“Youdiddo well,” I reply because I need to give him something, and it is true, all the same. “But I do not see wisdom in inviting the hunters here.”
Grant wrinkles his nose and perches on the bed again. “They’re not hunters. Notproperones, like at home.”
Home. “Still, they took us by surprise.”
“Me. Took me by surprise. Margot didn’t want to kill me. She was telling me to get out of here.”
“You believe they know what is happening in this city?”
“Some of it. It’s not a big place, and Rachel’s been here her entire life. There were four vampires in the club tonight.”
I hum my agreement. Vampires are notoriously territorial, though as time wanders on, we are increasingly forced to co-exist with our brethren. It happens more often in big cities than in small places like this, but so long as there is enough prey to go around, informal alliances and agreements can work.
Four vampires—myself and Grant not included—in one club on a single night suggests more than that. A loose-knit clan, perhaps? I do not wish to speculate too much.
A knock at the door ends our conversation. I loosened the wards when we arrived, but I feel the energy of the two women from earlier, though a little more restless and uncertain than back in that alley. Grant doesn’t move from where he’s sitting on the bed. He looks unsure.
“They won’t kill us,” he says.
“I know that.”
“She…” He colours and looks down at his knees. “Rachel was like my best friend for a while there. I never told any of them what happened to me.”
“You could not.”
“I still feel bad about it.”
I shift slightly on my feet so I am looming over him. Grant tips his head back, soft lips slightly parted as he looks up at me.
“Blame me,” I say because I will not have him carry this misplaced guilt. “I turned you. I took you. I did this.”
Grant’s face does something complicated. “Vlad…” I am already by the door and he sighs, fingers clenching for a second in the sheets.
There is no time to reassure him. I swing the door open and see Margot standing there, a scowl on her face. The other woman, Rachel, stands a few steps behind her, arms wrapped tightly around her own torso. She looks as though she does not wish to be here.
I clench my teeth. “Please, come in.”
I do not want them here. This is not our home—could not even be close—but still, their combined presence is like a dark cloud as they step firmly through the wards and into the room. Rachel jumps when I shut the door. She cannot always be this timid, I am certain, but seeing Grant again appears to have very much put her off-kilter.
Grant has retreated to the centre of the bed again, cross-legged and hunched down as he watches them both. His eyes constantly skip back to Rachel. She keeps her own gaze on the carpet. I sigh. I am to take control of this then. Perfect.
“What are you both doing here?” Margot asks before I can speak. Ah. Perhaps not.
Grant looks at me, eyes beseeching. I do not offer the women a place to sit, instead perching on the single uncomfortable stool.
“What I tell you depends on what you are doing with the vampires in this city,” I reply.
Margot scowls and takes a step forward, but Rachel grabs her wrist and pulls her back. Once Margot is by her side, she doesn’t let go.
“We’re not killing them,” Rachel says. “We just want them all gone.”
Grant sits up a little straighter. “All? What do you mean all?”
She still will not look at him and I swallow down the growl building in my chest. That will not help. “There’ve been vampires here for decades. Just a few. But then, when you—” Her gaze flicks to him, then away again. “A couple of years after you left, we got more of them. Too many. They’ve taken over everything. I mean, it’s subtle, but plenty of people know.”
“Around thirteen years ago?” I ask.
Margot nods. “It was… This isn’t a big place. There were some fights, some deaths. We all knew not to go out at night, or at least, not in certain places. After a while, it settled down. But then, recently…”
