Page 117 of The Last Vampire
Fly to France.
William is going to get on an airplane. He is going to return to Europe. He is going to meet Lenny at last. “Are you coming with me?”
“Not this time. Cisco and I have other business.”
“What about the guns? Why do you need them?”
“Protection,” says Nate, flashing his sharp teeth in a crooked smirk. “If Legion hunters come for us, we can get rid of them without giving ourselves away. You should probably get going, or you’ll miss your flight.”
“Now?”asks William. “I do not even know where to go.”
“Henry texted me your number, so I sent the flight info to your phone. Already checked you in. Just head to JFK and show your passport at security.”
“What do I do when I land in Paris?”
“Head to Notre-Dame. Lenny will find you.” Nate turns toward his bedroom, like this is the extent of their farewell.
“What, no kiss goodbye?” asks William.
“Anne’s wasn’t enough?”
Even though Nate has walked away, William can hear the hurt in the vampire’s voice, and it makes him think of Anne’s parting words—about his heart being broken.
“She was not interested in me.”
William is not sure why he says it. The only explanation he can muster is that some part of him is not ready to give up on being friends with Nate.
He pulls on his coat to leave.
“Take this.” Nate is back with a white cable that he hands to William. “So you can charge your phone on the flight. You’ll need an adapter once you’re in Europe.”
“Thanks.” William places the charger in one of the coat’s deep pockets. In the inside pocket, he has his license and passport. The rest of his documentation—his birth certificate and Social Security card—is in Nate and Cisco’s safe, along with their own paperwork.
“Lenny isdifferent.”
William catches the warning in Nate’s voice. “How do you mean?”
Nate goes quiet, like he is either hesitating or searching for the right words. “He’s still living in the past. His lifestyle will feel more familiar to you than ours, but I’m not sure you’ll find that’s a good thing.”
“I would prefer you speak plainly,” says William, who is fed up with all the mystery.
“Funny, I would prefer the same from you.”
“Okay,” says William. “Speaking plainly, what is the plan after I meet Lenny? I lease my own apartment and source my own blood and wait for the missing vampires to reappear?Or for a secret Stoker to awaken?”
Nate’s jaw tightens, confirming William’s suspicions that the ponytailed vampire did not want William to know about this Stoker theory. Butwhy?
“We’re not just waiting around,” says Nate, not commenting on the Stoker bit. “We each have our assignments.”
“What is yours then?”
Nate cracks a crooked smirk. “I’m the fucking welcome committee.”
“Right,” says William with a small grin. “So long, fucking welcome committee.” He holds out his hand, and Nate shakes it. “Thank you for everything.”
Halfway down the stairwell, he hears Nate’s voice one more time.
“If you’d told me about Anne shooting you down sooner, I’d have booked you first-class. Enjoy the seven-hour flight!”
