Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready

announce it to the world?”
    “No one will believe it,” I point out. “Sometimes the best way to hide the truth is to tell it.”
    He shakes his head. “There are people out there wacked enough to believe it, and they’d come after us. We’d be in danger for the same reasons we’d be popular. People would want to get close to us.”
    “And they can, by buying our merchandise.” I reach into a bag at my feet and with a grand gesture unfold a black T-shirt featuring the logo. On the back it says, FEED THE NEED. A chorus of
oohs
and
ahhs
greets the unveiling, with one exception.
    “This crap trivializes what we do,” Shane says. “Haven’t we always resisted commercialization?”
    David moves next to me. “Like it or not,” he says to Shane, “the recording industry has always been about money, and money comes from images and marketing.”
    “That’s bullshit.” Shane glares at David. “It’s not what we’re about. We’re one of the few places left that’s still about the music.” He gestures to the T-shirt, and me in the process. “This corrupts our mission.”
    Regina croaks a laugh. “Our mission is to stay alive.”
    “Yeah, Shane, it’s easy for you to be idealistic,” Jim says. “You’re young. You can find other work. Hell, you still look human.” He twists the last word into an insult.
    “But I’m not human.” Shane glances at me, then focuses on the other vampires. “None of us are. If we spend too much time in public, someone’ll figure out the truth.Next thing you know, late one night we’ll find ourselves delayed on the way home. Then it’s ‘Good Day Sunshine,’ and they’ll be sweeping us into a dustpan.”
    I squirm at the image. Spencer sees my reaction and tilts his head. “What do you care, honey? Why wouldn’t you be just as happy to see us go
poof
?”
    They all turn to me. I put down the T-shirt. It takes a moment to decide how much to tell them.
    “It may be hard to believe, but I’m not all that different from you. I suspect that’s why David hired me.”
    He nods with half a smile.
    “I used to prey on people, too, for money instead of blood. It’s how I was raised.” I’ve never said this out loud. “I liked it. I was good at it. I’ve made a career out of it for the last six years.” I look at them, each in the eyes. “So I can’t judge you for taking what you need to survive.”
    “If you’re just as predatory as us,” Regina says, “why should we trust you?”
    “Because I said so.” David steps forward, his posture straight and sure. “I’ve always protected you guys, and I always will.”
    Shane groans and runs his hands over his scalp. “You’re not omnipotent, David, even with the Control at your back. And have you even thought about how other vampires will react? Some of them already think we mingle too much with humans.”
    “It’s none of their fucking business,” Regina says. “We do our thing, they do theirs, we keep to ourselves. That’s the way it’s always been.”
    “This is not keeping to ourselves.” Shane points to the logo projected on the wall. “This changes everything.”
    Spencer taps his cup on the table. “Shane, I don’tsee as we have much choice. It’s either this or we end up homeless and out of work.”
    “Exactly,” David says. “So do we have your support?”
    “No.” Shane looks at me. “Sorry.”
    Regina eyes him with disgust. “Then stay out of it and let the rest of us have our fun.”
    He meets her gaze. “I hope you live long enough to hear me say, ‘I told you so.’”
    “It’s settled.” David rubs his hands together. “Ciara and Frank and I will draw up more specific plans and let each of you know where you fit in. Meeting adjourned.”
    I turn back to the projector to gather the transparencies. Several of the slippery little bastards slide onto the floor, scattering out of order. Augh. Why can’t this place use an LCD projector like the rest of the universe?
    “I got