Free An Erie Operetta by V.L. Locey Page A

as well?” I tipped my head while giving him a “Do you see my point?” look.
    His mouth dropped open. I smiled. I had never seen Mikel’s head of staff ruffled.
    “Master Reed, what you and Master Lupei do is not unnatural. It’s only queer.” Well, I couldn’t argue that. Rugby leaned down to whisper in my ear. “I suspect that those two were nibbling each other.”
    Elders bless him. I reached out to pat his frail shoulder.
    “I’ll have a word with them about nibbling in the library,” I assured him. That seemed to put the soul at ease, for he nodded and went to stand in his corner. I had no sooner picked my spoon back up when the two nibblers entered the dining room. Vincente, in a dark blue suit that was cut for his sleek body by a tailor to the gods, looked quite animated. His eyes glowed from within. Akio, meanwhile, seemed a tad peaked. I inclined my head when they sat down, one on either side of me. Vincente waved Eru away but his thrall fell on his soup like a starving jackal. Mikel’s pups had better table manners. After a moment of loud slurping Akio raised his pretty eyes.
    “Sorry,” he smiled sheepishly, his chin covered with Manhattan clam chowder. “When I donate I get pretty hungry myself.”
    “I see.” I didn’t know what else to say. Oh! “I hear that they give humans cookies and juice when they donate blood. Perhaps if—did I say something humorous?”
    Vincente’s chuckling stopped after a moment. “Silly skunk, cookies are for kids.”
    “What he’s trying to say is that when I give Vincente my vein, I get something in return. I feed him yes, but he also feeds me.”
    “Ah! So you don’t swap spit you swap corpuscles.”
    “In a manner.” Akio took a moment to finish his soup, then asked for more. “The term ‘thrall’ really doesn’t fit what I am. I’m Vincente’s chosen. I’ll live for a few hundred years, as long as we feed off each other.”
    I glanced at Elysium. He waggled his dark brows. “Are you surprised that I would take a chosen?”
    Actually, yes, I was, but I shook my head. The vampire laughed. I was beginning to get tired of being the butt of his jokes.
    “You are a delight,” Vincente said as he slowly got to his highly-buffed boots. “I don’t really need to dally around inside your head; your thoughts are on your cute little face. I’m off for the morgue,” he told his chosen. “I wish to attend the autopsy of that body Templeton found at the opera.”
    “Don’t bring up the opera,” I muttered. Akio asked what was the matter as he set into draining his second bowl of chowder. I gave them a fast run though of the invitation situation.
    “Take Akio, he enjoys listening to fat women sing in German. I’m more a Stones man,” Vincente offered before kissing his chosen on his smooth cheek. In a blink the man was a moving mist. Rugby skittered backwards, plastering his shoulder blades to the cold stone wall. The fog swept over our heads then dove into the flue. Eru mumbled something Elvin under her breath. I tore my sight from the fireplace to find Akio stuffing a fat dinner roll into his face.
    “You enjoy the opera?”I asked. His dark head went up and down with gusto. “Would you like to attend a performance of The Magic Flute this evening? We should be given instant access. Even without Mikel along, since we were invited by the diva herself.” Again more up and down. “Let’s hurry and eat. Rugby. Notify the ferry we’ll have two for pick up.”
    Yes! This time I was not leaving the Lupei box, no matter what.
    ***
    I had to put an addendum onto that promise not to leave the box. My bladder insisted I leave Akio as well as the Lupei private seats. Whispering to my new opera-going buddy where I was headed, I slipped through the thick curtain and began searching the huge building for the closest men’s room. I passed several ladies’ rooms. Is it just me, or do the gals seem to get the lion’s share of the bathrooms? Finally I