It was late afternoon by the time we reached the coven. "Your coven is in a hotel?" one triplet asked as we drove into the underground garage of the Walden Emerald Hotel.
I simply nodded to Aaran and explained, "Yes, it makes it easier than living in some obscure mansion estate somewhere. This way, we don’t have to hunt for our food; we always get a fresh source of blood from the travelers that come through these doors."
"So, you just drop fang on any unsuspecting human and take their blood?" Angus asked. He seemed the most laid-back of the three. He was definitely the most humorous, and someone I could picture using the term “drop fang” in a sentence.
"Also, how are you and Ben out in sunlight?" he continued.
"Yeah, I saw you eat actual food, too. I didn't think you could do that," Aaran chimed in.
Ben, who was seated in the back of the massive SUV, stared at the brothers. "Haven't you all met a vampire before? You knew I was one when you came to the door yesterday."
"We've met vampires before, but they thought we were human, and we couldn't just come out and ask these questions. The law, you know," Addison responded.
“Well, I'll give you the Vampires 101 lesson,” Ben said with a grin. "All the stuff you’ve heard from Hollywood, forget it," he continued.
"The only thing they got right was the need to drink blood. You're born a vampire, and you can't be made. We are not undead. We age very slowly, living about a thousand years. We can go out in the sun, but we can get sun poisoning if we stay out in it too long. We are not allergic to garlic or holy water, and we eat authentic food. In fact, we need it. If we just drank blood, we could go into bloodlust and go around killing and draining people dry. The same thing would happen if we just ate actual food. It’s a balance," he explained.
"As far as 'dropping fang' on an unsuspecting human, well, that happens, but the vampire bite is very pleasurable and usually happens during sex. So, humans don't mind."
They all took in the information eagerly.
"How pleasurable?" Angus and Aaran asked at the same time, curiosity in their voices.
Roarke replied with a smirk, "Why don't you find a vampire and find out? We are going into a coven full of them."
Krispin navigated the SUV into a spot, and the conversation stopped as we exited and made our way into the hotel. The hotel lobby was a gorgeous sight. It was a mix of modern elegance. Light, bright colors surrounded a giant fountain in the center of the room. The floor-to-ceiling windows allowed the light to stream in.
To the right of the lobby was the hotel restaurant. To the left was the hall that led to The Renegade, the bar slash dance club. The Renegade predated the hotel. It had been a saloon at one time and even back then had been the primary source of finding a human to snack on.
"Second Devin, it’s good to see you," Carson, the head tracker of the coven, said with a smile.
“It's good to see you too, Carson. You remember Roarke, my beloved,” I replied.
"Yes, it’s good to see you too, Roarke. Ben, Krispin, I see you brought little Callum. Master Stephen will be pleased. He was upset that you hadn't brought him yesterday."
I chuckled. "That's part of the reason we are here. We are meeting Master Stephen and Semais for lunch."
I pointed to the triplets. "These are my brothers-in-law, Angus, Addison, and Aaran."
"It's nice to meet you," Angus purred as he took Carson's hand. "I hear the vampire bite is very pleasurable. Care to show me?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
Carson laughed. "You're pretty forward, and I'd definitely take you up on that offer, but I'm in a committed relationship."
Committed relationship? When did that happen? Most vampires played the field until we found our beloveds. I went to question, but Ben stopped me.
"Come on, you all need to meet the Master before you go picking up any guys. Let's head on up to lunch," Ben said, nodding toward the elevator.
"Later, Carson," Ben said with a wave.
Once we were in the elevator, I turned to Ben.
"What was that about?" I asked.
"Basil told me a while ago Carson was dating a human. He knows he's not his beloved, but Carson fell in love with him," he replied.
For Carson to tie himself to a human that was not his beloved was big news. He would have to watch the human grow old and eventually die. I felt for him.
The elevator stopping and the doors opening drew me out of my thoughts.
