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“I don’t typically drink,” Doug said, “but I suppose it might help calm my nerves. I’m just a little bit anxious to meet you, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
Ansel’s smile at Doug was warm and understanding.
“Why did you want to meet me, exactly?”
“Well,” Doug said, settling on the sofa, wringing his hands a little, as though he was trying not to. “When we found out there were vampires, and that they were responsible for the deaths of young people in our community, my first impulse was that the right thing to do was get rid of them.”
Ansel nodded.
“Saber,” Doug said, nodding at her, “seems to think that some vampires don’t warrant killing, that you are, like people, diverse and unique individuals. Some dangerous, predatory killers, others more…discriminatingin your practices. I’ve come to find out what the truth is.”
Ansel nodded again.
“I appreciate your impulse toward fairness,” he said. “But I can assure you that I am absolutely a dangerous, predatory killer, to use your words.”
Doug looked at Ansel with silent scrutiny, deciding what to say next.
“Are you dangerous tous?”
Ansel shrugged.
“If you tried to destroy me, I would fight for my continued existence. I would become very dangerous, and even in the daytime I would likely overpower you. I also have a familiar who protects me, and other security.”
“Who do you… kill? Hunt? Feed on? I don’t know the terminology.”
“I’d prefer not to say.”
“Why not?”
Ansel seemed to flinch a little at the continued questioning about his prey.
“We have different moral systems, and I don’t want to be held to yours. You don’t get to tell the coyotes on the island it’s ok to eat rats, but not people’s pet chickens. Should I prey on the indigent? The damned and imprisoned? The wealthy and powerful? Child abusers? Politicians you personally disagree with?”
“I see what you’re saying,” said Doug. “But if we leave you alone, you’re not a threat to us?”
“I’d say that’s correct. I’m fond of Saber. I don’t want to hurt her, and I don’t want to hurt her friends. Vampires have been on the island for decades, and we have only becomevisiblevery recently.”
“When one of your friends started killing kids,” Lozen said.
Ansel nodded. Lia entered and poured wine for everyone in complete silence, not looking at Saber.
“Who are they?”
“Ysidra started it, as far as I know. She’s a little over a hundred years old and started off as an heiress to a steel fortune around the turn of the century. She was famous for her parties, the type of golden age soirees you read about, where people used precious gems for cocktail garnish. But she always had an appetite for people, using them for sex, for fun, to cause petty little dramas for entertainment, and buying kids with designer clothes and gadgets is very… ‘on brand,’ to use the parlance. Even before she was a vampire, she would tempt serving girls and stable boys with little trinkets, baubles, and get them to do unspeakable things.”
“You knew her when she was human?” Saber asked, feeling a hot prickle of jealousy.
“Yes, I was in New York then. There was a brief time when vampires came out of the shadows, were more open about whatwe were, and were all the rage at parties. The very wealthy begged to be turned. It was a strange time.”
“How many are here on the island?” Doug asked.
Ansel sighed.
“I’m not sure. There are a few I’m… friends with? I’m not sure that’s the right word. I asked one to follow you tonight.”
“We think we know where they live,” said Lozen.
Ansel gave her a pointed look.
