Davis left a note under the guesthouse door, telling me that Gavin and I didn't have to be on duty until nine in the evening. I silently thanked whoever was responsible for that. The days were getting longer and I didn't know what I'd do when daylight saving time came along and I was still beginning my shift at six-thirty. As it is, I was up by then and had plenty of time to look for my donor outside the walls. I found one easily enough; there's a service station and convenience store not far away and restaurants and other businesses past that. Sort of a vampire buffet, if you like. After I fed, I went back to the castle of doom (that's what Davis called it on occasion), punching the code on the keypad to let myself back in.
Gavin didn't say anything to me when I walked inside our shared guesthouse. He was busy watching the local news so I left him to it. If he was going to eat, I didn't want to watch. Food was now a forgotten pleasure. I remembered how it tasted and what it was like now. I'd nibbled, here and there, if somebody offered me something inside the house. It all tasted like dust and I'd have to throw it up later, otherwise it just sat in what I had left for a stomach until I got rid of it. One more thing for the Vampire Manual to explain, I'm sure. "Where do you normally start?" Gavin asked me later when nine o'clock rolled around.
"At the gate, but Davis and I switch it up sometimes and start at the back fence," I said. Gavin's scent had permeated the guesthouse; I'd noticed that right away after coming back from feeding earlier. Hoping I'd get used to it, I asked him which side he wanted to take.
"I'll do clockwise," he said, taking off in that direction. I just shrugged and took off counter-clockwise. James, the other new guard, came outside for a smoke a couple of times while Gavin and I worked. He was bunking with Davis, who is a bit of a health nut. I wasn't surprised James got sent outside to take care of his habit.
* * *
Gavin silently cursed Wlodek, Edward, Sergio and all eight Council members every time he passed Lissa on his rounds. Lissa's scent was overpowering and he thought briefly about placing compulsion on Winkler to get a different roommate, but discarded that thought immediately. Where else was he going to get a housemate that slept the same hours and had the same needs? Not that he intended to give himself away to Lissa; it would make it easier to eliminate her down the road. She had absolutely no idea that he was vampire, like herself. A true sire would have taught her that and many other things necessary for her survival. Instead, she was fumbling her way along, blind to all of it.
Gavin saw her during their brief lunch break, sitting on top of the wall near the front gate with her knees drawn up to her chest, staring out over the street that passed before the manor. He'd gotten a little background on her from Harry and wondered what else he might discover about her. The information could be found easily enough on the computer, he concluded, shrugging away the urge to place compulsion and ask Lissa himself.
* * *
"Kiddies, we're taking a little trip," Winkler announced a few days later. "I'm sure you're all tired of walking the grounds here, so we're going away for a bit."
"Where?" Davis asked.
"A little north of the border. We're going to Oklahoma City. I have an associate who owns a large house in Nichols Hills, so I'm going to borrow it for a bit. Ever since I went to the Mavericks game, the media has been bombarding me with requests for interviews and such. If I granted the requests, I'd never get any work done." We stood inside Winkler's kitchen, watching him drink a cup of coffee while he talked.
"Are you moving your equipment up?" Phil wanted to know.
"Yep. Andy and I packed it up this afternoon and you and Glen are going to drive it up. Tonight. In fact, we're all going tonight. It's only a two and a half hour drive. I have vans coming for all of you; I just need to know who is driving."
"You want to drive?" Gavin turned to me, a slight frown on his face. That frown was nothing compared to the one plastered across my face, most likely. Serge and Ed might be there, waiting for me. I'd come to Texas in the beginning to get away from them. Would I be safer if I stayed at the house in Nichols Hills all the time? I hadn't seen or heard anything after they'd shown my face on ESPN. Those two didn't seem to be basketball fans.
"I'll drive," I shrugged, since Gavin was waiting for an answer.
"Lissa is from the Oklahoma City area, she can take point in case you have any questions about the local amenities," Winkler smiled at me. I bit my lip instead, truly glad that I'd gone out to feed early.
Gavin and I loaded up our bags and such; I was surprised to see he had a small refrigerator in his room, which he also loaded into the van. Maybe he kept beer and snacks in it. Why would I care? I drove the entire way, stopping only once so Winkler could stretch his legs. "Remind me to get you a real cell phone," he told me. Mine had run out of pre-paid minutes when he'd called to tell us to pull over.
"Whatever you say, boss," I said. He might be saved the trouble and expense if Ed and Serge found me. Gavin was quiet most of the trip, asking only a few questions once we drove past Norman on I-35.
"Norman's a college town," I said. "University of Oklahoma. I have a master's degree from there," I added, realizing immediately that I should have kept my mouth shut. I no longer looked old enough to have a master's degree.
"Which area of study?" he asked, ignoring my discomfort.
"Fine Arts," I said. Yeah. A fine arts degree. Pretty worthless, actually. I'd worked as a clerk for a judge, holding an MFA. Well, it was better than retail management. That's what I started out in and the benefits had certainly been better.
Gavin didn't comment on that. "So, what is there to do in Oklahoma City?" he asked instead.
"They have an NBA team now, if you like basketball. A minor league baseball team which should start playing soon, minor league hockey, lots of fast food restaurants, plenty of sleazy bars and a couple of good bookstores and museums. The museum downtown has a great Chihuly exhibit and I went to see the Roman exhibit they had not long ago; it was definitely worth going to see. There is also a symphony and live stage performances. And if you're ambitious, you could always go to Tulsa. The Philbrook museum is there. If you're into gambling, there are several Indian casinos scattered around, some of them pretty nice, actually." I realized I was babbling a bit while Gavin remained silent, digesting the information I'd given.
"We only get one day off per week and won't know when that is until it is upon us. Not enough time to make many plans," Gavin almost smiled. Almost. I hadn't seen the man smile once since I'd met him.