Dare to Call Me Vampire Read online

  PRAISE FOR TAMARA GRANTHAM

  “Part Twilight, part Beauty and the Beast, readers will eat up the lush settings, mystery, and romance of Never Call Me Vampire. Tamara Grantham has created a high-stakes story rich with history, myth, and legend.”

  ANGELA LARKIN, CO-AUTHOR OF THE BEYOND SERIES

  “[T]he plot is suspense-laden, delivering the perfect adrenaline-filled cocktail for an entertaining and exciting read. The characters display a near-perfect balance between normal and paranormal traits….Readers will love the delightful ending…”

  JM LAREEN, IND’TALE MAGAZINE (FOR NEVER CALL ME VAMPIRE)

  “I found Never Call Me Vampire mesmerizing and worth reading in one sitting. Tamara Grantham takes the enchanting theme of vampires and builds on their reputation and thrilling mystique to create a novel that will haunt you until it is finished…I could not put this book down and look forward to seeing what could happen next at Crimson Hollow.”

  PEGGY JO WIPF, READERS FAVORITE

  “Never Call Me Vampire…is the amazing start of a promising paranormal series. If you've been longing for a good vampire novel with a new spin, your search ends here….Grantham throws off the shackles of traditional vampire stories and gives us one that we can sink our teeth into….This author is exceptionally skilled at building a world we can believe in…”

  TAMMY RUGGLES

  “[T]his story works well because of the value that Tamara Grantham adds to the theme, which makes it hard to put down once you start reading.”

  VINCENT DUBLADO

  “A sparkling fantasy.”

  KIRKUS REVIEWS (FOR THE WITCH’S TOWER)

  “Grantham is prepared to make her mark in the urban fantasy scene with this one.”

  READERS' FAVORITE REVIEWS (FOR DREAMTHIEF)

  “Springs to life from the very first sentence.”

  IND'TALE MAGAZINE (FOR SILVERWITCH)

  DARE TO CALL ME VAMPIRE

  TAMARA GRANTHAM

  Copyright © 2022 by Tamara Grantham

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For Rebecca Lund—one of my most devoted fans. I hope you love this one.

  Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

  In the forests of the night;

  What immortal hand or eye,

  Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

  * * *

  William Blake

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also by Tamara Grantham

  1

  AMAYA

  Shadows chased me. Autumn leaves muffled my horse Pharaoh’s hoofbeats as I led him through the forest. His black coat disappeared in patches of mist. Although the trail behind remained empty, the fog enshrouded tall pines and hawthorn bushes. A brisk wind brought a chill that burrowed under my skin. My wolf-Husky, Kahn, paced silently alongside, his ears pricked forward, as if he too sensed the ghosts of the woods wandering just a hair’s breadth away.

  When we entered the clearing by the stream, Khan bounded to the water. My horse gingerly picked his way over leaves and sticks until he reached the shore. Afternoon sunlight broke free from a layer of thick clouds, dappling the forest floor with its rays.

  I sat on a nearby boulder and clasped my hands. Electricity buzzed under my fingertips. I exhaled a pent-up breath. Worries crowded my mind, and it was only in places like this—out in nature, away from people—where I felt I could finally think. Yet why did today feel so different? I glanced over my shoulder, though saw nothing but an empty forest half-hidden in the mist and deepening shadows.

  Shaking my head, I attempted to put the worries out of my mind. Since returning from Romania last fall, my life had been a whirlwind of transformations. I’d begun to use my ability, I’d helped Lucian recreate the facility, and I’d learned more about the aftereffects of viridae sangre than could possibly be necessary. Pretty impressive resume for a college dropout.

  Still, despite these accomplishments, an empty hole had opened inside me, and I wasn’t sure how I would ever fill it. The chasm had cracked open after my parents’ deaths, and although being with Lucian had seemed to help for a time, he’d grown distant, reopening those old wounds that had never properly healed.

  A flock of ravens called from overhead. My eyes trailed to the horizon. Above the treetops rose the towers of Crimson Hollow. The place was all but abandoned since we’d started work on the new facility. Still, Crimson Hollow was an imposing structure that refused to blend into the landscape. Its granite gray stones seemed to puncture the sky. It stood as a grave marker to the thousands of lives that had died inside its walls.

  I didn’t go inside much anymore.

  Call me a coward, but the place terrified me.

  Twisting my fingers, a burst of static zapped from knuckle to knuckle, so I unclenched my hands and held them in front of me. I still had trouble comprehending my powers when I thought of them. This sort of thing happened to people in movies, not regular twenty-one-year-old girls from Miami.

  When I snapped my fingers, a burst of blue flame flickered, wavered in the gusting wind, and I focused on holding it steady. The heat warmed my face, but my fingers had turned strangely cold, as if the fire were using my own heat for fuel. How the process worked exactly, I couldn’t be sure. Scientists had only speculated how those with viridae sangre controlled fire, since no one had experimented on us. Not that I’d want them to.

  Khan trotted to me, sniffing the fire as he always did, curiosity in his wolfish yellow eyes.

  After extinguishing the flame, I patted his head. I still hadn’t found much use for the talent, unless one counted making tacky internet videos, which I refused to do. The facility had already started getting bad press after we’d released the cure. The public was more afraid of us now than when we’d been supposed vampires. Could I blame them? People who wielded fire were dangerous. There was no denying it. Before, we’d just been a bunch of sick people who drank blood. Now, we were a threat. No. I wouldn’t advertise my ability.

  Lucian had enough trouble on his hands.

  Since his transformation, he’d only become more popular. We’d resorted to building fences and posting a dozen more guards, but that was only a temporary fix. I couldn’t blame Lucian for worrying about me and everyone else at the facility, but it seemed his worries had consumed him, and I rarely saw the man I fell in love with.

  Khan’s ears pricked, and his gaze darted to the trail.

  I turned and saw a dark-clad figure moving toward me.

  A trickle of fear went through me before I realized who it was. Lucian moved sou
ndlessly through the underbrush, as if he were part of the forest, as if he belonged here.

  “You scared me,” I called to him as he emerged from the shadows.

  His smile held a hint of humor. He kept his hands tucked into his hoodie’s pockets. While he’d ditched the sunglasses and gloves, his hood still shaded his face, leaving him half-clad in mystery.

  I still had to catch my breath at his magnetic presence. There was something about being a vampire transformed, coupled with being one-hundred-and-sixty-something, that made a person so much greater than a simple human. He was tall and corded in muscle, and he had an angular face that resembled a Roman statue, but there was more to Lucian Vidraru’s immensely overwhelming charisma than looks alone. It was the feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff and looking out at miles of vast earth, enormous and breathtaking and frightening all at the same time. His presence made my breathing stutter and heart race faster, feelings that could overwhelm me if I let them. Instead, I took a deep breath to steady my nerves.

  Lucian sat beside me and nudged my shoulder. “I thought I’d find you out here.” He leaned in and gave me a kiss, and in that one moment, my worries melted away.

  His lips were soft and inviting, and I never wanted him to leave my side again. But he pulled away, then grabbed my hand, his skin soft on mine.

  “You’ve got to warn me next time,” I said with a wink. “Yell my name or something.” My lips quirked into a half-smile, and I squeezed his hand. Being near him was a breath of fresh air, and a heavy weight on my chest lifted. With his nearness, my insecurities faded.

  He ran the pad of his thumb over my cheek. A tingle went straight to my toes, and I couldn’t help smiling.

  “You’re blushing,” he said quietly, his voice deep, as he leaned toward my ear.

  Tail wagging, Khan jumped up and propped his front paws on Lucian’s lap. Lucian laughed, patting my dog’s head.

  “Hey, you,” he said to Khan. “What’s Amaya doing out here?” He gave me a quick glance.

  I shrugged, then picked up a leaf and twirled it in my fingers. “Just wanted some time to think.”

  He nodded. His gaze wandered to the horizon, where the towers of Crimson Hollow dominated the sky, and his eyes darkened. “I need to go inside and find a book. Want to come with me?”

  Go inside? Was I ready for that? “I don’t know.” I hesitated. “Doesn’t the place bring back bad memories? It’s super creepy in there, especially since it’s abandoned now.”

  “I know, but it’s adventurous, too.”

  I frowned. “That’s one word for it.”

  A smile tugged at his lips. “You need more adventure in your life. Admit it.”

  “I’ve got plenty, thanks.” I nudged his shoulder, and he grabbed my hand, then kissed my knuckles.

  “Let’s go,” he said. “I want to get this over with.”

  “Okay, just let me take care of Pharoah first.”

  We stood and made it back to the barn, where I unsaddled Pharoah and let him out to graze in the pasture. As we hiked to the main building, we took a path through the woods. Twigs snapped under our shoes, and the cawing of crows sounded in the distance. The air smelled of autumn leaves, and patches of sunlight burned off some of the fog and warmed my skin. Funny I hadn’t noticed the warmth until now.

  When we entered the clearing leading to the building, the towering structure overshadowed us. My skin bristled with chills, and it was hard to fight off the fear trickling through my blood. Snapshots from Crimson Hollow’s past surfaced in my memory. The sickness and death had left an imprint on the walls and lingered in the passageways. In the past, especially when I’d been alone, I’d felt as if I were being watched, as if the dead were still lingering. I still felt that way at times.

  We hiked over the lawn and to the gravel pathway, and I couldn’t help but notice the eyes of the stone-carved angels seeming to follow us. I’d gotten that feeling since the first day I’d entered this place, and the uneasiness hadn’t lifted.

  I gripped Lucian’s hand, and Khan trotted silently beside us, his ghostly white body standing out against the oranges and reds of fall leaves. When we reached the entrance, the oaken doors loomed before us. Lucian pulled a ring of jangling keys from his pocket and stuck one of them into the lock. He turned the key, and the door swung open on rusty hinges.

  Afternoon sunlight only illuminated a small area of the entrance. Dust covered the marble floor. Beyond that, darkness swallowed the foyer, and my spine tingled with fear. When we stepped inside, our footsteps echoed through the immense empty room. The ceiling spanned up to a dome thirty feet above.

  The scent of char still lingered from last year’s fire. Yellow police tape blocked a staircase. Soot covered one of the walls and dusted the ceiling. The place sat in a state of half-repair, in limbo, waiting to rot, but never actually dying.

  “They never could repair it properly,” he motioned, as if sensing my thoughts.

  “I never understood why. They did all that work to fix everything, then just stopped and said it wasn’t repairable. It doesn’t make sense. What happened, exactly?”

  His eyes wandered, as if he were revisiting the past. “The fire revealed a whole host of problems. Faulty wiring, tons of fire hazards, asbestos, you name it.”

  “You’ve told me that before, but I never understood why we didn’t just get everything replaced?” I’d asked Lucian before, but he’d always dodged the questions. Made me wonder what he was hiding.

  “Too expensive,” was his only answer.

  “Too expensive?” I raised an eyebrow.

  He cast a sidelong glance at me.

  “What are you not telling me?” I asked.

  He frowned, still not answering.

  “Lucian,” I prodded.

  He smiled. “Amaya,” he mimicked my tone. “Everything’s okay. At least, it will be.”

  I pulled my hands from his. We stood near the windows overlooking the graveyard. The soot and grime on the glass made it hard to see the headstones, which loomed as shadowy outlines against the forest.

  Dad was buried out there, somewhere. My heart clenched at the thought of his body decomposing underground. I remembered the way he laughed at his own jokes that were never very funny, the way he made Mom roll her eyes, the sound of his voice as he called me My Amaya. He would waggle his eyebrows and speak so fast, it sounded as if he were calling me Maya Maya. It all felt like a different lifetime now, and I wondered if that was how Lucian felt, having seen so much, lived with so many different families, as if he were a spectator watching life pass by over and over again.

  I glanced at the man standing beside me, his profile barely illuminated by the sunlight managing to seep through the window, as he stared out over the graveyard.

  “What did you mean just then?” I asked, my tone serious. “Everything will be okay? What’s wrong? You’ll have to tell me someday. Might as well be now.”

  He sighed, standing to face me. “I suppose you’re right. I can’t keep secrets from you. I’ve been so closed off all my life, talking openly about my problems doesn’t come easy, to say the least.”

  I rested my hand on his arm. “But things are different now. I’m here for you. I always will be. Lucian, what’s troubling you? You’ve been closed off for months now.”

  He ran his hand down his face, and it was only then I noticed the circles under his eyes. In the past, he’d worn sunglasses to hide the strange appearance of his red, reptilian eyes. But now, even with his eyes humanlike—a rich brown, the color of teakwood—it seemed he still needed something to hide behind. “I don’t know how to put this.”

  I gently squeezed his arm. “Just try your best.”

  When he looked me in the eyes, his jaw locked, anger simmering in his irises, I had to make a conscious effort to breathe. “Amaya… when Dr. Warren left, he took everything.”

  I tilted my head, confused. “What do you mean everything?”

  “Everything. Every cent I
earned in my life. He had access to my bank accounts. He knew one day I would figure out what he was doing, so he made sure he had access to all the wealth I’d accumulated. We don’t even have insurance, Amaya. Worse, he defaulted on taxes, and now we owe thirty-four thousand to the government. If I can’t pay it in three months, we lose everything. The new facility is gone. Everyone who lives here to get treatment will have no place to go.” He sighed and glanced away. “Anyway, now you know why I didn’t want to tell you.”

  Shock rooted me to the spot as I tried to process his words. “And you didn’t bother to share this with me? What can we do?”

  He locked eyes with me. “There’s only one thing we can do. We need investors. Sadly, there aren’t many people willing to put money into the facility. Call it superstition or fear, but people like us have gotten a bad reputation. We scare people. No one wants to touch us. Well… no one, except for one corporation.”

  “One corporation?” I tilted my head. “Who?”

  “They’re called Zen-Viro. Ever heard of them?”

  “No. Should I have?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe. They’re a research development firm creating pharmaceuticals from naturally derived sources. Botanicals and organics from the rainforest. That sort of thing. Some of their developments have been groundbreaking.”