in front of it. It was inviting—the kind of office that made you want to come in and stay for a while.
He told me to have a seat, then started to leave.
“Wait, I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
“Oh, how rude of me. I’m Tobias Fearson.”
I stared after him in shock. If he was Tobias, then who was the man in the car? I had a sneaking suspicion I knew exactly who it was. Groaning at my stupidity, I lowered my head to my hands, and let out a whispered, “Shit.” Tymon was going to kill me.
5
I thought about leaving, but before I’d fully committed to the idea, the door opened, and in he walked. Correction, in he stalked. The t-shirt and jeans had been replaced with a collared shirt and dress pants. He looked good. I hated myself for thinking it.
“Guess who I just met?” The words came out as more of an accusation than a statement, but I was mad. His betrayal stung. Okay, so betrayal might be a bit harsh, but at the moment, I couldn’t think of a better word to describe it.
He stared back at me with those dark, bedroom eyes, and I wanted to poke them from his sexy, vampire head. “I never said I was Tobias.”
“Yeah? That’s funny because out of the five-hundred times I called you by his name, I don’t recall you correcting me. Tell me something, Mr. Wylde, what happened in the car?”
He rounded the desk, and I tried not to stare at his ass as he took a seat. “Please, call me Zack. What happened in the car was an unfortunate accident. I promise it won’t happen again.”
You’re damn right it won’t happen again. “Why am I here?”
“Do you always ask so many questions?”
“I’m a cop. It comes with the job,” I answered flatly. I should have been shaking in my boots. The guy wasn’t only a master vampire; he was Lord over all the vampires in the South. He was an apex predator times ten. So why wasn’t I pissing myself? Probably because I was too busy riding the anger-high from earlier.
“Exactly, you’re a cop, and it’s those detective skills that I need right now. Two weeks ago, Tamara went out with some friends. When she didn’t return home, we thought nothing of it. The girls enjoy going out. It’s not unusual for them to spend the night away. However, when a few days passed and none of the other girls heard from her, we started to get concerned. Tamara’s two closest friends, Naya and Anya, were with her that night. Both claim they know nothing. However, after Victoria, Gunter, and I questioned them, we all agree they’re hiding something. No one suspected foul play until we got the call from the police.”
I considered his answer before asking, “Why me? We both know Tymon is more qualified.”
“Yes, but Tamara didn’t ask for Tymon, she asked for you.”
“Why do you have humans in your seethe?” I wasn’t trying to be annoying; I actually wanted to know.
His brow arched. “Has Tymon taught you nothing about our culture?”
I thought of the stack of books sitting on my coffee table. Tymon had given them to me right after I joined PHD. I was supposed to study them. “I seemed to have skipped the part on vampire living. Please, humor me.”
He let out a sigh. “To simplify it, a seethe is like an extended family. At the head is the master or mistress. The rest of the seethe is comprised of both vampires and humans. The role each person plays in the seethe, depends on how it’s structured. For example, I currently have ten vampires and twenty or so humans in my seethe.”
“And their roles are?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“That depends. We have security, household staff, and nourishers, just to name a few.”
“What are nourishers?”
His lips pursed in irritation. “If you’d read your literature, you would know this.” We’d already established that I hadn’t done my homework. Now, he was just being annoying. When he realized he wasn’t going to get a rise out of me, he gave in and answered my question. “A vampire cannot feed from another vampire as our blood no longer holds the nutrients to provide proper nourishment. Human blood is essential to our survival.”
I pictured a harem of human women, all dressed in robes and lounging in a den of iniquity, while waiting with bated breath for their lord and master to call upon them. “So what?