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Story: The Vampire's Soul

Nikolay was the one person alive with the power to dominate the vampire race. Him. No one else.

The Russian leader stared at him, then walked back to his chair and sat. His brain worked overtime as he acknowledged the situation he now found himself in.

He wouldn’t like the fact Nikolay had something so important in his possession, nor that the Americans were ahead of the game.

His eyes dipped as he feigned reading more of the scientific document for another few minutes. Nikolay waited patiently, trying not to laugh.

Finally, the president handed both items back to him.

Nikolay locked them in his case and placed it on the floor beside him.

“BioZen is a large American pharmaceutical organization.”

Nikolay nodded.

“How did you obtain it?”

“Does it matter?”

After a long moment, the president shook his head.

Nikolay didn’t think so.

“This information is not held by anyone else?”

Technically no, but someone in BioZen might still have information on a database. As far as he knew, nobody did. Even the vampires didn’t, but he’d bet his first-born child they wished they did. A laugh threatened to escape at that joyful thought.

Meeting Brayden Moretti had been an experience. Willow, herself, was a wild little thing, but seeing the prince appear like the predator he was to protect his wife and baby—or whatever the fuck they call each other—was enormously intimidating.

Add in his band of merry men who were just as large around him, Nikolay had thought his life was over. But he’d played theblow up the babycard.

Not his finest moment.

As a father-to-be, he knew it was the only thing that would get him out of there alive. He’d set it up from the beginning, of course.

“No. If the vampires do, they won’t be producing it.” Nikolay admitted.

“No.” Volkov glanced at his guard and lifted his hand. The man strode over, shifting his rifle. “Ask the minister to join us.”

It was time to get down to business.

Nikolay sipped from his glass of water and glanced at Alexis, who was standing with his arms crossed and legs apart.

“Congratulations Mr. Mikhailov, you have my attention.”

Excellent.

“What we need is secure production facilities and a distribution channel with global protection. Partners. Partnerships.” Nikolay began. “The window of panic is now.There has never been a product on earth that every human would want their hands on. And quickly.

“Mr. President, I’m going to be blunt. Fuck oil. Fuck weapon manufacturing. This serum will change Russia. Change the world.”

Rubbing his thumb and finger along his chin, the president stared at a spot on the carpet. Then he glanced at all the people in the room.

“Leave. All of you.”

Woah.

He wasn’t expecting that. But hope sprung in his chest. They were about to do the biggest deal in human history.