Tallulah watches the last vestiges of the daytime sun slowly fade behind the tops of the pine and sweet gum trees that make the landscape of the mountainous region. She''d already bathed–in an uncomfortably small tub with only a thin plastic curtain for privacy–and eaten, seen to some concerns of her people, and was now simply waiting for the shoe to drop in the evening. She is moon-ascendant, which is typically a benefit at night, except when your captors are also essentially moon-aligned creatures. Tallulah is also reasonably confident that even if all of the fey got together to cause problems, they''d still be outnumbered and quite literally outgunned.


    She had seen Elijah moving about the area a few times since she rose for the evening, but neither she nor he acted as though they had anything to say to each other. Micah, on the other hand, had personally seen to the guard shift change, and with the darkness of the night arriving in force, Tallulah could see the pallid skin of some of the newly arriving guards more clearly–the vampires do, in fact, have some people acting as night guards. There is some commotion when the giant, nearly pony-sized dog beasts are brought out from the house. Despite their enormous pure size and viciousness, Tallulah sees them sprint and chase each other off into the distance when they''re put out beyond the first internal security perimeter fence. They''re still dogs, she muses, and dogs have weaknesses. It was just a little factoid that wound up filed away for potential usage later if ever there was the need.


    Christina, the dark-skinned, long-cornrowed, tattooed, and ritually scarred beauty, is the first arrival of the vampires from the night before that she recognizes. Tallulah watches as Christina approaches Micah just outside the barn, and they have a sedate conversation. It only takes a few moments for Tallulah to realize there is some degree of resemblance there. Perhaps Christina is one of those "living relations" Elijah mentioned.


    As if she knew Tallulah was peering at her, Christina turns her head mid-word with Micah and openly surveys Tallulah. Tallulah doesn''t offer a smile–neither does Christina, for that matter–and the pair gaze at each other for a few moments. Christina breaks eye contact, and she does so by looking back at the guard, Micah, before brushing a hand across his shoulder and moving away. Sure enough, with Micah looking after her, Christina makes her way toward Tallulah. A few seconds later, she arrives with only a momentary silence.


    "Good evening. I was asked to see if you are ready to meet the liege lord."


    Christina''s voice doesn''t modulate from high to low, so if anything, someone might think she''s bored. Tallulah slowly pulls back some of her silver and gray hair from her shoulders, then responds.


    "I''m fine with going and speaking to your leader, yes." After speaking, Tallulah moves away from the place she had been leaning at the end of the barn, and Christina takes the cue to lead them toward the massive manor''s side entrance.


    The walkways towards the elevated home were lined and laid out with stone she had seen naturally on the long walk from the glade to here, where her village is now essentially a captive of this group of vampires. The home''s stone, metal, and timber frame, as well as landscaping, is picture-perfect. Night-time gardeners and assorted landscapers move around the home, maintaining it without any interference from the guards. The massive windows on the home are ideally placed to allow those inside the home to see down into the valley, elevated as they are. It occurs to Tallulah that if this had not been the placement of a homestead mansion, this easily could have been a hilltop lookout or fort for past wars. Interestingly, the home itself isn''t modeled after European chateaus or palazzos but has a distinct mixed rustic and American feel.


    Tallulah tries to absorb as much detailing as she can as they walk up the engraved stone stairs. The favored motif for design seems to revolve around bears. Again, Tallulah thinks back to her initial impression of their location. While not conclusive at the time, the fact they are in rolling hills with pines and assorted trees like the sweet gums and oaks, with carvings of bears and the hint of southern twang in the voices of some of the younger-looking living guards, she is reasonably confident that they are somewhere in the southeast of America, and in fact in the Appalachian mountains. Not that it matters, but trying to visualize where they might be helps Tallulah feel she might be able to figure some way out for herself and the other faeries.


    Christina pauses at the doorway before reaching forward and resting her hand on what previously just appeared to be a dark polished stone. As it turns out, it seems to be a high-tech security reader of some kind, and after verifying Christina''s access, the door hisses slightly and unlocks. Serious security, Tallulah realizes. Initially, the door looked completely normal, but as they passed through the threshold, she saw it was quite thick, about the depth of a few fingers. Security, indeed. Inside, the mansion in the mountains continues to hold up to its spectacular billing, with opulent–yet rustic–furnishings and decor. Wood, stone, and subdued steel are the primary things to see, but down hallways that lead away from the mud room-like vestibule they are currently in, Tallulah can see aspects of modern design here and there. The security systems, in particular, seem expansive, and Tallulah realizes that the wealth expended to build here is intended to stay here, protected, for the long term.


    Christina seems willing to allow Tallulah some time to take in the surroundings, and she speaks only after about half a minute or so.


    "This is one of the side entrances. We use this primarily to deal with the horses and dogs, but as your people currently reside in one of the barns, we also use it to deal with you now."


    Her uninflected manner of speaking makes it hard for Tallulah to determine if that was said in annoyance or if she considered them equivalent to animals, so she looks at Christina, hoping to get a read on her. Unsurprisingly, Christina is a blank slate–practiced and effortlessly maintaining her aloofness–which Tallulah can''t read. Still, she figures she should at least try to be conversational, if only on the off-chance that Christina''s carefully guarded mood and mental state isn''t fully covered.


    "Sure, that makes sense."


    To Tallulah''s disappointment, Christina doesn''t continue speaking. Instead, she moves past a patrolling pair of interior guards and gestures for Tallulah to follow her down a hallway toward a more extensive set of rooms. Some of the doors they pass are already open, and they appear to be primarily work rooms and offices–several of them occupied. Denoting the pale or pallid skin of some workers inside, she realizes this isn''t just a small family of vampires; this could be a vast network of them (or whatever they call themselves when gathered in sizable numbers).


    Most of the obvious vampires do not have the same dusky skin tone as Elijah, Micah, or Christina. Tallulah doesn''t know precisely how vampire society is set up, but the fact that Elijah mentioned a "living line" of descendants suggests–in her mind, anyway–that perhaps their hierarchy is more familial or tribal. As she passes down the hallway, led by Christina, her thoughts churn over the idea of vampiric social standings. Maybe, Tallulah muses, the central family has the highest social standing, and all of the vampires they make are like worker bees. She figures she probably won''t get any answer if she were to ask about it, so Tallulah doesn''t.


    Christina leads them through a speakeasy-style bar room. Inside are several people dressed to the nines, and some guards are posted in and around the room. The individuals inside the room gaze toward Christina and Tallulah as they walk by. In the low light, several of the eyes of the clientele reflect the flicker of illumination, so for a moment, Tallulah feels as though she''s come across a group of alligators waiting for a meal–or cougars watching potential prey move by. The pair moves up a set of steps to the second floor of the expansive home, and when Tallulah is about to make a joke about its size, Christina leads them toward a set of shut colossal double doors.


    The dark wood doors themselves are awe-inspiring; some master carpenter must have spent an unknown amount of hours carving and finishing the beautiful artwork. Tallulah reaches up and traces fingertips over the carvings of the woods, mountains, and bears.


    "This is actually… beautiful."


    Tallulah doesn''t expect Christina to respond and is a little surprised when she does.


    "Yes. These doors, I believe, were the first things made for this place."


    Tallulah traces fingers over the inlay of dark red garnet, opal, and other highly polished stones before catching herself getting too engrossed in the details and forcing herself to step back.


    "I don''t think I''ve seen craftsmanship this good in a very long time. You all are fortunate to have whoever created this."


    Christina smiles, though there''s no humor in it.


    "Yes, I''m sure that the creator of this work considers himself lucky."


    Thinking nothing of Christina''s response, Tallulah takes another step back from the door, and Christina reaches forward, gripping one of the two doors'' handles.


    "Be on your best behavior." The tone in which it is said isn''t threatening, and from Christina''s body language, Tallulah thinks it''s more of a warning out of politeness.


    "I will, thank you."


    Christina opens the massive doors and steps in ahead of Tallulah, who follows a few paces behind. Unlike the rest of the home, which has wooden or locally sourced stone flooring, the circular, ballroom-sized room they enter is luxurious. Tallulah doesn''t even register that there are people inside at first, so overwhelmed with seeing what is clearly out of place in the rustic mountains'' mansion.


    The flooring is a white marble, polished to a reflective sheen. In the center of the ballroom is a great circular inlay of a black bear, with shimmering and polished gemstones outlining the bear in golds, bold browns, greens, and reds. Pillars of marble are spread sparsely and tastefully through the circular room, decorated top and bottom with carvings of bears. The ceiling is spaced with huge glass panes, spanning from beam to beam in some areas, allowing in the full light of the moon, while the tasteful–and, of course, extravagant–light fixtures maintain the same color temperature and disperse it throughout the room. There are purposeful cutouts on the marble flooring, allowing for small patches of grasses, exotic flowers, and similarly exotic assorted plants. Though there are no currently fussing gardeners, someone clearly maintains the space regularly.


    Finally, the overwhelming introduction to the palatial ballroom fades away, and Tallulah focuses on the people inside, of which there are several. Seeing them all dressed as they are–as if they all were attending a dinner party–makes her feel extremely out of place in her old threadbare gardening clothes. Pale skin and dead-eyed looks reign supreme. In the center of what Tallulah assumes is the main focal point of the ballroom, about ten feet behind the topmost part of the bear floor inlay, is a small seating arrangement of three chairs, only one of which is currently filled. Behind the seating arrangement–Tallulah notes it''s the only seating in the ballroom–are three separate security doors that give exterior access to somewhere else in the mansion. With no one having broken the moments of silence that her arrival behind Christina brought to the room, Tallulah focuses on the person sitting in the very center of the three-seat set-up.


    The man sitting there is a handsome sort, with dark eyes, dark skin, and dark hair coiled into tightly and immaculately manicured snake-like coiled braids tightly bound along his head. He is wearing a fantastically stylish black-on-black suit with no shirt or tie, so Tallulah can see some part of his athletic chest where the suit jacket exposes it. The only thing that blemishes his visage–and it truly is the only thing–is that from the left side of his chin, down across his throat, and halfway across his chest are three ragged scars. He wears no jewelry on his face or neck, though he has several sparkling rings she can see.


    Finally, breaking the spell of silence, Christina closes the door behind Tallulah and then walks back in front of her, guiding them further into the room. Christina stops and gives her introduction without turning to Tallulah again.


    "Maker, this is the supernatural Fey that called herself ''Tallulah.'' She has been acting as the spokesperson for the large group under the house''s hospitality on the grounds outside."


    After speaking, Christina moves from out front of Tallulah and casually walks right over to several individuals in assorted, tasteful cocktail dresses, suits, and other fashionable attire that screams money is not an issue. As Christina moves away, the man that Christina addressed as "maker" focuses his dark brown eyes on Tallulah. Before he speaks, he waves one of his hands to gesture Tallulah closer. She shuffles a few steps to stand directly on the bear floor inlay. The man tilts his head slightly, then finally speaks.


    "Are we to refer to you as Tallulah, then?"


    His voice is unpressured and full, but he speaks as though they are only a few feet apart. Still, no one else is speaking or making noise, so his quiet speaking tone still carries. Tallulah folds her hands in front of her, then nods.


    "Yes, that would be fine."


    The man studies her intently, clearly denoting her gray hair, crow''s feet, and other signs of aging. He also seems to focus a hair longer on the bruise that''s spread across her jawline.


    "Would you like something to drink?"


    "No, thank you." Tallulah shakes her head in response. "At the very least, can I know who I''m speaking to?"


    There''s some snickering about the ballroom from several individuals littered about. It''s only then that she realizes this is almost like a throne room of old, complete with the obnoxious nobility with nothing better to do with their time than point and laugh.


    "Yes, of course. Miss–Missus perhaps?–Tallulah, apologies for the lack of introduction. You may call me Kofi, Kofi Freeman."


    The man doesn''t move when speaking except for his lips and eyes. He hasn''t moved his hand since gesturing Tallulah forward, other than putting it back down, and doesn''t appear to be planning to change that any time soon. Tallulah looks around carefully, without speaking initially, before focusing her attention back on "Kofi."


    "You''d like me to use Mister Freeman, then?" She quietly responds after his talk of using "Miss Tallulah."


    Kofi nods his head, accepting her method of addressing him.


    "We have been told that you and your people appeared on our land and that you have made statements to the effect of not knowing how you all arrived here and not knowing where exactly you are. We can illuminate some degree of your confusion, but not all of it. Are you familiar with the Swannanoa Valley area?"


    "Miss is fine, by the way, and no, I''m not familiar with it."


    "Well, Miss Tallulah, that is where you are. East of Asheville, North Carolina. Our territory." There''s a slight pause, "In America, if that wasn''t clear."


    Tallulah studies the man as he politely tells her where they are without the normal inflection of tone that people naturally use when speaking. Like Christina, she can''t place Kofi''s accent anywhere that she knows of, which tells her that they''ve made it a point to lose that tell of their origins.


    "Thanks for that. I figured we wound up somewhere in Appalachia, but I couldn''t tell if it was more south like Georgia or something."


    "Of course."


    Though not rude, his abrupt manner of speaking makes it difficult for Tallulah to formulate a conversation with him, which is probably intentional. This man is used to leadership and directives. He''s speaking at her with the tone of someone comfortable with his authority and is simply interested in some new change that has happened beyond his expectations.


    "We''re not sure exactly how we wound up here," Tallulah starts again, "but we think something we call a seam opened up and took us from our place in the Wilds to here. This sort of thing doesn''t happen, so we don''t know why it did, and we don''t know why it would have dumped us on your property."


    "We don''t generally encounter your kind in our territory; you''ll have to accept our apologies for the misunderstanding on first contact with your people."


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Tallulah flushes a little with a mild amount of anger, but she bites back her desire to tell him that the four deaths of good people wasn''t a misunderstanding and that life has value. It''s hard to explain life having meaning to dead, immortal, false, emotional robot-like things.


    "Thanks for the apology. I''ll make sure that their family members hear that you acknowledged the whole situation." She resists the intense urge to add "at the very least," instead choosing to make sure that she "stays on her best behavior."


    Kofi turns his head and murmurs to a man standing nearby, something in the same language the vampires used once before in the wilderness that only they seem to understand. She gets it; the fey also have their own language, so why not vampires? The man that Kofi murmured to disappears through one of those three security doors while they continue to speak, and the ballroom maintains its silence save for that conversation.


    Turning his head back to Tallulah, Kofi Freeman speaks again.


    "And now that you are here, what are your intentions?" Tallulah realizes he means "your" in a broader sense, as in what are you and your people planning on doing.


    "To be honest with you, we''d just like to get back to the Wilds and our village. It''s really as simple as that."


    "The bird that one of our house brought back for investigation. What is it?"


    The jump from the "how did you pop into existence here" topic to one of a random animal takes Tallulah a little by surprise. She''d not even realized that they had taken a bird from the villagers, with everything as out of sorts as it had been.


    "Sorry, uh, what?"


    "There was some sort of a large crow brought back to certain members of our house here, and we are curious as to what sort of creature it is."


    "Oh… you''re talking about a reafan, I think. Did the feathers harm anyone?"


    Kofi nods but doesn''t speak again, clearly expecting Tallulah to continue.


    "Right, we call them reafans. They''re birds that got tamed by an, uh–" Tallulah pauses, at the moment deciding not to share more information than is absolutely necessary, "–there''s a group of fey in the Wilds that are known for taming and breeding them, then trading them."


    Kofi continues looking silently at Tallulah, expecting more than that broad overview.


    "Anyway, they''re kind of like messenger pigeons with a little bit of an attitude, that''s all. They''re not used to assault people if that''s what you want to know. Unless you consider the noise they can make incessantly some days assault."


    "We wanted to know what it was, and you''ve answered. Does it require any special food or drink?"


    Tallulah furrows her brow but maintains her hands clasped in front of her to avoid fidgeting or whatever else might be used as some kind of a tell on her. Assume that you''re always playing poker with people who may want to kill you, and you''ll be ahead of the game, is what her adoptive mother taught her.


    "No, just normal food and water. They prefer raw meat, as far as I''m aware. I''ve never actually taken care of one or owned one personally."


    "So they''re a symbol of status to your people?"


    She "hmms" for a moment, tilting her head.


    "I guess they could be, sure. They''re hard to get and fairly rare. Kind of expensive if you''re trading for one. It''s not completely rare, but a village like ours generally only will have two or three of them max. Cities and towns, of course, have a bunch more."


    Kofi lifts an eyebrow, one of the first emotion-like facial expressions he''s made the entire time she''s stood before him.


    "Cities? Your people have cities in this ''Wilds''?"


    Tallulah grunts. So much for keeping a lid on it and not saying too much.


    "There''s some cities in the Wilds, yes."


    "But your village is not a city?"


    "Yeah, that''s right."


    "What determines a city, then?"


    Her head swims at the rapid-fire questions, but she maintains her composure while also trying to figure out how to get out of the cycle that leads to answers and more questions.


    "Um… well, when a tribe gets big enough and powerful enough, they have enough fey to form a city with walls. It''s not too complicated, and I just assume it''s kind of like how things were when America got formed, I guess? They just become cities because they''re natural gathering spots, and more and more people show up and stay."


    "Is that how America formed, Miss Tallulah?"


    Snickering breaks out again in the room, and Tallulah momentarily breaks from looking at Kofi towards the source. Classic looking woman vampire, with the red dress to match. Before she can help it, she blurts out.


    "What''s so funny, Bella?" That draws open laughter from a few people, and she realizes they''re all looking at her like a zebra at a zoo. She frowns, looking back at Kofi. "I wouldn''t know how America was formed since I didn''t experience it, but I guess that''s some joke about how old you and probably some of them are, yeah?"


    One person who wasn''t laughing at the outburst was Christina. Tallulah sees her move from the group of vampires she was standing with closer to where Kofi sits in the center of his three chairs. She positions herself right in the periphery of Tallulah''s vision with an open frown on her face, angry eyebrows and all, as if to say, "Bitch, I told you to be on your best behavior."


    Kofi breaks the rising tension.


    "Relax, Miss Tallulah, we were only injecting a little humor into the room. You seemed quite tense and serious."


    Tallulah lifts a shoulder in a partial shrug.


    "I didn''t know what to expect, and the guards I''ve spoken to weren''t very amicable. Don''t get me wrong, I understand where they''re coming from. They don''t know if we''re some mysterious hostile force–"


    "–Are you?"


    "What? No, of course not. Do we look like an invasion force? We have weans, and some folks are older than me. I mean, we are faeries, so yes, we could defend ourselves aggressively, but we''re a passive group. We''d much rather get back home and forget all this."


    "And how, pray tell, do we assist you in achieving that goal?"


    Tallulah opens her mouth to respond but then closes it and spends more time thinking about the words she wants to use. Kofi had lured her into speaking more openly by letting her keep going, but this was serious. She refocuses herself and then answers.


    "I''m not familiar with the location of seams in this area of your world, but if you could take me to the nearest major city, I''m sure I could find a fey there, and they might be able to get us in touch with someone who does. I mean, that''s my first thought anyway."


    "And why would we do that?"


    The question catches Tallulah off guard.


    "Uh, I thought the goal was for us to get out of your hair as soon as possible?"


    "Is that the goal?"


    His answering questions with questions or making statements to pull out information she wasn''t entirely trying to share is really starting to grate on her nerves. Still, she resolves to try and keep her composure. For all she knows, this is just some vampire''s way of getting his amusement.


    "I assumed it was. We don''t offer you anything, and we''re taking up room on your property."


    "That is true; we had to move some of our finest horses."


    His lips twitch for the first time, and one of the corners of his mouth slightly shifts upwards. Kofi is amused. Tallulah was correct; this is like being the zebra at a zoo. As if to stave off her indignation at realizing she''s being lightly teased, he raises a hand and then moves to stand.


    "I apologize for being a boor. We don''t get out of the ordinary things that come to our attention often. Our nights usually revolve around settling unimportant or uninteresting land, property, or feeding area disputes."


    Kofi drifts across the floor with a few simple strides, then stops next to Tallulah. She''s trying to decide why he''s using the third person to describe himself so much, except for when he used "I" to apologize. She ultimately decides it''s just a vampire doing weird vampire things. Tallulah gives him a wary gaze since he''s standing close to her.


    "Walk with me. I''m told my grounds are well-patrolled, and you''ll be safe."


    He pauses, but not giving Tallulah a chance to respond, he looks towards Christina, speaking in the same language that Tallulah understands–rather than in the secretive vampiric one.


    "Follow along, make sure we''re not disturbed."


    Christina moves away from the pillar she was dutifully holding up, looking slightly relieved not to be in such a formal environment any longer than she has to be. It''s hard to tell how relieved she is since her facial expressions don''t give away much. Tallulah denotes that outside of their shared skin-tone, Kofi and Christina don''t look that close in appearance; perhaps her earlier attempt at musing over vampiric hierarchy wasn''t right at all.


    As Kofi moves across the ballroom marble floor towards the grand double doors, his shoes make only the faintest noise. Tallulah, however, feels like she''s stomping along when she walks beside him. Only by knowing that Christina is following does she hear the footfalls faintly padding behind them. As they make their way out of the ballroom in the same way that Christina led Tallulah in, Kofi slightly pauses to allow someone next to the doors to open them for their exit.


    Kofi leads Tallulah out through the home, except that they exit through the front door, which is just as ornate as you''d expect. The wide foyer allows for a sweeping staircase that leads down from the second floor they were on. Breaking the silence as they walk down the sweeping staircase, Tallulah murmurs.


    "You do have a super nice home here. I haven''t seen something built like this in the Wilds. Some of the cities have some pretty nice places, but this is pretty much in the middle of nowhere."


    "How we like it, yes. Most of our kind stick to cities when they''re young, learning to survive and train their abilities. We chose this spot long ago and built it up to our liking."


    As they move outside and into the cool night air, Tallulah inhales the freshness. It reminds her quite a bit of the Wilds, which is somewhat comforting. Kofi keeps them moving away from the front of the large mansion, down the steps from its elevated foundations, and along a pathway that leads through a garden of local flora. They walk silently for about five minutes before Kofi pauses and glances back at Christina.


    "Make sure we''re not disturbed."


    Christina nods her head at Kofi without even looking at Tallulah. Instead, she turns and faces pointedly away from them, apparently acting as a personal bodyguard to Kofi for now. Kofi reaches over and touches a flat palm to the mid back of Tallulah as if to guide her along for a more personal walk. Usually, when someone touches you, you can feel the heat radiating from them, but with Kofi, it''s the exact opposite. It''s almost as though the coldness of rock has touched her clothing and is set on absorbing her body heat. It reminds her that vampires are dead.


    "We will help your people return to your ''Wilds''–."


    Tallulah looks sideways at Kofi as if expecting a "but." Not to be disappointed, Kofi does continue.


    "–But, we wish for you to stay here as an ambassador of sorts. Maybe an advisor, if you''d rather that. Agree to these terms, and I will send some of my occult-loving house to find you a fey that will help your people to return to their homes."


    "Wait, what? Why?" Tallulah doesn''t even pretend not to be surprised by the seemingly random requirement for assistance. Her vivid and deep green eyes are undoubtedly full of confusion, making the crow''s feet around her features slightly more pronounced. Kofi draws them to a stop, then removes his hand from the small of Tallulah''s back and steps in front of her.


    "Would you like the truth, or would you rather I continue to play vampire games with you?"


    Tallulah grimaces. Rarely does anything good come from someone asking, "Do you want the actual truth?" As Jack Nicholson once famously said, "You can''t handle the truth!" She, too, feels like maybe she doesn''t want that "actual truth." It takes her a few moments of internal debate, but then her shoulders slouch slightly, and she sighs.


    "Sure, the actual truth. Lay it on me, Jack."


    "Kofi, if it pleases you in private, or Mister Freeman if you insist on maintaining formalities outside formal situations."


    It occurs to Tallulah that he might not have gotten the pop culture reference and thought she was calling him Jack as his name. For a moment, it strikes her as hilarious, and she blurts out a laugh. The sudden bubbling of laughter seems to catch Kofi unexpectedly. He raises one of his eyebrows at her, and the faint scarring on his chin that travels down his neck to his chest shifts when his lips form an ever-so-slight frown.


    "Er, sorry, yeah it… it''s a name from a movie where they''re talking about handling the truth and–you know what, it doesn''t matter. Sorry, Kofi-in-private. And yes, I''d like to hear the actual truth. Games aren''t really my thing, if only because I always lose at them."


    "Because having a faerie consociate may come in handy for us. Draugar are a fickle lot, but one thing that they all have in common is that the threat of death will keep them in line. You may not be a vicious warrior of your people, but those who come to seek our favor wouldn''t know that. They will have heard of the house strong enough to employ even a faerie to their retinue. You can see how that empowers us."


    Tallulah brushes back some of her hair from her shoulders, the silvery sheen of gray hair reflective in the moonlight. She looks up at the moon as if seeking its wisdom.


    "I can see it, yeah. I''m not a spring chicken, Kofi. It seems to me you''d do better off with a younger fey."


    "Trying to convince me to choose another in your stead, Miss Tallulah?"


    She laughs, not at him, but humorously as if that tickled her. She lowers her eyes back from gazing at the nearly full moon overhead and stares at him.


    "No, no, not really. I just wanted to see what you''d say."


    "Now, who is playing games?"


    "Yeah, but I suck at games, so you have a bit of a headstart on me."


    "Maybe a few years. I thought your kind lived longer than humans."


    "Some of us do, I''m not–"


    Tallulah pauses, remembering her earlier personal reminder not to overshare information. Her eyes focus on Kofi, and for whatever reason, she feels he isn''t "like all the other" vampires. Warning bells start going off in her mind when she realizes she feels that way. Her body tenses a fraction, which Kofi immediately recognizes.


    "Something I said?"


    "Are you doing vampire mojo on me right now?"


    "No, should I be?"


    "Do you ever actually answer a question, or do you always answer one with a question?"


    "What do you think?" He purposely smiles, his teeth gleaming under the moonlight. No fangs.


    "I apologize. I couldn''t help myself. But no, I''m not doing any ''vampire mojo'' on you. I find I''d rather people agree with me of their own free will. I could, in fact, probably make you agree with me, but no one likes disgruntled associates now, do they?"


    "Where did you get the scars?"


    "Trying to turn my question about your age into one for me, Miss Tallulah?"


    Tallulah smiles despite herself. Kofi may or may not be using vampire mojo on her, but she realizes he''s excellent at disarming her. She finds him charming, even though she has every reason not to.


    "Maybe I was. You''re not supposed to ask a mature woman her age, you know."


    "I have mayhaps heard that a time or two in my travels."


    Kofi raises one of his hands and brushes his cold palm across her jawline, almost affectionately. His cold hand traces the purple bruise on Tallulah''s face ever so gently. A part of her wants to recoil, but just as equally, a part doesn''t mind.


    "Say yes, Miss Tallulah. You will enjoy spending time here and have the freedom to do as you please, for the most part."


    "I''ll give you my answer if you answer my question about your scars."


    Kofi twists his lips in a slight smile that doesn''t fully reach his eyes.


    "Are we being transactional now? Alright. It isn''t as exciting as you might think. I was a trapper before I became a vampire. One evening, when I was young, I made a mistake and walked onto the path of a mother bear with cubs. Luckily, bears who are protecting their young will attack only so long as it takes to defend their offspring, so I got away with my life, though I was gravely injured by only one swipe of a claw. So, as you see, not as exciting as whatever story you might have had cooking up in your mind."


    Tallulah watches him for a few moments, trying to decide if she wants to let him get away with the glossiest gloss-over of a person''s history she''s heard in a long time. Sadly, she realizes she will let him get away with it. She doesn''t understand her feelings towards this vampire standing next to her so close, and she very much hopes they will not be self-destructive.


    "To answer your earlier question, Kofi, some of us age like normal humans, and others are slower. A few others, unfortunately, age much faster than your average human. I age like a normal human."


    He nods his head once.


    "And to give you my answer to your other thing–"


    She hesitates, thinking of what she''ll give up by not returning to the Wilds. But, as she convinces herself, this place where Kofi has claimed territory is similar to the Wilds in some ways.


    "My answer–I–yes, if you will help them to return to the Wilds, I''ll stay here as an advisor. But I want your assurance that I won''t be a pet or insulted like a zoo-like creature. That''s how the others looked at me when we met, and I don''t like it."


    "I cannot speak for others, but I can speak for myself, and my words have weight. I will not cage you like a beast, treat you like a sideshow, or as an animal at a zoological garden."


    Tallulah smiles, despite herself, and momentarily wonders if Kofi will touch her again like he did when he wanted her to agree to his offer. It occurs to her that she didn''t mind it, which is still puzzling in some ways. Kofi does not. Instead, he steps back to give her some space.


    "A smile? Now I''m truly honored."


    "How do we make it official then?"


    "We already did, but if it makes you feel better, we can shake on it."


    "A handshake deal with a vampire?" She laughs, then continues, "I''ve pretty much broken every damn rule that I''ve ever been taught about your people."


    "I''m wounded! But I am aware of how other creatures and supernaturals view us. Not all of us are so bad, as some people say."


    They lapse into silence for a few seconds, with only the noise of the mountain bugs and night creatures filling the space. Finally, Kofi offers his hand to Tallulah, and this time, without hesitation, she reaches forward and shakes his cold, dead hand. An increasingly small part of her in the back of her mind screams that she''s making a mistake, and all of this is vampire mojo, but the warm and pleasant feeling in her abdomen overrides everything. She smiles at Kofi, and like a mirror on the wall, he returns it.