Gracie - Sherry Foster Page 0,31
anyone been around asking about me?”
“No. Do you expect someone?”
“Probably not, just checking.”
He eased the door closed behind him and headed for the garage, wondering again who had the footage of him shifting and how he was going to explain to his Alpha what he had done.
Chapter Thirteen
Dacron looked up as the doorbell dinged. When he saw Dracula headed for the door he turned back to the television screen and pointed. “Is this one of the reality shows, one of their make-believe shows or what?”
His brother looked up for a moment before turning his attention back to the book in his hand. “Made up shit. You do know even the reality shows are made up shit, right?”
Dacron’s lips narrowed, “Then why do they call it reality?”
“Because,” Rimier told him, “Humans are stupid.”
“Not all of them.”
Dacron turned to look at Talbort. “How do you tell the difference between the stupid ones and the others.”
Talbort laughed. “Ask them who they are voting for in the presidential election.”
“How does that help? What is the right answer?”
“Doesn’t matter. All of them are crooks. If we had their kind of politics we would have killed the entire ruling class already.” Talbort said.
“But you didn’t answer my question. What is the correct answer to tell who is stupid from who isn’t.”
“There is no right answer. If they give you a name then they are stupid. If they grumble about how all the candidates should be taken out and shot for traitors then they might possibly have a tiny bit of intelligence.”
“So then they vote here? Who do they know who to vote for if the entire ruling class should be shot? Why don’t they just not vote?”
“The president is not the ruling class. I will get you a book to study if we are going to stay here. If they don’t vote they can’t complain about the winner for the next four years. If the guy does a good job they claim they voted for him, if he does a bad job, they claim they voted for the other guy.”
Dacron started to answer but Dracula walked back in the door at that moment followed by four men and Mela.
“Go home Mela.”
“You can’t tell me to go home. If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t be here and if it wasn’t for me—”
But Dacron wasn’t listening. “Dominick, did you have any problems?”
“Some. The little girl was a problem. She isn’t particular about whose neck she goes for when she gets hungry. Messy eater. Got her stuck away with Frejin for the moment.”
“Ah, if she can’t handle the child no one can.” He nodded to the others who had followed Dominick in. “How much did you tell them?”
“I told them everything I knew, which wasn’t much. Dracula was set up, chased her here, blew up her ship, hide his behind their moon and had no way to track her on such a primitive planet so he and the others have been stuck here since. We.” He pointed to the other three, “decided to keep this mission to ourselves for the moment.”
Dacron motioned the others to sit. “Talbort, get the guys something to eat while I fill them in on the, no, Rimier, you go.”
“Yeah, no, I don’t think so. Not if you are going to do what I think you are. Staying right here.” He glared around the room.
Dacron nodded. “Alright. Talbort?”
“Nope, not me. Besides, they aren’t hungry.”
Dominick eyebrows shot to his hairline and he stared first at Talbort then turned his gaze toward Dacron. “I am hungry.”
“You won’t be by the time Dacron is done.” Talbort told him.
“It was worth a try. First things first. Dracula take off your shirt. Talbort, Rimier, you too.”
“Hey, no. What kind of shit are you trying to pull here.”
“Dominick, shut up. I know it is taboo, but if they don’t show you their backs then the explanation will take twice as long.”
When the three turned shirtless backs to the room Dominick was the first to swear. First in the common language of the planet, English, then switching to their native language before going through half a dozen others. Sinith, the youngest in the room other than Dracula and his hunters, shrugged his shoulders and asked, “What are we looking at? What are the markings on their backs.”
Before anyone could answer Dominick stopped swearing and laughed. “Wait, so the bond mark is black, you found her and killed her already?”
“No.” Dacron answered him.
Dominick froze and slowly turned his head to stare at