as melted butter, but there was a challenge in the saccharine tone that Eva knew wouldn’t go unnoticed. She squirmed uncomfortably, searching for something to say.
“That was…creepy,” was all she come up with.
“I find it comes in handy.” He and Julian were locked eye to eye.
Change the subject. “Tell us about the others,” she proposed.
Her request served its purpose. Distracted, Reid focused on her once again. “There are thirty-two in our circle now, yourselves included. Twenty-seven males and five females.”
“ Thirty-two? That’s it? ” This was a little surprising. Somehow she’d expected more - a lot more.
“We’re a very select group. You should count yoursel ves fortunate to have joined our ranks.”
“Well…will we be meeting the others?”
“No, not unless a situation comes up where I find it necessary.” He drummed his fingers on the laptop. “You see, as the elder it’s my responsibility to ensure that we remain undetected, not just with the humans but with each other. Kendall and I are the only ones who have access to the names and locations of each individual in our group. You won’t be given any information regarding the others, and in turn your privacy will be respected as well.”
That sounded odd. “But how come? I mean, why would it matter?”
Reid stroked his lips with an index finger. His eyes wandered down the length of her body, then back up to her face. “Well, young miss, we tend not to get along. As your elementary school teacher might say, we don’t play well with others.” He glanced at Julian, then returned his attention to her. “Male vampires are not only extremely aggressive but territorial as well. I’m afraid we have a tendency to fight amongst ourselves, barbaric as it seems. It’s simply in our nature.”
“Tristan didn’t seem very confrontational,” she pointed out, and was startled by his contemptuous burst of laughter.
“Tristan Kendall is a rare exception. He’s in what you might call a…class of his own.”
“How so?”
“Couldn’t you tell?” Shaking his head at her confused expression, he revealed, “He’s gay. Queer as a three dollar bill. You didn’t pick up on that?”
“U m…oh.” Eva stared down at her knees, embarrassed.
“ I’ve known him for a long time…guess I just assumed it was obvious to everyone else. Maybe it isn’t, I don’t know. Anyway, makes no difference to me.”
Julian suddenly spoke, his voice quiet but authoritative. “You’ve stated that you’re the eldest among us. May I ask just how old you are?”
“I was born in 1897. My father and I were actually bootleggers in this area back in the twenties, before my transformation in ’26.” There was pride in his admission.
“ 1926? And you’re telling me there are none older than you?” The disbelief in Julian’s tone was evident. “Our legends date back countless years…how can you possibly be the oldest living vampire?”
“As I stated before, we don’t get along well with one another. Simply put, we fight. As uncivilized as it may be, that’s what happened to the majority. This is why I prefer to keep everyone spread out. And then, of course, there are the others…those who become so disillusioned with endless life that they choose to end it.”
“How could they possibly do that?” Eva wondered.
“Well, they can’t, not alone. A suicidal fanger has to recruit the assistance of another. Given our violent nature, it’s not a request that’s usually denied.”
She pondered this. Personally she felt no antagonism whatsoever toward s the man before her. Julian, on the other hand, seemed particularly defensive. Her mind wandered to the ancient dagger. Without it, could she have managed to destroy Edan? “How is it done?”
“ Decapitation, of course. Surely your fiancé was already aware of that.”
Then the dagger wasn’t the only means of destruction, after all. “This aggressive nature…is it limited to
“That was…creepy,” was all she come up with.
“I find it comes in handy.” He and Julian were locked eye to eye.
Change the subject. “Tell us about the others,” she proposed.
Her request served its purpose. Distracted, Reid focused on her once again. “There are thirty-two in our circle now, yourselves included. Twenty-seven males and five females.”
“ Thirty-two? That’s it? ” This was a little surprising. Somehow she’d expected more - a lot more.
“We’re a very select group. You should count yoursel ves fortunate to have joined our ranks.”
“Well…will we be meeting the others?”
“No, not unless a situation comes up where I find it necessary.” He drummed his fingers on the laptop. “You see, as the elder it’s my responsibility to ensure that we remain undetected, not just with the humans but with each other. Kendall and I are the only ones who have access to the names and locations of each individual in our group. You won’t be given any information regarding the others, and in turn your privacy will be respected as well.”
That sounded odd. “But how come? I mean, why would it matter?”
Reid stroked his lips with an index finger. His eyes wandered down the length of her body, then back up to her face. “Well, young miss, we tend not to get along. As your elementary school teacher might say, we don’t play well with others.” He glanced at Julian, then returned his attention to her. “Male vampires are not only extremely aggressive but territorial as well. I’m afraid we have a tendency to fight amongst ourselves, barbaric as it seems. It’s simply in our nature.”
“Tristan didn’t seem very confrontational,” she pointed out, and was startled by his contemptuous burst of laughter.
“Tristan Kendall is a rare exception. He’s in what you might call a…class of his own.”
“How so?”
“Couldn’t you tell?” Shaking his head at her confused expression, he revealed, “He’s gay. Queer as a three dollar bill. You didn’t pick up on that?”
“U m…oh.” Eva stared down at her knees, embarrassed.
“ I’ve known him for a long time…guess I just assumed it was obvious to everyone else. Maybe it isn’t, I don’t know. Anyway, makes no difference to me.”
Julian suddenly spoke, his voice quiet but authoritative. “You’ve stated that you’re the eldest among us. May I ask just how old you are?”
“I was born in 1897. My father and I were actually bootleggers in this area back in the twenties, before my transformation in ’26.” There was pride in his admission.
“ 1926? And you’re telling me there are none older than you?” The disbelief in Julian’s tone was evident. “Our legends date back countless years…how can you possibly be the oldest living vampire?”
“As I stated before, we don’t get along well with one another. Simply put, we fight. As uncivilized as it may be, that’s what happened to the majority. This is why I prefer to keep everyone spread out. And then, of course, there are the others…those who become so disillusioned with endless life that they choose to end it.”
“How could they possibly do that?” Eva wondered.
“Well, they can’t, not alone. A suicidal fanger has to recruit the assistance of another. Given our violent nature, it’s not a request that’s usually denied.”
She pondered this. Personally she felt no antagonism whatsoever toward s the man before her. Julian, on the other hand, seemed particularly defensive. Her mind wandered to the ancient dagger. Without it, could she have managed to destroy Edan? “How is it done?”
“ Decapitation, of course. Surely your fiancé was already aware of that.”
Then the dagger wasn’t the only means of destruction, after all. “This aggressive nature…is it limited to
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