The fact that he was potentially a vampire did not go unnoticed by me. I found it ironic. Vampires had such a bad rap in the fictional world. They were written as bloodthirsty savages who had no moral compass and viewed human life, reallyanylife, as so beneath them that they felt like they were sullying themselves by being around anything other than their own kind.
Draven didn’t give off those vibes at all. From the little I’d interacted with him, I found him to be kind, thoughtful, intelligent, and prone to bouts of what most might consider excessive generosity. His laugh did strange things to my chest, and I felt like I could be around him, day in and day out, without difficulty.
In fact, I was getting the impression from him that he was as lonely as I was. Maybe not to the point that he would welcome a feral cat, like I’d been getting perilously close to, but there was a loneliness in his voice that I could hear. I was careful not to indicate that I knew this through any of my actions or conversation. It was a tidbit about him that I kept close to my chest and pondered.
There was a knock at the door, and I wasn’t really surprised to find room service on the other side with a rolling tray of covered dishes. They wheeled the rolling tray in and arranged everything on the table in the dining area. I tried to tip them, but was rebuffed. “Mr. Leto has taken care of all gratuities for your stay, Miss,” I was again kindly reminded.
Of course he had. I felt a little like a sheep that was being herded by a sheepdog.
“You realized I can choose my own food, yes?” I said into the phone, still connected with Draven.
“You wouldn’t have eaten.”
It frustrated me that he knew that about me so quickly. Was I that transparent? I sighed in defeat and tried not to grumble at the nice man that just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to starve to death while waiting for my interview with him. I swallowed my pride.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Durran. Have a good evening.”
“You too.”
We clicked off, and I took the lids off the platters of food on the table, my stomach snarling in anticipation of yummy food again. Draven seemed to have an uncanny idea of my tastes, or at least what most people liked. I thought this was amusing considering what he potentially was and what vampires ate.
One plate contained pan roasted filet mignon and braised short-rib ravioli with natural jus. (I wouldn’t have known what it was, but they kindly put a menu card with each silver tray.) And the other contained an assortment of desserts.
My eyes widened. I’d never had filet mignon before. And the braised short-rib ravioli sounded delish too. I grabbed a plate off the warmer, and loaded it up with a bit of everything, including the side-salad they’d provided with house dressing. There was a bevy of drinks lined up behind the silver platters. I chose a Dr. Pepper and sat down on the couch, turning on some mindless TV so I didn’t have to listen to the silence in the room.
I went to bed early that night, and for the first time that I could remember, I felt anticipation at the thought of waking up and doing this all over again the next day. The wonderful hotel room, the yummy food... That I had nothing more stressful on my to-do list than taking a walk and later getting some essentials for my trip, filled me with such a contented feeling that I laughed out loud.
I hadn’t realized the sheer weight of worry and stress I’d been carrying until it had been lifted. I marveled that I was graduating with my business degree in a week, and that I already had a job interview that sounded incredibly promising. And I marveled yet again at the emergence of supernaturals into my life, and that I was so blasé about it. It was like…I’d somehow known all along.
I fell asleep to that thought with a smile on my face.
* * *
Two weeks later,I arrived at the Portland, Oregon airport around 2:30 a.m., bleary-eyed and drooping. All caffeinated beverages had failed their one and only job, and my jaw kept cracking open in wide yawns that probably showed the other weary travelers around me all of my teeth fillings and my entire esophagus.
Mr. Leto had called the moment the courier arrived and handed over my tickets (somehow he knew that I’d just signed for them) and explained that he’d gotten me a red-eye flight into Oregon because he wanted to be able to meet me the moment I arrived at his estate. And as he slept primarily during the daylight hours, a red-eye flight was best. I’d figured he’d at least have one or two cliché vampire habits, so I’d just thanked him for the tickets, and said I looked forward to the interview.
We hadn’t talked much more during my stay, but he’d called about a week ago to let me know that he’d have a driver at the airport waiting for me, and to apologize once again for the flight time. It hadn’t really bothered me. It had been a quiet flight, with most of the passengers asleep. But, because I’d been getting regular sleep for the past two weeks, and getting to bed early at that, the change to my schedule and the long flight had made me so dang tired that I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. I hadn’t been able to sleep on the flight in, despite the extra room that those seated in 1stclass were given.
A tall, muscular man with alarming grayish skin held up a sign in front of me that readMia Durran.I looked around me bleary-eyed. No one else was looking at him in alarm. Of course, it was the middle of the night, but still.
“That’s me,” I said, as I shuffled for my license. He nodded and didn’t laugh at my terrible license picture. I thought that took considerable restraint. He showed me his license to verify to me that he was who Draven had said would meet me, then held a finger up, asking me to wait for just a moment while he dialed a number, and held his phone out to me.
I took it just as Draven’s voice said, “Is she with you?”
“Umm, yes. I’m here in Oregon. I’m assuming he handed me the phone so I could double verify that he’s the right person, and not an axe murderer?”
Draven chuckled. “Yes. Mesmer is big on safety.”
My tired brain appreciated that Mesmer had thought to reach out to Draven. “I have your word that he’s safe?” I cupped my hand around the phone and spoke in a low voice. “He’s gray, you realize?” I knew I was being rude, but my curiosity was roused. I couldn’t think of what a gray supernatural might be. I looked at him, taking in his immense size, thick thighs and calves, gigantic arms and chest, and oversized head. He had gray eyes, and thick, black, buzz-cut hair.
I knew tiredness might affect my sense of him, but he wasn’t really giving off any vibes. He just felt like a quiet, larger-than-life presence to me. Somehow, that was comforting.
“He’s safe. And he’s gray because he’s a gargoyle. Gargoyles are excellent bodyguards, and Mesmer is one of the best. He’s also one of the most loyal beings I’ve ever met.” He changed the subject. “You sound tired.”
While Draven had been speaking, Mesmer grabbed my three huge suitcases like he was merely picking up a fluffy pillow, and led me out of the airport, and into an idling gray limo.
