Page 42 of Smolder (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter 29)

“We are having something of an identity crisis.”

“Rodina said she needed for me to give her purpose.”

“Yes, that is exactly what we lack. A purpose. We were literally raised from birth to serve the queen of the Vampire High Council as her bodyguards, spies, and assassins. When she fell into her deep sleep the rest of the vampire council took over as our masters, sending us out into the world to further their goals and those of all vampirekind.”

“But you’re not vampirekind, you’re wereleopards.”

“Our master was a vampire, and his interests were ours.”

“I guess my interests must seem boring compared to traveling the world spying and killing people.”

“We did not always travel the world, once we helped curate all the treasures that the vampire council had accumulated over the eons.”

“That must have been a hell of a collection.”

“It was, only the British Museum comes close in scope, but even they are missing so much of the most ancient history. They have to buy it as artifacts, but we were able to collect it in person when it was new and had people who spoke and wrote the languages on it all.”

I thought about that for a few seconds as we drove through the night. There was too much light to say it was dark, but it still had that intimacy that a car gets after dark that daylight never seems to give it. “Are there members of the Harlequin who could decipher archaeological finds that no one else could?”

“Yes.”

“If I ordered some of you to do it, would that be interesting to you?”

“We can safely travel to the United Kingdom, but in most of the rest of the world we would not be welcome.”

“Vampires aren’t, but shapeshifters can travel to more countries.”

“But how would we explain that we have lived for thousands of years, Anita? Humans would know that we either had ties to a vampire or to something else that was ageless and very illegal in their country.”

“I bet the British Museum would jump at a chance for you and Rodina to visit them.”

“Would you come with us?”

“I don’t know, the idea’s too new, I’d have to talk to Jean-Claude and find out how the vamp politics are going there.”

“You truly want us to be happy, I can feel that it makes you hopeful to offer us this chance to do something that interests us.”

“I like my people to be happy, why is that so strange to everyone?”

“You have no idea how selfish and petty most people are, Anita.”

“I’m a cop, I know people are shitty, but I try not to be.”

He made a small sound that was almost a laugh. “I will talk to Rodina about your idea, perhaps that will brighten her mood.”

“You seem down, and she seems depressed or dangerous. You’re both in weird moods, what’s up?”

“It is our birthday today.”

“Why should that make you depressed?” The moment I said it, I realized why. “Shit, it’s all three of your birthdays and you’re missing your brother.”

“Yes, and this year we have been dreaming of him.”

“The same dreams?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No, but at least once a night Rodrigo is in our dreams.”

“I guess with the birthday and all, that would be natural.”

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