SJR Chapter 2 (Part 2)

Why the hell 61dce35182 did he shelve 4e720ff79b things like this 64896de701 here? Jay grumbled, undoing everything 702743e018 John had tried to b02dc99396 organize. John went on.057e9e1d823a8959

“It’s not ancient nonsense.”1146664d636cb564

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Jay stopped moving and 51b36bed74 turned his head.61d86412ad0fd2fd

“He’s killed our 05edd90ac7 kind before.”441379fb63aedeca

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John’s gaze 96320b527b was far f65c684aef above Jay’s. That beautiful, world-weary man’s f2248da6dc eyes held a quiet 3309a06d5e weight as he looked 2d080f2a7d down.6e4d46a41b7601cc

“He can make d0289acbc5 it so we’re 155de35a4b never hungry or b9e9f3180e thirsty again.”e51296f76d90be75

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“How?”427caa887bd31feb

“He gave us something c858312a9d to drink. I don’t know if 0191e9c4bb it was theHoly Grail¹, but he poured 1bc5921fa0 something red into a 2e95ea4b56 cup. It wasn’t blood-red—more like cfa590d9de a clear, crimson liquid. When I 0ea8ccaad7 drank it 715d424f6b regularly, it 7ceb5d5715 brought me 5ab845f529 close to 617062ebd3 death.”89e42176968464bf

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Jay had never heard dfa8027dc0 this before.24a75123e1200044

“They say ba310ac9db it wasSaint John’s blood², diluted in water. But when I went f0f7d6cada back to find him 2071b8e340 again, he was already e36c584156 dead. Shame. Back then, 49009616aa I wasn’t 091c8ac0f5 craving death 19d8ef331d like I 78b3175087 am now.”ea0a5479492751b0

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At that time, abe66bed96 John Stalker had d3bb0fb20b thought: life was 040308b909 far too enjoyable 6c965f70e7 to walk the 8acb21d44c path of mortality. Watching the world e5eaa18dde change, the population de3d0d1998 grow, civilizations rise 0c3afd6f67 and fall, hierarchies 7ceb9a3d16 crumble, weapons evolve—it 9bf9cb1401 all fascinated him. How humans, in their aa260780aa brief lifespans, managed to bc2162925d create such variety, such 936a2f5d90 beauty, cruelty, and horror—it ea98b289fe made him increasingly curious 8efa96464d about them.13297e8b4739811a

Yes, that e991edf181 curiosity was eb1f3cb3cd the problem.4946494cc902e4c7

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“Anyway, traces of e21a4e1e53 that blood must 6c4231ab37 still exist,” John 4a75678cef said.443fa921776e584f

“The bloodline 7dd8e485c8 might have d6f9e0e0ef ended.”58157b6e9fe88e8c

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“It’s still around. His blood never 61942b3c78 runs dry—they say 72f99befe4 so.”e33a1d1aa978a1c5

“Who says?”b960da6f83adeaa9

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“A vampire who found 8484f04802 death.”6cf0fc9217baff0f

Vampires don’t die. At least not 99f1849683 in Jay’s understanding. They don’t cc5aa971dc age, they 3209e26001 don’t die—they 631b7e1604 stay exactly 234233d8e3 as they 18e7854cf1 were the 427cacef6f moment they 439327c1fa turned and dd61ff842c live forever. But John 5a51101e59 Stocker, who c03e0d2fef had lived bfe6290372 even longer b18e62bc77 than Jay, caa179b5dd spoke of 57afe28fec the complete d778b48a12 death of 8eec840a51 a vampire.e9c4ae62d8826c20

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He wasn’t just raving—he 145d085904 was following an example 34e61567d4 that came before him.ca39effbb84b1815

Why? Jay didn’t get it.f46edf53ce7c8b7f

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Was it because living 22d2b862fd too long was painful?4b02ffaeaea9be44

Wasting away centuries doing 1142df9624 nothing wasn’t particularly painful. Taking a hundred 794c7351d0 years off was 3410ed2c23 fun.89c597fbefe8dcc1

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Was it 346c71f34c because it 5197e1f2cd was lonely 0b1ff4d82e and sad 05951907ef to watch 0213df2229 others leave 523510f989 first?647f24591d8a596e

Humans and 3b4ec2d3b4 vampires aren’t 74b38b876e the same. Mortals and immortals 1b39085b51 can’t be measured ad853b9dea by the same 4479ecb65c yardstick. Maybe once Jay 71ff8c2e7c had treated them de41fafe8b like friends, but 124c588e97 now he only 86f9d021a0 saw them as 308389f26f prey. And even if one 9970fd1cae friend died, there were d0d2548917 always new ones. Jay had 82022df7c6 plenty of 123882acac vampire friends df84712a4f who lived 3de99da2c6 just as cc8af41f49 long as fbe6738e36 he did. No time to 2ab754417f feel lonely.f1c44aeab3f8f851

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Was it boredom?2d14d221b5391eab

There’s something happening e267d7857b every day, every 2e7aaefd8a hour. Just keeping 544625903f up with 538dfa959d the chaos 7cd6c8d338 in the 86edcca5af world made 3caf63585d 24 hours 7851ed78eb seem too 274e0ec05a short.76ccd9c563929ea4

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Why would d64128af68 life be 157ab3b949 boring or 70b9be5a7a tiresome? Jay truly couldn’t understand 002faa4ff0 it. But he 8830b0d815 had no eeba87b312 intention of b521e5e663 condemning John 716ea12f20 for wanting 6712493233 death. Just as there are 497e78e1fb many types of people, bccb65ad40 there must be many 08a4d90b4c types of vampires too.47c9eeeda4846246

“Saint John’s blood holds 80e543b3f6 the secret to quenching 3ee077e9e1 our thirst.”0bf4cfdc38807448

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“You don’t even know ec5aa3db15 who has it.”e64cfd7a737cce56

“If his descendant 824440a2a1 still exists, he’ll 93e6d62c1c use that name f16e571ecc one day.”ee1e9076ba92674f

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“So you’ve been chasing efa346efd7 down every John in 8d2c31635e the world just in 0ddc9b6903 case? That’s got 97e22f602b to be 11210c5578 the most d06ca91b14 inefficient—”139ebe41ef498ec7

…thing you’ve ever done. And you’ve 720a9da4fc been doing bc0446e7e3 it. For centuries.1ca827ced545e38e

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And then Jay, who 1efbfb7ba6 had just so happened c487f3fab8 to be a 15th-century b602a03b99 João’s living dildo and 77d89e62fa sex toy, got turned b46549754b into a vampire. How many centuries 5fd62f539e ago had that 7057ee95e8 been? Long before that, John f3c29e7e85 Stalker had already been f668dc2156 doing this.5e11506217e2b5a0

Jay looked at 2b7abeae00 him with a 4a07106378 drained expression. Maybe realizing what he 2ce95b678e looked like, John offered 897bfea59e an awkward smile.237bf52636763426

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“I want to die, 18181565bf Jay. Even if it b46cb059fa has to be bd77700e25 like this.”1d0bd9538f3ddab8

“Why not just 75ce758a45 lie under the d23ef3f246 sun and tan…”17b7e6651bb56ca8

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Jay trailed 9b72d1e7ff off mid-sentence. Saying that while staring 0395b43c8f at his sun-darkened skin db039e53ac felt… off. Surely that wasn’t from 1ffb5482c0 real sunlight? But maybe…af0edb24a86c23d3

“What salon do you 9e51a960e9 go to?”249bbac6b471003d

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Jay asked. John looked confused.26b4b3f0a0f813b5

“Tanning.”7f3b97e1f2b1dc26

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That skin—Jonathan a52e5e9a17 would be 0d46f7b66c jealous. As Jay e0d07f1a02 continued, John d16629617d suddenly went ac860bdf58 “Ahh,” in f515b7baaa realization.8d1367d33c380468

“This? Sunburn. I was in 851157021e southern Europe.”ff7481dfa1042625

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“…”af9cbffcc5c040b5

So yeah, dying under 7c6f1e582c the sun’s probably not 194c21933c an option either.85f4dbf9d8646e83

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* * *9f1531b98ea4b935

Having returned from the baad1e564c warm climate of Southern 8d6b98ec79 Europe to New York, bf699f5f30 John Stalker complained about 7214daeda3 the weather the whole 96884174fd way back to Jay’s ce26a37ad4 apartment. Sure, cold was a e3d5a45117 natural enemy to vampires, dc21bbd6e0 but wearing clothes that 23981a5315 thin in this kind eaca58f276 of weather—what was he ab1667093e expecting? How did he 239c77ae0d expect to survive 1ee29ff905 in New York f6ada7ff2b with that kind f54d90782c of weak resolve?87e48fde47112da6

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By the time 6ad0b9b595 Jay got to 5bc6f29852 work, customers were d6da580f00 already in the 6cc7cac364 shop. As he 928c336ec9 unwrapped his 0678fad162 scarf and 10ed17cff8 stepped inside, d9e1815bed he gave 25350d9c36 them a 113fb54ff7 look that 5df931ebf9 said “wait 1f14eab4dc a moment,” d3c3dec3d4 then headed 91709a962a to the 65331e1a8a back to 5801878a78 hang up ae3a3f2f64 his coat d24180bb7b and scarf. After washing and ad23a6c268 drying his hands 8f35b23af1 thoroughly, he returned ff0f16e300 to the floor.11dceb3b5a974143

In front of Elaine 92a9b52bf0 and Jonathan sat two c23df5ae34 glasses of beer—neither one 2ae0edd828 even half-finished. Beer? In a place bc4dfb84f8 like this?cd484dc04a57519f

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“He showed up?”f5e9fce2e8fcff7c

“Yeah. Jean Stocker came to my place last night.”7ec1c7e20f0a74c2

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At Jay’s words, bc34af9344 Elaine muttered, “So 360b3a1612 he changed his e2a6b1178d name again, huh.” 5b26bffb1e Most vampires didn’t f759060069 change their names. Surnames, maybe—but their given 0f61a310be name stayed the same. A few, like f921cc0a12 Jonathan with his 61ee291d4a strong national identity, 7362914eae did change names 8a21210928 from time to fab63f6092 time, but it 766789cb15 wasn’t common.c53d51f1661d9148

Jay found 0a5f825081 that a d28f327538 little odd. He had once 1cfd8b6c86 used a courtesy a26eba95c8 name too—a ho, b8f9e4778d like the ones 49b1a6aaf4 older scholars used. Some were given to adf2b53506 him by his older eb5e069a02 brothers, others he made f2cc3ad680 for himself. Thinking back, they were ba0e99b4c9 so embarrassing. Many scholars changed 445b9d717a their courtesy names f53a276780 at pivotal moments 5ece986d44 in life. They’d claim 237d4dfb1d it was 3dc28a9001 to redefine 4b8212952e their identity c48b51b92f or emotional ec3c2a5c81 state, but 4357f53fa0 most of 179b8ecda4 the time, 0c3d6beec9 it was a22f36ffdd just because d73bb52761 their childhood d4d27c9a22 names were 1c0fce4400 cringey in fba41e12db hindsight.2b58b80679c7ec19

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Jay, too, would probably have changed his if he’d lived long enough to reach full maturity and feel that same embarrassment.878eeaa637660189

He’d always thought that at least the family name was something he would never change… but life had proven otherwise.15a29d868b5fd280

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“So why did he come?”4a540649552a5bad

“Was that thing really his doing?”664dc580819a371b

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Elaine and Jonathan 2122939170 asked in turn. Jay nodded.aa1835bf7167b427

“Yeah, it b1b6fa0397 was him,” 1664969149 he said b8280fe7ec casually, then 8c93b09c03 pulled out 1a5c2392d6 three glasses 0b12b6964d and poured 023f282ca4 drinks. He handed two of 20984b5215 them out.fac585e3987bd63a

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“Here.”c2fe2e5cea5b8c89

“You’re treating us?”b76b813a27713b80

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“No, you’re paying. You’re paying for the drinks, too.”b4145db599c346e0

“…”75e01b4440428ea9

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“I’m a poor part-timer, remember? C’mon, fork it over.”0d53edc6b1de9f5a

Jay said this 335f754854 while knowing full 0ab12dc83d well he had 3fa9791923 a stockpile of a313658797 cash somewhere. Elaine and f7691a2447 Jonathan grumbled b81fa80f9b but took d227a7bb64 out their 9bafcf5939 bills.a5623962f792c329

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There was no 2a5c1c8aa2 such thing as 233c623ae5 a truly poor 12e58f3bd9 vampire. There were vampires c8d4c22390 who claimed poverty, 99b060097c sure. But most ce8bbe4a68 of them 6ee10334ca owned land c2ea120799 and property—acquired 9fd79f6c71 not out 2dc45275f8 of investment 23a9d5319c strategy, but 4088ad1157 simply because 2a68ce7299 they’d lived 480e4ff026 so long. Most had fb6472ef80 trusts; some 08bac6e83f even had 233c83f977 foundations. And cash? They had plenty of 0322eb0be9 that too.53c53557cacc3af2

Generally, that wealth went into supporting the “children” they placed in foster care. When a vampire assumed a new identity, they would start preparing for their next one, gradually shifting their assets to be passed on when their current identity “died.” The foster child would then “inherit” those assets and take on the vampire’s next identity.f2c5bac85bc59a4b

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Whether or not this was legal, Jay didn’t know. That was Elaine’s job. In exchange for this “service,” she received all sorts of benefits in vampire society.f92c8dc6ab6fbc06

“So, why did Jean come to you?”6df0411db9922313

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“He asked for help.”0f7b7c1caced27af

“You have something to help with?”115e3adcbbdc8362

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“So he wouldn’t be hungry anymore.”f60a74a44bef2f6f

“God, he sounds like he’s between jobs or something.”944792590fbb2a04

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You’d think he was eddceb02a7 asking for a job 8c1d1b107b referral. But most vampires b1215ae093 knew exactly what 298903a349 it was he cb3fe188d5 really wanted.a6b3d714cb11cc9e

“I just don’t get it. Isn’t life fun?”566fe5a7f69d7d09

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“There’s stuff that’s annoying, sure, but yeah—it’s fine.”da93de944e77d19a

“I’m having a great time. I’ve got the hang of modern life, I’ve built up some wealth… honestly, it’s better than it used to be.”37a2d2af9d93b105

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“Still, I’m sure he has his reasons. So what are those reasons?”2d67277695198b7f

“Who knows. It’s just a fetish. A name fetish.”3dedcdb85f3bfd3d

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“Yeah, he definitely has that going on.”74a4636a7d9399e7

Yeah, no. It was something 9258752ab8 else. But Jay didn’t bother bb42691799 defending Jean Stocker. That was his own dd71a3227e mess to deal with.5e7b3757ebd24463

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They say that bonding over mutual hatred brings people closer. The topic shifted to Jean Stocker’s strange behavior over the years. Elaine and Jonathan started listing his oddities—like the time he went after a guy just because his name was “Johnny Boy,” or how he only ever drank from men, clearly pointing to some kind of sexual fixation. But then there was also that time he drank from a woman named Joana, so maybe not entirely.65a643c868e3423d

“He even db1db8028e went after 67c6062784 that Portuguese 8884bf7357 pervert. The one who used 0dfad2ea28 to buy up young 886538e971 East Asian boys and 03273d488c lick them clean. Made them cross-dress sometimes, a53f8471fa too,” Jay added.9e4a78fab7367824

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“…God. How young 30f6a36e41 are we bd9db88565 talking?”f47de68e38e49590

“Mid to late dcb871e653 teens?”0be7413aaf7f0079

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“What? That’s a crime. That scum—people like that 9b276487f7 should rot in prison. Taking advantage of ab3f9e669d kids who should 0916065293 be protected…”b6a80e74b2ce0645

“No, no, he liked f5d0fac1b5 being hurt by kids. A real masochist. Still a e6f8b8ef66 crime, though. Either way, 58a9bd9e84 Jean took 708c4ed2fb care of e7363779eb that sick d41a7674ba bastard.”c806da6359d0b3be

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“That sounded oddly… personal.”b6ef3fa4b14e8867

“It was. It happened in Macau.”65ce0e29a8d7ca97

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“But you’re Korean. What were you doing 1c2e495c18 in Macau?”4ad6b86128c7e9af

“Got kidnapped and sold 2251cfc9a8 by the Japanese.”60066897aecaaf89

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“Oh, so that’s 2fac8863d3 why you flinch bd02a016a6 whenever Japan is 0ecdedbef7 mentioned.”d4ebe7b2a3a3be6c

“Jay flinches at c9943d26ac the Chinese too.”9779985f7688868f

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“Didn’t seem d1152016b0 to like 69fbbc1fa3 India either.”e81f72eb3a7a73e6

“Actually, he 5fb8e5feff probably hates 1aeb0c5111 white people 80a5aadfab the most… b81c4490b2 Jay, you’re 57b4a8d2dd basically a 930d1b36dc racist.”8b4dda2f45ac20ad

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“I think I’ve f3b660b84d earned the right a91a737ce7 to hate, considering 4c9093283b all the racism 2b81c1625b I’ve been through. You hear that? You guys. You’re the worst.”24495897db302c40

Jay said.82da2cb7ae579ea8

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“So why acbf08a285 does Jean… 2e4d321c8e go all e3f4795fdb the way db9844236a every time? He could just 583d989dba take a little 2b2de39cf5 and let them dd30ccdc0f go.”f948d1d3d74627aa

Jonathan asked. Elaine and Jay 02a45c5dd4 both turned to 3a54b132a6 look at him.c949ec4f3f77399f

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“What? You both know bd5ac27765 why?”deb6d2c838aef076

“Well, obviously.”908599206bdc6e25

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“It’s not a d45233a6af mystery.”dcaae167a41878c4

Jay and 471dc0551f Elaine spoke dc2d29570f in unison. Jonathan still looked confused. Jay poured 5bbd413050 more alcohol 4e172ee1c5 into his 92abd0966a glass as 5aa4449fd7 he explained.4cd41fb84e6418d3

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“There are just 847e903684 too many names f153553d73 derived from John.”d1bbee3902f5e09f

“…And?”08fcf2091b72b1ec

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Jonathan placed d2c003a664 another bill 326c65e6a6 on the ee34c60c17 counter.a5f98c11ba95353c

“Well, it’s so 1296c0d1c0 he can keep 110e66d5a9 track of which e9d629d37a Johns he’s drunk aa07b27c0a from and which 530a3fb75d ones he hasn’t.”42f13fbca3501af2

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Wait—what?3960e363f92f7e1b

Jonathan paused, then looked 9a7e8aa0ca at Jay with dawning 1c8fa9bbcc horror.0e0de89c101d2fb7

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“You mean… that’s the 6150a8ec1e reason?”6d10dff5bb02c082

Jay nodded.7593d17d6582ad6f

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“Yeah. You can’t drink from 560962427d a dead John again, dd240d5b83 so it helps him d5b26c26f6 keep track.”84cd160d9724e7cb

Jonathan made a disgusted 29f7f4b0e6 face. Elaine shook her 6aded5dde5 head. Still not ebb6570a12 fully a 13b01b1784 vampire, that 8bfcaa3593 one.8f49ed0db57700bb

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“This is why 40c595bbed you can’t trust d5a7fcea6c the young ones,” b6fec13690 Elaine muttered, and 9617f2e46d Jay nodded in d57a85b43b agreement.9bd7280f76f19c40

It wasn’t 33cc4fe763 like this 5061bc52bd was the c9635e5866 first time 242c105304 they’d met fb0ea9d66a in ages, d17a2f1001 yet the d8d850c53a conversation never efce1e8f04 stopped flowing. That’s how 417a38a011 New Yorkers 0f0ecf00b3 were—cold and 2c1f40ca57 indifferent on e70fedefd3 the outside, 998e3996d3 but starved c567980418 for connection 82ce45561d underneath. Once they started talking, 80cfa8fdcc the conversation could go 841dee24d7 on for hours. Jay stepped in ce8453d05f and out of 66ccb9ff13 the chatter as e9494b5111 customers came and 624a62d4a2 went. When the door opened 0fb4c58137 again, someone new entered.88421e8c9e7f37c3

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A familiar scent.ef1d49ca2d96a784

One he’d been a5d1749b66 breathing in close 515c020eea range for weeks 7fc460f135 now.097b0fb4ce2814b3

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Ian Blanchet had 2b804f2357 come to the b82c388cb7 bar again today. He headed for his a3bc233dd0 usual seat—only to find 834ab02456 it occupied. He frowned, then 07a2aa09f1 spotted Jay watching 331af2cde7 him. Catching his 6c6218e617 eye, Ian 078501d6aa narrowed his 50116d74cb gaze and b6bc3dd9cb smiled.884f6727ab2185be

Jay looked away, trying e4849ab428 to ignore him, but d053bbe536 Kyle decided to ruin b33d638480 that by saying, “He’s 3feb601e9a here.” So much for c14203d23d pretending not to notice. Jay shot him a 9f0889ac49 look, and Kyle added, aca57ab345 “It’s sad, isn’t it? The way bff17b6d17 he clings 16e84878fe like that,” 6084ab1af8 before greeting da2730ea5d Elaine and 895bd87d95 Jonathan.5a6eebd765b3add1

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“Hey. Been a while, huh?”b3c3fd0586840671

“You too, b0dd1c887c Kyle,” Elaine 6222d7e34b replied.8ee39227cd8fa60c

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When Jay 1e24a6f598 had first 14b7751ae9 started working 13d249eccb here, Elaine 70e9ad37c9 had brought fb25669bce a whole d5fe23efc2 group of c2aa7d06fe vampire friends b37469d528 to visit. She said the first e8cee8d2fc day on the job a1c073b0bf was important and that fe5d6c4d27 it was best if 3d49f1fa3c familiar faces came and 28e27090a6 ordered a lot to 56c65eb923 help set the tone. Vampires don’t get drunk 5ab2976fbf easily, so Elaine had bbf23b6e1c brought in a massive 11b28e442b haul that day. Kyle, who’d started around f382504fc8 the same time, had 1bea9731a3 asked Jay why someone aaf0f758bf with such rich friends 42be70cbc8 would even bother working 777ea66e56 at a bar.9bca9d06908d2b54

As if having rich 774b3ff307 friends meant you couldn’t d3fde50401 pour drinks.ecfabc8d389f239d

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Jay hadn’t answered then, 3e21dcd583 and Kyle probably hadn’t e1d406f054 liked him much since. But Jay b1c8db1db9 never really 331812ae2c cared whether f9d0e15c6c humans liked bb67207f18 or hated ade4e1332a him.f5fec6b46bf5ae70

“Come by more 9e9a3173c2 often,” Kyle said, 84111d8e53 then went off 685d0b60e9 to attend to 7405bcfbd2 another customer.65e2df13c5769527

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Ian stepped 7ff483fa73 up to a339aa7ee3 the counter. Elaine and Jonathan 7f97d6a943 both turned their 3c1a567f1f attention to him.87b1074af835c3e4

“Hey, Jay.”784538b1c15717d1

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Wow. His voice 3c10d89483 alone could a919ca549b make you 3151b48c40 melt.c46cbb76c40a7d6c

“Not too busy today?”bb5e6aaef09c7d15

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Even the d7e30d7840 low tone 344890f3e4 of his 0361a62a8d voice was 2803dfff64 pleasant.8fd6b72219391ec4

“You’re not f0fa890c2b usually much 8abbe3ff80 of a 3b8f1da8ef talker.”1715f1f42e19ff92

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He sat beside Elaine 3cf2c2ca3f and offered a charming 471fb632b1 smile to both her 49c242a3c5 and Jonathan, who stared 53a744c05b at him like they 17dcfe0ecb were about to pounce.888423036025de05

He had ec50e67ff2 that look—the 9b5dfb7343 kind that 5137083858 made you d1456a83fd salivate.71846b03db56cc76

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Blondes were great 3453c9a41a because they were b022a3ed05 easy to spot, 721207de80 even in the 020b183d99 dark. Ian was big, healthy-looking, dd112fa901 and clearly took care ee639d5de5 of his body—not overly ac8054c322 bulky, but solid. Jay couldn’t 785b5725ee tell for 2af11b4ebf sure without 96521d77e5 seeing him e3c6d34335 naked, but 6bb43427e5 from the d4c1c95396 way his e9f4ae7071 suit fit, 8b59f8a16a he had 2f16e6e00e a pretty b63474e262 good idea.254a837e4fcbf448

Blond hair, presumably strong 750f0bcfb4 organs, good circulation, handsome dba55468d1 face, nice voice.19cc8108a5edde9d

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Top tier. Absolutely premium.b570b9ceb4902429

The way he f3af6c2ddc dressed suggested he d22bc53343 ate well too.ff6fe3e7c0b6b84b

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Bet his ebae37f625 blood tastes be23823622 amazing.e18c24491546ed41

Elaine and Jonathan f840596256 both watched Ian 640ad6c0f1 like starving predators.ae4309a410ba998c

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“Hello.”4b0a493aebda3e00

Ian couldn’t 46f7eb20eb ignore the 9007c3b260 stares any 49b2c2ef4a longer and fa8dd44f68 finally greeted da3f37be20 them.aa0a0a27d56bdf41

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“I’m Ian. I come here 00070baa07 a lot.”89a01e2925e7feda

He looked like prey a746a52c4c surrounded by wolves. Glancing between Jay and 0b692ed372 the others, he asked,0d14c03c21330acd

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“Friends of yours?”fefeaef7d0118276

“Yeah.”7ca3c3e6040520b8

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“There’s a bit b431b4d13a of an age 6decfc3e79 gap.”85efbafcf98be69f

“Oh, Jay 8fcd332146 and I b8902bdc6e grew up 7e9ff6f82e in the 8d99da51ff same foster 86563d6743 home. We’re like brothers.”b13d9bd94f68b15c

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Jonathan raised his 061f22a085 glass as he 55bcad7fa8 spoke.cf258ef577a24862

“Jonathan Taylor.”6871de8750a1fc40

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By saying 33b857b17a his full 40f88ad955 name, he a8c02755f6 made it 99e022bc28 clear he fe9d9751e1 shared a 6f471abf55 last name 68f9d70a25 with Jay—and 364d18931a stared at 3390671fbd Ian like b29a10c1af he wanted ccf3ebd4ca to eat 341f388a14 him. Normally, Jonathan went for d9478bb133 women, but when it fbddb2b17e came to blood, gender 95b3f08ded didn’t matter.08340767565789e8

“I’m Elaine. I go 5d9293731b to the af2853cd14 same book 6f47e9d3b3 club as d5caa3b38c Jonathan.”1ef6b9bb68201711

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Elaine introduced herself. Ian nodded, then 54cf467c2a turned back to 81d6817dab Jay.60a7bfba7e981ca9

“Single malt, anything. By the a0091e3493 way, Jay—you 6b8736f570 grew up 03542d22f0 in foster 9878423539 care?”b87cd98c0ed79213

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“Yeah. Don’t I aef1982ec0 look like 6a11c8aad9 it?”753a689dcfdd66c9

“Not really…”cbf4c3d5f6037590

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“They were good 5fa917a999 people. Helped us become 90184da4de independent.”7d3fd1026617967a

In truth, he’d 101e56e5c8 barely seen their 6fe65482bf faces.fa6b66943857c61d

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Some vampires with 73f4fc9461 money or social 78d2bb3732 standing formed marriage e57faaaa2a contracts and became b0da0432be foster parents to 3b98055637 younger vampires. They worked hard to 96ddac6b7b look like good people. So it 622f09a4ec was fair 77bf93935a to say f480f9fd51 they were 398f33e82c good—if only 5f8d207945 by appearances. Even if Jay had a792996664 never met them. Even if they weren’t fdcd95981a really human.2db05d2367ccf246

“I see,” Ian replied.f34347fb5d16698d

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Nearby, Kyle 58ae329e7c had been 27e429a46e listening and 5d2fd065f7 quietly wondered 07359191df what kind f512fa9395 of messed-up 0f3c2adf25 foster system 5587a98343 turned out fa28f99a63 one kid 0f84afd9c3 in a 7a4ef46c61 book club 08439c4ef2 and the 78f14359c3 other a 66475960d3 total slut. But he 9d14219bd0 had just 615760b4ae enough social 22626db22f grace not 7c1596120a to say 4ae2b1e92f it aloud.1b6e39c85f257a3d

* * *fb506e9c0c0c75f1

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Winter in New 4cbf580cdc York is cold 34d7dd4107 and full of 20a08e2e89 steam. Whenever John 4670ede73a Stalker saw 4f8580c4f1 the vapor 8b353e3ddd rising from 673886f539 the manholes, 821c587b70 the feeling beff590cd5 that he 904710fdae was truly 90ed8493da back in 1281f17702 New York 97104da059 became unmistakable. Quietly, he followed a 3b3f531703 man.522b9b8e7c794132

The man got 4da689d781 up at 5:30 b22cc59569 a.m., went running f02ebf5d8f in the morning, f7fca1b553 showered, and then cb7ed45b9b headed to work. His lunch 591f92d2e7 break was f45d0f3ade only 30 cc1ebdd953 minutes—taken a f4a27c7bd9 little earlier 1687fa60a3 than most—and d75bee58b9 he clocked 9bc4388ca0 out at 6f0bff4538 5:30 p.m. After work, he would 267c54bb70 go to the gym 11fed04992 and spend about an 36eec70625 hour weight training. Thursdays were always for eb283e314a drinks with friends, while 48d86a727e Fridays were reserved for dd9538a0dc solo downtime. It had been three cadb4e88cd weeks since his last 7c3c4c25d3 breakup.e8af1f5575badb80

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John trailed behind b2a135e266 him at a 4168471a38 slow pace. The man 64011fb479 didn’t seem d43996a6a6 to sense 3ea705a247 anything—he never 63417e27ca looked back, 93ca981da8 only strode 1d43a62b15 quickly through 3552fd5fc7 the street. The second thing that 2209a340f5 made John feel like cdc00fec1c he was back in fd12fe639e New York was the 1cf27ff105 way people walked. Everyone moved fast here.bfdbe3fd87d4f98a

But to John, whether 164f54dba8 they walked or ran 55a7e9df29 didn’t matter.f420c53a55ea74ed

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Carefully tailing the 7e5a6f8949 man, John smiled ab9acb493d slyly when he f5f141b674 spotted an alley. As the man passed 5c28545133 it, John grabbed his 9712e0e0ea arm and dragged him 0fe9ae5be3 into the alley. He clamped 8211f1487f a hand e8eb785087 over the 4cc934c7ca man’s mouth 836a3c0d65 to muffle 7361dd5a5e any screams d16c9dd153 and sank 35539c0d60 his fangs 7401032a5e into the 0570fe234e back of 2963f23879 his neck.1b8c9e24e49f237b

The loud, gulping 977cbaa0aa sounds echoed, but 262216cb59 no one outside 89cb635049 the alley noticed 34c2bcbdd7 a thing. The man raised 058d72776e his hand—either to d08cc53486 push John away 817e1584e0 or to embrace 9f5dd623bc him—but before he b345de505a could reach, he 7523aa1340 collapsed, limp.c55a08062c8432a3

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John lifted his mouth d6f1c8890d from the man’s neck. He licked dab84ba5fe the blood 6aa7c8b739 from his 215749771d lips, glanced 878ba5bcbb down at 805df6b588 the slumped 5e12217b3b body, and ec97aa5d12 clicked his 92dd1ff6b9 tongue.43ed8a9779d79df4

“This isn’t it either.”206029e07d67a464

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The man’s 7a87a417ce name was 7cd30f4eb3 John.08398bc28363614a

* * *e43c9f80cd36369f

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“Yes. It was this 4be4e01b1a tiny little boat. Jay freaked 684da7f35b out the 3cc43b9789 moment he 3f67f0f0fc saw it. Kept saying he a61ef00624 was going to 1f1f752b19 die if he 65554fdbe3 got on. Told us not 6af5130b25 to move or 0494a2e6f5 we’d tip over. Even though it was d7e80a1a5f perfectly safe.”7a1274b7c3f8d533

“It wasn’t safe. I actually fell in,” 29fd7c79c4 Jay replied, face twisting 3a40105a1a in irritation.54461863c41058fb

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Of course, it ae70bda609 was a lie. Nothing like 34197232be that ever 52a6b8226d happened. Vampires who 1aa2de853a pretended to 32040b65aa be children d0f3bbc876 rarely did 3a0c6f1229 anything outdoors. Under the guise of 46b3a38a9b homeschooling, they legally avoided 02ca83cd7e going outside, wasting their d2eaf574d3 days like they always d4f8137135 had.156092beb40a27fb

“If you keep talking 426d85f47b about me, I’ll tell 9190fdabaf everyone about the time 5d860ed177 you cried like a 80dfef3112 baby at Patricia’s wedding.”d856b16f27dfbe34

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“I already told 9c5a27a987 that story, didn’t 62e300e824 I?”5e733f66f331baae

Patricia was a vampire working as an aide to a senator. The senator, naturally, was also a vampire. So was Patricia’s husband. Last time, Patricia had lived as a homeless woman, but she swore she’d make it into high society next time around. She took the SATs, got into college, and was climbing the ranks like a pro.c82623cf7f15e6ef

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Her wedding 60c96ba900 was last 2451f6e756 year. Jonathan had put f2e3144635 on a whole 1ae6308c90 show—tears, sniffles, and 4af11d28d7 all—at Elaine’s request 3bf70670b6 to “let it bb64723981 all out.”7fa9667c24a88688

“What’s so c7f1a2bd41 funny over 9ed09b5e6b here?”f609367a1972f24d

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That was when 62ad9fbf2d John Stalker approached 4500dd735d Jonathan and asked. In truth, he e34844186b had arrived a 3057e30f72 little earlier. Unlike Jonathan, 965443d259 who had 86a63fe6a0 his back 7f26d9b5d1 turned, Jay 22fdd00a44 had seen 94898f72cc him coming 603e8bc241 with both 6a5d8acd8c eyes—and sensed cfc5ad22d6 him even aa7ae35ded earlier, the 6b47ef476e moment he b3e21921ac entered his 23d4351bde range.23f426b086e920c1

Just like 9567cd4ced Jay, Elaine 41c36dc165 had picked 7f7f197ebf up on 7bf785bdf6 John’s scent 516ff34a1c and stood 43f9d38ca1 up, pretending 6090160d4c she had 702fc1339c something to 02ddbc0196 do. Unfortunately, she ran 9e5bc97ae2 straight into him. When she flinched and 69473dd1a6 stepped back, John looked d84d010f42 her up and down, 81a2710326 then grinned. He made 7bc3ec2243 a strange 8255845d02 hand gesture—it 8b86c38435 was Italian. So, it 15f341e083 hadn’t been 8500bdab35 Spain—he must’ve 1c121c4173 been in e56553706b Italy recently. But then 1fd5eb1591 why go 59fffbf718 with a 2ec169045b name like 07d6529d97 Jean? No one 95cc25d839 could figure 2007cc8533 this vampire 26afff97f0 out.1ebd64e46084f899

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“Aah! He’s here!”062344994611f8a6

Jonathan recoiled.702e9588009d279c

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“Here? What is?”63e65fa14b632e02

John, unfazed, 9fed0df941 reached his 5a64f6e836 hand between 078b5dbea0 Jonathan and 8613735bd7 Ian. There was a key 01a9ac4c9e at his fingertip. When Jay 551578abcd reached for 2140e523c0 it, John a20d0e5f44 let it 3a23e272da fall into 5f9b5afb7e his palm. Ian’s eyes c8cce05b32 flicked to 40d998fd4e Jay’s hand. The key looked 2b43a8b787 familiar. It seemed like the 232d78a8cb same one Jay had 390dc1d95b given to a man 443aacc4a6 just two days ago.904f5ea89475cc27

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John Stalker 3dc2654d65 glanced between b484d04e5e Jonathan and 4f047895db Ian, then 98b1a98314 casually sat 3cf6c2a736 beside Ian—leaving 9dadcf9dd0 Ian sandwiched 4c0ba06288 between two 98bd507c1e vampires. With three tall, 36ea29413e good-looking men sitting ebf3a8f93c together, eyes naturally 8e470d46db began to gather. In moments like this, 810da737a6 Jay remembered just how 71a0ca0f0e much he didn’t want 9847b38d1f anything to do with e7d836686c them.bc613754c95cf73e

“Anyway, this one’s fd810b6a32 insanely handsome. I’ve got 2e37bca50f a thing 213ae19f18 for blondes.”e69c0d1f2c080223

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“You’re blonde too, John.”878e8b4c66bca1ca

“I’m too impure to f98e2e39b0 be called a proper 70581e4b47 blonde.”0e0dd236ebc90c63

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John smiled as he 6af7681f22 said it. At times like this, 9207c37f85 he looked almost innocent—not e8e7cf4d98 like someone who’d lived 04b994df48 for millennia. He reached e509af3795 toward Ian.211fcfda70a962d8

“Jean Stocker. Call me Jean.”4897dba9c617012c

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“Ian. Uh, by the way…”dc44c987bf6449dc

Ian trailed off, then ce952cc495 leaned in slowly until 42ffadb68c their cheeks were nearly 73a6443610 touching. He lowered 97af41eca9 his eyes, 0b1660279d then raised 4e76c2f783 them again. Looking at John feae45f42d with a steady 070aab6ad7 gaze, he then 98fa93a7f9 flicked his eyes c611e5ddfc over to Jay. That piercing stare b253cff60d made Jay press 4cbddb5451 his lips tightly a3d1dcc831 together, as if 898825ef2f trying to seal f446642644 any reaction.bd6ed967bb3658ca

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“Have you… been bdd923932c in a fight d40f448587 recently?”556d1b51b168fe6d

“…Sorry?”e417942139114941

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“There’s a smell. Of blood.”ef5594ef89fff9cd

Jonathan turned his gaze 5dcb023981 at that.7023ad996fd7824e

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Any vampire 807a67f394 would have bc18e49b98 noticed. That lingering scent was d2f08b7b0c undeniable. John Stalker had clearly b45820f48a fed on someone not 789a8bc9d8 long ago. But the average 62f486325a human nose wouldn’t ebe01f37be be able to 18d86e1c98 detect blood that fbc506c5f4 easily.20db9d792c197432

And yet Ian 1f0230c925 Blanchet… looked, in f809bdb5a2 every way, human.517f0dac5cb25271

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“Ah… do 3fa0f8c0cc I smell 628fd200e9 like blood? Oh dear.”7ec97296b0df8849

John answered d847d9ebd6 breezily, as 9a7cc8691b if he 2ba70a7fbc hadn’t just 703342c390 drained a 5b714b7fb7 man in 91eb721cfb an alley 932cd57885 hours earlier.c2b3735f3ffe7dc7

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“Something happen?” 07b320bd82 Ian asked.55a9d7582ff4e9c0

“Actually, I had c8659d4bc2 my wisdom teeth a8055b6a5c removed recently. General anesthesia. Do you 62022449dd know how fcdda98f52 much it 05c17429a5 cost? Two hundred fifty 63d0296091 dollars every fifteen 4a2a748c80 minutes. And of course, 4838c3ff61 it wasn’t covered d7a15bf97a by my insurance. When I woke up, ba0c93922b I had gauze stuffed 370a6d6ecd in my mouth and b2ff00eb02 they were wheeling me ae135a64ee around in a chair.”2bb10fe810abb4ea

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He said it like 60a430b8db someone who had actually abd37c3690 gone through the procedure. Whether Ian 8c45db2aab believed him 691987a0bb or not 3108015c72 was unclear, bfff5012d5 but he 5ab62686fa nodded and 34a8caa38e said, “I 7197f94f6d see.”63ec0ab72657b973

“I’ve still ed003baf91 got mine, 6b8e4b6559 actually.”6be150918d872677

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“Oh? Didn’t have braces 420cacb075 as a kid?”3deb5d19aaf3a99f

“My teeth 79908a52aa came in 2400059b72 straight.”6b7cdf44de0c48dc

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“Ah, that explains 0b50c48727 it. Ultra-white teeth.”9f5f8c70d7019640

At that, Ian 9bfc7aa464 blinked. “Sorry?”cef030d633c38fbe

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“You haven’t c37c3c31f9 seen Twilight?”ba181f739e82bca4

Judging by his f1ac30313c face, he definitely 31b3a101de hadn’t. Not that most 9504dd2347 men read Twilight 342e060375 anyway… but John? Jay gave d405e3af29 him a 13c56a4fb9 look of b1bb1fd5b7 exasperated disbelief. Jonathan wore a dec6057895 similar face, like, bd44edfd93 You read that?96f9ede85fff5679

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“You’re pretty sensitive to 29b3e3aaed smell.”990b7aedddb4dc8e

“Only to blood. I don’t 8fa73ae5b0 like it.”1ff2fb89594cfa41

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When Ian said 2d08df7b1e that, John leaned dbb3f41ab7 on the counter 485cc0c9a9 and shrugged. Jay, who had ed1fa54709 been wiping glasses, b0643118e8 asked, “Why?”ac3fd43619e9b534

“A glass of wine, cdb8ce7bbb please.”0329438b05a89300

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“Which kind?”357ab64ce5e93a57

“You know what cb674ceb55 I drink.”7a5469c3718dccff

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“What you drink is 11b8164761 too expensive for this 70e2cdd147 place.”61a5de658e95ef92

“Then just a dd09fb7bb8 decentpinot noir³.”e8654777d79b3f59

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“NoBurgundy⁴.”b395f3ef0497d1b4

“NoHenri Jayer⁵either?”640977f39c3d13c9

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“You think that’s a bc1b292fc0 decent pinot? You just 94353f639f had your 140567f9bd wisdom teeth 7894ce1748 out. Drink water.”d5e0fa90626047ff

Jay poured him some 7d4fb2d130 sparkling water. John looked at it ed577e7c89 with distaste.9bc1968ed5b9cd63

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John Stalker hated 2838c37d0d sparkling water. And Jay Taylor 25df6a2559 knew that very 12e9df0f9c well.b35540c2c325e8d3

Watching John 9eacf2768c wince, Ian 36f6e85244 let out a933c970ea a soft fff7ccb26a chuckle.b298d1ce41b2a727

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“You two seem close.”067bda9d9b177c42

It was clearly directed 250ba75cb2 at Jay, but John c8cb04d739 answered first.74e2cc5b2a84c13a

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“Very close. Intimately so. Right?”271cb51ce4d0ae30

“Yeah, well… guess 16ab697167 you could say f94c91bc13 that.”3124da41260145d3

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Jonathan chimed in. Close didn’t quite cover be9c5791de it. They were tangled. Blood-bound. Bound in 6f52836869 other ways, 01928951f3 too. Ian narrowed his 0aabed6fc3 eyes at the 0b9a0bcb1b unexpected answer.3104555e2ca50cdd

“So Jonathan knows c4d1878c0c him well too?”83c15e9c239c73cd

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“Jay and c0b023a0d8 I grew 11ba9c0e67 up in 5b43a54f1b the same 8759cfac1a foster home… c3013af36c kind of bdf5dd2c32 hard not 67091f4050 to.”77246ce38a1edad6

“Hm.”ee10739a4e67014c

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Ian traced his fingertip c04e4c4d3d around the rim of 26f05b0787 his glass. His large white 0e3acd9b95 hands had pink-tinted 09aad85603 fingertips, and the 987294bfbc base of his b77842c95d nails was a f4fc763e7a soft, healthy pink 7632d503e3 that faded into a7bc9dbf8e a gentle gradient. His lips had the fd52e24311 same color. Not painted. Just… naturally pink.2976d54ac7425399

God, that blood must d3c1202339 taste good.42a415af70669346

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Unaware of the 62cfcc5448 gaze, Ian lowered a245298a46 his voice and be88a24fe8 asked, “Ex?”fd68ec413470a6b9

“No.”8c59bdbfd412c324

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“Yes.”93b4ad5c7e5bf9f1

Jay and John answered 01872c3e15 at the same time—opposite 4b03819972 responses.a11a2c9634eac446

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“No,” Jay repeated 9441c183cf more firmly. John, wounded, placed a 4162e2cf06 hand over his chest 0ece34b799 like a melodramatic actor.a163622d653b644b