As civilization began to grow, life in the seethe became easier.
The fight for survival mostly a thing of the past, Marsilia had settled into a decades-long period of apathy--I'd call it sulking.
She had only just begun to take an interest in things going on about her, and as a result, the hierarchy of the seethe was restless.
Stefan and Andre had been loyal followers, but there were a couple of other vamps who hadn't been so happy to see Marsilia up and taking charge.
I'd met them: Estelle and Bernard, but I didn't know enough about vampires to figure out how much of a threat they were.
The first time I met Marsilia, I'd kind of admired her ...
at least until she'd enthralled Samuel.
That had scared me.
Samuel's the second- most-dominant wolf in North America, and she and her vampires took him ...
easily.
That fear had grown with every meeting.
"Not to be argumentative, Stefan," I said.
"But she's bug-nuts.
She wanted to create another of those ...
those things that Andre made." His face closed down.
"You don't know what you are talking about.
You have no idea what she gave up when she came here, or what she has done for us." "Maybe not, but I met that creature, and so did you.
Nothing good could ever come of making another one." Demonic possession isn't a pretty thing.
I inhaled and tried to control my temper.
I didn't succeed.
"But you are right.
I don't know what makes her tick.
I don't know you, either." He just looked at me, expressionlessly.
"You play human very well, driving around like Shaggy in your Mystery Machine.
But the man I thought you were could never have killed Andre's victims like that." "Wulfe killed them." He was making a point, not defending himself.
It made me angry; he should feel the need to defend himself.
"You agreed to it.
Two people who had already been victimized enough, and you two snapped their necks as if they were nothing more than chickens." About that time he got angry, too.
"I did it for you.
Don't you understand? She would have destroyed you if she'd known.