Page 6 of Abiding Blood

“You worry too much, Vincent,” Mateo said, pulling Sadie closer. “I’ve got it under control. She’s doing great.” He flashed me a smile that tugged at the scar on his face, ruining his attempt to look reassuring.

“She’s embarrassing, is what she is,” Anna said dismissively. “Bring her back when she’s mature and fit for company. We can’t even have a conversation with her yet.”

Mateo looked chastened and offered no rebuttal, while Sadie continued to stare around, wide-eyed and feral-looking.

It was an embarrassment. She had to be only days old, and I estimated her human age at about twenty. It was indecent on both counts. But Mateo was young, too. I reminded myself that the young didn’t seem to follow the conventions I was used to. When the waitress arrived, I ordered another drink I intended to waste and avoided looking at Sadie if I could help it.

“Where are you all headed tonight?” I asked, changing the subject.

“No plans yet,” Jonathan said, leaning back in the booth. He appeared completely relaxed, his trademark smile in place.

“I think I’ll stay here for a while,” Anna said. “I’ve ordered dinner for later.” She winked at me, then went back to playing with her straw. “Mateo, want to join?” she asked.

“Uh, no,” Mateo said, his expression growing serious. “I’ll take Sadie home to feed, of course.”

“Of course,” Anna said, flashing a nasty smile. “What about you, Vincent?” She turned the smile toward me, and it softened.

Before I could respond, Jonathan interrupted. “Given the scent of fresh blood and sex wafting from him, he’s already eaten.”

I raised my eyebrows at Jonathan but nodded. “I’ve already fed, yes.”

“I don’t get why you don’t just pay for a meal like everyone else,” Mateo said. “You’ve got to be richer than God by now. I bet you could hire an army of humans to feed you every night if you wanted.”

“It’s not about the money,” I replied. “I enjoy the chase, the hunt.”

“You’re the only vampire I know who bothers with it,” Jonathan said. “Plus, what you do isn’t hunting, my friend. It’s seduction. There’s a difference.”

“As if you would know,” I said in a light tone. “None of you is old enough to have done any real hunting.”

“I’m old enough,” Anna said, though her tone was anything but light. Her voice carried an edge that matched the steely glint in her gray eyes as she stared at me over Jonathan’s shoulder. “If seduction is what you enjoy, I know plenty of vampires who would love your attention.”

She changed her tone to be more joking, but I wasn’t laughing. She made a version of this joke far too often for my taste. And there was a bitterness to the teasing that I didn’t care to dwell on.

The arrival of my drink shattered the awkward silence that had settled over the table. I held the drink, savoring the coolness of the glass as I gazed out over the bar. My attention lingered on the humans, laughing, dancing, and enjoying each other’s company. They were free to be exactly who they were. Sure, they had to conform to social norms, but they didn’t have to contort themselves as painfully as the vampires who walked among them. I envied the humans. The vampires who’d roamed the Earth when I was turned wouldn’t recognize the creatures we had become.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I missed what Mateo was saying. “What was that?” I asked.

“Some strange rumors are coming out of London,” Mateo repeated.

“Rumors?”

“Yeah, some vamps there are getting sick, really sick, from drinking from infected humans,” he said. “It’s like they’re poisoned or something.”

“That’s absurd,” I replied. “We don’t get sick. Trust me, after two hundred and fifty years, I should know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Mateo said with a shrug. “It’s just what I heard.”

“What if it’s true?” Jonathan asked, his smile fading. “Not that I believe it, of course. But what if?”

“The implications are terrifying,” Anna said dryly.

“It’s impossible,” I said, losing interest in the conversation. This was what it was like to spend time with the young: rumors, the latest scandals, nonsense—all nonsense. I couldn’t connect with the younger vampires. I couldn’t understand what upset them, nor could I relate to their way of thinking. It was nothing like the connection I’d had with my peers when I was young. It made me wonder whether every older generation felt the same way. Was I out of touch now? Obsolete? A remnant of a vanished age?

I looked over the patrons in the bar again and spotted the other table of vampires. They were all younger, having been turned sometime in the last century. I knew them all in passing, but not well. I was about to look away when three humans in the dark green uniforms of the waiters and waitresses approached their table. Their clothing bore no branding, and none of them carried trays. The meals had arrived.

I tore my gaze away as the trio of vampires rose and headed toward the unmarked doors leading to the bar’s private area, reserved for vampires and staff only. No humans, except those employed by Patrick’s and operating under strict non-disclosure agreements, were allowed in the back. I shook my head and looked back down at my drink.

“You really don’t like it, do you?” Jonathan asked, tilting his head. He sounded more curious than judgmental.