While Callum might mouth off, he understood as well as I did the necessity in showing a united front. In presenting an image that would make vampires and other supernatural creatures hesitate before they challenged us.
As the first of Macgrath's lineage, and essentially the first vampires in this realm, vampire politics and machinations were of no interest to us. Getting involved in any sort of political aspirations only meant you'd have to watch your back for the knife that was waiting to slide in.
So, Callum and I would put on the faces of foot soldiers and watch Andre Dumont like a hawk.
Ava and Macgrath returned with a lean vampire behind them. He appeared to have been turned in his mid-thirties. His hair and eyes were black as onyx and he wore a simple white shirt and black pants with plain black shoes.
While his clothes and build seemed casual and non-threatening, the back of my neck prickled. His gaze swept the room, pausing briefly on Callum and then me, and I had the impression he'd committed the placement of each piece of furniture and knickknack to memory.
This was not a vampire to underestimate.
Strangely, there was no presence of power around him, no mantle of age that filled the space. He couldn't be more than a hundred vampire years, probably less.
Yet I wouldn't dare turn my back to him.
Callum and I were warriors, but Andre Dumont was an assassin. He was the shadowed blade; the death blow you would never see strike.
I glanced at Macgrath and knew by the set of his shoulders and the tension in his jaw that he felt the same.
"Mr. Dumont, welcome to Austin," Ava said, interrupting my perusal of the vampire. "This is Callum Donalson and Marcus Vane."
He looked at each of us and nodded, but did not offer his hand. The prickle on the back of my neck intensified and slid like a cold finger down my spine. Under the guise of pouring myself a cup of coffee, I moved closer to the vampire.
"Would you like coffee?" Ava asked, her dark purple eyes shifting from me to Dumont.
"I would. Thank you." His accent was subtle, just the hint of a Southern drawl.
Without waiting to be asked, I poured him a cup and handed it to him, bringing me within arm's reach should he move the wrong way.
Then, Ava ruined it by saying, "Why don't we all sit down and get to know each other a bit?"
The tension coming from Macgrath and Callum increased because it would put her too close to this vampire and whatever ill intentions he could have.
Suddenly, I heard Ava's voice in my head and knew that she was speaking to Macgrath and Callum also.
Will all of you just calm down? He's a young vampire and on his guard. Savannah saw no malevolence in his aura.
Callum, Macgrath, and I looked to each other.
For the Goddess's sake, sit down and ease up a bit. I can handle him if necessary. You all know it.
Ava moved to the table and Macgrath somehow managed to beat her there and pull out her chair. She smiled at him and sat, waiting for Andre to take the seat across from her and Macgrath to settle next to her.
I grabbed a stool from the corner and placed it at the end of the table, my body between Dumont and Ava. Callum took the seat next to the vampire, leaving enough space to maneuver if necessary.
"Is this your first time in Austin?" Ava asked Dumont as she poured a cup of coffee for herself and another for Macgrath.
"It is, but I like what I've seen so far."
She smiled, looking as at ease as if she were speaking to a mere human instead of an unfamiliar vampire. "It is a fun place. I can suggest some sights to see if you wish."
Dumont sipped his coffee. "I would appreciate that."
I wanted to tell them to both knock off the bullshit and get to the point, but I knew that wasn't the way things were done amongst vampires. Instead, I drank my own coffee and tried not to glower as the small talk continued.
Finally, Ava asked, "What brought you our way?"
Dumont smiled. "Work, I'm afraid. I'm doing business with some humans here and I didn't want to enter your territory without introducing myself."
