The Vampire's Coveted Nectar

Chapter 3 : New Opportunities

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HEMERA'S POV

“Alright, just sit back now and take as long as you need," Ashley, the usual blood drive nurse, says with a smile. She pushes me back so I'm staring up at the bright ceiling. Ugh, the light is so harsh in here.

I'm already fully aware of the drill. Since starting work here, I've been participating in their blood drives. It seemed odd at first, given that we're a research facility researching technology and have nothing to do with biology. But soon, it became routine, and I learned that this company works in tandem with a biological research center and a hospital. Now it offers me an added sense of fulfillment. My blood type isn't exactly rare, but every time I donate, I could be saving someone's life for all I know.

But, just like always, dizziness makes my vision swim, and grey spots speckle the edges of my eyes. I've brought this up to the doctors a couple of times, but apparently, this is normal, so I guess it's not a problem.

After about ten minutes, Ashley hands me a juice box filled with orange juice and helps set me up as the dizziness fades. Ugh, so glad we're given the rest of the day off if we participate in this sort of thing. I just want to go home and sleep.

I blurrily look around the neatly kept van. The whole space contains shiny, bright surfaces and is such a sterile environment. I understand the necessity, but d*mn, a little splash of color here or there that isn't red would be nice.

I wait a few more minutes before I hop off the blood drive van and head over to my car. The autumn wind causes the few leaves on the trees to shiver, and I along with it. Why didn't I bring a jacket?

I groan and bring my hand up to my head as I reach my black car. Should I be driving right after this? Probably not. But I don't have anyone to drive me home, and it's just too far to walk. I feel pretty solid, for the most part.

My keys jingle as I raise my hand to cover my eyes. Ugh, why is the sun so god d*mned bright? At least it feels good on my skin, but d*mn. As I walk, the sensation of being watched weighs my shoulders down, but given the area, it isn't surprising. There's a whole strip mall across the street, and my clothing tends to draw attention to me.

Most people really don't like the occult symbols on my hat-a hat that is not doing its d*mned job right now! And I guess there's just something about me that makes people stare, probably because I wear clunky platform and combat boots despite my regular and girly dresses. When I'm not in the middle of an experiment, I wear lots of jewelry, along with bright and bold makeup. I shake my head as I climb into my car and head home. Time to take a nap!

***

I groan as I roll over in bed and stare out the window, nearly jumping through the ceiling when I realize how late it's gotten. Jesus Christ! I was only supposed to sleep for an hour at most. I still have to go grocery shopping and make dinner.

I hobble out of bed, cursing quietly as my feet tangled in the lavender sheets. Okay, first step, put on shoes and then out the door. It's a good thing I just went to bed without changing. It really saves time! Before heading out, I do a final pat down to make sure I have everything. Let's see, hat, keys, wallet, purse, shoes. Is that everything? Phone? Eh, I probably should get that. Maybe a sweater since it's starting to get colder.

I end up doing the mental checklist several more times before I'm finally out the door and heading towards the closet store. Ugh, I'm always so frazzled after I give blood. My head is still spinning slightly, but not enough to have me ordering in.

The grocery trip is routine, as expected. I don't need to get a lot since I live alone. I only get enough to last a couple of days. I may be in a better place than I was several years ago, but I still live with a bit of frugality. My boots and makeup already take too much out of my paycheck for my liking. And I'm hoping to get a new tattoo soon, so only the necessities.

But the strangest thing about this routine grocery trip is that a man is approaching me before I can leave the store. He has beautiful dark skin with cat-like russet brown eyes, and a beautifully sculpted face. He offers me a soft smile and dips his head in greeting.

“Are you Hemera Kadis?" He asks in a deep voice.

I take a step back at the suddenness of his random approach. “Who are you? Why do you want to know?"

“Ah, I am Nianor Zaenon. But please, call me Nia for simplicity. I work at Zeanon Enterprises, and I've been admiring your work for some time now." He offers his hand, and I hesitantly shake it. His grip is firm, and his hands rough as if he does a lot of physical labor. “I came here to offer you a job at my company at a much higher pay and with more benefits."

I double-take again. What. The. f*ck. “Um, sure… Why exactly?"

Is this happening? This cannot be happening. Especially in the middle of the supermarket! People are constantly walking past us to get food, and I'm here standing in the middle of the aisle while the heir of Zeanon Enterprises offers me a job.

“I believe you have skills that would prove to be very useful to us. You seem to be a very hard and diligent worker, and I could use someone like you on my team." He reaches into his coat's breast pocket and hands me a business card.

“I'm just an average researcher. It's not like I've done anything extraordinary..." I mutter, staring at the card for Orsova's Research's biggest rival.

Okay, this looks pretty legit. “A–and I'm not even the head of a team. If you're going to try to take any worker from this company, why are you not going for someone with more experience?"

“I've seen your work. It's nuanced and well thought out, out-of-the-box thinking that I believe could prove very useful. You may not have the experience, but you will be trained. And I believe you would be a perfect fit." Nia smiles again as he fidgets with his shirt cuff.

“It's obvious your skill is being overlooked at Orsova. Just think about it. Simply call the number on the card, and we can arrange an interview when you're ready. Have a good night, Ms. Kadis." Nia dips his head to me then disappears into the store.

I can barely muster a farewell before he's gone. The f*ck just happened? My eyes wander back to the business card, and my thoughts begin going into overdrive. I-this could be huge. I have to look this up to make sure it's all legit, but I could get much closer to my goals if I accept. I want to help clean the world and restore it before global warming ravages everything. Lofty goals, I know, but I think I can do it.

Despite my reservations, just the thought of this being real adds lightness to my steps. I gotta work on creating a prosperity spell to keep the good things rolling in! Just as soon as I ascertain that this whole thing is legit. No sense in wasting the spell materials for a scam. I fight a grin as I head out to my car, packing all the groceries away. This could be so big for me!

Orsova Research has treated me well, and they're definitely an excellent place to try to achieve my goals. However, Zeanon Enterprises is larger and more prestigious in the research community as a whole. It would be much easier to obtain my goals, not even including the better pay and benefits.

Once I'm back home, I make a quick meal and eat at my computer as I type away. Okay, first things first, let's make sure Nia is who he says he is. There definitely should be a photo of him if he is that important at Zeanon. I find pictures of Nia and his entire family within a few moments.

Oh, wow--are those news articles? Holy crap, they donated how much to charity? Okay, wow, so that seems good, but there really isn't much about Nia in particular. D*mn, I was really hoping I could learn something about him.

My mind wanders back to Nia, how a few stray curls fell over his forehead at one point. How his eyes almost seemed as though they could glow. The way his body moved under his suit...

I shake my head and pull away from the computer so I can do the dishes, nearly tripping as I stand. Ugh, I really gotta clean the house soon. There is so much clutter on the floor. At least my flowers aren't dead.

I pause and actually look at my flowers for the first time today. Yeah, scratch that. They're dead. F*ck, I just got those! This apartment is just not suitable for plants. Nothing I've brought in has lasted more than a week.

Is it that there's a lack of light? Is the energy wrong? Or do I have more of a black thumb than I thought? Regardless, I'm about to give up hope. I can't bury any more flowers.

I shake my head. I'm just going to deal with that later. I'm far too exhausted for this crap. Besides, I have an amazing job opportunity to be excited about!