Vampire in Chaos Read Online Free PDF Page A

rogue vampires. Yeah, like he wanted to spend more time thinking about those assholes.
    “Hey, Jared. You look like you could use another plateful.”
    Jared stopped and stared at his almost empty plate. It had great flavor, and he was still hungry. “Umm, actually, if you don’t mind, I could use a second helping.”
    He hadn’t even finished speaking when his plate was whisked away, refilled, and back under his nose. “Wow, thanks.”
    “No problem. We take care of our own.”
    There was an overly jovial note in the cook’s voice. Jared glanced up casually and tried to read the implication in the other guy’s face. But it was hard. He didn’t know the people here. Not enough to understand the nuances in their voices.
    “Right, Jared?” the cook asked encouragingly. “It’s important to stick together.”
    Jared nodded, and the cook smiled with relief. Now if only Jared knew what the cook was talking about. And what Jared had just agreed to.
    He’d just about finished his second plate when the manager stopped at the doorway. “Jared, you done?”
    Jared swallowed hard and took the last couple of bites and nodded. He stood up with his plate, but the cook took it from him and nudged him toward the boss. “Go. I’ll clean this up for you tonight. You’ve had a tough day.”
    Yeah, he had. But from the look on the manager’s face, Jared didn’t think the shit was over yet.
    He followed the manager into the small office and took the seat pointed out to him. “Now, Jared, I just got off the phone with the police. I’d like to hear about what happened in your own words.”
    Oh, that was a surprise. The police report wasn’t enough? Feeling like he was walking through a minefield, Jared carefully retold the same story he’d given the police. The manager frowned, never taking his eyes off him the whole time. Jared could just feel that probing gaze looking for something wrong in his story. A lie? Something to show him that Jared might have seen or done something other than what he’d said he’d done?
    When he fell silent, the manager sat there, thinking. He pivoted a pen from end to end on his fingers. “Well, sounds like you had one hell of a day. It also presents us with some problems. As you no longer have any living relatives, that means you need to go into foster care.”
    Jared’s heart sank. He hadn’t seen this coming. “Really? Why can’t I stay with friends for the next few months until I’m eighteen? That’s only like three and a half months.”
    “With no parent or living guardian, by law you are a ward of the state now. That means a foster home.”
    “Then I’ll stay here,” Jared said reasonably. At least here he could go to the same school. One day he’d just not come home.
    “No, you can’t. We have kids in need here. It’s not a group home for healthy individuals as you know. It was a stopgap measure for you while the doctors kept you under observation.”
    The manager leaned forward and studied Jared closer. “Are you experiencing any side effects from those drugs?”
    Jared held his breath, considering. If he said he was, he might be able to stay here, but did he want that? He’d come across two dead men here and there was some kind of revolt going on. If he said no, then they’d ship him off to a group home – and who the hell knew where? He wanted to finish his term at school and then be on his own.
    “No, I guess not,” he said. “Except the headaches. They are bad sometimes.”
    The manager frowned.
    “Headaches. That can’t be good. I’ve got two doctors coming tomorrow. I’ll get them to check you over. They’ll have the final say as to whether you stay or go.”
    Jared stood up, already feeling the small satisfaction of being safe with a roof over his head and a full stomach fading. “Right. I’ll head up to my room. I’m really tired.”
    And he made good on his escape.

Chapter 3

    T essa studied the energy pathways her father and brother had taken as