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

Pushing a thousand years old, Marshall had more than earned the right to call Neil, “young man,” and he had plenty of his own stories to tell.


“That’s when I first met Albert,” Marshall said, after telling the tale of a barefooted, hundred-mile trek, half-starved, after an unnerving escape from a medieval band of vampire hunters. “He went by Barric, then. He worked as a physician and hired me as his assistant.” Marshall sank back in his chair, giving a sigh and a relaxed grin. “Ah…bloodletting times were great centuries for us.”


Albert nodded. “I was glad of the company.” He tightened the arm he had around Neil’s shoulders and landed a kiss to his forehead. “I’m not proud of many of the things I did in the past, but at the time, bloodletting was a common practice, thought to be helpful.”


Marshall snorted. “The fact so many vamps figured out it was a great source and got into the medical business probably dragged out the practice longer than it might have done otherwise.”


Chapter 16