Chapter Fourteen

Ari and Eoghan hung out at their motel all day, waiting to hear something either from their chief or Two Trees since everything was still up in the air. If they were going to pick up the vampire for the escort, they knew it couldn't happen until after dark. They ate out, and decided they needed exercise afterward. They'd finished and had showered after a five-mile jog when Eoghan's phone finally chimed at three-thirty. Ari watched as he checked the text message and then summed it up for him as he typed a reply.

"It's from Joe Two Trees. He says the tribal council will be meeting with the whole clan tomorrow night, so we won't have an answer to the question of whether they're going to help out until the next day," Eoghan said. "He also says his emails to Severin and Invictus have gone unanswered but as soon as they get in touch—if they get in touch—he'll let us know."

"Sounds good. What are you telling him?" Ari asked.

"I'm thanking him and telling him to let us know as soon as he hears anything on either matter." He glanced up. "Are we on for the vampire job?"

"Yeah."

Eoghan nodded. "Sounds good."

When Eoghan finished typing, Ari watched him hit speed dial on the phone and then listened to Eoghan's half of the conversation with the chief as he told her about the text exchange with Two Trees.

"Yes, ma'am. Send us the coordinates for the reception and we'll be there." He paused and glanced up at him, nodding as if replying to whatever she said even though she couldn't see him. "We'll do that." He paused before going on. "Yes, ma'am. I'll text you as soon as we drop him off. Bye." He hung up. "Okay, so we're on for the vampire job." He checked his watch. "We'd better get going. We need to pick him up at Folsom at six. It's a two-and-a-half-hour drive…maybe a little less but it will depend on traffic."

"Okay." Ari stood and stepped closer to Eoghan, pulling him into a gentle kiss before stepping back and smiling at him.

"What was that for?"

"Trusting me to keep things together with the vampire job," he replied. "It's important to me that you know I'll have your back in all circumstances."

Eoghan smiled sweetly. "I think you know that I've trusted you ever since we walked into the Broad modern art museum."

"So, you didn't see how I nearly peed my pants the second I saw Derwin?" Ari asked.

Eoghan laughed. "No, I must have missed that."

Ari chuckled and then walked into the bathroom before shoving his toothbrush and the trimmer for his beard into his shaving kit. He spun around and met Eoghan who'd come in to perform a similar task. Eoghan caught him around the waist and tugged him close before brushing his hand over Ari's beard.

"I love this."

"My beard?"

"Yeah, it's so fucking silky. I love touching it." He leaned in and rubbed the side of his jaw against it like a cat. "I love how soft it feels against my skin." He leaned back and glanced up into Ari's eyes. "Every time you give me head and I feel it on the insides of my thighs, it sends a thrill through me."

Ari felt his cock throb as it grew inside his pants. "Don't make me horny or we're gonna be late picking up that vamp." When Eoghan stepped back out of his personal space, he was certain the loss he felt was tangible. He patted his lover on the ass and went back into the room to finish packing his duffel. Five minutes later, they were on the road with the route to Folsom prison plugged into the GPS.

They stopped for coffee before getting on the freeway and then hit the open road, arriving at the prison just before six. Indeed, it had taken them exactly two hours and forty minutes, a little longer than Eoghan had predicted which was perfect timing for them. It would take them at least an hour and a half to meet with Beauregard Champayne, the vampire they were escorting, and go over all the ground rules regarding how he was expected to behave. On the drive to Folsom, Eoghan went over his own set of rules with Ari.

"When we get to the prison, we're going to proceed with a united front," Eoghan said. "I know you know not to contradict me or to question me in front of him. Remember that vampires have incredible hearing and they'll hear everything. They can hear your heartbeat and trust me when I say this, Champayne is going to look at us like we're food."

"Got it," Ari said. "Did the chief say why this vampire is at Folsom? What did he do?"

"Priest didn't say. When we get to the prison, we'll read his file and talk to the warden because we're sure as hell not going to take anything Champayne says as gospel."

Ari's eyes widened. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that the warden of Folsom prison knows about the paranormals and the I.S.R. and aliens and whatnot?"

Eoghan nodded. "We have only two prisons that house our particular brand of inmate, one on the west coast, the other on the east. The west coast prison happens to be Folsom. We've taken these two wardens into our confidence, so the short answer is yes, they know. They are given a TS/SCI clearance, a matter of national security."

Ari's whistled. "Top Secret Sensitive Compartmented Information was the clearance I had for most jobs while I was in the Rangers. So, revealing sensitive information is paramount to treason."

Eoghan shrugged. "The I.S.R. treats all civilian contractors, which we have to bring into our confidence the same way," he said. "We have to rely on them at times…can't get around it."

"That makes sense. Okay, so I guess we wait to see what this vampire has done. Do you think he drained people?" Ari felt slightly queasy at the thought.

Eoghan glanced over at him before quickly returning his eyes to the road. "I don't know. Normally, we never need to jail vampires."

"Why?"

"Because their clans inevitably take care of the problem internally," Eoghan replied.

"Dare I ask how?" Ari already thought he knew.

"Basically, the way John Townsend was treated, that's how."

Ari swallowed hard. "That's what I figured. I wonder why this Beauregard dude wasn't chained into a coffin and left to starve."

"If we caught him, we wouldn't have done that. It's excruciatingly painful to be left to starve to death and causing any kind of deliberate cruelty isn't the I.S.R.'s mandate. If he had drained someone, we would have probably given him back to the clan to face tribal justice but it's neither here nor there." He pointed out the windshield and Ari looked over to see the sign they were passing, announcing that they were one mile from Folsom State Prison. "We're about to find out."

They stopped at the east gate at the end of Prison Road and after showing their badges to the guards, were allowed to drive into the parking lot before the gates closed behind them. Ari had been to prisons many times during his time with the U.S. Marshals Service but not since he'd joined the I.S.R. He had to admit to himself that the very thought of seeing this special cellblock where paranormals were being kept intrigued him just a little bit. Once inside, they checked their guns and waited to see the warden who'd been expecting them since the chief had called ahead.

Ari disliked Warden Trent Woolworth five minutes into the conversation. He looked at them like they were idiots and treated them much the same. He spoke to them in that lazy southern drawl the same way Strother Martin's character of the Captain, had spoken to Paul Newman who played Luke in Cool Hand Luke. Ari kept waiting for him to say, "What we've got here is a failure to communicate."

"I don't understand why y'all don't just stab ‘em through the heart and put that dead thing out of all'a our lives once and for all," he drawled.

"Because, Warden, we're not animals," Eoghan replied, every last word dripping with dislike.

"But I understand that a lot of them things in there are animals, even worse than animals." He pointed out the barred window of his office at the gray sky. "You know, we used to execute prisoners at Folsom…right out there." He leaned across his desk and lowered his voice as if he was sharing a deep, dark secret with them. "What'd'ya say I take care'a that little vampire problem of yours?"

Ari thinned his lips, biting back the words that threatened and watched Eoghan lean toward the vile creature. "What'd'ya say I tell Chief Deputy Arizona Priest what you said and then explain it to the Agency?" Eoghan drawled right back. "Or do you want the extraordinary amount of money you get from us to stop because you couldn't keep your word and treat our prisoners fairly and humanely?"

Woolworth looked outraged and Ari just wanted to high-five Eoghan. When the man sat back in his leather chair and picked up the butt of his foul-smelling cigar, took a puff, and blew a long line of smoke right at Eoghan, Ari wanted to launch himself over the desk and choke him. "No need to be inhospitable now."

Eoghan said nothing before reaching for the handset to the landline on the warden's desk since they'd left their own phones locked in the car. He held it up. "Do you want to turn Champayne over to us now or do I call my boss? We've got things to do."

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you're so testy," Woolworth swore under his breath.

"One thing," Eoghan said, ignoring the comment.

"What's that?"

"We need background on the prisoner."

"You mean your chief deputy sent you here without tellin' y'all what he done?"

"I suppose she figured you'd be willing to do it," Eoghan said.

Woolworth sneered. "Your vampire is a killer. Took a human life from what I understand. I guess you might not want to take him to the weddin' now."

"We follow orders, Warden," Ari said, "and it's called a mating not a wedding."

Woolworth glowered at him. "Suit yourself, boy," he said, grinding his cigar out in the ashtray before standing and reaching for the waistband of his pants. He pulled it up over his paunch before striding straight to the door of his office. "Follow me," he drawled before slamming it open. He reluctantly ushered them through first and pulled out a ring of keys, deliberately locking it up, turning, and striding down the corridor with them following behind.

Ari exchanged a look with Eoghan. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been called boy and he was pretty sure the warden would've liked to slam the door in their faces. Clearly, he didn't like uppity marshals. Eoghan only shook his head, warning him with one glance to keep his mouth shut.

Woolworth led them through the prison, unlocking and relocking each door as they made their way deep inside the dreary walls. Finally, they spotted a man sitting in a folding chair at the end of a long corridor with empty cells on one side and barred windows on the other. It reminded Ari of the first time he'd ever seen the jail keeper Charlie sitting in his chair at the I.S.R. when Eoghan had been giving him a tour of the facilities. He thought about his reaction to Carmine, the twelve-foot-tall snakelike alien from M-3818 planet with a barbed tail and silvery, iridescent scales the first time he'd ever seen him. He hadn't really believed that aliens existed until just that moment. It was the scariest thing he'd ever seen in his life.

The man in the chair stood when they walked up and showed their ID. Ari noticed that he wore an I.S.R. star on his belt right next to something that looked surprisingly like the bang stick which they'd carried into the Broad museum just in case Derwin had tried to hurt them. They introduced themselves to Marshal Smith and then noticed that he'd made no attempt to unlock the door and let them into the cellblock, instead, staring at Woolworth. The warden seemed to get the hint and turned without a word, before walking away.

"I'll ring when the prisoner is ready to go," Smith called out.

"You do that, boy," the warden drawled.

After he'd gone, Smith opened the door and let them through, shutting and locking it as soon as they were inside.

"This cellblock hasn't been used to hold humans for decades," Smith said. "You'll see why."

The place was exceptionally dark with only a row of fluorescent lights on the ceiling high above them offering any brightness at all. "As you know, paranormals don't need much light to see, so they're kept inside in near darkness most of the time," Smith said.

Ari thought that sounded horribly cruel. "They don't get outside at all?"

"For an hour a day and then it has to be in shifts. Vampires—of which we only have two—get an hour every night and shifters get an hour every morning."

"How many shifters do you have here?" Eoghan asked.

"Eighteen," Smith replied. "They're serving anything from a year to three. We don't have any long-term prisoners with the exception of Jack Vandross but it's my understanding he'll be leaving as soon as a judge grants him his freedom."

Ari exchanged a smile with Eoghan.

"You're responsible for that?" Smith asked.

Eoghan nodded and Smith smiled. "Yes, we were fortunate enough to play a part in that.

Smith nodded. "That's good. Jack's one of my favorites. I never believed he did the things he was convicted of. I'm only sad to hear it was another shifter who was responsible for him being here."

"What other kinds of shifters are you housing here?" Ari asked, changing the subject as he spotted a row of cells farther down. They had glass over the front of them, much like the six-inch shatterproof, ballistic glass they had in the tombs back in Los Angeles. As they got closer, Ari could see that they had air holes drilled into the glass just like the ones back home.

"We've got a wide variety but all non-violent," Smith said.

"Why's that?" Ari asked.

"Because if they're violent, their clans tend to take care of the problem if you know what I mean."

"I see," Eoghan said, "but according to the warden, Champayne is a killer."

"Woolworth told you that?" Smith asked, stopping in place to turn and look at them. "If he said that, it only confirms that he's the world's biggest liar. Beauregard is no more dangerous than the centipede shifter I have at the end of the hall."

"Wait. What?" Ari said. "You have a centipede shifter?"

Smith smiled. "Yes. Lionel is the sweetest guy you'd ever want to meet."

Ari just smiled and shook his head as he exchanged an incredulous glance with Eoghan.

"Here we go," Smith said, stopping at the second cell where a man dressed in a suit sat on a bunk. "Beauregard, these are the marshals who were sent here to escort you to Peg's mating."

The vampire stood and walked over to them, smiling broadly and showing just a hint of fangs. "Hullo there."

Ari's first impressions were that he had not only a slight British accent, but that he appeared completely normal. He was about Eoghan's height with black-framed glasses that made him look a little bookish. Lean and attractive in a classical way, he could easily pass for a 1940s or 50s film star. He had jet black hair which was parted on the side and looked like it had been slicked down with some sort of hair gel.

"Hi there," Eoghan said. "Are you ready to go, Mr. Champayne?"

"I am. Thank you so much for doing this. Peg—that's my progeny—is so excited. I also confess, I share her excitement. It feels like eons since I've laid eyes on her or my dear mate, for that matter."

Eoghan turned and looked at Ari. "Our prisoners aren't allowed visitors on the same schedule as other prisoners in Folsom because there's a complicated system to get them in and out of the prison due to the secrecy we require."

"It's horribly lonely as a result," Champayne said, looking very upset. "I only get one visitor every quarter."

"That's sad," Ari said, feeling very sorry for him.

"We've tried to figure out a way to make it easier, and unfortunately, haven't been able to do that," Smith said. "Not to mention the fact that Woolworth doesn't like to cooperate with us unless he's forced to."

"A most unpleasant individual never existed," Champayne agreed with a nod.

"Well, if we're going to make it on time, we really should get going. You want to be able to spend as much time with your family as is possible and we have a half hour drive ahead of us," Eoghan said, pulling his vampire strength handcuffs off his belt as Smith unlocked the cell. As soon as he was out in the corridor, Champayne held out his hands, allowing Eoghan to fasten them around his wrists. A few minutes later, they were walking out of the prison with the vampire in tow. Ari watched him take a few deep breaths of the night air as soon as they got outside, and he suddenly felt overwhelmingly sad for his situation. He still didn't know what he'd done to get himself locked up, but he seemed harmless enough, definitely not a killer as Woolworth claimed.

They headed to the reception which was to be held in a hotel ballroom. As it turned out, Beauregard Champayne was a nice man and a good conversationalist. Ari enjoyed listening to the four-hundred-year-old English vampire talk about his family. His progeny, Peg, was being mated to the son of another clan member and their union promised to be a good mating. Both of their clans would profit from the mating in business but also in resources. Champayne's clan owned gold mines on land near the American River not far from Sutter's Mill. It had been the site of the original California gold strike which eventually fueled the 1849 California gold rush. And Peg's future mate, Gilroy Conway, owned a company which made mining tools and heavy equipment. It was a match made in heaven and according to Beauregard, the pair suited each other and were very much in love.

"So, what's the real reason you were imprisoned?" Ari asked, twisting around in his seat to look at the vampire who sat placidly in the back seat. "You say you aren't the killer the warden says you are."

"I ask you, Marshal, if I were a killer, do you really believe you'd be escorting me to my progeny's wedding?" he asked.

"I suppose not," Eoghan said.

"I was sentenced to three years in prison." He sighed. "Unfortunately, I still have a year of incarceration ahead of me. We all know that's not a sentence given to someone who's a killer, vampire or not."

Ari nodded. "Okay, maybe the warden said you're a killer because he's under the impression that vampires are all killers."

"Yes, that tracks. The warden is not only a xenophobic dullard, but he possesses nearly unmatched idiocy," Champayne drawled. "The truth is, my crimes wouldn't even be remarked upon in any other world but in vampire culture…I'm afraid they're dire indeed."

"What did you do?" Eoghan asked, clearly as intrigued as Ari.

"I'm ashamed to give voice to it," the vampire said, looking out the window at the darkness.

Ari noticed that his eyes glowed red when he glanced back. "We won't share the real reason you're in prison with anyone."

"I believe you, Marshal. I will say this…barely anyone in my clan knows the truth but my mate and a few members of my clan." Champayne looked at his lap where he twisted his hands together nervously. "It's too shameful to admit and in truth—" He glanced up again. "It took a very long time for my dear Victoria to accept my little…eccentricities."

"We're not going to pass judgment on you," Eoghan said. "Please tell us."

"I'm a…peculiar man. You might even say I'm a sexual deviant." He rushed to clarify. "I'm not a rapist…just a deviant. In human culture it's no big deal but in vampire culture, it's just not done. I'm afraid that's all I can say about it." He wrung his hands together. "Please, don't make me elaborate. I do promise it's nothing violent or non-consensual."

That surprised Ari. He hadn't known any vampires other than John Townsend, but it seemed to him like Champayne calling himself a sexual deviant was strong language.

"So, you were jailed for…this unspoken deviance which you think is so horrible?" Eoghan asked, sounding just as surprised as Ari.

"Indeed. I was tried and sentenced to serve my time here."

"I'm confused," Ari said. "You just said only a few people are aware of why you went to prison."

"Yes, the vampire with…whom I was engaged during the act, died before the trial so he couldn't tell his story. I can't imagine he'd want to." He sighed deeply. "It's all very embarrassing and really, it was quite innocent."

"And they convicted you anyway," Ari said.

"Unfortunately, yes. The few people in my clan who knew other than the witness who died—two other clan leaders, and my mate—wanted me punished…but not severely. You see, the Champayne name is powerful in my clan. As I told you, I have gold mines which have made not only me but my clan rich over the years. To explain my imprisonment, they told the rest of my clan that I broke human laws when I drank from an unregistered donor. They explained that the humans found out so there would have to be punishment at Folsom. It was a complete fabrication which was nevertheless, humiliating."

"How does that work?" Ari asked, looking at Eoghan.

"What?"

"The whole human donor thing."

"Oh, well, humans sometimes volunteer to feed vampires. Some charge the vampires a rate which is agreed upon by both parties and some don't charge any money at all. I've never fed a vampire, but I hear that it can be an intensely sexual experience," Eoghan explained.

Ari looked over at Champayne. "I can confirm that," the vampire replied with an almost innocent smile. Ari glanced back at Eoghan as he continued.

"Part of the I.S.R.'s mandate is to make sure that human donors are protected. The way to do that is to be registered which comes along with fingerprinting and regular health checks."

"Okay, I get it. That's why the I.S.R. registers the humans," Ari concluded.

Eoghan nodded. "They actually register with the Agency. That way we can monitor them and make sure that they survive. It protects vampires and humans alike."

"I have a question about that," Ari said, frowning a little as he glanced at the vampire in the backseat. "How do humans even know about vampires?" He looked back at Eoghan. "Isn't the whole paranormal world supposed to be hidden?"

Before Eoghan could reply, Champayne chuckled. "Trust me, my boy, humans are curious by nature. Vampires are on TV in True Blood. They're portrayed in multiple movies. There's always been a mystery around us, so it naturally follows that people curious about us, would seek us out. There are bars which cater to the more…shall we say, fetishistic crowd who want to meet a ‘real' vampire. Most of the people who go to those establishments are—of course—fakers but some are like me, true vampires on the hunt for human blood."

"On the hunt sounds ominous," Ari said.

"Well, you don't have to worry about me. Smith gave me my evening ration of blood just before you arrived to collect me. I won't be biting you, Marshal Brown, or your handsome partner."

Ari nodded. "Good to know, Champayne, and thanks for the explanation."

"My pleasure." The vampire smiled.

"So, whatever you don't want to talk about was what you were sent away for."

"Yes."

"And your tribe—sorry—clan, said your crime was this unregistered human donor violation."

"Yes."

"Just to clarify…" Eoghan said. "Whoever you did this thing you don't want to talk about with, was a willing partner?"

Champayne sighed deeply. "Yes…and to complicate things, I'm afraid the man who walked in on us was Victoria's brother."

"Wait," Ari said, "your brother-in-law turned you in?"

"It pains me to say so, but yes."

"Your accuser was your brother-in-law?" Eoghan asked, looking as surprised as Ari was.

"Yes, and unfortunately, it explains why my mate insisted I be prosecuted for the crime. Honestly, it shouldn't have been such a big deal but because my accuser was Victoria's brother, it all just got complicated." Champayne sighed again. "My beloved Victoria is a very forgiving woman. I believe she only went ahead with the charade to save face with her family. I was a little upset by that but we're both past it now. After all, we've been together for almost three centuries and have twelve progeny."

"That's…a lot, right?" Ari asked.

"We live long lives, Marshal Brown," Champayne explained. "I admit, I hurt Victoria when I did what I did but the temptation was overwhelming. I couldn't help myself. I spotted the man and followed him into the restroom where he consented to the act. My brother-in-law caught us when he came looking for me."

"Wow, that must have been embarrassing," Ari said. "I'm sorry it happened." He was absolutely dying to know what Beauregard Champayne had been caught doing but figured he'd pressed the issue enough. Plainly, he wasn't going to say what he'd done and was embarrassed, wanting to drop the subject.

"Thank you."

"So, you see? I'm not the murderer or a killer as the warden claims," Champayne said. "I'm a perfectly normal vampire with yearnings that have gotten me into water over my head. Please don't tell my daughter. Peg doesn't know anything other than the story about the unregistered donor, and I positively don't want her future husband to know anything about it."

"I see," Ari said. "They think you're in prison because of the unregistered donor crime."

"Yes."

"Your secret is safe with us," Eoghan said. He pointed out the window at the hotel which had come into view. "We're here."

Champayne glanced out the window and let out a long sigh. Ari dragged his eyes away from the vampire in the backseat. He could feel the nervous energy radiating from Champayne as Eoghan parked the car at the back of the lot. They got out and Eoghan unlocked the handcuffs before letting the prisoner take off his coat. As soon as he'd done it, Eoghan refastened the cuffs and draped the coat over them so they could enter the hotel discreetly. Sure enough, the lobby was crowded. They headed for the ballroom where the reception, as well as the mating ceremony, would be held. Almost the moment they stepped through the double doors, Ari could feel the hair on the back of his neck rise as a hundred pairs of glowing, red eyes turned to look in their direction.