Page 3 of Thicker than Blood

“All mortals?”

“Yes.”

“Any idea who’s leading this misguided mission and why they neglected to approach me first?”

He shakes his head. “No. I’m told by the vampires who witnessed the broadcast that they don’t recognize the onewho spoke. The city leaders are downtown now, surveying the damage.”

“We must go then.”

Benicio nods, stepping to the side to let me pass. I ascend the stairs quickly to head to my bedroom, where I change from my lounging clothes to my outside clothes—a pair of jeans and a sweater should do for now.

I return to the foyer, ready to walk outside until Benicio clears his throat and points to the wool coat on the rack by the door.

“Right. Thank you.”

I grab the item, shrugging it on. It’s one of the details that helps us blend in that I sometimes forget. It’s far too cold for any average mortal to be outside without a proper coat.

We choose to walk, since we can do that faster than driving, and within minutes, we arrive at the park where the heavy metallic scent of blood assaults me. I knew before we got here how bad the carnage would be, but the closer we got, the more putrid the scent. The longer a person is dead, the less appealing the blood.

The area is eerily silent until muffled voices reach me. I turn my head, following the sound to the other side of the park, where I find the mayor, the chief of police, and another woman I’ve never seen before.

They all turn to me as one, Luci and Bernard quickly suspicious based on the uptick in their pulses as I approach.

I hold my hands up. “I come in peace. I’m just as concerned as you are.”

“Who are you?” the strange woman asks. Her stance is defiant, as if she could harm me.

“Elias Caswell. And you?”

“This is Meredith Woodrow,” Luci says. “She heads the SRC.”

“Ah.” The Supernatural Research Center—the somewhat voluntary partnership between our world and theirs. “I’m surprised our paths haven’t crossed prior to this.”

“Have you offered your blood?” Luci asks with a challenging smile.

“I have not, nor do I plan to.”

“You’re a vampire,” Meredith says, finally catching up.

“Not just any vampire,” Bernard says, but his tone is filled with disdain. “Their de facto leader in our state and the greater region here. Are we to believe you have nothing to do with tonight’s events?”

“Come now, Bernard. You don’t think I’d go about a coup in such a sloppy, unorganized manner, do you?”

He scoffs. “No idea what you guys are capable of.”

Ignoring the jab, I continue. “I came here to see for myself what they’ve done. I’m a big fan of the treaty. It’s made me an even wealthier man and given me freedoms I didn’t previously have.” I focus my gaze on Meredith. “I’m just as motivated as you are to quell this uprising.”

She opens her mouth to say something, but the subtle sound of pebbles skittering across the sidewalk pulls my attention abruptly to my left. From the trees emerges a man carrying a camera. He’s staring down at his screen with a concerted look on his face, nearly tripping over an untied shoelace, but catching himself before he can take a tumble. He looks up and stops abruptly, oddly clutching the camera to his chest.

“Geordi,” Meredith says. “Come here.”

He walks towards us, never tearing his curious gaze from my face. Once he’s closer, I catch his scent, soft and floral with an underlying cherry note. Like a fine wine. His eyes are big and hazel, and I already know that he knows what I am from the way his body heat radiates off him and his pulse speeds up slightly. He isn’t afraid of me. On the contrary, he’s attracted.

“This is—” Meredith says.

“You’re Elias Caswell,” the man says. “Wow.”

“You know him?” Luci asks.

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