Trading her services to a vampire king is a price Leo pays gladly, but her human life is not on the table.

Leonora has managed to save her pregnant sister from a vampire attack, but to insure the safety of her sister and niece, Leo is willing to pay with everything but her life.

Covered in her own blood, she approaches the Mayor of Redbird City—who happens to be the local vampire king—and makes a deal. She will serve him as his assistant if he will keep her sister and niece from being torn apart.

Matthias agrees willingly to take on a new assistant and sends his men out to keep her sister safe. It is the beginning of a partnership that will make her his apprentice, send her to negotiate for dragons, visit crime scenes and keep her doing his bidding while her sister’s attackers rally and prepare to try again.

Leo picks up her baseball bat and gets ready for the fight of her life.

Excerpt:

He stepped aside, and she passed him, walking into the peculiar stillness that meant an ancient vampire was near.

A high-backed chair shifted, and a deep voice rolled over her. “You have nerve, miss. Covered in blood, you come to a vampire. Are you bait, or do you need something?”

“Mr. Mayor, I have a vampire problem that I need your help with. My sister and niece are in danger, and I will do whatever it takes to keep them safe.”

The chair turned slowly, and she was soon looking at a man she had only ever seen on news reports and in the papers.

His eyes widened in shock. “You have been bitten.”

She snorted. “Torn up, more like. She was going for damage, not blood.”

He was in front of her in less than a heartbeat, visually examining her wounds. “This is bad. How is it you are still standing?”

“I am motivated. I am not going to rest until Minny is safe.”

“Minny?”

“Minuet Wicks and her daughter who was last named Cupcake, though I think she might have been supplanted by another favourite food.”

“And you are?” He was so close, she could touch him by inhaling deeply, but her shirt was all bloody and his looked to be designer. She didn’t want to damage it.

“Leonora Wicks. Administrative Assistant to the Acquisitions Director at the Redbird City Museum.”

“Leonora. Well, you need to sit down, before you fall down, and tell me what happened.”

“Can I just tell you from here? I think if I sit down, I will pass out and I don’t want that.

“Very well.”

“I will go over the details. It started six months ago when Robert decided that fatherhood wasn’t for him. He disappeared, and we got the idea that he was Renfielding for a female vampire out of town, licking her boots on a regular basis.”

Mayor Matthias raised his brows. “He knew he had fathered a child?”

“He knew. It was why he left.”

“Ah. Continue.”

“Everything was fine until tonight. I had moved in with my sister to help her with the baby prep, and I was coming back after being designated driver to all of her tipsy friends when I heard the scream.” She shivered. It was a memory of hearing fury and fear rolled into one sound.

“What did you do next?”

“I ran in with the present I had for my niece. I never imagined it would come in handy.”

He smiled slightly. “What was it?”

“A baseball bat. A nice alder bat that I had an artisan make for her.”

“You fended a vampire off with a bat?” There was an impressed expression on his face.

“Yeah, it was going well until the lady came. She is the one who attacked me, scooped Robert up and told me it wasn’t over. I knew in that moment she wasn’t going to rest until Minny was dead and the baby with her.”

He tilted his head. “If the baby is born, he only needs to kill the child.”

Fury ran through her. “No one is getting near her.”

“And you would like help with that?”

“I would. I can offer you anything short of my life.”

He raised his brows. “Really? It is hard to tell under all this blood, but you seem to be an attractive little thing.”

She tried to work up outrage, but she was getting very tired.

“But, you also have a quick wit and an ability to act. That is a valuable set of skills. Are you a good assistant?”

She snorted. “I am one of the best. I have connections in a variety of locations and occupations and can make just about anything happen.”

He nodded as if coming to a decision. “Well, in that case, your price will be to come work for me. The pay rate will be competitive and the bonuses are well worth the late nights that I occasionally require. Most of your skills will be at use during the day and briefings will be given to me after sunset. I can roam around during the day, but there is rarely a reason for me to do it.”

“What will you do for Minny and the baby?”

“I will dispatch a series of guards to be with them around the clock. Shifters and others will keep your kin safe.”

Leo looked into his eyes with their blood-red irises, and she nodded. “Deal. The moment they suffer an injury I will be after you to see what it takes to kill you.”

Matthias smirked. “I would enjoy seeing you try. Ah, Reed is here with some water and a towel for you.”

Leo turned to look, but the movement was one too many for her. The slowly knitting skin on her shoulder tore open, and she fainted.