Billionaire: Billionaire Romance: Billionaire Tiger (A Billionaire New Adult Shifter Contemporary Romance) (54 page)

“Uhm. Hi. Let me guess. You’re here because of my ad.”

The man nodded, “That is right.” His voice was smooth and had a light accent to it that Loretta couldn’t pinpoint.

“I’m exhausted,” She said walking up to him, sliding her key in the lock, “Can we meet tomorrow night?”

“I’m busy tomorrow night.”

“Then another night.”

“I’m busy the rest of the nights.”

Loretta let out a sigh and turned to look at him, feeling tired and annoyed, “Listen, I get it. You’re a super old vampire. Probably really imposing to literally everyone else you run into. But I’ve seen them all, okay? And if you’re here about the ad, you obviously are interested in what you get in return so spare me the notion that you are too busy to ever come back.”

The corners of his mouth quirked upwards, “I suppose you got me there.”

He looked down at her and their eyes locked. Loretta felt a shiver run through her and goose bumps pop up all over her skin. Even though his body gave off no heat, Loretta had to suppress the urge to move closer to him, as if for warmth.

“So come back tomorrow, okay? We can talk then. And don’t try to glamor me. It won’t work.”

“I know. You’re one of the guardians, aren’t you? Rare for one of them to want to be one of us.”

“Don’t try to psycho analyze me either.” Loretta mumbled and tore her eyes away from his, hopping the front door to her apartment.

“Tomorrow night then.” The vampire said, his voice like silk.

Loretta nodded and shut the door. Her heart was beating quickly. She was used to seeing vampires from all different walks of life but something about this one was different. The strength he exuded…he was ancient. It was rare for Loretta to find an ancient vampire.

With a sigh, she padded over to her bedroom. Her cat meowed at her, almost questioning why she had been out so late. She didn’t bother to undress. Loretta flopped into bed and closed her eyes, ready to fall fast asleep.

Chapter Two

Loretta didn’t mean to but she found herself checking the clock often the next day. She spent the day working from home – guarding the secrets of the paranormal world wasn’t exactly an office job. She woke up late in the afternoon and tried to focus on her work. Currently she was translating an old scroll from a werewolf who was paying her to translate. But it was dry, dull work and Loretta found her mind wandering.

She couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen after the sun went down. Would the ancient vampire show up right away? Would he wait until the dead of night? And would he change her tonight? Loretta hoped he’d give her at least another night of getting her affairs in order. She knew enough to know that once she was bitten, she wouldn’t be good to do much except lay buried in the dirt somewhere, hoping to be reborn correctly.

Sun set came and went. Loretta tried to keep herself busy but ended up giving up on trying to translate the scroll. The words seem to lodge into her head like stones. Instead, she found herself in bed, watching TV. Waiting.

It was a little past midnight when she heard the knock on the door. Loretta almost leapt out of her skin with excitement. She opened and the door –

And there he was. He was wearing all white, which seemed to blend in with his pale skin. His blue eyes jumped out at her, almost an electrifying blue tonight. His hair was messy, as if he run through the snow. Yet he wore no jacket to blend in. His sole purpose was coming here to see her.

“Hey.” Loretta said, unsure why her heart was beating so quickly.

“Hello again. May I come in?”

“What’s your name?”

“Atlas.”

“Going to guess that wasn’t the name you were born with.”

“No. The name I was born with is now part of a dead language.”

Older than she had thought, Loretta mused, before taking a step back.

“I formally invite you in, Atlas.”

He nodded at her and stepped inside slowly, almost afraid he would burst into flames. When nothing happened, his features seemed to relax.

“I’d offer you something to drink but…”

“Funny.” Atlas replied although his facial expression didn’t change.

“Would you like to have a seat? So we can discuss this properly?”

Altas sat down on her couch. He looked out of place among her things. He seemed uneasy in her home. She wondered if he was so ancient that the world and all of its new wonders were too much for him.

“So,” Loretta said, sitting on the chair across from him, “You understand the ad then?”

His blue eyes fell back on her and Loretta felt a shiver go up her spine, “Yes.”

“Do you have any questions?”

“You are a guardian, are you not? And now you wish to join our world…do you know what that entails?”

“Yes. You bite me and bury me underground for three days. At the end of the three days, I either come back as a vampire or I’m dead.”

But Atlas was shaking his head and Loretta trailed off, now feeling unsure.

“What?” She prompted.

“Do you know what the most important thing is?”

“Uhm. The bite?”

There was a flash of pure white and suddenly Atlas was crouched down in front of her. His speed was almost terrifying. She had never seen anything like it before. In all her years of dealing with vampires, none had ever moved quite like that. It took the breath out of her.

Loretta was now staring directly into his eyes. They were so close that goose bumps prickled up along her skin.

“The most important thing is a connection,” He whispered so low that Loretta felt almost dazed by his voice, “It is important that you and I have a connection. Or it won’t work.”

“What do you mean,” Loretta replied, trying to keep her tone light, “Like you want me to have sex with you?”

“Nothing so crass.”

Altas leaned forward and his lips were on her neck. The touch was electric. It felt as if ever sense came alive inside of her. Loretta suddenly shifted away from him, afraid of her reaction to his slight touch.

“What are you doing?”

“If you can’t handle my lips against your neck, how will you handle the bite?”

“We haven’t even agreed that we are going to do this, so why don’t you slow your roll.”

“Slow my…what?”

Loretta gently tried to push him away but she might as well been trying to shove an entire marble wall back. She could feel tight and well-formed muscles underneath his shirt.

“Tell me what you want out of this.”

“I don’t want anything.” He moved away from her now, back towards the couch, and once again it felt like an interview.

“That’s a lie.”

“How so?”

“Because every other vampire that has come to you is a child. They want money, or sex, or one of your artifacts. I am after something different than that.”

“What are you after?”

“Your blood.”

Loretta frowned, “My blood? Isn’t sucking people’s blood what you do? You realize the ad called for more than just you to turn me into a vampire, right? You would be my Maker. You’d have to train me and teach me anything I don’t already know from being a guardian.”

“Yes, I know. I am thousands of years old. I have been a Maker plenty of times.”

Loretta crossed her arms, eying him now slowly, “I don’t understand you.”

“Do you need to?”

“Yes, seeing as you want to become my Maker.”

“I told you – the connection is the most powerful thing. And I feel it with you.”

Loretta shifted and was about to say something when there was a flash of white again. This time Atlas had moved behind her, his hands running over the back of her chair. Loretta went still, feeling him nearby her made her heart pound for some reason.

His hands rested on her shoulders. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips on her neck again. Her mind felt cloudy, as if she couldn’t think straight while Atlas touched her. If he became her Maker, would it always be like this?

“Do you feel it?” It was a soft whisper, a promise of things to come.

Loretta tried to move away from him but most of her didn’t want to. She knew that she wasn’t under any control of his. Guardians couldn’t fall prey to anything that vampires did to regular humans. What she was feeling was completely on her own and was brought to life by Atlas. There was no breath on her neck from him but she could feel him, close to her neck, promising her a million things without actually touching her.

“Why do you want my blood?” She finally said, trying to get the conversation away from their connection.

Atlas moved away from her. Loretta realized she was disappointed he had moved away from her. She liked being so close to him. The whole thing was madness – she had just met him. Was this the connection he had been talking about?

“Guardian blood is not normal blood. Knowledge of what the blood is and what it can do to my kind has been lost for generations,” His blue eyes flashed and he smiled, “But I am generations old. I know things the new children have forgotten. Guardian blood grants you such strength that has not been seen in thousands of years.”

“I don’t believe you. I would know about this if it were true.”

“No. You would not. Like I said, this information was lost over time. Their blood tastes the best – the forbidden blood. Biting a guardian without their consent meant you would be staked. My kind eventually got too nervous to attempt it.”

“You still haven’t told me what my blood apparently does.”

Atlas moved towards her, at a normal speed, a grin going across his face. He looked angelic, like someone who would promise you everything before stabbing you in the back. Loretta’s heart pounded.

“It grants me the ability to walk in sunlight.”

Chapter Three

Loretta’s mouth went slack. She looked up at Atlas as if he was insane. What if he decided just to drain her right here in her apartment? And she had been feeling some sort of connection to him – madness.

“What?” She finally said, feeling stupid, “Forever?”

Atlas shook his head, “No. No, not forever. One week. One week of walking in the sunlight. Being up and about during the day.” He got a faraway look in his eyes that looked like a cloudless sky.

“You want to Turn me and become my Maker for one week in the sun?” She stood up now, ready to send him on his way – no matter what connection they had, she didn’t feel as if he was asking for fair payment. The last thing Loretta wanted was to deal with a Maker that had suddenly had enough of her and got rid of her themselves.

But Atlas didn’t budge. Her hands had brushed against his arm and it was like touching marble. He was cold to the touch and felt utterly unmovable.

He looked down at her, “Consider this your first lesson – the sun. You will miss the sun, Loretta. You will want the sun back. A thousand years will pass and you will have dreams about the sun. You will miss the warmth on your skin and all the sun brings. Have you thought of that?”

Loretta opened her mouth and then closed it. No, she hadn’t even considered the sun. She just assumed that she wouldn’t give a second thought. But something in Atlas’s tone was different – sadder.

“Biting you and having one week in the sun. That is my request to become your Maker. I will be back tomorrow for your answer.”

He ran his hands down her arms gently. Goose bumps popped up along her skin. Loretta watched him then turn and depart, leaving her with a beating heart and an urge to go after him.

She spent the next day writing a large list. Loretta had thought she was done debating her choice but realized that she wanted to go through it one last time before she gave Atlas an answer.

Atlas, the ancient vampire who wanted a week in the sun, would be her in Maker. There was no way to deny the fact that they had a connection together. The way her body reacted to his simple touch was unlike anyone else she had near her before.

Was she getting cold feet? Could she be getting cold feet over this – the thing she had thought she had wanted her entire life? Loretta suddenly wished she had more time to think it over. She wondered if Atlas would give her more time. He had been the only vampire who had come to her and was serious about her offer and wasn’t extremely weird about it.

But Loretta had something that Atlas wanted – her blood. He wanted that week in the sun more than anything which meant Loretta had the upper hand here. If she requested more time she felt confident Atlas would give it to her. She needed to know Atlas better before she agreed to this.

Loretta found herself waiting for him the next night and pretending she wasn’t. She was working on the scroll translation but progress was so slow that she wished she could throw the scroll out. Her cat watched her sleepily. He had hid last night when Atlas was over. Vampires always scared her cat which was the reason Loretta had bought him in the first place. She needed a cat that could instantly sense a vampire in case she was off her game.

It was past midnight when there was a knock on her door. Loretta caught herself making sure her hair was in place before she opened the door. Atlas stood there, this time in clothes so casual it almost looked like he had rolled out of bed. His hair was messy and he had some color in his face that made Loretta aware he must have just fed. His clothes were too big on him and hid his muscles.

“Why are you dressed like that?” Loretta asked, letting him inside.

“I had somewhere to go to today.”

“Where, the clearance section of Dress Barn?”

“I believe they only sell to females.” Atlas replied primly, as if Loretta’s humor was beneath him.

She crossed her arms, “Well, you’ve just fed, haven’t you?”

Atlas was walking around her living room, running his finger along her TV stand as if to check for dust, “Yes, I have.”

Loretta had a million questions about how it was to feed, if the person was okay, how he felt about it, but she shoved them all down and forced herself to say, “I need more time.”

Atlas paused and turned to look at her, “You want more time?”

She felt nervous but pressed on, “Yes. You want that week in the sun, right? Then you have to wait.”