Secret Blood Ties

  SECRET BLOOD TIES

  Her Royal Blood Book 2

  (A Reverse Harem Vampire Romance)

  Felicity Jordan

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  SECRET BLOOD TIES

  Copyright ©2019 by Felicity Jordan

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover design copyright ©2019 by Felicity Jordan

  Synopsis

  The second royal sister, Melanie, has been found.

  She is due to take her place at the palace, but fate has other plans.

  Danger is everywhere, even lurking within her own blood.

  She has four suitors willing to die to protect her, but even mysterious vampire princes have their weaknesses.

  In between their erotic encounters they'll have to find out who is threatening the vampire houses.

  And it may be up to Melanie to save them all.

  Chapter 1

  Melanie

  Melanie shoved the record card back into the box and waited for Jake to do the same. It was dark outside, and as usual, he walked her to her car. “I though that last one would never leave,” Melanie groaned.

  “Tell me about it. I thought we were going to have to call the bouncer. You’re working again tomorrow, right?”

  “Right. Shall I pick you up on my way in?”

  “Please. Goodnight, Mel.”

  “Night, Jake.”

  Melanie drove home to find her roommates already asleep, not that it was surprising. It was three a.m., after all – one of the hazards of working in a bar. At least she didn’t have to get up early like they did.

  She was woken early the next morning; way too early, as far as she was concerned. “Ruth? What time do you think this is?” Her roommates knew well not to wake her when they left for work.

  “Sorry, Mel, but this came for you.” She waved a letter in front of Melanie’s face.

  “Ok… and you thought you had to wake me instead of leaving it for me?”

  “I was going to leave it… but the people who brought it didn’t leave. People, hah. They’re vampires, Mel. Why are vampires trying to contact you, and why have they been parked in a limo outside since sunrise?”

  If it wasn’t for the worry on Ruth’s face, Melanie would have been sure this was a joke. “Vampires? Have you called the police?”

  “No, they’re not doing anything wrong. Believe me, I wish I could get rid of them. I figure if you read the letter and tell them you’ve received the message, maybe they’ll go away.”

  It seemed a reasonable hope, not that Melanie knew much about vampires. She didn’t hate them like some people did, but she had no reason to trust them. “Thanks, I’ll take a look.”

  She tore the letter open, her eyes travelling down the hand-written page.

  Dear Melanie

  You should know that I never stopped searching for you. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to find you, but I finally have. Please, would you meet with me? Things aren’t safe for you. There’s a lot we need to talk about.

  My people await your word.

  Your sister

  Rachel

  Melanie didn’t know whether to leap for joy or tear up the letter and throw it in a fire. Surely, this was too cruel to be a hoax, even for the most sadistic person? She’d never thought she’d find either of her sisters. Had one of them found her?

  Then she remembered what Ruth had said. Vampires. Her sister was a vampire? She hadn’t seen Rachel since they were both three; she could have been bitten at any point in the intervening years.

  As if the enormity of this idea wasn’t enough to wrap her head around, she reread the last line of the letter. My people await your word. Rachel’s people? What did that mean? Surely, she was employing the vampires who were even now creepily waiting outside in a limo, but why?

  It was too much to deal with on her own. She was sure that Ruth was eagerly waiting to hear about the mysterious letter, but she wanted Jake. He was her closest friend, and she trusted him. He’d know what to do.

  She sent him a text. I NEED YOU. MY PLACE, NOW.

  He responded nearly instantly, and she found herself glad that he was such a light sleeper. A text never would have woken her up, not at this time in the morning.

  What’s wrong?

  Too complicated to explain. Get yourself here.

  On my way.

  By the time Ruth and her other two roommates had left, Jake was already there, knocking on the door. Melanie pulled him inside and slammed the door shut behind him. She could see that the limo was still parked outside.

  “Mel, what’s going on?”

  “Read this.” She thrust the letter into his hand. Jake scanned it, his eyes getting wider and wider with every line.

  “Is this a joke?” he whispered.

  “I have no idea. I don’t know what to think.”

  He put the letter carefully down on the table, as though it was a poisonous snake that might bight. “Well, if it is, someone has put a lot of money into it. Hiring a limo and drivers, telling them to stay outside. I don’t think anyone holds that level of a grudge against you, unless you have enemies you haven’t told me about?”

  “None that I know of. How could it be true, though? My long-lost sister is suddenly a vampire and is hiring people to stake out my apartment. It just seems so farfetched.”

  “Well, the only way we’re going to get to the bottom of this is to meet with her.” Jake paced as he thought aloud. “We can tell them to meet you at work. I’ll swap some of my shifts around, so that we’re both working the daytime shift next week. If it really is Rachel, she can come in during your break and have a drink with you. That way, if something dodgy is going on, Brandon will take care of her.”

  Brandon was their bouncer, and he could take care of just about anything.

  “You think I should do it, then? Meet with her?”

  “If you don’t, you’ll probably spend the rest of your life wondering if it really was her.”

  He was right, of course. “You’ll come with me?”

  “Absolutely. I wouldn’t let you do this alone. I really hope this is the real thing, Mel.”

  “Me too. I suppose I’d better tell those people outside, so that they can leave.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  The two of them walked across the street to where the limo was parked, Jake sticking close by her side. The window was rolled down, and Melanie could see two vampires in the front seat. She leaned down to speak to the driver.

  “Hi. Um, I’m Melanie. I got your letter. If Rachel wants to meet with me, I’ll be free next Tuesday during my lunch break, at one.”

  The vampire shook his head. “I have orders to take you directly to the palace. It’s not safe for you here.”

  The palace? Not only was her sister a vampire, but she’d somehow go
tten involved with vampire royals? This just got worse and worse.

  “No, thank you. I have a job. I’d like to meet Rachel, but it’s got to be on my terms.”

  “Please hold, while I discuss this with Assa.”

  The vampire made a call, having a short conversation with Assa, whoever that was. He finally nodded and hung up. “She will meet you as you suggest. You must understand, though, that we cannot leave you unprotected. I am Tirin, and this is Avlo. We will be your guard detail, until Assa can explain everything to you.”

  “My – what?” Melanie turned to Jake for help, spluttering.

  He glared at Tirin. “If she wants a security detail, she’ll ask for it.”

  “I’m sorry, but we have our orders.”

  “Well I’m changing your orders! Leave me alone!”

  To her surprise, Tirin bowed his head. “Yes, Essa.”

  She didn’t know who Essa was, and she didn’t care. Avlo didn’t seem as easy to convince. He leaned close to Tirin, speaking urgently.

  “Commander, we have our orders from Assa herself. None can countermand them.”

  Tirin grimaced. “Essa has given a command; we can’t disobey her.”

  “Call Assa, then.”

  Melanie puzzled at them as they once again called the person called Assa. The conversation was equally short. When Tirin turned back to her, he looked almost… afraid. As though she’d behead him on the spot for what he was about to say.

  “I’m sorry, but Assa has ordered us to stay on you, and to ignore any orders you may give until she has appraised you of the situation.”

  Melanie gaped at him. Had she thought she’d known what was going on? Clearly, she didn’t. “Tell me, then. What is the situation?”

  “Assa wants to tell you herself. You’ll need to speak to her.”

  “I don’t want to speak to another vampire. I agreed to meet my sister, not Assa, whoever she is.”

  “You will,” Tirin assured her. “For now, allow us to drive you wherever you need to go.”

  “No! You’ll leave me alone!”

  Without another word, Melanie stormed back inside, Jake right behind her.

  “That was weird,” he muttered once the door was shut and locked.

  “You’re telling me. Do you think they’ll really follow me around until Tuesday?”

  “I guess we’ll be seeing soon enough. Do you think we should call the police?”

  Melanie hesitated. On the one hand, she was by no small means freaked out by this, but on the other… these people said she was in danger. They could have hurt her already if they’d wanted to. More than that, they seemed sincere. What was the harm, really, in letting them trail her for a few days? It was better to be safe than sorry.

  “No. As long as they don’t cause any trouble, I’ll leave them be.”

  Though she knew she should get some sleep before her shift tonight, Melanie wasn’t tired. There were too many unanswered questions spinning around in her head. Apparently, Jake had no interest in sleep either, because they spent the rest of the morning discussing the strange encounter.

  Since neither of them had any new information, they were unable to come to any further conclusions. In the afternoon, Jake finally crashed on the couch to nap while Melanie caught what sleep she could.

  The whole time, the limo didn’t leave. They followed her to work, and Tirin and Avlo came into the bar, ordering glasses of water steadily through the night, along with the occasional soft drink, but nothing alcoholic. Did vampires not drink?

  The days until Tuesday went slowly, but finally, it arrived. Melanie tried to tell herself not to get her hopes up, that it might not really be her sister, but she couldn’t help it. She knew that she and her two sisters weren’t identical, but Rachel should still look similar enough for her to recognize instantly.

  She and Jake got one of the tables by the windows. At exactly one o’clock, four people came in – three vampires and one donor. Three were men, but Melanie had no eyes for them. Her gaze was fixed on the woman. She could tell at once that the letter had been true. This was her sister. Rachel.

  Rachel smiled warmly. “Melanie! I can’t believe I found you.”

  The next thing she knew, Melanie was being pulled into a warm embrace. She hugged back, shocked, realizing that she’d never really thought this day would come.

  “Rachel.” She didn’t know what to say.

  Fortunately, Rachel had plenty to say. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but first, let me introduce you. This is Jexin, Refeu and Tim. My mates.”

  “Your – mates?”

  “Husbands, to use the human term.”

  Melanie stared between the three men. Three husbands? Unusual, but not unheard of, she supposed. Melanie was sandwiched between Tim and Refeu. Jexin leaned in close, giving the impression he was blocking anyone from getting to Rachel without going through him. Protective, much?

  “This is Jake. And you already know who I am. How did you find me?”

  “Jexin’s been looking for you for years. He – well, maybe it’s best he tells you.”

  Melanie felt her mouth falling open as she listened to the story. She knew she’d been separated from her sisters when she was young. She hadn’t known that their parents were vampires. Not only vampires, but royal vampires, the queen and kings of the Cherki bloodline.

  That made her a princess, and Rachel queen. Once Jexin gave her the background, Rachel told her story. She explained how she’d come to be a vampire herself and told Melanie a bit about the rivalry between bloodlines.

  “That’s why you’re in danger, especially since we know where you are. It’s bound to get out eventually, these things always do. You need to come to the palace with us. There’s an entire guard detail to protect you there.”

  Melanie glanced at Jake. He looked just as stunned as she felt. “I’m not sure I’m ready to move into a palace.”

  “I understand.” Rachel gave her a sympathetic look. “I wasn’t ready either, but the Bokir aren’t going to wait for you to be ready – that’s the main bloodline who has been hunting us. Trust me, I’ve had my own encounters. I want to be safe.”

  “You think I’d be safer in a vampire palace? As a human?”

  Jexin couldn’t have looked more shocked had she slapped him. “None would ever lay a hand on you, Essa!”

  “My name is Melanie.”

  “Right, I forgot the titles. Sorry, it’s a lot to remember. I haven’t done this before.” Rachel shrugged apologetically. “Assa means queen; that’s me. Essa is princess, and Issa is prince.”

  It was all too much. “Thank you, Rachel, for the warning. I’ll have to be careful. And I don’t suppose I’ll be able to convince you to call back my guard detail. I don’t want to live in the Cherki palace, though. At least not yet. I need some time to think about it.”

  “Unacceptable!” Tirin abandoned all pretense at not eavesdropping and strode over. “Assa, it isn’t safe. We must take her to the palace.”

  “I’m not dragging her away against her will. Just keep a close eye on her. You still have that panic button? When the Bokir attack, backup will be with you in minutes. You just have to keep her safe until then.”

  When the Bokir attack? That sounded more certain than Melanie would like, but she still wasn’t ready to drop everything and move to a vampire palace.

  “My lunch is over. Can… can I see you again, Rachel?”

  Her sister smiled warmly. “Of course. I’ll be by your side the whole time in the healing ward.”

  Tirin snorted. “I wouldn’t let any harm come to her.”

  Melanie realized that Rachel wasn’t joking and frowned at her. “I’ll be fine.”

  Rachel didn’t seem to believe it. “I’ll see you within a week, I imagine. Bye for now, Melanie.”

  “Mel. My friends call me Mel.”

  “Mel, then.” Rachel hugged her tightly. “I’m so glad I found you.”

  Chapter 2

  J
ake

  Harry, their boss, was waiting behind the bar when the vampires left – all except Tirin and Avlo. He beckoned to Jake and Melanie, who followed quietly to his office. Jake wondered how they were going to explain this.

  Harry wasn’t happy. He folded his arms and turned to face them. “Which one of you is going to tell me why those two vampires have become a permanent feature in my bar? They’re scaring all the customers away!”

  Jake and Melanie exchanged looks. He lifted one shoulder slightly, letting her lead.

  “Um… it’s a long story. Look, Harry, the average intake per day is, what, about three hundred drinks?”

  He squinted suspiciously at her. “Yeah. So?”

  “Just one moment, please.”

  Melanie left the room, but fortunately returned quickly. “Tirin and Avlo will pay you for the cost of three hundred of your most expensive drinks for every day they are here.”

  Harry’s eyes bugged out of his head. “Who are these people!”

  “They’re from the vampire palace. Let’s just say they have connections high up, and money isn’t an issue.”

  Jake struggled not to laugh as Harry floundered. He could hardly complain, but he still looked vexed.

  “Good move,” he murmured to Melanie as they exited the office a few minutes later. “How did you know they’d agree?”

  “Rachel made it very clear that they aren’t to leave me alone, and from what I’ve seen so far, they won’t disobey her orders for anything.”

  They still had the rest of their shift to work, but Jake and Melanie were both anxious to get off, to talk. Of all the possible scenarios Jake had imagined, what had happened today wasn’t even close. Without needing to discuss it, they clocked out in the evening and headed to their favorite restaurant. Tirin and Avlo followed.

  “So, what do you think?” Jake ordered for both of them, knowing what Melanie had here.