As we neared their room, I heard someone call my name. It was my roommate for the trip, Kaitlyn.

"We're going to go explore, you wanna come?" she asked.

I looked at Thomas, who looked uncertain. "I doubt he followed us," he said softly. "But..."

"I'm going to stay here. Thanks though, Kaitlyn," I replied.

"See you, then!"

I turned back to Thomas and shrugged. "Might as well be safe." I did want to see the city, but I would have been nervous exploring a strange city at night, even without the threat of Nathaniel looming.

"I agree."

We went into his room. TS was transformed and sprawled on his back on one of the beds. I thought he was asleep, but he opened his eyes as soon we entered and started wagging his tail.

"Am I getting room service? Brilliant."

Thomas opened the box and set it down on the bed. TS rolled over and started chowing down. I couldn't tell if his leg looked better or not.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Better," TS said between bites. "I heal faster at night, and even faster like this. I'll be fine by morning."

That was good. We were hiking Machu Picchu in the morning. I'd been worried that TS wouldn't be able to manage.

"I think the altitude is bothering you," Thomas said. "Want some of that coca tea before I go? I saw some downstairs."

"Please."

I turned to Thomas. "Go?"

He looked uncomfortable and shrugged. "I have to get my own dinner."

Of course. I was sure he'd needed a lot more blood than he'd gotten from me. I had a feeling that he'd need even more blood to help him heal. "Do you need blood from me?"

"Not while we're on land. I've got some arrangements made. I'll be... nice and full. I'm going to grab that tea. You want some too, Jen?"

"Oh, sure. Thanks."

"Be right back."

A moment after he left, his words sank in. He called me Jen. I was pretty sure it was the first time he had. I smiled like an idiot for a moment, then went and sat with TS. It was still sort of odd to sit down next to a giant wolf. When he was done eating, he yawned. His mouth looked big enough to swallow my entire head, and his teeth were longer and more menacing than any I'd seen on a dog. Then, he flopped over with his head across my lap. I froze in surprise. He acted like a dog a lot, but I never had a guy I wasn't dating suddenly rest his head on my thighs.

He cleared his throat after a few moments. "This is wolf-speak for pet me, you know."

"Pet you?"

"Right."

"But..."

"But?"

"You're... You're a guy," I said lamely.

He lifted his head and studied me. "Sorry, I forgot you aren't that used to hanging around werewolves, yet. I'm afraid we've got more than our share of canine instincts. And just as little respect for personal space."

"Oh. That's okay." I was going to add that I thought it was sort of weird to pet somebody I considered a person, not to mention a friend. Before I could his head was back in place.

"Good."

I was about to protest, when I remembered Mariana petting him when he'd been hurt. If he did have canine instincts, it was probably comforting. I could tell from the strain in his voice that he was still in pain. It hadn't really seemed that awkward for Mariana, either. In fact, I'd seen Thomas pet TS without thinking twice. I hesitantly reached down and started scratching behind his ears. When his tail started thumping against the bed, it was so dog-like that I couldn't resist scratching harder. Thomas was back a minute later.

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"You've made a friend," he chuckled. He didn't seem at all surprised to see me petting TS. I felt a little disappointed to see that he wasn't jealous. Maybe there really was nothing special about somebody petting a werewolf. Thomas set two cups of tea down on the table along with a couple of packets of sugar. "Here we go. It's actually pretty good stuff. I'll be back."

"Keep an eye out for trouble," TS said.

"I will. Stay in here, will you?" he said to me. "Just to be on the safe side."

"Yeah."

"I'll be back soon." With that, Thomas was gone.

The minutes ticked by, as TS and I sat in silence. I got into a rhythm scratching his ears and soon hardly realized that I was doing it.

"Do you think he's okay?" I asked finally. I couldn't help but worry about Thomas.

"He's fine." TS sounded so confident I didn't argue. A moment later, he lifted his head and looked at me. I wasn't sure how I could tell, but he looked serious. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Letting him feed. Not a lot of people would."

"Oh. It's really... no big deal."

TS shook his head. "It is a big deal. That's why it means so much to him that you let him."

"Really?" I felt a silly stab of joy.

"Really."

A phone started to ring. TS heaved himself off the bed, limped over to the desk, and smoothly turned into a human. His shirt was off, and I had to bite back a laugh. He was absurdly hairy. I supposed I shouldn't have been surprised. Then, I noticed that his side was bruised and swollen. Now that I knew just how strong vampires could be, I couldn't imagine how painful it must have been to be kicked in the ribs by one. TS grabbed the phone and sat on the edge of the desk, taking the weight off his leg.

"Agent Conall... Right, hello... Uh-huh... Brilliant, thanks so much. Cheers then." He hung up the phone and picked up a cup of coca tea, then sniffed it, then took a sip. "It is good." He limped back over to me with my cup and sat down on the bed with a sigh. "Sitting around waiting to heal is a pain in the arse."

"You'll be better in the morning, though?"

"Should be."

"Who was that on the phone?"

"It was... I forget what they're called here. Whatever MES equivalent Peru has. They were calling to let me know that Mark's all settled in." TS sighed again. "Poor bloke. Wish he hadn't killed that dhampir."

"I don't see why it's a big deal," I said. I immediately felt stupid. "I mean, yeah, he killed someone, and that's awful. But Dani was telling Mariana that she didn't have a choice when she killed the other one. I don't understand why it's different. If Mark hadn't staked him, we could all be dead, right?"

"That's not the problem. Mark's still turning."

He started drinking his tea, and I got the impression that he thought he'd given a complete answer. "So?" I said when it became obvious that he really wasn't going to elaborate.

"Oh. Right. I'm sorry."

I groaned. "Common knowledge?"

"Sort of." He hunched his shoulders. If he'd been a wolf, I was sure his ears would have been laid back, too.

I took a few sips of my own tea. "Well? Are you going to explain?"

"I am. I've..." He shrugged apologetically. "I don't recall ever explaining it before. I'm trying to figure out where to start."

"Well, it's painfully obvious that I don't know anything." I couldn't help but sound a bit frustrated. "So, just start with the basics."

"Sorry." He leaned over and licked my cheek. Then, he settled back against the headboard and propped up his injured leg. "Well... I guess it starts with a war."

"A war?"

"Between magics. There hasn't been one in centuries, not a big one. But from what I understand, they used to be more common. And... Well, magics can't fight a war with brute strength. Plus, there aren't enough magics anyway. Especially way back when. Even now, I don't think there are more than a couple hundred enlisted in the Legion. You'll have to ask—"

"The Legion?" I interrupted.

"Magic branch of the military."

"I didn't know there was one," I said in surprise.

He shrugged. "Well, if non-magics start fighting, and the magics on the other side want to get involved, there has to be someone to stop them, right?"

"I guess so." It made sense, at least in general. But I had no idea where he was going with this or what it had to do with Mark.

"But that's to do with mainly non-magic wars that we get dragged into. I'm talking all magic, right now. A long, long time ago, even by our standards."

"Okay..." I said, still confused.

"If you can't use force, you have use strategy, and... Well, in some cases, you have to be a bit underhanded. This war, so they say, was bad. We're talking well over a century of fighting. And finally, one side was losing. They got desperate. They figured that the only way to win was to increase their numbers. Populations were so sparse and spread out back then that after a century, anyone remotely nearby who wanted to get involved in this war already had. There were some neutral magics here and there and plenty of non-magics about who had no idea what was going on."

"So, they couldn't increase their numbers?" I guessed.

"Exactly. But then, they figured out a way." TS was quiet for a moment. "There were non-magics everywhere. Even among their enemies. Maids, servants, local farmers. People their enemies knew and trusted. More importantly, people who had no knowledge of the war. What if those people could be taken and turned into magics?"

I figured it out before he was even done. "Find a vampire and make dhampirs."

He smiled sadly. "Easier said than done."

"How so?"

"Where do you get a vampire?"

"You make one," I said. "Dani told me that vampires aren't... born..." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I gasped. If vampires were made, where did the first one come from? I swallowed nervously. "They... They created vampires?"