raves. They'll publish a three-part series, one story per week, beginning next Friday."
"Damn," Luc said, before sharing a weighty look with Ethan that suggested he knew why that was a problem.
I guessed these were the "underground" details Luc had been waiting for. Unfortunately, they didn't mean much to me. I'd heard a reference to vampire raves before; Catcher had mentioned them once, then refused to give me any details. My subsequent research in the Canon was equally unproductive. Whatever they were, vamps weren't chatty about them.
I raised a hand. "Raves? They're investigating parties?"
"Not parties," Luc said. "Humans actually borrowed the term from us. Raves in the supernatural world are definitely gatherings, but they're much..." He trailed off, shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and looked at Ethan, who then looked at me.
Raves, Ethan explained, were the vampire version of flash mobs. They were, essentially, mass feedings. Vampires were informed (electronically, of course) where and when to meet, and awaiting them would be a group of humans. Humans who believed in us, even before we announced our existence to the world. Humans who wanted to be near us, to savor the element of the darkly forbidden.
Of course, given the bumper stickers and pennants and Lindsey's new position as reigning vampire cover girl, I wasn't sure how "darkly forbidden" we were.
"They want to be part of our world, to see and be seen," Ethan said, "but they didn't necessarily want our fangs in or near their carotids. But that's what happens. Drinking."
"Feasting," Luc added.
"Surely some humans do consent to the drinking," I suggested, glancing from Luc to Ethan. "I mean, they walk willingly into some kind of vampire feeding. It's not like they're heading out for a garden party. And we've all seen Underworld. I'm sure there are humans who find that kind of thing... appealing."
Ethan nodded. "Some humans consent because they want to ingratiate themselves to vampires, because they believe they're positioning themselves to serve as Renfields - servants - or because they find an erotic appeal."
"They think it's hot," Luc simplified.
"They believe that dabbling in our world is hot," Ethan sardonically corrected. "But raves take place outside the oversight of these vampires' Masters. Agreeing to spend time in the company of vampires may indicate consent for a sip or two. But if a vampire is willing to participate in activities of this nature - activities forbidden by the Houses - he or she is unlikely to abide by the request of a human to stop drinking." He gazed solemnly at me. "And we know how crucial consent is when human blood is at stake."
I knew about consent, largely because I hadn't been able to give any. Because Ethan had given me immortality in order to save me from Celina's flunkies, and that split-second decision hadn't allowed him time for deliberation. I understood the sense of violation that came with the unrequested bite... especially when the vampire wasn't interested in just a sip or two.
"After they're relieved of a few pints of blood," Luc said, "to add insult to injury, the vamps often attempt to glamour the humans to make them forget what happened. To forget the supernatural assault and battery. And let's be frank - raving vampires aren't usually at the top of the vampire food chain. That means they usually aren't very good at the glamouring."
The ability to glamour a human - to bring a human under the vampire's control - was an indicator of a vampire's psychic power, which was one of the three measures of a vampire's strength, Strat (alliances) and Phys (physical strength) being the other two. I couldn't glamour worth a damn, at least not the couple of times I'd tried to make it happen. But I seemed to have some kind of resistance to being glamoured, which was one of the many reasons Celina Desaulniers was none too fond of me. She was a queen of glamouring, and it must have gotten under her skin to know that I wasn't susceptible to her control.
So, to review, not only were humans made unwitting vampire snacks, the perps weren't even very good vampires. None of that added up to a scenario that many humans would find comfortable. I didn't find it comfortable, and I hadn't been human in nearly two months. Humans had agreed to live with us on the understanding that most vampires no longer drank from people but utilized blood that was donated, sold, or delivered in sterile plastic by