Vampires in America: The Vignettes - Volume 2 by D. B. Reynolds

Author:D. B. Reynolds [Reynolds, D. B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781611948325
Publisher: ImaJinn Books
Published: 2017-12-14T18:30:00+00:00

“I hate these crowds,” Lucas muttered, chasing away a would-be solicitor with a glare that included just enough power to make sure the man took the warning seriously. It wasn’t necessary. Lucas was a big, powerful man even without the use of his power, but the boy did love frightening the humans.

“These crowds provide cover for our existence,” Raphael reminded him in a mild voice. Lucas’s complaints didn’t bother him. He was accustomed to them by now, and, besides, it was only talk. When push came to shove, when true danger threatened, Lucas was as staunch a companion as any could hope for. And he took Raphael’s safety even more seriously than his own.

The latter wasn’t necessary, but Lucas had begun his life with Raphael as a protector of sorts. He’d been Raphael’s daylight servant, the one who ran the many errands necessary for a vampire to have a decent life in human society. And what other society was there? Vampires might be stronger, but humans were far more numerous and always would be. And that was a good thing, since they provided the only food that could sustain a vampire.

In any event, Lucas had protected and provided for Raphael and the few vampires he’d brought with him from Europe during the long ocean crossing and when they’d first arrived here. Raphael had turned him soon after. He was a powerful vampire now, soon to be lord over his own territory. But, if anything, the vampire/child bond only enhanced Lucas’s protective drive when it came to Raphael.

“Yeah, they feed us, but there’s so damn many of them. And they can turn on a moment’s notice. We’ve both seen it happen.”

“Not to us, fortunately,” Raphael murmured.

“Fortune has nothing to do with it. It’s brains and good planning.”

Raphael smiled, his attention sharpening when he caught the distinct voice of a carnival barker among the noise. He searched the crowd, a task made easier by his height, which was well above the average man’s, as was Lucas’s. “There,” he said, finding the barker on a street corner a block ahead.

Lucas’s gaze moved over the crowd, finding the man easily enough. “Yep.”

Raphael glanced at him. Lucas had taken easily to the slang of this new world, unlike Raphael, who hadn’t, and wasn’t inclined to try.

They changed their heading to pass close by the barker, who was promoting a circus, which, according to the man’s shouts, included a freak show. The makeshift podium he stood behind was plastered with images of the usual clowns and captive animals, but the man’s persistent shouts listed a “fanged demon” among the offered freaks. And that was what had brought Raphael to San Francisco. Every vampire in his new territory was his. From the strong ones living on their own to the truly powerful who had to be challenged and defeated before they’d accept Raphael’s rule, or leave the territory. Most chose to remain. It was in the nature of most vampires to prefer the protection of a

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