Chapter One

Hari watched herself in the mirror as Serel zipped the designer gown. “Are you sure you want me to wear this? To do this?”

Serel smiled. “We have to make up the numbers. Besides, this dress doesn’t fit me. It was designed for a more... exaggerated figure.”

Hari looked at her body in the strapless dress. The structure showed off her narrow waist, supported her full bust, and encased her hips.

She moved in the gown and watched the glittering gems catch the light. It cost more than her parents made in half a year. “Why do you have it if it doesn’t suit you?”

Serel picked out a set of shoes that matched the dress. “You know me. I love shopping.”

Hari looked at herself in the mirror. Her makeup was dramatic, her hair was swept up to cascade down over a shoulder, and the dress was exceptionally flattering. The midnight blue suited her.

She got her shoes on and put the wrap on. Hari was nervous. The other ladies were all debutants out to catch a man at the governor’s court. He was rising tonight, as he did every five years. From what she had heard in high school, he was looking for a proper consort. The city’s elite sent their daughters there to tempt him. Ten was the required number, and they had been one woman down.

Since high school, Hari had been Serel’s friend of last resort. Hari was quiet, studious, and did not come from money. Scholarships paved the way, and she was in her fourth year of university but hadn’t been out much. Library sciences students had a very niche social circle.

Serel was a sociology major.

“Right, Hari, let’s get going. This is going to be quite the party.”

Hari smiled and filed out with her friend in the glowing white gown. How bad could the evening possibly be?

“I found her!” The voice rang in the marbled hall and echoed back to Hari.

She heard the call and stopped her stunned shuffle.

Hari stood with the blood staining the front of the dress, splashed up over her neck.

“Miss. Where are you... oh fuck.” A man with a security coil in his ear walked around her to stand in front of her.

He reached for her, and she stared into his eyes. “No. No one touches me.”

He paused and nodded. “Please. We need to get you back to the ballroom. There have to be ten.”

She looked at him and laughed harshly. “Fine. Can I get a ride home after that?”

“Yes, miss. Where do you need to go? Hospital?”

Hari turned. “No. This isn’t my blood.” Her body had healed. That was what it did. Speed healing. Well, it did other things, as the golden jackass had found.

She walked slowly to the ballroom. The blood covering the gown made it stiff, and she had lost her shoes somewhere. The laughing and flirting came to a halt. Everyone stared at her. She walked to one of the inlaid marks on the floor and stood there.

The other women raced around and got into position.

Serel was looking at her with a vicious sneer. Hari’s tentative hope that she had a friend was over. Serel just wanted her here as a body. Fun was never on the agenda.

The man with the gong striker paused. “Mr. Eberhart isn’t here.”

One of the men who had found her in the hall went up to him and whispered in his ear. He jolted in surprise and struck the gong.

Hari stood still while a few of the other girls tried to ask what had happened.

Serel had been talking to the man and had introduced them. One moment, Hari was shaking his hand, and the next, she had been picking chunks of his skull out of her hair while her body healed from the assault.

She had been wandering down the hall with her mind blank when they had found her.

The floor didn’t rise as she had expected, but a door opened behind the throne, and the governor walked out. Hari did not expect the ram-style horns on the side of his head. She hoped that his selection process was quick. She was pretty sure there was a chunk of ear in her cleavage.

The ladies were sighing in admiration. He was very pretty. The guy she was wearing was pretty as well. She was over this evening and just wanted a shower.

Hari was in the final position, and she watched the vampire move from lady to lady, doing some kind of analysis. One by one, he spoke quietly, and Serel swayed toward him when it was her turn.

Hari waited, and when he got to her, he stared down her bodice. “What happened?”

She didn’t speak. Didn’t say a thing. She looked up at him and met his red and gold eyes. He touched her bloody cheek, and she felt the rush of pain and panic. She stepped back, and he grabbed her arm. The restraint was too much. She lifted her head and screamed toward the ceiling as images of what had occurred were pulled from her mind.

Glass shattered all over the room. The governor released her, and she stepped back. She closed her mouth and lowered her chin.

“Remain here. We will take care of this.” He gestured toward her gown.

“Not necessary. I am unsuitable for anyone, which was the intent.”

He blinked, and his head cocked. “Not exactly. Repairs can be made.”

“Well, I simply wish to leave this disaster, and I have been promised a ride home.”

He paused. “I will make sure that you are taken care of. This should not have happened.”

“You are right. It shouldn’t. Enjoy your nap.”

“Enjoy your dreams.” He smiled and walked to the deputy governor, speaking softly to him before returning to his quarters.

When the door shut, Hari turned on her heel and left across the broken glass. Her body healed and was damaged with every step she took. She was quite sure that she was leaving a bloody trail, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to go home.

* * * *

Five years later...

Hari moved calmly around the kitchen while flames flared, and her staff moved like clockwork. Swearing clockwork.

The strip club was riotously busy, and it was after three. The murmurs and laughter of patrons were barely audible, as was the pulsing of the music. The kitchen was separate and rather soundproofed. It made it easier to work while the ladies bumped and ground against the patrons. They made more than Hari did, but that was a temporary situation. Hell, everyone here took home more than she did.

After the night at the governor’s mansion, she had been sued for the price of the dress and shoes. The fifty-thousand-dollar bill for the lawsuit and the items had knocked Hari out of school. Well, if she was honest, the manslaughter charge in self-defense had been a contributing factor.

Hari plated thin slices of steak with vegetables and a light sauce, and she rang for service.

Tiffy swept by in her skimpy costume and smiled. “Thanks, Hari.”

Hari smiled and got back to the next order. The flow was slow and steady until four, when the kitchen closed. They had finished the cleanup when Hari heard her name being called.

“Hari! Help!”

Hari held her hand out, and the silver frying pan she kept on the wall lifted off the hook and smacked into her palm. She had no idea who had sent her the pan, but it was excellent for deterring certain supernaturals. It also came when she called, so that was nice.

She left the kitchen, her legs making long strides. The issue was obvious. A dancer was bent back over a vampire’s lap, and he had already bitten her arm.

Hari asked as she approached, “Cinnamon, consent?”

“No, Hari!” Cinnamon whimpered as the man got closer.

Hari struck, the vampire’s head snapped to the side, and his laughing companions stilled.

The vampire dropped, Cinnamon was helped up, and Hari looked at the others. “Leave now. Your patronage is no longer required.”

There was blood on her frying pan, and she grimaced and wiped it on her victim’s thigh.

One of the vampires, who looked the same age as Hari, glared at her. “You don’t know what you have done. We are apprentices of the governor. You will be punished.”

“Bring it, bitch.”

His eyes flared in outrage, and she waited for the indicator. His teeth flashed, and he lunged, only to clang into her frying pan. He staggered back and fell on his ass.

“Margo, call the governor’s office. Let them know we have some strays who have been drinking from the unwilling. Consent has been denied and recorded.” She looked at the other two. “Any other takers?”

The other two shook their heads and looked at Margo as she called the hotline to the governor’s office.

One looked like he was going to make a move for the phone, and Hari said, “Don’t even try it. If I use the edge, I can cave your skull in. It isn’t a pleasant experience.”

They sat, and her two targets clutched their heads.

One of the others hissed, “You will be punished for this.”

“That depends on who shows up to collect you.”

She stood there in her black kitchen uniform. Her hair was up and in a hair net, her nails were cropped short, and her face was devoid of makeup. She didn’t look like any of the other ladies here. She barely looked like a lady at all.

Hari remained on guard and shifted to block any moves the vampires tried. Her reflexes were exceptional. They always had been.

The deputy governor walked in with Serel holding onto his arm.

Prolen looked at the four vampires and bowed to Margo. “My apologies to you and the good people of your establishment. We will compensate any injured staff. What happened to my men?”

Hari looked at him. “I did, Deputy Governor. How are you keeping?”

“Hari? You are still in town?” His eyes were wide, and Serel pulled at him.

“Honey, you said we could go for a late breakfast. Don’t talk to that poor slut.”

Prolen looked down at his mistress. “Why are you so insulting? She has defended her own against four of ours.”

Serel paled. “She owes me money.”

Hari smiled softly. “No, I don’t. The last payment was the previous paycheque. You are paid in full for the dress, the shoes, and your legal fees.”

Prolen frowned. “What dress? What shoes?”

Serel scowled. “The ones she wore to the choosing five years ago. She destroyed them.”

Hari shrugged. “They were destroyed, but she invited me and just happened to have a dress in my size. I was bait. Oh, how is the new consort? I have heard that the governor has announced he has found his partner.”

Prolen nodded. “Yes, he has announced it.”

“Too bad. Your mistress really thought she had a chance.”

Serel snorted. “I am Prolen’s consort.”

“No, you aren’t. You don’t even want to know how I know.” She chuckled. “You are a plain and replaceable mistress, just like half the dancers here.”

She saw a figure walking in, and when she saw the silhouette of the head, she sing-songed, “Somebody’s in trouble.”

Governor Zerul walked into the space, and several of the dancers gasped. “It seems that the new apprentices of my house require correction.”

One of the unscathed men jumped up and ran to the governor, kneeling at his feet. “Master, she attacked us with a weapon, unprovoked.”

Serel sidled toward him. “Master, Hari is unpredictable. You remember five years ago.”

Zerul was looking at Hari with a slight smile. “The service industry?”

“I had bills to pay. They are done now, so I am free to leave the city.”

“That would be most inconvenient. Having a consort outside my sphere of influence would be awkward. I would constantly be at war.” He moved in a flicker and was directly in front of her.

The other vampire who hadn’t joined the fight asked in a strangled voice, “She is your consort, Master?”

“Yes, Kyle. She is.” Zerul smiled, slowly raising a hand to caress her cheek. “We simply have not explored the details.”

Serel gasped. “Bitch!”

Zerul turned his horned head slowly. He flicked his fingers, and even the gasping sounds from her were silenced. Serel went crazy and clawed at her throat.

The deputy governor’s eyes widened. “I am sorry, Zerul. She’s impulsive. Still so young.”

Zerul gestured to Hari. “Anhara here is a year younger and charges at vampires to help others. Stupid vampires who are going to be punished for insulting my household.”

The two healthy and two slowly healing men looked nervous.

Hari said calmly, “I am more insulted by the fact that they believed the office of the governor would allow them to drink from the unwilling just because they paid for a lap dance.”

Zerul looked down at her hand. “I see you still have my gift.”

“It hangs on the wall of the kitchen and comes when I call. Thank you.” She lifted the bloody silver frying pan. “Fortunate shape as well. It is very appropriate for me to have it in the kitchen.”

He smiled and stroked her cheek. “How was therapy this week?”

“Good. He’s excited that I am at the end of my payments to the court.”

“Are you going to tell me what that was about?”

She looked at Serel. “She can. I was never quite able to grasp her logic.”

Serel cringed against Prolen as Zerul turned his head to look at her. He nodded. “I will question her another day. I believe that Prolen can benefit from the silence.”

Prolen cleared his throat. “Zerul, she has not mentioned any issues with your consort. I didn’t know that you had chosen one.”

“I chose one five years ago, and she walked out of my home covered in blood. Eberhart wrecked my chance at meeting her then, but he paid a lesser price than what I would have put him through.” His smile showed his predator teeth. “I still hope that his soul flits my way in the halls. So far, he has avoided me.”

Serel blinked in surprise.

Zerul looked at her. “Oh, yes. All souls in my hall remain. If they die there, they stay there until I let them go. I will find him eventually.”

Serel looked ill.

Hari shrugged. “Well, you all have this in hand, so I am going to finish cleanup and get out of here.”

The manager came over and gave a memory stick to Prolen. “Here are details of the attack and the response. Hari restrained herself, as always.”

Prolen smiled. “Thank you. The information is helpful.”

Hari looked at him. “And the file has been sent to the local police detachment.”

He quirked a brow. “I see. Thank you.”

“Yes, well, I would hate for justice to slip through the cracks. Vampires are tricky to deal with.”

Zerul looked at her. “They will be punished. I swear.”

“I also want it on their record that they drink from unwilling donors.” She looked at him and gestured to the others. “And that they assisted.”

“Why is it so important?” Prolen frowned. “The governor has stated he will take care of it.”

“I was charged with defending myself. Put on probation and kept from learning and finishing my degree. I was held back from everything I wanted for my life. I can kill them now if you would like just to wait until I am done. I am tired of you bastards taking what you want and trying to walk away.” She lifted the frying pan again.

Prolen held his hands up. “No need. They will have criminal records after this night.”

Police came in and froze. Zerul directed them to the arrests, that Cinnamon should be directed to victim’s services, and that Prolen should take custody of the accessories to the crime. The perpetrator and the man who tried to assault Hari were arrested for blood assault and common assault.

The police put on the cuffs, and an ogre and a werewolf escorted out the bloodied men. One of the officers came forward and interviewed her.

“So, Hari, what did you see?”

“We were finishing cleanup, and I heard my name screamed. Normally, that costs extra, so I grabbed my pan and headed for the club. I saw Cinnamon bent backward, and the vampire that had her already had blood on his teeth. I asked her if she had consented. She said no. I stopped him with the frying pan from going in for a more devastating bite. His buddy got up to defend him, and he also could not bite through metal. So that is when the manager confirmed her call to the governor’s office, and the other two remained in place. The deputy governor and his mistress arrived, followed by the governor. Then you. And here we are.”

The officer nodded. “And both of your physical interactions were restrained, so no need for an arrest.”

“It’s fine. I can come in to be printed.” She shrugged. “Do you want to take my weapon?” She lifted the pan by the handle.

“Yes, please. They seem to be wearing the embossing on the side of the pan.” He held out an evidence bag, and she slipped the pan into it.

“I will be in touch to see when I can get that back. I will also have to use my skills to defend those around me.”

He looked at her warily. “We will just confirm blood and give you a call.”

“Great. Thanks for coming out, Lorence.”

He smiled. “Thanks for being calm, Hari.”

“No problem.”

“You hitting the gym later?”

“Of course. I didn’t properly hit anything today.” She looked over at Zerul, and he smiled slightly.

Lorry leaned in. “I haven’t seen him out... ever. Why is he here?”

“You know that frying pan?”

He lifted the object in the bag. “Yeah.”

“He gave it to me. You see the embossed word?”

“Treasure.”

“That’s me.”

“Oh. Well. Right. I am going to get this into evidence and processed as quickly as possible.”

“Quick and efficient. I used it, and I will take the blame.”

“There isn’t any blame. The guys in the transport are confessing non-stop.” Lorry’s pointed ears twitched.

“Good. Do you want me to sign a statement?”

“Come by tomorrow before work.”

“I am off tomorrow, but I will be by around eighteen hundred. Please have it ready.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Lorry grinned. “It will be ready.”

“You have my number?”

“I do.”

“Have a good evening.” Lorry reached out to pat her on the shoulder.

There was a blur, and Zerul was there and holding his wrist. “No contact, please.”

Lorry stared at him. “Right. Of course. Good evening, Hari. Sir.”

Hari nodded, and Zerul let him go.

She looked up at him. “You know, if you hadn’t been creeping into my dreams for five years, I would be out the door by now.”

“Well, it is good that I am fed from your sleeping thoughts.”

“I thought you looked perky.”

He grinned and stroked her jaw. She blushed. “Not in the waking world, Zerul.”

His eyes showed delight. “You have kept your memories.”

“Yes, well. Shut up.”

He laughed and hugged her carefully.

She smelled him, and without her being covered in blood, he smelled nice. She remained in his embrace until he released her.

“So, you have figured out what you are?”

“Sure. It was pretty easy.” She smiled. “The hybrid aspect was the difficult part.”

“It is a good weapon. I am glad you have it. If it can’t defend, it can punish.”

She leaned back. “So, I thought you were getting ready for the big party this weekend.”

He snorted. “I felt the pan leave the wall.”

“Oh. Yeah. That is sensible.”

“You are going to the gym?”

“I am. I need to work some tension out. I really wanted to beat them into paste.”

“Of course you did. I expect nothing less, Anhara.”

“So, you are planning the party again?”

His lips quirked. “Yes. I do hope you are coming.”

“Sorry. I think I work that day. I certainly don’t want to get a gown or accept one. I have learned my lesson.”

“What if I promise you that there is no chance of a repeat of the previous events?”

“Still don’t have an interest in going. Nothing to wear. That kind of outfit is a waste of money.” She shrugged. “Useless, and the blood doesn’t come out.”

He grimaced. “You looked lovely in it.”

“You have strange taste.”

“I never thought I would be so attracted to a woman in a hair net.”

“But blood and brains didn’t bother you?”

“You were gorgeous no matter what was on you, as you are now.”

“Right. Well, have your party. Take some pictures. Share with social media. I will send you a congratulatory message during my break.” She smiled. “Have fun. I have a project I have been waiting to play with.”

“We will discuss this later.” He rubbed her arm.

“Much later. You had better go and deal with those bystanders.”

“You are dismissing me?” He cocked his head.

“Oh. Yeah. I have things to do.” She smiled brightly and watched him look suspicious.

“I will see you on the ritual day.”

She shrugged. “Only if I make the news. You like them younger anyway.”

“I like you. I have since we first met. I will not force you into anything physical, but we are linked. You stood on the sacrificial stone, dripping in blood. There has never been a more perfect sacrifice.”

“Flattering. Well, I am out of here. Enjoy your interrogation and torture session.” Hari smiled brightly. She patted his hand and returned to her kitchen.

She washed the blood off her hands, went to the change room, and got into her gym clothing. Unwinding at the gym was a habit that she was glad she had acquired.

She walked the block to the gym and swiped her card against the lock. When it opened, she stepped inside and went to her locker. She stowed her wallet, got her water bottle, wraps, and gloves, then filled the bottle up at the cooler and headed to the floor.

It was time to hit something properly.