“Absolutely not,” Nagi said.
“We do not feast on the unwilling—unless it is a time of crisis or an ethical situation. There are, in fact, a variety of liturgy on the subject in our Book of the Dead. Those who are ill. Those who request it. Those who willingly give of their lifeblood. Those who are in the act of murdering another.”
“Principled hunters, then,” I said. “Is that what you do here?”
“No,” Eddie said. “We’re. Think of us as city councilors. Each of us controls a region of the city. We meet here to discuss street enforcement of the Code.”
“And what is the Code?”
“Ethical hunting,” Brother Aleister said. “We are not civilized if we have no rules. Too much attention is drawn to extrajudicial murder or disappearances, and some of the Elders get a bit stirred up. If the Regional Council were to hear about an excessive amount of Undead breaking protocol, they would swoop in and eliminate the offenders, even without sufficient evidence of identity.”
“Wait. So you’re so paranoid about human detection, you’re willing to murder your own people?”
“Death is a once in a lifetime experience unless you are undead, and then you have a vivid recollection of the experience you do not wish to live through again. Most of us just want to live our lives, Miss Stacey, in whatever form or fashion lets us continue,” Brother Aleister said.
“This is a big deal,” I said.
“And you are not permitted to speak of it,” Vic said.
“What are you going to do to stop me?”
“We have a lady that eats memories in Eastside,” Nagi said casually, checking his nails.
“I see,” I said. “Look. Full disclosure. I’m a journalist. I’m actually, ha-ha, you’re not going to believe this. I’m a reporter for Feedworthy. I’m in the urban legends/haunted house/weird stuff department. And if I’m being truly honest, I think the four of you need my help.”
“Look at her,” Vic said. “Confident.”
“Eddie,” I said. “Listen. I need stories. You guys need to be protected. You let me come around occasionally, like a ride-along. I get to put a spin on it. Make it safe for human consumption. Maybe I alter and tweak things a little bit. Hide just enough—your identities, for one, and this area, for another.”
“That would definitely get the Regional Council on our asses if you mess it up,” Eddie said.
“Not if you had creative control,” I said. “We can make this work, I swear. We can time articles. Think about Sal’s place. We let him know we’re writing an article about the special menu. He gets extra-human business but knows in advance so he makes a special “special” menu. One without brains on it.”
“I can’t believe you caught on to Sal,” Vic said.
“He was not subtle,” I said.
“Eddie, is she going to be a problem?” Brother Aleister asked.
“I think she’s got a good idea in the making... So short term no. Long term, though... Stacey, I’m going to ask you to move your hair back.”
“Seriously, the birthmark thing again?”
Eddie nodded. I sighed and bundled my hair up, slinging it over my shoulder. The four vampires crowded around me, staring down. It was like being surrounded by angry dogs.
“Unbelievable,” Nagi said.
Brother Aleister crossed himself. Vic shook his head, and Eddie nodded.
“You see?” Eddie said.
“This presents an issue,” Brother Aleister said. “There’s no way we can touch her.”
“Can one of you explain this issue?” I asked.
“Look,” Brother Aleister said. “Here is the situation. You have an indicator of some importance to the Regional Elder Council. I would not advertise that fact. You will essentially call down the hammer of God to come and completely destroy the delicate balance in this city we have worked so hard to fix in place. And, of course, you’ll put your own life in danger.”
“What does this mark mean?”
