My Vampire Harem Will Dominate Everything

James moved through the crowd, smiling politely at those who greeted him.

He was the host, so he had to mingle and converse with his honored guests.

He had considered canceling the party but a chance like this might not come again. He smiled politely at the chairman of a media conglomerate before excusing himself.

His eyes scanned the ballroom, moving from face to face until it landed on Ezra Matten. The peacekeeper captain was standing with a woman that James didn't recognize.

That wasn't any of his wives. His eyes narrowed. What was Matten playing at?

He signaled subtly and one of the vampires he had stationed around the room walked to him.

"Who is that?" He motioned at the woman.

"That's Hannah Connell, my Lord. She's a peacekeeper."

James tilted his head, staring at them. As if feeling the eyes on them, Ezra Matten turned and met his gaze from across the room.

He bowed slightly at James in greeting and James nodded back before turning away.

"Find everything you can about this Hannah. I want to know all we have as soon as possible."

"Yes, my Lord." The vampire left.

James sent one final glance at Ezra before moving on. It was suspicious that Ezra would bring someone new with him after coming with one of his wives for the past nine years.

He continued his walk around the room, greeting associates before moving to where Anya stood, a glass of wine in her hand.

She took a sip as he approached. "Fascinating, isn't it?"

James raised a brow in question.

"Everyone in here has a glass of wine in hand and yet the humans drink from their cup of red wine, unaware that their neighbors drink blood."

James looked in the direction she was staring at, seeing some humans locked in pleasant conversation with one of his more brutal Counts.

He turned back to look at Anya. He'd known her long enough to see it clearly in her posture. In the way her eyes darted around and the way she held her cup.

"You're afraid." He said to her.

"Of course I am." She snapped at him before calming down. "Shit." She cursed under her breath.

James stood quietly next to her. The ball with its elite guests and shining decorations was a reminder of what he'd built and what he'd done to build it.

He could understand exactly what Anya was feeling, after all, he felt the same.

That feeling of dread. Of a ticking clock hanging over them both.

Genesis' words kept echoing in his ears.

Your days on this earth are numbered. Enjoy it while you still can.

He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore it but time was slipping through his fingers. His clock was counting down and Genesis had yet to make her move.

Anya took another sip of her wine before turning to him. "Are you sure she'll come? She has absolutely no reason to."

James' eyes narrowed as he scanned the crowd again. "She'll come. She has to."

Even to his ears, he sounded like he was trying to convince himself. This was their best chance of catching Genesis and ending the threat that she was.

They needed to do this before the Attendant arrived.

Anya glanced at him. This time, she wasn't even trying to hide the worry on her face.

"The Attendant will be here very soon, James. A week or two at least."

James said nothing.

"If Genesis waits until then, it'll be too late for us to contain the situation. I think we might be underestimating her intelligence. She has no reason to be here."

James shook his head at her words. He couldn't allow himself to be in doubt. Not right now.

"No, Anya. She's been provoking us this whole time, setting things up for a grand reveal. She knows what the Attendant's arrival means. She won't miss the chance to set up the stage for them. Create an incident that cannot simply be swept under the rug. She'll come. I can feel it."

"My Lord." Alfred appeared at James' side giving him a slight bow.

"Found anything yet?"

"No, my Lord. So far, we've only found and dealt with a handful of guests Genesis had manipulated."

"Their minds had been tampered with and they came here to try killing me."

James turned to look at Alfred. "Who?"

Alfred hesitated before answering. "It's a bit odd. All the manipulated guests all have me as a target."

Anya's eyes narrowed as she stared at Alfred. "So, you're saying that Genesis is targeting you specifically? Why?"

Alfred tried to keep his expression neutral but James could see the confusion in his eyes.

"I... don't know, my lady." He said.

James frowned. Why was Genesis sending people after Alfred? He hadn't been involved with what had happened to the Nicodemus coven.

His frown deepened as his mind went back to the last time he'd conversed with her. She had used their conversation as a distraction to set something up.

What if this was also the same thing? Using the ball and the manipulated guests to keep all attention on the ball and away from whatever she was doing out in the city?

He turned to Alfred. "Take as many guards as we can spare. Go into the city. If Genesis isn't here, she's out there. Find her."

"Yes, my Lord."

"And check on Ezra's wives along the way. If anything seems suspicious, you have my authority to confront them."

His eyes went up to see Ezra laughing in the middle of his conversation.

"It's suspicious that his wives are not here. Go."

Alfred nodded and turned away. He left, signaling to some of the guards who left their posts to follow him out.

James watched them leave, a new worry taking hold in his gut. They had to find Genesis, no matter what.

"Are you sure about this?" Anya spoke up from his side. "What if you're right and she attacks here? What if this is her plan? To spread the guards thin before attacking?"

"I'll take the risk." James said confidently. He opened his mouth to say something when his attention was drawn by a commotion near the exit.

"Murderer." Somebody yelled before some guests started screaming.