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“I’m child number three in the Loch family,” I begin. “I have seven siblings. Which is a lot,” I laugh. Erin chuckles along, too. “We all have different interests, but I would say we’re a close family. My parents worked hard to provide a life that allowed us to pursue our dreams. I always wanted to run bars and clubs.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure, to be honest. Maybe because they offer people some fun and freedom.” Erin is studying me. How did my interrogation of her get turned around on me so easily?

“I have to admit that I Googled you,” she finally says. “You’re quite the entrepreneur in the family. And…”

“And?”

“You have fabulous genetics. I saw a picture of your mother and she doesn’t look a day over forty.”

Ah yes, another advantage of our genetic coding. Aging slows down to a stop after a vampire mates. Mother and Father are well into their second century of life and yet neither looks older than forty. “Can’t complain,” I laugh. “I hope I look as good as her when I’m…” I can’t finish that sentence because I have honestly forgotten how old mother would be in human years. “Anyway, how are you finding Insomnia? Everything you hoped?”

“Absolutely. I love the clientele and Claire is a fantastic boss.”

“About that. I will take over temporarily as the manager.”

“Oh, is everything okay?”

“Yes, I just want to give Claire the opportunity to spread her wings. She’s overseeing the rest of my venues for a little while.”

“Great, well, I look forward to working with you, Amelia.”

“Likewise. I see from your schedule that you work a lot of hours.” This is where I try to find out subtly if she is seeing anyone. Claire didn’t think so, but I need to be sure. “I hope you have a good work-life balance. I can’t imagine your partner being happy with the amount of time you spend here.” Was that subtle?

“Oh, don’t worry, she’s fine with it.”

Did I hear her correctly? Erin has a girlfriend? Fuck!

Seven

The universe has to be conspiring against me. Surely you agree. Not only is my mate a human, but she’s also a human who has no clue that vampires exist, and has a girlfriend. I might as well let madness take me now.

The conversation with Erin ended pretty quickly after she dropped that bombshell. I hope I didn’t appear rude, but my brain kind of shut down. How could Claire not know Erin was seeing someone? Ugh, I can’t put this on Claire. I can’t even blame Erin; she has no responsibilities towards me.

Erin is busy behind the bar and I’m hiding. My grand plan has been cut off at the knees. What am I supposed to tell my family? Speaking of family, the she-bitch, aka Lucille, is here.

“How goes it, sister?” Lucille asks, sitting next to me. I commandeered a VIP booth for the evening.

“Fantastic,” I sigh. My mood is already bad, Lucille’s presence is guaranteed to make it worse.

“You’re such a shitty liar. What happened? Don’t tell me you fucked it up again?”

“Erin has a girlfriend.” I have neither the time nor the patience for this conversation.

“And?”

“Of course you wouldn’t see a problem with that statement.”

“Why would I? Erin is your mate. This other woman is temporary.”

“In normal circumstances, I would agree, but this is far from normal. Erin has a choice in this. She isn’t driven like me to bond with her other half. There is nothing stopping her from choosing to be with another, or if she so wishes, to be single.”

“So that’s it? One minor hiccup and you’re giving up.” Lucille’s gaze is all fire and I know she’s challenging me.

“I can’t force Erin to be mine,” I hiss.

“No, but you can fucking fight! You could do so much more than this,” she waves her spiny hand at me. “Sitting in the dark feeling sorry for yourself when you haven’t even begun. Who is Erin’s girlfriend? How long have they been together? Is Erin looking for casual, or more?”