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CHAPTER ONE

CHANEL

I was on a never-ending quest to get my life back on track. I had to act like things were normal. After everything that happened, it appeared to be an impossible task. I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice. I didn’t have time to take a vacation from the trauma I had recently experienced.

As minutes, hours, and days passed, things became more real, more vivid, and more rooted in reality. There was this new world that opened up to me. It was a world I never could’ve imagined, a place where vampires were no longer a fairytale.

Alexander Valentine was a vampire, just like in the horror movies. Well, not exactly like the movies, but a vampire, nonetheless. It was going to take me a minute to wrap my head around all of this. All jokes aside, this was my new reality.

I saw him transform with my own eyes. I saw Zand beat Lonzo like he stole something. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought I’d seen a monster. But Zand wasn’t a monster, even though his actions seemed monstrous.

Monster was too harsh of a descriptor. He was the man I loved more than any other man— ever. He was the man who would protect me by any means necessary. I felt safe, secure, and loved because of him. His protection and comfort were my happy place. I didn’t want it to end.

I couldn’t lie. I was happy Lonzo was dead. He was the real psycho. He murdered three people while I was only a few feet away. Then he acted just like it was nothing. Lonzo didn’t want me to testify in the state’s case against him. I was sure he had come to Chicago to kill me. Were it not for Zand, I wouldn’t be here. I owed him my life.

Lonzo killed four people in total. There were the three strangers back in Minnesota he callously gunned down with me only a few feet away. Then Lonzo confessed he took Craig’s life. Craig was innocent. He didn’t even know Lonzo. I didn’t even think they met. Craig wasn’t into drugs or any of that illegal stuff Lonzo was into. Craig died because of his affiliation with me. He’s dead because of who I stupidly chose to date. I would never forgive myself for putting my friends in danger. Those were just the four murders I knew about. I was sure there were more people Lonzo killed.

Lonzo was some infamous Mexican cartel drug lord. I didn’t notice any of the signs of criminal activities until it was too late. Craig was dead, and I can’t use my foolishness as an excuse. I didn’t know how I was going to tell Morgan the truth. My best friend didn’t know that I was the reason her boyfriend was no longer with us.

My connection to Lonzo led to Craig’s fatal car accident. I thought about not telling her at all, but I couldn’t keep it from her forever. The guilt would eventually eat me up inside. I couldn’t look my best friend in the eye, knowing that I had caused her so much pain.

I hoped Morgan wouldn’t hate me. It was me who dated a drug lord. I brought that psycho into my life and the lives of the people I loved. I afforded him the chance to go after the people I cared about most, and he took it.

I couldn’t lie to myself any longer, but I didn’t have the courage to tell Morgan. I needed time to formulate the correct words. There were no words that would soothe her or bring her boyfriend back, but I had to come clean one day.

There was no hurt worse than not knowing the truth. The truth provided closure. I couldn’t rob my best friend of that. If she didn’t want to be my friend after I told her, it would hurt me deeply. If I were Morgan, I would want to know the truth.

I didn’t want to think about that. Instead, I wanted to think about him. Zand treated me delicately at first. I could admit I had been through a lot. I audibly witnessed three murders. To escape Lonzo, I uprooted my life and fled my home state. His sister Marisol physically attacked me in the parking a lot of my apartment complex. And later I was assaulted and held hostage in my apartment by Lonzo.

After everything that happened, Zand moved me from The Castle to his luxury loft downtown. I didn’t have to pack any of my things. Zand shipped most of my belongings from my apartment to his place.

It put my mind at ease knowing I didn’t have to go back to the place where Lonzo brutally attacked me. I knew one day I would have to go back and face the pain. Thank God that day was not today. It had only been two weeks, but I was still a bit shaken by the extreme violence I witnessed firsthand. I didn’t fear Zand. It was just the fact this wasn’t a horror movie. This was real life. This was my life— my life with my vampire boyfriend.

It was very important for things to go back to normal. I needed my regular routine. So, I showed up at work every day. I made it through the days with a fake smile on my made-up face. I didn’t want anyone to know what I’d been through.

I was safe, but being away from Zand while I was at work made me a little antsy. His presence gave me comfort. His vampire strength made me feel safe and secure. He was powerful and he could protect me if anything jumped off.

Although I knew the threat was terminated, Lonzo had a notorious family full of criminals. There was his psychotic sister, Marisol. I still couldn’t believe she drove all the way to Chicago from Minnesota with her violent cousin to beat the shit out of me. Maybe their plan was to kill me. I still didn’t know what Marisol’s intentions were. I knew she always disliked me. Her first gripe was I wasn’t Mexican. She made sure I knew I wasn’t welcomed in the Lopez family. That was back when I didn’t know who these people really were.

As far as I knew, she only was aware of the location of my apartment complex, and I didn’t stay there anymore. I didn’t know how much information her brother had shared with her about me. I wondered if she knew he was coming to Chicago to kill me.

Did she have anything to do with Craig’s death? Before Lonzo’s demise, he mentioned Marisol attacked me. Sure, Lonzo was dead, but there could be some other relatives of these lunatics I had to worry about.

There was the female cousin. I had no idea what she looked like or her name. Lonzo didn’t call her by name, so I didn’t have any clue who she was. After two weeks, I hadn’t seen any of them. I couldn’t help but take that as a good sign.

I had to always be on guard and looking over my shoulder before Lonzo was killed. That was why I felt the safest when I was with Zand. I knew I couldn’t be with him twenty-four seven, but I wished I could quit this job or take some kind of leave of absence. Mentally, I needed to get myself together. I had been through hell and back in the last few months. Some months were good. Some of that time was extremely bad. Finding Zand and falling in love with him was the best part.

The drama of my recent past made me anxious and jittery. I tried to hide it from my coworkers as best I could. I didn’t know how long the feeling would last. This might have been some form of PTSD, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t have anyone to share my inner personal thoughts with. I couldn’t talk to a therapist because I couldn’t be honest about the vampires. Sharing what I knew with Morgan was impossible for me. She had a lot on her plate.

I didn’t know all the rules of the vampire people, but I was sure they wanted to remain in the dark. Also, it just wasn’t a good idea to give Morgan more to worry about after her boyfriend’s passing.

After getting through my nine-hour shift in the office, I was chauffeured to my new home. Josh drove me to and from work in a black Rezvani Arsenal SUV with dark tints. I’d never seen or heard of the truck before. I googled the truck that looked like a tank and read it had bulletproof glass, bulletproof body panels and run-flat tires. If I didn’t know Zand was loaded, the quarter of a million-dollar luxury armored truck he chauffeured me around in made that perfectly clear.

Josh worked security for Zand at The Castle. He was a tall, blonde bulky guy that looked like he could rip someone’s head off. He also looked like he could be a stand-in for a superhero. Josh was super chill, but he was a brick of a man. He wasn’t the type of guy you would want to make angry.

My bodyguard, slash driver, was nice enough on the quiet rides to and from the loft. I wondered if he was a vampire or a human. I had my suspicions, but no concrete proof. There was something in his coloring that didn’t give anything away. He was a pale White man but not pale in a way that told me he was a vampire. Every White person was pale in the fall and winter months. I just couldn’t see anything in Josh that gave me a clue. I was smart not to stare at him, but I watched him closely and covertly.

I didn’t know why I wanted to know his origins so badly. I was curious. Zand’s mysterious life intrigued me, and I wanted to know about everyone in it. Some of his employees were obviously vampires.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Natasha, his head of security, was a vamp. At first, I didn’t even notice it. But now, with everything I’ve learned, it’s so evident. Her strong Russian accent and overall demeanor exuded power and strength like that of Wonder Woman. Unlike other women, she didn’t seem afraid or intimidated by men. She could walk the streets at night without any cares or concerns. Her confidence was next level and now I knew it was because she was supernatural.

I had so many questions. I was reluctant to ask. I hoped Zand what provide the answers I so desperately craved. If not, I would just be more confused. I needed to know how to maneuver in his world.

Josh was pleasant for such a big, hulking man. On the ride to the loft, he was mostly quiet. Today was like every other day. I looked forward to seeing Zand. He made sure he slept during the daytime, so he would be up when I got home from work.

I leaned back into the leather seats of the truck and almost drifted off to sleep. Then my cell phone rang in my purse that lay beside me on the seat. I reached into the side pocket and retrieved my cell. Peering down, I read the screen. I answered as soon as I read Morgan’s name.

“Hey.” I tried to sound like my old self. The problem was, I could barely remember my old self.

“What you doing girly-pop?” She asked.

“I just left work.”

“Good. I was trying to give you time to get out of there.”

“I’m out now and on my way home.” Not a total lie. I was just on my way to Zand’s home.

“How was your day?” She asked me, and I was probably the one that should be asking her that question.

“It was fine, a lot of sick kids, a lot of flu shots. How was your day?”

“Ah, same ole lackluster bullshit. I was thinking about coming down to visit you for a few days. I really need to get away from this place.”

“You work remote. What are you getting away from?” I asked.

“Girl, boring Bloomington.”

I hadn’t mentioned to Morgan that I didn’t live in the apartment anymore. I withheld information because if I told her a little part of what was going on with me, she would have questions. The more questions she had, the more things I would have to reveal, and I couldn’t lie to her. She knew me too well.

“Hello, Coco, you still here?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m here.”

“Well, what you got to say about me coming down there?”

“Of course you can come.” I couldn’t tell her no. She needed me.

“It feels so weird being inside my place alone. Sometimes I wake up and forget that Craig is gone.” Her voice trailed off.

I didn’t know what to say. I was sure losing her boyfriend was taking a severe mental and emotional toll on Morgan. She was really tough on the outside, but she was fragile on the inside. I would never call her a tragic mulatto, but she did have a few identity issues.

“When are you coming?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t too soon.

“Tomorrow. I can be at your place when you get off work. We can hang out, drink, eat, and drink some more. I could really use a drink or two or three.” She giggled.

“Okay, that sounds good.” Navigating this reunion was going to be very tricky. I hadn’t been back to my apartment since that incident happened. I was afraid to even see what it looked like. Zand told me it was back the way it was before the fight with Lonzo. But I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. There had to be blood everywhere. Did he clean it all up? I hoped so.

“You sound weird. Are you okay?” She asked, knowing me better than any other person.

“Yeah, I’m good. Probably just tired. You know work is a lot.”

“Is your man wearing you out in the bedroom?”

“No, no, I just have a lot of things on my mind.”

“That raggedy ass Lonzo? Have you heard from him?”

“Yeah, no. No, I haven’t heard from him.” There was no way I could elaborate. This felt weird. It felt like I was speaking in code. I’d never been this way with my best friend. She knew me better than anybody. She was the only family I had left after my mother died. Lying to her seemed so wrong.

“Have they contacted you?”

“Who?” I asked because at this point, they could be any damn body.

“The state’s attorney, or whoever, was handling that bastard’s murder case.”

“No.” That much was true. I hadn’t heard anything from the Minnesota district attorney’s office or from the detectives that were investigating the case.

“No news is good news. I will see you tomorrow.”

“Call me when you’re on the way. You know, before you get here. I want to make sure I’m there already. You know, at the apartment.”

“I can wait in your parking lot if I get there before you.”

She was right, and I didn’t want to argue or tell her any more information. Morgan knew I got robbed outside my apartment. Which was a lie. They didn’t take anything from me. I didn’t want to tell her I got my Black ass beat in the parking lot by Lonzo’s kinfolks. I just didn’t want Morgan to worry about me.

“Just call me when you get close to Chicago. Please, just do that.”

“Yes ma’am. I should bring Donna with me.” She joked.

“You better not bring your groupie with you.”

“Girl, I’m just playing with you.”

“I know you are. I do not mess with her.” I chuckled. Talking to Morgan made me feel like I was home. She made me laugh even when I was the one that should be making her laugh.

“I think you’re jealous you don’t have your own hype-man.”

“Yeah, that’s what it is.” I agreed. “You can have Donna all to yourself. She irks the shit out of me.”

“I’m going to let you go. I know you have to prepare for my arrival. You’re one of those people that has to clean your house before you have company.”

“True. But you’re family, not company.”

“You still going to clean when it’s already clean.”

“You know me so well.”

“Bye girl.”

“Bye.” I waited for the call to end and placed my cell phone back into the side pocket of my purse.

I exhaled deeply. I had twenty-four hours to figure this out. Morgan would be here tomorrow. That gave me no time at all to get my shit together. I had to talk to Zand about Morgan’s visit. Maybe it was time for me to tell her that Lonzo murdered Craig by making a fake road rage accident. We all had our doubts about the circumstances that led to his death, Morgan included. Even the witnesses said someone in a white pickup truck made him cross into incoming traffic and get hit by a semi. I would be a shitty friend to keep this from her any longer. I was going to have to ask Zand’s opinion. This decision needed a third party’s input. I didn’t know what I should do in this situation.

I knew that keeping secrets never went well for me.