Brennan took a deep breath to calm himself and asked, voice carefully level, “And Dom?”
“I was hurt, but not as bad as you,” Dom said. “Then I thought I killed you, so I was kind of a mess.”
“I couldn’t stand seeing the lil lady sad, so I offered her the chance at a new life, too.”
“Didn’t exactly read me the fine print though, did you, asshole?” Dom said, elbowing Travis and accepting the offered joint. She was smiling, though, something Brennan wasn’t used to seeing on her.
“Please, you love it,” Travis said.
“I do.”
“Why us, though?” Brennan interrupted the vampire pride parade he couldn’t relate to. “People die every day.”
“You were in my domain,” Travis said, like it was simple.
“Your… domain,” Brennan repeated.
“All the woods north of Sturbridge.”
“And you guys,” Brennan continued, “are… friends?”
“Yeah!” Travis said, giving one lazy jazz hand as if to say,Ta-da!
“It’s nice to have a mentor who’s a bit more low-key,” Dom added. “Nellie is a bit… enthusiastic.”
“Plus, Nellie’s way hardcore into the urban schtick,” Travis said, nose wrinkling at the sentiment. “I never got the whole pretending-to-be-human thing. No point in pretending to be something you’re not.”
Dom was nodding along, eyes bright for the first time since Brennan had met her. Annoyance flickered through Brennan. He wasn’tpretendinganything. He was trying to keep vampirism from ruining his life.
“Hey, does she still have all those pamphlets?” Travis laughed. “You know, back in the old days vampires used to be fearsome. Now people think we’relame.Or, worse,sexy.The sparkly vampire thing is the worst thing that’s happened since Vlad slaughtered the whole eastern castle colony.”
Every word out of Travis’s mouth left Brennan with a thousand more questions. Castle colonies? Vlad? Old days of vampires?
“I know the beginning of all this is pretty crazy,” Travis said, which was as unhelpful as it was uninformative. “But you’ll figure out in your own time what being a vampire means.”
When neither Dom nor Brennan seemed satisfied, he took a long pull from his joint.
“Don’t overthink it,” he said. “Trust yourself. Trust your handy new vampy instincts. Do what feels right, and you won’t do anything you shouldn’t. Well, I mean, I don’t know your life.”
“That’s your advice?” Brennan said. “Follow your instincts and hope you don’t accidentally murder anyone?”
Travis grinned and leaned forward conspiratorially. It came across as condescending, like he was taunting kids with candy. But Dom leaned in for the secret and Brennan couldn’t help the curiosity that kept him from running away from all the madness.
“Here’s something Camp Director Nellie won’t talk to ya about,” Travis said, stubbing out the roach of the joint in a mug that acted as an ashtray. “Have you drank from a human?”
Brennan’s stomach dropped and he studied his hands where they were folded in his lap, avoiding Dom’s gaze, his kind-of friend who had still, possibly, killed a guy, and Travis, his possibly deranged vampire-creator.
But Dom didn’t answer. Travis continued, “You can drink from someone without turning them. And without killing them. And that shit”—hegave a little chef’s kiss to dirty, calloused fingers—“is better than any drug I’ve ever had.”
Rosie moved from her perch on Brennan’s foot and ran to Travis, whining. Brennan couldn’t have said it better himself, thanks, Rosie!
“Is it dinnertime already, Little Rosebud?” Travis asked, and hopped to his feet, leaving Brennan still reeling from the information. He went to the mini fridge and Brennan sidestepped to get out of his way, while Rosie followed Travis with an excited wiggle.
Travis produced a bag of blood from the fridge, ripped open a corner with his teeth, and poured it into a bowl. Then he put the bowl on the floor and Rosie began licking it.
“No way,” Brennan said. “The dog is…?”
Travis brushed his hands on his overalls and patted Rosie’s haunch while she eagerly drank blood from her bowl.
