Albert Manlii has walked this earth for more than two thousand years, but survival on his own was never easy. Now he leads a faction of highly organized vampires who carefully guard the secret of their existence. Unlike the old days, potential recruits are carefully selected and presented with an offer.<br><br>Phillip Brewer has weeks to live -- if he lets his disease run its course. He doesn’t want to die, but given a choice, will his desire to live outweigh his concerns about the vampires’ ethics?<br><br>When the new recruit’s missteps are cause for concern, can Albert control the fallout, or will Phillip’s life once again be torn apart?

The Recruit

As it was often said, experiencing the world frequently opened minds and steered people toward the political left, for the same reason large cities tended to be more liberal while sparsely populated areas were more conservative. The more diversity individuals experienced, the better they understood people and empathized with their plight.


It hadn’t always been so, but modern vampires were progressive, organized, and liked to recruit others who wouldn’t rock the boat, and wouldn’t have built-in prejudices against the existing members of the faction, who were a vastly diverse group. They avoided socializing outside of their membership for the same reason they avoided new recruits with strong family or friendship ties, so a potential recruit’s character was a valid consideration.


Chapter 4