Author's Note: This is the longest chapter I've produced yet. I'm at that point where I'm going through each chapter a dozen times to make sure that my story won't cause bleeding of the eyes. No, but honestly I don't have a beta reader and I know for sure that I'm prone to mistakes so I apologize! Also, I'm wanted to clarify that my story will probably NOT follow the Bloodlines plot until further on if I decide to even follow it. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Blargity blarg, I own nothing except my original characters.

Warning: Most chapters here on out will be rated T for coarse language, violence, and dark themes. Later on there will chapters rated M for steamy bits, but it will be awhile.


Chapter 4 Changing Careers

The first thing Valeska became aware of was a sweet irony taste running down her throat. The flavor was magnificent and she found it difficult to think of a time in her life when she had partaken in something tastier. She felt incredibly relaxed and even though she knew she was probably dead, she found the thought strangely comforting. Her other senses started to come back and she could make out a sharp stinging feeling in her wrist that was slowly fading. Upon opening her eyes she saw the pale Prince, but something was different about him. Before, if she could have gotten away with it, she would have punched him squarely in the jaw for being a stuck up asshole. Now though, he looked like he almost deserved the title of Prince, and her hatred toward him had dulled for some reason.

"Am I dead?" she asked as he helped her stand. She took small delight in the brief skin on skin contact, even if his hands were ice cold. Bringing her still slightly sore arm to her neck she noticed that her bite marks had nearly vanished. Then, as her arm was at eye level, she saw what had been causing her the sharp feeling from earlier: a vertical slash mark. To her amazement though, the wound was healing before her very eyes.

"Not at all, I saved your life by nourishing you with my blood." Even his voice sounded more angelic now. These new findings confused her greatly and only because she had so many questions was she able to pull herself away from her tangled thoughts of him. At least the question of what was causing her rapid healing had been answered. She had read somewhere that vampire blood had healing attributes to it, but now she was only hoping she would have the memory to recall what else she had read in the past about them. The Prince left her side to sit at his desk and she felt a chair come up from behind her. She more fell back into it than she did sit, but she was still rather weak.

"Thanks I guess," she said trying to express how grateful she was without revealing her disoriented state. She held her aching head when the thought of becoming a creature of the night struck her. "Does this make me a vampire then…?"

She met his eyes hoping she didn't look too disturbed by this thought. In her mind she didn't think it would be too horrible to be a blood sucking monster. She enjoyed the night after all and immortality would be a huge bonus for her to study everything she ever wanted. However, the thought of never being able to partake in human food again was what worried her. A life without pasta, pizza and pie sounded like a very depressing existence.

"No, but it does make you my ghoul," he responded after shaking his head. On his face he wore an expression she found unreadable.

"What's a ghoul?" she asked with a furrowed brow.

"Any living being that drinks of vampire blood will become a ghoul and be bound to their provider as a result. As a ghoul you will be physically stronger, faster, and be able to heal more quickly than the average human. Additionally you will never age, but only if you continue to partake of the blood," the Prince explained, "Other than that, you shall still be able to live a more or less, normal existence." She held back her laughter at his last sentence. Anyone who considered drinking vampire blood a regular part of life was seriously lacking in the department of the average reality.

"What's the catch then?" Her aching head was fading and she could feel her intuition returning. Was it paranoia she felt now or was it just common sense not to trust someone who saw you as dinner? She wasn't sure, but her introduction to vampires so far had been a poor one.

"Well I presume if you do not feed for an extended period of time it could have…unpleasant side effects."

"So I could end up a slave to your blood then?" she asked softly. From what he was saying it sounded like vampire blood could potentially be like a drug. Would she be addicted to it, to him now? She shuddered inwardly at the thought of doing anything to please the Prince to satisfy her urges. Even if now for whatever reason she didn't hate him quite as much, being a servant to someone like him was not a life she wanted to lead. What a nightmare this was turning out to be.

"You should be grateful I bothered to even save your life, let alone give you my superior blood," the Prince said angrily while feigning insult that Valeska saw right through. It also irritated her that like a well-trained politician he was dancing around her inquiries as to carefully avoid ever answering them.

"Why did you save me then? From the looks of it you were more than happy with letting me die before." She wasn't trying to anger him, but she wanted answers. Until she got them she wasn't going to back off.

"I had planned almost from the beginning to grant you this privilege," he replied evenly, "Your willpower is higher than most humans I've encountered which places you directly above them. Also, your previously indicated skills could be of use to me."

"It's more than that isn't it? You barely seemed interested before, so what aren't you telling me?" she demanded, more confident now that she wasn't in danger of bleeding to death.

"If you would let me finish…" he began making her feel foolish, "Unexpectedly, your blood is of high class. When I recognized this and added it to what you had to offer, I had a change of heart. You must understand that when you're the leader of a secret society of vampires that adheres to a strict set of laws in order to remain hidden, sometimes sacrifices are required. Do you have even the slightest idea of what could occur should my kind be exposed to the public?"

"I suppose there would be an increase at the local monster hunting clubs. That or a long line of goth kids lining up to be turned into bloodsuckers," she replied with a smirk hoping he would get a laugh out of her antics or at the very least lighten the mood of the room. Humor was her number one method of dealing with stressful situations after all. He did not appear to share this ideology though, and his glare made her smile disappear quickly. Man this guy was a stick in the mud.

"A crude response to my query, but your presumption, or at least the first part, is an accurate one. Once a vampire is discovered, hunters will never cease to destroy one. Eliminating you was the only sure way to ensure the safety of myself and uphold the Masquerade. As an intelligent young woman I think you can comprehend my actions." As he spoke he moved his hands in a theatric sort of way that revealed even more so how highly he thought of himself.

"What is the Masquerade?" Valeska asked ignoring his forced compliments and denying him an agreement to his statement. She could see the logic behind what he was saying, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that.

"I'll spare you the details for now, but the Masquerade, simply put, is a set of laws that we vampires abide by in order to mask our actions in human society and thus survive to see another night."

"Ahh, that makes sense," she stated, now seeing the correlation for the use of the word.

"Of course it does, and any practical person would agree with me when I state that is a vital part of modern vampire socie –," he said before being cut off by the ringing of a cell phone. He sighed irritably before pulling his phone from his pocket and opening it. "Is there a reason you should be disturbing me?" A long pause. "So you're telling me you are incapable of handling this then?" Another pause. "I see. Very well then, stall them for another five or ten minutes and I'll be down momentarily."

Before the recipient of the phone call could even reply, he had snapped his phone shut. Valeska was appalled at how rude this man truly was. Being over two hundred years old as he had stated earlier, and in all that time he hadn't learned any manners. Or perhaps it was simply that he failed to show them to those he didn't consider his equals. She wondered briefly if the narcissistic Prince considered anyone his equal, probably not.

"Now then, as I am pressed for time I shall cut to the chase and propose a deal with you," the Prince announced, breaking Valeska from her thoughts, "In exchange for your services and more importantly your blood, I shall provide my own vitae let us say…every other week of the month. If that fails to interest you I can compensate you with money for each task successfully completed." He was walking toward her now, his hands clasped behind his back.

"And if I say no?" she bravely asked as his eyes narrowed. He stopped in front of her and leaned in close to her face causing her to feel an increase in anxiety. He was not a tall man, but seeing as how she was seated and he was not, his temporary height increase added to the intimidation she felt.

"Seeing as how you almost died a moment ago I would not be so bold if I were you," he replied in low threatening tone, "If my terms offend, I can easily provide you with new ones that swiftly rectify your present state of living with the snap of my fingers."

Valeska knew what he meant; he was going to kill her if she said no. If it wasn't obvious enough, the Prince's towering defender stood behind him looking like he was just itching for the chance to chop her head off. Was he bluffing? She couldn't be too sure and it wasn't something she wanted to risk either. Part of her felt angry and cheated, but the other side knew that she had been offering the very things he wanted now only moments ago. It just seemed like a cheap shot to make on his part. Maybe there was a bright side to this though. This could be her shot at making something out of herself. She did need work and here standing right in front of her was a seemingly wealthy vampire who could give her all the work she would ever need. In the end, she had little choice.

"I'm waiting," he said coolly as his hand rose. He brought his thumb and middle finger together as if he were going to snap them.

"Well when you put it that way, how can I say no?" she said quickly with an uneasy laugh, "I accept your terms happily." She silently decided to stick to being paid with cold hard cash rather than his blood. If what he said was right, the last thing she needed was to become an addict.

"Superb," he said happily with a smile that looked odd on his normally serious face. He stepped back allowing the personal space she desired to return. "Allow me to introduce myself properly then. My name is Sebastian LaCroix. I am the head of the industrious LaCroix Foundation as well as the Camarilla Prince of the vampires that reside here in downtown LA."

Valeska caught herself before her jaw dropped in shock. This was the influential multi-millionaire CEO she had heard so much about? She realized with irony that only a few months ago she had submitted a job application for a secretarial position to his organization. Now she had been practically handed a job directly from one of the most powerful players in California. His resume was impressive to be sure and she found herself biting her lip nervously trying to think of a way to introduce herself without sounding like she was a nobody. Who was she kidding though? Compared to him she was an ant.

"Uhm…my name is Valeska Latimer. I'm a twenty-four year college student majoring in computer science and someone who picks up various side jobs to pay uhm…bills…," she said catching herself just in time before she informed LaCroix about her grandma. She had a suspicious feeling that if he found out about her attachments, he might use them against her in the future. Prince LaCroix eyed her for a moment before moving to his desk to gather some papers. He looked as if he were contemplating something.

"There is one last thing involved with our agreement that you need to be aware of. Since you are employed under me now, your primary concern should naturally then be to serve me to the best of your abilities," her new boss informed her.

"Okay," she replied simply. He looked up at her with an expression that made her feel like she was missing something.

"I don't think you comprehend what this job entails or even the level of difficulty involved then," he stated, "This is not some simple part-time cashier job that will work with your school schedule."

"Well I can't just quit school! My education is the most important aspect in my life, and without it I'll never succeed," she said cautiously, still worried about being threatened again, "I also need my financial aid to survive and if I'm not in college I'll have to start paying back my loans with money I don't have."

"Do your work correctly and there won't be any need to be concerned about your finances," he replied, "As for being successful, as long as you remain useful in my organization there will be plenty of opportunities to make something of yourself."

With the way he spoke, she got the feeling he didn't really care one way or the other for her worries. She wanted so badly to argue against his words or try to persuade him that this was too much of a risk on her part. He didn't seem like the type of person to take failure well so there was no real guarantee that she would still have this job in another year or even a month. She needed something to fall back on in case this didn't work out. She knew though that any attempts to change his mind would fail horribly, so she kept her mouth shut.

"Alright, I guess I'll drop all my classes then…" Valeska said sadly. She felt like she was cutting off a limb or another vital part of what made her who she was: a scholar.

"Very good. You shall remain here tonight and possibly tomorrow as to avoid suspicions from the police in relation to the events of tonight. Is there anyone who needs to be informed of your absence?" he asked hurriedly.

"No, I don't really have anyone," she answered a little too quickly to her dismay. Every night she sent an email to her grandma, but just a few days away wouldn't be cause for alarm. Still, her response sounded a bit suspicious she thought. Had he picked up on it? Unable to stop herself she began to chew her lip anxiously. It was a nervous habit she unfortunately had when she was either faced with a situation she had little control over or when her paranoia got the best of her.

"How unfortunate," he stated without an ounce of sympathy. "Now I need to attend to the press downstairs. Someone will be along shortly to assist you with any inquiries you might have as well as show you to your temporarily accommodations. We shall converse at a later time. Good evening." Without another word he left, leaving Valeska behind along with his bodyguard.

Valeska stood up slowly, feeling much better now physically, but very tired too. She wasn't sure how to feel about the situation though. Her primary concern was her grandma no matter what, but now getting any funds to her seemed bleak as it might be awhile before she actually made any money. She looked up from the ground to see LaCroix's muscle bulging bodyguard standing like a statue in front of her. He still had blood, now dry though, on his ashen leathery looking skin.

"Soooo…uhm…what's up?" she asked awkwardly. He didn't really respond, but instead just stare down at her with his pale red eyes. Feeling nervous she moved away from him and toward the large curtained windows behind Sebastian LaCroix's desk.

Peering out one of the windows she nearly had her breath taken away by the beauty that lay before her. Most the clouds had cleared providing her with gorgeous view of the full moon as well as the streets below. She could just barely make out the flashing blue and red lights of the police cars and ambulances. There were also several vans no doubt belonging to news crews fighting one another to get the latest scoop on what had happened. Looking back up she was able to view further parts of the city and beyond to the hills outside LA. It was truly a site to behold. Behind her she heard doors opening and a woman clearing her voice.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Latimer?" Turning around she saw probably the most stunning woman she had ever seen. She wore a black, form fitting dress that stopped right above her knees; the long sleeves were buttoned back about an inch revealing dainty hands. Due to how low cut the collared dress was, her ample cleavage was on display for the world to see. She also wore a belt (probably designer), dark panty hose, black heels, and was adorned in jewelry from head to toe. Her short almost bright red hair was pulled back into a pony tail, with bits of hair clinging to the sides of her heart shaped face. Finally, she wore purple makeup that complemented her pale celebrity like face. Over all she looked like she had just stepped off a runway.

"Yea," Valeska replied.

"My name is Katrina. I'm here to show you to your room." Katrina motioned Valeska to follow her and so she did, glad to be away from the Prince's bodyguard who was still eyeing her with an indecipherable expression.

The pair remained silent for several moments as Katrina led Valeska down the dim hallway she remembered from earlier. Now however she was able to see that the hallway was also just as attractive as LaCroix's office. As they continued onward, she was able to see into a few of the dark rooms that looked mostly unused, especially the kitchen and dining room. It confused her for a moment until she realized this must have been a penthouse. A few more twists and turns were thrown in and she was sure she would lose herself in such a maze if not provided a map. As if her mind were being read, Katrina suddenly spoke up.

"I know it might seem complicated, but it won't be long until you have this floor memorized," Katrina said in a reassuring tone. At least someone was being friendly toward Valeska which was greatly appreciated.

"Thanks, I hope you're right because I admit I'm really nervous about this all…"

"Well perhaps I can set your mind at ease. Do you have any questions about anything?" she asked kindly.

"Anything? Try everything!" Valeska exclaimed, then realizing how exasperated she sounded. With her now was the only person who hadn't tried to kill or manipulate her tonight, and she was treating her compassion poorly. "Sorry…this is all just a bit much for me. One minute I'm living a normal life and the next it's: Vampires are real and now you're basically the property of one, have a good night!" She heard Katrina chuckle a bit.

"I was in your shoes at one point," Katrina began, "I was made a ghoul one night after a vicious attack that nearly left me dead. A vampire passing by found me and saved my life. In return I pledged my life freely to him. It was hard at first, but I adapted quickly and found that being a ghoul was grand compared to my previous drab life. Before no one cared for me, but my master showered with me love every night."

"Wait you're not a vampire then?" Valeska asked confused. She was sure that due to her pale skin she was one.

"No I'm a vampire now, but he…he wasn't who sired me," she answered back.

"Why not?" Valeska asked curiously.

"My…my master…he died several years ago," Katrina replied miserably, "I can still feel his presence within my aching heart that leaves me wide awake missing his gentle touch." She sighed heavily like she might start crying. "Life without him is like a life without color or music, dull and almost meaningless."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Valeska said gently trying to comfort the woman to the best of her abilities. Emotional displays usually left her feeling uncomfortable because she never knew what to do to help.

Katrina returned a nod and silence fell upon them again. Feeling awkward and unsure of what to say, Valeska started chewing her lip again (damn annoying habit). She contemplated asking a few questions about vampires, but felt it was the wrong time to do so. Luckily Katrina stopped abruptly and opened a door.

"This is where you will be staying for some time, the guest room," Katrina announced. The two of them walked into the room, which like everything else in the building, was breath taking.

The guest room was well sized with soft looking beige carpets and walls decorated with pillars and the same type of paintings LaCroix's office had. There was a light coffee colored dresser with a large mirror resting on top of it, along with a large matching armoire that had elaborate carvings along the sides of it. Right across from the armoire was a four poster queen sized bed with hanging curtains. The silky looking sheets were a dark maroon color and had shimmery golden swirls and curls sewn into them. There was also a large window and two closed doors. Valeska moved to open the first one, which turned out to be a large walk in closet which was logically empty. Upon opening the second door she was met with a large bathroom that had white marble tiled floor, gorgeous granite counter tops with silver sinks, a Jacuzzi tub, and a toilet that was probably just as expensive as everything else.

Over all Valeska was blown away, and she found part of herself accepting this easier and wanting to live here permanently. For the price she paid, it wasn't like her apartment was too horrible, but deep down she always secretly wished she could live the good life. Who didn't after all?

By the look of this room however, it was clear that like the other rooms she had seen, it wasn't being used often. For a brief moment she felt pity toward the Prince and wondered if he even had any friends. Seeing as how she only just met him tonight, she really knew little about him. He seemed the type to have many minions that walked on eggshells to please him, but few, if any genuine companions. Perhaps she could be his friend. Then she realized how absurd that idea was and her pity disappeared when she remembered his cold eyes. Any loneliness he possibly had was his own fault.

"If you require sustenance, the kitchen is down the hall. It's been stocked with a few provisions for you. Is there anything else you will need tonight, Miss Latimer?" Katrina asked pulling Valeska from her thoughts.

"Uh…no thank you. This room is absolutely perfect the way it is," Valeska replied with a tiny smile.

"Very well, you will have fresh clothes tomorrow waiting for you from your apartment. I suggest you get some sleep Miss Latimer. You've been through quite the ordeal this evening." Before Valeska could respond, Katrina quickly bowed her head politely and left shutting the door behind her.

Valeska assumed Katrina must have a lot more work to attend to which was why she left in a hurry. Was she LaCroix's secretary? A flash of jealousy flew through her and she wondered with bewilderment why. It seemed illogical for her to have any feelings of envy, besides the fact that Katrina was drop dead gorgeous. In the back of her mind she felt that same lurking feeling she had when she awoke in LaCroix's arms. Where were these emotions for him coming from? As far as she was concerned she was content with loathing his conceited self.

She shook her head angrily and walked over to shut the lights off. As her eyes adjusted and after she had kicked off her shoes, she did the thing she always loved to do before going to sleep. With the last bit of energy she had, she ran full speed and jumped onto the bed. It was undoubtedly the most comfortable bed she had ever been in, with her body sinking in slightly and the sheets caressing her weary skin. Looking out to the window and seeing an unfamiliar view made her feel uneasy, but she simply reassured herself that by tomorrow she would be back in her homey apartment. With that she slid off her glasses, placed them on the nightstand, and drifted off into a blissful sleep.


Author's Note: Were you able to guess Katrina's clan? It's kind of obvious and though she's not a main character, I found it fun to write for her anyway. The next chapter will contain a certain witty vampire from Bloodlines we all know and love, but I'll keep quiet as to not ruin the surprise. I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, and whether you did or not I'd love more than anything to hear from you. I hate to admit that I'm desperate for feedback, but at this point I've only a vague idea if what I'm writing is any good or not. So please, please, please leave a review! Also, if you want to see any of your favorite characters let me know. I'd be happy to implement them into Val's tale.