Page 3 of The Donor’s Dilemma

The shake of her head had the woman beaming.

“Wonderful! Most humans only want the part-time positions, donating fortnightly, but we are always looking for full-time donors.”

“Is that safe?” Cora butted in. “A person can't give blood every day, surely?”

“It’s every two to three days and it’s perfectly safe, I’ve been doing it for six years myself. With the right supplements and an occasional transfusion, you’ll be fit as a fiddle. Let me take your details.”

She nodded Verity over to the stall, and against her better judgement, Verity followed.

“I’m guessing there are background checks?” she asked.

“Of course. Lots of interviews and tests to get in, I won’t lie, but it’s so worth it. All of the good that we do. It’s an honour, it really is.”

She grabbed a form and Verity couldn’t help but notice the countless tiny scars peppering her wrists. She tried not to snort. An honour indeed! Being used as a human pin-cushion didn’t sound particularly honourable to her.

However, the Exchange paid well, everyone knew—good money for fresh blood—and she had all that blood going spare.

“Name?” the woman asked.

As soon as they carried out a background check, they would see whatever warning everyone else was seeing and ditch her. So, what was the harm in trying?

“Verity Harper,” she said. “And I would like to try for a full-time position, please.”

“Perfect!”

Chapter Two

Verity bounced her leg as she sat in the private reception area.

She aced every interview, passed the medical screening and survived her induction. The stale formality of the evening unnerved her, but the guy she sat next to, Adam, talked so much that she struggled to concentrate on her nerves.

When every other donor and vampire paired off for their first supervised donation, her “client” hadn’t shown up. She was pissed off for all of two minutes, until she was handed an envelope with her client’s details.

Lord Mayor Theodor Chapel

What the fuck?

For months she had searched for work, but vampires owned just about everything so no one would even talk to her. Then, the Exchange matched her with the damned mayor. It was a mistake, but if she pointed it out, they might get rid of her after all, and she was one little nip away from her welcome bonus, so Verity wasn't about to draw attention. One bite, and she’d have more money than she used to make in a month.

So now she waited.

If the induction hall last night had been grand; this was something else. The atmosphere was only made more pretentious by the fact that no one else seemed to notice the casual extravagance.

Fine oil paintings of past Lord Mayors watched her from their gilded frames, set between floor-to-ceiling arched windows that looked out across the city. How small the bustling humans seemed from up here.

Even the chair she sat in was ridiculous, carved wood and embroidered with the Ashhaven city crest. The only thing more irritating than the finery, than the copious amounts of fresh flowers sweetening the air and the sneering face of the secretary eyeing her from behind her sticky note covered desk, was the fact that he was late.

True, Verity had been ten minutes early, intending to make a good first impression, but after sitting in the pretty but uncomfortable chair for almost half an hour, her patience was wearing thin.

Her phone chirped in her pocket, and she grabbed it while the receptionist served her a death stare.

Adam

You out yet? Blink twice

if you need rescuing x

Her lips pursed to save from smirking.