Blood Mate: A Paranormal Romance by Natalie Kristen

didn't leave anything out. Nana told Bryn exactly
what happened, how it happened and why it had to happen.
    “ I asked Glenn
Constantine to turn you into a vampire. It was the only way to save
you. So, I guess that makes him your Master,” Nana told her
matter-of-factly. “If you ever see him again, tell him I'll
bake him a blood pie. But...if he tries to control you, I'll stake
him!” Nana pounded her fist into her palm to let Bryn know
that it wasn't an empty threat.
    That made Bryn snort and choke
on a mouthful of blood. Nana was many things but a vampire slayer
she was not.
    With one foolish act, her life
as a human had ended. But because of Nana's courage and resolve, her
life as a vampire was just beginning.
    It took her some time to
adjust to life as a vampire. She could no longer walk in the sun.
She felt terribly weak during the day and she had to sleep a lot. In
the first year, she found she needed to sleep and feed a lot, like a
baby. But she grew stronger quickly. She decided to hone her
vampire abilities, and began to train to increase her speed and
strength. She could see well in the dark, and she could detect
subtle scents in the air.
    She had made a terrible
mistake. Yet, she had been given a second chance at life. She would
use this chance to atone for her mistake. She had squandered her
life as a human. But she would live her life fully and meaningfully
as a vampire.
    Bryn had thought that Nana
would object when she decided to become an Enforcer. Hunting and
destroying rogues was a dangerous job, and many Enforcers had been
gravely injured or killed in the line of duty. If Nana had voiced
her objection, Bryn would have understood. After all, Nana had
nearly lost her just a few years ago. But to her surprise and
amazement, Nana had approved wholeheartedly. She had given Bryn her
blessings and her unequivocal support. “Choosing to give your
life for others is not the same as choosing to throw your life away.
These are two very, very different things,” Nana had told her.
“One is an act of courage and compassion. The other is the
height of cowardice and selfishness. Do you understand, Bryn?”
    Bryn understood only too well.
She had been so weak and stupid as a teenage human girl. She had
caused her Nana so much pain and worry.
    As a vampire, Bryn realized
how lucky she was. She had a good, honorable Master and she had a
brave, feisty grandmother who loved her so much.
    Bryn had dreaded and feared
meeting her Master. Master vampires usually Called their vamps soon
after their turning. The Master could control and command his
vampires. But Glenn Constantine never Called Bryn. In fact, she
never heard from him after her turning. It was only three years
later that she bumped into him at the PAC Headquarters, when she
signed up for the PAC Enforcers' training program.
    She had been so nervous and
jittery the first time she came face to face with Glenn Constantine.
But to her surprise and delight, she found that Glenn Constantine was
one of the coolest Master vampires around. He might be an ancient
vamp, but he wasn't old school and old fashioned, like most Master
vampires. He didn't believe in controlling and coercing his vamps.
He had turned her only to save her life, and to save her grandmother
from heartbreak.
    “ I pretty much leave my
vamps alone,” he'd told her. “But if you ever turn
rogue,” he warned, “I'll come after you and stake you
myself.”
    Not one to break her word,
Nana had baked Glenn Constantine the biggest and bloodiest pie ever.
Bryn had proudly presented that ginormous blood pie to her Master
when she passed the Final test on her second try and received her
Enforcer's Badge.
    Glenn had accepted the
homemade blood pie with pride and affection. “My youngest
vampire, all grown up and graduated,” Glenn had mused, sounding
too much like a proud parent.
    It had been just six years ago
that she had been a foolish, teenage human girl. That was a lifetime
ago.
    She was now a