Than took another sip of tea and watched me. “Yes,” he agreed.
“What does he have to do with the insane murderer vampire who attacked, killed, and kidnapped?”
“And bit,” Jean added, like I needed reminding.
“Perhaps Rossi could tell us?” Than suggested.
Rossi frowned as if he were trying to do the math. “I thought it was because I’d slipped up. Let Sven into my clan, missed that Lavius had his hooks in him, perhaps even eyes through him.”
He was talking like no one else was in the room.
“But it isn’t that. No. It isn’t Ryder either.”
“Me?” Ryder protested. “What do I have to do with any of this?”
“Or if it is Ryder, it isn’tjustRyder. It isn’tjustSven. What else? What am I missing?”
Death placed his tea cup down on the coffee table nearest him and was watching Rossi, looking for that moment of knowledge to ignite.
“You could save us all some time and just tell him what you meant,” I said.
“It is not my place to affect such things. Even I have rules I must follow.” Death placed his hands gracefully on his thighs, just the fingertips resting as if he were a pianist, ready to present a concert.
“Make it your place.” Yes, it was an order. Yes, Than lifted an eyebrow before otherwise completely ignoring me.
“I’m sorry,” Ryder cut in. “What does this have to do with me? How do I connect in any way to an ancient vampire I’ve never met?”
“He has ties to the government,” Rossi said, still in the stare-down with Death.
“And?”
“What agency in the government do you think he would most want to keep an eye on?”
“I have no idea. The presidency?”
“The presidency is fleeting, capricious, and a victim to a much more specific machine of greed and power.”
“Enlighten me then,” Ryder said.
“If I were him, I would want to know where my enemies were at all times.”
“All right,” Ryder said.
“You think Lavius has people in the DoPP?” I asked.
“It was what I thought when Ryder first came back. But now? I don’t know.”
Ryder worked for the Department of Paranormal Protection as a freelance agent, charged with investigating if there were any paranormal creatures in Ordinary who needed to be contacted and offered whatever protection the secret government agency thought they could offer.
“Are you a part of the DoPP?” Ryder asked.
Myra made an approving sound. It wasn’t the question I’d expected Ryder to ask either, but it was a damn good one.
“No.” Rossi frowned. “What need do I have for spies? The vampires who search me out, find me. I’m not hiding. We come to an agreement about living in Ordinary. If they stay, they follow the rules or I kill them. I rule over the vampires here just as the Reed family rules over all the other supernatural creatures of the town.”
“Sweet,” Jean said. “I’ve always wanted to be royalty.”
“We aren’t royalty and we don’t rule anyone,” I said. “We guard. We police. We enforce the law, including for vampires. There is no ruling.”
