This particular Keja had the most penetrating set of eyes, his lips were full, and his peppery black hair perfectly framed the upper part of his face, tickling his high cheekbones. His black shirt and black trousers had to be made to fit; they were snug enough to hint at his athletic build. Armani, I’d bet. He obviously wasn’t some rogue vampire.

So what was a posh, rich, master vamp doing here? I folded my arms across my chest. “Make it quick.”

“My name is Sebastian. I’ve been following you around for the past week.”

I hadn’t expected that. I’d thought he was here for Victor, my Sire – or as I liked to think of him, the spawn of the Devil. Studying the Keja’s expression, I knew that he wasn’t lying, but how could I not have noticed him? I considered myself a pretty alert, aware person. Either I was losing my touch or he was really good. “Who exactly are you?”

He mirrored my posture. “I work directly for the Grand High Master.”

The Grand High Master? Ooh, this couldn’t be good. He was the vampire of all vampires. I’d never met him as it was a matter of invitation only. All I knew was that he lived somewhere in the Caribbean on an off-the-map private island which he very rarely left. “What is it I’m supposed to have done?”

Sebastian smiled. “As a Tracker, it is my job to hunt and seize felons as directed by our Grand High Master. However, my main role for the past two weeks has been to seek out suitable candidates.”

“Suitable for what?”

“To keep it brief, His Grandness wishes to replace an exterminated squad in his private army – his legion. I spotted you when I attended your Sire’s gathering last week. He had you duel with a vampire of another bloodline and I have to say you are, indeed, a tremendous fighter: very strong for a Sventé, but also very controlled. And your gift is substantial. I was most entertained. I believe you would make an excellent addition to the legion.”

“Hang on a minute…you want me to fight for the Grand High Master?” He had to be blowing smoke up my arse. In terms of hierarchy, my Sire was low, low, low, low down which was why he persistently duelled for more territory and had used me for the past three years to help with his pursuit of it. Add to that the fact that Sventés were considered lower class by the other breeds because we were thought of as ‘too tame’ and this whole thing felt surreal. My being noticed by Sebastian was the equivalent of a homeless person being singled out by the Royal Family. “You want to recruit me?”

He nodded. “I will take you to the location where our Grand High Master resides and you will partake in a test, along with the other potential candidates that have been selected by other scouts. If you are chosen, you will then join the legion.”

A short laugh of incredulity popped out. “Thanks for the offer, but I must respectfully decline. You can let yourself out, seeing as you let yourself in.” I filled the kettle with water and switched it on to boil.

“You wish to decline?” he said disbelievingly, slowly walking toward the kitchenette.

“If the guards overhear this conversation—”

“They will not hear a thing, just as they cannot sense me: I placed a mental shield over the flat.”

Oh. Handy gift. That explained why I hadn’t sensed him following me around. “My Sire could walk in any second—”

“And we would sense him well in advance.” Sebastian clasped his hands together. “Now, tell me why you are rejecting my offer.”

“I don’t have the luxury of a choice,” I said sulkily as I prepared my cup of coffee. “Victor would never let me go.” The prick.

“Yes, I find Victor particularly territorial, even for a vampire. When did he Turn you?”

“Three years ago. He found me when I was dying and told me that he could heal me, but that I would have to agree to serve him until he freed me from his hold. I hadn’t known what the bloody hell any of that meant, I just hadn’t wanted to die so I’d said ‘yes’. If I had known, I wouldn’t be standing here now.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “Miss Parker—”

“Sam,” I offered.

“Sam, do you realise that by joining the Grand High Master’s legion, your freedom from Victor would instantly come into effect?”

That made my head snap up.

“I’ve got your attention now, haven’t I,” he said, smirking. “He would not be able to override the decision of the Grand High Master.”

I leaned against the counter as I sipped my coffee. “Yeah, well, I don’t see the point. I loathe Victor, but from what I’ve heard once you sign up to run around after the Big Man, it’s a lifelong position. If I took you up on your offer and was chosen to join the legion, I’d still be serving someone. What’s the difference?”

Sebastian seized my gaze, his tone all seriousness and assurance. “That is true, any immediate employees of his are required to serve him for the entirety of their immortal lives. But I can assure you now that being in the service of his Grandness would be very different from your current circumstances. He is very fair, very principled, and would value your service and reward you, rather than exploit you and your gift the way your Sire does.”

“My gift,” I echoed. “That’s what got your attention, isn’t it?” It got everyone’s attention. Typically Sventé gifts were only ever defensive as opposed to offensive. Or ‘boring’, as many complained. My individual gift, however, was far from it. Sebastian wasn’t the first vampire to try to coax me to leave Victor, but he was the first vampire to ever offer me a position that seemed worth risking Victor’s wrath for.

“As it happens, you had my attention well before you used it in the duel. But yes, I do believe that your gift would make you an excellent addition to the legion. Wouldn’t you consider serving your Grand High Master as an honour?”

“Yeah, but—”

“By joining the legion, you can be part of something momentous. Your name would go down in vampire history. You would be respected, admired, and prized by all of vampirekind. You cannot tell me that this is not something that appeals to you.”

If I was being totally honest, I’d admit that being part of something so grand was tempting, especially when I hadn’t really done anything that I could be proud of in my twenty years of human life before then being Turned into a vampire. Even before I was Turned, and had to disappear from my family’s radar, I’d never had much to boast of. I’d always wanted to be something more and had wanted to attend university so that I could do a degree in Law. Of course the vampirism put a stop to that.