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CHAPTER NINETEEN

Knowing that the cameras were following Craig’s gaze, I struggled to remain outwardly calm as he looked at us in welcome.

“You’ve been making some headlines lately, Brodier,” Craig said. “But there’s more to your story that hasn’t been said, yet.”

“A lot more,” Cross agreed. “And please call me Cross.”

“Okay, Cross. Let’s start with that kiss you shared with Shepard during your last interview here.”

“It wasn’t shared,” Shepard said. I could feel him tense beside me, which only made me more nervous. Shepard inhaled deeply and immediately relaxed.

Cross chuckled. “I think everyone knows it wasn’t shared. The point wasn’t the kiss but the relationship between vampires and werewolves in general. Not every vampire hates every werewolf, and not every werewolf hates every vampire. Shepard and I are proof of that.”

“That punch didn’t look very caring.”

“Would all your male friends allow you to kiss them on the mouth?” Cross asked with a knowing smirk.

“No, probably not,” Craig said, laughing and shaking his head. “So, tell us then, how did a vampire and a werewolf become friends? According to several vampire sources, it’s not possible for the two races to get along.”

“We met through Everly, a mutual acquaintance,” Cross said.

“I guessed as much. I love the matching suits, by the way.”

The camera facing me blinked red, and I realized I was on camera.

“Thank you,” I said with a shaky smile.

“Were they your idea?” Craig asked.

I shook my head. “Cross’. He has a better fashion sense than I do.”

“There are a lot of questions I’d like to ask about that, but first, would you be willing to tell us a little more about how you know Shepard and Cross, Everly?”

“I used to work for Shepard at Blur.”

“Used to? You don’t work there anymore?”

“Unfortunately, due to protesters and several vampire attacks on the business, I’ve had to close the door for the safety of my employees and my patrons,” Shepard said.

“I did hear about that but thought it was temporary,” Craig said. “A lot of people will be upset if the doors close for good. Blur has been known as one of the best spots for music and drinks in D.C. for over a decade.”

“And I don’t want to let down the community that has supported me over the years,” Shepard said. “Right now, the best way I can give back is to focus my efforts on keeping everyone safe.”

Craig nodded and focused on me again. “And how do you know Cross? Did he work at Blur, too?”

“No. I met Cross when I accidentally woke him up.”

“Woke him up? That sounds interesting. How does one wake a vampire?”

“Well, I wouldn’t recommend falling on him,” I said with a smile.

Craig laughed and leaned forward. “I think not falling on a vampire is good advice. It sounds like there’s a story there. We’d love to hear it.”

I didn’t want to talk about it. Looking back, I could see how ridiculous the experience was. But with what I knew now, I also understood the story needed to be told. At least, parts of it. People needed to know about a real vampire experience.

“I was hiking with my friend, and we accidentally fell into a cave. The fall was traumatic enough. Getting up and seeing what we thought was a corpse was even more terrifying.”

“Describe it to us,” Craig said. “What made you think he was a corpse?”

“He was lying on this stone ledge. It couldn’t have been comfortable.”

I glanced at Cross.

He flashed his sexy smile at me. “It wasn’t. I assure you.”

Holding Cross’ gaze, I tried to remember what he’d looked like.

“He wore old clothes. Really old. And he was covered with dust and cobwebs.”

“Was he sunken and bony?” Craig asked.

Slightly offended by the description, I looked at Craig. “No. Not at all. He looked like he does now. Handsome. A little too perfect. Aloof.”

Cross chuckled next to me.

“Why did you think he was a corpse then?”

“The clothes he wore looked like he’d come over on the Mayflower. The dust. The cobwebs. His absolute stillness…it was like he was perfectly preserved. And he wasn’t moving or breathing that I could tell.”

“And how did you discover he was alive?” Craig asked.

“When I fell into the cave, I cut my cheek. My friend was looking at his clothes, trying to figure out what they were, and I leaned down to check to see if he was breathing because, like I said, he looked like he does now.”

“Not dead,” Craig supplied.

“Exactly. It didn’t make sense. When I checked to see if he was breathing, I accidentally bled on him.”

“Then what happened?”

“My friend realized what he was and what I’d done, and we ran before he woke up.”

Craig shifted his attention to Cross. “Was that all it took? A drop of her blood to wake you?”

“It was.”

“Why were you there?”

“Living as a vampire, seeing the people you care about age and then die…” Cross shook his head, and without thinking, I took his hand to comfort him. He wrapped my hand in both of his like he was capturing it. “Unlike most of my kind, it was an existence I no longer wanted. I left England and my savage brethren behind and came to the Americas, where I found a cave.”

“How does a vampire go into hibernation?”

“We stop feeding. We let the hunger for blood consume us until we can no longer draw a breath.”

“You died?” Craig asked.

“The only way to kill a vampire is to remove his heart or head,” Shepard said.

“Or sunlight,” Cross added.

Shepard nodded in agreement.

Craig turned his attention to Shepard. “You know a lot about killing vampires, it seems.”

“I do. It’s what my kind was created to do. Kill vampires to protect humans.”

“And yet you’re sitting here with Cross. Why haven’t you killed him?”

“Everly convinced me he wasn’t like the vampires we normally see.”

“How was Cross different?” he asked, looking at me.

“He didn’t kill me or my friend,” I said with a little shrug. “He had plenty of opportunities and reasons to do so, but he chose a different path.”

Craig’s gaze darted from me to Cross. “I sense there’s more to that statement.”

“Everly’s friend accidentally took something that was mine,” Cross explained. “My kind are protective of what we consider ours. Objects and people. So I wasn’t pleased when I woke to find something of mine missing.

“With the taste of Everly’s blood on my lips and a hint of her life filling my mind, I tracked her to her home.”

“Wait…what was it you just said? A hint of her life filled your mind? What does that mean?”

“When my kind feeds, we become intimately tied to our donor. We gain glimpses of their lives, their thoughts, and their feelings. Each drop of blood is like a puzzle piece. And with enough feedings, we eventually see the whole picture.”

“Fascinating. I didn’t know that about vampires.”

“Not many do.”

“So you tracked down Everly and her friend, and what then?”

“I tracked them to their home and found the plate of bonbons Everly had made for me, a handwritten note apologizing for the misunderstanding, and the item they’d taken.”

“You stole from a vampire and left him bonbons?” Craig asked in disbelief.

“Sugar helps people feel happier, and everyone likes the sweet treats I make.” I shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed in hindsight. “I think I was still in a state of denial that vampires were real and one would be coming for us.”

Craig laughed and looked at Cross. “And what was your reaction to what she left for you?”

“I went to find her.”

“Because you were angry and wanted revenge?”

“Because she’d bled into the bonbons she’d made. I’ve never met another person who had thought to atone for their mistake with that kind of gesture. It made me curious about the woman who’d woken me. The woman who I knew was kind yet courageous. Timid and stubborn. And loyal to a fault.”

His words and the new understanding of how we’d started had me blushing.

“I’m guessing the second meeting went better than the first,” Craig said.

Cross grinned. “I thought so, although she might not have. It’s not like she wanted a vampire following her after what had happened. But seeing her for the first time was like seeing the sun after centuries of darkness.”

“I feel like I should be taking notes. But seriously,” he said, turning to Shepard, “that he didn’t kill Everly was enough to stop you from killing him.”

“No. That he protected someone I loved was what convinced me.”

Craig was silent as his gaze bounced between the three of us, and I felt my panic rising.

“You love her?” Craig said. “I thought she was your employee.”

Shepard winced.

“She was an employee,” Shepard said. “From the moment Everly walked into Blur and applied for a job, I knew she was the one. I never said or did anything, though. I’m a werewolf, and she’s a human. The chances of her being interested in a life with me were really low.”

“Low?” Craig questioned, looking surprised. “I think there are some The Other House fans out there who would beg to differ. But since Everly is sitting here, I assume she beat those low odds.

“Are you two together?” Craig looked at me for confirmation.

All I could do was nod. It was the truth, and hiding it would hurt Shepard. I couldn’t do that to him.

Craig looked as if my nod was the most intriguing thing he had ever seen.

“Then what about Cross? I feel there is a bit of a romance blooming there. He was pretty poetic a few moments ago.”

If I couldn’t hide my relationship with Shepard, then I couldn’t deny Cross either. I loved them equally. They were my life. My future.

“I love Cross. And I love Shepard.” I braced myself for disgust. Few people understood polygamous relationships. Even I was still trying to figure it out.

“Then do Cross and Shepard love each other? Is this the first werewolf and vampire mating?”

“No,” I answered before either of them could. Shepard would probably growl his answer, and Cross would make a humorous comment that wouldn’t clear the confusion. “They love me. I love them. But Cross and Shepard are friends, working together to help rid the city of vampires.”

“Although I’d love to delve into your relationship a little more, I’m really curious why the two of you are working together to help rid the city of vampires.” He looked to Cross. “You’re a vampire. Why would you want them gone?”

“There is a lot of misinformation out there. I could say vampires are all bad, but I’m proof there are exceptions to the rule. The problem is that any vampire can tell you they are exceptions as well. They can thrall or compel you to believe whatever they want.”

“I’ve heard about that. How would a person know if they were compelled or thralled?”

“They wouldn’t,” Cross said. “But the people around them might if they start acting out of character.”

“I’ve been compelled twice,” I said. “Both times, it felt like my thoughts were my own.”

“Cross compelled you?” Craig asked.

“Once. To help me sleep after a different vampire compelled me.”

“Would you like a demonstration?” Cross asked before Craig could ask more questions.

“Is it safe?” Craig asked.

“No,” I said. “Being compelled or thralled by a vampire is never safe. That’s what people need to understand.”

“Yet you allowed Cross to compel you.”

“Because Everly knows I would never hurt her,” Cross said. “Plus, compelling is merely a suggestion that doesn’t go against who you are. How long it lasts and how far it can press against the boundaries of who you are depends on the vampire’s strength and the human’s willpower.

“Now, thralling is different. It’s more than a suggestion and requires a vampire to feed from the person. Once that connection is made, a vampire can turn you into their puppet, forcing you to act as the vampire pleases, whether you like it or not. The thrall lasts until you die, the vampire dies, or a stronger vampire takes over the thrall.”

Craig’s attentive expression never faltered, but I knew he was nervous when his gaze briefly shifted to the camera crew. The producer was frantically motioning to Craig, and I almost felt bad for the news anchor when he looked at Cross.

“How would you demonstrate it? Compelling, not thralling,” he said quickly.

“By having you do something simple. Something that doesn’t go against who you are, but something you wouldn’t normally do without a nudge.”

Craig looked at the camera. “I can’t believe I’m about to do this.” He turned to Cross. “What will you make me do?”

“If I told you beforehand, the audience wouldn’t know if I compelled you or if it was an act.”

“Very true.” Craig let out a breath and wiped his hands on his pants. It was the first time I had seen him outwardly show his nervousness. “Please, nothing embarrassing.”

“What if I told you to cluck like a chicken?” Cross asked.

“I’d say no thank y?—”

“Cluck like a chicken.”

Craig looked mutinous for a second and then flapped his arms and squawked like a dying chicken.

I winced, knowing this was going to go viral, and nudged Cross when Craig kept flapping and squawking.

“Make him stop.”

Cross looked for the camera with the red light on. “This is why you shouldn’t trust vampires. Trust is earned, not freely given.”

I nudged him again. “You made your point.”

“Craig, you may stop clucking and resume your duties as host.”

Craig choked on his last squawk and reached for a glass of water. He took a sip and shook his head as if to clear it.

“That was strange. When you first suggested it, I thought absolutely not. But when you said to do it, I thought of every reason why what you were suggesting made sense. And that’s what it felt like—a suggestion. As if I could have talked myself out of it but didn’t want to.

“I knew the audience would want to see you compelling me. The producer would be happy. The network might even give me a promotion…I talked myself into it even though I’m embarrassed by what I just did.”

The flush in his face and brittle smile conveyed the truth behind his admission.

He turned toward the camera. “Regretfully, or maybe thankfully, that’s all the time we have. If you take away anything from this interview, please remember you are not stronger than a vampire. Let the wolves and authorities do their job. I want to thank our guests for joining us. Please stay tuned for the nightly news right after this.”

As soon as the red light blinked off and the floor director yelled, “Clear,” Craig ripped off his mic and stormed away.

“This better not become a fucking GIF or meme!”

I looked at Cross and Shepard as we stood. “It feels like you took turns making the hosts angry.”

Cross grinned. “I didn’t want Shepard to look like the bad guy alone.”

Hugh came up to us with a smile on his face.

“That went better than I expected. Craig did an excellent job steering the conversation without making it look like a blatant vampire-hate interview. Explaining the different types of mind control should help people know what to look for. And understanding that a feeding enables the vampire to intimately know a person’s thoughts and past should help slow down the Night Club’s volunteers.”

My phone started to ring, and when I looked down at the caller, I felt a little sick to my stomach, seeing it was my mom.

“Is there somewhere private I can take this call?” I asked Hugh.

He waved for a production assistant.

Shepard caught my free hand in his. “Do you think your parents watched it?”

“Yes.” The word trembled a little. “I thought I was safe since they were on the cruise, but they faithfully watch the five o’clock news, and they bought the Wi-Fi package.”

“Do you want us to talk to them with you?” Shepard asked.

The call went to voicemail. A second later, it started ringing again.

“No. I’d rather have this conversation without either of you.”

My parents were generally accepting of everyone. That was why I was friends with the daughter of otherworld treasure hunters. However, like any parents, they’d have concerns about dating non-humans, never mind dating two at once.

“It’s okay. I’ll be okay. I’m just a little nervous.”

Shepard nodded and kissed my forehead. When he was done, Cross turned me to do the same.

“We’ll be right here when you’re done.”

I nodded and left with the production assistant while Hugh quietly talked to them about the next segment he thought they should do.

After leading me down a hallway off of the studio, she stopped at a door labeled Guest Dressing Room.

“You can take the call here. It’s soundproofed so the mics don’t pick up noise.”

“Thank you.”

As I opened the door, I looked down at my phone and stepped inside.

Five missed calls.

It started ringing again as I closed the door.

“It would be better if you didn’t answer that.”

The sound of a familiar man’s voice sent a shiver of fear through me.

Swallowing hard, I looked up from my phone and met Vivian’s amused gaze.