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Angus chuckled "Ye’re no’ a killer, lad"

Don’t push ori shoved back his chair and stood First Siuys were insinuating it "Enough with the bullshit You guys know I never fought in battle I wanted to I trained for it, but Roman pro with it for her sake, but that doesn’t ht in our future, you can count on us said "In fact, we’re relying on it"

"For what? Tell me what you want"

"You have different skills than we do," Jean-Luc said "Because of your youth you kno to y"

Ro people and persuading the theus added "Ye have a ori frowned No doubt they thought they were co called ht be old-fashioned, but it was blatantly honest "I’m not that bad with a sword, you know I’ve been practicing with Ian at the school during my time off"

"We don’t need a swordsman for this job," Zoltan said

Angus druers on the table "The problem is we doona want Sean Whelan to act as our sole representative to the president"

"We don’t trust him," Zoltan muttered

"So we need our own special envoy," Jean-Luc added "Someone we can trust to represent the best interests of Vamps all over the world A Vamp who is modern, works hard at a steady job, and has never bitten a mortal A Vamp who appears completely safe and harmless"

Safe and harmless Soori yanked at his tie to loosen it "You’re choosing hboy?" He shook his head "No Hell, no"

Ro expert, Gregori You understand the importance of hoe are perceived If we’re seen as a bunch of dangerous, bloodthirsty monsters, it could e ant because it is what you are: a , harmless Vamp"

Harmless Shit He was te But he kept his frustration in check "Look, it’s late, so let’s continue this conversation tonight If you give me a few hours, I’us thumped a fist on the table "We doona need another plan The decision was reed" Roori, we’re counting on you You are the plan"

Chapter Three

They were counting on hiori headed for his office at Ro from the news

He didn’t let anyone see how tense he was He even grinned at Laszlo when he passed hih five Stay cool Act like you belong It’s the best way to fit in That was the o, after the shock of waking up to find himself Undead

And noas the plan? He didn’t know if he should be flattered or pissed Flattered,him to keep them safe

He snorted as he wrenched his office door open Safe? What a joke! For the last eighteen years, he’d been the one the old warrior guys threatened to kill for the fun of it

He shut the door, then hit the light switch so hard, it cracked the plastic cover plate in two

"Shit" He strode across the office and skirted his desk to peer outside theLaaze wandered to the same dark spot, the place where he’d died as a mortal

There were no cars to obstruct his view Most Vaori drove to work to make sure he remembered how, but as the years slipped by, those ly unih his ht, the terror and pain of the attack, the hot burn of blood and icy fear of death, the muted screams from his mother as he’d faded away The memories haunted him for only a few seconds before he knocked them away Over the years, he’d learn to react quickly

He’d been transformed in 1993, six years after Ro of a rarity in the vauys one of their favorite labels for teasing hi transfor to succeed in his new life, he needed to embrace it Leave the old world behind Stay cool Act like you belong

So he’d worked hard at fitting into the vampire world He’d practiced mind control, levitation, and teleportation until he was just as skilled as the old guys He’d worked hard at Romatech, and in 1998 he’d beco

In the reat success, but in this world, surrounded by crusty old warriors, he could never escape the stig the new kid, the bottle-fed baby, the one they referred to as the fledgling That made him feel like a helpless little bird with itshi worm

It frustrated him no end, but he put up with the crap Why? Because he loved being eternally young

Who wouldn’t love it? For eighteen years he’d enjoyed the body and energy of a twenty-nine-year-old He could work hard, play hard, and party all night Totally forget that if he were still mortal, he’d be a forty-seven-year-old dullard, saddled with a wife and a couple of kids

Only his e She rerandchildren

With a sigh, Gregori turned away from theWhat an ironic twist of fate The sa now needed hi special envoy to the president was a big job, and he’d assured the guys in the conference rooe their plan of action on hi