Blood Feud

Laura Eileen Hollis

"I have a question for you," LaF says before Laura can even greet them on the phone. "When you two kiss, are her fangs a factor?"

Laura frowns. "What?

LaF pauses, trying to rephrase their question. "Her fangs. If they scrape you, the toxin in them--"

"Oh. No. It's not like they're long all the time," Laura replies. "They really only extend when she's angry, or hungry and needs to eat."

They let out a snicker. "So, say, if she wanted to eat you--"

Laura's eyes widen but hears a smack on the other end.

"LaFontaine, that is not proper to ask her, and you know it."

"Per, it's for a scientific curiosity."

There's a long sigh. "It's still intruding."

"Yeah, well, 'Make Room For LaF,' I guess," LaF quips.

Laura glances over at Carmilla, who showed up after the sun set but asked for a quiet evening in Laura's apartment. Which of course meant Laura had continued yammering through the evening, even when Carmilla had her nose in her book.

"I'm not answering any more questions about Carmilla," she says gently before grinning. "You're going to have to get your answers from my other vampire lover."

Carmilla raises her eyebrow and peers above the page at that. "Excuse me?"

Laura giggles. She gets an alert for another incoming call but before she can check who it is, LaF continues talking.

"You joke about it, but I honestly would love to see you show up with a harem of vampire lovers just to piss off Lawrence," they comments.

"Give Danny some credit," Perry clicks her tongue. "It's been a couple weeks since we made that deal with Carmilla, and Danny's already recognized that she doesn't know for a fact why the vampires attacked to start the war. Only that her parents had sneered down at vampires and taught her to do the same, without any basis."

Laura perks up. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, she's not going to be leading any Vampire Pride Parades any time soon, but she's learning to question things. Centuries of racism won't be undone that quickly," LaF replies.

Perry clears her throat. "LaFontaine and I pointed out to her that her biting the three of us and other humans over the centuries to turn into Lycans could be interpreted as particularly monstrous. Maybe more so than how we see vampires."

"She LOVED that," LaFontaine remarks sarcastically. "But she did get all quiet after that and I think she realized she's not some knight in shining gym shorts. So maybe we're getting through to her."

Laura's apartment doorknob turns and she and Carmilla both leap to attention. There's a click and the door opens. Carmilla pulls out her gun.

"Oh, CRAP," Laura groans, reaching forward to grab the gun barrel in her hand, giving Carmilla pause.

"What?" LaF asks, alarmed.

Carmilla stares down the stout, bald man in Laura's doorway, unsure of who he is. His eyes widen as he stares at a leather-clad woman aiming the gun at his head.

Laura sighs. "Hi, dad."

~*~

"LAURA EILEEN HOLLIS," he bellows. "You didn't think this was something to mention in our weekly calls? That YOU'RE A WEREWOLF PICKING A FIGHT WITH A CENTURIES OLD VAMPIRE?"