Page 17 of Hot Vampire Next Door: Season Three

He lights his own cigarette and flicks his wrist, snapping the lighter shut with a resounding clack.

"You really think you can find a witch who would leave their house for ours?"

"Half this town would abandon their post to be a Duval."

"Who would you approach first?"

His gears are turning. The chess player has pulled up a chair.

"Bianca."

"Mulligan? Why?"

"She's ambitious."

"She's young."

"Young enough to mold."

"Mmm." He takes another hit and paces out to the balcony. "The shifters will lose their fucking minds if we take on a witch. So will the other vampire houses."

"The other vampires will begin recruiting the day after the news breaks."

He sighs. "You're probably right." He goes to the balcony railing and leans against it looking back to me. "It could be a dangerous move."

"I don't think we have a choice at this point."

He takes a hit, lets the smoke cloud from his mouth before sucking it in through his nose. "You never wanted to lead with me before."

"I never had a reason to want it."

"You're different with her."

"You want to go down that road? You want to rehash all of the stupid decisions you've made for her sister's pussy?"

Damien darts back into the house and stops just a foot from me. Rage cuts into the fine lines around his mouth. "Careful, little brother." His voice is sinister and dark.

"Then let us both agree to tread carefully when it comes to our MacMahon sisters."

He rakes his teeth over his bottom lip, annoyance plainly written across his face. Damien doesn't want to admit just how much Kelly gets beneath his skin and it pisses him off when I force him to show it.

"Fine," he says and shifts away again, this time for the door. He stops with his hand on the knob. "We'll make the announcement tonight. From this day forward, Duval House is ours, together. Well played, little brother."

Well played, indeed.

Looks like I said all of the right things.

And as much as I like the fantasy of starting my own house with Jessie, my gut is telling me this is the right decision.

In fact, I think it might be the only one we've got.

Episode 39

Give Me An Excuse

I sit in front of the mirror in the bathroom in Kelly’s room as she pins up my hair in a neat bun. There’s to be a celebration tonight at Duval House and Damien is going to announce that Bran will be Co-Head of House.

I know he did it for me.