Page 16 of Grayson’s Challenge

Grayson walked behind the bar and ducked down. He opened the cabinet beneath the taps and looked at the clear hoses leading from the taps to a pipe in the floor that led to the kegs in the storage room.

“Hmm.”

He checked every hose until he found one that felt loose. It pulled right out of the connecting nut on the pipe. “There it is.”

“Found the problem?” Theo asked.

“Yeah, the hose came loose from the connector.” Moments later, he’d attached the hose, and rose. “Try it now.”

Theo put a clean glass under the B+ tap and pulled. At first there was only air coming out, but a few seconds later, blood was pouring from the tap.

“Thanks, Grayson.” Theo handed him the partially filled glass. “Wanna drink it?”

“Sure. Can’t let it go to waste.” Grayson took the glass and downed it in one big gulp, before handing the glass back to Theo. “See you.”

The V lounge was filling up. All vampire employees of Scanguards were invited, and by the looks of it many of them were attending the party. Grayson recognized many of the vampires who were employed as bodyguards: large, intimidating, and gruff-looking guys. Scanguards also employed female bodyguards, Yvette and Roxanne being two of the longest serving female bodyguards. Among the guests Grayson also spotted two witches: Wesley, who was Haven and Katie’s brother, and Charles, who was blood-bonded to Roxanne. The two witches worked for Scanguards and ran a laboratory in the building where they cooked up potions and worked on spells. Given what happened in that laboratory, Grayson was surprised the two witches hadn’t blown up the building yet.

Grayson let his gaze roam over the crowd and mingled, greeting friends and colleagues, making sure everybody was taken care of. He was about to join his brother, Patrick, who was talking to Gabriel, when Samson’s voice drifted to him from his left. He turned his head and saw Samson speaking to Cain, the vampire king of Louisiana. Grayson took a few steps closer and focused on their conversation. The two of them weren’t even looking in his direction.

“What did Monique say?” Samson asked.

“She said that she can’t stand Grayson, that he’s an arrogant prick—her words, not mine—and that she wouldn’t date him if he were the last man on earth and the survival of our species depended on it.”

Shocked, Grayson let the words sink in. He knew who they were talking about: Cain’s daughter.

“So she didn’t even want to attend the party? You couldn’t talk her into it?”

“She’s stubborn.”

“Damn it. Now we have to figure out another way to get these two together. I tell you they are perfect for each other.”

“Monique doesn’t think so. I don’t even know who told her that we were trying to set her up with Grayson. She even threatened to move out if I ever tried to set her up again.”

Grayson had heard enough. Samson and Cain were trying to play matchmaker. That was bad enough, because he didn’t want to be set up with a spoiled princess. But what took the cake was that said princess was refusing to even meet with him. And she’d called him a prick. He couldn’t let that stand.

He marched toward them, and Samson whirled his head to him.

“What the fuck, Dad?” He glared at him and Cain. “How could you?”

“Grayson, calm down,” Samson said.

“No, I’m not calming down!” He jabbed his finger into Samson’s chest. “You have no right to tell me who to date! And I’m sure not gonna fuck a spoiled, headstrong princess who hates my guts.”

“Watch it, Grayson!” Cain snapped. “You’re talking about my daughter.”

Grayson glared at Cain. “Oh yeah? Then tell your prissy princess that I wouldn’t touch her with a barge pole!”

“Damn it, Grayson!” Samson cursed.

By now, the people around them had stopped talking and were watching the confrontation. But Grayson didn’t care. He wasn’t going to be manipulated by his father or by Cain.

“Stay out of my fucking life! Both of you! I decide who I date, who I fuck, and who I blood-bond with. And it definitely won’t be Monique Montague, spoiled princess of Louisiana! And you can shove the job at the New Orleans branch up your asses, ‘cause I don’t want it anymore. Not if it comes with strings. So fuck you both!”

He turned on his heel.

“Grayson!”

But he didn’t listen to his father’s voice, instead, he marched through the crowd that was parting, his friends and colleagues staring at him in stunned silence, and left. He slammed the door behind him for good measure, fuming, his heart beating like a jackhammer. Outside, in the empty hallway, he took a deep breath. Then another one. But no amount of air could wipe away the fury that coursed through him. He wanted nothing to do with his father anymore, nor with Cain, and certainly not with Monique. He wasn’t a pawn in his father’s game anymore. It was time to stop trying to please him, when it was clear that he could never do the right thing in Samson’s eyes.