honestly embarrassed. “I consider your relationship with a vampire a valuable opportunity. I’ve studied werewolves, and have spent considerable time with witches and ghosts, but I’ve been unable to make any kind of connection with a vampire. I was wondering if you could tell me about your experiences.”
“I guess. What do you want to know?”
“I’m most interested in reproduction.”
“When a Mama vampire loves a Daddy vampire very much . . .”
Angie blinked.
“Just kidding,” I said. “I assume you mean how to create another vampire, not vampire sex.”
Again she blinked. Apparently she was also missing the sense of humor gene.
“Basically, the vampire drains the human almost to death before allowing the human to suck on him. His blood, that is. The human then dies, but after three days, rises as a baby vampire.”
“Very much according to legend,” Angie said. “Do you mind if I take notes?”
When I shook my head, she pulled paper and pen out of her shoulder bag and scribbled intently. “How does the vampire choose the human who will become his offspring?”
“I really couldn’t say. The relationship is pretty intense, like a marriage or a parent-child relationship. Even when they go their separate ways, there’s always a connection.”
“I assume the human has to have the arcane gene.”
“I don’t know. From what David has said, vampires can bring over anybody they choose. He thought it was odd that werewolves can’t.”
“But surely the gene is required,” Angie said, more to herself than to me. “What about the vampire’s nutritional needs? How often does he need to feed? How does he approach his food sources?”
That was the start of a supremely aggravating hour. Angie wanted to know how much David drank at a sitting, whether he preferred a given blood type, how long he slept, whether he was affected by silver, if garlic bothered him, if he could see himself in mirrors . . . All the old vampire tropes and a bunch that were just silly. Sparkles? Really?
The worst part was that I didn’t know half of what she wanted to know. David and I had never focused on our biological details, other than recreational ones.
Finally Angie shut her notebook, clearly not satisfied. “I really need to talk to a vampire myself. Could you ask your boyfriend if he’d meet with me? Do you two live nearby? I could go home with you after the seminar.”
“I’ll ask, but I can’t guarantee anything. He’s a private kind of guy.”
“This is for science!”
Since David predated most of what we knew about science, I really didn’t think that would be a compelling argument to use on him.
There was another knock on the door, and I jumped again. “Ghosts don’t knock, right?”
“Captain Bob can’t,” Angie assured me.
“Excellent.” I pulled open the door and there stood the best-looking man I’ve ever seen. Tall, incredibly well- built, piercing blue eyes, with gorgeous red hair pulled back in a short ponytail. In other words, it was Pirate Dave, and there was only one appropriate way to greet him.
“What in the hell are you doing here? I wasn’t even supposed to tell anybody where it is because it’s only for werewolves. And Captain Bob and Angie, but they’re invited! I am going to get in so much trouble.”
In response, he took me in his arms and made me forget the seminar for a good five minutes. A very good five minutes. We might have gone for half an hour if Angie hadn’t cleared her throat.
“Oh, sorry.” I waved David inside the cabin and said, “David, this is Dr. Angie Hogencamp. She’s been researching supernaturals, and spoke at the seminar early today. Angie, this is David Freeman, the owner of Pirate Dave’s Adventure Cove.”
“Dr. Hogencamp,” David said, bowing over her hand.
“I cannot tell you what a treat this is,” she said, blushing. “Joyce has been telling me all about you.”
He raised an eyebrow in my direction.
“She’s only interested in your genes,” I told him. “Not the pants, the genetic kind.”
“I have so many questions,” Angie said. “Do you suppose—”
“Another time, perhaps. I’m here to take Joyce home, and since we need to be back before dawn, we should leave right away.”
“Oh, you can’t leave now!”
“As Joyce pointed out, I wasn’t invited. Even if I had been, I wouldn’t stay at a gathering where she’d been made to feel unwelcome.”
“I never said I felt unwelcome,” I protested.
“You didn’t need to,” he replied.
Angie said, “I know there have been some problems, but please, let me talk to the Council. I’ll convince them to let you stay, and to make sure the other wolves mind their manners.”
“What about Captain Bob?” I asked.
“I’ll talk to him, too. I’ll fix everything. Please, don’t leave!” She nearly ran out of the cabin.
“Do you want to stay?” David asked me.
“I’m not sure. I really was having fun at first, but then Captain Bob showed up, and—”
“Who is Captain Bob?”
“That’s going to take some explaining.” I’d just finished when Angie showed up at the door again, beaming.
“It’s all arranged. The Council invites you to join them in the dining hall so they can introduce you as an honored guest.”
David lifted his eyebrow again, which meant it was up to me. I was torn between wanting to make a dramatic exit and wanting to make friends. Remembering the boring days I’d spent alone while David slept decided me. “We’d love to come.”
I took a few minutes to change into something nicer and fix my hair—a gal can’t show up in a ratty sweat suit when she’s accompanying a gorgeous pirate. Then David tucked my arm inside his, and let Angie lead us to the dining room.
I think it safe to say that we were the center of attention when we walked in the door. The Pack Council was waiting to greet David with the solemnity and nervousness I’d always imagined that government leaders feel around ambassadors from hostile countries.
Once introductions were made and hands were shaken, they invited the three of us to join them at the head table. David didn’t eat, of course, but he sipped some wine to be polite. Conversation started with small talk, then moved on to admiration for their respective kinds. It was all very civil, and nobody bit anybody else, and I was bored stiff.
So I ate. Being at the head table meant that we got a waiter instead of having to go through the buffet line, but I headed for the line anyway when the waiter was too slow with third helpings.
A group of my buddies from earlier hailed me on the way back, so I ended up at a table with them. It wasn’t quite as relaxed as it had been before, but they were trying. And Shannon caught me up on
The group in turn invited me to join them in the bar, but I decided to stick close to David. So I was enjoying a final dessert and checking email on my iPad when Captain Bob floated over. At least he looked normal, and not like an extra from
“I guess I should apologize,” he said.
“Don’t bother. You wouldn’t mean it, and I wouldn’t believe it.”
“Fair enough.” He looked toward where David was still schmoozing with the Council. “I can’t believe they’re allowing a vampire around civilized people.”
I wasn’t sure if either werewolves or ghosts really counted as civilized, but since my cheesecake was really good, I could be magnanimous. “It was Angie’s idea, not mine.”
“I know—if anybody but the doc had asked me to stop bothering you, I’d still be at it.”
I owed Angie a drink. To distract him from haunting, I asked, “How did you two meet anyway?”
“She and Carl were the first people to spot me after my death. They were in the cemetery looking for ghosts
