His Sire's New Rules by Kallysten

Author:Kallysten
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unknown publisher
Published: 2014-10-29T04:00:00+00:00

* * * *

As he walked away from Tyler and Jeremy, Alan was tempted to look back at them, but he refrained. He’d see them again soon enough. He’d promised Jeremy he’d get his own time with Tyler, and even a small look would feel like an intrusion.

“Nice fighting tonight.”

Without breaking his stride, Alan glanced at the woman who was now walking at his side. He acknowledged her with a nod.

“I’d say the same to you,” he said, tongue in cheek, “but I have better things to do on the battlefield than ogle my fellow fighters.”

Melinda snorted, rolling her eyes at him. “And I, unfortunately, have better things to do than banter with you.”

Laying a hand on his arm, she stopped him and stood in front of him, her posture very rigid, accentuating the sharp lines of her uniform. If not for the dark, wet splotches on her sleeve and pant leg, he could almost have believed she had observed the fight from afar tonight. He knew better, however.

Decades ago, they’d learned to wield a sword together. Melinda and Alan had the same Grand-Sire. If either had cared to explain their lineage to a human, surely they’d have been thought of as cousins. Having learned what it meant to be a vampire alongside her, however, Alan thought of Mel as a sibling, and he supposed she did as well, which was why he was surprised by her stern expression as she considered him and the cold precision of her voice when she spoke.

“I believe it’s necessary for me to remind you that, per the city’s charter, no vampire shall turn a human without prior declared intention to the civil authorities, and the human in question is required to register his or her consent ten days or more before being turned.”

The words, recited straight out of that city charter she had mentioned, gave Alan pause. He knew what the rules were to turn a human. After all, they’d already been in place when he himself had been turned, and he had followed them then, as well as when he’d turned Jeremy. Why Melinda felt it ‘necessary’ to remind him of them now, he couldn’t fathom.

“As I have no intention of turning a human,” he said, frowning, “I don’t see what this has to do with me.”

“Don’t you?” Her eyes, icy blue, gave away nothing. “I saw you and your Childe with that kid tonight. You looked to be keeping a pretty close eye on him.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he returned her gaze and said nothing. She didn’t know exactly what kind of relationship he and Jeremy shared, but he had an inkling that she suspected they were more than Sire and Childe, more than lovers. She could suspect whatever she wanted as far as he was concerned. He had nothing to be ashamed of. Still, none of it was any of her business.

“All I’m saying,” she continued after a few moments, “is that the last time you looked at someone like that on the battlefield, you ended up turning him.

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