Ezra: Vampire Seeking Bride Read online

  Ezra

  Vampire Seeking Bride

  Anya Nowlan

  Contents

  A Little Taste…

  Copyright

  1. Kayla

  2. Ezra

  3. Kayla

  4. Ezra

  5. Kayla

  6. Ezra

  7. Kayla

  8. Ezra

  9. Kayla

  10. Ezra

  11. Kayla

  12. Ezra

  13. Kayla

  14. Ezra

  15. Kayla

  16. Ezra

  17. Kayla

  18. Ezra

  19. Kayla

  20. Ezra

  Epilogue

  Zane Excerpt

  Want More?

  About the Author

  Thank you for reading!

  A Little Taste…

  “Hello,” a male voice suddenly said, almost making her drop the mug in her hand. “Need a hand?”

  Eyes snapping up, Kayla was ready with a polite ‘no, thank you’, but ended up gaping at the stranger, instead. Dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, he was standing on the other side of the table, tall and built and looking like he just stepped out of every woman’s fantasy.

  “I have plenty of hands,” she blurted out. “And I’m waiting for someone.”

  “Maybe that someone is me?” he grinned at her, gray eyes giving her a slow-once over.

  Kayla could feel her cheeks grow red as she struggled to find a reply. With his high cheekbones, square, stubbled jaw and brilliant smile, he didn’t look quite real.

  Normal people don’t look that god without Photoshop, do they?

  “Not unless your name is Ezra,” Kayla said, throwing him a nervous smile.

  “Well, then, you’re in luck,” he replied, reaching out a hand. “Kayla, I presume?”

  Hesitating for a second, Kayla slid her hand in his and gave it a quick squeeze. His skin was cool and smooth against hers, and the way he was still looking at her, completely focused, with that grin on his face, made the contact feel a lot more intimate than it was.

  “You’re a man,” she mumbled, feeling a bit dazed.

  Goddamn it, why did I just assume Ezra had to be a woman? I can’t just shack up with some dude I don’t even know.

  “I’d like to think so,” he laughed, grabbing some napkins to wipe up the table. “Is that a problem?”

  It might be, Kayla gulped, unable to take her eyes off him.

  Copyright © 2017 Anya Nowlan

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Ezra

  Vampire Seeking Bride

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this work may be used, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means by anyone but the purchaser for their own personal use. This book may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Anya Nowlan. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.

  Cover © Jack of Covers

  1

  Kayla

  “What are you even saying? You’re leaving?” Kayla asked, throwing her arms up in the air as she watched Seth move around, picking up his stuff as he went along.

  She followed him into the bedroom of the apartment they had barely spent a couple of months living in, a dream home nestled in a wonderfully peaceful neighborhood near downtown Cleveland that Kayla had been excited to share with her boyfriend. But now, all that seemed to be falling apart.

  “I need to find who I am again,” Seth shrugged, piling shirts that Kayla had washed and ironed for him into his suitcase, tossed onto the bed. “You’re stifling me. I need space.”

  “Stifling? I’ve barely even seen you since we moved in together,” Kayla replied, not believing her ears. “You’re either working late or hanging out at bars with your friends…”

  “And I can’t even have a good time anymore, knowing that you’re here, waiting up for me,” Seth sighed, zipping up his luggage before finally looking at her. “That’s just… so stressful, you know?”

  “How would I know? This is the first I’m even hearing about your ‘stress’,” Kayla countered, flicking her bangs out of her eyes as she stared at the man in front of her.

  Seth was tall and lean, with that all-American, boy-next-door vibe that many girls, including Kayla, found charming and attractive. With his blue eyes, sandy hair and soft, rounded features, he was definitely cute, and understatedly handsome.

  He and Kayla had been on and off for a couple of years, but just when she had started to think he would never be ready to fully commit to her, they had decided to give their relationship a real shot and moved in together.

  What a disaster that has turned into, Kayla thought, trying to handle this like a mature adult and not freak out.

  “Well, I didn’t want to stress you out with my stress, obviously,” Seth said, tilting his head at her. “But I’ve come to the conclusion I need to spread my wings a little bit before I can really settle down. It’s nothing you’ve done, really, it’s…”

  “Oh, no,” Kayla interjected, waving a finger at him. “Don’t you start giving me the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech right now. The lease is in my name, Seth, and I can’t back out of it! I can’t pay the rent on this place all on my own. This was supposed to be our home.”

  With her head spinning, she reached out and placed a hand on a nearby nightstand, fearing she was about to fall over at any moment. She had had her doubts about Seth, and whether he could really take their relationship seriously after their rocky history, but her heart had won out in the end.

  There had been so many obstacles in their relationship. Many times, Kayla had felt like Seth didn’t really appreciate her or value her time. But there was something about Seth that kept drawing her back in, and the fact he had seemed to finally be committing to her had sealed the deal.

  I was so ready to make it work…

  She hadn’t even said anything when Seth stayed out most nights, hanging out with friends, watching some football game or having beers. They were still adjusting to life together, after all, and she wanted to give Seth time to settle into this new routine.

  “I’m sorry I’ve put you in a tight spot, I really am,” Seth said softly, reaching out to place a hand on her forearm. “But I think you’ll see that in the long run, this is best for both of us. And I’m sure you can find a roommate or something to help cover the costs.”

  Kayla was beyond words at that point, caught between being furious, and so hurt it nearly took her breath away. She didn’t even know why she didn’t yell, argue, protest, anything, really. Instead, she just stood there, plastering the most neutral expression onto her face she could muster, even though the man opposite her had just upended her life.

  “You’re really doing this?” she asked, her voice sounding as weak and pathetic as she felt.

  “It’s the right thing to do, Kay-Kay,” he replied with exaggerated sincerity.

  Hearing that stupid nickname made Kayla nauseated as she stared at her feet, unable to look at Seth any longer. He brushed past her without another word, just a pat on her shoulder as he made his way toward the door.

  Kayla was still standing in the same place when she heard the front door open and shut, and the finality of it all hit her in full. The drawers in the closet were still half-opened, with clothes sticking out of them, and the picture of her and Seth, framed and sitting on the nightstand, seemed to be mocking her.
<
br />   How could he do this to me? How did I let him do this to me?

  Looking back, Kayla knew she should have seen the red flags, how Seth was distancing himself… Why did he even agree to move in in the first place? She hadn’t even asked him to really, just mentioned she was looking for a new, bigger place.

  Did he do it just to keep me on the line? We had been heading for another split…

  Kayla knew she would be wrestling with these questions for a while, overthinking and analyzing every conversation, every text message… There was no closure here, just a big apartment she would now have to figure out how to pay for all by herself.

  And with that thought, she reached into herself and pulled on whatever determination she had left. Yes, Seth was a shitty, shitty boyfriend and he had left her in a seriously lousy situation, but she was done crying over that man.

  It was time to come up with a game plan, before she went into debt and ended up homeless. And she better figure out a solution soon.

  2

  Ezra

  “Okay, let’s not overreact,” Ezra said, putting on his best calming tone as the man glaring back at him stared daggers at his head.

  “Oh, this is not overreacting. You haven’t even seen me overreact,” Stephen replied, pacing around his lavish study.

  Bookcases lined the walls, with a large oak desk in the middle of the room. A fireplace was tucked away into one side. Stephen liked to keep it going, even though it wasn’t possible for him to get cold.

  Perks of being a vampire, and all that.

  The undead life had many advantages that Ezra enjoyed. But there were still rules and customs one had to abide by, which he wasn’t such a fan of. His Maker, on the other hand, took them very seriously.

  Stephen was an intimidating-looking man, with harsh features and dark, slicked back hair. He wasn’t as scary as he looked, though, at least not usually. The man did have a temper, but he was very difficult to anger.

  “I swear, from the day I turned you…” Stephen muttered under his breath.

  “Come on, Stephen,” Ezra said, walking over to clap his friend on the back. “You know your life would be unbearably boring without me.”

  “There’s fun and exciting, and then there’s just reckless and shortsighted,” Stephen replied. “I mean, Robert Belford’s wife? That was playing with fire and you knew it.”

  “She approached me after we went to that party Robert threw last month. Lilith gave me the impression both she and Robert had their flings outside of their marriage, so how was I supposed to know he would blow a fuse after he found out about me and her?” Ezra tried to explain.

  Things hadn’t been going Ezra’s way for a while, now that he really thought about it. Robert threatening him with a guillotine was only the latest of his troubles. The main issue was New York was starting to bore Ezra. And when he got bored, he tended to not make the best decisions.

  He was always on the lookout for that next exciting thing, but not many experiences were thrilling when you were immortal. Skydiving, for example, is fun and all, but knowing that you’ll be fine even if the parachute doesn’t open makes the adrenaline rush less sweet.

  “I don’t care who approached whom, you should have known better! Did you really think Robert Belford, one of the most possessive vampires we know, would be into an open marriage? Or were you too busy thinking with your dick?” Stephen scoffed.

  This was as upset as Ezra had ever seen his Maker, and that was saying a lot. Usually, Stephen just rolled his eyes when Ezra rented out an entire stadium for one of his parties or insisted on a water park in his back yard. This was different, and Ezra grew more serious.

  “What’s wrong? What did Robert say?” he asked, watching for Stephen’s reaction.

  “It’s not just Robert,” Stephen sighed. “A hundred years we’ve spent together, and you haven’t changed one bit. I turned you because you were strong, clever, and a loyal friend, and I needed that in my line. But since you’ve been a part of my family, you haven’t chosen a single human to join us.”

  That took Ezra off guard. Stephen had hinted at wanting to expand his line before, but this was the most candid discussion they’d ever had about it. As a very old, and very wealthy vampire, Stephen had been allowed to strike out on his own and leave behind the royal families that served as government for vampire society.

  The most ancient families still lived in Romania, making sure the existence of vampires stayed a secret and making sure both old customs and new rules were followed. And if it so happened some foolish vamp decided the laws of their kind didn’t apply to them…

  Well, Ezra wouldn’t want to be in their shoes, that was for sure.

  But having his own line, as vampires called it, did leave Stephen with certain responsibilities. Turning people was still regulated, as a large population would make it more likely for them to be discovered by humans.

  More than that, though, Ezra always had the feeling the royal families were very snooty and old-fashioned. They didn’t want just any old person joining the ranks of vampires, no. A certain pedigree was preferred, and Ezra was sure that if his family hadn’t enjoyed a certain title back in the day, he would not have made the cut.

  The rules weren’t as strict when it came to vampires who had fallen in love with a human, but there were still standards.

  “Your line is strong,” Ezra said, watching Stephen stop pacing and take a seat behind his desk. “And I don’t have any candidates for an addition. I haven’t really focused on that…”

  “Yes, we all know what you’ve been focused on,” Stephen interjected.

  He looked tense as he folded his hands on the desk, and Ezra went to stand in front of it, sensing something was wrong. Stephen seemed to be mulling something over, and Ezra gave him time to do so, waiting for his Maker to speak when he was ready.

  “Clayton and Myron are dead,” Stephen finally said.

  Ezra’s eyes widened at that, as he studied the strained expression on Stephen’s face. Clayton and Myron were the oldest members of his line, loyal to a fault, and almost as old as Stephen himself. Ezra knew Stephen still checked in with them regularly, despite the fact they rarely saw each other these days.

  Many of the older vampires preferred to lead a more private life. A few Ezra would even call reclusive. Clayton and Myron were definitely leaning toward unsociable.

  “What happened?” Ezra asked, a hundred thoughts whizzing through his head. “Was it another vampire?”

  “It was themselves,” Stephen ground out. “Clayton staked himself in the heart and Myron bloody starved himself to death,” he said, and Ezra could hardly believe it.

  “They killed themselves? Why?” he asked, shocked.

  Ezra had always viewed immortality as a gift. Sure, he could still die, but it wasn’t easy to do. And even when boredom set in, the slow apathy of having more than a lifetime of experiences on this earth, he still found something new and appealing to fill his time with.

  With humanity always evolving, there was always something to look forward to. Smartphones, for example, he considered god’s gift. A wealth of Instagram models to talk to and Candy Crush, always in his pocket? Yes, please. Immortality was everything it was cracked up to be, coming from horse-drawn carts to Netflix and Uber.

  “They grew tired of living,” Stephen shrugged, sounding more calm even as his shoulders remained tense. “It happens sometimes. And with my line consisting mostly of old-timers, it’s going to happen more and more. That’s why our family needs fresh blood.”

  With power strugglers aplenty among the older vampire lines, Ezra knew how important having strength in numbers was, he couldn’t exactly argue. But having never turned anyone, changing someone over seemed like a daunting task. Being a Maker meant having responsibilities, and he had spent lifetimes trying to avoid those.

  “I can’t just go out and start making vampires, you know that. Whoever I choose, they have to be vetted…” Ezra started.

  �
��Not if they’re your bride,” Stephen interjected.

  Growing very still, Ezra wanted to laugh, but the deadly serious expression on his Maker’s face stopped him. He couldn’t be serious, could he?

  “Look, Ezra, this will solve more than one problem for us. Robert is furious, and while you are under my protection, I don’t know if that’s going to stop him. It would be better if you got out of town. And, once you pick out a nice human girl for yourself, he might calm down, seeing you’re settling down and no longer after what’s his,” Stephen explained, as if his words were making all the sense in the world.

  “I was never after Lilith,” he sputtered, but Stephen held out a hand.

  “You could use some stability, some purpose in your life, and I need to know you can be a Maker in your own right. And to be quite frank, Ezra, this is not negotiable,” Stephen stated, meeting his gaze head on.

  The reality of what was happening was starting to settle in, as Ezra stared at his Maker.

  “What are you saying?” he asked, as Stephen leaned back in his chair.

  “I’m saying that if you want to stay a part of this line, you’re going to leave New York and find yourself a bride,” Stephen replied.

  Shit. That’s what I thought.

  3

  Kayla

  “Alright, so we’re running with that as our top story tomorrow?” Edgar asked, earning nods from all around the room.

  Kayla was tucked away into a corner, watching her boss speak. He was a short, but straight-backed man, with a round, soft stomach and full cheeks. But his eyes were sharp, and so were his words.

  Everyone was gathered around a long desk on one end of the conference room, as the last meeting of the day was coming to a close. WBTV, Cleveland’s local news station, had been a second home for Kayla for two years now, as she struggled to go from production assistant to journalist.