Three’s a Clan Read Free

stepped over the threshold. I let the door slam. Everyone in this building had heightened senses. Not to the extent of the werewolves, who lived just a two minute run away from my home, but my presence would not go unnoticed.
    I made sure my feet fell heavy. I wasn’t a big girl, and making excessive noise wasn’t always easy. I was wearing black sandals and let the soles slap the bottoms of my feet as I made my way to the mudroom and our refrigeration unit.
    We needed another donor. Our supply was getting low. I checked my mental inventory and the numbers didn’t match up with the sign-out log. Someone was taking more than their share. I wasn’t sure who. They were taking the very blood I would never touch again. Witch blood. We kept a virtual blood bank in our Family home. There was every blood type known to man, and a few special vintages as well.
    The Matheo had access to a large amount of witch blood, and even though I know I shouldn’t feel pleasure at disobeying my superior, the witch supply wasn’t as plentiful as it had been because of me. I’d rescued over a dozen women from the fate of being walking blood bags for my father. Girl power won over vampire instinct for me when I’d killed their captors.
    I sobered as I remembered there was still at least one more I had to save. I quieted my body functions. I stopped my heart, didn’t bother breathing, and paused every molecule inside myself. Nothing. Yet another day I had to go about my business and hope the guards the Matheo had over his slaves would slip up later.
    Going back to the blood, I shook a few bags as I checked rotation and freshness dates. Refrigeration seems to dampen the blood’s natural rhythm, but even through a plastic bag, it had a hell of a kick. Vampires like myself can never imbibe enough alcohol to become drunk, but give a vamp enough blood from a donor who is high as a kite and you might have a valid comparison.
    I would have gone and checked my computer for more detailed information, but I didn’t really need the manmade technology anymore. Once again, my miasma had me covered.
    When my dear brother Jake decided to embrace his hybrid heritage and defect to begin his own Pack, the joy of this brain goo became mine. On one hand, I was glad it saved our Family from having to remove the miasma from his head with something sharp and fatal. On the other hand, his defecting left the miasma free to find a new host. Me.
    My head was way too crowded now. I pulled the one piece of technology I did need from my pocket. The cell phone clicked on with a swipe across the screen.
    Despite popular fantasy, there is no telepathy between vampires. We could sense our kind and had a stronger pull to those we’d made or been born of, but that’s it. Conveying specific information about red blood cell inventory was not an option without my phone.
    Missing blood is starting to be a problem.
    I got an almost immediate response. Vampires had enhanced speed. It made us wicked fast texters.
    I am sure it was a simple sign out error on the part of someone in the Family. Just procure another donor.
    I thought of suggesting the fingerprint scanner and tally machine for withdrawals again, but my father had seemed truly against it when I’d mentioned it before. My miasma helpfully played back the scene in vivid color. This stuff was helpful at times, but ungodly redundant at others. Whenever new information of any kind presented itself, I felt a jolt to the head. Thankfully, I was working with a very old knowledge. I didn’t get jolted very often anymore.
    The photographic memories playing through my brain showed me a myriad of past reasons for blood thievery. A lone vampire passing through town was not possible anymore with our security system. The Family members stock piling to defect from the group…possible. But if any of them had wanted to, they could have left with Jake.
    I missed my brother. With him gone, everyone seemed to be going back to viewing other