Page 84 of Only Fangs

Benedict smirks and takes a seat on one of the green leather sofas which sit perpendicular to the fireplace. “It didn’t have to be this way, Ari.”

“Do you really think we didn’t know right from the beginning?” Andrei asks. “You’re the granddaughter of Carmilla.” He shakes his head slightly, as if disappointed and then his gaze travels to the mantlepiece. “That,” he says softly as he motions towards a glass case holding half a cross, “is what remains of the crucifix I used to craft a bullet to avenge your family.” He puts heavy emphasis on the “I”, as if he was the hero of the story and not just trying to protect his own position. My birth mother and grandmother were killed by a jealous vampire determined to challenge how the old houses held on to power. Andrei Hele knew he would be the next target and so he eliminated the threat before it came to his door. “It is in their memory that I continue to look out for you. Someone is always watching you, keeping tabs on all your screwups.” He turns his attention to Benedict. “Now, where were we? Oh yes, Arianna was just telling me why I can’t kill her disgusting human…” he pauses for a moment. “Business partner.” He spits the words but I don’t think they are the insult he wants to hurl.

“People know he came here,” I say.

“And?”

“They’ll know he’s missing and they will come looking for him.” I try to sound confident in my assertion.

“And who is this they?” Andrei sneers slightly. Bastard.

“Brody has family. And friends. They’ll go to the police.” But even as I say the words I know how stupid I sound. How naive. Like the police would storm the castle to rescue him or bring his killer to justice.

“You should be a comedienne, Arianna.”

“But… I…” But what I can say. I have nothing I can bargain with. All I can hope is that Brody has found safety somewhere and I can find a way to smuggle him out of this nightmare.

The silence stretches between us as I try to think of something. Anything. What is it that Andrei wants? He wants Only Fangs. That much was clear tonight. He wants Only Fangs because it gets him one step closer to the perfect little vampire utopia he’s been trying to create for centuries.

“If you kill him I won’t give you Only Fangs.” I blurt out the words.

“Give me Only Fangs?” His tone is saccharine sweet. “Oh sweetheart. I don’t need you to give me Only Fangs.”

“Umm. Yes you do.” I try to sound confident. “If you try to build it without me it’ll be shit. No one will use it. And that’s the key. Volume. These dating apps only work if enough people use them. Otherwise it’s just one poor bastard searching a database with two potential matches. Hardly groundbreaking.”

“And you can do this?”

“With Brody, yes I can.”

He throws his head back and laughs. The deep, throaty laugh fills the room and makes me think I’ve grossly underestimated the whole scenario. Eventually he stops and takes a moment to wipe a few tears of mirth from his eyes. “Yes, you definitely should have been a comedienne. Your pet human will never touch this project with his sticky little mortal fingers.” The contempt in his tone is palpable.

“I’m not doing it without him.” I try to pull myself up taller, gritting my teeth against the pain in my feet from the ridiculous heels I’m wearing because I thought Brody might think I looked sexy.

“I think you are hugely overestimating your power here,” Andrei says with a smirk. “I don’t need you to make the app.”

I jut out my chin in an attempt at defiance, hoping it will give me a little more courage, or at least stop my voice from wobbling. “I won’t give you the copyright. You can’t call it Only Fangs.”

Andrei laughs. “I don’t want the name, you silly girl.” He pauses for a moment, allowing silence to settle in the room. “I want to call it Blood Match.”

“It sounds like a blood donation service.”

“This is serious. It’s not just a place for vampires to hook up. This is about finding a mate. It needs to portray the gravitas of the app as a method for finding a true match.”

“But you have no idea how to build a dating app.”

“Neither do you,” he counters. “I’ll find a vampire who can make it. It can’t be that difficult if your human can do it.”

“So why am I here?” I motion around the office. If he can take everything anyway then he doesn’t need me. So there must be a deal to be struck. I just have absolutely no idea what it is.

From the sofa, Benedict clears his throat. A grin spreads across Andrei’s face.

“This has nothing to do with Only Fangs, does it?” I ask, realisation beginning to dawn.

Andrei shakes his head and his grin broadens. “You’re starting to get it, Arianna.”

“No.” I’m adamant.

“The vampire princess and the future head of the High Council.” Andrei’s grin morphs into a smirk.