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Paul

Muted gray light seeps past -sized bed and wonder what everyone is up to It&039;s late afternoon, and I&039;m always the last one in the seethe to rise from my forced undead sleep In Alaska, Vivian stays up almost non-stop, but I bet even here she&039;d succumb to the pull of rest whether she wanted to or not If I asked, would she tell lass of the enclosed balcony ensured I wasn&039;t fried in hpoint A shiver steals overthat I prefer to sleep in a basement where there is no accidental risk of exposure when defenseless Maybe this place has a basement? I&039;ll have to ask

I rise and pad to the bathrooet ready I&039;d love to spend tiaveThey&039;d stocked the pantry and fridge well for our arrival

I pull on a faded pair of jeans and an old "Bite the Cook, He Likes it Al Dente" t-shirt before cracking open the door to the hallway The darkened passage looks safe, no stray burning beaht I ease out and shut the door, thankful I&039;uys and all, but in a weak moment they could become e on one side of the foyer Blackout fabric covers theany chance of injury H Well, in half a century, I guess you&039;d learn a thing or two-or died long before

Canned laughter fro, and voices drift froathered in the kitchen The scent of fresh coffee fills the air and the ending sounds of a sputtering cycle

In the kitchen, Rafe sits at the long island, laptop open in front of him Dressed in dark jeans and blue top, his face shows deep concentration as he exasforms of Drew and Chelly, arms wrapped around each other&039;s waist while they disappear into the gaht for the coffee pot across the rooo by "More joe, boss?"

"Good afternoon, Paul Thanks, I was just going to get a refill New pot if you want any"

"Think I&039;ll prepare a carafe of bloodcoffee in case anyone wants a cup besidesand then proceed to heat water to pre-warht?" Rafe asks

"Not bad The guys and I watched awas a bitch for Toms on the other side of the French doors leading into the courtyard "I wandered outside in the dark for a bit Explored the property a little Windy as all hell"

Vivian&039;s voice carries through the glass doors She opens theht spilled in, soht than late afternoon Must be nice to be outside while the sun&039;s still up She&039;s wearing a blue-patterned wrap dress, tied at the waist, andheels

"What do you mean someone shot Pat in the ass?" Vivian&039;s voice is raised and Rafe and I clearly hear both sides of the conversation Viv absentmindedly waves atit&039;s safe to stay and listen I continue into be as unobtrusive as possible

"I meant just what I said," replies Jon frohts? You promised we&039;d stay connected"

"It&039;s the distance, Jon Nothing more Tell me about Pat&039;s injury How bad is it?"

"The shot went clean through, no bullet was found But it sure as hell seeo after the shooter?"

"Root Pat to safety first, unaware of how bad the wound was or if the bullet was still inside" Jon chuckles a bit "Bastard bled like a stuck pig and cried the whole time Dr Cook stitched his butt cheek"

"Well, I&039;m relieved he&039;s fine, but I don&039;t like the sound of this It&039;s too early for hunting season Our eht now"

"Yeah, I thought of that"

"Could sos?"

A snort comes across the line "Someone who? It&039;s not like we&039;re easily accessible up here"

"Yes yes" Vivian trails off, looking to Rafe They re mind to mind Kind of rude with soh to point that out

"Viv?" Jon prompts

"I want you and Asa to question the employees One-on-one if needed It could have been an accident, but I&039; on"

"Calhness We&039;re not duone Asa has already started questioning the it alone so he can slip into their minds with no witnesses"

Tension leaks out of Vivian, and she settles onto a stool next to Rafe "Good Imy task at the counter, I raise my brows over her alruff and short with the rest of us Must be that whole "vampire servant" status that h about forty people already," Jon says "I waited to call in the hopes I&039;d have more news for you"

"What did Ro smells Like heavy odors of synthetic deer and elk musk Messed up their noses for the "

"Yeah, "

The call ends as I re frooodness into the warm carafe and fill the rest with fresh coffee

"Does anyone working for us hate Jon&039;s dogs thatthe pitcher to see if Viv wants so

Viv takes a s of plain coffee "Not that I know of"

A rich chocovine-colored liquid tu my head with the delicious aros descend, causing me to sputter in embarrassment Stupid Stupid!

Rafe smiles over my faux pas, and a wrinkle of concern flits across Vivian&039;s brohip around to face the sink, hoping to hide h heels echoes across the tile, and in a second I feel her cool hand rest on s retract, re

"Don&039;t beat yourself up, Paul You&039;re doing fabulous It&039;s the added stress of a new place and ju all the time zones"

I relax er over the involuntary reactions "Thanks I still feel like a dork when it happens like that"

Vivian walks away, reet enough bottled blood today, Paul It ht help you adjust" She looks my way as she climbs onto the stool near her husband

I raiseforout the equipredients I have to ith

"What are you looking at, love?" Viv directs to Rafe

"The Tribunal&039;s website regarding a big party tonight"

I rear and bang my head "Did you just say the Tribunal has a website? What the hell?"