glass of water, eyes still glued to the TV the entire time.
He sat back, feeling very out of place on a couch with a vampire and human, still in sweats and a fetish collar, and enjoyed the movie.
Secretly.
* * *
Mouse was gone an hour and a half. When she came back, she was mobbed.
“Everyone! She’s back!” Clarisse yelled, as soon as she spotted Mouse in the hallway with the bags of temporary clothes, shaving kit, and similar toiletries that she’d picked up on her way back from “visiting.”
Everyone in the building must have heard the news about her taking on a new donor. Worse yet, word of Clarisse’s betting pool had spread. Everyone wanted to meet Christoph so they could take their measure of him and throw in their bets, congratulate Mouse, and welcome the new guy. Clarisse was looking mighty smug about it, too.
“Och, now, make some room,” she said, waving the eager crowd out of the way so Mouse could get inside. If she’d still been human, her cheeks would’ve been flushed hot red. As it was, she was glaring daggers at the cheerful vampire at her side.
Most of the remaining vampires in the house and more than half the donors followed Mouse into the living room as she dashed inside. She turned a horrified look at Christoph as Clarisse led a flock of cheerful, chattering people into her home, then dropped the bags so she could hide her face in her hands.
“Christoph, lad, come meet yer new fans,” Clarisse drawled, stepping aside so everyone else could file in the door.
“Och, that’s the lad? Needs some new clothes, methinks,” Angus said.
“Where’s his shirt?” one girl asked, none too quietly.
“Mm, he doesn’t need one, love,” drawled a thin, handsome vampire with immaculately styled blond hair, a fashionably tailored suit, and nails so thoroughly manicured they gleamed as he rubbed his chin. His voice was smooth but slightly falsetto, carrying a touch of a lisp. “Oooh, Mouse, you’ve caught a looker. Good for you, honey!”
The low murmur of agreement through the crowd made Mouse cringe.
Christoph stared at the group and swallowed his bite of food. The corner of his mouth quirked up in a crooked smile. The fates had been especially cruel this month. This was almost as bad as being introduced to all the Weres in Goliath for the first time. Actually, it was worse. Far worse. His heart was in his throat and he wanted to lock himself in the bathroom until everyone went away.
“Hi,” he said.
Angus barreled his way through the gathering with ease. Mostly because he was the tallest, most muscle-bound, and no one was interested in getting in his way.
“Welcome, laddie! Good tae have ye join th’ fun an’ games,” he said, giving him a jovial slap on the back that might have sent a lesser man flying. “Th’ name’s Angus.”
“Angus, ye great big oaf, donnae hit the lad so hard.”
“Hush, Clarisse, ye did nae introduce us.”
“He’s human, ye ruddy ox, or might as well be. Be easy with the boy.”
“Right! Anyway. My name is Ken,” the handsomely dressed vampire said, holding out his hand for introductions.
A chorus of names were called out, and people lined up to shake Christoph’s hand, welcoming him with cheerful smiles and sly, innocent-at-the-outset questions designed to gauge how long he planned on holding out on Mouse.
Meanwhile, Mouse was trying surreptitiously to sneak off to her room. Clarisse prevented it by putting an arm around the mute vampire’s shoulder, grinning across the room at Christoph.
“Don’t be shy, lad. Mouse is more than enough o’ that for the two of ye.”
Christoph forced a smile, though he was absolutely prickling with desperation to hide. Angus scared the living crap out of him, but reminded him strongly of Barry. If they weren’t natural enemies, Barry and Angus would probably get along just fine.
Ken. He’d have to catch him before everyone filed out. The thought of tormenting Ashi was one that gave him warm, fuzzy feelings. Evil warm, fuzzy feelings.
It was odd having such a human reception. There were no challenges, no growls or stare-downs. No one was sniffing him over. He made sure his own mannerisms were human rather than Were. There was a familiarity to the gestures, the hand-shaking and smiling, that he found he had missed. He’d tried to explain it to Analie once, but she’d only snorted and said that humans were weird anyway. Life without a pack structure was alien to her. No wonder she was twitchy here.
The questioning