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  Acknowledgment

  Thank you to my husband, for waiting patiently for me while I completed this book and the others in this series. And thank you to my friend, Jessica, who supported me and encouraged me in the process.

  A Vampire's Love

  The Honor, Courage, and Love Series, Volume 1

  T.L. Humphrey

  Published by T.L. Humphrey, 2021.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  A VAMPIRE'S LOVE

  First edition. November 15, 2021.

  Copyright © 2021 T.L. Humphrey.

  ISBN: 979-8201081744

  Written by T.L. Humphrey.

  Also by T.L. Humphrey

  Companion Novel

  Alina's Alliance

  Katie's Journey

  Katie's Kourt

  Katie's Konundrum

  The Honor, Courage, and Love Series

  A Vampire's Love (Coming Soon)

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Also By T.L. Humphrey

  Epilogue -Three years ago

  Chapter One – Three years ago

  Chapter Two - Three years later

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dear Reader,

  Author’s Note:

  About the Author

  Sign up for T.L. Humphrey's Mailing List

  Also By T.L. Humphrey

  Epilogue -Three years ago

  Blake

  THE COUNCIL IS AS I remember it to be—it is I who has changed.

  They used to live in drafty castles, hiding away from the prying eyes of the world. Hiding our existence and keeping us safe from those who would try to harm us—not that many could. They worked much like the mob back then and sometimes even now. And here I am, the one that used to be their prize, the one who got things done for them. The one they called on to make our world safe for them. Do they want me back? Probably. But they let me leave once I fulfilled my obligation to them. Then, I came under obligation to them once again, in a different way.

  Now I walk in a hundred years later, and they have their own modern office building. Their one-level office complex is spacious, has many rooms, shields them all from the light of day, and protects them from harm and prying eyes. And while the location and shape of the building may have changed, I know they have not. If the world hadn’t had been crashing, I wouldn’t have needed to approach them again a hundred years ago.

  As I walk down the long hall behind one of their assistants, feeling in my body that the sun has set now and won’t rise for hours, I wonder why they have called me to see them. Their missives are never detailed, yet when the Council wishes to see any of us, we come. The double office doors loom ahead, and I note again how things have changed from the drafty stone castles and dungeon-like settings of old. It was fine for the time, but times have changed now. As I follow the younger one before me, I catch the scent of two others, and it suddenly makes sense why I am here. While I am not surprised, I am curious about what is really going on. I still have three more years to honor the contract, and I have made good on everything that I’ve owed them so far. So, now, I am unsure why the Council wishes for my presence. But as the assistant opens the doors for me, and I enter the room, I see the two who I smelled in the hallway, and I should have known.

  “Marcellus. Deverell,” I greet stonily.

  They both smirk at me, sitting in their designer suits, similar to the one I wear. I’ve tried to shake these two over the last hundred years with no success. I suppose I could have tried harder. I started a business venture with the two of them, but as the business grew, they stepped back, leaving me to do all the work. So, I took steps to cut them out of my business dealings and ventures. But when I needed the Council’s help, these two caught wind of it and spun a story that, while not entirely untrue, left the truth of it untold.

  The Council may not care if we vampires pull one over on others, but double-crossing those vampires we are in business with is stepping over the line. Yes, vampires do kill other vampires, and it is acceptable to do so. But if a vampire binds themselves in a contract with another, then the contract must be honored. We have to take care of each other because we are secret in this world. And whether a vampire joins a coven, hangs around with their own friends, or remains solo, is entirely up to that individual. But if matters are brought up before the Council, then the Council decides and that decision is final.

  I look across the room at the six Elders. Three females and three males sit at a conference table stretched out to accommodate them comfortably. They have traded the chairs of Kings and Queens for the ergonomics of the time. But they still wear the black robes, reminiscent of days gone by. A throwback look that was once the height of fashion, the only tie to their true age. They are patient as I settle in, but ones such as they do not rush and have all the time in the world.

  Deverell and Marcellus sit casually, facing them. I take a seat in the middle—the one they left for me. I’m annoyed but unafraid, or even remotely concerned. We wait for the elders to speak.

  “We hoped you had not forgotten your contract.” They all speak as one, each one looking older than the other.

  I remain impassive. There is no way I could forget about the contract. It is what I have worked to pay off over the last hundred years, meticulously working at it so I can be free and clear of the Council once more and of the two who sit beside me.

  “I have not,” I reply. My words hang in the space as everyone seems to contemplate me, assess me.

  “We know you have met most of the stipulations of the contract.” Their voices are melodic and eerie at the same time. It echoes and whispers simultaneously, threading through the open space. “They tell us you have not given what they are owed,” the Council states.

  I know immediately of whom they are referring to, and I keep my eyes trained ahead. Yes, the payments have been partial, but only because I am still in the process of re-working the business they wish to acquire from me. And this, I realize, is why I have been summoned here. And while the Council would like to have me back, they would never stoop to a level so low as the two beside me have done. I am not the asset the Council remembers. I’ve traded the hunt of others for the hunt of the business venture. And just like I was skilled at hunting others, I am skilled at hunting businesses.

  Marcellus and Deverell sit beside me in obvious upset. I know they are chaffing at the sums I’ve parceled out, each time sending them a detailed account of the profits—of which I know they never read. But I should have realized they would bring this matter before the Council in an effort to slander my name and try to prove me dishonorable. And while I would like to cut them entirely out, as I grow tired of paying these two for work they do not do, my contract with Council is why I still pay. And so, I should have realized that they were going to try something like this.

  “The proceeds from the business they wish to acquire is fairly dispersed,” I say, but I hear grumbling next to me until the Council quiets them.

  One of them, older than the oldest and yet as young as them all, holds his hand out to me. I rise and cross the short distance, placing my hand in his. All of them close their eyes, digging inside of me, searching me for deceit. As a collective, they can search through the minds of others, a gift that has bypassed us all since then. And when the ancients open their
eyes, and they release my memories. He lets go of my hand, and I stand, arms by my side. He slowly inclines his head, and I turn to take my seat once again.

  “He has honored the stipulations in the contract,” they say to the other two.

  They grumble, but again, the Council puts a stop to it. They all pin me with their eyes once more. It is quite disconcerting. Yet, because of my past with them, I can handle it. I was their best asset. Only because of who I was to them did they grant me what I had asked for a hundred years ago.

  “And the other?” The words seem harsh as it whispers through the space of this room and into my ears. I refrain, barely, from flinching.

  “I still have three years,” I remind them, and then I do flinch as all of them look at me once more.

  Then they relax their intense gazes. “You do. Do not forget.”

  “I will not.” I refrain from clenching my jaw. They are only upholding what we agreed to. And it had been easier to agree than to fight it to begin with.

  It is only because of the two beside me, smirking at me, that I have that second stipulation. They meddled in my life, paying me back for a supposed slight, and played around with it. When they went to the Council about that, I’m certain it was ill received and the Council demands that all vampires play nice with each other, even if we don’t. Why the Council agreed to what Marcellus and Deverell brought before them, I may never know the truth of, but I’m stuck for it. And the Council’s word is final. I had managed to get out from under them, with their—blessing—I suppose. And lived my life the way I wanted for hundreds of years after leaving their employ.

  Meeting Marcellus and Deverell was a mistake I wish I could rectify. A supposed slight, even if I had saved a life, meant revenge, and they went straight to the Council the moment they realized I was in dire straights. And I was in these straights, not only because of a financial collapse but also because of bad business partners. They wished only for what I could do for them while I worked and grew my business ventures. They ran more than one opportunity into the ground when I gave them authority over various projects.

  We three had started a venture in the mid to late eighteen hundreds, supplying staples to various stores and restaurants, and it is this business that I worked, and they enjoyed the fruits of. But when the Crash happened, I needed to make sure I did not only lose that business but the others I had also acquired. I knew the Council had the funds necessary to keep me afloat. Little did I know that Deverell and Marcellus had a plan of their own to trap me into supplying them with funds and keep them in the style and comfort they were used to. Now, because of their meddling into my life, my affairs, the one stipulation that will put me back under the Council’s thumb is the one I’ve avoided.

  And despite what I have grown—my empire—I’m at risk of losing it in three years. But I am unwilling to lose anything I have worked so hard for. I will beat this, and I will not lose. Deverell and Marcellus do not quite understand that I am better than they think I am. I’ve got a plan in the works, and once it is finalized, I will cut those two out of my life, and I will not have to face the Council ever again. I watch as the Council removes their gazes from me, and if I had breath in my body, I would have released it. They fix their gazes on the two beside me, three each.

  “He has fulfilled what we require up to this point,” they tell the two on either side of me.

  I want to smile as the two jerk slightly, subdued—cowed, even. And I know they will leave me alone once again. At least for three years. And at the end of the three years, I will complete the other stipulation they are a part of. It’s just the one that I’ve had difficulty in finding—that is a problem.

  Chapter One – Three years ago

  Marina

  I WORK AT MY FATHER’S restaurant, and I’m stuck here right now. But in two days, I’ll be free, and I can go wherever I want. He just doesn’t realize it yet. I do, and I’ve been champing at the bit about it. I’ve squirreled away tips over the last many years I’ve been here, and I have enough to live off of for probably about a month, maybe two. It’s not much, I agree, but I will make it work. I’ll find another job and make it work. I have to because I have to get away.

  I stand behind the counter, looking out of the large panes of glass that face the front walkway. While the street out front isn’t busy, a car always seems to drive by whenever I look outside. I’m so used to the traffic bypassing this place, I’m surprised when a dark limo pulls up to the curb right in front. A few moments later, the driver’s side door opens, and the Chauffer exits. He’s dressed in a dark uniform and reaches for the back passenger door.

  Curious now, I stand rooted to my spot as two tall and fit men dressed in dark clothes exit the Limo. These two men are formidable, dressed in tailored suits and wearing dark sunglasses. They both survey the area for a moment before stepping aside. One appears to lean toward the passenger door, and soon, another man exits. I jerk in surprise when I hear a gasp beside me. My co-worker, Elayna, has sidled up next to me. She has her hand over her mouth, and her eyes are as wide as mine. After the lone man exits, two more men follow behind him, looking exactly like the first two who exited the Limo.

  “That’s Nicodermo Fortini,” Elayna whispers, staring at the man in the middle.

  Yes, I know. Everyone God-fearing Catholic Italian knows who he is, and no one crosses that man. Why he’s here is the question. Nicodermo Fortini, also known as ‘Nico,’ stands regally, dressed in a dark gray, finely tailored suit, surrounded by his guards. He straightens out his cuffs as he gazes around for a moment. Then his lips press together for a moment as he studies the windows before him. Soon, the two men in front of him lead the way, and he falls into step. The other two follow behind him.

  My father’s restaurant, ‘Bellante’s Italian Restaurant,’ is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant crammed between the laundry mat and a pawnshop. Why Nico Fortini has shown up here is anyone’s guess. I study him as he walks this way. He is older, in his fifties, I think. He has the typical dark hair and tanned-looking skin. But it is his commanding presence that makes one stop and stare. He is formidable in his own right, and I’m not sure anyone out there would cross him. He stands near six feet, I’d wager, but his guards are still taller than he is.

  The two men open the door for Mr. Fortini, but the other two behind him enter first and then allow him entry after. The two at the door stay outside, guarding, it seems.

  “Oh, my!” Elayna whispers, and I can sense her apprehension.

  “Adelfo?” Nico asks. His voice is as commanding as his presence.

  “My-my father,” I stutter a bit. A look of pity flashes over his features for a moment, making me wonder if I saw what I saw. “He’s in the back. Would you like—”

  “I’ll find him, my dear. No need to announce me.” He bypasses the counter, and one of his men follows. The other stays at the door, on the inside of the restaurant.

  I swivel my head to follow his movements, and Elayna leans into me. “What did your father do?”

  I shake my head. What hasn’t my father done? He should know better than to elicit a visit from Nico Fortini. And the fact that Nico has arrived unannounced makes me wonder what is in store for this place. I glance at the man by the door, his gaze fixed on the back of the restaurant. My eyes slide over to the restaurant patrons, who have gone silent and are concentrating on their meals.

  Our restaurant is not full. There are only six people here, and two of them rise, their meals unfinished. They hurry to the counter, and as I ring them out, I offer them to-go boxes, but they decline. They duck and skirt past the men at the door, hurrying, not meeting their eyes. The last four patrons seem to hurry with their meals caught between wanting to know what is going on and beating a hasty retreat. Elayna has moved off to refill drinks and then to disappear into the kitchen. I wipe down the countertop, trying to ignore the men at the door.

  They may not be looking at me, but I know they are keeping tabs on me as well. I’m sure their
eyes miss nothing. Not five minutes later, Nico comes back through the dining area to the counter with my father on his heels, effusing how wonderful Nico is and thanking him for whatever it is he is thanking him for. Nico stops, turns to me, and offers his hand. Unsure of how to react, I slowly extend mine. He takes my hand and then encases it in both of his.

  “My dear, it’s been a pleasure.” He squeezes gently and releases my hand.

  I’m exactly sure what has been a pleasure, but I force a smile, anyway. My father presses his lips together, and we watch Nico leave, followed by his guards who open the Limo door for him. In short order, it’s as if Nico were never here. I glance at my father and swallow, waiting for—well, anything. He glares at me, searches out Elayna, probably to make sure she’s working, and then leaves me. I stack up some laminated menus to be wiped down and set them on the counter, remembering my rag is in the kitchen.

  As I’m about to leave to retrieve it, two patrons come to the front counter. They tell me they loved the food and will be back. I smile, say thank you, and hope to see you again soon. I exhale a sigh as Elayna comes to my side once again. She says nothing as she stares out the large windows of the restaurant. I follow her gaze and see people strolling along the sidewalk, and I fail to notice him—at first. I hope he passes by, as he sometimes does, to visit the pawnshop on the other side of us. However, today, I am not so lucky. I freeze as he reaches for the door handle of this establishment. My mouth goes dry, and there’s a buzzing in my ears. I grip the edge of the counter as I hear the chime overhead. My nightmare, the one who thought it was okay...

  He doesn’t greet me, but smirks as he stands there.

  I swallow and stare, not trusting myself to do—anything. He leers again and then smirks at me. I can smell his overuse of cologne, and I want to vomit. I can still smell that cloying scent even years later. Gianni, one of the god’s gifts to women, stands before me. I hate that I’m caught like a deer in the headlights, but when he shows up, I can’t think. I can barely move. And I hate this power he has over me. My other thoughts—when I feel braver—I think of ways to retaliate... maybe one day.