I spot Lucius and Selene standing by the bar and talking with Theophilus, so I walk over.
“Ah, there he is!” Lucius says. “Come, let us go talk.”
He leads the way back to the suite Eilidh and I used the other night. It’s just the two of us, and I set my things down next to the dresser as he closes the door behind us.
“And how is Alpha Green?” he asks as he sits in the chair.
I get right to the point and summarize the meeting. “Everything looks good,” I say in conclusion.
“I appreciate you doing this. With the eyes of law enforcement on me, it’s far better coming from you and keeping me as a silent partner.”
“You need to tightly control your nest,” I caution. “And operate your businesses beyond reproach, from a legal standpoint. We cannot have scrutiny from the authorities.”
He waves away my objections. “California was an aberration.”
I arch an eyebrow at him.
“An aberration in thepast,” he says. “I have no interest in drawing scrutiny.” He picks an imaginary piece of fluff off his slacks. “It is getting more difficult to remain undetected. While I will admit to past business practices that skirted the edges of legality, this modern age has made that untenable, at best. Damned computers and the Internet, anyway. Cell phones. Things I thought would make life and communication so much simpler have completely complicated and threatened our very existence.” He sighs. “I do not wish a repeat of Philadelphia. I feel somewhat responsible.”
“You should. You sired the idiot.”
He waves that away, too. “He was young, only two hundred, or so. I never should have allowed him to fledge from the nest and go out on his own when I did. It’s difficult to find the kind of loyalty such as I have with my other sired.”
I snort. “You were the victim of an attempted coup.”
“Attemptedbeing the keyword. Far from the first, as you well know. Which is why I forbid my sired from turning anyone without express permission. If anything, I wish to thin the herd, as it were. I want only a trusted core group surrounding me.”
“And as more vampires move to the area?”
He grimly smiles. “As you saw with Tonio the other night, they either pledge allegiance and act accordingly, or they can burn. Tucson can become a safe haven for vampires and shifters, if we play this right. The vampire capital of North America. We can weed out violent, predatory humans, dropping the crime rates and making it a destination spot, a developer’s wet-dream.”
“That’s the hope.”
“I heard you made another real estate purchase. An apartment building.”
“News travels fast in this town.”
He smiles. “Remember the old days? Running through battles and ripping out throats? Drinking our fill under smoky skies as villages burned around us?” He sighs. “Easier, simpler times, then. We quietly ruled the world without worries, save the sun, and those of our kind who had delusions of grandeur.”
A sour taste hits the back of my tongue. “I prefernotto remember. I never had a love for the kill the way you and my sire did.”
“No, you did not.” He sighs. “I always disagreed with your sire’s particular…predilections.” He shifts position and leans forward. “Do not let your immutable past color your potential future too darkly, nephew. Claim her quickly. You know this is right. If you wish to turn her, I’ll even help, if you’d like. Do not lose her. Not when you don’t have to.”
My stomach rolls and it takes me a moment to calm it before I feel safe enough to quietly speak. “I appreciate the offer, Lucius, but we are not at that stage yet, if ever. I will let her set the pace.” The thought of losing her to time and age guts me, but if I were to participate in her dying far younger simply to satisfy my selfish need to keep her…
It would drive me utterly and completely mad, I know it would.
“Oh, there is one more matter,” I say. “I want to buy the entire supply you have.”
He arches an eyebrow. “Of?”
“You know what of.”
That would fetch a considerable sum.”
“Then give me the friends and family discount. You know my deal will make you a lot of money with zero risk and outlay on your part. And no more bleeding her, even if she asks.”
He studies me for a moment. “Five hundred thousand. Even though I could easily make twice that selling it by the glass.”
