Chapter Three

TWO VANS AWAITED them in the parking lot outside the office at six thirty Monday night. The camera crew loaded equipment into the back while everyone else milled around waiting. Stephen was getting his makeup touched up, but otherwise no one else was doing anything.

Kana pulled the potion vial out of his bag and walked over to Stephen.

“I found a good vampire repellent. It would be best if everyone put some on now,” Kana explained.

Stephen didn’t move because he was getting mascara applied, but his lips tightened in a small, disbelieving sneer.

“Fine,” he said, much to Kana’s relief. “What do you need to do?”

Kana held up the vial for Stephen to see. “I need to dab a drop of this on both sides of your neck and the inside of both wrists, to protect your exposed pulse points.”

Stephen snorted, but he waved the makeup artist away and tilted his neck for easier access. Kana dipped an applewood toothpick into the potion, coating just the tip, and quickly drew a small circle and pentagram with the oil onto Stephen. Both sides of the neck, both wrists, and Kana quickly moved on to the next person.

He made sure every single person climbing into one of the vans was treated with the oil, and then Kana took his seat and buckled up for the drive to the vampire’s castle.

It’s my turn to go inside, Sora insisted. I want to see the pretty wolf with the shoulders.

It’s not like I got to see him last time, Mika argued back. I had to stay inside the bag the whole time.

It’s my turn, Sora repeated, and as if that ended the argument, he climbed into Kana’s lap and tapped the bag with a paw in a demand to be let inside.

Kana obeyed, but he reached down to give Mika’s ears a scritch in consolation.

They reached the compound a little after seven. Two wolves wearing identical green polo shirts and black pants—possibly their official guard uniform, though no one had been wearing the outfit last time—were standing outside the gate, waiting for them.

“You’ll walk from here,” one of the wolves said. He waved toward the open door leading into the guard house and Kana winced. He remembered the long walk from before, as he was taken in circles, and didn’t envy the camera crew’s job lugging all the equipment inside.

Luckily Stephen didn’t try to argue that the driveway continued past the ornate black iron gates, and it would be easier to drive the vans to the front door. He didn’t look pleased, though.

Kana carefully put on his backpack, and then went to help the camera crew with some of their extra bags. Mika used the confusion of unloading to conceal himself as he snuck out of the van and went to find somewhere to hide so he could be close in case Kana needed him.

The walk through the hallways was just as long, and Kana’s arms and back were already aching by the time they reached the staircase. Going down the flight of steps while carrying heavy bags was tiring, as was the last, long hallway. The werewolf guides waved the group into the sitting room at the end, and Kana and the others let out a relieved sigh at finally reaching their destination.

Ember waited for them alone. He had a curly earbud in one ear and wore the same green polo shirt, except he had an extra patch on the sleeve that Kana assumed denoted his rank. The green against his brown eyes had Kana reflexively swallowing, so he looked away before Ember noticed.

“Get set up,” Ember told them once everyone was inside. “When you’re ready, the master and mistress will come speak with you.” Ember stepped back until he stood directly in front of the door Kana assumed led into the rest of the house.

Kana gave his bags to the camera crew and then went to help Beth organize the cue cards and scripts Stephen and his co-star Marilyn would need during the interview.

Every once in a while, Kana caught a scent of chamomile, or of campfire smoke, but he didn’t smell garlic. He could only hope the vampires wouldn’t notice and be offended, but the oil appeared to be unobtrusive enough.

What if I just poke my nose out? It’s so busy; there’s no way anyone would notice. Sora’s voice was hopeful and plaintive, but Kana knew better than to give in. Sora would ask for the world if he could, whereas Mika was much more practical.

Don’t even think about it, Kana replied through their bond. There’s no telling what those werewolves are capable of noticing.

Ugh. That’s not fun. Sora thankfully subsided and Kana was able to focus on his work.

Everything was set up by eight. Marilyn walked over to Ember, tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder—Kana didn’t want to know how much hairspray she had used, because it moved as one solid mass—and smiled her best reporter-on-camera smile.

“We’re ready,” she said.

Ember nodded. He reached behind himself and knocked three times on the door.

Nothing happened for a few long minutes. Marilyn shifted her weight in her spike heels and Stephen huffed from where he was waiting by the long couch where the lights and microphones had been set up, but Ember’s stern face didn’t even twitch in response.

Suddenly, Ember took two steps forward and shifted to the side so he could turn the doorknob and hold the door open. Master Octavius and Mistress Penelope swept into the room. Octavius’s cravat and Penelope’s dress were both two sizes larger than when Kana had last seen them. The cravat spilled lace and puff down his neck and chest, emphasizing the straight lines of the tooled and embroidered jacket. He was carrying a black cane with an engraved silver head, and she was carrying a lacy fan with some sort of red-and-black pattern on it. Penelope’s skirts were so wide they brushed either side of the doorway as she walked, and Stephen had to stumble out of her way to keep from getting hit. Kana wouldn’t have thought it possible, but her skirts had more embroidery than Octavius’s jacket.

Ember closed the door and resumed his post in front of it. The vampires sat on one couch and Stephen and Marilyn took the other, and Kana had to pull his focus from Ember and back to his job.

“Thank you so much for speaking with us today,” Stephen began, his smile and his voice his perfect reporter level of smarmy.

“We are most intrigued as to whether we are visible on the new technology,” Master Octavius said. He looked straight at the camera, his face a perfect mask of gentle curiosity.

Kana suddenly hoped they were completely and perfectly visible. Something about the dark depth in Octavius’s eyes said this was more than idle curiosity, and Kana had a sinking suspicion as to why. If they didn’t show up in modern cameras, then if they attacked someone in public, no human could record them in the act. If confronted afterward, they would say it was another vampire, and no one could disprove them.

Kana let out a relieved breath when Joe, the guy behind the camera, grinned. He turned the view screen around to show the vampires. From Kana’s vantage off to the side where he wouldn’t get in the way of the shot, he was able to see both Octavius and Penelope in the frame. Their outlines were blurred, but the basic features were easy to make out.

“How intriguing. It is amazing how technology had changed so significantly in so short a time. Please, ask your questions.”

Beth passed Kana the first cue card to hold up. Stephen glanced his way, then turned back to the vampires.

“We have never had vampires living in our city,” Stephen began. “Tell us a bit about yourself and your kind?”

Octavius smiled with his lips closed, but Kana couldn’t help noticing the corners of his eyes didn’t move. Despite hiding his teeth, somehow that smile still sent a cold, apprehensive shiver down Kana’s spine.

“We are very similar to humans because we were once human ourselves. Humans have far less to fear from us than from creatures who have never known humanity. Yes, we drink blood, but we have grown practiced at surrounding ourselves with willing donors, so the general populace need not fear our presence here.”

A slight movement visible out of the corner of his eye caught Kana’s attention, and when he turned his head to look, he saw Ember slowly straightening his fingers. Had something Octavius said made Ember clench his fist? Kana held up the next cue card on autopilot, trying to mentally parse through Octavius’s words.

Less to fear from vampires because they were once human was a canned, bullshit phrase. Anyone who knew their basic history lessons knew vampires, werewolves, and other magical creatures who had lost their humanity were what caused the most trouble for humans. That was why hunter groups specific to both creatures existed, but there weren’t hunters targeting sylphs, for example. Of course, there were all sorts of hunter groups out there, including ones who hunted what they perceived as bad witches, which was yet another reason Kana had to keep his powers secret. Some hunters targeted what were referred to as monsters, like lamias who ate children, but those were the most extreme cases. Vampire hunters were the most common type because vampires were the most common problem for humans.

Ember couldn’t have been reacting to that, then, which meant it was either what Octavius had said about the willing donors, or that the local community didn’t need to worry about the vampires. The latter half of the statement was more bullshit, although Stephen and Marilyn seemed to be buying it as their shoulders were loosening and their plastic smiles had gained a touch of genuine warmth. Which meant the former part of the statement was where the problem lay. If Octavius and Penelope had willing donors, Kana wondered who they were, and just how willing were they?

Why would werewolves choose to play guard to vampires? Sora asked, apparently following Kana’s thoughts. Plus, they live in packs. Why are there only one or two around?

More than one or two, Mika cut in. But they’re all squeezed into the small house in front. I don’t smell any wolves on the lawn or around the doors of the big house.

Kana automatically took another cue card from Beth to hold up. Don’t wolves need space to run? Kana asked. Everything I’ve read says they have to run and hunt, especially on a full moon. Also, Mika, why are you sniffing around the grounds? I thought you were staying outside?

These wolves are definitely not hunting, Mika replied, blithely ignoring the second part of Kana’s question.

Kana glanced at Ember again, as if the answers would be as blatantly visible as on Kana’s cue cards, but Ember’s face and body were back to a completely stoic mien.

Something wasn’t right here, and Kana had a sinking feeling it had to do with the two vampires sitting on the couch, blithely answering Stephen and Marilyn’s questions.

Beth passed Kana the last cue card and Kana held it up.

“Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us,” Stephen said after a quick glance in Kana’s direction to read the card. “We appreciate your being candid, and I know the residents of our great city will be much more welcoming now they know how wonderful you’ll be as our neighbors!”

“I anticipate a lovely relationship with everyone,” Octavius replied, and his odd, closed-mouth smile returned.

The interview ended and Stephen and Marilyn stood to shake hands with Octavius and Penelope. Kana turned away to help Beth gather the scattered cue cards and to start packing up. The sooner all the humans got out of the vampire’s territory, the better.

Kana was just zipping up the bag full of his and Beth’s supplies when a sharp, bright light flashed through the room. A woman screamed and Kana spun around.

Mistress Penelope was writhing on the ground, both hands pressed to her mouth. Stephen was standing next to her, his eyes wide with shock. One shaking hand touched the side of his neck, right where Kana had applied his potion, but when he pulled it away to look at his fingers, they were clean.

“She tried to bite me,” Stephen said, his voice breathy as if he couldn’t find the oxygen to get the words out.

Penelope screamed again, a bestial sound of defiance. She stood, staggered, and then fell back to her knees, catching herself on the hard floor with one hand.

Her mouth and most of her lower jaw were black and the skin was flaking off like ashes from a cold firepit blowing in the wind. The black was spreading too, crawling up the sides of her face until her cheeks were covered. The air smelled faintly of chamomile and charred flesh.

Kana’s spell had done that? Kana fought to keep his face blank, to prevent his shock and pleased surprise from alerting anyone he was the genesis of the magic. A spell he had made up on the fly had managed to keep Penelope from making Stephen her lunch. Kana couldn’t help being happy at his success, even as Penelope let out another terrible shriek.

The black was creeping down her neck too. Kana half-expected to feel some sort of remorse or stomach-churning despair at having hurt another living being, but he didn’t feel bad at all about what his spell was doing to Penelope. Had she left everyone alone, had she treated the humans like welcome visitors instead of prey, everyone would have walked out of the room completely unharmed. Instead, she proved everything she and Octavius had said during the interview about being harmless to humans was a lie, and she was paying the price. Kana’s spell being the reason generated nothing but satisfaction in Kana.

Octavius walked past Penelope. She held out a shaking hand toward him as if beseeching him for help, but he didn’t even look in her direction. He did glance briefly at Ember as he reached the door.

“Find the culprit,” Octavius said, his voice cold and emotionless.

Ember bowed and pulled the door open.

“Yes, Master Octavius,” Ember replied, and his voice was as blank as his face. Kana had missed his initial reaction to what was happening to Penelope. Ember had complete control over his body now, which was showing as little emotion as Octavius’s.

Octavius swept through the open door and Ember shut it firmly behind him.