Page 8 of I Dated a Golden Vampire (Blind Date Corporation #21)

“Roil then. His people bend over backward for him. He was the heir to Hyreno, being Juro’s brother and all.” Pria got some of her bacon-dotted alfredo on her fork. “I am glad Juro has a child now. Roil wasn’t suited to rule. Too moody.”

Cabree laughed. “Denog is possessive, and Roil is moody. We sure can pick ‘em.”

“Oh, I am not a romantic candidate for Master Roil. He was firmly out of my class.”

Cabree grabbed a breadstick. “I don’t think you have seen a mirror. Unless someone is into petite ballerinas, you are definitely most actives’ class.”

Pria waved that away. “I am a has-been. Apprentice or not, I was destroyed on one of my first missions.”

Cabree paused. “You really think that?”

“Yeah. Once I get home from this trip, I have to start over again. It’s a little daunting.”

“You could apply to the BDC.”

“I don’t think an escort service would take a virgin.”

Cabree blinked. “Oh. I don’t know.”

“Yeah, I can look like this but be completely clueless.” She wrinkled her nose as she finished her meal. “I usually confuse lust for irritation until someone helps me analyze it later.” She sipped her wine.

Cabree nodded. “You said that Roil was moody.”

Pria choked slightly and set the wine down. “I did say that.”

Cabree grinned. “So, you might have a suitor.”

“I am sure that he is just going to check on me. Last time we saw each other, I was in the ambulance.”

“Ah. If you say so. How does he usually travel?”

“In a bubbling wave or on a whale. Why?”

“Because a gorgeous guy on a whale just passed the ship. What does Roil look like?”

“Uh, super pale skin, really long dark blue hair, pretty features, and tattoos on his chest. She sighed. “He was gorgeous with fine features. On casual days, he would just wear a long silk skirt.”

“Yeah, that’s what was surfing by on the orca, next to the yacht.”

“Yacht?” Pria turned to look. There was a yacht and an orca with a man on it, moving into the sunset. “Oh, I hope they will be very happy together.”

“If they live in the islands, they probably know each other.” Cabree was coming to that realization.

“Yeah, but why would they team up?”

Cabree let it come to her. Pria sat there and suddenly went, “Oh. And they know because of the pictures.”

“Correct. If Roil was as fixed on you as I think, he was just waiting until you were no longer his apprentice.”

Pria looked thoughtful. “There wasn’t a provision for intimacy in my service contract.”

“If he were interested, he would have found a way.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. All I know is he was like a porcelain god of the waves.”

Cabree laughed.

They went through the other courses, and when they were listening to the soft music playing, Cabree asked, “Do you dance?”

“Just Sethir-Nin folk dances that I learned before I activated.”

“Could you teach me? I had to learn couples’ dances, but I haven’t done much independent dancing.”

“Well, I know the folk dances but not the couples’ dances. I never saw the point.”

“Do you want to trade knowledge? We have another day at sea tomorrow, docking at night.”

“Sure. I can teach you what I know. It isn’t much.”

“Well, couples’ dances are easier, so I will show you those first. Tonight. Do you mind learning in public?”

“I would prefer to learn without images being taken. We have burned up the chat boards just by inhaling too deeply.”

“Fair enough.” Cabree laughed. “The room is big enough to learn.”

They sat and talked for a few minutes before they got up and headed back to the room. Pria tested her access, and the door opened easily.

Cabree said, “Well, that was fun.”

“I imagine half of the couples in that room are going to be thinking about one of us in bed tonight.” Pria smiled.

“You think only half? You have a passive pheromone load that could seduce a priest.” Cabree giggled.

“Oh. That’s new.”

“You were newly activated when you were injured. It probably matured as you did.”

“Ah. That would explain a few things. When I use water, it decreases.”

Cabree got some music up on her com and led Pria to the centre of the living room. “Okay, this is a simple box step.”

They went through the steps of a few dances. Pria trusted her partner. That much was obvious.

When Pria tried to show the folk dances, Cabree was lost to laughter. “That is a Sethir folk dance?”

Pria had found a sash and tied it around her hips, and those hips moved smoothly or with eye-catching jerks to a shimmy of shoulders.

“Yeah. We learn this when we are kids. You mimic the adults until you are a teen and start getting attention. At that point, you only perform when your family is there to protect you.”

Cabree watched and blinked. “I don’t think I can learn that. Pretty sure that even with Denog’s efforts, my hips don’t move like that.”

“They can learn.” She grinned. “Maybe Denog could help you.” As she spoke, she rocked and danced to the music from her com. She lifted the purple fall of her hair and continued to dance with energy and joy. This wasn’t seduction. She was just having fun.

Cabree watched her move and smiled. It was lovely and so much fun. “Will you water dance tonight?”

“Nope. Not while we are moving. When we are anchored, I might dance, but someone has to request it. That was a rule set up when I was contracted to the program. No dancing unless someone requested it.”

“That sucks.”

“It does, but it kept the public from going a little crazy with the demands.”

Cabree recorded Pria’s movements, and she chuckled. “You are an air dancer as well.”

“This is earth, Cabree. Nothing more.” She dropped her hair, and it swung across her lower back.

Cabree blinked. “I had never understood the draw to being sexually omnivorous until now.”

Pria grinned and swung her hair over her shoulder. Walking to the couch and kicking off her shoes. “There. Now you have more to send to Salat and Khytten for his next comic.”

“Uh, so you know about that?”

“Yah. Salat was really helpful when I first joined that team and made sure that I was being given mentorship rather than Master Roil just giving me a pat on the head.” She smiled.

“It was because of what I was taught that I used the water against itself that day. It’s how I held the flood back.

I turned it into a coil, so it was pushing itself back over and over. ”

“You sound proud.”

“I kept the inhabitants of two kilometres of resort town from being pulled out to sea. I was very proud.”

“Where was Master Roil?”

“Dealing with boats and getting them to safe harbour.”

“Right.” Cabree sat next to her. “A very eventful day.”

“He’s going to be at our next stop.”

“I am aware.”

“Did you want to book a sunset horseback ride down the beach for tomorrow?”

Cabree smiled slowly. “You mean, right after we arrive?”

“Yes. We can be waiting to leave when they start sending queries to the captain.”

“Yes, absolutely. Bring up the menu.”

They brought up the excursion menu, and Cabree grinned. “Instead of the horses, why don’t we use that one?”

A few taps and they were booked for a two-hour helicopter tour that would begin half an hour after their arrival on the island.

They high-fived, headed to bed, and Cabree was smiling as she tucked herself in to do the coding needed to keep Z-Corp running smoothly.

When she was done, she locked her computer up and went to bed.

She heard a light contact and put her com where she could see it.

Zera was lying in the same position as Cabree. “ Hey, you are still awake? ”

“Yeah. I got the new security protocols in place. All things normal.”

Zera asked, “ How are you and Pria doing? ”

“We are fine. Plotting and scheming.”

“ Ah, so you know. ”

“His yacht is gold, and Roil rides a fucking orca. Yes. We know. We have a plan to fuck with them a little.”

Zera blinked. “ Literal? ”

“Figurative. We have some excursions planned and intend to be heading to them the moment the ramp is down.” Cabree laughed and then sobered. “Don’t tell, and I will give you a present.”

Zera grinned. “ You are smiling. This is a good thing. I won’t tell. What’s the present? ”

Cabree sent the images of Pria dancing. “Turns out she doesn’t just dance on water.”

“ Sethir folk dancing. Oh, she’s having fun, too. ” Zera chuckled. “ Makes me wish I had come along. ”

Cabree shook her head. “No, you have a lot of life experience. Me and Pria are even for lacking social exposure. Mostly. I have slightly more sexual experience than she does.”

Zera paused and nodded. “ She was a Sethir human who was in her late teens when she activated. She went into the program, and her family forgot about her. ”

“That’s sad.”

“ It was necessary. The Sethir love their omegas and alphas, but normal actives have a helluva time if they are female. I am glad she has come out of it. ”

Cabree smiled. “Me, too.”

“ Okay, I just wanted to make sure you know Denog is not going to give up. ”

“Yeah, I saw that in his eyes this morning.” She shivered.

“ Bad thing? ”

“No, just unexpected when I still had my training wheels on.” Cabree smiled. “Pria is teaching me how to do yoga tomorrow.”

“ Oh, wow. Let me know how that goes .”

“I am fairly sure the stream of cursing will sum it up. Night.” She ended the call and went to sleep with her alarm set for the early morning.