Page 95 of Vampire so Virtuous

The second night, he traveled farther north to a small park near his nondescript house on Hopedale Street. He quickly found two more and sent them off to Marcel.

He was feeding his blood to the third when Cally found him.

Antoine heard footsteps but ignored them at first. It was only when they continued unerringly toward him that he looked up, recognizing her immediately. She was still far enough across the park that she wouldn’t havenoticed him, especially with the thick shadows and sparse light. Yet it was obvious she’d tracked him using the reciprocal nature of her mark—he still had no idea how that was possible.

The new thrall writhed, agony twisting her face. She wouldn’t be ready before Cally arrived. Awkward.

Cally strode up shortly after, using her phone’s torch to light the way. She shone it on the budding thrall’s agonized expression, then shifted it to Antoine.

“What brings you out here?” Antoine asked, as the woman beside him groaned and clutched her stomach.

“That was going to be my question. I sensed you and half expected you to visit me. When you didn’t, I decided to visit you instead.”

So she’d been thinking about him.

“You came looking for me?”

“I thought you were coming for me. Do you know you’re about a mile from where I live?”

All that time spent looking for her, and she lived right near where I first found her.

“No, I didn’t know that.”

“What’s the matter with her?” Cally asked, flicking the light back onto the new thrall.

The woman completed her conversion in that moment, standing abruptly. “Command me, Master.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“As you command.”

“‘Master?’” Cally looked at him in disgust. “This how you get women, Antoine? Use your mind tricks and have them call you ‘Master’?”

Antoine shook his head.Wonderful timing. “Go to this location,” he ordered, addressing the new thrall, and sent her off with a mental image. The rest of her instructions could wait until Cally wasn’t glaring at him.

The new thrall wandered off, and Cally watched her go.

“Care to explain?” she said, turning to face him.

“Not particularly.”

“No need, is there? It’s pretty obvious: you’re building a harem.” Her tone was cutting and her steel-gray eyes flashed. “I’ll leave you to yourmost pleasantevening.” She turned to leave.

“I’m recruiting thralls, if you must know.”

She turned back, disdain in her eyes. “Thralls? Sounds like slavery. Like you’re possessing people against their will to obey you. Now, I’m sure youwouldn’t do that, so why don’t you tell me what a thrall is?”

He forced himself to hold her gaze. “You summed it up pretty well.”Of all the times for her to seek me out.There was no escaping the judgment in her eyes.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said, turning away again. “I knew you were a monster.”

“I need thralls to defend my territory,” he said to her back.Why am I explaining myself to her?

“Whatever.” She walked off, back the way she’d come.

“It’s necessary, Cally.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”