Sucker Punch (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #27) - Laurell K. Hamilton Page 0,93

when women aimed at me. The fact that women were included in my poly group at home still caught me by surprise sometimes. I was beginning to think that if I hadn’t been metaphysically connected to Jean-Claude and a half dozen other people who preferred women, I might not have ever found the same sex attractive. But then again, maybe I was just a late bloomer.

Olaf ordered an omelet with mostly meat in it, a side of fruit, and coffee. I wondered if he’d have ordered differently if we’d had more time to look the menu over. I know I probably would have.

When Hazel left with our orders in hand, Livingston took up the conversation as if we’d never stopped. “So, you’re the Executioner to the vampires.”

“Among other pet names, yeah,” I said, and sipped my water. Nathaniel was starting to pester me about not drinking enough water.

“Doesn’t that make marrying their king sort of awkward?”

“I thought it would, but it turns out that they’re used to being afraid of their rulers, so me being their bogeyman and their queen will probably seem like business as usual to them.”

“When do we question Hazel?” Newman asked.

“After we get our food and eat it,” Livingston said.

“Why eat first?” Newman said.

“I thought you were a regular cop before you became a marshal.”

“I was.”

“Then you know that you always eat first, in case you get another call and have to leave.”

Newman smiled and looked down at the table, nodding. “I can’t even argue. The food is good here. I didn’t know you were dating Pamela.”

“We both decided we were ready for people to know.”

“Well, congratulations.”

“Thank you and congratulations on the engagement.”

“You know all the local gossip now that you’re dating Pamela,” Newman said.

“More than I did before, but I had to swear not to use anything I overheard unless I run it by her first, or someone’s life is at stake.”

“Smart woman,” I said.

“She is,” Livingston said, smiling as if the fact that she was smart made him happy. Pretty is good, but pretty and smart are better.

“Frankie told me that the other marshals call Ted Forrester Death, and I heard you say you’re War,” Kaitlin said.

“Yeah,” I said, sipping my water and hoping the coffee got here soon. If I was going to have to answer twenty questions about myself, then I needed more caffeine.

Kaitlin turned to Olaf. “She said that Blake and Forrester were half of the Four Horsemen and that one of the others was Marshal Jeffries.”

“Yes,” he said, and sipped his water. Maybe he wanted something stronger, too.

“It’s you and Marshal Spotted-Horse. I would not forget such a great name, but I can’t remember which of the horsemen you are.”

“He’s Plague,” Newman said.

“Why are the four of you named the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?” Livingston asked.

“Doesn’t my Wiki page say?” I asked, and didn’t manage to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

“It’s mostly vampire stuff and your love life,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. “Friends told me to stop looking myself up online, especially with all the publicity about the wedding, so I don’t know what people are saying about me.”

“Probably best you don’t know,” Livingston said.

“So friends keep telling me,” I said.

“I promise not to look you up online anymore if you’ll answer my questions,” he said.

“Depends on the question, but sounds fair.”

“Why the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?”

Olaf answered, “The four of us have the highest kill counts.”

“And we’re some of the most senior marshals still on the job,” I added.

“You both seem awfully young to be the most senior,” Livingston said.

I looked up at Olaf, and he noticed, so he looked down at me. I’d never really thought about how old he might be. He seemed sort of ageless, not literally like a vampire, but as if he would always be like he was when I’d first met him. It had never occurred to me to wonder if he was closer to Edward’s age or mine. He had to be somewhere in that nearly ten-year age difference, didn’t he?

“What?” he asked me.

I shook my head, and said to Livingston, “There were never many of us, but once they added a physical requirement along with the shooting requirement, that took out most of the real old-timers. They could shoot, but they couldn’t pass the obstacle course and calisthenics part.”

“Some of them are teaching classes to the newer marshals,” Newman added.

“I was glad when they invited them to teach you new guys. That much field experience shouldn’t