I sank into a comfortable chair in my chambers. The quarterly was nearly over and I could only be glad since I was growing increasingly anxious to get home and resume my usual activities.

I considered Jamie's reaction to the new humans I had bought. Enrique had talked me into going down with him again and I had acquiesced since I had been pondering acquiring more humans. I supposed I had gone on something of a shopping spree considering I had not intended to buy four of them.

Still, I needed more humans for my ever expanding desires and it was a shame to leave them to be used up by the short sighted fools of the council who had voted against my bill—or at least that was what I told myself to justify my impulsive purchases.

These humans were not quite the calibre I would normally select, but with the feral human population in decline, I would likely have to become less picky. There might come a time when I longed to find new humans like these once again and at the very least I sensed Travis was going to be very useful to me.

He had been afraid—I could tell by the almost imperceptible nervous shake—but wonderfully stubborn enough to catch my attention. He was almost certainly a future guard.

Evan had been pathetically terrified. He probably would be handsome once he was fixed up a bit, but he was probably destined to end up at my factories, although the nice thing about humans is they could still surprise me from time to time.

Mark could go either way. He was not willing prey by any means.

I had bought Barb almost entirely to shut Enrique up about his supposed knowledge of my feeding preferences. I had also not forgotten my whimsy of spawning more delightful romantic entertainment amongst my humans, although she might be a bit young for anything like that for the next few years.

Although, in truth, if humans were going to go extinct in the wild, then females would certainly be worth more to me than they had been in the past.

I seriously began to consider what problems might occur if we exhausted the ferals. It would certainly shake the relative peace of the vampire world. Most vampires had no concept of how to maintain humans and the majority were clearly not interested in learning my methods. Not that I was particularly anxious to impart my secrets even if they were, but it was hardly an issue, since I could imagine larger problems looming before me.

It seemed a certain thing that it would eventually come to war over the humans that were left. Maybe not today or in a decade, but if we did not reverse course the problem of human scarcity would eventually become dire.

Since I chose the best humans, I would certainly be challenged when it came to that point.

I considered. Perhaps I would institute more training for the humans, not just the guard as things currently were. Even a weak human could potentially take out a vampire if they worked together and I was not at all keen on the vision of Magnus or Ivan getting their fangs into any of mine.

Of course, nothing was certain. It was likely that other interventions would be attempted before it came to all out warfare. For a group of powerful creatures, as a whole they had grown surprisingly adverse to risk, afraid to face the possibility that we were not truly immortal in the purest sense of the word.

No doubt there would be future bills addressing the negative repercussions of our consumption, like increased reserves and decreased hunting, and the human breeding proposal group never seemed to stay quiet for long. They would be back, calling upon the council to lift restrictions against directed human breeding.

I did not support their efforts as a rule, but if they decided to work to lift the inconvenient law in which I was required to dispose of humans who foolishly got pregnant, I would certainly support that aspect of their efforts. I had lost the use of more than one excellent human that way and the memory displeased me and was the reason I largely kept the males and females separated.

I pondered what it would be like if my humans could procreate freely without the council forcing punishment. I would have so many more humans in the long run. What a ridiculous rule they had foisted upon me, the one time I had not attended the quarterly.

In the meantime, buying more females was playing with fire, I supposed, but when did I ever stop doing that? I smiled to myself, just as a knock interrupted my musings.

"Enter."

Mantis came in. He was one of my less attractive guards, curly sandy hair and blue eyed, although his attitude and mannerisms had a certain pleasing roughness I appreciated.

I smiled at him widely, my fangs exposed. "I'm a bit peckish, Mantis."

He nodded and approached.

Good slave that he was, he started screaming without even a need to be reminded.

* * * * *

I got through the last couple of days, interacting with the other councillors and manoeuvring myself amongst my allies and my enemies, although they largely seemed unaware of our relationship to each other.

For about the millionth time, I inwardly critiqued their limited imaginations, but perhaps I should be grateful. Few of them had the capacity to match me and interfere with my particular goals. It was unlikely that anyone had the intricate plans that I did.

When the day came to make my move, I would at last have my way. It was going to be glorious.

In the meantime, I slipped behind the wheel of my blood red car and turned it on. My vehicle was a thing of beauty. It was produced by Klaus and reminiscent of the sports cars of the late nineteenth century. Around my own age, he was one of the few vampires who actually had my respect. If I were not fortunate enough to me, I would want to be him, since he was a rarity who actually produced useful things for the world. Like me, he also knew how to make use of human productivity and could maintain them without wantonly destroying them. He possessed foresight and creativity that were sadly lacking in most of my vampiric brethren.

He also had zero interest in politics and was fond of me, so I had no complaints with him. I had not seen him in almost a century because he resided in northern South America, but I knew he still thrived because periodic shipments of his products still made their way to my area.

I would almost like to have visited him, but sadly I had more pressing concerns.

Still, those concerns felt light as I accelerated away from the capital, towards my personal sanctuary.

* * * * *

I stopped driving at a certain point to give my humans a break. I leaned against my lovely car and watched them as they switched drivers and let my newest acquisitions take a break from the bus.

Jamie watched the new humans and his eyes lingered on the new young female.

A rather unusual feeling of displeasure began to build in my gut, which was odd because I seldom felt an emotional reaction towards the actions of my humans beyond pleasure, amusement, or vexation. This was something else, however. Not quite unfamiliar, but still strange. It was similar to when other vampires went near my humans.

I did not like it.

"Jamie," I called. "Come here."

He definitely heard me, but he took his sweet time turning to look at me. His expression was all stubbornness and rebellion.

My smile was involuntary. I suppose he had agreed to behave in the capital, not on the way back. Tricky human. I loved that rebellion. "Come here. I suspect there is something you want from me."

His frown deepened at my offhanded reference to the data he was certainly dying to look at.

He walked over with an easy gate, as if he held all the power in our relationship. The most unbreakable human I had ever encountered, he would be imperturbable if he were a vampire.

My attraction towards him only grew.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"I decided I would have you ride with me for my amusement. Unless you prefer your place on the bus with the other humans..."

"It's fine."

Disappointment brushed me, although his response was not unexpected. "Very well, then." I smiled my typical smile that always flared his temper and then slid into my seat behind the wheel.

To my actual surprise, the passenger door opened and he folded his bulk into my car. I simply raised my eyebrows.

"I'll take a break from their annoying chatter with yours, Bloodsucker."

I grinned. "How nice that I can help you in a small way."

My humans had returned to the bus, so I shifted into drive and sped away, trusting Theo to keep up.

"Are you going to let me see the new entries? That's what you were talking about."

I considered. I did intend to allow him, although at the same time I knew I was asking for trouble. If the vampire he hunted was in there, Jamie would redouble his efforts to escape. I did not believe it was possible since he was one man against the many that guarded my domain, but someone could get hurt in the attempt and if anyone was capable of escaping, it would be him.

If I did not allow it, he would hardly sit around and wait patiently. At a certain point he would either try to break into the archives regardless. I had not failed to notice that the promise of information had calmed him, but it was only a temporary measure. He had his mind set on that single minded goal.

I thought about Leif's pleas that I simply tell my human the truth, but in that moment I was certain that even that would not dissuade him. Maybe I did not possess the ability to break him of his feral nature, unless perhaps I gave him what he wanted.

Perhaps I could bribe him into compliance if the vampire was not in there by helping him search. If he found the vampire, I could help him get his opportunity for revenge, perhaps, if it did not endanger my efforts.

Because even for this particular man, I did not dare make a mistake.

And, what pathetic madness had gripped me that I would even consider bribing a human to get what I wanted? No, it should certainly be the other way around.

"What do you plan to do for me in return?" I asked.

"By your own account, I'm useless, so maybe you can get creative and tell me what you want."

Awe. I had hoped he would offer his blood again. I suppose he had figured out how much I enjoyed refusing him. I glanced at his muscular form and thought about other things I would like from him.

But that would not do, either. I certainly was not going to barter for his affections. If I ever had him it would be because he begged me. I had my vampiric dignity to consider.

"Well, I always do appreciate your aesthetic value. I certainly also trust you to keep your promises and one in particular. Still, I really can't think of other purposes that I trust you to do at this time, I'm afraid."

"My promise." It was not a question.

"You haven't forgotten?"

"Definitely not."

"Good."

"Do you actually want me to kill you?" he finally asked.

I grinned. "Of course not. I love my existence and I have big plans for the future. Still, if your attempt on my life is to be inevitable, I would like to at least be entertained. You could live on indefinitely in my memories as the one attempted assassin who did not try to accomplish his goal by nearly boring me to death. That would be an impressive feat in itself."

He made a sort of noncommittal grunt. I smiled.

"But, I suppose, I shall grant you access to the updated database on the belief that you will keep your word."

"Thanks," he said, although he did not sound grateful in the least.

I smiled. "No need to thank me, Jamie. It costs me nothing. It was more than a favour to you. I wanted the information regardless."

"What for?" he asked.

I shifted gears and accelerated into a straight stretch of highway. "Oh, this and that. It isn't only my food that I like to play with."

He did not answer me and we lapsed into a long silence. I considered the poor condition of the highway on which I was driving. It was not at all good for my precious car to be driven over splits in the payment. Perhaps Enrique was not quite entirely a fool. Besides my bill, his might have been the best proposal of the quarterly. He was still quite idiotic when it came to human care, but he did vote in favour of my bill, so he might be in the less foolish half of the population.

It was a terrifying thought.

I wondered vaguely if Enrique was getting a warm feeling wherever he was, since I was thinking such unusually nice things about him at the moment.

"Do you know how to drive, Jamie?"

"More or less. It's not like we humans have a lot of vehicles at our disposal."

He voice held resentment, understandable after a life of hardships.

"There are a few, contraband probably." It was not technically illegal for humans to own motorized vehicles, but the odd time I encountered humans in one I left them alone to have their fun.

"Yeah."

I inclined my head. "Do you know where most of the contraband comes from?"

"Stolen from storehouses."

"Indeed. Or perhaps, given."

"Given?"

"There's a human sympathizer or two amongst my kind."

He scoffed.

"Is it so hard to believe that vampires hold a range of opinions? There are a few that genuinely seem to care about humans for some mysterious reason I cannot fathom. My friend is one of them."

He was looking at the dark scenery out the window, although I doubted he could see anything of interest with his human vision, especially since the moon was hidden behind the clouds.

"They're soft hearted fools. What benefit is it for a vampire to worry about the lives of lesser beings for the sake of sentimentality?"

I could still see the edge of his frown, although his face was mostly turned away from me.

"I feel little sympathy for humans in general, but I do care about the wellbeing of humanity, because I understand that humans are an absolutely necessary resource. Also I find you all terribly amusing. Most people become dreadfully boring when you know them for century upon century. That's not a problem I have with mortals."

"Wow, that sounds hard. I have so much sympathy for the leeches now."

I smiled at his sarcasm. "Would you like to become a vampire, Jamie?"

He laughed harshly. "I'd rather die, Bloodsucker."

It was the expected response.

"Don't worry. I wasn't offering. I will never turn you." Although my occasional fantasies of a vampiric Jamie did flash through my mind again. It was quite odd, because usually I was not even tempted.

"Good."

We drove in silence for another few moments before I changed the subject.

"What do you think of my newest slaves?"

"I'm not helping you get into their heads."

"I'm merely curious of your general impression."

"I think they're more free humans wrongly enslaved by you filthy bloodsuckers."

I considered him. "Do you pity them?"

"Maybe."

"But you don't sympathize with my other slaves. I've heard you call them traitors," I pointed out lightly.

He scoffed again.

"But if you really believe they should be free, should they not be free to follow a vampire if they choose? Why should their identity as human force them to think and act as you wish them to? I should almost think that you don't actually want humans free to think what they will, you want them to be slaves to what you believe they should believe rather than to the vampires."

"Your words are like poison." His voice was curt.

"My words only call it as I see it." As I see it, and what I could see would rile him up.

"It's not in the best interest of humans to be under the rule of vampires."

"Mine fare well enough."

"Your humans are still slaves and even if they willingly accept the state—if they really do—don't tell me that you believe all other humans under other vampires or free humans who are forced to hide and flee are happy under the leeches' rule."

What would he think if he knew some of my humans had freely volunteered to be under my control? I doubted he would believe it.

Either way, he was correct, most humans nowadays were miserable. I did not like it. Humans were more amusing when they were relatively happy and doing their own things and engaging in their own misadventures.

"I won't tell you that. You're obviously right."

He turned to face me. His eyes glared through the darkness inside the vehicle, but he also looked surprised.

"I lived for centuries amongst free humans, Jamie. Although truthfully, they weren't all that happy, either. It's humans' nature to always be wanting and striving for what they don't have, whatever they imagine will fix their problems. If humans somehow find a way to wipe out all vampirekind, in a few generations humans will be bickering amongst themselves again. Few master the art of living in the moment with what they have."

"Humans have nothing."

"Now, perhaps, treated as commodities as you are. But you would likely be horrified to know the wealth and luxury that once was."

He did not answer again, but he was watching me. I decided to change the subject again.

"Did you know that humans almost won the war against us?"

"Yes." There was pride and certainty in his words. I would not be at all surprised if he were a direct descendent of some of our most effective human adversaries.

"Do you know why humans ultimately lost?"

"They turned more and more humans into vampires."

I nodded. "I'm impressed with how much knowledge they've passed down in your people. Are you descended from the free human fighters, Jamie?"

"I don't know."

"Your family, were they rebels against the vampiric order?"

He froze and eyed me suspiciously. "Why?"

"Mere curiosity. I certainly shan't be running to the council with whatever you say. I've no intention on sharing any part of you."

"They weren't, not officially."

"Do you know of an official rebellion?" I asked.

"No."

He might not know, or he might be protecting what he did know. Was he telling the truth? I could not be certain from his mannerisms, perhaps it was a half truth. No doubt he had run into more than one rebellious feral human in his years of wandering.

No matter, it was interesting either way. I wondered what my human had seen during his free years.