Bite Marks

might require of me. It would be nice to know.

He picked a spot beyond the fence and focused on it, like he could see whole universes moving between the trees. “You understand your own world is not singular. Simply from the perspective of culture, religion, work, hobbies, you move within several different spheres, some of which never touch. Others like me live in your world, but still we are citizens of the Whence, which operates next to your realm, but only sometimes within it. In the Whence, I am Vampere, therefore I am expected to either declare myself Rogue, or stake a territory and create a Trust.”

“Wait a second.” Cole held up his hand. “We’ve got nests all over America and none of them use those names.”

“No,” Vayl agreed, dropping his eyes to meet Cole’s. “But then, they are not Vampere.”

“You mean… there’s another race of vampires?”

“Of course. As you are American and I am Romanian. Or, perhaps more technically correct, as Jasmine is of European descent and Cassandra places her roots in northern Africa. The Vampere hail from a single mother. The Flock from one father.”

“Now I’m confused,” I said. “Only a few of the biggest West Coast nests call themselves the Flock. The rest use other identifiers.”

Vayl nodded. “The Flock is what you would call the central government for those who descend from the Father.”

“So the loners and the smaller gangs…” said Cole.

“Most are still members of the Flock,” Vayl confirmed. “Some maintain independence, of course, as do the Rogues across the ocean. It is, as with anything involving more than a few beings, rather complicated.”

“What’s the difference?” I asked. Looking at it from a purely professional point of view, I hadn’t seen much. I’d killed vamps within the Flock and the Vampere. They all went smoky in the end.

Vayl said, “Beyond what I have outlined, the main distinction between our two cultures lies in the way we turn our chosen ones. As you know, the Vampere take approximately a year. If we rush the process, we risk our own doom. The Flock have found a way to fly over that obstacle. Their turnings nearly always occur the night of the first bite.”

“Seems to me like there’d be a lot more of them than you with that kind of advantage,” said Cole.

“You would think so.” The glitter in Vayl’s eyes said otherwise.

Cole licked his lips. “So what group do you fall into now?”

“I have been Rogue since I left the Trust in Greece. But once Jasmine became my avhar and I her sverhamin , both our status and her vulnerability within the Whence increased. So now I have declared us a Trust.”

“Because Jaz is at risk,” Bergman said, as usual cutting to the heart of the matter. “Why?” Vayl stretched his legs forward until his calves brushed my shins. I kept my eyes on my clasped hands, but I knew he felt the heat rise in my chest as I recalled how he loved to tangle his legs with mine, how he said the smoothness of my skin against his felt better than silk.

I dug my nails into my hands, forcing my mind to follow his words as he said, “Such a partnership is rare for vampires. The bonds that are forged can never be fully broken. And as time passes, the couple begins to form a deep and complex relationship that becomes the envy of their peers. The last to do so successfully—” Vayl pressed his lips together in almost a full grimace.

“What?” I asked. “You can’t just stop in the middle like that!” His eyes, so dark they had no color, revealed thoughts I could only guess at. “Her name was Nylla, and she had been turned in the time of Napoleon. She found her avhar dying of starvation in a POW camp during the Civil War.” He stopped again.

I was so proud I didn’t kick him I promised myself ice cream at the next opportunity. Gritting my teeth I said, “Go on.”

“Like me, she hoped for… something beyond mere experience. I suppose in Tobias she sought”—he shrugged and shook his head—“the missing piece. The bit that should have prevented her from letting her soul slip to begin with.”

“Did she find it?” asked Cassandra.

He nodded. “They both discovered something… new. Something beyond humanity. And yet not Vampere. Because Tobias stopped aging, but he continued to walk in the light. And Nylla ceased hunting, but she did not wither. Eventually they disappeared, as have all successful pairs before them. But their story remains, giving the rest of us”—his eyes touched mine—“hope.”

“That explains a lot,” said Bergman. “But it still doesn’t answer my question.” Vayl’s upper lip lifted. In him it was nearly a snarl. His need to avoid the subject made me want to know

. “Tell the man,” I demanded.

He couldn’t play politician now that I’d put in the request. His eyes bored into mine as he said, “If, for instance, an avhar were to be snatched out of her bed by enemies of her sverhamin . If they were to take her to a dark room, bleed her for days, and then call her sverhamin and make certain demands in return for her safe homecoming, they would have him at their mercy. Because they could be assured he would do anything to get her back. And I do mean anything. I could tell you stories. Perhaps I should. Once a vampire named Henri—”

I didn’t want to hear. So I interrupted, saying, “Vayl. We don’t negotiate with—” He waved away my policy- book quote with an impatient hand. “Do you think I would give a rat’s damn about procedure if I heard you screaming at the other end of the phone?” I bit my bottom lip, not sure how to reply. It was Bergman who asked, “And a Trust protects Jaz from this? How?”

“It brings the power of the Whence onto our side. As a Rogue couple she and I had few rights. But as members of a Trust we are much better armored. Those who would not have hesitated to move against us before will seek easier prey now rather than risk the ire of the Prevailers.” When he saw our puzzled expressions he explained, “The Prevailers are a group of thirteen Elders who rule the Whence.” Good to know.

He pulled his legs back, sat up straighter. “At any rate, Jasmine is safer within the Whence if she can call upon the protection of a Trust. So I began to consider creating one. With the advent of such an excellent circle of work partners, I made the decision to formalize the proceeding.”