Page 9 of Bite

I stare at the dainty bracelet on my wrist as we pull away from the curb, heart hammering against my ribs.

What the hell did I just do?

The sleek town car glides through the city in the direction of my apartment like nothing’s changed, but I feel it. Something has shifted.

There’s a part of me that wants to scream. Another part that wants to laugh, or cry, or throw up.

And then there’s a quieter voice– one I hate myself for listening to– whispering that maybe this is the beginning of something exciting.

Because as much as I’m dreading that first message coming in…

A part of me is also eagerly waiting for it.

Chapter

Three

The message comes just after noon the following day.

I’m lying on my futon, scrolling through job listings I’m not qualified for, when my phone buzzes in my hand and a push notification pops up.

You have a new engagement request!

My heart lurches.

I sit up slowly, blinking at my phone as if it’s a live bomb in my hands. A small red dot pulses beside the app icon, and I tap it with trembling fingers.

The Bite app opens with a flourish of sleek graphics, a notification filling the center of the screen.

Congratulations, Marilyn!

You’ve been selected for an engagement.

I’m already regretting that name.It makes me sound a hundred years old– but then again, most vamps are a hell of a lot older than they look, so I guess it works.

I hit the view button on the notification and the request loads on my screen, the client’s profile picture appearing at the top. His photo is professional in quality and a littletooperfect, depicting a clean-cut man in a well-tailored suit. He looks like someone who belongs to old money and newer sin; strikingly handsome with a sharp jaw, tousled black hair, and that unreadable expression vampires wear like a second skin– somewhere that dances dangerously between charming and predatory.

I scroll past his photo, skimming the details of the proposed engagement.

Name: Lucien

Physical Age: 32

Engagement Type: Standard Feed

Location: Midtown, Private Residence

Time: 10:00 PM

Duration: 15 minutes

Compensation: $300

I stare at the number as if it might change, my pulse taking off like a rocket. That’s alotof money for just fifteen minutes of my time. If I get two more requests like this one, I’ll make enough to cover my rent in less than an hour total.

Still, my thumb hovers over the option to accept or decline.

When things seem too good to be true, they usually are.