was odd, but he shrugged it off. At least they were nice. This wasn’t anything like he thought a house full of vampires and their chow would be.
Most of the vampires were easy to mistake as human, even when surrounded by normal people. They blended eerily well. It was only in the slight gleam to their eyes or a subtle sense of strength behind their handshakes that made it clear that roughly ten of the twenty-odd people in the room were not human.
Every one of them was friendly, curious, and some were good-naturedly disappointed that Mouse “got to him first.” A few offered to lend him clothes or shoes or anything else he might need. A couple of the ladies (Lisa, the only other female vampire, and a handful of the donors) were a little too friendly, making Mouse even more uncomfortable than she already was.
“If ye need a bit o’ company, lad,” Lisa said in an unmistakable Scottish brogue when it was her turn to introduce herself, batting thick lashes at him and smiled in a decidedly wicked manner, “ye can come see me down the hall any time.”
Christoph smiled at Lisa, a sense of unease at the vampire’s offer making it hard to hold the cheerful expression. He didn’t say anything in response. He’d never been great with putting words together nicely for a girl, and would be glad when everyone was gone.
“Off with ye, ye flamin’ harlot,” Clarisse said, shooing Lisa away.
Lisa threw her hands up in mock-surrender, flipping her long, blond hair over her shoulder and whispering something in Mouse’s ear that made the other vampire look ready to sink into the floor.
Seeing that he was the “strong silent type,” a majority of the people in the room lost interest after the initial introductions. A few were bold enough to place their bets with Clarisse before leaving, but most only waved or said goodbye and went about their business.
A handful hung around; Jessica, Angus, Clarisse, Ken, and two donors, Melissa and Brian. The vampires crowded around Mouse, mostly talking with her about what to do about having the two Weres around, and a bit of good-natured ribbing about how Christoph seemed a good match since he was nearly as quiet as she was.
Jessica, Melissa and Brian, on the other hand, cheerfully started a chattering storm at Christoph, centered mostly around who was currently dating whom, speculation on where Mouse would take him shopping for clothes, and invitations to come watch movies or have a beer. None of them minded that he wasn’t being talkative; they made up for his silence in spades.
Jessica was the last to introduce herself. She seemed rather relieved that he wasn’t being antisocial. After a lull in the conversation, she commented on it.
“I’m glad you’re more like Analie than that guy upstairs. I know it’s scary getting bit the first time, but I don’t get why he was flipping out on everyone who tried to help him.”
Christoph smiled at Jessica. She seemed nice enough. “Ashi has been a crappy person since day one, so no surprise there. I do see where he’s coming from, though. Getting bitten is not something our pack endorses.”
“Being bitten only hurts a little the first time,” Melissa said. “Plus, Mouse is the nicest vampire here. She hasn’t scared you, has she?”
“And are you really a werewolf?” Brian asked, his expression dubious.
“Uh, well—no. No, she hasn’t scared me. And yes,” Christoph said to Brian, staring him down. “I am a werewolf.” 'Whoa, easy. No need to go all Goliath on this guy.' “Just not feelin’ so fuzzy at the moment.”
“Weird,” Brian muttered, eyeing Christoph. “So how’d you end up with Mouse? I mean, don’t get me wrong, but some of the guys here would kill to be in your shoes. If I wasn’t with Lisa, I know I’d be jealous.”
“Oh, stop it,” Melissa said. “I’m sure that’s not any of your business. Nobody asked you how you ended up with Lisa.”
“That’s not fair. I didn’t show up out of the blue.”
“So what if he did?” Jessica said, rallying to Christoph’s defense. She’d been watching Mouse over her shoulder, taking note that the silent vampire was in an agony of embarrassment. Jessica felt bad for her, but there wasn’t a lot she could say surrounded by people, particularly those as effusive as the ones in this household who sometimes forgot to give Mouse a chance to write or sign a response in edgewise.
“Obviously Mouse likes him. Leave the guy