Danielle and I get halfway down the block during our morning jog when Gabe runs up behind us and joins. He obviously went thrift shopping, as he is wearing a total eighties getup – thing is, he looks good in it. When we get back, he insists on making breakfast while Danielle and I do our yoga. Scott wakes up at the smell of bacon, and apologizes to Gabe, so they’re cool again.
I pack up a little breakfast to take to the hospital before we leave to visit Donnie, and we have a good visit while there – even if he is all doped up. He says his uncle ended up visiting him, and gave a different story as to what happened than Dad did, saying Dad would follow him home and hired a private investigator even. We stay for a little while, but start getting too loud and this bitch nurse shushes us. We decide to leave shortly thereafter, bumping almost literally into Donnie’s unle on the way out. Promised me he’d drag Donnie hog tied tot he altar if need be.
From the hospital, we meet up with Sandy and head to her workplace, where she gives Danielle and I lessons. Since Gabe went with us and wants to learn to, she called in a male coworker of hers to teach Gabe. We stay until four, then head home to meet with Donovan’s weasley lawyer ghoul to get the papers to take to the preserve.
We drive to the preserve, as far in as we can get before parking, then get out and continue heading north, until we are stopped by some wolves. Albrecht’s name is mentioned by myself, and we are herded towards a cave where Albrecht and some others are sitting, waiting for us. Suki (yes, she is alive somehow) takes the box of papers from us, and Albrecht hands them over to someone else, who confirms what they are.
He has us sit and listen to him talk, whereupon he tells us that Great Bear has given him the power over life and death, and he can unmake Donovan and anyone else, should they tread into wolf territory. He says there will be no war – they will leave us alone as long as we leave them alone, and signs the paperwork himself, then has us escorted out.
We get back just in time to get ready for Elysium, which is the underground place again. Donovan is greeted by two suits upon arrival, and we are led to an older man who wishes to talk to Donovan alone (the guy doesn’t trust us). We are told to mingle, and we’re too nervous to do that, unsure really of who is and isn’t a vampire. About this point is when Max comes up and greets us – he seems to be a little drunk.
Max loudly announces to the room at large, after talking to us a bit, that we may be Donovan’s ghouls, but if anyone has a problem with us, they have to go through him first. It’s nice to know an elder vamp is on our side (seemingly, anyway). He makes mention in passing that the Nosferatu elder is there to tell some big secret to the Prince before he tells it to anyone else, and no one, not even his own clan, knows what it is. He leads us to refreshments we can have, then departs to take care of business.
We’re in our corner for a bit, when we witness a retinue of cloaked individuals entering the room, and scattering about – one heading to Nicodemus’ office, and one heads in our direction. He doesn’t look terribly deformed, bald by choice, it seems, though his deformity is apparent when he opens his mouth (rows of multiple teeth, like a shark). He talks to us for a while, extending the business card so to speak.
Learn from him (Roger is his name), that he’s been watching us – even has the video Scott made of Danielle, Donnie and I. He compliments me on my moves, even. Informs us that he knows who Scott’s opponents are going to be in the upcoming tournament, and even who is going to be cheating. As a freebie, he lets us know that Donovan is getting chewed out by his (Donovan’s) clan head honcho for the area over the whole werewolf debacle. We talk a little more – he even flirts with me – and says if we need anything to call him, so we exchange numbers.
Twenty-ish minutes later Donovan comes out, and stops to talk to someone briefly, whom he then brings over to introduce to us. His name is Mikhail, and he has the book with the angelic symbols that I want to see. In exchange for getting to see the book, the three of us will need to help him in his lab. That doesn’t sound too bad – just cleaning and stuff, from what he talked about – on Sunday (today is Tuesday). After speaking with him, we leave.
Once getting home. Donovan declares he is going to have some him time by taking a bath and reading his books. I giggle a little, because I still can’t picture Donovan as the type to read romance novels. Because I don’t believe him, he takes me through his room into the master bath and shows me his collection of bath beads and salts and such. On my way out, he starts to undress, and I catch a glimpse of his abs again.
Head directly to my room, where I close the door and text Ben, letting him know that I’ll be getting to look at the book with the symbols on Sunday, in exchange for helping out this other vampire. He tells me to be careful, that he worries about me.