Priscus De Le Croix instructed Kirstin to park by the docks and to wait in her car. She parked near a pier behind a large container. While she waited, she tried to spot the freight that Elizabeth may have resided in. Her eyes scanned various metal containers, listening for any sound of movement or a voice. A knock on the passenger side door startled her. Elizabeth stood outside wearing tight black slacks. Hanging over them were the shirt tails of a dark red longsleeve V-neck top under a brown leather jacket. Her fire-red hair was tied back into a high-ponytail.
"Good evening Miss Delaney." She said as she opened the passenger door. She examined Kirstin from her head to her feet, "Didn't bother to change I see."
"My wardrobe is a bit limited, it was this or a dress and leather jacket with a shuriken-shaped hole in it."
De Le Croix's head tipped back as she laughed, the volume making Kirstin wince, "If ye were alive when I was, such a tale would've earned my respect." She tilted her head forward, "Let's go deary. We have a lot of learnin to do."
"Where are we going?"
"MGM Grand Detroit. Ye know where that is?"
Kirstin nodded as she put her car in drive. "Teaching me how to play poker?"
"Not quite, but ye will practice how to read the room."
Kirstin nodded but did not speak. She had questions and yet, she didn't know what protocol was acceptable talking to a Priscus. She knew about the Masquerade and breaking those rules could mean death. What other rules did she need to know of?
"So." De Le Croix broke the silence once Kirstin drove towards the expressway, "Priscus Watkins thinks we're family. What has she told you?"
"That we're...passionate?"
De Le Croix smirked, "What did she actually say?"
"We're hedonists."
"I may have disagreed, but seein ye make two mortals flee with their drawers soiled seems to prove Priscus Watkins' point."
Kirstin kept her eyes locked on the road, gripping the steering wheel as she tried to block the memory. De Le Croix continued, "Yes we are driven by our passions, but that is how we survive."
"Are we dying?" Kirstin looked away from the road for a moment.
"On the contrary, some believe we're one of the largest of the other clans." De Le Croix held her palms upward, "Perhaps passionate also means impulsive. But the point of our seductive nature, is we believe the best way to hunt, is to make our prey come to us."
Kirstin recalled her previous hunting experiences, "I must have been doing them wrong. It felt like work, like I was the one pursuing them."
"Don't' beat yerself up deary. Yer new to this. What matters is that ye can feed without killin mortals and breakin the Masquerade. That's why we're going out tonight."
"Why the MGM casino?"
"The glamour of spendin away one's savings for a fortune excites mortals, which means they be more susceptible to behavin in other risky ways. It be good practice for ye to capitalize on their passions if ye
Be one of my kin."
"And if I'm not?" Kirstin bit her lip, it was hard to manage her anxiety when she lacked the ability to breathe. Her body seemed to respond in other ways.
"Then Priscus Watkins better find another clan to lend ye too, but she'll still owe me a favor." De Le Croix waited for Kirstin to glance at her before speaking again, "Ye might owe me somethin as well for my time Miss Delaney."
"Looks like I'll be owing the vampires in Michigan for the rest of my..." she realized she no longer lived.
De Le Croix's laughter unsettled Kirstin, "Trust me Delaney, spending eternity paying boons to vampires may be more unpleasant than meetin yer Final Death."
MGM Grand Casino was located in Detroit and was one of three casino hotels in Michigan. Kirstin's only experience of it was one police charity ball that was held there. She and Alan kept each other company at the bar while other members on the force blew their money at the poker tables. She knew it was something that happened in the past, but thinking about the memory had her wonder how long ago that was.
As soon as she followed Elizabeth into the casino, Kirstin halted once she was bombarded with a barrage of noise. Beeps and chimes from slot machines mixed with loud chatter at every table. She heard waitstaff request drink orders, dealers running their tables, and patrons cheering all at once.
"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.
"My head...it's all so loud." Kirstin covered her ears.
"Close yer eyes, take a moment to focus on my voice. We kindred have heightened senses, which take time to adjust in crowded settings." She spoke in a soft tone.
Kirstin processed her words, using her voice as a beacon to block out the noise. She opened her eyes once the sound of the casino died down. She surveyed the parameter, noting how every table and aisle were populated with mortals. "How do we hunt in a place like this? No one wants to be bothered."
"Ye have a lot to learn childe." Elizabeth winked and led Kirstin inside. "A hunter must know where to find the right spot." She glanced at the casino floor and said, "Yer right, we could try talkin to people at a table but why work harder when we can work smart?"
Elizabeth led Kirstin through the casino and to the east side of the building where the sports betting lounge was located. The lounge included a bar with three giant flatscreen tvs hanging on the walls. Opposite side of the bar were three rows of leather reclining seats. On one flatscreen played a basketball game, the other a mixed martial arts bout.
"So what do we do?" Kirstin asked as she took a headcount of mortals in the room. Two old men sat at the bar flirting with the bartender, a woman in her 40s who avoided eye contact. Sitting in the reclining seats were a half dozen mortals, most of them were men in their 30s and in the back row sat a couple who shared a seat.
"Yer a predator, I want ye to find prey and I want ye to learn to wait before actin on your urges."
"That won't be hard, I can't say that I feel them." Kirstin wrinkled her nose at the predominately male room. She went to the bar and turned to Elizabeth, "I was going to get a drink but I don't have any-"
Elizabeth waved her hand, "It's on me deary. It's a good instinct, ye don't want to just stand in the doorway."
Kirstin ordered a Miller Lite, while Elizabeth ordered a double of Rum and coke. While they waited for Elizabeth's drink, one of the men at the bar, a man in khaki shorts and a black polo shirt turned to Kirstin. "Ladies, care to join us?"
Kirstin saw the red in his face and identified the three empty pint glasses that attributed to his color. She instantly grabbed Elizabeth's hand and squeezed it, "We're good thanks."
Elizabeth took her drink and glanced at Kirstin's hand around hers. She let Kirstin lead her away from the bar. "Bold move Delaney."
"Sorry, I panicked." Kirstin released Elizabeth's hand.
"Don't be. They would have gotten the way, you have your priorities." Her pale cheeks turned from white to a light pink before she drank from her glass.
"Damn, I forgot to do my...blush thing." Kirstin glanced down at her sallow skin. She closed her eyes, squeezing them tight to activate her own camouflage.
"It'll come naturally the more ye do it. It's almost a nuisance, we feed to exist and yet we must expend what we feed in order to hunt." She found a high-rise table in the back of the room and stood by. "Now then, who do ye see?"
Kirstin pressed the bottle to her mouth and used the base as her pointer, "Her."
Elizabeth observed a woman sitting in the lap of a man who appeared to be at least ten years older. Her exposed arms were wrapped around him, her blonde hair styled into curls. She wore a short, black cocktail dress to show off her thighs. Her full lips were coated in dark red lipstick. She had no reservations about nibbling at her lover's ear lobe and neck.
"Pretty. But how will ye handle him?"
Kirstin's grip around her bottle tightened as she sized up the person touching the shoulder of what was hers. The man's black hair had been gelled so that it was spiked. He had on a black longsleeve button up and faded blue jeans. In his large hand was a glass of whiskey. She watched his other hand massage the woman's inner thighs. She could hear him commenting on the MMA fight. Both of them were women, one who had her opponent pinned against the cage. With her focus on his face, she picked up on his conversation.
"Damn, they're just going to be up against the cage for the whole fight. They can't hit as hard as men so they're just going to wrestle."
"Oooh I want to hit him." Kirstin whispered.
"Easy deary. This could be a great chance for ye to test your skills and see if ye are truly a member of my family."
"How?"
Elizabeth winked, "We are skilled in seduction, but we also know how to fight. Our strength is another known talent among the undead."
Kirstin remembered Melissa's reaction to how she had handled the hunter. A smile spread across her face when she thought about the man's comment again. "Follow me." She said. She widened her smile and sat in the recliner next to the couple. The woman glanced at her and nodded to her partner. "So you think women aren't as strong as men?" Kirstin asked.
The man turned and looked back at the high-top. "How did-were you both listening to us?"
Kirstin saw how far away their table was and grit her teeth. "Er...just overheard you as we passed by."
He rolled his eyes, "Ya gonna report me? Gonna get me cancelled 'cause I said something 'sexist'?" his voice dropped as he rolled his eyes.
