Raven's Blood Read online

Chapter Nine

  Graham was pleased with the results of his research. Admittedly, he’d just come up with the idea and others had done the actual research, but he’d learned long ago it was better to delegate menial tasks. Despite his lower status now, he still considered himself one of the elite, and if things continued to move forward, he would destroy those who were keeping him from his rightful place. Technically, he’d have them destroyed. Again, it was better to delegate menial tasks. It’s not that he had a problem killing. Actually, he enjoyed it under most circumstances, but he enjoyed getting others to do things for him more. Especially, when he got to watch them do it. He shifted a little in his seat to accommodate his erection. No wonder public executions were so big in some places. Watching someone being killed was a major turn on, and he decided he should consider having them.

  Staring at his reflection as his arm was swabbed, he smiled, liking what he saw. While he might hate that his pale blond hair had thinned early in life, he was still an impressive looking man with fair skin and aristocratic features. He’d prefer it if his lips weren’t quite so thin, but it was just one flaw in his perfection. He had never been one of the giant muscle-bound men, having inherited his mother’s slight build and standing at a mere five feet eight inches. He could easily bulk up with some time in the gym, but it seemed like a waste of time. He was a leader with underlings to handle anything requiring muscle.

  After the gauze pad was taped to his arm, he stood and looked around the room. Ten newly turned vampires stood against the wall. Unlike the previous generation, they weren’t crazed. As they all stared off in obvious confusion, he could see the memories of their human lives fading. That was one side-effect of the Moon virus Graham liked. This was the part that made it easier to convince them to kill with no remorse. They would kill their own mother without blinking. Graham had tested the theory more than once, just for fun. It was amusing to watch the last moments of a woman’s life as she struggled with a sense of fear and betrayal. Controlling the turned vampires had been difficult, but they’d found a solution.

  “What exactly is so important I needed to drop everything and rush over to the lab? You could have given me my injection in my room,” he said irritably as he glared at the female in charge of research.

  Bethany St. James had been part of the original research team handling the human testing of the Moon virus. He really hated the bitch. She always acted like she was superior to him and believed this was her project. She thought she was smarter than him. Stupid bitch was going to be sorry when she learned how unimportant she really was. The research was almost done, so it wouldn’t be long until she was expendable.

  “We need more nymph blood,” she told him with a condescending sneer. She would have been attractive if she knew her place. She had blonde hair, cornflower blue eyes, full pouty lips, and a body that should not go along with that brain. No one would ever guess she was well over a hundred years old. Pity she was a bitch.

  He raised an arrogant eyebrow. “Why would we need nymph blood?”

  “We use it to control the turned vampires,” she explained in an exasperated tone. “It’s not just a matter of mutating the virus. Once they’re turned, we give them blood with traces of altered nymph blood. This creates an addiction they will do anything to feed.”

  “We should have sufficient amounts of nymph blood,” he assured her. They’d been collecting and storing it for years. There could be problems now that they didn’t have access to a nymph. Nymphs weren’t exactly lining up to donate their blood, and they were hard to come by. He still couldn’t figure out how just a small amount of nymph blood each day could have depleted their supply.

  A nervous man, whose name Graham couldn’t remember, stepped forward. The man was sweating like a pig, so Graham hoped he didn’t get too close.

  “We still have quite a bit, but we didn’t stock up on enough to last for more than a few months,” the man explained. “It’s essential we have it to keep the vampires under control. It’s also used in your treatments.”

  That was an annoying surprise. Without his monthly treatments, he would start to age.

  “We’ll transport some teams of new vampires out to the wooded areas to hunt for more nymphs. I’m going to send guards to make sure they remain under control. We don’t have enough gasoline left to transport them far, and I can’t afford to have too many wandering around near our own settlement.”

  “What was once Las Trampas Regional Wilderness would probably be a good place to start,” the annoying bitch suggested. “It’s not too far and fairly secluded. Seems like a place the wood nymphs would come out.”

  He wanted to slap her, but instead he gave her a smile. “Excellent idea, Bethany! I’m not sure what we would do without you.”

  She actually blushed at his praise.

  Interesting, he thought to himself.

  “Thank you, Graham,” she stammered nervously.

  “How much more research will you need to do on the new strain of the Moon virus?” he asked.

  “Oh, it’s done,” she said with pride. “I’ve perfected the virus. It can even bypass the vaccine. That’s why I’ve created a new vaccine we can give to certain people.”

  “Excellent,” he purred as he took her hand in his. “We should celebrate, don’t you agree?” he asked, gesturing to the door.

  She blushed again and nodded before looking at the nervous man. “You’re in charge while I’m gone, Craig.”

  “Yes,” Graham agreed. “You’re in charge of the lab now, Craig.”

  An hour later, Graham climaxed as he finished choking the life out of the arrogant bitch. Some things really were better when you did them yourself. After putting his clothes back into place, he stared down at her lifeless body, thankful he’d taken her back to her room. It was much easier to get it cleaned that way. Her eyes were still wide, and the look of terror hadn’t left her face.

  Things were going very well.