Chapter 1

Nigel stood in his office, looking out of the large mirrored window, at the deserted club below him. He was the owner and operator of Club Vampire, currently the hottest nightclub in New York City. Club Vampire had been in operation for nearly a year now. With each passing week the club gained in popularity, with an ever-increasing number of hopeful patrons being turned away each night. The club played on the humans' fascination for vampires, claiming to have real live vampires for the clubbers to mingle with each night. The public saw it as a clever gimmick. Vampires didn't exist, right?

"This is the life," Nigel said aloud to the empty room. He took a celebratory swig from the glass of blood he was holding. And he meant it; this was the life. He'd been alive for countless centuries, but this was the first time in his existence that he could say he truly enjoyed his undead life.

Not only was his nightclub a raging hit, with both humans and vampires. But he ran a very successful online dating service, VampLovers.com. The dating service also played on the humans' fascination for vampires. Little did the humans know, vampires did use the dating service - and frequently!

There was one thing that Nigel still longed for; one thing that seemed to have eluded him for all his many centuries on earth: a woman to share it with. Nigel huffed. He may run an online dating service and currently the most successful club in New York City, but he couldn't find himself a woman to share it with. The irony of it wasn't lost on him.

Sure, he had tons of women to choose from, but she couldn't be just any woman. He was looking for the woman. The one he was destined to share eternity with, if she even existed. Call him a hopeless romantic, but he felt she was out there... somewhere.

Nigel sighed, took another drink and looked out onto the dance floor of the club.

The entire club could be viewed from his office. To his left was the stage area where the band ‘Intensity’ would start to set up in a few hours’ time. Directly below him was the massive dance floor and to the right, was the upper balcony, lined with plush velvet red sofas and a bar.

Bartenders, William and Franny were busy getting ready for the Friday night craziness. He downed another swig of his blood as he watched them. William was a large vampire with the body of a lumberjack, and the intelligence of a... well he didn't like to think badly of his employees and friends. However, it did irk him that William had found Franny, right here at this club five months ago. Granted, she wasn't really Nigel's type. Too blonde, and too high maintenance for his liking. But they were happy. You could tell just by watching the way they interacted with each other: laughing, sharing intimate looks, or a brief kiss while they worked. When William met Franny she was human, her first time at the club. Just over a month later he'd turned her. And the rest, as they say, was history.

Nigel glanced down at the gold Rolex on his wrist. Five pm. In an hour’s time he would make his way to the security room where the vampires born of the Queen’s bloodline would gather to start making the selections from the potential humans who would have already begun to line up in front of the club. Vampires of the King's bloodline, came through the back and their admittance was at the discretion of his security team.

"Nigel," A sweet, soft female voice called to him from the open doorway of his office, which on many days doubled as an apartment. He felt a stirring in his pants, at the sound of her voice. It was the human Trinity; sweet and delectable Trinity. He cursed the day he let that little number slip through his fingers.

Turning to the sound of her voice Nigel watched her enter the office, quickly followed by Travis. Her mate. Jealousy reared its ugly head, which he almost managed to subdue.

As they came closer, Nigel made a show of sniffing the air before commenting, "I see she's still human, Travis."

Travis stepped close to Trinity and placed a protective arm over her shoulders, pulling her close to him. She allowed herself to fall against his body, slipping an arm around his waist. They shared a look that needed no words but spoke volumes.

Again, the longing to have just that surfaced within him. To find that someone who would live and die for you. Nigel was sick and tired of the one night stands and the flings. So tired, that for close to a year now he'd thrown himself into his work. Perhaps that was part of the reason why his business endeavours were doing so well. At least there was an upside to his solitude.

Yes, it was a great life. Almost perfect.

"Not that it's any business of yours Nigel, but it will happen soon enough," Travis replied, as his hand caressed Trinity's bare shoulder. "I want her to spend a couple of years more as a human." Travis looked down at Trinity, whose eyes were watching her lover intently. "We have an eternity to spend together so there's no rush..."

"But not too long," Trinity interjected, "I don't want to spend forever looking old."

"You'd be stunning to me at any age. Now, or fifty years from now."

Trinity crinkled her nose up at him, but her bright blue eyes shone with amusement. "But then I'd be in my seventies. People would assume I was your grandmother, Travis."

Travis bent down and nibbled lightly down the side of her neck, causing a soft moan to escape her lips. Once he hit her collarbone he stopped, remarking: "I suppose doing that to my granny would be frowned upon?"

Trinity giggled as she nodded, "I would think so. Yes."

Nigel looked on guessing that both amazement and envy showed on his face. He raked a hand through his brown hair as he rolled his storm grey eyes. At one point in time, not all that long ago, Travis had been a lot like Nigel. He enjoyed women, vampire and human alike; had no attachments and came and went as he pleased. He answered to no one, other than himself. This new Travis was - for lack of a better word - a sap.

He's in love, a voice in the back of his head reminded him.

"The Queen will be arriving at the club in the matter of a couple of weeks. I would suggest she be turned by then," Nigel advised, dryly.

Snapping his attention back to Nigel, Travis nodded. "Exactly what I was here to speak to you about."

"Oh?" Nigel raised a curious eyebrow at Travis as he left the window and walked over to his large mahogany desk where he perched on the edge. "You have news about the Queen’s arrival?"

"Not exactly. I'm concerned about the clientele."

"Clientele?"

Travis hesitated before continuing, "I'm... We're..." he nodded towards Trinity and motioned out of the window towards William and Franny still hard at work preparing for the upcoming busy night. "Of the opinion that perhaps we should deny the King's vampires access to the club, at least until the Queen has arrived and the issues between her and the King are resolved."

Nigel lifted the crystal glass to his lips and finished off the blood inside. Setting it down on the desk next to him he shook his head. "No."

"But..." Travis protested.

"It's business as usual, Travis."

"Nigel! The King’s vampires are becoming more destructive. They bring too much negative attention and publicity to this club. As head of your security I would strongly advise that..."

"Business as usual Travis," Nigel cut in, standing and walking to the office's exit. He motioned for Travis and Trinity to follow him, "Now let's head over to the security room. The vampires should be arriving shortly to start making the entrance selections."

Standing by the office door, he motioned for the couple to exit. As Trinity breezed by him, the smell of fresh peaches, sweet and succulent assaulted his nostrils, causing a stirring in his pants again. If he wasn't going to find his future mate tonight, the least he would do was get laid.

It had been much too long since he'd last spent a night with a woman, vampire, human or otherwise. His dry spell was ending tonight, come hell or high water, he promised himself that. All work and no play was making for a very grumpy Nigel, indeed.