Chapter 17

Erick:   I stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting the cuffs of my suit, my eyes scanning my reflection as I mentally prepared myself for the night ahead. The suit was dark and tailored to fit perfectly, but I still felt out of place in it. The cold, tightness of the collar, the polished shoes, all of it felt like a costume. A costume I had to wear to play a part. A part I couldn’t afford to neglect. Tonight was the inauguration of the new blood bank at Moosonee, Ontario, and I could already feel the burden of the event settling on my shoulders. I hated these kinds of affairs—this particular one especially. These events, these "parties," were nothing more than political gatherings masked as celebrations. They were filled with vampire nobility and high-ranking officers who all shared one thing in common: they wanted favors, they wanted to be flattered, and most of them were complete snakes. And I had to smile and entertain them, even when every fiber of my being screamed to