Joe sat cross-legged on the parquet, his head bent over a his Chemistry text. The wooden floor was still warm from the square of sunlight that had gilded it until recently from the skylights above. Now he could see a perfectly clear October sky turning red.
He'd read the same paragraph over three times. He kept getting distracted, and when he realized he'd lost track of what he was reading, going back over it.
Who can concentrate with vampires in the house? he thought.
As if on cue he heard Jake's door open above him, and the folklorist stepped out onto the balcony-like hall. Jake paused up there, probably catching the view from the skylights. Joe turned one of the thick, sharp-edged pages noisily to let him know he was there.
"Evening," said Jake, thumping down the stairs.
In his head Joe heard weird place to sit and saw images of the more comfortable furniture in the conservatory.
"I like to sit in the sun," said Joe without looking up as Jake came down the stairs. "It comes right in from above until about four o'clock."
Jake stopped at the foot of the stairs and blinked at him. Right, remembered Joe, Jake didn't say that out loud. It was easy to forget: Jake and Adrian were broadcasting so clearly.
Most of his life Joe had been aware of background noise in his head. He was so used to it he didn't pay it much attention. Sometimes he heard clearer thoughts, usually when people put them into words just before they said them out loud. And sometimes he heard things people were thinking, but purposely didn't say. He'd thought he was just perceptive until he overheard Jake and Adrian carrying on with radio clarity.
"What's that?" Jake indicated the book.
"Chemistry," he said with a sigh. "You know anything about acids and bases?"
"I know how to make beer," said Jake with a shrug.
Joe didn't smile. There wasn't anything about beer he found amusing, having smelled far too many of his father's threats enveloped in it.
Jake's thoughts were turning to food. "Hungry?" asked Joe after a minute. "There's Chinese in the dining room, help yourself."
Friendly sort, thought Jake sarcastically as he headed off to eat alone.
Joe sighed. He couldn't explain what exactly about Jake made him uncomfortable. He should be trying to be friendly with him. After all, he could answer a lot of questions for him about being a bloodling, and about vampires. But still... something about Jake just turned him off. He was too white-bread, too normal, as much as anyone who hung around with vampires could be. People like that always made Joe feel like he had to defend himself for simply being who he was.
Hands suddenly stroked his hair and he jumped up, tossing the text book a few feet.
"Sorry," said Evelyn, and he knew she wasn't. She loved to sneak up on him.
"A bell," he told her, in mock-threat. "I'm gonna get a bell."
From Evelyn there was no psychic noise, only blessed silence. Joe thought maybe all vampires were like that until he'd heard Adrian.
"Where's our guest?" she asked.
"Inna dining room."
"You could dine with him. You're not being very polite."
Joe shrugged, and got up for his text book to avoid her eye.
"What's bothering you?"
"You know, it's nice to know beforehand and not find out when you meet a guy that he used to bonk your girlfriend." Joe had divined a lot about their "affair" from Jake's thoughts.
"Bonk?" repeated Evelyn with raised eyebrows.
"You know what I mean."
"Is that what Jake told you?"
Joe thought about saying yes and letting Jake take the scolding that was building up on Evelyn's tongue, but he decided that was too underhanded. "I could tell by the way he looks at you, baby. It ain't no secret."
Evelyn dismissed the evidence with a little sniff. "It was one night. It didn't mean anything, and you shouldn't be jealous."
Joe gave her a doubtful look. "I'll try to keep the inner demons under control."
Evelyn didn't look very happy with his sarcastic response, but didn't pursue it. Instead she headed towards the dining room where her 'guest' was.
Jake was eagerly shoveling food from the paper cartons to his mouth. He'd ignored the fork and plate Joe had left him, and was using the cheap wooden chopsticks that had come along with the order.
"Hi," he said to Evelyn. "Guess there's no point on offering you some, eh?"
Joe caught a jumbled thought from Jake along the lines of his offering her blood, but he said nothing about it. He tried to tell himself that they were only thoughts. He had thoughts like that ten times a day just going to classes, and they didn't mean anything.
Evelyn took a seat at the head of the table and Joe leaned on the back like a watchdog, just in case Jake should put any of those thoughts into words.
"When does the Professor wake up?" asked Joe, and hoped belatedly that no one read anything into his interest.
Jake looked up, as if examining the ceiling of his skull. "He's up. Can't tell you any more than that."
Evelyn raised her eyebrows. "You can tell that? Because of the blood bond?"
Jake nodded, his mouth full of moo goo guy pan. "You know we can talk to each other," he said when he'd swallowed. "Um, can I ask you a favor before he gets here?"
"Of course," said Evelyn.
"You can ask," added Joe with a grin that was meant to be friendly, but Jake just ignored him.
"He hasn't hunted in a while now, and frankly I don't like the way he's looking at me. Do you think -- I wanted to get back on the road tonight -- but do you think you could take him out someplace where he can hunt?"
"Well, I have other company coming..." she mused. "We'll see. Maybe we could all go out. There's a club I know that runs after hours." A little smile crept on to her face. "It might be fun to have some vampire companions."
Oh, yeah, fun isn't the word for it, thought Jake, shoveling Szechwan noodles into his mouth with chopsticks.
Joe almost felt like telling him that he could hear his thoughts, but he decided this might be useful. Adrian was careful, but if he confided in his bloodling, Joe might find something out about why he was here.
"Who's coming?" asked Joe.
"Company?" said Adrian, suddenly striding into the room. "Evening all."
"Evening," they all answered back, like a grade school class chorusing the teacher.
"Won't you tell me who's coming to join us?" asked Adrian.
Evelyn just smiled at him. "You'll see."
"Vampire or dinner?" he pressed.
"This isn't twenty questions," she chided. "I understand you drink. Would you care for a brandy?"
"Yes, a brandy would be nice," answered Adrian. He could see the brandy sitting on the sideboard, and it was the only bottle in evidence.
"We don't really drink much," explained Joe. "Look, I'm gonna go change if we're goin' out." Anything to get away from those dazzling teal eyes. He was going to give himself away if he wasn't careful. Evelyn was very observant.
Need any help? offered the Professor, and Joe wisely ignored him.
Joe changed into clean black jeans and a white silk shirt. He tried on six different earrings before he decided on a jade hoop the color of this eyes. He even went into Evelyn's jewelry, knowing that she wouldn't freak out in front of company.
You're doing this to impress Talbot, warned his conscience.
You'll be with Evelyn the whole time, replied the justifier in his head, what could happen?
He'd been mad at Jake for his thoughts about Evelyn; it made his own about the very attractive Professor Talbot even worse. He was the kind that made Joe's knees weak -- charming, older and dangerous.
So, do you know who's coming? asked Adrian mentally as Joe headed back down the stairs. The party had moved into the library; Evelyn was giving them a tour of the house.
I'm completely in the dark, answered Joe.
Aren't we all? mused Adrian in his head.
