Page 53 of Blood and Bone
Eoghan nodded and Smith smiled. “Yes, we were fortunate enough to play a part in that.
Smith nodded. “That’s good. Jack’s one of my favorites. I never believed he did the things he was convicted of. I’m only sad to hear it was another shifter who was responsible for him being here.”
“What other kinds of shifters are you housing here?” Ari asked, changing the subject as he spotted a row of cells farther down. They had glass over the front of them, much like the six-inch shatterproof, ballistic glass they had in the tombs back in Los Angeles. As they got closer, Ari could see that they had air holes drilled into the glass just like the ones back home.
“We’ve got a wide variety but all non-violent,” Smith said.
“Why’s that?” Ari asked.
“Because if they’re violent, their clans tend to take care of the problem if you know what I mean.”
“I see,” Eoghan said, “but according to the warden, Champayne is a killer.”
“Woolworth told you that?” Smith asked, stopping in place to turn and look at them. “If he said that, it only confirms that he’s the world’s biggest liar. Beauregard is no more dangerous than the centipede shifter I have at the end of the hall.”
“Wait. What?” Ari said. “You have a centipede shifter?”
Smith smiled. “Yes. Lionel is the sweetest guy you’d ever want to meet.”
Ari just smiled and shook his head as he exchanged an incredulous glance with Eoghan.
“Here we go,” Smith said, stopping at the second cell where a man dressed in a suit sat on a bunk. “Beauregard, these are the marshals who were sent here to escort you to Peg’s mating.”
The vampire stood and walked over to them, smiling broadly and showing just a hint of fangs. “Hullo there.”
Ari’s first impressions were that he had not only a slight British accent, but that he appeared completely normal. He was about Eoghan’s height with black-framed glasses that made him look a little bookish. Lean and attractive in a classical way, he could easily pass for a 1940s or 50s film star. He had jet black hair which was parted on the side and looked like it had been slicked down with some sort of hair gel.
“Hi there,” Eoghan said. “Are you ready to go, Mr. Champayne?”
“I am. Thank you so much for doing this. Peg—that’s my progeny—is so excited. I also confess, I share her excitement.It feels like eons since I’ve laid eyes on her or my dear mate, for that matter.”
Eoghan turned and looked at Ari. “Our prisoners aren’t allowed visitors on the same schedule as other prisoners in Folsom because there’s a complicated system to get them in and out of the prison due to the secrecy we require.”
“It’s horribly lonely as a result,” Champayne said, looking very upset. “I only get one visitor every quarter.”
“That’s sad,” Ari said, feeling very sorry for him.
“We’ve tried to figure out a way to make it easier, and unfortunately, haven’t been able to do that,” Smith said. “Not to mention the fact that Woolworth doesn’t like to cooperate with us unless he’s forced to.”
“A most unpleasant individual never existed,” Champayne agreed with a nod.
“Well, if we’re going to make it on time, we really should get going. You want to be able to spend as much time with your family as is possible and we have a half hour drive ahead of us,” Eoghan said, pulling his vampire strength handcuffs off his belt as Smith unlocked the cell. As soon as he was out in the corridor, Champayne held out his hands, allowing Eoghan to fasten them around his wrists. A few minutes later, they were walking out of the prison with the vampire in tow. Ari watched him take a few deep breaths of the night air as soon as they got outside, and he suddenly felt overwhelmingly sad for his situation. He still didn’t know what he’d done to get himself locked up, but he seemed harmless enough, definitely not a killer as Woolworth claimed.
They headed to the reception which was to be held in a hotel ballroom. As it turned out, Beauregard Champayne was a nice man and a good conversationalist. Ari enjoyed listening to the four-hundred-year-old English vampire talk about his family. His progeny, Peg, was being mated to the son ofanother clan member and their union promised to be a good mating. Both of their clans would profit from the mating in business but also in resources. Champayne’s clan owned gold mines on land near the American River not far from Sutter’s Mill. It had been the site of the original California gold strike which eventually fueled the 1849 California gold rush. And Peg’s future mate, Gilroy Conway, owned a company which made mining tools and heavy equipment. It was a match made in heaven and according to Beauregard, the pair suited each other and were very much in love.
“So, what’s the real reason you were imprisoned?” Ari asked, twisting around in his seat to look at the vampire who sat placidly in the back seat. “You say you aren’t the killer the warden says you are.”
“I ask you, Marshal, if I were a killer, do you really believe you’d be escorting me to my progeny’s wedding?” he asked.
“I suppose not,” Eoghan said.
“I was sentenced to three years in prison.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, I still have a year of incarceration ahead of me. We all know that’s not a sentence given to someone who’s a killer, vampire or not.”
Ari nodded. “Okay, maybe the warden said you’re a killer because he’s under the impression that vampires areallkillers.”
“Yes, that tracks. The warden is not only a xenophobic dullard, but he possesses nearly unmatched idiocy,” Champayne drawled. “The truth is, my crimes wouldn’t even be remarked upon in any other world but in vampire culture…I’m afraid they’re dire indeed.”
“What did you do?” Eoghan asked, clearly as intrigued as Ari.