Love with Fangs: Vampire Paranormal Romance, #1

By Joanna Mazurkiewicz

When the prey becomes the hunter…

As a half-elf paranormal recruitment consultant, Julia knows to stay away from vampires–tothem, she's just food. 

So why would bloodthirsty alpha male Nathaniel La Caz be any different.When she turns up to the meeting in his factory, she senses that there is something about him.Julia is suddenly overwhelmed by her senses and her magic goes haywire when she is nearhim.Things go from weird to worst, when Julia witnesses the kidnapping of her cousin Claudia. Andwhen more elves and fairies begin to vanish without a trace, and no help in sight, Julia knowsthat she is her cousin's only hope. 

The police suspect vampires. And if they're right, this couldbe a one day death trap. But Julia is willing to risk it all to save Claudia, even if it means shecould become this crazed vampire's next victim.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joanna Mazurkiewicz
• Release date: May 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201874582

Book preview

Chapter 1

Phantom phone calls

The phone kept ringing, and I was just about to pick up when Jen beat me to it.

Welcome to Paranormal Personnel. Jennifer speaking, how may I help you?

She put on her telephone voice and I found it fascinating that she sounded so different when she spoke to a client. Maybe Jen was an actress in another life. Who knew?

It was a busy day and I still had several more reports to finish, but I kept glancing back at the clock on the wall. I was consciously aware of my upcoming meeting with La Caz Pharmaceutical. I also remembered that I was supposed to text my cousin, Claudia. We were having dinner together later this evening and I was looking forward to catching up with her. We hadn’t seen each other for months.

Hello? Hello? Jennifer repeated a few times, sounding annoyed this time. Seconds later, she slammed the phone down, then furiously started typing away on her keyboard. This wasn’t our first dead call today.

Another false alarm? I asked, a little amused, although it really wasn’t funny. Over the past several weeks, we’d been getting dead phone calls at least three times a day. I reported it to Rufus, my regional manager, but he wasn’t very concerned about it. It seemed someone was trying to spook us, and it was becoming extremely irritating. Maybe it was time to speak to my dad about it.

Yeah, it’s the third one today. I haven’t dumped anyone recently, so it’s none of my exes, she responded, then the phone rang again.

Welcome to Parano—

Hello, hello. A deep, raspy voice on the other end of the line interrupted me, then my fingertips sparkled.

My name is Julia. How can I help you today? I asked more firmly. I didn’t like being interrupted.

I just moved to London and I’m looking for a job. Would you have anything for a werewolf, love? a male voice asked, and I exhaled with relief. At least this guy was serious for a change.

Of course, what are you looking for? Factory, security, or maybe you’re much more skilled—

Listen to me very carefully, love. The man cut me off again. I haven’t got much time, and they’re listening in. Female elves around London have been going missing, and I think you might be next. For a split second, I was certain that he was pulling my leg, but he sounded so serious. I glanced at Jennifer who was chewing on her pen, watching me from her desk. She must have noticed my stunned expression.

Female elves are going missing? I repeated to make sure that we were on the same page. This is a recruitment agency, sir. Maybe you should call the police instead? I know someone there who can help you.

I had been working in this industry for a couple of years now and was used to people trying to share their personal problems with me, but this was certainly new.

No. This is important. He wants the blood of elves and fairies. I have been watching you and I wanted to warn you before it’s too late, the man continued, and this time, a cold shiver skated down my spine. I gripped the phone tighter, thinking that this wasn’t a joke. This guy really believed I was in danger.

Have you been calling here and hanging up over the past few weeks? I asked with anger lacing my tone. The guy obviously had some issues. Either way, I needed to be firmer with him. The dead phone calls interfered with our busy schedule, and we couldn’t afford to waste so much time.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a bit. Then he breathed in heavily, and I shook my head.

Stay safe, and watch out for a black van on the streets, he finally snapped, then the call dropped. I rubbed my face as magic began surging down my spine. There was no point getting worked up about this. I lived in London and the truth was that the city was dangerous, anyway. My father worked as a police constable, and he told me himself that paranormals were going missing all the time.

Who was that? Jen asked.

I was taking long deep breaths trying to calm down. The lights in the office were flickering and that was all my doing. I was half-elf from my father’s side, and most of the time I couldn’t fully control my powers. I was very clumsy, too—the proof of which lie in the sink—broken cups and other dishes. Every week, I had to throw away several burnt-out light bulbs. It was a nightmare.

No idea, just some werewolf trying to scare me. Apparently, a lot of elves are being abducted in the city. He said that I might be next. I think he’s the one who’s been calling here all time and not saying anything when we pick up.

Jennifer shook her head and continued to work. I got up, then went to our so-called kitchen—it smelled like someone had stored a pile of dead bodies in there. I switched the kettle on, thinking about my day, and feeling very hungry all of a sudden. It was only half past twelve and I was ready to devour my sandwiches, or maybe even go out and pick up something from the supermarket. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I assumed there was nothing wrong with having a healthy appetite. My magic was still whacky. At least later on I had a business meeting to look forward to. I quickly made coffee and added a spoonful of sugar to my favourite cup. Then I put one spoon of coffee in Jennifer’s cup and topped it up with six spoonsful of sugar. Jennifer was a purebred mermaid. She loved sugary drinks, but never had to worry about her figure.

London was filled with a lot of supernatural creatures: there were elves, fairies, vampires, werewolves, hags, shifters, trolls, mermaids, and giants. Humans had no idea about our true nature because we could disguise ourselves pretty damn well. Most of us had magical powers, but to any human out there, we all appeared ordinary.

I pulled my lunch from the fridge and sipped my coffee for a while. My thoughts trailed off to the time when I found out I wasn’t an ordinary human. I was sitting in my grandparents living room at their large house located in the country. I was around ten years old then, maybe older, playing with puzzles when one started melting all of a sudden.

I glanced down at my tiny hands, wondering what was going on when my grandmother walked inside.

Oh, don’t worry about it, dear. You’re an elf, which means that you have magic inside of you, she explained, placing me on her lap. Sometimes Grandma was nice, well, when she wanted to be.

Is Mummy an elf, too? I asked her.

No, darling, your mother is just a human. She will never be like any of us, Grandma said, staring at me intensely. And now, you have to promise me that you will keep this a secret. You’re still young, so your abilities aren’t developed yet, but soon, that might change.

My father was angry with her when he found out that she’d told me the truth. I heard him say that I was too young to know about stuff like that. He was right, but I still understood what she was saying. After all, I moved things before without even touching them. My skin often twitched, buzzed, and sparkled, trying to release all the excess magic I didn’t know that I had. Once during an English lesson, I was upset—the teacher didn’t pick me for the school play—so, I blew up his coffee mug. No one knew it was me and I never told anyone about this, but deep down, I knew I had some sort of gift. Now I understood that it wasn’t all just a coincidence.

From that day forward, I had to see my grandma every other weekend to train with her. This went on for several months until I almost burned the house down. After that, Grandma agreed that maybe I was too young for magic.

I knew that there was always something wrong with me. I felt suffocated by the fact that I couldn’t control my energy.

Some of my cousins called me a freak, and admitted I wasn’t like any of them. I only had half of the elven magical genes inside of me. On top of that, I was extremely clumsy. There were other factors that contributed to my lack of self-belief. I practised, but I always knew I would never be like the rest of my family.

My magic would explode randomly, and I was scaring humans. My grandmother decided that she couldn’t teach me anything more. She gave up, and I just had to deal with it, try to embrace my inability to control the magic that was still growing inside of me.

I just didn’t think I could ever fit in anywhere. I was destined to be the half-blooded elf who would never be able to control her own abilities.

I quickly dismissed those thoughts, telling myself I couldn’t think like that. I was independent, had a good job and loving parents. No one could take that away from me.

Once I was done with lunch, I had to call several tooth fairies around London in an attempt to match one to a job opening we had available.

Even paranormals needed jobs, and we were the first agency that had opened up in the area. I wasn’t interested in being a policewoman. That wasn’t my kind of thing anymore. Besides, my magic was too unstable to think about chasing after criminals.

By quarter to four, I changed into my best suit, styled my hair, and reapplied my makeup. Jennifer was already waiting for me by the door. Half an hour earlier, my two other colleagues had arrived, so we could leave for our meeting.

"Oh, look at you, girl, Jennifer exclaimed, eyeing me from head to toe. You look hot!"

It’s just a suit, Jen, nothing special, I said, then glanced at her. Jennifer looked really good, too, and it was then that I noticed she must have gotten a haircut. I wondered whether she swam in one of those lakes outside London just to make herself more irresistible to vamps. It was in her nature to be close to the water; she didn’t have a tail or anything, but she told me once that she wasn’t herself when she didn’t use the pool at least once a week.

She had on slim-fit cream trousers and a zip-front dark blouse with a well-fitted cream blazer. By the way, you don’t look so bad yourself.

I told you, that vamp who owns La Caz Pharmaceutical is sizzling hot, and I want to make a good impression, she said. We need to get going so we’re not late.

I nodded, thinking that maybe she was exaggerating. She tended to do that, but I knew I needed to be ready for anything. Men intimidated me a little bit, but I was good at my job, so there was no need to be nervous. When we were walking to Jen’s car, my skin started prickling with magic. I just wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t screw anything up.

Do you know where you’re going? I asked her once we were out on the main street. It was a busy day and there was so much traffic on the roads.

East London to Brunel Industrial Park.

I nodded and didn’t say anything else. Jennifer had lived in London all her life, and once she started the engine, she seemed to know where we were heading. Soon, she magically avoided the busiest streets, taking us away from the traffic.

An hour later, we stopped in front of the large entrance to La Caz Pharmaceutical where a few werewolves checked whether our names were on the list. It was dark, and rain was pouring from the smoky sky when we reached the underground car park belonging to La Caz. CCTV cameras were everywhere. I felt we were being watched the minute we drove through the entrance. Magic was sparkling along my skin more than usual; I really needed to pull myself together.

Wow, this place is huge. I didn’t expect all these cars here. Jennifer chuckled, switching off the engine.

I frowned and followed her gaze. In the back, I saw a round of brand-new Audis. I didn’t know anything about cars, but I recognised the brand straightaway.

Excuse me, ladies. Is either of you Julia Taylor? a tall man approaching us asked when we started walking towards the lifts.

He startled us a little bit, appearing out of nowhere. I had a feeling that he must have been waiting for us.

That would be me, I replied, straightening my skirt.

If you please, follow me—you’re expected, the man said.

He was a werewolf. Paranormals could recognise each other; we sensed the magic and knew instantly if someone was a vampire, elf, fairy, or otherwise. Humans, however, were clueless. They had no idea that we were living amongst them.

This is so exciting, Jennifer whispered once we were in the main entrance. I didn’t know what Jennifer meant. This place was giving me the creeps.

When we walked inside, I was taken aback by all the bare white walls and granite flooring. The La Caz Pharmaceutical lobby was clean and well-presented. A few more security guards were staring at computer screens. Vampires, elves, werewolves, shapeshifters, and a few wizards were walking in and out of the building. No one paid much attention to us. The werewolf with the name tag, Todd told us that our meeting would start in twenty minutes and showed us to the lift.

How many people are currently employed here? I asked him.

I think over two thousand, Miss.

La Caz was doing a fantastic job, and Rufus would definitely need to give me a raise if we signed him up today.

I exchanged a hopeful look with Jennifer, then followed Todd to the spacious reception area when we reached our floor.

These ladies have a meeting with Mr. La Caz, Todd announced. He nodded to us, then vanished into the lift.

We were asked to sit on the comfortable white leather sofas. The walls, floors, and even the furniture was all white. I thought that La Caz had to be some kind of stuck-up rich guy to like that colour so much. I didn’t know much about vampires; my kind tended to stay away from them. Apparently, our blood was very intoxicating, and they craved it more than human blood.

The receptionist had a large desk with at least three computer screens. She glanced at us for a few seconds after offering us refreshments. On my right, I saw the large white doors that likely led to a conference room, and my stomach lurched again. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I just wanted to get this over with. I wished I’d eaten something other than that sandwich before I left; now I was not only nervous, but hungry as well. Jennifer was whispering about her swimming experience from the previous evening, when the large white doors opened, and a very tall werewolf emerged.

Miss Julia Taylor and Jennifer Griffiths, Paranormal Personnel? he asked the secretary.

She nodded, then motioned for us to go ahead.

He noticed us and said, Mr. La Caz is ready to begin.

A cold chill spread across my shoulders. I was ready to throw up.

Jennifer and I looked at each other, then walked through the door. I thought it was time to get this show on the road before I vomited and made an absolute fool of myself.

Chapter 1

Fatal attraction

Ikept my head held high and glanced around the room. The werewolf who led us in pointed out two chairs where we could sit. It was a decent-sized room—also white—with large glass windows that overlooked the entire industrial park. We had to be near the top floor, but I couldn’t be sure because I wasn’t paying much attention in the elevator. Two vampires sat behind a large table in the middle of the room. Me and Jennifer situated ourselves opposite them.

My breathing was a little heavy, but I managed to compose my nerves. Moments later, I realised that all the vampires in the room were staring directly at me. No one seemed to be paying any attention to Jennifer.

One offered a lazy smile and introduced himself. My name is Carter. I work with Mr. La Caz here, and this is Mr. Porter. Carter was bald and tanned. My gaze moved to Mr. Porter; he was short and chubby, not like any vampire I would have expected. He had to be in his fifties. I figured I could deal with him and make him sign whatever I wanted.

Then I shifted my gaze to La Caz and my heart shuddered in my chest. He stared at me with such intensity, it was as if he was trying to reach into the depths of my soul, seeing my deepest secrets. Several seconds passed and I was still mesmerised by his penetrating stare; I just didn’t want to look away. His eyes were like a shade of moss in autumn, mixed with brown and green.

Apart from his unbelievable eyes, La Caz had sandy hair, a long face, and wasn’t pale at all. He looked young, unlike any vampire I had ever seen. I guessed that he was in his mid-twenties, dressed in a black well-fitted suit, white shirt, and black tie. He hadn’t moved once, and I found myself blushing. I could sense my energy rising around me.

My name is Jennifer, and this is Julia, our most experienced consultant. Jennifer’s voice brought me back to reality. I exhaled and looked at the other creatures in the room, trying to ignore him, but it felt like some strange energy was pulling me towards him.

Yes, as my colleague mentioned, I’ll be the person who will be your point of contact if La Caz Pharmaceutical decides to work with Paranormal Personnel, I explained, sounding like I had a sore throat. My heart was beating way too fast. He was still staring at me, as if he were purposely trying to make me feel uncomfortable.

He was almost as intimidating as my grandmother. Several weeks ago, me and another colleague gave a presentation in front of his board of directors. Apparently, a rival agency met with them the day before, but La Caz chose to meet with us instead. I was certain that he was ready to make a decision today; whether he was going to sign with us or not was still up in the air. It was up to me to close the deal.

That sounds good. So far, our HR department has been taking care of the recruitment, but in the past few months, it has become overwhelming, so we decided that it’s time for us to outsource, Mr. Porter said, smiling. The business has been growing. We are the largest producers of paranormal medication, and only recently we started working on something extremely unique and special.

I know you employ a lot of people, Mr. Porter, so your demand for staff must be high, I said quickly, getting back to my steady, confident voice. We can take the weight off your shoulders, interview candidates, do inductions, and still make it profitable for everyone involved. Jennifer took notes next to me, and I was glad she wasn’t interrupting me.

Once I was on the ball, I knew that I could win them over.

We are currently working on a Lucrative Shot, an injection that would allow vampires to avoid drinking from humans, Mr. Porter continued. We need at least fifty night workers to go ahead with production. If we decide to work with you, then we must ensure everything will go smoothly.

I was a little shocked, hearing that they came up with something so innovative, but I needed to keep my opinions to myself. This was just business after all.

We’re good, Mr. Porter. We can find you people. There are a lot of jobless paranormal creatures around London and we work fast, I assured him. When I wasn’t looking at Mr. La Caz, I was confident and ready to turn any objection. I was on fire. We have been working with Mills Lane for a few years now, I continued, and supplied a lot of vampires to them. We can find fifty workers in no time at all.

Mr. Porter seemed impressed. Mr. Carter was nodding. And I didn’t dare look at La Caz.

Let’s say that we need fifty vampires by next week, Mr. Porter said.

I smiled and shifted in my chair. "Of course, Mr. Porter. As I said, if we promise something, we will deliver."

Our HR director is precise in what she wants, Mr. Porter added.

At least sixty percent of our clients are vampires. We also have a lot of creatures from Eastern Europe.

We don’t like dropouts, Miss Taylor. We don’t want our business to be affected by people who can’t be bothered to come to work.

Mr. Porter, I’ve been in this business for more than two years, so I’ve learned what kind of clients would let us down. As I mentioned before, if we promise something, then we will deliver it, I said, feeling that my arguments were good. Now, I just needed to close them, and the deal would be done.

What about your margin, Miss Taylor? Can we discuss that now? La Caz asked, distracting me from what I was planning to say next. I wasn’t expecting him to say anything. The sound of his low and melodic voice sent a long cold shiver racing down my spine. Every tiny hair on the back of my neck stood on end. When I looked at him, I felt like there was no one else in this room—just us—and I somehow felt protected. I tucked my hair behind my ear, my hand trembling.

A long silence swept through the room while I struggled to find my voice. No one in my entire life had ever made me forget what I was going to say next. I swallowed hard and lifted my eyes to answer him.

Everyone was waiting for my response, but I couldn’t break eye contact. I felt drawn to him, as if some magnetic current were pulling me close to his body. My skin buzzed with magic, and I knew trouble was coming. Oh, God, this would be the most embarrassing moment of my life if I were to blow this meeting.

Finally, Jennifer rescued me. From temporary workers, we take twenty-five percent of the hourly rate. In regard to any permanent staff, we would take a percentage of the year’s salary. It’s difficult to say right now how much would be required, but the margin from any salary may start from thirty percent. She finished by flashing them one of her alluring smiles.

Thank God for that. I was certain that I was going to be sick. I glanced at La Caz again. The corner of his lips lifted in a smile, but his eyes were still focused on mine. Magical currents travelled up my arms, lifting my skin into tiny goose bumps. If I