When Lavinia Devon is chosen to be fed on by Isaac Astor, the cold and charming heir to a Vampire Empire, she prepares for the worst: a painful end at the hands of a cruel aristocrat. But something about Isaac can't help but entice her and she finds herself falling for the bloodthirsty young man, coming to realize there is more to him be-neath the icy surface. Bound to the Vampire's Heir is created by A.D.R. Brown, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.
Chapter 1 : Heir to an Empire
In the gritty light of the workroom, Isaac Astor's pallor shone like a beacon. His icy eyes and fair hair were unnatural against the rising smog. Behind him, a group of men with batons stood stoically. Despite their broad shoulders and gruff looks, they seemed to offer no real threat when compared to Isaac's otherworldly presence.
From a high table in the back, Lavinia Devon watched with unchecked interest as the young man stopped to greet the foreman. She could tell that while she had never seen this man before, his presence here was routine. The girls on either side of her moved nervously, their work becoming sloppy as they glanced between the well-dressed man and their own hands.
Isaac pointed to a girl near where he stood and one of the men behind him seized her upper arm, dragging her to stand face to face with Isaac. The smile that flashed across his face as the girl recoiled was cold and cruel, but Lavinia could not look away. As Isaac tilted the girl's chin up she felt a flush sweep across her own neck.
"She will do just fine," he said, pushing the quaking girl back into the waiting arms of the guards.
This process repeated itself as Isaac wound his way across the room. Some of the girls he inspected were sent back to work, looks of relief on their faces. When he gave his nod of approval to others they screamed as they were dragged away.
"Get your hands off me!" The shriek came from one particularly stricken girl who spit at Isaac as he tried to touch her face. As she fought and clawed at him, Lavinia took the opportunity to lean into the taller girl beside her.
"What is this? Where are those girls going?"
The taller girl glanced between Lavinia and the crying girl. "Astor is choosing his next batch of meals."
"Astor..."
That name was familiar to Lavinia. Everyone knew the Astor Family, a Vampire Clan that had control of an entire supply chain of blood. Every vulnerable citizen knew the process. Astor Industries grew and manufactured blood to sell to other vampires, eliminating the need to hunt. But blood does not grow without life. Rumors swirled around that family that they ran farms, raising humans for the slaughter, and selling their blood. The poorest clients made do with synthetic while the aristocrats had their pick of whole bodies to feed on.
"He is the heir to the company," the girl began. "Isaac. He's come in here a few times since I've been working here. The girls he takes never come back."
Lavinia looked back to Isaac as a loud thud echoed through the workhouse. He dropped the previously struggling girl's body to the floor and wiped a thin trail of fresh blood from his lips and pushed his now disordered hair back out of his eyes.
"I had hoped your stock would be more compliant than last time, foreman. It really is quite disappointing to have such trouble on such a mundane errand." He brushed his hands off on his trousers and resumed his walk about the room. He skipped entirely over the table where the workers were obscured by crude protective equipment.
"What is he looking for?" Lavinia asked.
"He is very particular about his blood bags," replied the taller girl. She grimaced. "They say he likes his meals to be pretty."
As he stalked the tables, a look of merciless amusement took over his angled features. He seemed to be enjoying the discomfort around him. There was something cruel in the way that he was enticed by the scared girls, almost feeding on their apprehension.
Finally, his light eyes fell on Lavinia. She felt a rush and her body tensed. Setting her face, she refused to wince, not wanted to give him the satisfaction. Isaac tilted his head and curled his mouth into a smirk. He wound his way around Lavinia's table, hardly giving the other girls time to scatter. Up close, Isaac's beauty was even more pronounced. His eyes glittered as he stood over Lavinia, his height forcing her to crane her neck to maintain eye contact.
Isaac reached out with one hand to touch her cheek and Lavinia caught the distinct scent of coppery blood mixed with something like wood burning. It was not an unpleasant smell. It was almost enchantingly warm when juxtaposed with Isaac's otherwise frigid appearance.
"What is your name?" His voice was barely above a whisper, but it rang clearly over the din of the workroom.
"Lavinia. Lavinia Devon." She fought against every instinct to shrink away, instead, meeting his gaze head-on.
"I don't believe I've seen you before, Ms. Devon. You must be new." His voice dripped with insincere interest.
Lavinia glanced between Isaac's eyes and his still stained lips. She knew he wanted a reaction from her. But she would not give in. Every part of her wanted to push him away or cower out of his gaze, but she could not bring herself to. Something behind his eyes had baited her, making her lean up in Isaac's face.
"Do you always take this long when picking your meals, or am I just that hard to make a decision on?"
Isaac outright laughed, his guards who managing a collective chuckle behind him.
"Oh, that's not what I'm deciding. A pretty face like yours is impossible to pass up. No," Isaac leaned forward until his lips were pressed to Lavinia's throat. Her eyes widened. "On the one hand, I could drain you dry, right here, right now. I do not take well to being talked back to. But on the other hand, that might be a waste of your beauty. I could instead, take you home with the others and feed just enough to keep you alive but without all this pesky aggression and repeat until you're a husk, just a vessel of blood."
Lavinia shivered almost imperceptibly. Isaac leaned back from her, clearly satiated that he had finally gotten a reaction.
"Something wrong?"
"No," she said flatly, forcing herself to look back up. "Not at all. You overestimate your effect, Astor."
"Is that so?"
"If I should be shaking and crying like the rest of these girls at the mere sight of you, why bring your little posse? Surely you could handle a few skinny girls yourself. Or are all the rumors about vampires just folk tales? Are you really just a bloodless leech with nothing all that special to offer?" Lavinia glared him down, trying not to betray any of her true fear.
Isaac paused for a second, then wrapped one of his long-fingered hands around the back of her neck, pulling her towards him. "Lavinia Devon, I look forward to breaking you."
Chapter 1 : Heir to an Empire
06/12/2021
Chapter 2 : Fresh Meat
06/12/2021
Chapter 3 : Laying in Wait
06/12/2021
Chapter 4 : Lavinia's Turn
06/12/2021
Chapter 5 : Lavinia Spends the Night
06/12/2021
Chapter 6 : The Morning After
06/12/2021
Chapter 7 : Lavinia Reconsiders
06/12/2021
Chapter 8 : Giving In
06/12/2021
Chapter 9 : I Want You
06/12/2021
Chapter 10 : Promotion
06/12/2021
Chapter 11 : Meeting Arabella
06/12/2021
Chapter 12 : He Lets You Call Him Izzy
06/12/2021
Chapter 13 : Leaving the Manor
06/12/2021
Chapter 14 : Consulting the Dressmaker
06/12/2021
Chapter 15 : First Day in a New Job
06/12/2021
Chapter 16 : Reviewing the Options
06/12/2021
Chapter 17 : The Arrival of Guests
06/12/2021
Chapter 18 : On the Edge
06/12/2021
Chapter 19 : Trading Partners
06/12/2021
Chapter 20 : Sitting Down to Dinner
06/12/2021
Chapter 21 : Mrs. Astor's Order
06/12/2021
Chapter 22 : Isaac's Second Nature
06/12/2021
Chapter 23 : Break your Boyfriend
06/12/2021
Chapter 24 : Aftermath
06/12/2021
Chapter 25 : Isaac's Inheritance
06/12/2021
Chapter 26 : Switching Sides
06/12/2021
Chapter 27 : Homecoming
06/12/2021
Chapter 28 : Seeing Isaac
06/12/2021
Chapter 29 : Marco is Missing
06/12/2021
Chapter 30 : Lurking in the Hallway
06/12/2021
Chapter 31 : Castle Brogan
06/12/2021
Chapter 32 : The Rooms at Castle Brogan
06/12/2021
Chapter 33 : Lavinia in Control
06/12/2021
Chapter 34 : Breakfast with the Brogans
06/12/2021
Chapter 35 : Breaking Away
06/12/2021
Chapter 36 : Foraging
06/12/2021
Chapter 37 : Sonia's Transformation
06/12/2021
Chapter 38 : Convincing Sonia
06/12/2021
Chapter 39 : A Shift in Power
06/12/2021
Chapter 40 : Laying out the Plan
06/12/2021