Broken Wing: A Vampire Spy Thriller by J.R. Rain & Matthew S. Cox

Author:J.R. Rain & Matthew S. Cox [Rain, J.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rain Press
Published: 2021-03-24T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Extenuating Circumstances

There’s an old saying along the lines of ‘anything worth doing is worth overdoing.’

Marketing weasels take the concept to new levels. Vampire-focused products are a relatively new thing in the consumer market. Maybe it’s a sign about the priorities of humanity that the biggest reaction they had to us revealing ourselves is to see dancing dollar signs. No panic, no religious nutjobs screaming about our arrival heralding the end times, no vampire hunters… just marketing weasels salivating at having an entirely new demographic (a generally wealthy one) to appeal to.

Consequently, much of the world’s advertising space is full of advertisements for synthetic blood, crazy skin care products supposedly made for us, exotic fashion some fool in a boardroom thinks appeals to ‘our aesthetic’ and so forth.

The pronounced lack of it here stands out. To be fair, there isn’t anywhere near as much advertising around Tripoli as I’m used to seeing in the US and Europe, but none of it is vampire related. Not surprising. There are so few of us here it wouldn’t make any financial sense to spend marketing budgets on a demographic the country refuses to acknowledge the existence of.

Can’t say I blame my brethren for avoiding this region. It’s hot and there’s far too much sand.

“I guess they know we’re here now,” says Chloe.

“Yep.”

She glances up at me, her pink sunglasses sparkling—thanks to fake diamonds in the rims, “Are they gonna try to kill us?”

“Possibly, but… it’s complicated.”

“Do you really think I won’t understand, or do you not wanna talk about it?”

I bite my lip. “Little of both.”

“Try me.”

Hah. I pat her on the head. “Okay. Remember what I told you about the spaceship?”

“That vampires came from another planet?”

“Yeah. There aren’t many of us left here, and those of us who are on Earth represent the last of our kind. The Dominion is all about vampire supremacy over humans. They’d prefer not to destroy Originals, like us. If I make myself too much of a pain in their butts, they could possibly decide it’s a small but necessary sacrifice to permanently get rid of me, but I think they will be inclined to try other things first.”

“Other things?”

“Like trapping me somewhere I can’t interfere with their plans.”

She fidgets. “Or kidnapping me and saying they’ll do bad stuff to me if you don’t stop fighting them?”

On top of watching a bullet recently whistle past her nose, hearing her say that is a little too much. I pick her up and squeeze. “Yeah. Or that. Honestly, the idea they might go after you worries me a thousand times more than anything they might do to me.”

Chloe makes a guilty face at me, as if apologizing for existing to be used against me.

“It’s not your fault.” I touch foreheads with her. “It’s my fault for pulling an Ayla and joining the Agency without really thinking about my other responsibilities.”

She squirms to lean back so we make eye contact. “If they took me, would you... leave them alone?”

“No. If they took you, I’d tear the planet apart to find you.

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