to Mulligan who stood before us awkwardly trying to avoid all eye contact.“Are you two done?” He muttered. “We need to find out if our theories are true. We have to figure out if it’s actually Tessa’s blood and scent that is drawing in these new vampires and killing those wh
Tessa’s POVIt was an average-looking woman that looked almost human. Except her eyes were very dark and her skin was so pale it looked like it’s never been touched by the sun before in her life. She wore casual clothing, but she was completely barefoot.She was also very thin, and I knew she didn’t eat proper meals.I definitely had never seen her around before, but I certainly wouldn’t be able to tell if she was a vampire or not.Was she what a typical new vampire looked like?I wanted to ask, but Joseph and Mulligan were so engrossed in the video, I don’t think they would pay attention to my question.Not before long, she was joined by a male who appeared to look just as average. He was also pale, and he was built with huge muscles. He didn’t wear a shirt which revealed the collection of tattoos he had on his body.I found myself holding my breath, even though I was nowhere near them.They were both smelling the air like they smelled the most delicious thing in the world and a chil
Tessa’s POV“You want me to live with you?!” I asked, staring up at Joseph with dismay. “We can’t live together. You are my professor.”“It is the best option,” Joseph said, looking between everyone before his eyes landed on me. “That way I can ensure you are safe and not putting anyone else in danger. If you continue to live with a Ruby, there’s a good chance they will break in again. You need to be protected, and also keep her protected.”“But the perfume can help keep my scent away. So, maybe they won’t know that I’m still there…”“The perfume masks the top layer of your scent. The longer you stay there, the more your scent will begin to linger and attract them.”I looked over at everyone else who only shrugged. They agreed with him. Obviously, they didn’t see how this could pose a problem.“Obviously nobody at school can find out about this so we will have to keep this on the down low,” Joseph continued. “I have plenty of rooms in my Villa, so you can take your pick at whichever o
Tessa’s POVJoseph, being the gentleman that he apparently is, carried my belongings from his car and into his villa. He paused once we got inside and turned to me.“Go pick out your room,” he said, looking down at me. “Obviously, you can’t have mine. But any other room is up for grabs.”I wondered how many bedrooms were in this Villa. It was a huge building, but only two stories. During our one-night stand, we started off in the downstairs bathroom next to his study, but gradually made our way upstairs and into his bedroom.I remembered his bedroom was down a long hall and the door was redwood with golden decals. I didn’t ask him what the decals meant at that time because all I cared about was getting inside, but as I stopped in the hallway and looked at his bedroom door, I couldn’t help but inquire about them.“It’s the symbol of the vampire empress,” he explained. “She died many years ago. Not something you should concern yourself with.”I didn’t ask further questions about this em