“You couldn’t knock?” I asked Rossi.
“Every once in a while I prefer a dramatic entrance.” He strolled into my living room, which now felt like a shoe box. My house was small. Hosting six adults in one room was where it really started feeling like it.
“Rossi,” Ryder said. “I can’t say I didn’t suspect it might be you.”
“Oh?” Rossi peered down his nose at Ryder, his expression flickering between amused and angry. “Why are you in my town, Agent?”
That vampire tone could be used to influence people, to hypnotize, or to alter memories. I’d seen it make people say more than they wanted, and force the truth out of them.
It didn’t really work on me or my sisters. Our Reed blood was pretty immune to most of the creature and deity tricks in town.
Still, I could feel it, like knuckles pressing at my temples.
I knew Ryder must feel it too, since it was directed at him. But he smiled and looked completely relaxed. “Because I live here.”
I laughed. Balls. The man had balls.
“Can I get you something to drink, Rossi?” I asked. “I have some Pepsi in the fridge, tea, coffee?”
“Tea would be fine.”
He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t look quite as angry as he had just a minute before. Maybe he looked curious, like Ryder wasn’t something he had expected to find.
I, for one, was going to take that as a good sign. I imagined living as long as Rossi had might mean that things could get pretty tedious. I hoped Ryder being interesting was better than Ryder looking like something bothersome that should be eaten.
I started heating the water for tea and put on a fresh pot of coffee. I could hear if there was conversation in the living room—small house—but so far, no one was saying anything.
“Ryder said his agency wants to talk to you about human-vamp relations,” I said loud enough for my voice to carry into the other room. “He’s the head of the welcome wagon.”
“I know.” Rossi did that vampire thing where his voice sounded like he was standing right beside me even though he wasn’t. “I was here when he said it.”
I pushed the coffee pot button and checked the tea kettle on the stove, then came back out into the room.
Ryder and Rossi were both still standing, the other three still sitting.
“So let’s get down to it,” I said. “First, there are a few rules.”
“Rules?” Rossi asked.
“My house, my rules. One: no killing. Two: no harming. Three: no fighting. Four: no underhanded tricks that the other doesn’t know about, which includes recording this session.” That, I directed to Ryder, “or altering someone’s mind or memories.” That was for Rossi.
“I’m not wired,” Ryder said. “I wasn’t expecting this coffee and donut session to turn into introductions.”
“There are donuts?” Crow asked. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“There are gonna be now.” Jean tossed her keys to Crow. “Make mine maple.”
“Apple,” Myra said.
“I want a cupcake,” I said.
“Oh, so now you’re letting me out of your sight?” Crow asked. “So I can be your delivery boy? What if I just keep driving?”
“Please,” Myra said. “We know you’re not leaving town. Not without...” she caught herself just in time. “Not without our permission.”
That brought us back to the second thing we really needed to discuss. The missing powers. It would have to wait until we settled this thing with Ryder and Rossi.
I didn’t want Ryder here for the god power discussion. There was no way I was going to tell him gods vacationed in his hometown. Letting him know about vampires was enough of a security breach.
