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

“I can see you’re attached to your long hair. Never fear, sweet thing. I am nothing if not considerate. We’ll keep somelength—on top, anyway. I’m leaning toward a sexy undercut. And highlights and lowlights will do amazing things for your hair color.” Willis handed him a contacts case. “Pop these in, and let’s take a look, shall we?”


Willis held up a hand mirror as Phillip applied the contacts. “I like them,” he said. They weren’t nearly as bright as he’d thought colored contacts would be. They simply gave his brown eyes a hint of color. He looked different without standing out, which seemed to be the name of the game.


“Perfect,” Willis said. He held up a pair of eyeglasses, black rectangular Ray-Ban frames with clear non-prescription lenses.


Phillip put them on and looked in the mirror. Between the eye color and the glasses, it was a good start. Clark Kent effect, indeed. He echoed his earlier reply. “I like them.”


Chapter 12