over his bald head.
“Thanks Congo,” Eve replied warmly, flashing him her perfect grin.
“Keep smiling at me like that Eve and I-“
“Let’s remain appropriate in front of our impressionable slayer and young guardian,” Eve scolded playfully, ushering the megalith of a human out of the room.
“I’m just saying Eve. Archer is gonna have to-“
“Archer is gonna have to do what?”
Sanaya’s eyes widened when she heard the voice of her mentor approaching from the hall. Her eyes met Maya’s instantly. So there is something going on between Archer and Eve…
Maya simply nodded, her eyes lit with amusement as they both continued to watch Congo tease Archer.
“Archer is gonna have to do what?” Sanaya’s guardian repeated.
Congo barked out a laugh. “All I’m saying is this bro, you are slippin’. I will risk a vein any night-“
“Thanks Congo,” Eve interrupted before all of the playful banter disappeared. Eve gently pushed Congo from the doorway, encouraging him to go on his way. Archer remained in near the entryway, his expression hard and Sanaya knew that Archer was far from amused. Fortunately, Congo was intelligent enough to continue with his exodus, lest Archer decides to take it a step further.
“Ok, ladies well as Congo said, this is where you will camp out for the time being,” Eve stated as she collapsed on the sectional, crossing her long legs.
“This is one of the many guest rooms The Academy hosts for visiting Guardians when the need arises. The two windows which overlook the campus are barred, which means nothing can get in or out unless the individual is crazy strong and,” Archer glanced at Sanaya. “As talented as you are, I am confident that you are not that damn strong yet.” He waited for Sanaya to respond and when all she did was roll her eyes, he continued. “The room is armed with a few silver tipped stakes that are hidden underneath the floor boards in the bedrooms. All water that is filtered in here is blessed, coming through silver pipelines. Each room has a mini fridge, and you are welcomed to whatever is in it. Eve and Tia have first watch, while a small group of us begin tracking.” He cleared his throat and ran an anxious hand over his freshly shaved head. “So that is it in a nutshell I guess.”
“If the vampire cannot breach the school,” Sanaya began, striving to sound as calm as possible. “Why all of the precautions?”
Archer swallowed thickly and looked away. “Eve is better suited to explain that part to you. Just trust me when I say it is for your own safety.” Without another word, Archer excused himself from the room leaving Eve alone with the two teenagers.
“Well,” Eve said after a beat. “That was interesting…a lot to process.”
“So let’s cut to the chase,” Maya pressed, placing a hand on her hip. “What’s up with this vampire? If he can’t appear on campus and attempt to snatch ‘Naya, then what do we have to worry about?”
“Masters are different than the run of the mill vampire. Not only are they stronger, faster and armed with seemingly unlimited powers and abilities, they are extremely sensual. As a matter of fact since we are on the subject, vampires and sexuality are essentially one and the same. Every action taken from the stalking of their prey to the actual delivery of the bite offers a high level of eroticism for them. A master’s power comes from the darkest of sources, and all levels of sexuality stems from that. We are concerned about Sanaya for many reasons. One, they are not supposed to know that you exist and we may have accidentally tipped our hand in their favor and alerted them to your presence. It is one thing to kill a regular vampire, but another to fight a master.” Eve paused, mentally examining the girls before continuing. She noticed Sanaya’s deer in the headlights expression and knew she’d hit the nail on the head. “Two, the fact that he has mind locked with Sanaya, he has a