The woman was tall and wiry with a long ponytail going down her back, a streak of white through it. She was flipping salmon fillets in a cast-iron skillet.
Neither said anything while Emmy looked through the steaks in the fridge and picked four, but when she headed toward them, the girl said, “There’s a grill out back if you want actual charcoal, or the indoor one if gas is fine. There’s also cast-iron pans, or sheets you can put them on in the oven.”
Emmy saw the grill inset into the counter, and walked to it. She wasn’t up for the whole charcoal thing at the moment, but she’d give herself more time before she was starving the next day and do that.
“Thanks. I’m Emmy.”
“I’m Rhea, this is Toby.”
“You’re the dragon,” Toby said. “All kinds of rumors out there about you.”
“Let’s just assume they’re probably ninety percent bullshit,” Emmy said, and in an effort to change the subject away from her, asked, “What are the two of you majoring in?”
“Biological sciences,” Rhea said. “Raptor ecology.” She rolled her eyes. “Yes, an eagle shifter making sure the native eagle population stays safe. Back when I had a therapist, he had a field day with it, but whatever.”
“I can see wanting to do that,” Emmy said. “If humans hadn’t already killed all the natural dragons, I’d want to know more about them. I certainly wish I could see them, observe them.”
She looked at Toby, waiting for him to answer.
“Already have the astrophysics and astronomy degrees. I’m here for the northern sky. I have a spot on the roof with my own telescope, but I also get time at theStargate Observatory, about an hour north of here, and I work in the astronomy department at UAA doing research, but they’re pushing for me to teach.”
“So, you study auroras?”
“Yes, but also stars, incoming objects, meteor showers, all kinds of things you can’t accurately map or photograph from the lower latitudes. I usually go with Zander to Mordnik. Brutally cold, but super-clear skies when the weather cooperates, and it’s inside the Arctic Circle.”
“Mordnik?”
The two looked at each other, and Rhea said, “Technically, it’s Noctimordvik — night-death-town, right? That was the original name, but it’s Mordnik on maps now,still means death and night, but shorter and easier to spell. About as far north as it’s possible to get. It’s like, fifty miles from the city that used to be called Barrow, and I keep forgetting what it is now, but—”
“Utqiagvik,” Toby said.
Rhea nodded. “Yes. That. Thank you. Anyway, the previous Master Vampire bought an old Cold War missile silo and built a town around it. It’s night from early November to late January, and only the richest, most connected vampires can get reservations. They’re awake for months. No dying. No down time. He only takes about a third of the flock up with him, and those who are invited usually make double or even triple their normal salary.”
“Entire town is based around a vampire economy,” Toby said. “Lots of bear shifters live there year round. A pack of arctic wolves. A handful of lynx. The mayor’s a damned snow leopard, and she’s married to a fucking wolverine.” He shuddered. “And there’s this huge colony of spotted seals who spend most of their time in the water, but have a house they share on land, for when they feel like being human. Feral crowd, but the vampires love feeding from them.”
Hmmm. She’d have to consider whether she wanted to make the trip if the pay was better. But how would she handle school? Might be worth a conversation with Spence.
“If you have your degree and you’re up here to work,” she asked Toby, “why are you in the flock?”
“Alaska isn’t safe for prey shifters, but being in the flock puts me under Zander’s protection. Bear shifters scent himon me and give me a wide berth. No one wants to fuck with our Master.”
Emmy nodded. “Yeah, after he lost most of his flock in Chattanooga, I’m guessing he’s even more protective than he used to be over his people.”
“He is, and that makes you one of his people, too,” Rhea said, “So welcome to the food chain.”
Emmy snorted. “Dragons don’t generally need protection.”
Rhea shook her head. “Alaska is different.”
Emmy had her steaks going on the grill, and mushrooms frying in butter on the stove. Normally, it would be onions, with mushrooms thrown in at the end, but there were rules against eating too many onions, so she figured she shouldn’t push that with her very first meal. Apparently, vampires aren’t a fan of onion flavored blood. The rules said they were fine in small amounts when cooked, but she’d need to see how many others ate before she started frying them for herself.
And since she couldn’t have onions, she sliced some more mushrooms and tossed them in. Spence had said anything in the refrigerator on the left was fair game.
“So,” Toby asked. “You got Byron?”
She paused, glanced over. “What? Is he like some kind of initiation ritual?”
“Predators almost always get him to start,” Rhea said. “Everyone ends up feeding him at some point, but unless Zander or Kendra want first dibs, Byron’s usually first.”
