Celine
There’s a reason that vampireslovenightclubs. The delicious smell of quickly circulating blood; the dim light that only our eyes can navigate; the warm bodies pressed up close. The music is loud, in sync with the steady-rhythmic beating of dozens of living hearts. It thunders wonderfully in my ears, wakening my vampiric senses.
I’d love to stay, but-
“Celine!”
A sharp voice interrupts my reverie. It’s my sister, pushing through the throng of sweaty bodies that have started to fill up the club again. Luckily, my display didn’t put them off their evening entirely.
“Yes, Renata?” I sigh, bracing myself for a tirade.
“Whatare you doing down here?” she says, hands on her hips. Her dark brown hair is cut in a sharp, stylish bob which grazes her chin. She has warm, olive skin and thin lips set in a frown. “Our board meeting startedtwentyminutes ago, and you’re playing around down here at the club?”
“I was dealing with asituation…”
But she doesn’t care. She takes me firmly by the elbow and I allow her to pull me toward the elevators, huffing and muttering as we go. The people around us stare and I glare back at them. They cower in fear and part to let us through. I would never allow anyone but my sister to treat me in such a way. I have a reputation to uphold.
Renata takes us to the elevators, pushing the button angrily. Shesmooths the folds of her pristine white pantsuit as we wait. My sister deals with the legal side of our family business. I deal with the not-so-legal side. Let’s just say…I could never get away with wearing that much white.
“I’m trying to run a business to keep our family’s power secured,” she lectures. “And none of you can even respect my time! It’s outrageous!”
“I was taking care of the club,” I respond with a scowl as we get into the elevator. Even though there’s a lot more space, nobody else enters the elevator with us. “Some riffraff. One of the Lazarus vamps, lurking around. He almost drained one of the customers. I staked him.”
She purses her lips. “You staked a vampire? Who?”
But we’re interrupted by the ding of the elevator. The doors open on the ground floor.
“Oh, hi!” says a chipper voice. A tall, slim vampire joins us in the elevator, carrying a large crate. She wears ridiculously high heels and a trendy asymmetrical dress that looks like it belongs on an influencer’s instagram feed. Her pale skin is flawless and her platinum blond hair falls well below her waist, in waves that probably took hours to perfect.
“And you!” Renata rounds on our younger sister next. “Doanyof you know how to tell time? The meeting startedtwenty-fiveminutes ago!”
“I know, Iknow,” she sighs, holding the enormous crate with one hand as she uses the other to push back her waist-length hair. “But I was gettingthis!”
I raise my eyebrow at the crate. “And what ridiculous scheme are you on today, Lexi?”
“Thisis going to bring us a ton of business!” she responds cheerfully. “It’s a crate of my new bloodwine! It’s going to behugein the vampire community, just you wait.”
“That’s disgusting,” I snort.
“Lexi, I don’t havetimeto sell your stupid new products!” Renata groans, as the elevator doors open to the second floor. “I’m trying to run our multi-billion-dollar family business, whichnone of youappreciate!”
The three of us exit onto the office floor. It’s the complete opposite ofthe club. Sleek, white, pristine, and modern. Everything is ruthlessly efficient. Renata redesigned the floor plan five times while we were constructing it, but still managed to finish it on time and under budget. We walk through the office hallway to the boardroom, employees ducking out of our way as we come through.
“Neither of you understand my entrepreneurial spirit!” Lexi huffs, carrying the crate of wine as though it’s a feather pillow. Even though Lexi is the youngest, she’s physically the strongest out of the three of us.
“You were created when our company was already built,” Renata replies sharply. “You have no idea what building a business is like, or how hard I work to keep us afloat…”
“How hardyouwork?” I shake my head, swinging open the door to the boardroom. “You get to deal with thelegalside of the business. That’s all easy, aboveboard.I’mthe one who has to manage the mafia families, the politicians…Iclean up the messes so that we don’t get thrown in prison!”
Renata and Lexi both open their mouths to respond, but another voice interrupts first.
“Celine, Renata, Alexandra,behave.”
Tudor Thornblade sits at the head of the long boardroom table, his hands folded in front of him, a smirk on his face as he regards us.
Lexi puts down her crate, annoyed but complacent.
“Well at leastsomeonewas on time,” mutters Renata, as the three of us take our seats around the boardroom table.
