Read Online Finally Dead (Eve Benson: Vampire Book 1) by P. S. Power - Free Book Online Page B

our responsibility, as the leaders of our kind.”
    Not that
she was in that kind of position, Eve knew. No, she was literally just a
problem waiting to happen. Still, it would give her a chance to hang with her
buddies, Zack and Bey.
    She
hopped up, and put her hand out, as if offering to help the ancient Vampire to
his feet. Not that he’d need it. Her hand was taken though and they walked down
the red brick toward the center of the mall. The fake things under their feet
had tiny sparkly bits in them that she’d never noticed before. It made the
whole place seem to glow slightly.
    It
didn’t take too long to get to Hartley and Co. Books. It was a nice space, and
a familiar one, being that she’d worked there before. It was mainly staffed
with succubae at this time of day, but there was also a Mage, who was working
the front desk. Hiram, her old work buddy.
    He was
also a criminal, which made him slightly hotter than his rather normal looks
would have allowed for. Then, she always had been a sucker for bad boys. Or,
really, for boys in general. He smiled when she walked up, realizing who was
there.
    “Hey
beautiful.” Then he winked at Bey. “No offense meant by that. We’re pals, is
all. Are you coming back finally? I don’t want to put the girls here down, but
it would be nice to have someone else around that could get fifteen
uninterrupted minutes to shelve books.” He waved at Roberta, who was walking
off to the back reading room with a man on her arm. They had sex back there all
the time. Not just once or twice a day either. The place had a reputation for
that kind of thing, which really worked out for the Alede. That was the real
name for the succubae and incubae. They weren’t demons at all though, just a
different race. Able to change genders at will, which would no doubt freak out
some of the men they were sleeping with.
    Roberta
saw her looking and noticed that she was holding Bey’s hand still, and grinned,
raising both eyebrows at her. Suggestively . They did pretty much
everything that way though.
    She
glanced at Bey, and moved a bit closer to him. Not that he needed her protection
from the woman, since she was making her way into the other room already.
    “Hey,
Hiram. Bey, this is Hiram Stone. He’s the manager here, and a Mage. Also a
pretty good thief, if you ever need one. Hiram, this is Bey Transmorguire, of
the Vampire Council? So, you get the idea, I came to chat with Zack and see
what kind of presents he’d like, and Bey here came to punch me in the head if I
lose control and try to suck your blood. I should see about getting a part time
gig here, if I ever have the time. You know, I’m busy with all the new Vampire
stuff, like being beaten and raped into submission? So far that hasn’t
happened, but also I’ve managed not to be an entitled little bitch, if you can
buy that? So, fingers crossed that way.”
    Hiram
looked at Bey, and nodded, once.
    “So,
you’re making sure no one hurts her too much? I’d make threats, but you’re too
far out of my league. I’ll sleep better knowing that…”
    “I will
put a word in. Her master is known to be most fair and kind however, so I do
not believe she will be mistreated.”
    “ Unless I lose it, then, you know, it’s Eve’s turn at the beat down clinic. That’s the
game though. You either control yourself, or others have to do it for you. So,
is Zack in?”
    That was
assured, but Hiram waved toward the far wall, which lead to the transport area.
The Node. It was where Zack worked from most of the time.
    The door
was nice, having a bunch of inlaid owl carvings. They were all different sizes
and looked to be sitting on tree branches, but it was sort of out of place for
a mall book store. Even a nice one like this.
    She
didn’t knock. It was either business hours or not, right? Bey followed her, and
smiled when he saw that Zack was in his little office space toward the rear.
The main area was open and had nicely polished marble floors,