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“Some, I’m sure you could kill in the daytime, others…” He rocked his head back and forth as though weighing the odds. “Let’s just say that if I were to make a wager, I would not bet on your little ragtag team of vampire killers.”
Doug chuckled a little at that.
“That’s an accurate description. Are all of the other vampires aware of us?”
“Some are, others I don’t speak to. We’re not what I would call asociety.”
“And if we left them alone, they would leaveusalone?”
“I have no idea. You’ve staked a vampire. Some might leave because of the attention, others might feel territorial and under threat, others still, like me, will wait to see if you’re an existential danger. This is a great place to live, and it would be hard to give up. But I could. We’re not sentimental, we can go anywhere.”
“But you’re not loyal to one another.”
“Not especially.”
“In what ways are you still… human?”
“Interesting question,” Ansel said. “I still love beauty and pleasure. I have emotions, they’re just… muted, I suppose, compared to yours. I can still care about things, people, but I can detach easily, too, and start over.”
“So,” Doug said. “My next question. Saber said you were in Venice in the 1500s.”
Ansel smiled broadly then, as though at the memory. That smile, and the porcelain white fangs, caused her to shudder.
“Yes.”
“What was it like?”
Ansel smiled and looked up at the ceiling, remembering.
“Resplendent.”
“Tell me.”
“That was the most remarkable experience of my life,” Doug said when they got back in Saber’s car.
Doug had interrogated Ansel about history, and Ansel had shown not a trace of irritation or impatience. He liked talking about history, what the world had been like before.
“You can see why I like him,” Saber said.
“I’m still not sure I trust him, or if I trust him withyou, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he is a complex being with thoughts and feelings, even if his are very… different from ours. Just remarkable.”
Lozen was quiet and stared out of the window in the back seat. After they dropped off Doug, they started the drive back to Saber’s house.
“Are you still worried about him?” Saber asked Lozen, her hands on the steering wheel, staring straight ahead.
“No, it’s not about that. Sorry. I got an offer from USC, but they didn’t offer me enough financial aid. There’s no way I can get loans. I can’t go.”
“What about UCLA?”
“I didn’t get in, Saber.”
“Wow. But you did literally everything!”
Lozen threw up her hands and laughed.
“It’s fine,” she said. “I’ll probably get a spot at UW. I’ll figure something out. I’m just… exhausted. I don’t want to go to college in Seattle. I don’t want to spend another winter here.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
