The Strangers of Precedent

“Is there someone in charge of the brotherhood?” Bobbi asked.

Drake shrugged.

“Probably. How much influence he actually has is a whole other question though.”

“He? Why are you assuming it’s a guy.”

“Look at the brotherhood, do you really think they’d let a woman be in charge?”

Bobbi shrugged.

“Women can be evil too.”

Drake was clearly a bit flustered.

“Why are you even asking? What’s your idea?”

“Why does there have to be an idea?” Bobbi defended, “I’m a curious individual.”

To his credit, Drake did seem to actually think about it.

“I just feel like you have a plan.”

He wasn’t wrong, but it was weird for him to just know.

“What if we negotiate with them? Make it clear Precedent isn’t worth their time, then we don’t have to deal with them anymore.”

Drake watched her like he was trying to figure something out.

“I doubt it will work, and besides, you’re learning enough with Charmer and Syren that they probably won’t be a threat to you for much longer.”

Bobbi looked around for any witnesses before moving around the slightest bit of light on her hand, made all the more obvious with the darker sky around them.

“Doesn’t mean they aren’t causing problems for everyone else, especially you.”

Same curious look again.

“Bobbi, do you not want me around?”

“Of course I want you around. You’re my best friend. They just seem to like making your life worse.”

He nodded.

“Then I suppose we ought to send a message.”

Bobbi and Syren walked into the forest together.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Syren asked.

“Nope,” Bobbi admitted, “But I want some leaf samples.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” She grabbed one from the ground, twiddling with it, “I want to see what I can do with a dead plant considering what I can do with living ones.”

“Botanonecromancy?”

“That’s a perfect name!”

“So what kinds of leaves are you looking for?”

Bobbi shrugged.

“Dead ones, I guess. That’s about all I got.”

Syren grabbed another one from the ground and presented it. “How’s this one?”

Bobbi took it and twiddled. There wasn’t much there to control, like she needed life to have any power here, which was ridiculous considering she could control rock.

She let the leaf fall to the ground again so it could nourish the rest of the plants.

“What are you going to do if Drake leaves?” Syren asked.

“That’s not really on topic.”

“Humor me.”

“I’ll have Singe protect me from threats,” Bobbi admitted, “He’s not my favorite person, but he’s managed to keep me safe so far. What will you do if Vlad leaves?”

“My life’s gonna be pretty much the same.”

“What is it with women and their prattling?” Lou asked. Bobbi recognized him from her first night here.

Bobbi and Syren shared an annoyed stare.

Lou lunged at them. Syren threw out a rose and Bobbi grew it into a decent trap as the stem wrapped around him. She clenched her fist and the thorns came almost close enough to cut his skin.

To escape meant Lou would get cut and lose his power. Just to emphasize that point, Bobbi had a blossom start to grow in front of his face.

“We need you to send a message, asshole,” Syren said.

“You think I can’t take you both with human strength?”

Vlad appeared behind him.

“I don’t even think you could take one of them at Vampiric strength.”

“Good job on your ambush,” Lou acknowledged, “What are you going to do when the rest of the court comes to reign hell on my behalf?”

“The same thing we did to you,” Syren explained, “Just on a larger scale.”

“Are you ready to hear the message?” Bobbi asked.

“I don’t carry messages from prey, runaways, or,” he tried to spit at Syren, “Inferiors.”

“Alright,” Bobbi said, forcing the rose blossom in his mouth, “We’ll just tell you the message and then we can do the same thing with everyone in your court until one of them listens to reason.

“Tell whoever’s in charge that we want to speak with the head of your court, and until we do, you will suffer even more hell than we’ve put you through just now.”

Lou just glared at them, the rose effectively keep him from speaking.

“Can he die from suffocating on the rose?” Syren asked.

Vlad shrugged.

“If that’s what happens, then at least we have one less confederate to worry about. If we can kill them like this, it’s not a bad message to convey.”

“Yeah, but won’t the police be concerned about a rose-wrapped body?” Bobbi asked.

“But how can they trace that back to a woman without powers who didn’t even touch the thing?”

He made a good point.

“Don’t worry,” Syren said, “We have great lawyers. Their firm handled the Eisel murder.”

“Defense?” Bobbi asked.

“Yep.”

“That’s good then.”

Vlad finally lifted Lou by the scruff of his neck.

“Carry the message if you care for your fellow court members.”

He threw him to the ground again.

Lou tried to say something through the rose gag. Bobbi let it wither as she prepared another one.

“And why should the general speak to the likes of you?”

“Because we’ll make your time here a living nightmare if he doesn’t, until you’re forced to retreat,” Vlad threatened, “This at least lets you leave with dignity.”

“And we know you’re all hard pressed to find that,” Syren said.

“Did you mean it?” Vlad asked, “What you said during the trap?”

“Mean what?” Bobbi asked.

“That you’d just replace me with Singe.”

“Yeah?” Bobbi said, “I like you better far as protectors go, but it was the hypothetical where you left of your own accord. If you were forced to leave, that’s a different story.”

“What would you do if I was forced to leave?”

“I’d try to save you,” she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, “I’d probably need help, but I’d try.”

“So you also meant it when you said you liked me better.”

“Absolutely, you’re hiding a lot, but none of it actually has to do with me.”

The feyrie thing. She might never forgive Singe for that, and Vlad couldn’t blame her.

Vlad was also hiding something about Bobbi.

“Actually,” Bobbi said, “Can I show you something? Syren and I found it, and we should probably show it to everyone else, but I’m not ready for that yet.”

“But you’re willing to show me?”

“Yeah, I mean you might be leaving if we get the brotherhood thing sorted out, and I want your take on it.”

“Gladly.”

“Don’t say that so fast.”

What was it?

Bobbi led him through the forest, deeper than felt at all safe, until they came to what looked like a house made from the earth itself, and a split tree that smelled familiar.

He came closer to give it a deeper sniff, and when he turned away, Bobbi was already presenting her hair.

It was Bobbi without the mage scent: Bobbi’s real scent without her blood diluting it.

“This does make the tree denial funnier in retrospect.”

“Hah,” Bobbi performed a false laugh, “Now get ready for the bad stuff.”

Before Vlad could question what “the bad stuff” could be, Bobbi brought him to the statue of a scared man with his heart torn out. When he came close to smell it, there were trace amounts of the same scent as Bobbi’s blood.

“This was…”

“My dad, I think, maybe.”

Vlad could only imagine how uncomfortable he looked at that moment.

“I told you I was a foundling in the area. I just hadn’t put together I was actually from here.”

“He was killed,” Vlad said.

“Yeah, I guessed that.”

“And you’re trying to get rid of me?”

“I’m trying to make you feel safe leaving, not get rid of you completely.”

“You don’t know why your father was killed.”

“I also don’t know if he’s actually my father. He could be here by pure coincidence.”

“He’s the same species, and he’s dead next to a tree that smells like you.”

“Maybe he tried to kill my parents, but they escaped.”

“Without you?”

Bobbi crouched on the ground, hugging her knees.

“Maybe they didn’t want me living on the run. Maybe they didn’t want a kid holding them back.”

Vlad walked back to the Bobbi tree.

“This is not an accidental pregnancy Bobbi. If you were born from this, then you were very intentional. People don’t just throw away a child they put that much work into creating.”

“Why does it matter?” Bobbi asked.

“Because you’re in danger, and not just from the brotherhood.”

“But this danger has nothing to do with you. It’s only my problem.”

“I consider it a problem if someone wants to hurt you.”

“But I’ve got other people, and I’m figuring shit out. You can go free once we figure this vampire problem out.”

“I can’t lose you, Bobbi.”

“Lose me?” She looked confused.

“I love you,” he admitted before he could be smart, “So I guess like Singe, I was hiding something about you.”

Her expression looked the same as it did on the first night when he almost drank her blood.

“You love me?”

He could lie about it rather easily, but that would be worse, wouldn’t it?

“You mean like a friend?” Bobbi asked, “Like how I love you, and Syren, and Singe even?”

Vlad shook his head.

“Your doppelganger, when you were kidnapped, kissed me because I was so obvious, which was how I knew it wasn’t you.”

Bobbi held a hand to her chest like he’d stabbed her in the heart.

“You’ve been my best friend.”

“I don’t want any reciprocation on your part. I didn’t even want to tell you—”

“You told me you liked it when I called you Vlad, and I’m an idiot who didn’t see it.”

“I like things the way they are.”

“Especially because everyone else saw it, didn’t they?”

“I didn’t want you to get the wrong impression.”

“Charmer, Frank, Syren said everyone thinks we’re a couple. Do you?”

She was asking him a question.

“Do I what?”

“Think we’re a couple? Is that why you’ve been trying to protect me so much, because you think I’m yours or something?”

“No,” Vlad insisted, “No, I wouldn’t have ever told you if I hadn’t just blurted it out. Like I was saying: I don’t want reciprocation. I want our relationship to be exactly the same: friends, best friends even. I may be protective of you because I care so much about you, but I don’t want you—well I want you, base urges and all that, but I don’t want you in here.” he pointed where his brain would be.

Bobbi’s look of confusion was significantly better than her rage.

“What the fuck are you even trying to say?”

“My feelings shouldn’t get in the way of our friendship. I don’t want a physical relationship with anyone I could have a child with—”

“So the only reason you’re comfortable being my friend is because you don’t want to deal with something inheritance related?”

“Of course not. Even if I didn’t care about that, you wouldn’t reciprocate. Why would I push you away for something impossible?”

That was the wrong thing to say, because Bobbi’s expression fell worse.

“So you’re resigned to impossibility, and that’s why I don’t have to worry about it?”

Clearly, he’d hit a nerve, but he had no idea how.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is my friendship the consolation prize because you can’t date me?”

“No, I just… like being around you.”

“Then why do you have to be in love with me?”

“I don’t exactly get a choice in the matter, Bobbi.”

“Of course you do. You’ve already been choosing to be my friend. Why do you have to choose to be in love with me?”

“I didn’t choose anything, it just happened!”

Bobbi let out a groan.

“I’m stupid, just a fucking idiot.”

“You’re not—”

“I’ve been told, so many times, by guys I thought were my friends, that they loved me, and every time it fucked everything up.”

“I won’t—”

“Let’s just go back to the Eves’. I should work on some of my assignments anyways.”

Bobbi said nothing else the whole way there, not that Vlad tried to talk with her.

After a week without incident, and several comments on Bobbi seeming uncomfortable around Drake, she was free to roam alone again. Everyone was still warding her away from the forest, but at least she didn’t have to think about the confession.

She didn’t want to tell anyone about it. Vlad—Drake, his first name felt wrong now—didn’t understand her problem, and kept telling her so. Considering how many people had made comments like the two of them were practically together already, she didn’t see much appeal in confiding in them about it either. Syren might understand, but Bobbi didn’t want to risk the chance she wouldn’t.

She turned her attention to the message they’d left the brotherhood a few times, and if their lord or whatever the title was would come to parlay.

Frank grabbed her after she ended his class without any comments.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked.

“Just the brotherhood leader stuff. I don’t trust how quiet it’s been.”

“I don’t like that Mr. Drake seems to have abandoned you.”

“It was getting a little suffocating to always have a bodyguard around, you know.”

“You haven’t seemed too suffocated by him for the past year.”

Bobbi shrugged.

“I can handle myself now. It was time.”

Frank just seemed to stare, like he was trying to figure her out.

“Best of luck to you then.”

He sent her out, and she started on her way to the library.

For all she knew Drake had gone crying to Frank the moment she blew up at him. She was a bit harsh in her response, but she’d been burned before.

It also wasn’t like Drake hadn’t made it clear their friendship was circumstantial, and Bobbi didn’t want to know what would happen if those circumstances changed. What happened if she did something that made him think he had a chance? The only defense she had was whatever was going on with his family, and she had no idea how long-term that issue was.

She shook her head, trying to ignore this whole scenario, but something grabbed her around the waist, putting a hand on her mouth before she could ask questions.

She bit the hand. It was cold in her mouth, and it didn’t move.

“They’re always better when they put up a fight.”

Bobbi tried to summon one of the rosebushes to handle the creep.

“But I think it’s best for both of us if you sleep.”

Her eyelids got heavy, but she couldn’t risk it. She couldn’t see the bushes, wasn’t sure she could feel them. She tried to scream.

“You put up a real good fight, sweetheart. The general’s going to like you.”

She felt a pain in her head and everything went black.

Syren and Solomon sat against the banister, trying not to seem too much like they were listening in.

“My cousin knows something of Vampire courts,” Charmer began.

“She has a cousin?” Syren asked.

“Court Dracula is generally considered a more ethical one. If he’s running away from them, we can’t be sure he’s in the right to do so.”

“We should be sure,” Thoth said, “Haven’t you looked into his mind yet?”

“He seems resistant to my abilities, which matches the information my cousin has given.”

“What about blood?” mom asked, “Or is that just a slander campaign.”

“It’s real,” Frank said, “But as Charmer noted, his court is of the more ethical variety. He’s apparently starving for lack of any good options.”

“What’s a good option?” dad asked.

“No Celestials,” Charmer said, “So mages are often avoided just in case, and certain empowereds are off-limits for their own effect. It works best as well if it’s human, other races won’t provide near as much nourishment.”

“So if we agree to help him, we’ll have to find a willing victim,” Thoth said.

“Multiple probably,” Frank added.

“Juliet’s already been serving him,” Mr. Tyrain revealed.

“She’s definitely demonic,” Charmer said.

“She is, but not all of her clients are, plus her djinn companion is able to spare some blood, which offers ghost-like abilities apparently.”

“So why bring him into the circle?” Dad asked, “Obviously he can handle himself, and as a runaway he’s bound to cause trouble. There’s no need to run him out of town, but why extend our support?”

“Aren’t we all runaways here?” Charmer asked, “Even if some of us don’t have anyone interested in finding us, I know I at least pose as much risk for a worse situation if I’m ever found.”

“We are strangers,” Thoth admitted, “And there is nothing stranger than a man who’s lost his home.”