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“Mostly, we use our powers for good,” Cora said.
Kirsten laughed. “As a group, that would be an always — so far, anyway.” She shrugged. “It’s saved the day a few times, having our little group. It’s important.”
“Hanging out with the women usually isn’t my thing, but I have a feeling this group might not make me want to stab myself in the ears with silver.”
Cora laughed. “I do like you.”
I was glad we’d changed the conversation away from Ryan, and I hated to move it back onto him, but I felt as if I should thank her.
“I appreciate you letting me know what you sensed, with Ryan. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She looked to Kirsten. “They’ll be worried.”
“Yes. I’d expected to need to share energy with you, but I can barely tell anything happened.”
“I said I’d put her own energy back inside her.”
“I sense residual terror, but...” Kirsten looked from Cora to me. “Thank you for keeping her safe while you provided the demonstration.”
She grasped my upper arm, and we were suddenly back in our realm, the waterfall thirty yards away, and the scent of a worried lion filling my nostrils.
“You didn’t just pop over and back.” His Majesty wasn’t pleased.
“We talked a few minutes. It’s all good.”
Marco stood and wrapped Cora in his arms, and she let him. She’s so strong, so capable, but she wasn’t at all self-conscious about going soft in his embrace. Not only that, Marco went a little soft while he held her, too.
“We talked a little about how to do this,” Cora told Marco. “I think, at first, I want to be present. Etta pointed out how, for some of our people, walking away to leave them to her not-so-tender mercies would be appropriate, and for others, watching will be. You and I will need to decide which, likely together.”
“Yes. Depending on the circumstance and people. Agreed.”
I returned to my seat beside Ryan, and he put his arm across the back of the sofa — not around me, but it was the same basic energy and it made me feel welcomed, as if I’d returned to the spot where I belong. His body radiated warmth, and while I don’t feel the cold, I appreciate the heat of a warm-blooded body. Ryan’s about half a foot taller than me, and I fit into him, when I hadn’t expected to.
“I happily serve at the pleasure of my Master,” I told Marco with a smile, and then I looked to Cora. “I know there will be some bumps and twists, but in the long run, I trust the two of you to get this right. Marco is good with me offering my opinion when I disagree with his decisions. I try to always do it in private, or via telepathy if it’s necessary to do so around others. I hope you’ll appreciate my input when it’s just the three of us.”
“I value your input,” Marco told me. “I think I most value that once you’re certain I understand your opinion, you back off and trust me to make the final decision, even if it goes against your counsel.” He looked to the group. “Etta has pointed out that, if someone is going to challenge me, doing so sooner rather than later makes the most strategic sense.”
“I killed so many challengers in my first days as Alpha,” Cora said, “I haven’t had to deal with any incursions or confrontations since. I agree we’ll likely have someone test Marco’s strength and resolve sooner, rather than later.” She looked at him and then back to the group. “Will they know we’ve already worked out mutual assistance deals? Will they come for all of us, or just Marco? That, I don’t know.”
“It’s in our best interest to ensure those in power in our city don’t number amongst our enemies,” Nathan said. “I would expect those agreements to be in place, should I plan an offensive against us.”
“Realistically speaking,” Mordecai told Marco. “No matter who is fighting or how many are brought in, these things nearly always come down to Master against Master. This means cementing your power base as quickly as possible.”
“Master against Master is never merely vampire against vampire,” I told them. “Marco’s power base will, indeed, be important.” Without looking at Marco, I telepathed, And that’s why you have me.
“The last thing any of us wants,” Ryan said, “is for a pro-Celrau Strigorii Master to sweep in and take control of Chattanooga. The Slayers have traditionally been limited when it comes to the politics of who is in charge, but one of my compatriots has meddled a few times without getting her hand slapped too badly. Her reasoning — that keeping the current Master of the City is the healthiest option for the humans in said city — has stood up to the Slayer leadership.” He looked around the room. “If I can be of help, I will do so.”
Chapter 14
Ryan
I followed Ranger’s truck off the property onto the main road, and then down the mountain. Etta found a classical music station and turned it low. Some vampires pride themselves on keeping up with current trends, others stick to their favorite century or decade of music — which may or may not have taken place when they were human. I knew a few centuries-old vampires who prefer Elvis, or Michael Jackson. More than a few were sticking with music from the eighties. Personally, I still enjoyed the big band era as well as eighties hits.
“You weren’t human when that was composed.” It wasn’t a question. Bach composed in the seventeen hundreds, and I knew Etta was older than that.
“No, and I wasn’t in Germany while he was alive, so I didn’t get to meet him. Fifty years later, though, I was there when Johan Pachelbel came to prominence. I knew many of the Baroque composers. I drank from more than I can probably remember. Some are still relevant, centuries later, most are not. I believe we lost some of the greatest works from this exceptional time. Popularity frequently is about marketing, not about how good one is.”
I wasn’t sure where to take the conversation without needing to talk about my own preferences, so I changed the subject. “You have Abbott’s old office at the Hamilton Place TBC, but I’m told Jayce seems to be acting as nighttime manager.”
