I dragged the spoon over my tongue. Well, I guess that answered that. Definitely hostile. Or at the very least, jealous.
"I don't know. It would be hard to face an eternity without all my favorite foods," a woman with dainty features and a sweet smile said. "Just imagine, never tasting sushi or lasagna again."
"My patroness said the taste of blood more than makes up for the loss of food," the blond said, a trace of haughtiness in his tone.
The woman by the stove rolled her eyes. "Don't mind Pierce. He's a pompous, know-it-all at the best of times."
"Since he heard about you jumping the line, he's been like a bear with a thorn in his paw," the man at the stove said. He had skin the color of dark mahogany and a beautiful smile.
Pierce looked like he'd bitten into something sour. "You all weren't happy to see another take your spot. Don't even try to pretend otherwise." His angry glare moved from one to the other. His eyes settled on the woman at the stove. "Deborah, you were just saying earlier how you didn't think it fair that some random stranger off the street got turned when you've been waiting eight years."
Deborah flushed and turned her eyes back to the pot of simmering red she was stirring. Marinara unless I missed my guess.
Theo stepped in, his brown eyes earnest. He gave me an embarrassed smile. "Pardon my friends, Aileen. They're a little out of sorts after the attack."
Pierce folded his arms and leaned back, looking oddly satisfied.
I looked around, noticing who avoided my eyes. Pierce met my gaze with a stubborn tilt of his head and jutted out his jaw as if he was waiting for me to chastise him. I didn't know how the vampires in this place typically interacted with them, whether such talk would be considered an insult or not.
I decided to focus on more important things then what they thought of my presence. "Attack? You mean the one Liam was investigating earlier?"
He nodded, looking somber. "Yeah, that's the one."
"Is the person attacked okay?" I looked around the room, careful to keep my expression sympathetic. "Who was attacked?"
"It was Theo and Catherine," Deborah said, turning to face me, while keeping one eye on her pot. "Thanks to Theo's quick thinking, neither one was hurt."
I made an appropriate sound of appreciation, my gaze flicking back to Theo.
He blushed and ducked his head. "I did what anybody would do."
Pierce rolled his eyes, looking disgusted at the entire exchange.
"That's impressive," I said, ignoring Pierce.
"It was," Deborah agreed. "He saw the wolf in time and got him and Catherine into the car before it could hurt them."
I glanced at the woman with the sweet smile. Catherine, I think that was the woman from last night.
Seeing my look, the woman said, "Catherine found the experience a little traumatic. She's in her room resting right now."
"And you are?" I asked.
"Sheila." She gave me another sweet smile. "My patron is Kato, one of the new master's lieutenants."
I had no idea what that meant, but by the way she said it, I imagined it was supposed to be impressive.
"My patroness is a lieutenant as well," Pierce said with a superior smirk. He slid a look Theo's way. "Unlike those of us who are unclaimed, I hear all of the latest news."
Deborah rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes. It's very impressive that your patron is so high up. We're all companions here; you're no better than the rest of us."
Pierce curled his lip. "At least mine isn't an enforcer."
Deborah slammed down the spoon she'd been using to stir the pot. "Don't you dare talk about Noah like that. He's worth more than some upstart clan member hoping to get selected to the new master of the region’s inner ranks."
I took another bite without taking my eyes off the two of them. This place was like a real-life soap opera, complete with drama and hidden agendas.
Theo held up his hands in a placating gesture as he stepped between the two as they glared at each other. "That's enough. This isn't a conversation we should have in front of company."
All eyes came back to me. I gave them a small smile and set my spoon back in my now empty bowl.
Sheila watched me with an amused glint in her eyes. "Is it true that your sire had no idea of your existence until you declared it at the selection ceremony?"
I cocked my head as I considered. It had been less of a ceremony and more of an outright brawl, but perhaps blood sport was what passed as ceremony with these people.
"That about sums it up."
"What was it like waking up a vampire with no prior knowledge of this world?" Deborah asked, forgetting for a moment her disagreement with Pierce.
I looked down at my bowl and wished more ice cream would magically appear in it.
Seeing the discomfort on my face, Deborah said, "I'm sorry. That's probably an insensitive question. You don't have to answer if you don't want."
I studied her. She looked sincere. It was the only thing that convinced me to speak. "It was difficult. I thought I was going crazy at first."
"How did you survive the bloodlust that takes all the newly turned?" Theo asked, his gaze intent. I looked around to find all of them looked interested in my answer, even Pierce.
Their fascination made sense. If they were companions hoping to make the change, they would want to know what was in store for them. I doubted they'd learn anything from my experience. It had been far from the norm, based on what I’d heard.
"I had a little help from someone in my old command. They were familiar with this world and got me through the first few weeks. Once I stabilized, that person helped me get out of the military and set up a life here." It was a heavily sanitized version of events, and I made sure not to mention any details that might be used to identify the Captain. They probably weren't bad people, but their loyalty would be to their patrons first. I didn't want something I said being used to hurt the Captain later on.
I owed a lot to that man. I didn't like to think about what might have happened had he not been on duty that night.
"Impossible," Pierce scoffed. I fixed him with a stare, arching one eyebrow. He didn't let my look phase him, secure in his own convictions. "You're lying, or at least concealing the truth. There’s no way it only took a few weeks for you to rejoin the world. A vampire's bloodlust is near uncontrollable in the beginning. Some human, or even another spook, would have no chance in controlling you."
I gave him a grim smile that held little humor in it. "You've been turned into a vampire, have you? You have first-hand experience in what it's like?"
Deborah allowed herself a small smirk as Pierce's mouth snapped shut, even Theo looked slightly aggravated at the other man. It seemed I wasn't the only one who disliked him. He mistook the power and position of his patron as his own. I hated people like that, and I especially hated when they called me a liar.
Pierce didn't have a ready retort.
"I didn't think so." To the rest, I said, "Once in Columbus, I got a job with Hermes and have been working there ever since."