Laurel wasn’t like Blair, and she wasn’t like Bobby. Those two were freaks.

She loved them dearly; the list of things she wouldn’t do for them barely existed, but despite how close she was to them, there was a big difference between them and her.

Simon too. He reacted like a normal person… barring the whole explosive thing, but that was more of a fear blind spot in his case. Blair and Bobby… Well, when things got dangerous, Bobby still joked and laughed, but underneath that, Laurel knew he had ice in his veins.

Blair responded to danger with complete and total focus. She locked in on the threat until it was gone, and they were safe, and nothing else existed to her in the in-between.

Laurel wasn’t like that.

She hadn’t handled danger well at first. Oh, she’d always been good at masking it. But as a girl, fighting terrified her. She wasn’t bad at it; she had always been one of the Pack's more skilled fighters for her age, but that fear never left her. It had just gotten more manageable, easier to hide.

Then, they had come to Silver Spruce.

Honestly, she liked the town. Its audacious and bizarre nature charmed her more than anything. But then there were things like Grumpy. Things that reminded her that while beings like Adela Northwoods might stand on top of the food chain; Laurel was not Adela Northwoods.

Follow that up with ghosts and spirits and a horde of undead, it had been a stressful couple of weeks for her.

And now she found out there had been something only a few feet away, something hovering outside the motel that had wanted to eat them. something strong enough to keep them asleep as Alder talked and even fought right next to them.

She felt sick as she pulled her knees close to her chest.

Alder was on the floor, his back propped against the bed and a pillow in his lap. Blair was seated in front of the door, her legs crossed, and one knee just barely touched Alder's foot.

Laurel almost smiled at that sight, but then her eyes landed on Alder, and she saw the bags under his eyes.

Alder wasn’t like Blair and Bobby either. But he was strange. It seemed like a coin flip on how he would react when things got bad.

Sometimes, he would shrug off danger that made Laurel want to crawl in on herself and disappear. Other times, like at the Summit, fear poured off him like water from a fire hose.

But now, after just having fended off an unknown monster that wanted to devour them in their sleep, the only thing she was getting from him was exhaustion and… annoyance of all things.

No, he was just as odd as the rest of them, maybe stranger.

Her eyes settled back on Blair.

Her friend was doing her best to meditate, but Laurel could still feel the tension in her body and smell the barely suppressed rage bubbling under the surface.

That sight gave Laurel strength, gave her a reason to be brave.

Blair needed her, she needed Laurel to be stable, to be the normal one.

Laurel took a deep breath, even as the thought of a monster bursting in tried to flutter through her mind. She would be brave.

She wouldn’t let Blair down, not again.

~<>~<>~

The frozen concrete burned my cheek, the icy chill sinking into flesh, creeping through muscle and reaching for bone.

My head ached, and the smell of cigarettes and iron filled my nose.

What was happening? Where was Reggie? Where were my boys where- where… A plane flew overhead, its engine rumbling through the night.

Snow stung as it landed on my other cheek as I tried to focus on that jet. As it cut through the falling snow, leaving a trail of white fog in the snow stained sky, a single word pierced through the haze in my head.

Pretty.

~<>~<>~

I woke with the scent of blood and cigarettes in my nose and the memory of cold burning through me. I blinked, the smell slowly fading. She hadn’t recognized the scent of blood in her dazed state, but I did. Probably from her head wound, if I had to guess.

As soon as the sun had risen enough for the path to our car to be clear of shadows we bolted for it like the motel was on fire. I didn’t think The Thing was going to go back on its word, but we felt safer waiting for sunlight before leaving the room.

The instant we had left the town I was out like a light.

I blinked the remnants of sleep from my eyes and looked around. The Appalachia’s were growing closer and closer, their looming presence making me feel small.

The sun was setting, and the others were all murmuring and eating, their hands full of sandwiches. Blair glanced over at me as I shifted. “Good evening.”

I groaned and rubbed sleep from my eyes. “Jesus, how long was I out?” Blair chuckled before reaching back and grabbing a sandwich for me. “Something like 10 hours. You needed the rest.“

I grunted, my mouth dry and my stomach ravenous. That thing might not have been on the same level as Grumpy or the Straits, but fighting it off had still worked me like a mule.

“I’m guessing we’ve made some good progress then. How close are we?”

Bobby waggle his hand. “We’re getting there. Blair wants to get there tonight if we can. Which will entail driving through a good portion of that night.”

I rubbed my eyes again and then took a bite of the sandwich. It was filled with lots of sauce and beef, and the bread gave a satisfying crunch. Perfect.

After devouring most of the sandwich I cleared my throat. “Speaking of Vintray, anyone got tips on being a diplomat?“

Laurel laughed. “You’re only thinking about that now?“

I shrugged. “We’ve been busy, and things have spiraled. But if we’re going to try and get this spirit lord to help the Pact, we need to be diplomatic.“

Laurel laughed louder. “That’s what I think of when I see you, diplomatic. A really guarded tongue. You’d never do something like call a millennia-old spook a bitch.“

I flipped her off, and she laughed harder.

Simon shrugged. “Just treat him like a ghost. You’re usually pretty diplomatic with ghosts. Except the ones you swear at.“

I pointed at him. “Hey, I only swear at the ghosts who deserve it or swear at me first. Namely Ben.“

The others had unwound while I slept, so the air didn’t feel like it was about to snap from the tension. It took me a little longer to get that memo.

Sleeping had been very nice. I’d gone out so hard and fast that it felt like I had time-traveled. My brain hadn’t calmed down or processed that I was safe. But as we bantered and chatted, I sank back into the car seat.

I was safe. I was all right.

For now.

~<>~<>~

“Shit!” Blair snarled, slapping the steering wheel so hard it groaned.

“You know that's a rental, we gotta be careful with it.“ Blair gave me a look, and I raised my hands in surrender.

The sun had set hours ago, leaving the highway drenched in shadow. The mountains now loomed like… well, mountains, but they were dark and spooky mountains.

The source of Blair's ire was the line of cars stopped ahead of us and past them the mass of construction equipment. A big sign read ‘ Road closed from 12 AM to 6 AM.’ It was currently 10 pm, so I guess they decided to get started early.

Blair looked like she wanted to climb out and give the construction crew a piece of her mind, but a few deep breaths settled her. “We’ll have to find somewhere to stay for the night.“

Bobby scratched the back of his neck as he looked at his phone. “There’s not really anywhere close to stay. We’d have to drive back at least an hour, which means another hour added in the morning.“ Blair growled before Laurel spoke up. “Plus, there is the political matter, we’re close to Koehrsen Mar’s. Passing through is one thing, but staying the night in his territory without telling him is a bit rude.“

Blair growled deeper before banging her head against the steering wheel. “You’re right; I’ll call him,” she said without lifting her head. I looked back at the others as Blair began to fiddle with her phone through the steering wheel. “Politically awkward? What’s going on?“

Laurel spoke up as she stared at the construction workers. “Koehrsen Mar is a Vampire Lord. The Mar’s aren’t a major house, but they aren’t weak either and our Pack has history with them.”

She waved her hand around the car. “They’ve lived around here for centuries. Blair passing through on a mission is one thing, but Blair not seeking refuge with them when needed during a time of political upheaval… It would communicate that we didn’t trust them. Which would not go over well.“

Bobby nodded mid-yawn. “And that’s ignoring the fact that it’s rude for a werewolf princess to stay in the territory of our ally without introducing herself, even without the wartime tensions.“

“I see.“ I mostly did. I knew less about vampire politics and culture than I had about werewolves. Most of my experiences with vampires were them trying to eat me or drink my blood.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

All I knew was that their politics could often be messy and typically cutthroat. “Okay, so we’re staying at the vampires estate or something?“

Laurel nodded. “Most likely, it’s technically their duty to shelter us since we’re on a mission for the Pact in a time of war. But even if we weren’t, several werewolf Packs have a good relationship with the Mar’s, including the Northwoods.“

I hummed only to cut off as Blair put the phone to her ear. The werewolves clammed up too. They were listening to the phone call, while I didn’t want to get picked up by the vampire.

“Hello, Lord Mar, this is Blair Northwood. I’m in your territory, and while I planned on speeding through, the roads forced us to stay the night. She was silent for several seconds and then nodded, not that he could see.

“Thank you. We will be there shortly.”

She hung up and pulled a U-turn. “We’re staying at the estate. He’s ‘happy to have us in his words.’“ Blair did not look enthusiastic.

I shifted, ignoring the twinge the motion sent through me. “You don’t seem very happy about that. Should we be worried?“

“Koehrsen is… Aggravating. Polite, friendly. He will go out of his way to seem willing to help. And all the while, he’s looking down on people.“

Blair ran a hand down her face, and she looked weary. Her eyes were sunken, her shoulders tight, and her jaw set. I knew her Bond was taking a toll on her, but every day, it seemed to get a little worse, her exhaustion a little more pronounced.

I ached to do something, anything. But want alone wouldn’t get us anywhere.

“My mother makes her disdain for humans known. There’s no deception or mask. I don’t respect it. I don’t agree with her, but at least she doesn’t put up a front. Koehrsen does.”

I blinked at her. “Is that it? Blair, you don’t have to worry about me. I don’t care what some random vampires think of me. Maybe they’ll be unpleasant towards me during our stay, but unless they attack me, I could not care less. Plenty of spooks look down on humans, little hedge mages even more.”

I made air quotes for the hedge mage part.

“You guys don’t have to worry about me for things like this. If something‘s gonna come tear my head off, your concern is warranted and appreciated, but you don’t need to safeguard my feelings from some stuck-up nobles.”

Blair stared at me for a few startled seconds before she softened, and a small smile forced its way onto her face.

Laurel looked relieved while Bobby smirked. “You know, as far as I’m concerned, Blair pretty much is a noble, so really, you’re insulting her vaunted lineage with your crass words, puny human.”

I pursed my lips. “Well I told Blair’s mom to go take a hike in not so many words, so I’ve already insulted her lineage plenty.”

That eased a good amount of the remaining tensions from the car, but I still needed to clear a few things. “Okay, so the vampire lord is racist. That’s a big shock. This is me being very surprised. Is there anything I need to know in particular? I don’t have much diplomatic experience with vampires. It’s usually them trying to drink my blood, kill me, or eat me.“

Laurel shook her head in the backseat. “I’m gonna get that story one day.” She muttered.

Simon piped in, ignoring Laurel. “Treat him like you would any other fancy spook. Be polite; don’t challenge his authority. Just follow our lead. They might try and bait you into reacting. Or take potshots at you. They want to put the Northwoods in an awkward position. Since they don’t want to actually kill you, that would start…” his eyes flicked to Blair. “Conflict. But if they get you to offer them an insult and then graciously forgive it, that gives them some leverage over the Northwoods in their mind.“

I rubbed at my face. “They’re going to be doing stupid cats paw games with me. God, at least werewolf politics are pretty simple. You piss them off, and they’re going to tear your face off…” I paused to consider that before shaking my head.

“I take that back. You people get offended by a lot of things; it’s pretty easy to get your face torn off.“

Bobby jabbed a finger towards the ceiling. “I resent that; plenty of werewolves will tear your head off, not just your face.“

Laurel shifted slightly. “I don’t know them well, but I have heard some things about the family. Koehrsen values his family quite highly, so keep that in mind. Don’t insult them. And his kids can be… Weird.”

I stared at her. “You’re going to need to elaborate on that. I think everyone in this car has a pretty broad definition for weird.“

She gave me a helpless shrug. “That’s all I have. I’ve never met them personally. I’ve just heard that his wife and kids, especially his youngest, have a reputation for being… off.”

I sighed and rested my head against the dash. “Alright. Remember not to cause a diplomatic incident because they said something mean about the poor human.” I didn’t look at Blair, but I didn’t need to.

“But if any of them tries to eat me, I would appreciate some backup.”

~<>~<>~

Falling asleep in a car was kind of like teleporting. You close your eyes in one place and open them in another. It’s like magic, except it’s not, and now my forehead hurt from resting against the dash.

I looked around to see us no longer on the highway. Instead, we were cruising along a well-paved road surrounded by a dense canopy of trees. Moonlight filtered through, painting sections of the road white. The moon in question was waning, thankfully.

Blair’s problem wasn’t as severe when it was only a sliver in the sky.

The SUVs' tires rumbled over the pavement, the sound startlingly loud in the quiet of the night. An owl called in the distance, and a few seconds later, I heard a chorus of frogs and bugs begin to chirp and sing.

I rubbed my forehead and winced. Note to self: don’t fall asleep in that position.

The others were all staring at the road, lost in thought. I imitated them, staring out into the darkness as we went. I couldn’t see much to the sides; I didn’t have their vision. But I got a good enough picture: a lonely road with lots of trees. Blair had said this wasn’t as far from the highway as finding a motel would’ve been, but that didn’t give me an idea of how far we were from the main road.

I figured some fancy vampires would want their space and privacy.

We crested a hill, and the estate came into view. It was a mansion with a capital M. It rested in a small valley, with rolling hills of green surrounding it on three sides and a dense forest on the other.

The mansion itself was opulent, stretching up for five stories and was all dark stone and rich wood—save for the front entrance which was lined with red and black, very vampiric-looking.

In the distance I could see a pond, the sparse moonlight reflecting off its water.

We pulled to a stop before the front door. Everything was almost uncannily clean. Like a TV set more than an actual house. As much as you could call a multi-story mansion an actual house, to begin with.

We climbed out, marching to the door with bags in hand. Before we could even knock, the tremendous black things swung open to reveal a short, immaculately dressed man with gray hair and a severe expression.

My brain thought Butler before the rest of his clothing even registered. He was, in fact, wearing a Butler’s uniform, staring at us with a polite, slightly fake smile. “Welcome, Northwoods. May you be at peace in the Mar’s estate.”

Blair inclined her head.

We stepped inside, and the scent of stone and citrus filled my nose. The inside was just as immaculately maintained as the rest of this place, which only added to the slightly fake nature of it all. The front room was tall, with a spiral staircase ahead of us leading all the way to the roof. Three more hallways branched off from us in each direction.

Before the Butler could say anything else, a deep voice rang out from the second floor. “Blair, it’s good to see you again, darling.“ The man had a rich Southern accent and a baritone that made me think he should get into voice acting.

Koehrsen and he was almost certainly Koehrsen, descended the steps, his arms wide as if beckoning us closer. He wore neatly pressed slacks, a lavender shirt, and a cream-colored jacket. It wasn’t quite as extravagant as I’d been expecting. I had kind of thought he’d march down those steps in a three-piece suit, but I was willing to bet that the clothes on his back were still exorbitantly expensive.

Unsurprisingly, he had pale skin and a large build. His arms filled out that jacket with noticeable muscle, and his square jaw and closely trimmed beard gave him an athletic vibe. His eyes were dark brown and looked genuinely warm, which just made me unsettled more than anything.

He ran a hand through short black hair as he reached the floor.

Blair walked up to greet him, and his smile grew. “You’ve damn near tripled in height since I’ve last seen you! I don’t think you were past my knee,“ he chuckled.

Blair returned it, though I could tell it was forced. “It was quite a while ago.“

He nodded. “You take after your mother. You look like you could be sisters.“

Blair‘s hands clenched behind her back, but her voice came out with a slight chuckle. “You flatter.”

Koehrsen turned and began walking down the hall. “I’m sure you’re all tired and would like a bit of rest. But I’d love it if you would have breakfast with my family. Dinner for you, I suppose, “ he waved at the Butler. “Gerald here will show you to your rooms. I’d appreciate it if you could join us in an hour, but if you can’t, it’s no trouble.“ He vanished down the hall. Never so much as sparing the rest of us a glance. Not that I minded; I didn’t need more eyes on me.

But it was telling. Blair was important, a noble daughter who was already strong beyond her years. The rest of us were not, so we weren’t worth bothering with.

The Butler turned towards the steps. “If you will follow me.“

We did, marching up the gleaming wooden steps. I tried to take in our surroundings as we climbed through the absurdly lavish mansion.

There were windows, but I noticed each one had a contraption attached to the top. I was betting that was a vampire-grade shade. Sunlight wasn’t leaking in if they didn’t want it to.

The walls were adorned with abstract paintings that looked like they belonged in an art museum. The kind of things that people with expensive turtle necks would talk about in great length. Beside them were small sculptures of Greek gods that looked damn authentic. Hell, they might be.

As we passed the second floor, I noticed a painting of Koehrsen in a rich red suit, his hands behind his back as he looked to the side. It was beautiful. The painter captured every line of his face and every tiny detail until it felt like the Koehrsen in the painting might step out and start talking. And more than that, Koehrsen looked sad. His eyes held a weariness that spoke to me.

Holy shit, I gotta meet that painter.

The Butler, even with Koehrsen saying his name, I couldn’t help but think of him as The Butler with how well he fit the part, led us to the third floor and took a sharp left. We moved down a sparsely lit hallway, the light only a few shades above gloomy.

That didn’t surprise me. This place wasn’t designed for human eyes.

Gerald paused once we reached the end of the hall. He looked back at us, and while his face was perfectly neutral, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of disdain rolling off him. “Your rooms are here on the left. Should you have need of me, simply press the intercom, and I will come to assist you.”

He adjusted his bow tie, though it was perfectly straight, as far as I could tell. “You are free to travel around the estate so long as you do not go above this floor. The floors below and the grounds are open to you.“ With that, he turned on his heel and marched away.

I wanted to comment, but I was pretty sure the walls had ears.

Considering no one else had spoken a word, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

Blair motioned us to the door at the far corner, entering first before waving us to follow.

I stepped inside and was greeted with an almost comically lavish room. A flat-screen TV significantly bigger than I was sat against one wall, and a couch large enough to fit the five of us with room to spare sat across from it, covered in rich leather cushions that looked seductively soft.

The room smelled clean and warm, and the rich brown walls mixed with the dark carpet to make the room feel cozy.

There was a set of chairs around a table and a bathroom in one corner. Just peeking through the door, I could tell it was huge.

My eyes settled on the bed, and I blinked. It was big enough for all five of us to sleep on and barely touch. And they had given us several rooms like this. People with money were crazy.

Blair pulled out her phone, began to type, and then held it out for us.

“Assume they are always listening. Watch your words.“

We all nodded.

Blair grimaced, then slowly typed. “Let’s refresh ourselves, then prepare for dinner.”

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. A few weeks ago, my life had been very simple, very normal. That was a bald-faced lie, but I was used to the weirdness of my life, dammit! And now I was going to have dinner with a bunch of people who drank blood like wine and almost certainly looked at me like a second-class citizen.

So rich people, I suppose.