Free Pretty When They Collide by Rhiannon Frater Page A

first become his companion, but those blood minions had either died, or been sold to other vampires. Frank kept them sequestered in a small guest house off the main one, so it was easy to deliberately ignore them. Also, it was disquieting how they always looked remarkably alike. Frank definitely had a type. They were all dark haired, blue eyed, and pale.
    “ Good afternoon, sunshine,” Frank said, nestling against the bank of red silk pillows resting against the ornate headboard. He picked up a tumbler filled with ice and scotch and sipped it. “How ’ s my surly witch?”
    “ Sweaty,” Aimee answered.
    “ Yuck.” Frank gestured toward the bathroom. “Take a shower. I can ’ t stand the smell of sweat and dirt. It makes me think of peasants. And you, my witch, are not a peasant.” Dismissing her with the flick of his hand, he immediately started working on his iPad.
    With reluctance, Aimee followed his command. The bathroom was all black tile and stainless steel fixtures. The only color was the blood red towels. Aimee stood amidst the cold sterility of the room and wished she could just scream until the walls cracked and broke apart around her. Even as her insubordinate thoughts boiled up within her, the blood tie to Frank smothered them. There was always a tipping point where her rebellious thoughts gave birth to torrential rage which immediately triggered the blood bond, stifling her. Taking deep breaths, she fought through the numbness.
    Wiping a tear away, Aimee undressed. She hated that even her mind was tethered to Frank. It was a struggle to keep herself from drowning under his constant attempts to completely subjugate her. If not for her witch nature, he ’ d have her completely in his thrall.
    The shower refreshed her mind as it cleansed her body. For most of the decade she had been with Frank, she had not fought against his supernatural influence over her. Once she had realized the monster he truly was, she ’ d struggled to balance her emotions and thoughts so as not to activate the blood bond. Now she was fairly adept at maintaining her calm, but tonight she was aggravated by emotions she had never experienced before.
    Once out of the shower, she donned one of Frank ’ s robes and returned to his bedroom. He was on his phone and typing furiously on his iPad at the same time. Spotting her, he waved her over to the bed.
    “ No, no, you don ’ t get it, Scott. I want her on the job as soon as possible. I ’ m not a patient man. Once I have my eyes set on something, I want it immediately. Not in a fucking week, or two, or a month. Now!” Crossing his arms over his chest, Frank listened with a furious expression on his face while the broker on the other end spoke. “That ’ s acceptable. Now make it happen.” Clicking off the call, Frank studied Aimee where she sat perched on the end of the bed. “Why is everyone in this world a fucking incompetent except for you? I ask you to do something, it ’ s done. No worries. Last night you wiped the floor with those assassins. But anyone else...” Frank flung the phone to the opposite side of the bed.
    “ Still trying to acquire the dhamphir, I see.”
    “ I want her. Not just because she ripped me off, but because of her rarity. Do you understand, my witch, just how rare a dhamphir is?” Frank ’ s dark eyes flashed dangerously. “I tried to make one, you know. Years ago. This one vampire in Italy had a son by a mortal. He was a twisted little fiend. The son, I mean. Well, the vampire father was, too, but that ’ s not my point. The dhamphir could venture out in the daylight and wield his father ’ s will like an avenging angel...or demon. Everyone wanted one. The vampire women were barren, but the vampire men were fucking every mortal woman in sight just about.”
    Aimee stifled a shiver. “So what happened?”
    “ Well, no one got any of those wenches pregnant and the dhamphir sliced off his father ’ s head and vanished.” Frank sighed.