Page 2

“I go out. I socialize. No one has pinged my interest.”

“When was the last time you went out, Amelia? Hm? I’ll tell you when. Three months ago, for my wedding anniversary.”

He’s right, of course. I’m not the type of woman to go out on a Friday night. Well, not every Friday night. Not when I have a good book waiting for me in the comfort of my own home.

“Laurence is right. Staying in with your books is okay after you have found your mate. Now is the time to be scouring the land. I will not lose you, Amelia.” Marcus has a fire burning in his eyes. I can feel the fear radiating from him… the fear of losing me to madness, the fear of watching as I become unhinged.

I have been awake for ten minutes, and already I want the day to be over. Laurence and Marcus are just the beginning. My other siblings will be on the same mission. As for my parents, I know they will have plans in place. I expect to be set up on multiple dates.

“Amelia, you own three bars and two nightclubs. Why on Earth aren’t you frequenting them, looking for your woman?”

“First, I have four bars and three nightclubs. Second, they are all unfortunately overrun with humans. Not so good for me. Third, I have staff who manage and run those establishments, meaning I don’t have to go there.”

“They are not overrun with humans. You’re just bitter that Mother wouldn’t allow you to make your establishments vamp-exclusive.” Laurence rolls his eyes at me.

“Do you blame me?” I feel indignation course through my veins. Humans offer us nothing but pain and suffering. Of course, the general population of humans is unaware of our existence, but there are few among them that hunt us down. Believing in the bile spewed by uninformed hypocrites. Claiming to do the Lord’s work. It makes me sick. What’s so wrong with me wanting to stay away from them? Be amongst my kind, safe?

“Vampires aren’t saints, Amelia.” Laurence laughs mirthlessly.

“I’m not saying we are.”

“We’re getting off topic,” Marcus growls. Out of all my siblings, Marcus is the one I am closest to. “You have to start trying harder. Whether or not humans are there.”

“Fine, I’ll go out. I’ll visit my bars and clubs.” I don’t have the energy to fight them. A drink in each place should suffice. Prove to them it’s a futile exercise. “Can you go now, so I can dress?” Neither brother looks satisfied with my answer, but it’s the only one they will receive.

“Fine, we’ll meet you downstairs, but Amelia… this conversation is not over.” Laurence warns.

As soon as they are gone, I flop back down to my bed. I want nothing more than to close my blinds, hike up my duvet and sleep the day away. My desire is rudely ripped from me, as are my covers. Lucille, my sister, stands glaring at me. We are usually the more combatant family members. Lucille is the opposite of me. Where I like quiet and comfort, she likes noise and turbulence. Lucille loves humans—I do not. She has them rotating in and out of her bed daily. The thought makes me gag.

“Get up,” she orders. I have lost count of the physical altercations I have had with Lucille. Although I can be the calm to her storm, I am no pushover. When things get heated between us, there is usually a wake of damage left behind.

Vampires have a couple of traits that bear a resemblance to the stories crafted over time. Our physical strength is elevated. We can’t lift cars or bend metal, but we are slightly stronger and faster than our human counterparts. Our vision is generally better, too. “If you leave, I will dress,” I hiss.

“You have five minutes, then I’m coming back up here and dragging you downstairs. The entire family is waiting for you.”

It’s my twenty-ninth birthday, the day the clock begins its countdown to my impending fall into madness.

Two

The breakfast with my family is going as well as I imagined. When I first sat down, I got the perfunctory Happy Birthdays, which lasted all of thirty seconds before the hard-hitting questions. Mainly from my parents.

Harlan and Victoria Loch are formidable people. They have walked the Earth for over two hundred years. They caused quite a stir when they mated, by refusing to procreate immediately. Instead, they took their time traveling the world, gaining skills in a myriad of sectors. That is why the Loch family is the third richest vampire family in existence. Only the Grand Master and his brother outrank us.

When they finally birthed a child, Harlan and Victoria became dedicated parents. We wanted for nothing. They showered us with love and affection. All of us are successful in our own rights, thanks to their tutelage.

It seems, though, that I am now letting the family down. Distress and frustration are rife between us. My parents want a plan of action. They cannot fathom why I haven’t made more of an effort to find my true love.

Perhaps they are right. Surely there should be a sense of urgency overwhelming me, but there isn’t. It’s possible I have accepted my fate. After my twenty-fifth birthday passed, it was as if something in me cracked. Any hope I once had faded. It’s possible that not all of us are destined to find our soulmates. There has to be a reason, I’m sure. That’s when I decided to simply live my life. Every member of my family may find my inaction frustrating. They may think I am willingly wasting my life by reading at home. It doesn’t matter. There is nothing I can do to change the outcome.

If it were as simple as an arranged marriage, I would have done it, but love is about free will and that internal fire that is stoked by the other half of a person. Love can never be feigned or coerced. Let’s be realistic, the planet has nearly eight billion people on it. I think anyone who successfully finds their mate is beyond lucky.

“Amelia, my love, please, you must make more of an effort.” Victoria, my mother pleads. It’s as if she thinks I’m being difficult on purpose.

“Mother, I cannot force a match,” I hiss. I have endured breakfast for half an hour and my usual calm is waning. Do they not realize that every time they pester, it is a vivid reminder of what will become of me?

“Amelia, please don’t speak to your mother that way.” Harlan, my father, interrupts. I get my quiet calmness from him.

“Sorry, Mother.” I take a few calming breaths. “Laurence and Marcus have already raked me over the coals—”