"I don't trust her." Marko grumbled.
"Of course you don't. And neither do I." David sighed, rolling his eyes as he paced the admittedly small perimeter of the room. None of them bothered turning on the floor lamp; any vampire who couldn't see in the dark wasn't really a vampire at all. He saw nothing strange, but he wasn't about to trust his brothers' safety to a cursory glance. "Paul, Marko, check for gaps or hidden doorways. See if any light will leak through. Dwayne, with me. We're barricading this door. Grab a box."
Even without a sire's command in David's voice, the boys jumped into action, making sure that their hideout for the day wasn't a trap. There was no sound while they worked, their supernatural powers granting them complete and utter stealth when they wished it. If David had given himself a moment to think on it as he stacked another heavy box, he and his brothers had done a lot of growing up this last year. Immortality didn't always equal maturity. When he was standing guard over his family's bodies as they struggled back from the edge of true death, he had often lamented their loss of "innocence," so to speak. They couldn't be as carefree as before. They were on their own now. You can't trust anyone who isn't family, and for them, family was four brothers who shared a different kind of blood.
Half an hour later, the room was secure. The boxes were piled against the door to stop it from swinging in. Paul had literally sniffed every corner, checking for drafts of air that would signal hidden openings or passageways. Marko's keen eyes had found nothing out of the ordinary, maybe one or two gaps so small that you could barely fit a paperclip through, all of which were in the wall facing the living room. No light would be leaking in through there. The boys found themselves sitting on the rug against the outside wall, leaning on each other as sleep tugged at their eyes. It wasn't natural for them to be up so late, if you could call anything past sunrise late.
Paul was lying with his head in Marko's lap, sprawled out with an arm resting on Dwayne's leg. Marko was leaning into Dwayne, the lieutenant sitting straight up and glaring at the door, even as his eyes drooped. David was feigning disinterest as he shuffled through a few cassettes he'd pulled from a box, his side pushed against Dwayne's. One by one, his boys began to nod off, Dwayne going last, trying to protect his family until the end, as usual.
The moment before David finally succumbed to the pull of slumber, he heard a soft click down below them, having just a moment to remember that it was the sound of the front door shutting. Then he was gone, lost in a dreamless sleep.
Hours later, Mae pulled the lever outside the hidden room, the circles under her eyes incredibly pronounced under the light of the hallway's fixtures. Her sleep had been troubled long before the vampires showed up; a restful slumber was a lost cause once they'd entered her home. She'd gone off to work in a foul mood, treating herself to a pretzel (despite rarely allowing herself such frivolities during working hours) just to calm her mind. Sales were good today, so there was that, at least. She'd changed into faded jeans and an old band shirt once she was home, forgoing shoes like she always did. It was an unusual choice of battle armor, but damn it if she wasn't going to be comfortable when she faced what might very well be her last moments of life. Taking in four vampires as tenants? What the hell had she been thinking?
She'd heard nothing when she returned home, early for once, but she'd chalked it up to the boys still being asleep. The sun hadn't quite set yet when she'd arrived, after all. Despite keeping an ear open for any shuffling or cursing, it seemed that her guests hadn't stirred an inch since her return. Oh well. Looks like she was going to have to give them a wake up call. It was time to establish some ground rules; that is, if she didn't find herself scheduled as the first course on the menu. The door's outline creaked into existence, so she steeled herself and gave it a firm push, letting it open on its own after it got moving. To her surprise, the floor lamp was on, and the boys were standing in a row facing her, eyes cool and expressions neutral. Well, except for the icy blonde one's. That one held himself with all the confidence of a groupie-laden rock star. He was definitely the leader.
"Morning. Or, well, evening, I guess. Dinner's ready. And no, I don't mean me." Mae rolled her eyes when the curly-haired one looked like he was going to giggle. She could see their leader wind up to say something. Since she had no interest in listening to whatever clever and possibly threatening thing he had to say, she turned on her heel and walked back down the hall to the stairs, heading down to the kitchen. "It's pancakes and scrambled eggs. You want something else, you go get it!"
David, who had indeed been about to say something clever, was rather put out that he wasn't going to get to say it. Paul snorted and grinned unrepentantly at David, finding his brother's expression to be the most hilarious thing he'd seen in days. He didn't quit it even when Dwayne cuffed him upside the head, David rolling his eyes before he headed out the door, the others following close behind him. Marko cast a quick look behind them, seeing a second set of stairs at the end of the hall by the window, probably leading up to the third floor. He'd have to explore that later. The second floor hallway extended into an overlook above the living room, leading to a door that was probably the master bedroom.
Down below, a TV sat on a low table, surrounded by a couch done up in a rather hideous upholstery, two plush recliners, and a few chairs scattered around. As they came down the stairs, they could see a library (obviously left behind by the old lady, since it was done in an even more tasteless style than the living room) and another hallway going under the stairs, probably to some storage rooms or something. The kitchen was to the left, large enough to hold a dining table and all the usual kitchen appliances. A large plate filled with pancakes sat in the middle, with places laid out for the guests and their host. Mae didn't look over her shoulder as they entered, the dark sky allowing for her reflection to show in the window. The sound of shoes on the tile floor was her only warning that they had followed her down.
"Milk's in the fridge, syrup's on the table, butter's already on each pancake." She said as she turned off the burner, sliding some scrambled eggs onto a plate. She sat down at the head of the table, grabbing a fork and stabbing a few cakes with it, serving herself. When the boys made no move to sit down, she raised an eyebrow. "What? I got something on my face?"
Her eyes met David's and held them. Marko, Paul, and Dwayne looked back and forth between them, watching a struggle of wills play out. David could sense her rapid heartbeat; she was scared, barely holding it in. She knew she was in a very precarious situation. Good. Most importantly, however, she was putting on a brave front, openly defying David to call her bluff. He could appreciate that in anyone, especially someone apparently out of their league. So, with a grin, he sat down at the other end of the table, stabbing his own set of pancakes. The tension dropped as the rest of his brothers smiled and sat down, immediately making a mess of things as they began helping themselves. The whole time, Mae held his gaze.
"So…I assume you don't make breakfast for all of your guests? Otherwise, I think I'd have to be jealous." David purred, eating with a bit more finesse than his brothers. Paul already looked rather sticky. They didn't need the food, but eating was always fun.
"I don't have guests, and I usually don't want any. I'm making an exception for you. Go on and feel special." Mae grinned, forcing herself to calm down. David had obviously sensed her discomfort, but he seemed willing to play along. Well, that was a start.
"I'm touched." He replied, amused. "In return for your generous hospitality, I'll dig up my manners, just for you." Marko snorted. "That's Marko. That's Paul. And that's Dwayne. I'm David." Mae smiled at each of them, looking them over. Marko and Paul were already halfway through their breakfasts. Dwayne was watching Mae as he ate, assessing her once again. When the girl finally looked down at her plate to cut herself a bite, the brunet sent his brother a nod. She had passed his inspection. All right, then. Time for business.
"So why do you need protection? I like to know what I'm getting my brothers and myself into before I jump. Who is so dangerous that you're willing to make a deal with a bunch of men who would like nothing more than to eat you alive?" His voice was soft, but it carried in the sudden stillness as the others paused in their eating. Mae finished her bite, swallowing loudly in the unrelenting silence.
"Like I said, the air didn't agree with me in Los Angeles." It was bullshit, but she wasn't going to give in that easily. David's eyes darkened.
"I'll let that one slide, since you've kept your word so far. Now you're going to give me an answer." The threat was obvious. Mae sighed, leaning back and rubbing her hand across her face.
"For reasons I'd rather not get into, I saw something I wasn't supposed to see. The only reason I'm still alive is because I was smart enough to haul ass and get out of there before they could see who I was."
"If they didn't see you, why are you here?" Marko asked, shoving another mouthful of pancake into his face.
"Unless they were really shitty vampires, they could smell me. It was sheer luck that I was near a large crowd; otherwise I'm sure they would have followed me. I couldn't risk it. I had to get out of the city, so I came here. These were rogue vamps. They answer to no one. I wasn't safe in Los Angeles." Mae took a large gulp of milk, setting the glass down none too gently.
"…Rogue vamps?" Dwayne finally spoke up, raising an eyebrow.
Mae gave him a look that spoke volumes as to what she thought of her guest's intelligence. "Okay, you guys have been running Santa Carla since, what, the early 20's, right? Probably longer than that? And you don't fucking know about the hierarchies? The councils? The courts!?" Her voice grew louder the more incredulous she got. "Shit. How do I know more than you?"
David barely held back a growl. It seemed like Max had forgotten to mention a few things to him in their years as "father and son." He'd heard about other vampires living in larger cities, but nothing about an apparent system of government. Just another way Max had kept him on a tight leash, it seemed.
"Okay, I'll lay it down simply: the larger the city, the greater the vampire population. Centuries ago, someone realized that, if left unchecked, vampires would eventually expose themselves and cause everyone a shitload of trouble. Since vampires are in the extreme minority compared to the number of humans in the world, things need to be kept secret. You guys are lucky that Santa Carla already had the reputation of being the murder capital of the world before you started terrorizing it; otherwise, one of the councils would've come in and cleaned you out ages ago. To tell the honest truth, you guys are really sloppy." Mae shrugged, that hurried big city clip of hers making her words run into each other.
"As it is, the San Francisco council has been keeping tabs on you and the Widow Johnson. They don't mess with her much. She's not a threat, apparently. But Max was always on their mind, which is why I heard about you guys in the first place. Friend of a friend told me. He was too close to exposing you to humans who could spill the secret."
"Lucy. Michael. Sam." David snarled, his voice hitching on the name Michael. Mae raised an eyebrow, but a quick shake of the head from Marko had her reconsidering her question. Ah. A touchy subject. Moving on.
"Yeah. As of right now, they're not worrying about you. Maybe they think you're too small of an operation to be worried about. Most likely, they just don't care. It was Max they wanted silenced, not you. 'They' being the councils. There's one for every major city, and sometimes there are larger councils for countries or states. Mostly, they're just concerned with their own little area, but some of the oldest vampires like to keep tabs on nearly everyone. I was never too interested in all of that, but I had a drinking buddy who was. Basically, you guys are in the clear so long as you don't do any stupid shit." She finished her food, her appetite small in the face of an uncertain future. When she'd woken up this morning, she hadn't expected to start her evening giving a history lesson to the undead. It was enough to put anyone off their meal.
"This doesn't explain what the hell a rogue vamp is." Paul pointed out, scarfing down another pancake. His fork wandered over towards her plate. It seemed he was more than happy to eat whatever Mae and the others didn't want. Mae pushed the plate towards him, hiding her pleasure at his delighted smile. Okay, she could admit that this one, at least, had his charms.
"A rogue vampire is someone who doesn't follow the laws of the council. They're someone who lives outside the rules and is a danger to both themselves and the vampire world. Usually it's the bloodsucking equivalent to a druggie, vamps who feed off of the heroin addicts and stoners almost exclusively. Someone once told me that it addles your brain. Drink enough bad blood and you go bad too. Councils tend to pick them off quietly to keep the peace. Some rouges, though, they're just psychopaths…well, more so than most vampires. No offense." She actually didn't care if they took offense.
"Some just don't give a shit about rules and kill whenever and wherever they please. They're even more dangerous than the druggies. They're cruel and clever and don't care if humans know they exist. That puts the council, and therefore the whole vampire population, at risk. Since I was the only one who knew what they looked like, I got put under both the Los Angeles and the San Francisco councils' protection. Killing the wrong guys could start a gang war. That's why my friends in Los Angeles helped me get out. They said they'd send word when it was safe. So far, though, they haven't found the rogues. They probably have fled the city, too, which is why I need you guys. If I go out alone at night, I'm easy pickings. With one of you around, I'm safer. Once they're dead, I won't need a bodyguard anymore." With a deep breath that ended in a sigh, Mae leaned back in her chair, watching David's face for any hint of what he was thinking.
It was a lot to take in. David could feel Mae's gaze on him, but his expression betrayed nothing. Paul kept eating, finishing off the pancakes, seemingly unconcerned about the bombshell Mae had just dropped on them. Marko's face matched David's, except his eyes were gleaming with a barely-hidden mirth. Ah shit, a crazy one. Mae nearly sighed dramatically. The pretty ones were always the most insane, weren't they? Dwayne was looking at David. Mae raised her eyebrow, a thought clicking into place. Was Dwayne the lieutenant, maybe? Packs tended to have one.
She let David take his time, knowing that getting involved in all of this was a lot to ask. If he said no, she wasn't sure what would happen. Hopefully, at worst, they'd just leave her alone to her fate. She doubted that David would kill her, what with her dropped hints about powerful friends, but she couldn't be sure. He looked like he could care less about politics. She hated dancing on the edge of the unknown. Somewhere in the background, the radio played softly, some inane pop song by the latest teen sensation. In a moment of quiet hysteria, Mae wished she'd put on a record.
She didn't want to die listening to some kid sing about going to the mall.
It wasn't often that David found himself thrown for a loop, and it had happened twice in the last two days. Perhaps he was losing his touch, but the circumstances were quite unusual, so he cut himself some slack. He had always liked to be several steps ahead at all times. He liked to think of all the consequences of his actions, especially now, after the death of Max and the disaster that was the Emerson's. Luckily for him, things had turned out for the best, in the end, except for the part where his brothers all nearly died forever. Best not to dwell on that.
The girl across from him was a puzzle, for sure, but not a difficult one. The only thing he couldn't figure out was why she, a human, was apparently friends with enough vampires to know an extensive amount about their world, more than a vampire who had been alive for nearly a century. On top of that, at least some of these friends seemed to be powerful or influential enough to put her under some kind of protection, whatever that meant. He wanted to know more; just "I heard things and now I know things because I made friends" wasn't enough of an explanation for him. Despite his threats, though, she'd kept that "how" part of her story secret. Troublesome, but he could wait. He was nothing if not patient these days.
Back to the matter at hand, though. His childhood hadn't afforded him much education, but he'd learned to pick things up quickly in order to survive. Therefore it was a miracle that Max had managed to hide the existence of a wider vampire society from him. Admittedly, all David had ever really been concerned with was feeding, fucking, and having fun. It had taken a near-death experience to open his eyes to the fact that the world was bigger than his own petty desires. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. The blonde had no reason not to trust Mae on this, even though he'd do his own research later, just in case. Councils and whatnot could explain why Max occasionally disappeared off to San Francisco or Los Angeles sometimes. Max had called these little visits "business trips," but David had always thought he was just going to look for a wife, a mother to his sons. David hadn't needed a mother in life or death, so he'd never bothered with Max's search for a mate. That had obviously been a mistake.
So it all came down to this: in exchange for shelter, Mae wanted David and his brothers to protect her from the rogues who probably had it out for her. Why her friends couldn't protect her in person was something he'd have to needle out of her later. Was he willing to risk his brothers for something so simple as a place to live? This old house was far enough away from the pier that it would afford them both privacy and freedom, much like the old hotel had. With no Max looming over their shoulders, they could do whatever they pleased. Having a human living here meant that other vampires couldn't enter without her express invitation, giving them a safe haven so long as they didn't let Mae get killed. She seemed to be willing to negotiate on house rules, so maybe this could work. He glanced at his brothers, wanting their opinions before he made a final decision. He heard more than saw Mae get up to rinse the dishes off in the sink, giving them a moment to talk it over…or steel herself for her own demise. A bit melodramatic, but no worse than Paul when he'd smoked a little too much weed.
Marko's eyes sparkled with mischief, as per usual. He gave a short nod, grinning a little as twirled a butter knife between his fingers. David would have to make sure he didn't do anything too dangerous to their host, lest she kick them out, or worse, start a prank war with him. The last one Marko had started with Dwayne had nearly caught them all out in the sunlight trying to wash the glitter from their clothes. Paul just shrugged and smiled in his usual lackadaisical way; the youngest was always content to go with the flow, so long as he was allowed to have a good time. He'd seen his brother rifling through the various cassettes in their hidden room, so he knew Paul had already made himself at home.
Dwayne was the last, and most important, vote. He raised an eyebrow at his oldest friend; the man who'd stuck with him through the best and worst times of their undead lives. If Dwayne said no, he'd call the whole thing off. His brother's instincts were never wrong. After a moment of consideration, Dwayne raised an eyebrow and nodded, giving his approval. David smiled, turning back to Mae, who had finished setting the plates into the dishwasher. She turned back to them and leaned against the counter, waiting.
"All right. We'll keep our end of the bargain." He bit back a grin as he saw her sag in relief. "Now for my conditions, non-negotiable. If you want to borrow any one of my brothers, you run it by me. If you see anything suspicious, you run it by me. If you hear from your friends in L.A., you run it by me. You want our protection? It happens on our terms."
"Fair enough. And in return, I've got my own conditions." Mae shut off the radio on the counter and went to the fridge, grabbing a can of soda. "No smoking in the house. That goes for weed, too. You wanna smoke? Hang out the damn window or do it on the porch. I've got asthma. And pick up your trash." David nodded. It wasn't so difficult a rule.
"Anything else?"
"Yeah. No eating in the house. You know what I mean. You wanna eat somebody, do it as far away from here as you can. And clean up before you come inside. I've got a washing machine you guys are more than welcome to. There's a shower down the hall and a bathtub on the second floor, next door to your room. I expect you to use them. I can't afford new furniture yet." Mae made sure to glare at each of them pointedly. "I'm serious about this one. No blood on my stuff."
David laughed. "All right, all right. No blood. Anything else?"
"Nah. That's about it. I sell jewelry out on the pier during the day, so I get home around sunset. I don't go to sleep super early, but if you guys could keep it down when you come home, I'd appreciate it." She shrugged, taking another swig of Sprite.
"Then we have a deal. Come on, boys. It's time for a real breakfast." David stood, the others grinning like the monsters they were as they followed him to the door. "Sweet dreams, Mae."
"Go to hell, David."
The sound of laughter flooded the house for a moment. Then the door shut as the roar of motorcycles faded away into the distance.