Blood Mother. A Vampire Tale

Ch. 10: Hoyt

Hoyt refused to react. Luka wanted a reaction, a scene. Feeding his grandiose nature was what got him off. Hoyt knew Luka was old school. Here to play with the pathetic little humans until they no longer met his needs. But he did keep civility in place. The vampire community was ancient. And without rules and regulations there would be a whole new meaning to the word prepper.

People often forgot how fragile they are. And Luka had been around hundreds of years. Long enough to have evolved. Hoyt Had been told he was the perfect example of an assimilated vampire. He followed the rules and ate only packaged meals. His excitement was playing cat and mouse with the humans he felt so superior to.

The waitress came to the table bearing salad and glasses of wine. Hoyt saw it as the perfect distraction.

"Thank you Ginger, I believe Luka may be joining us, is that right Luka?"

Hoyt began casually eating his salad, his eyes never leaving Ginger.

"Sure, Luka, should I bring you a chair? Some wine perhaps?"

She looked like a mouse in a corner. Unsure of what was happening while Luka held Tessa from behind. Hoyt was counting on her as a seasoned waitress to want to make both sides happy.

Luka released Tessa and with a bow, looked at Hoyt with disdain.

"No, thank you Ginger. My business here is finished I believe".

Hoyt could feel Tessa's glare from across the table. Her hair had cascaded down from her loose bun and Hoyt realized it was the first time he had seen her without it pulled up. Tendrils circled her petite face and her eyes while angry were a beautiful slate grey. He declared then and there to make her angry more often. He decided to talk to Luka quickly to get his mind off his partner.

"Luka, this isn't a trap, nor is it personal. We are on a bona-fide date here. But since you have decided to  show up, I would love to ask some information about your rogue".

"Rogue, is that what your calling them now?" Luka's face was stone, but those words were delivered with the hate bottled up for centuries.

"Not them Luka, her. At least I believe its a her. You've got a wanderer feeding on kids here. It's not pretty and there are only so many piles of forms we can choose from before it starts getting bigger than the both of us. I don't pretend you know, but if you could learn anything at all to help us out here, it could keep a lot of spotlight off your organization, and a lot of pressure off mine".

Luka laughed. His laughter wasn't one of a maniac. It was easy, melodious, and almost contagious. Tess shivered and Hoyt noticed the woman at the next table pull up her jacket on her shoulders. The temperature had dropped in the room and for a moment there was a shiver of fear that rebounded in the room. It was instantaneous, a current of terror that faded as quickly as it came.

"I assure you your mistaken. Perhaps it is one of your own brothers starting a war. I wouldn't put it past them. Although, I appreciate your coming to the top for your information. I'll remember the fact that you do know your boundaries." 

With that, he spun around and walked into the kitchen.

Hoyt looked at Tessa. She sat back in her chair and let out the breath she had been holding. He continued eating his salad and gave her time to collect herself.

"Well, that was a wasted trip. And thanks for the hand by the way."

She smiled when she delivered her venomous message. Hoyt knew she was pissed but he actually felt better than he had in days.

He responded after chewing and giving her another moment to steam

"I actually thought it went great. Let's finish our dinner and debrief."

"Great? Are you kidding?"

Her voice raised about 5 octaves.

"He groped me in a restaurant full of people and basically gave you nothing!"

Hoyt chuckled, it was a bad move and he knew it, but couldn't help feeling just a bit smug.

"He actually told us everything. He doesn't know who the rogue is, wasn't even told of her or his existence, now, it's in his radar and it made quite an impression that it was happening under his nose".

He drank his wine before finishing.

"And what happened to the I can totally take care of myself?"

It may have been one step too many. Tessa folded her napkin and got up from her chair. She grabbed her little black handbag and started toward the exit. Hoyt thew a few bills on the table. Enough to cover the bill and take care of Ginger. Her night was bad enough before he had used her as a diffuser.

When he got to the sidewalk he saw Tessa looking down the street. She had her arm lifted to hail a cab although Hoyt couldn't see anything headed their way.

"I'm sorry". He said as sincerely as he could.

"I haven't had a partner in a long time. I tend to push buttons when I find them, just to see what they do. If you trusted me though, you'd know I wouldn't have let Luka hurt you. He is  all about the feelings and the show. Keep that from him and he loses his edge."

He put his hand on her arm and was surprised at how thin the bones were. His heart beat just a little faster at the thought of how the rest of her compared.

She turned her head towards him and looked into his eyes.

"How do you know that he didn't know anything?"

He couldn't help but stare at her full lips. The way the bottom one protruded just a bit more than the top.

"The temperature always changes when a vamp gets pissed. Didn't your dad teach you that?"

She looked back toward the street and said without emotion:

"He didn't teach me anything. Except the fact that I could never be you".