Bitten by the King (Virgin Blood 4)

“Go to your room!” he barks at me, louder than he ever has before, and then storms out of his office.

He’s going to go after the girl, but I hope for her sake she’s made it out. I have no idea what plans he had for her, but each day he’s getting darker and I didn’t want to see how much further he can go. I’ve already seen things I wish I hadn’t—things he believes are the right choices.

I do as I’m told, not wanting to anger him further, but grab a few more things from the floor before I go to my room. I don’t want to run into someone who might take the folders from me, so I hurry down the hall only to come to a stop when I see Greg standing in front of my door.

I force a smile at the new guard who started when we came to this house. I don’t get a good feeling from him, but I’m always polite. It’s hard for me to be rude even when I try. Something about him isn’t right and it’s like he’s hiding in plain sight. He’s a little too eager to help my dad when it comes to the darker side of things. My dad might think I don’t know much of what’s been going on lately, but when you’re locked away even in a beautiful mansion, there isn’t much to do but pay attention.

Greg is smart enough to not look at me or try to touch me in front of my dad and I’m smart enough to not tell my dad either. I kind of keep this in my back pocket so that that one day I might be able to use his attraction to my advantage. People say there are always signs of who someone is and if you’re close to them then you choose to ignore them and not see what’s right in front of you. I’m starting to believe that. It keeps getting harder to ignore my father’s actions and make excuses for him.

“You’ve gotten me in trouble, haven’t you, girl?”

Greg’s arms are folded over his chest and I don’t know if it’s to make himself look bigger or to remind me that he’s in charge. He could easily handle me if he had to. He’s a big man and I’m sure he could give some of the younger vampires a run for their money if they came to blows. If I had to have a human guard for the daytime, my dad was going to make sure I had the best. I don’t doubt Greg is strong, but he’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Otherwise his eyes wouldn’t linger on me as much as they do. Everyone knows I’m off limits and most of the time the guards act as if I’m invisible. I saw my dad break a man’s wrist after he grabbed me by the arm.

“Sorry,” I say, and I am.

I don’t want anyone to get into trouble because of me, but maybe I’m taking a page from my dad’s book. Sometimes someone must be sacrificed for the greater good. I’ve always hated the saying, but I’ve just gone and lived up to it. I lied so Greg would leave and tell my dad I was in for the night. I knew if he left that I could save the girl. All the while knowing Greg would take the punishment for my actions. I didn’t want the girl sacrificed for the greater good or any reason at all.

“Maybe you’ll show me how sorry you really are.” He steps towards me and I feel his hand trail down my bare arm.

I look up at him and see the lust he has for me in his eyes. My stomach tightens at his touch. I’m not used to anyone touching me. My dad only gives me the briefest of hugs and it’s not often. Maybe that’s something that comes with age. It’s hard to see how the rest of the world acts when I spend most of my life locked away. Though I’m sure there are worse places to be locked in.

“Get in your room for now. But I’ll find you later.” He drops his hand from my arm and I can’t move fast enough to get away from him.

When I enter my room I shut the door and click the lock behind me. Not that it could stop him from coming in, because even I can pick a lock. I smile thinking about Sam, the man who used to be my day guard before we moved. He taught me lots of small tricks that I once thought I’d never use. He and I always had a lot of time on our hands when the sun was high and the house was quiet. We moved so suddenly and then Sam was gone from my life. He wasn’t like any of the other men my dad hired, and I miss him. He was kind to me and he made the days not so long and lonely. He was my friend, or the closest I’ve ever been to having one.