Finally Dead (Eve Benson: Vampire Book 1) (38 page)

“So
very much, Eve. Things that would probably have you killed if you so much as
moved in that direction. So I have to protect you. All of you. From yourselves,
as often as not. Anyway, if you’re willing to work with me still, maybe you can
get some time off from the embassy, and help me scramble to get the product on
the shelves?”

She
sighed, but nodded.

“Yeah.
I have some things to take care of, but I’ll see if I can get away from work
early. I’d whine about the extra work, but no one would care, yeah?”

There
was a soft laugh, one that seemed lot more normal, and a pat on the back as he
passed her, moving over to his girlfriend, Lenore. He spoke to her, but that
was none of Eve’s business.

She
took a deep breath and turned to talk to Edom, only to find her arm being taken
first, by Maggie.

“So,
Eve, Ben was asking after you last night. I don’t suppose you’re up for a date
soon? I can almost assure you that his expectation is that you say no. I told
him I’d ask on his behalf however. Would that be something to think about?”

She
tilted her head. The guy was a chubster, and geeky on top of that, but he
did
look sort of cute in his little role-playing outfit. Then, his looks weren’t
the real issue were they?

“I’m
only about a week old, Maggie. I’m not sure I could be trusted being that close
to someone so yummy. He
is
too. Have you noticed that?”

She
nodded, because it was a real thing,
not
just her imagination.

“I’ll
tell him you said no, then?”

To
her surprise, a hand caught her shoulder. It was powerful and dark, with a
lovely Edom attached to it.

“I
don’t know, Eve. You’ve managed everything else well enough. Maybe we should
set up some tests for you first, and try it out? You have to move ahead
sometime, and age is, I hear, only a number.
I
think you can do it.” His
voice held confidence, which was good to hear.

She
started to walk out, since she needed to get with Lenore and make sure she
could get some time off later. That night was free, so she could go straight
through if it was needed. That would get the work done, even if she had to work
at superhuman speeds the whole time.

Her
embassy boss was still chatting with Bob and Lisa, and the others all managed
to get side tracked, so she moved across the hallway, to find the embassy open,
but empty.

There
was, on the counter, a single package, with bright party wrap, thin curly
ribbons and a balloon on the top. It wasn’t huge, being about the size of a
large loaf of bread. She opened the card first, wondering if the thing inside
the box was going to be a bomb.

Hey!
I said you deserved a prize, so here you go. Use them in good health. Darla G
.

 It
took a second for her to remember her buddy mentioning something like that. She
was still careful getting the thing open, since it could be anything from that
bomb she mentioned, to a gun or even Marcus’ balls. Just because he’d been
cleared after a fashion now, that didn’t mean Darla knew all about it already.
She probably did, but there was no way to prove that.

In
the box there were running shoes. They were all white, and had no decorations
on them at all. Leather and sturdy, with soft rubbery soles on them. In the
tissue paper they were wrapped in, there was another note.

Be
careful with these. I designed them to turn the fifteenth fastest person I
know, into the third. It will hurt, beyond all reason or sense. It will also
work
.

Eve
held the things up, knowing that she’d have to wait before trying them on. It
would hurt, but also work? That was kind of her new catch phrase, anymore,
wasn’t it?

Smiling
she put the things behind the counter and started making sure everything was
ready for the day. After all, she had work to do, and in order to get to that,
there were things that had to be done first.

It
wouldn’t take too long, but it had to be done. A lot of things were like that
now, she knew.

For
her.

At
least if she wanted to gain enough power to stop herself from being the sex toy
of anyone that had a good trick, or pair of pretty hypnotic eyes.

So,
keeping that in mind, she got to it. Eve was going to win, in the end, and no
matter what else happened, she was going to be safe. Eventually.

Somehow.

Other Books by P.S. Power from Orange
Cat Publishing:

If
you enjoyed these books, why not find out the rest of the story? It’s more than
worth the time, and there’s more to it than anyone could possibly imagine.

Keeley Thompson:

Follow
this interesting tale of a young girl who discovers she’s something much
different than she was ever led to believe. Keeley isn’t just a straight A
student, as she learns from the head Cheerleader of her new school. No, she’s a
Greater Demon, and that means that reality will never be the same again.

Demon
Girl

Keelzebub

Mistress
of Souls

Demon
Trap

Demon
Bait

Other Places
(Zack Hartley, in the Eve Benson
continuity)

Zack
is insane, and knows it. It’s not hard to figure that out when your own mirror
talks to you, and tells you to get off your butt and go get a job before you
starve to death. Worse, when you can see the holes in the world, and walk
through them, it become pretty hard to separate what’s real, from what might
just be in your own head.

If
he can pull it off, it will be a miracle.

Shortcuts

Road
Blocks

Detours

Other books in the same universe:

Christmas
of the Vampire

When
a young girl is in trouble, having been taken captive by a Greater Demon, she
reaches out to the only beings she knows of that might be able to help her.

Santa
Claus, and Richard Swirlin, America’s only openly vampire politician.

Now
Richard has to not only save five year old Macy from Ma’at, The Puzzler, but
save the spirit of Christmas itself!

To
do that, he’s going to need a bit of help, which will mean making some deals
with things even darker than the Greater Demon that has Santa and Macy.

Because
only one thing in existence can beat a Greater Demon. One of their own kind.

Friendzoned
(Becky Hoader,
before
she
becomes the famous actress, Krista Hall! Warning, this book is a young adult
coming of age tale, not fantasy.)

Becky
has loved Mitch for years, but he barely even seems to notice her. A bit over
weight, and kind of boring, she turns to her new friends, Darla, Keeley, Hally,
and Eve, to help her finally get out of the friend zone. If they can at all.