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now. I veto the Sisterhood’s decision and in turn fully accept you, Juliette Dárques , as a full-fledged member. Welcome to Vampira .”
    Welcome to Vampira . Those three words reverberated through her ears like a saving grace. Relief slammed into her, urging her to sit upon the fireplace hearth.
    Seeing doubt, dismay, as well as surprise wash over the other females’ faces made Juliette secretly vow to make Mati never regret her decision. She swore she would do them all proud.

Chapter Three
    Aphrodite, Florida
    Current day
     
    “Good morning, Ms. Sandalwood,” Julie’s human office assistant, Selena cheerfully sang out as Julie quickly brushed past the young woman’s workstation and rushed into her office. Closing the door behind her, Julie slapped her purse on her desk, plopped onto the cushy office chair and snapped down the intercom button.
    “Morning, Selena. Sorry, I’m late,” she breathed.
    “That’s okay, boss. You’re entitled. I mean it’s like only the third time this week and it’s only hump day,” Selena chuckled and Julie couldn’t help but smile at the young woman’s easygoing banter.
    “Just give me a few minutes before we get into today’s agenda, okay?”
    “Sure thing, boss.”
    Julie cut off the intercom, breathed a heavy sigh of relief, leaned against her cozy office chair and closed her eyes.
    Nine thirty in the morning and she was already tired. Beat. Toast.
    Last night she’d been out late with her top client, charming and dining her until Ms. Mallow finally admitted she wanted Julie’s newly planned erotic chocolate line.
    Normally her sales department handled the clients. But the elderly human had specifically asked for the dinner meeting. Gushing like a teenager, she’d complimented Julie on the chocolate samples Julie had instructed to be sent to their top five clients, which of course included eighty-nine-year-old Ms. Mallow, who still ran her own array of popular chocolate shops across America.
    Julie had high expectations there would be a bidding war to get exclusive rights to the line and Ms. Mallow’s opening bid last night proved to be much higher than Julie had anticipated. So she couldn’t be happier.
    Her smile widened as she opened her eyes and gazed around her corner office.
    Cozy, she liked to call her office space. Not too big and not too small. Two of the walls were floor-to-ceiling windows, giving her a great view of the blue ocean and weathered docks five floors below. Recently she’d had the room decorated in orange and rust shades. With her furniture being top of the line in plush and black leather, everything looked and felt good.
    She had to admit she’d done well for herself with Vampira’s support. She’d created several lucrative companies over the decades. Sold them at huge profits and started new companies. Currently she ran her own multi-million-dollar chocolate factory located in Aphrodite, Florida.
    She enjoyed visits to Mati Smith’s Victorian house where Julie continued to receive her monthly shots to prevent any vampires from homing in on her. She walked in the daylight without frying to a crisp and networked with her Vampira sisters thanking the Vampire Gods every day that Mati had taken her into the clique and all the females in the clique had warmed to her upon seeing how truly productive she had turned out.
    She’d never been happier. Sure, occasionally she still had bursts of homesickness, when she thought of those quaint French Alps, but those feelings passed when she thought about how uncaring everyone in the coven had been to her feelings.
    Vampira was her coven now. Despite initially not wanting her, Vampira had supported her every goal. They had successfully concealed her identity, put her through university and allowed her to spread her wings as an entrepreneur.
    And she had done them and herself proud.
    She shook her head, resisting the urge to pinch herself about Ms. Mallow’s opening bid. There was still much to be