Conclave (Hypernaturals 3)

VeraCon

I hate the way I am required to act around Sirens.

On the way out, Vera was not in the front vestibule, so I exited to the parking lot and found her by my car. The only Fiat convertible in a parking lot full of trucks and SUV's.

"Hey, Vera. Headed out. What are you doing out here?" I asked

"Wanted a private word. You got a second?" Vera replied.

"Sure." Her scent told me why she is out here. I chose to ignore it.

Vera looked at me slyly "Able to think clearly after all the boob shots?"

"You saw that, huh?" I tried not to sound embarrassed.

"Yeah. Leslie likes you." Vera said, not jealous, which is interesting.

"I like her too. I'm the only man that ever comes to that bar that will tell her that without trying to get something else from her."

I waited.

Vera waited, then "You aren't going to ask if I like you?"

"No. Wasn't planning on it. Why? You planning on flashing me?" I pretended to brace myself "Ok. I'm ready."

Vera looked up at the night sky for a second. "I want to. I want you back, and I want to make it work this time, but I know you. I know I had my chance and I blew it. You would never cheat on Jessica, and not because she is a fuckin' Amazon who could kill you as soon as look at you."

"All true. I hoped you finding out who and what you are would make you happier than this, Vera. I do care about you even if Helen and Jessica err... Don't care about you quite as much."

"They know I want you back." Vera said.

"They do seem to know that." I agreed.

"I am glad you care about me still. It's something anyway. OK. Here is why I came out here. I did not think you would jump at the chance to have me back, even if my boobs are every bit as nice as Leslie's, because you already know they are. I want to warn you." Vera looked very unhappy.

"That the Sirens are not telling me everything in these meetings or something?" I asked.

"Yeah. They don't trust you. Or Vampires. This truce. It's very unstable." Vera is honestly worried.

"Male Vampires are the bottom of the Vampire world. Female Vampires talk around us like we don't exist sometimes. The same thing happen to you?" I thought this might be why Siren women are so plugged in and know when to intervene with their men.

"Exactly. I hear all sorts of things. I know that they felt good enough about whatever they had ready to let their existence be revealed when they attacked you. One last test before they let loose the dogs, so to speak. You set them back. They found out that their intelligence from that poor woman was not totally accurate. They thought they could fight you, physically and face to face, and win. When you and your companions cleaned the room with them, they realized they underestimated you. Underestimated female Vampires even though they knew they are stronger. You made them change their plans. Fast. A part of their plan involved full-frontal assault and revenge: You know how they love to fight and their code of honor. That part of the plan got back-burnered way fast. They might risk the humans knowing about us, and Vampires, if they could first fight and win a few battles of honor. They figured they could come back again."

All exactly as I guessed, but it is good to get the confirmation. That last point is interesting. "How? How could they come back?"

"Same way as last time. Vampires still didn't know about us." Vera touched her chest. "Female Sirens I mean. That's another thing that blew their minds: That you knew about us females. They always laughed about how stupid Vampires were about that. When the Vampires hunted the Sirens before, they only killed the Males. They figured out from that and confirmed with the captive that the Vampires did not know about female Sirens. Or so they thought. You fucked that up for them."