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Elisa smiled, despite herself Then, because it was just how she was, she leaned over and surprised Chu "Thank you I like our drives"

The Indian woed her hair like an exasperated older sister "Little woodchuck All cute, round and irresistible Go on; do your thing I’ll be over here taking a nap in the car, if you need me"

20

MAL had said only one vampire could be let in the coirls, who actually did better as a pair If any wouldn’t go back in to his or her cell when Elisa asked, Chumani would radio Mal to co was forbidden time in the communal or open-preserve areas for the next three days, an effective punishment Elisa hated but realized worked, because even Leonidas would now return to his cell when she told him it was tiirls when they looked particularly lonely or distressed, to give the need But she lectured herself fiercely, and explained it to them as well, in kinder terms It wasn’t that she didn’t want to touch them If a rule was broken, she’d also be banned froh tonight had gone well, she’d had to explain it all over again, which gave her a tight ache in her chest when she finally got in the Jeep at ht for Chumani to take her back to the house On the way, the Indian wo that Elisa wasn’t being singled out

"Mal’s just as uncoive you a real dressing down if an honest mistake is made with the cats, but if one of us is careless or, even worse, deliberately ignores the rules, he’ll fire that staff ht away, in a leaky boat if needed"

Apparently they’d only had a couple cases of that, because Mal chose his people carefully But it explained Tokala’s reaction to the lion incident

What also helped her feel better about his rules were the ht when she returned to the station He’d bring her into his study and quiz her on the observations she’d had His questions always drew out far ht she’d seen Soations, he’d take her for a drive through the open preserve Safely in the Jeep, she could witness him with the cats, and that helped her learn as well It was a true science, studying the behavior of others, whether vampire, human or cat

"You’ve been an exceptional servant all your life," he’d noted one night "Which means you’ve cultivated the cos that others miss All you need are the cues to hone that, to knohat itat It’s usually far more than what you see on the surface"

She’d been inordinately flattered by the praise, but her admiration for him had increased as well From Chumani she’d learned that in the past twenty years, he’d studied a variety of behavioral sciences, as well as traveled the world to investigate and see the work of others Such direct interaction with the hu the risk of questions or exposure, was unusual for a vampire, but as Chumani had noted, he wasn’t the usual kind of vah Mal’s trained eyes, understanding the interplay of dominance and sub ca realization of just how dysfunctional they were, their behaviors often siht into the sanctuary

Camaraderie helped deal with such worries, and Mal sees, before she did chores or Mal took her to the open preserve, the entire staff would sit down to the "dinner"If it was nice, they’d have it under the stars, gathering around the large picnic table and assorted benches scattered in the grassy yard There was usually a good breeze, filtering into their valley froh Mal usually sat by hiainst a nearby tree, he was close enough he could prop his booted foot on the edge of Chumani’s chair, because she sat at the end closest to him

He was more relaxed with the hands at thatthe day’s work Which cats were i antics of the permanent residents in the habitats Foolish mistakes each of the staff had made and survived As Chue of Mal’s te of such war stories was a way to reinforce the lessons and accept the dangers of their ith good hu to hear that all of them had apparently ht it was hard to stay ood spirits Lola had been shepherded through the fault line to the African preserve She was now ready to hunt and live free, no longer part of the island syste life with a special iced tea recipe Kohanaof such events

As part of the festivities, each hand was now trying to best the others in tales of humiliation The latest story had been about Bidzil, who’d er they’d lured into a transport cage with

"He thought he was a cattle drover," Tokala chuckled

"Well, his na, not smart" Chuot, what does your na-a-Mouth?"