The Blood Boss by Davidson King

Chapter Three

Jayce

The room Emil brought me to was insane. It was larger than the entire first floor of my parents’ house. The bathroom that was linked to the bedroom was the size of half the bookstore. There was a jacuzzi, a shower, two sinks, and some other thing next to the toilet—maybe a second toilet? I didn’t know, but it looked frightening, if I were being honest. And there was a sauna in the bathroom… What the hell?

Emil explained that I couldn’t leave the room and if I tried, I’d be unpleasantly detained. Food, however, would be brought up, and he said someone would go to my house and get my belongings after The Blood Boss passed his ruling, whatever horrible thing that meant. Emil did provide me with a set of fancy pajamas and told me to slip my clothes in a bag and leave it by the door to be cleaned. Truthfully, they were shockingly hospitable.

I still had my cell phone on me and was relieved when Emil said I could call my parents, and even Sibell, to let her know I wouldn’t be at work Monday and to explain why. My parents were first, and they picked up immediately.

“Jayce?” My mom’s voice was nasal and she sniffled.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Oh, baby, why’d you do that?”

“What choice was there? This is the best way and you heard them; they won’t hurt me. It’s like a new job if you look at it through a positive lens.”

She chuckled. “I’m having a hard time seeing it the way you are.”

“Is that Jayce?” My father’s voice sounded from somewhere in the room.

“Yes.”

“Let me talk to him.” There was a rustling sound, and then he was right in my ear. “Jayce.”

“Hi, Dad.”

“I am very sorry, you shouldn’t be there. I’ve contacted my lawyer and—”

“And what, Dad? You know human law doesn’t overrule vampire law. You made a binding agreement with The Blood Boss; this is the only way to pay it off.”

“No, you can’t be there, it’s not safe.”

“Yeah, well, I’m here and I daresay it’s not a struggle. This room is crazy fancy. And there are like two toilets or something.”

“Two…never mind, Jayce, listen to me, it’s dangerous for you to be there.”

I rolled my eyes. Even though I was twenty-three years old, he was still protecting me. “No one has been cruel, Dad.”

“Jayce, you’re not hearing me, and I don’t know how to explain it—”

“Then stop, okay. I’m here, and there’s nothing you or I can do about it while a debt remains. Now, I have to call Sibell and let her know I won’t be in on Monday, though…” A quick glance at the clock showed it was almost midnight. “She may be asleep; perhaps I should wait until morning.”

“Sibell, yes, you need to talk to her.”

He was acting bizarre, and normally I’d ask what was wrong with him, but I was, after all, in the lair of The Blood Boss, so I guess he got a pass.

“I will, in the morning.”

“Jayce—”

“I will call as often as I can, promise. Don’t worry about me, I’m a big boy.”

He huffed. “I love you, son.”

“I love you too, Dad. Give Mom a hug for me.”

“Love you, baby!” my mom shouted.

I disconnected and saw that I had forty percent battery. It would be enough to hold until I spoke with Sibell in the morning, and I would ask Emil or whomever if they had a charger. Maybe when they went to the house to get my clothes they’d grab mine.

My body was weary from the day, but my mind was going a mile a minute. I decided to take a shower and hoped it would help.

While I was under the spray, I couldn’t understand how this was a punishment at all. It felt like heaven and if I wasn’t careful, I’d never want to leave. When I got out of the shower and dressed in the most comfortable pajamas I’d ever worn, I went back into the bedroom to find a tray of food waiting. I lifted the sliver dome and saw grilled cheese and tomato soup…It was so normal. I only ate half the grilled cheese but finished off the soup, marveling at how delicious it was.

Afterward, I brushed my teeth, slipped under the covers, and stared at the ceiling, thinking about how my day ended up here. I was clearly more exhausted than I thought, because when I opened my eyes after what I swore was a blink, the sun was streaming through the blinds.

Upon realizing I’d be coming face to face with The Blood Boss today, nervous butterflies immediately assaulted my stomach. I jumped out of bed and quickly washed up. My clothes, which I had forgotten to place in the bag and put outside the door, were washed and folded for me.

I didn’t spend too much time wondering how I felt that someone had come in here while I was asleep and vulnerable. I dressed and had just zipped my pants when there was a knock on the door, and before I could respond, they entered.

“Good morning, I’m Natalie. We met briefly last night.”

I remembered somewhat; I was a bit mesmerized by the opulence of the entire estate but not wanting to be rude, I smiled. “I remember.”

“Fantastic. I’ve been instructed to escort you to the dining hall for breakfast, where you will be meeting Cain.” She turned and left, not giving me a chance to ask her who Cain was.

“Natalie, um…who is Cain?” I rushed to her side, and she was about to take the stairs down but stopped.

“Cain is The Blood Boss; did you not know?” I shook my head. “Emil told you who you were meeting, that you were a scapegoat for your father, and you were standing in for his debt?”

“Well, yeah, but he said I was meeting The Blood Boss…And now you tell me his name is Cain which I didn’t know and now I do and great.” Legs shaking, I was about to descend to the foyer, but she stopped me, placing her flattened hand on my chest.

“This isn’t a vacation, Mr. Harlow. He will be fair but just with you, and should you fail to meet the punishment, one much harsher will be dealt to you. I suggest you take this more seriously.”

I met her lavender gaze with narrowed eyes. “My life has been disrupted and my responsibilities put on hold so I could be here. If I wasn’t here, one of my parents would be, and those foster kids they take care of would be in some other place, getting little to no love. I’m very aware of why I’m here, and I am taking it seriously.”

She gave me a curt nod and descended the stairs. I was halfway down when I realized I’d never called Sibell.

“Natalie, do you think I could make a call after breakfast?”

“Why?”

“I work at a bookstore, and I’ll need to inform my boss I won’t be in on Monday.”

She raised a brow. “I suppose.”

“And I know someone will be going to my house to get clothes for me; I will need my charger as well.”

We approached a set of French doors when Natalie turned. “You’re making demands?”

“No, I’m making requests. I don’t think asking for my phone charger is a demand.”

She didn’t respond, simply slow-blinked and opened the doors. The dining hall was as fantastical as the rest of the house…that I’d seen so far anyway. Huge dark-wood table, with a ridiculous number of chairs. A chandelier that easily had over three hundred crystals on it hung over the center. The art on the walls was expensive, I was sure, but an art aficionado I was not.

“Have a seat. Cain will be here shortly.”

She left without telling me where exactly I was to sit. The head of the table seemed like a big no. I opted for the seat beside the head chair. The second my butt hit the ivory cushion, a gentleman came out with a rolling tray.

“Good morning,” I said, smiling when he met my gaze. He didn’t respond, and I wondered if The Blood Boss—Cain—didn’t permit his staff to speak to anyone.

After he’d placed everything on the table, he left as quietly as he came in. The aromas coming from the covered dishes made my stomach rumble, and I hated how uncertain I was about what I was to do.

The double doors opened, and I turned my head. I wasn’t sure what I’d thought The Blood Boss would look like, but a demonic, hot-as-hell god hadn’t been on the list.

He was massive in size—and no question, he could crack me in half if he got his hands on me. He wore a dark suit, and his black hair was long. But it was his eyes, ruby red…or the color of blood, that had me transfixed.

“You’re the scapegoat?” His tone vibrated through me like an earthquake shaking me from the inside out… What the hell is that? “Are you deaf? Shit, Natalie!” His voice was like thunder, and I could feel myself trying to shrink.

“Yes?” Natalie came in smiling.

“Is he deaf? No one told me I’d need to know sign language.”

“Deaf, what?” Her brows were furrowed as she glanced at me. “Why would you think him deaf?”

“I asked him a question, and he stared at me.”

“I see.” She took a few steps into the room. “Jayce, we don’t have rules upon speaking here. You may answer any questions asked of you.” She nodded as if that fixed everything.

“So you do hear?” He walked around the other side of the table until he was beside me, pulling out the head chair.

“Yes, sorry, I was just…you’re bigger than I expected.”

He nodded as if he’d heard that a million times. “Then answer my question. You’re the scapegoat?”

“If that’s what you want to refer to me as, okay, but everyone else calls me Jayce.”

Cain grunted and lifted the dome covering my dish. “Eat, Jayce. Then we discuss punishment.”

French toast, scrambled eggs, perfectly cooked bacon, and hash browns were piled onto my plate. It all smelled incredible, and even though I saw the tremble in my hand as I picked up my fork, I wasn’t going to pass up this meal. Nor would I show The Blood Boss fear.

Cain sat back, drinking from a mug, and I wondered if it was blood. His plate had fruit and toast, and I found myself wanting to ask him a million questions. I had thought vampires could only ever drink blood and not eat food.

He didn’t utter a word the entire time I ate, and awkward wasn’t a strong enough emotion for this moment.

When I could eat no more, I wiped my mouth. “That was delicious, thank you.”

He placed his mug down and leaned in closer. “Now for judgment.”

His ruby eyes glittered in tandem with the fear that curled around my gut. I really hoped I wasn’t as screwed as my brain was telling me I was.