Free The Lost Souls Dating Agency by Suneeti Rekhari Page B

of Victor without his protective emotional shield.
    â€˜That’s great,’ I said wholeheartedly.
    He smiled pleasantly. His manner was easy and open, and much less formal. It made him seem like a different person, a different vampire.
    â€˜Did the letterbox work?’ I asked with a sly smile on my face. Of course I knew it had.
    He smiled boyishly at me.
    â€˜Tell me something, was it magic? Why did no one see it?’ I asked because I wanted to know why I could see it.
    He smiled mischievously. ‘I had friends who owed me a favour or two make it for me. Suffice to say these are no ordinary friends.’
    â€˜Of course.’ I should have known.
    â€˜It was the only way I could reach her,’ he said earnestly. ‘I didn’t want to hurt her or leave her with doubts about my true feelings.’
    â€˜Victor,’ I said seriously, ‘you truly are a unique specimen.’
    â€˜Of a vampire?’ He laughed.
    I shook my head. Victor continued, ‘I spoke at great length with Fiona on Saturday. She said that her finding out about my nature would change some things, but not others.’ Victor paused and he looked contented. ‘She said it would not change the important things.’
    â€˜Well that’s wonderful!’ I was delighted.
    â€˜Yes it is.’ Victor almost beamed. Then, as quickly, his expression changed to concern. ‘Shaleenee, I’ve also come to ask for your assistance,’ he finally said.
    â€˜Assistance?’
    â€˜You can refuse to do it,’ he added flatly.
    â€˜Why would I refuse?’ I asked warily.
    â€˜Because it is a big ask of you.’
    â€˜What is it?’ I was intrigued.
    He cleared his throat, though vampires probably never needed to. ‘I was hoping you would speak to the Vampire League of Albion with us,’ he stated loudly.
    â€˜The what?’ The vampire league ?
    â€˜The Vampire League of Albion, the coven of vampires in England who control my kind.’
    I looked at him dumbfounded. Of course! I remembered Albion from The Mythical Weekly.
    He continued, ‘The League acts as our legal system. We cannot, of course, rely on human laws to control us. The League has their own particular way of meting out justice.’
    My brain raced. ‘I’m not sure what to say, Victor,’ I stuttered.
    â€˜You can say no,’ he said looking at me solemnly. His eyes were a deep shade of violet today. ‘But it would help me very much if another human was there. Plus explaining to them about your dating agency would help my case, for them to know that I was not coercive with Fiona.’
    â€˜Will you get into trouble?’ I asked.
    â€˜I’m not sure. I don’t know what the protocol is for such matches. I’ve never heard of my kind paired with human females. Well not for longer than a few hours’ he stated dryly.
    â€˜Will I get into trouble for pairing you?’ I felt my eyes widen.
    Victor looked severe. ‘I will not let that happen. I’ll explain how I came to seek your services.’
    â€˜Well that’s true,’ I said fairly.
    â€˜So you agree to do this?’
    â€˜Do I have to go to England?’
    â€˜No.’
    This made me feel better, though the prospect of being in a room full of vampires, even if they were law makers, made me very uneasy.
    â€˜Okay,’ I agreed a little apprehensively. ‘When do we do it?’
    â€˜I have a conference room booked for tonight,’ Victor said casually.
    Shit, that soon? I nearly choked.

Chapter 17
    I felt a sickening knot tighten in the pit of my stomach. If this were a movie, gothic pipe organs would play a sombre tone right now, a fitting accompaniment to the strange events unfolding before me.
    I sat in a conference room on the third floor of an ordinary looking Collins Street office tower. It was surrounded by a maze of other conference rooms used by the various vampire Leagues of