Page 26 of Guardians for the Vamp
Chapter 7 – Layla
It’s been a week since the party and possibly the best sex of my life. Vara hasn’t been around, and Thorne has barely spoken to me, let alone touched me, since the day he lost control while interviewing candidates for my security team.
When he returned to the room, he brought in two other guards. Assurances so we wouldn’t be alone together.
The next day—with the same two guards babysitting us—we went over all the candidates we interviewed and liked and made our final choices. My team will have fifty guards total, thirty who will be on duty at night and the rest will keep watch during the day, rotating shifts to allow each guard to have at least two days off.
Most of my team consists of vampires with griffins, shifters, werewolves—including Carigan, who surprisingly accepted the job when Thorne offered it to him—and a handful of witches mixed in. Thorne also hired Isa, the fae warrior, which I found interesting that a fae even wanted the job since they’re selfish creatures.
A vampire guard was assigned to stay in one of my guest rooms.The young vamp takes his job seriously and barely talks to me, which is fine because I’ve been in a bad mood.
I’m cranky because I’m frustrated and horny as fuck and it feels as if I’m going to suddenly combust if I don’t get some relief. Even my trusty vibes haven’t been able to help.
The only thing that’s kept my mind off…them,is the fact that I’ve been busy with meetings and appearances.
The day after selecting my security team, I met with supernatural leaders from across all species to discuss who will be representing them on the committee for the Supernatural Unveiling Plan. Supes who can’t emerge at night, or are bound to their environments for whatever reason, were included via video conference.
Another day, I spent handing out sentences to vampires for violating our laws. Most were minor infractions, but a handful were major, like breaking our compulsion rules:
No compelling for sexual pleasure.
No compelling a human to commit a crime.
No repeat compelling as it could cause brain damage.
Another day, I met with concerned vampires about various things like the lack of blood donors—there are only hundreds compared to the thousands of vampires in New York City. I’m hoping that number will go up with humans volunteering after learning about our existence.
Last night, I had a networking event with human politicians: A fundraiser for a children’s charity that I donated a million dollars to—some of my money, most from WOVE. The moment Thorne spotted me in my red strapless dress, he marched out of my penthouse and Erebos arrived to let me know he’d be escorting me.
Thorne set a boundary between us, but I could see how desperately he wanted to break his rules. It’s why he limited how often he’d escort me to meetings or wait outside of the room, away from me, while another guard stood inside in his place.
It’s as if the more he held out, the more frustrated and agitated he became.
Now it’s Friday, and tonight is the first meeting for SUC—I chuckle at the irony of the acronym for Supernatural Unveiling Committee being SUC since vampires literally suck blood from necks.
I slip on a pair of high-waisted black trousers and a purple short-sleeve blouse. My loose curls have been tamedin a ponytail with a few ringlets framing my face. I add a gold necklace with a simple purple diamond and matching gold hoop earrings to complete my look before turning and leaving my bedroom.
I nearly stop in my tracks when I spot Thorne in my living room, sitting on my couch with one leg propped on his knee reading the romance book I’d left on the coffee table last night.
Oh, God… which part is he at? Some of my romance books are absolutely vile. I fucking love them though.
He closes the book—one of my mafia romances—and sets it down on the table. Thorne reading is sexy as fuck, but Thorne potentially reading about a knife play scene between rivals has my fangs wanting to drop.
I manage to control my lust and head to the kitchen. Thorne stands and follows, hands tucked in the pockets of his black cargo pants. I scan his body, trying not to drool over the way his muscles stretch the black short-sleeved tunic he’s wearing.
His long black hair falls around his face and over his broad chest.
Goddamn he’s sexy.
He smiles, flashing me his fangs. His wings are tucked to his back as usual, but they flutter as he checks me out. His tail also reacts, whipping back and forth behind him.
“You look beautiful. Powerful.”
I dip my head and smile, but Thorne reaches out, clutching my chin and lifting it back up. I ignore the way my body lights up when his skin touches mine.
“Why do you always do that?”
“Do what?”
