“I also saved your life if you recall,” he said close to my ear.
“Only because you nearly ended it.”
“You were in a murdered man’s house.”
There was that.
“It doesn’t matter. My encounters with vampires have convinced me that I made the right choice. I doubt I would survive very long in one of your clans.”
“I don’t know about that. You could be a valuable asset. You’ve already shown yourself to be quite resourceful in a pinch. You’re stubborn and prone to taking stupid risks, but a smart leader can work with that.”
Wow with compliments such as these I was surprised women weren’t mobbing this guy in the streets.
“That sounds appetizing. Let me just sign right up.”
“What if I could arrange it so you’re with someone who could put your skills to good use? Someone that you wouldn’t have any trouble working with.”
“You assume you know me better than you do.”
Staring over my shoulder, he turned us in another direction as we swayed to the song.
“I know you better than you think.”
“I doubt that.”
“I know you were at the top of your class in your military training course and that you advanced to sergeant in two years.”
“You hacked my military records.”
Why not? Brax had done the same last year.
He grunted in acknowledgement.
I shook my head in disgust.
“Your evaluations all said you were a leader who accomplished your mission even when under extreme stress. Your evaluator said you were one of the best soldiers he’d ever worked with.”
Pressure from his hand on my back guided me in the direction he wanted as we glided across the dance floor.
I remembered when I got that evaluation. I had fully expected to get poor marks as my NCOIC, noncommissioned officer in charge, and I had never really seen eye-to-eye.
“It makes me wonder why someone who was so good at soldiering would be so opposed to joining us. We’re not so different from the military.”
I arched an eyebrow, giving him a ‘get real’ look.
“No, you’re worse.”
I could tell by the slight frown line between his eyes that he didn’t like that statement.
“How can you say that? You haven’t given us a chance. You took the word of some random stranger and decided you wanted nothing to do with us.”
“That might have been why I stayed away for the first few months but not why I kept clear over the next two years.” I needed him to understand though I couldn’t say why it was so important. “Have you not heard of how your clans are spoken of by the rest of the spooks? The Maron clan alone is regarded with fear and terror. No one deals willingly with the Davinish clan because they’re afraid of being cheated and no one wants to go against the combined might of a clan. You might not see it since you’re part of the exalted elite, but from an outsider’s perspective looking in, vampires seem like a bunch of elitist assholes used to doing whatever they please.”
He was quiet a moment, the two of us swaying to the beat.
“They are the exception.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked. “Because from what I can see, their suspicion is warranted.”
