Chapter One
Jennika carried herovernight bag to the door of the vampire mansion.The building was old and creepy and right up her sister’s alley.She loved things that looked terrifying as long as they were under her control.
Annika came out wearing an evening gown that looked strange at one in the afternoon.“Jenn, I am so happy that you came.”
“Yes, I can tell.Your Botox nearly moved.”Jennika walked up to her and hugged her.
“Silly, I don’t need Botox with Loriman around.His energy keeps me young.”
“Delightful.So, since I know this can’t possibly be a social request, what do you want?”
Annika snorted.“Think you are so smart, huh?Our caterer cancelled.”
“When is the party?”
“Eight.”
“Get me in there, and I will see what I am working with and see what I need.”
Annika grinned.“I knew you would rise to the challenge.Thank you so much.”
“Don’t thank me.I am about to ask a lot of questions.”
She began with a head count and dietary preferences.As she did, she wrote everything on her phone.She had a list in half an hour, had checked the pantry, and verified that liquor was on its own.She was a chef first and an event planner second, but she absolutely loved a challenge.
The list went to one of Loriman’s flunkies.He was a foodie, so he was going to be fast but thorough.
Jennika smiled as she arranged the kitchen to her preference, and when the first box of food came in, she got to work.
By the time the party started, the appetizers had gone out, and the food was prepped for distribution.Basically, just bigger appetizers.This was not a plated meal.The food was presented to Loriman and his honoured guests then circulated to the room of fifty people.
Lots of rare beef, spiced chicken, and, surprisingly, a few vegetarian options.Those were for the betas designated as feeders.Jenn didn’t particularly care.She was sitting on a chair in the kitchen and nibbling on some cheese crisps when Annika came in around nine thirty.
Annika was holding a glass with a cherry and an orange wedge on it.“Here you go, Jenn, for a job well done.”
Jenn sniffed at the glass and identified pineapple juice.“You remembered.”
“Yeah, I also remember that you don’t eat while you are working.”
Jenn sipped at the pineapple and tasted something else.It wasn’t bad, just unfamiliar.
“They may have put a bit of brandy and soda in the pineapple juice.They have been on cocktail duty all night.”
Jenn smiled.“So everything went well?”
“Yeah.You have dessert set up?”
“Yup.It is ready to go, and so am I.This was a fun adventure.”She smiled and was feeling very warm.She rubbed the back of her neck, and when she loosened her collar, she understood.“You bitch.”
“Well, we have a situation.Loriman’s boss is in rut, and we have him shackled in the basement, but tradition dictates that Loriman is supposed to offer his own lover.Loriman doesn’t want to do that, so I suggested this alternative.”Annika lunged forward, wrenched Jenn’s head back and dumped the last of the juice down her throat.“You do react so very strongly to this particular chemical cocktail.”
Jenn was choking and wheezing, and her sister let her hair go.“Just let it happen.I’ll be back in a minute.Don’t go far.”She looked at the men who had been assisting Jenn.“Don’t let her go.”
Jenn closed her eyes and remembered the recipe that had been in her mind since the last time Annika did this.She stood and went to the herb cupboard, eating spices one by one.
She could feel the need filling her, and this wasn’t going to stop it, but it would help it burn out and keep her from passing out afterward.She wasn’t the same seventeen-year-old that Annika had used to get a boyfriend the first time.She got it through Jenn’s strong reactions to alphas.The man had been stupid and assumed that the woman in his arms had been in heat, and she had, but she wasn’t Annika.
“Miss, what are you doing?”
