Deceptions (Evie Cortez Book 1)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I ran away from home at the age of fifteen because I couldn’t handle the life I knew I was destined for. I ran to a place I thought I could find happiness; normalcy. I did find happiness at least for awhile except it was anything but normal.

I walked inside the large mansion style house that had once held a feeling of home and love, now I only visited if it was for work. I came when called and left soon after. I was a courier for Michael Winston; a very powerful vampire in town that oversaw all his father’s businesses. His father was semi-retired now and relinquishing control. Why did immortal vampires feel the need to retire? They weren’t getting older.

Michael’s office was at the end of the hallway on the first floor. I knocked and stepped inside. Seeing his beautiful face never seemed to get easier. I knew Michael and his family for years, for a long time I had considered them my own family. Standing in front of him now I didn’t say anything because with Michael, less said meant more.

He stepped from behind his desk and handed me an envelope. “I need you to put this in Caleb Nikolas’ hands.”

I took it. “It’s sunset, you don’t necessarily need me to do this.” I was their daywalker, at night Michael conducted business himself or a higher up in the organization took on the task.

“Caleb is only willing to read the proposal if you deliver it.” Michael leaned back against his desk. “Do you know why that is?”

I could sniff out Michael’s jealously before the thought entered his mind. “I haven’t spoken more than twenty words to Caleb in the years he’s been here in town. I’m just the messenger, it’s not my job to figure anything out.” I explained tightly. I resented his jealously. He gave up the right years ago to have any opinion toward my life.

“Does he know what you are?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care. What I do care about is you questioning me when it’s none of your business. You left me, remember?”

He grew silent. “That was a long time ago.”

Not long enough to forget the pain every time I saw his green eyes. “Exactly, no more questions unless it has to do with the job. I’ll get this to him.” I left the room and once again wondered why I worked for the Winston vampire family. In the end I always felt like I owed them.

Caleb Nikolas was an Alpha werewolf and the leader of Grayson pack. No one knew exactly when he came to town and took over for Thomas McGill but Caleb’s  been involved with various businesses for the last five years. I knew of him through his dealings with Michael and the fact he lived three houses down from mine. But I couldn’t say I knew him, I knew only what I saw, and nothing of the man himself.

I stopped home first and ditched my work uniform for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before walking over to his place. Caleb shared the home with his daughter when she visited. I had never seen anyone outside the pack visit him especially of the female variety. He usually conducted any work in the packs’ main house; an office of sorts surrounded by miles of forest. I suspected they used the land to run when a full moon sat bright in the sky too.

With his car parked in the driveway it was a safe bet he was there and I didn’t have to go to the Grayson compound. It wasn’t my favorite place to visit in the world and I liked to avoid it at all costs.

Caleb’s fifteen year old daughter, Jamie, answered the door. “Evie! Another package for dad?”

“Yeah, is he here?”

“Yeah, hold on a second.” She turned around and called out for him loud enough to wake the dead in the cemetery ten miles away. “I was just on my way out.”

“Where ya headed?”

Jamie turned around to make sure we were still alone before confessing, “A date, don’t tell dad.”

I smiled. “I won’t.”

“Thanks!” she headed outside the same moment I stepped inside. The house was always nicely clean yet still showed signs of being lived in. Magazines littered the coffee table, the pillows along the sofa weren’t in order, leaving the house with a nice and classy feel to it.

Caleb came down the stairs with an effortless jog. “She left?”

I nodded yes.

“I wanted her to wait.” Caleb was very protective of his human daughter and with every right. He knew well of the dangers that lurked closely by, even of the one living on the same street as them. He stepped off the staircase wearing his business casual outfit of black slacks and a dark buttoned down shirt. The only indication he was home and relaxing was the shirt wasn’t tucked in anymore.

I handed him the envelope. “Here. Is there a reason you wanted me to deliver the papers or did you just want to piss Michael off?” The two men worked together for the good of the town to prevent a war that would lead to too much bloodshed but they hated each other and made no secret about it. I refused to be a pawn in their continuing game to one up each other. I might have to consider seeking a different line of work if this kept up. Conflict was something I kept far from. Conflict could led to exposure and exposure led to threats.

“It’s too easy to ruffle his feathers using jealously. I wanted you here for a reason to talk about Jamie.” Caleb walked over to the living room mantel and placed the envelop on top of it to be looked at later. “I know you two sometimes talk.”

“Is that a problem?” Jamie was one of the few people I interacted with outside of work. She reminded me a little of my life before it ended several years back.

Continuing to move with deadly grace Caleb took a seat on the couch. “No, since the divorce there’s a lot she doesn’t tell me and her mother, I’m glad she can talk to someone.” He let that sink in before getting to the main topic. “She’s been hanging out with Ray and it needs to stop.” There was a harsh undertone in his voice reflecting the anger along his dark blue eyes. He was worried about Jamie and he couldn’t control her like he could his pack.

Now I understood his need to talk to me. Ray was one of Michael’s vampires. “You want me to run interference?” I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of that.

“Talk to Jamie, she’ll listen to you.”

I sighed and agreed with him, she shouldn’t be near Ray. “Does she know that I’m a vampire?”

“No and I’m not sure she’d believe you considering...”

Considering I walked in sunlight, I didn’t feed off blood, and crosses and holy water had no affect on me at all. Some vampire huh? But I was immortal to never age again since the night after my twenty-first birthday. I should be twenty-six now. The virus hadn’t fully infected me and I believed it was because I wasn’t human to begin with except no one else knew that, to the public I was a vampire when I never fully could be one. “I’ll talk to her before something goes too far and she’s bitten but I can’t tell her or Ray what to do. You should talk to her as well.” I explained while I slowly made my way to the front door.

“I have and she doesn’t listen.”

I faintly thought of my parents. “What teenage girl does?”