“I would have thought that as a child of this century you would know better than to paint an entire people with the same brush.”
He had me there. I did know.
Serving in Afghanistan, I saw some of the worst things people could do to one another when they were caught up in hating those that were different. Improvised explosive devices that went off when a child walked too close to them, a man shooting up a market place and leaving scores of wounded and dead behind. Things that were not easy to think about even today. But I’d also seen the better parts. A man carrying a child to safety in that same market, using his body to shield his precious cargo. People making a genuine attempt to better their little piece of the world.
I knew people didn’t fit into such tidy little boxes, but I also knew that the crowd mentality could lead a group to do things they might not otherwise have been capable of.
“I’m not saying I think every vampire is an evil creature bound for hell.” That’d be depressing, as I was one of them. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be in charge of my own destiny. It also doesn’t mean I agree with the way your society is organized. This whole hundred years of service sounds a little too indentured servant to me.”
There was also the little fact that I hated being told what to do. I was good at following orders, but I mentally cursed out my commander every time he gave me an order or instituted some ridiculous set of regulations.
“How typical of your generation to equate it with that.” His blue eyes shot sparks at me.
“You forgot my generation is in love with counter culture. We hate being part of the in crowd. It’s so ten years ago.”
His bark of laughter caught me by surprise. I had kind of expected more growling and grandstanding.
We danced for several more minutes in silence. He had been right. Once we broke the seal on the dance floor, more couples joined us.
“Have you found anything else out about what’s causing the victims in the city?” I asked.
“This again. I thought I told you to stay clear. I’ll put you under lock and key if I think you’re getting into things that don’t involve you.”
And he wonders why I’m so intent on staying out of the clans. Acting like I was a child who should be placed on timeout would be reason one.
“Don’t worry; I haven’t gone investigating.” Yet. “I was just wondering if there was any new information.”
“Why do you even care?”
“What do you mean?”
His sigh ruffled the hair on my neck. “You have no stake in this. It shouldn’t matter what’s happening to a bunch of spooks with no tie to you.”
I gaped at him. What kind of question was that?
“It shouldn’t matter if I don’t know them personally. It’s enough to know that it happened.”
He grimaced. “You can feel bad without getting involved. You don’t have to run off to try to save the city.”
“That right there is what I’m talking about,” I said. “It doesn’t hurt for me to ask questions that just might save lives if I ask the right sort of questions. What kind of person would I be if I just sat around doing nothing when something so simple could help?”
I had to look at myself in the mirror every day. I wouldn’t be able to do that if I knew there was something I could do to save someone.
“You’re ignoring the fact that you’re swimming in waters over your head. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“It’s my life to throw away.” My response was more flippant than I intended.
“You can help countless people by simply completing the task I gave you,” Liam said through gritted teeth.
He sounded very frustrated that I wasn’t falling in line like all of the other vampires around here. Poor man. I think this experience will be good for him. Teach him that not everything revolves around his wants and needs.
“Don’t get your tutu in a twist,” I said. “I’m working that problem too.”
“Progress?”
I gave a small shake of my head. “None yet but I’m expecting my leads to pan out soon.”
My gaze went to Caroline. She gave me a questioning look as she caught sight of me dancing. Better than anyone, she knew just how bad a dancer I was. It had been her that had driven my date and me to Urgent Care when I sprained his ankle.
