Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(13)

"In here," Nathan said back. He didn't raise his voice, so I assumed the newcomer was a vampire with the same exceptional hearing.

A man with red hair and pale skin stuck his head into the room. His plump cheeks and bright eyes didn't say vampire. They said normal guy with a desk job. He looked around. Spying Nathan, he bounced inside with all the energy of a puppy as he gave us a wide smile. On his heels came a tall, gangly man wearing glasses with thick black frames.

I sat up, wanting a look at these newcomers. The redhead had a disarming smile and didn't look like a cold-blooded drinker of the red stuff. His pale skin was the only thing that might have suggested vampire, but even that wasn't much paler than other redheads I had known. His companion didn't look nearly as friendly, but that was understandable given the fact the other man was probably friendlier than the rest of the people in this house put together.

"Ah, you're here," Red said, finished greeting Nathan. He bounced over to me and stuck out his hand. "I'm Richard. You can call me Rick, but never call me Dick."

I clasped his hand in mine. "Good to know. I'll make sure to remember that."

His eyes went slightly unfocused as his gaze turned inward for a moment. To my magic-seeing eye, it looked like light gathered around his head before dispersing almost as quickly as it came. His awareness returned, and his smile got wider. "I'm glad you're here, Aileen. I think we'll be good friends."

"Ah, ha. I guess my reputation precedes me." I looked over at Nathan in confusion, noting he looked fascinated by the interaction.

Did everyone in the mansion know about the stubborn yearling who refused to be absorbed into a clan? If so, how many resented the fact that I was going against the establishment? Humans liked to think they respected people who fought for their beliefs, but when someone tried to swim upstream, they collectively lost their minds and were incapable of appreciating the forward thinker until years, sometimes decades later.

"Not at all. I just have a bit of insight into the situation." Richard smiled as if he was amused by some inside joke of his. He didn't explain that ambiguous statement, turning and gesturing to the other man. "This is Theo. He's a companion."

"Companion?" My voice rose in question as I gave Theo a chin nod. The other man's nod was respectful, and he gave me a small, shy smile. He was cute with his curly mop of hair and the nerdy glasses.

Rick took a seat on my bed, leaning back on one hand and looking around the room in curiosity. "Yeah, companion. It's pretty much like it sounds. They provide company and blood to the vampires, usually it's an exclusive relationship but not always. There are a couple of free agents in the mansion for our brethren who have chosen to forgo keeping a companion for one reason or another. Theo's one, so if you get hungry just look him up."

The other man gave me an embarrassed smile before shooting a small glare in Rick's direction. It was a wasted effort, going unnoticed as Rick craned his head to look out the windows.

"And what do the companions get out of this relationship?" I asked, looking between the two men. I was careful to keep all trace of judgment out of my tone, not wanting to create waves this early in my stay. I know, a shocking thing for me to say, but one of the ways I'd survived in the military—heck even thrived—was by getting the lay of the land in any unit I entered. The people in this place were sure to be a tight-knit group. I had no intention of making things harder on myself than necessary.

Rick frowned thoughtfully. "Every person's reasons are different, but for the most part, I'd say they enjoy the longer lifespan and the fact that they're put on the short list for the kiss."

"The kiss?" I remember hearing about that before. I think it was how Kat referred to the act of changing a human into a vampire. "I thought it was difficult to turn people into vampires."

Rick lifted one shoulder. "That's true. You're the first on this continent to survive the change in a few years. Part of that is because we are extremely particular in who we turn. Our past is a cautionary tale about what happens when our species becomes overpopulated. The Black Death of the 1300s was evidence of that."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"A plague wasn't the reason so many people died in that time," Nathan said from where he leaned against the wall, my bag sitting at his side. "We grew to be too many and couldn't control our population. What resulted, was one of the deadliest events in human history."

"That's why the application process is so rigorous. To prevent any megalomaniacs intent on establishing domination of the human race from being changed. Plus, we have to ensure compatibility and assess an applicant's chances of surviving the kiss. Even with all these measures, only about thirty percent rise that first night."

I listened, even as anger coiled deep inside. How had I gotten so lucky as to skip that process? By the sound of it, I would never have been on the list to begin with. That meant Thomas really had been acting outside their society’s directives when he disrupted my life. And here I'd put him on the metaphorical throne for much of the Midwest. Go me.

"Companions are moved to the top of the line," Theo said, his voice quiet and surprisingly soothing.

I nodded but didn't comment. If he wanted to be a walking meal for a chance to join the undead ranks, bully for him. Not a trade I would have made, but to each their own.