“You know why we have a monthly blood drive, right?”
“You mentioned it. It’s not due to the small town sense of civic duty.”
“Vampires are in charge of the blood collection in town. Well, vampires and one red cap.”
He scrubbed at his forehead a moment. “Red cap. Is that like a...gnome?”
“Sort of a murderous goblin.”
“So the blood collection is so the vampires, and red cap, can feed?”
“Yes. So they can feed. Though they only keep half for themselves.”
“Delaney, that blood is donated to save lives.”
“It is. And it does. Just some of those lives belong to vampires. You know what else? You’ll never see an Ordinary citizen turned, you’ll never see an Ordinary citizen bitten.”
“You’re telling me only nice vampires live in Ordinary?”
“Not at all. But I’m telling you they live by the rules here. A code. One that both protects their kind and human kind. It’s a good thing. Something not found outside this town.”
“And why is that? Why do the vampires followed those rules? Do you lock them up in garlic-lined cells if they don’t? Kill them with kites?”
“No, Rossi kills them. Any way he wants to.”
The conversation went silent while Ryder worked that out for himself. “He’s the prime. This is his land, territory, law.”
“Yep.”
“And he teaches yoga.”
“Yep.”
“And does crystal cleanses and spiritual healing classes, and jogs the beach naked.”
“Collects carved eggs, donates time to the suicide hotline, fills in at the Rhubarb Rally when my assistant dumps me with no warning.”
He winced. “Sorry about that.”
“You didn’t leave just to go to my house, did you?”
He sighed. “I got a call. Had to check some things.”
“Who called you?”
“Jake.”
“What did you check?”
“A couple leads. He suspected the vampire hunters were headed this way.”
It was still weird to hear him talk about vampires like it was no big deal. I had to admit, I liked it. Liked not having that secret between us.
“Still don’t believe in gods?”
He stared out the window and was silent for long enough, I finally glanced over at him.
“All-powerful beings who have created universes? Created us? Beings that care for us, or care for the world?” The pause was long. Finally: “No. Not really.”
