Chapter 2

Zia had studied photos and details on Ares closely before she had agreed to take on this job. On paper, he was in charge of the company"s finances, but he didn"t look like any accountant she had seen. He was tall and lean like Corven with black hair in a classic short back and sides cut that highlighted the sharpness of his cheeks and nose.

Everything about him was perfectly in order from the way his hair was combed to his spotless, expensive black suit and the shine of his shoes.

OCD tendencies, she remembered from the report. She tried not to grin; she loved breaking a control freak.

What hadn"t been in the file was that it was whispered that Ares was the dagger Corven liked to slide in the ribs of his enemies. He took care of all the family"s dark and dirty secrets. The valuable kind that Zia loved to find out.

"Hello, Corven. I didn"t know you had hired a new assistant," Ares said. Moss green eyes dismissed her quickly, like she wasn"t worth noticing at all.

Well, fuck you too.

"She"s not an assistant. She"s your cousin from another vampire line. One of my turned children sired her," Corven said smoothly.

"Hi! I"m Lucrezia! Always Zia, and never Lucy! What"s your name?" she asked with a bubbly smile. Ares opened his mouth, but she immediately interrupted him."Wow! This place is huge. What a lovely view, uncle!"

She walked over to the windows and pretended to look at the cityscape. In the reflection of the glass, she saw the annoyed look on Ares"s face, and her grin widened.

Hate being ignored big boy? Excellent.

"Have the others arrived? I have business I need to attend to tonight and would like to get this meeting over with quickly," Corven said, walking further into the penthouse. "Zia, darling, come with me."

Zia hurried to his side, making sure her blonde ponytail had extra swish to it. Ares"s expression had gone from annoyed to a full-blown scowl, but he followed them wordlessly. She was going to have too much fun with that one.

Zia didn"t have to pretend that she was impressed with the decor. Everything was expensive and in shades of black and silver. It was like being in an overpriced hotel. This was the family's public space, and yet, it felt like a conference room. There were no family paintings or unique artwork.

Perhaps they only stay here when they need to, she thought. It was too early to tell whether it would make her job easier or harder. If they were all staying in the city until Corven chose an heir, it meant they were accessible.

The downside was that Zia doubted they would have anything personal or of interest in their apartments. It never hurt to break in and check.

She gave Ares a side-eyed look and idly wondered if he had a cupboard of dead hookers somewhere. Nah, he"s more of a shoe guy.

"What"s so funny?" he asked, voice cooler than the marble under her feet.

"I"m just really happy to be here. I can"t wait to meet my new family," she replied, smiling at him until he got uncomfortable and looked away.

The poor guy didn"t know what to think; she could see it written all over him. And the fun and games were only beginning.

Corven opened glossy black doors to reveal a round table with three other dhampir. Zia smiled at Erik, Camille, and Emilia. She probably knew more about them than their therapists. Erik was a sandy-haired, charismatic, and notorious playboy who held a position in the company but was rarely at his desk.

Camille, with a perfect platinum bob, was on multiple charities and boards, everything from cosmetic startups to children"s wards. She famously only wore shades of white and looked like a cool queen until she wanted something from you, and then she could be charm itself.

Emilia was the youngest at twenty-two. She was an influencer and was known for her edgy fashion choices and her savagery when crossed by rivals. She had straight black hair that fell to her waist and looked like she had stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine.

"Thank you for coming, children. I"ll only keep you a few minutes. This is your cousin Zia." Corven made the introductions, and Zia sat in the chair next to him. Ares sat on the opposite side of the table, still looking like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

"What backwards village did you come from?" Emilia asked, looking her over.

"I came from Crete. The village was small. You wouldn"t know it," Zia replied with a wave of her hand.

"Corven, this girl is green as grass. The city will eat her alive," Erik said with a soft laugh. "No offense, sweetheart."

"She is a Volso. If the city tries to eat her, it"s up to us to make sure they choke," Ares commented. It wasn"t exactly a compliment, but Zia had a feeling that was as close as he got.

Corven nodded in agreement. "Ares is right. I want you all to be polite and take Zia under your wings. Show her around the building and make sure she has whatever she needs. Cami, be a darling and introduce her to the important people at one of your soirees. I"ll be checking in on you all in a few days."

"Thank you, uncle. Can you make time to see me for lunch when you do?" Zia asked hopefully.

He chucked her under the chin. "Of course, I can." He gave the rest of them a cool nod before gliding out again.

"I can"t wait to get to know?—"

"You"re quite the little suck up, aren"t you?" Emilia interrupted her with a snide smile. She got out of her chair, her beautiful pink nails sliding over the silver scarf about her neck.

"I don"t understand. I like Uncle Corven," Zia said, gently pushing her chair away from the desk and swiveling it towards her. There was no way she was going to have her back turned to her.

"Do I need to speak slower for the country bumpkin?" Emilia sniffed as she grew closer. "You still have goat shit between your toes, cousin?"

"I had lots of sand in Crete?" Zia played dumb, and it just irritated Emilia more. Zia decided to slide the knife in a little more. "I"ve seen your Instagram. It"s really popular. I mean it"s not like Cleo Bloodworth"s level, but it"s very good."

Zia expected a reaction by mentioning her rival"s name, but Emilia leaped at her, fangs and claws out. Zia caught her and with her momentum tossed her to the floor. She pulled off Emilia"s silver scarf lightning quick and hogtied her with it.

"That"s how we deal with unruly goats in my village," Zia snarled softly in her ear.

"Get your fat ass off me, bitch," Emilia screeched.

"That"s enough, the both of you," Ares said, pulling Zia off Emilia. "You had it coming by being rude to her straight away, Emilia. Now you have it out of your system." Ares untied the scarf, and Emilia scrambled to her heels, red-faced. She looked ready for another round, but Ares stepped between them. "I said enough."

"You"re not Corven so stop pretending like you are!" Emilia snapped and stormed away.

Camille and Erik were both snickering softly together.

"That was so much more entertainment than I was expecting today. I have a function to finalize for tomorrow, so I"ll be on my way. Erik, I could use your eye on the final guestlist. Looks like it"s up to you to show our new relative around, Ares."

Camille flashed a knockout smile at Zia. "I"ll make sure you get an invite too."

"Thank you. That would be really nice," Zia said, smiling back.

Erik patted her on the shoulder. "Don"t worry about Emilia. She"s just insecure. She will warm up."

Zia fought not to knock his hand off her. "Thanks. I want us all to be friends."

"Of course you do, pet," Erik said and followed Camille out.

Ares cleared his throat. "I"ll show you around, but it will have to be quick. I have another meeting in thirty minutes."

"I hate to be a bother. I"m sure I can find my way about," Zia said. She would see all the things they didn"t want to show her that way.

"Corven said to show you are around, and that"s what I"m going to do," he replied, and she groaned inwardly. Outwardly, she channelled a sun-kissed bimbo and twisted the end of her ponytail.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it."If nothing else, it would give her a chance to find new ways to slide under his skin. "Lead on."

Ares nodded and headed out of the room. Zia noted with reluctance that the back looked as good as the front. She sighed. It was always such a waste when the gods bestowed their favors on undeserving assholes. It was almost a shame she was going to have to crush him.