Compelled (Shadow Beast Shifters Book 5)

No one bothered us for the next few hours, and I spent that time quizzing Len on every aspect of Lucien’s personality. He knew a lot about the master vampire, from his favorite colors: teal and black; to his favorite food: blood, of course, and apples from Earth, of all places; to the fact that he had no blood relatives alive. He was the last of his bloodline, which made me sadder than I expected. “His family all but built this town,” Len told me. “Hence why Crimson City is the official-slash-unofficial name.”

“I had no idea,” I said, feeling stupid for never even asking about the fact that the town and his house had the same name.

“Oh yeah, he’s royalty in this world, not that he’s ever wanted to claim it.”

That was true. If anything, Lucien wanted to live the most understated life he could manage. Unfortunately, his shine was too bright for him to hide.

“He loves well-aged scotch and whisky,” Len continued, not realizing my thoughts had drifted off. “And he has a weakness for shiny, powerful objects. He manages to control it easily now, but when we were younger, he’d challenge me for my stones all the time.”

Learning these little secrets about Lucien felt like a gift, even if they were only needed to get through this selection and possibly be out of his life.

“What does he like in females?” I asked. “Is there a ‘type’ the masters expect him to go for?”

That gave him a moment’s pause. “Actually, Lucien, for all of his playboy personality is very private with his love life. I’ve never known him to seriously date—none of us ever have, to be fair. But Lucien doesn’t give enough of himself to invest even temporarily in a relationship.”

“Why?” I asked, somewhat surprised. I’d figured that Lucien wasn’t dating at this point in his life, not that he’d never really dated. I mean… he was old as dirt, so how was that possible?

“His parents had a blood call bond,” Len said softly. “I don’t know the whole story, but I believe searching for a way to have more children is what destroyed his mother, and then his father followed.”

My heart ached as I pictured Lucien as a young tow-headed child, even though he’d probably been four hundred years old when it happened. I wondered if he’d felt that he wasn’t enough for them.

I could relate to that.

Maybe one day he’d trust me enough to share the story, but considering even Len didn’t appear to know the finer details, the odds were low. It did give me some insight into comments Lucien had made about not wanting a mate or offspring, which gave me an even deeper appreciation for his willingness to enter this selection.

I knew he didn’t plan on finding a mate from it, not a true one anyway, but it must have been somewhat triggering for him just to sign up.

A low musical chime echoed through the room, interrupting my thoughts and the information-gathering session. Len was up and off his couch in a flash, and at the door before I even got to my feet. When he opened it, I was close enough to see a petite female there. She wore a tight black dress, sky-high black heels, and a seductive expression as she eyed Len up and down, tilting her head back so her dark, flawless curls tumbled down her spine.

Everything about her was attractive, from her almond-shaped brown eyes to her full pink lips—all of which barely seemed to register with Len as he observed her with caution.

“Can I help you? he asked, tone hard.

“I really hope so. I’m one of the selected.” Her voice was soft and accented with a purring sound as she rolled her r’s. “Came across to introduce myself and see if there’ve been any announcements I missed.”

She reached out a hand as if to touch Len’s coat, but he moved aside so fast there was no chance for her to sink her red-tipped claws in. I looked down at my naked nails and too-big clothing and figured that this selection should be a breeze to lose.

Easing around Len, I shot her a smile. A fake, fake smile.

“So lovely to meet you,” I said overly cheerily. Occasionally, my acting abilities really came in handy. “I’m Simone. And we haven’t heard any announcements yet.”

Those pretty brown eyes met mine, and I was surprised when she didn’t sneer or shoot any mean-girl comments my way. Instead, she smiled brighter. “Simone.” She exclaimed. “That’s a lovely name. I’m Hattie, and I’m desperate not to be in this selection. Please tell me you feel the same?”

You could have knocked me over with a damn puff of air at that announcement.

I blinked at her so many times she probably thought I was seizing. “You don’t want to be part of the selection? Why are you here then? I thought vampires had a choice.”

She swallowed roughly, her perfect, white teeth and cute fangs disappearing. “My family doesn’t have much power. My madre believes I’m their key to stepping up the ladder of success. There was no choice for me.”

“Me either,” I admitted, feeling a strange sense of kinship with this confusing chick. “I’m not even a vampire.”

Hattie nodded. “Yes, I heard that. And in all honesty, that’s why I chose your door to knock on first. The others are all here to win and will backstab and claw their way, fang and nail, onto a master’s cock. Meanwhile, I’m in love with the boy next door and will do literally anything not to win.”

A snort escaped me. She reminded me of Mera, and feeling homesick for my best friend, I reached out and grabbed Hattie’s hand. “Okay, you and I are about to become selection besties,” I said, relaxing. “We can help each other. Stick together.”

She nodded. “I would really love that. I’ve never had many friends—no one likes the weak family.”

Ugh, vampire politics were so similar to shifters’… I hated it all.

Giving her hand one more squeeze before releasing her, I said, “You never have to worry about that with me. I’m not a power chaser.”

Before she could reply, another chime filled the area, but this time along the entire hallway. “The opening ceremony will commence in four sun movements,” a robotic voice announced through the area. “Items will be delivered for you to wear. If you do not show up, you will be eliminated.”

Hattie turned to me. “If only it was that simple for me. If I was eliminated in the first round through my own actions, my parents would disown me.”

“I also can’t be eliminated that way,” I said with a sad laugh. “Or they’ll eliminate me permanently. My only hope is to either be rejected by the stone or to be chosen for Lucien, who agreed to release me after.” I wasn’t going to go too deeply into the plan, but mentioning it shouldn’t be an issue.

Hattie straightened, her eyes growing wider. “Lucien? As in… Master Lucien of Crimson House?”

When I nodded, she opened her mouth in a silent scream. “He’s like the most eligible bachelor in the fucking world,” she whispered through her freakout.

Right. It wasn’t as if I’d forgotten that, but sometimes it still took me by surprise. Lucien was a big deal here. Like… a big, big deal.

“They seriously don’t tell you who the masters are?” I asked her.

She shook her head, a snorty laugh escaping. “Like they would tell us anything. Most females don’t even care. Only a few with enough power in their family or a mate already would say no. And since they never send invites to mated females, it’s always a hundred percent turnout.”

All of the doors in the hallway banged open then, thirty or so at a quick count, and from these doorways, female vampires emerged, most of them dressed like Hattie. Or more extravagantly. Hattie’s boobs and ass were at least somewhat covered.

“What are they doing?” I wondered out loud, glancing back at Len, who remained quietly at my back. “They said four sun movements.” Which was about four hours, from what I remembered.

Before anyone could answer me, my blood sizzled as a spark of energy traveled down the hall, and Len yanked me into the room as a large, wood trunk landed in front of my open door.

“Our clothing has arrived,” Hattie said with a sigh. “Looks like we’re out of excuses to not get ready.”

Since my new vampire friend already looked like she was ready, I had no idea what she was going to change into. Apparently, there were sexier outfits in here for us.

Sexy enough to impress our possibly new mates.

Our new masters.

Ugh, vampires sucked.

In more ways than the usual.