“News?” I queried. Something told me that I wasn’t going to like this. Mostly it was her smug expression.
“You will both be working together.”
“We’ll both be what?”
“I’ve offered Miss Parker -”
“For the gazillionth time will you just call me Sam?” she stressed.
Antonio smiled at her indulgently, like a father. What the hell had been going on? “You’ve offered her...?” I prompted.
“The role of aiding you with training your squad to control their gifts.”
“Isn’t that great?” she said with fake enthusiasm.
Antonio looked as though he was stifling a chuckle. Great, the joke’s on me. “You made this decision without first speaking to me,” I said in a low voice, feeling overlooked.
He sighed. “Jared, you know that I hold you in the highest esteem. You know how valuable I consider you to be. You know that I trust in your capability -”
“But I’m apparently not capable enough.”
“I have my reasons for needing the squad properly prepared without delay. I will be holding a meeting tomorrow during which all will be explained to you, Sam and the other commanders. What I will assure you of now is that my employing Sam is not a reflection on you or my faith in you.”
“Yeah, right.” That’s when I walked out.
(Sam)
“Well that went well,” I said after Jared slammed the door shut behind him.
Antonio sighed. “After a little time alone with his thoughts he will be fine.”
“I certainly hope he isn’t.”
“In the meantime, please acquaint yourself with your personal assistant.”
“I have a personal assistant?”
“Fletcher has been Jared’s assistant for the past three years, and now he is also yours. A fellow Brit, too. Fletcher?”
In a blink Fletcher appeared, his hands clasped together and his eyes shining with enthusiasm. I realised that I had seen him at what looked like a reception desk outside the room. The feminine way with which he held himself and the fact that he was so colour coordinated to the extent that he sported designer glasses that had a navy frame to match his navy suit all told me one thing: Fletcher was homosexual. And so cute. He had the cutest baby face that looked almost perfectly circular and was framed by short, tight mahogany curls. The most adorable dimples decorated his naturally pouty lips. I just wanted to pinch his cheeks like a grandmother would do to a child.
“Yes you’re Grandness?” He was a Londoner too? Even better. I could tell just by looking at him that we were going to have such a laugh.
“Fletcher, I’d like you to meet Commander Sam Parker. You may have noticed a new bureau and leather desk chair being brought in here. Sam will be working with Jared, so I hope you will be just as valuable to her as you are to Jared.”
Nodding, Fletcher said, “That goes without saying, your Grandness.”
Antonio returned his focus to me. “Sebastian will ensure that your Sire is notified of your employment here. I’m sure he’ll be delighted about it.” Wearing a sly smile he and his entourage left the room.
Fletcher approached me and held out his hand, “’Ello Commander, I’m -”
“Let me stop you right there,” I said, smiling. “No Commander Parker – I beg you. Just call me Sam.”
“Oh my God, you’re a Cockney like me! D’ya know, I was the only Brit in The Hollow ’til now.”
“The Hollow?”
“That’s what we call the place, luv. Hmm, I suppose the teleportation process didn’t give you a great view. Come with me.”
It turned out that Fletcher had a feminine walk too. This Keja just got cuter and cuter. He led me up two flights of stairs to the roof of the building. “There,” he said, pointing down. “See?”
“My God.” The place was humungous. Like a holiday camp or something. Several buildings were scattered around, forming a rectangle shape around a man-made, white-sanded beach that had a bridge in the middle. It had a real relaxed Caribbean feel about it. “Where are we exactly?”
“A little island just south of St. Lucia, luv. You won’t find it on any map. The proper name for this exclusive community here is The Hollow. This here, as you know, is The Command Centre. It has ten offices; one for each Commander. You’re now the eleventh, but of course you share an office with Jared.”
“So there are ten squads in the legion?”
“Yes, with ten vamps in each one.” He gestured to the main mansion which was to our left. “That’s Antonio’s residence. The only other vamps who reside there are Sebastian, his consorts – the greedy git’s got about fourteen of them – and his Advisor. Oh and his personal guards, you might have noticed he’s got plenty of them. He mostly stays there. Then to the left of the mansion is the Guest House. We don’t get many guests as Antonio likes his privacy. Then there’re two Residence Halls for his general staff like the chefs and maids and maintenance people and what-have-ya. Then the row of buildings directly facing us are shops and cafes and restaurants and bars, oh and there’s a cinema and a bowling alley and even a nightclub.”
“You’re kidding?”
Fletcher grinned. “I’m glad I’m not. With all those bars and shops, this is my Graceland.”
“Is there a clothes shop? I’ve only got enough stuff to last me till tomorrow. Something tells me that my Sire will not nicely pass along my belongings,” I grumbled.
“Oh yeah, there’s nothing those stores don’t have. The idea behind Antonio’s design of The Hollow was so that he wouldn’t have to leave. As the Grand High Master, he has to worry about attempts on his life. If someone was to kill him then they would have the right to fight the Heir, which is Jared, for the position of the Grand High Master. So, Antonio built himself and his bloodline and his staff a nice little community. Or a world within a world, as he likes to call it.”
“So...anyone who works here can’t leave?”
“Oh don’t worry, luv, it’s not like a prison,” he giggled. “People can venture out if Antonio gives them permission. I’ve never met anyone who wants to leave. All staff gets full use of that lovely beach there and plenty of time off, and the pay’s good. Most important to them, they have the best vampiric protection they could possibly have. There’s no securer place to be.”