Vampire Seekers

Chapter Ten

Maria makes her way back to the bar after being side-tracked by one of the other clients whose table she has been serving. Maria served them quickly. She did not want to leave Velika and Willow waiting too long.

Once again Maria ducks behind the bar and strides through the corridor to the kitchen area.

"Can I get two bloody Mina's one A positive and and one O." Maria orders. Ruka comes up beside her.

"So, what was that with the Princess?" Ruka questions with a curious smile on her face.

"What do you mean?" Maria asks with furrow brows, "We were just chatting."

"Just - Just chatting?" Ruka repeats in astonishment. "You came across more than a little friendly. I think half the room were captured in your little moment. Waiting to see what would happen."

Maria becomes flummoxed and speechless. Did her body language and behaviour really come across as - flirtatious? Maria did not think. The words came out on their own without her brains permission, but thinking back, seeing her actions now that she is not in Velika's proximity?

No, Maria did not act like a friendly acquaintance. Maria fears she did not act like Velika's sisters best friend either.

"Shit." Maria mutters. "I think I over stepped a smidge." A smidge? Where did that come from Maria wonders.

Ruka laughs, "Maybe but I think she liked it." Ruka says, "You should consider trying to get the Princess as one of your private clients. Or even Willow. You get either one you might be invited into the inner circle."

"Inner circle?" Maria questions. Madam Bishop never mentioned an inner circle and it has not been mentioned on any of job advertisements.

"Yeah, that's the unofficial name." Ruka says, popping the blood bag in the blood heater. "Basically the top earners have a special staff room upstairs and have a meeting ever other week about events, club changes, and get additional perks."

"Are you in the circle?"

"Ha! I wish." Ruka quickly retorts, "I have a lot of regulars but none of them are major clients."

If something amiss is happening in The Last Drop the inner circle might be the best place to look. They need one of them on the inside and Maria has a sinking feeling that Henry is going to rise slowly in popularity. Maria could ask Velika to play along, but it would be a big ask.

Velika would have to spend a pretty penny on Maria. How could Maria even ask that of Velika.

"Wait - Willow too?"

"Yeah. Don't tell me you don't know?" Ruka looks at Maria as though for the first time. "She is related to Vlad of Caroarmis. His niece."

"Oh my goodness." Maria says, "I had no idea. I guess I should have known she's be an aristocrat the way she spoke to the Princess but. I don't know. I knew the blood king has a niece but she's never been seen with him in public."

Willow. Had Willow seemed interested when Maria alluded to her being into women? Between the two female vampires Willow is the one who would cause less conflicts of interest but could Maria go through with it. Doing those kinds of acts for money, even undercover, Maria is not sure she would go that far.

Bennie places the drinks in front of Maria snapping her out of her thoughts. "Personally I'd love to know how you ended up so chummy with the Princess and Willow in such a short time."

"Oh." Maria says, "Did I not mention Emily is a friend."

"Emily as in Emily Demonte. The Princess." Ruka double checks. Maria can not possibly mean that Emily. Surely, she would have flexed that relationship in her interview and would have been a shoe in for the job immediately.