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It occurred to me that the grizzly was honing in on me more than expected, and I wondered if I’d given away more than I should, with my comfort around Etta.
If this went where I wanted it to go, eventually we’d have to deal with the backlash of going public, but we needed to be able to stand strong together before that happened, and we weren’t even close to considering that yet.
Chapter 23
Etta
I managed to get along with Kelsey and her men well enough in the days that followed. Kelsey was a new vampire who was badly in need of actual vampires to teach her. Thankfully, she was intelligent and eager to learn, and I can enjoy playing the part of teacher when this is the case.
She was a dichotomy — a baby vampire who fell down a hill and nearly beheaded herself with her lack of control over her own magic, but who had enough presence of mind to make sure I was on top of dealing with any humans that might pass close enough to see a bloody female with a massive head wound biting and drinking from a large male.
Because of this, I thought the weekly Dungeons and Dragons game she and the mongoose attended might be a good test of how well she could manage her new ability. She’d be in a room full of horny human men, after all. On my orders, Kelsey hacked the home’s security system and disengaged the window alarm on the room she’d be in. She also verified I’d be safe to sit on the backside of the roof without activating the security system, so I could either telepathically coach Kelsey through a difficulty or figure out how to remove her without it looking odd to the humans, if there was an issue.
I didn’t expect to have company while I sat on the roof, but I wasn’t upset — or surprised — to see Ryan already in place, waiting for me when I arrived.
I hope that someday you trust me enough to let me in on how you know these things, I told him as I sat beside him.
You’re certain she’s ready for this?
If I were certain, I wouldn’t be here as spotter. I’m certain she has the strength of will and the skills to survive the night without doing anything inappropriate, but whether she chooses to bow to temptation or not will be entirely up to her.
It’s good she has you and Marco looking out for her best interests. She’s one of the good ones, and I look forward to seeing how she can help alter vampire society at the highest levels in the coming centuries.
You know, she just might manage, someday, though if the oldest and most powerful vampires knew that was a possibility, she wouldn’t survive to the end of the week.
Then perhaps you should work to hide how quickly she’s gaining powers and abilities.
I nodded. We’ll be bringing her to the coterie house more often, so she can learn from us, but Marco and I have already talked about the best way to keep her out of the gossip. Out of sight, out of mind.
I’ve missed you.
I wasn’t sure how to respond. In truth, I’d been busy with Kelsey and her men while also trying to handle coterie issues over the phone and video chat, and my nights had been hectic. However, it was nice to be able to spend this time with Ryan while keeping part of my consciousness on what was happening in the house below us. I was pleased to find you waiting for me, and I’m enjoying our time together. I’m looking forward to our table tennis match, and our next two chess games.
It's only going to take one more chess game, but I, too, am looking forward to it.
Imagine my surprise when the shifters had shown me around their home and I’d discovered they had a ping pong table, and that Fabio is quite good. We’d only played a few games, but Marco had someone who was going to work with me once I was back in the coterie house, so I’d be ready for my match with Ryan.
But Ryan didn’t need to know I was practicing, so I changed the subject. Can you explain what they are doing? I thought it was a game, and there are dice involved, and the numbers seem important when they’re rolled, but it’s just some kind of elaborate story. I could go into one of the human’s minds and get the answer, but I was monitoring Kelsey and talking to Ryan. Also, this would tell Ryan I was staying out of the humans’ heads.
Think of it as a story that’s being made up as they go along. The dice means chance dictates the events, much as events in life dictate how things go. You’ve really never read Tolkien or Douglas Adams?
I’ve been educated several times in the nearly thousand years since I was made Vampire, but there hasn’t been an opportunity for me to enjoy books or other forms of entertainment in centuries. Marco is of the opinion I need to watch some American television shows and movies. He gave me a list. Would you like to watch some of them with me?
Venom was going to watch a show called Billions with me, and Jayce had invited me to his home to watch a trilogy called The Matrix. Patience had booked around twelve hours of every week toward watching the shows on Marco’s list, so it would be nice to do some double duty and spend some of that time with Ryan.
Is The Big Bang on that list? It’ll probably help you understand the geek factor best, and possibly some other Americanisms I can explain as we go. Does he have you watching them alone, or with someone?
Apparently, I need someone smart with me to help me with The Matrix, and someone who understands the stock market to walk me through Billions. The shows I’ll watch by myself, there are pages of notes for me to read through, so I’ll understand the specific nuances Marco wants me to grasp. I understand the stock market enough to watch over the people who invest my money for me, but Venom tells me this show deals with people who manipulate it, both legally and illegally, and it goes much deeper than my current knowledge.
I’m certain that most all of Abbott’s vampires, now Zander’s, kept up with current events and entertainment. I know at least one vampire in Birmingham who does not, but of the ones I’m around, most do. Is this not the case in Europe?
I’m not sure that’s something that would be my secret to tell. I considered what I could say and added, Amongst the most powerful, there are some who keep track of the political landscape, but otherwise don’t bother with the affairs of humans. In my case, my time was strictly regimented and didn’t belong to me.
I’m sorry you had to go through that, but I’m happy Marco was able to bargain for you. Would you allow me to send images of my parents to you through this pathway?
One had to open up a little more to accept images, and it would be crazy to do so with a slayer, but maybe not with this particular one.
I assume you’ll explain why I need these images, once I have them?
