Death Becomes Him - 39

As the days again passed into weeks, Trent and Rory established a pattern so they could spend as much time together as possible. Rory made it a point to take one night off during the week, no matter what, to stay home with his lover. Trent on the other hand learned the stories of the New Orleans ghosts and vampires so well, while tagging along with Rory on weekend tours, that when he volunteered to become one of the substitute guides on Saturdays if they needed him, Rory readily agreed. The only stipulation being, he would be accompanied by two of the other guides rather than being paired off with just one.

That was the one thing Rory had always insisted on; even back when he’d owned his first tour company, no one did it alone. As he explained more than once, “You never know what sort of freaks might be among the tourists or out there planning on preying on them or on our female guides.”

The first time he’d said that to the assembled vampires and werewolves who worked for him, the reaction had been mixed to say the least.

“You think one of us is going to go off the deep end and attack someone,” Alan said, hissing angrily.

“Not at all,” Rory had replied firmly. “If I did, you wouldn’t be working for me.”

“Don’t you think we could protect the humans if some bastard tried to pull something,” one of the werewolves asked in disbelief.

“You could but in the process, if there was just one of you there, you might reveal that we, vampires and werewolves, exist. It’s fine to make the tourists think it’s possible. It fulfills their romantic fantasies. But the reality, and you know it, is we’d be hunted like animals if that occurred. So if there is any trouble, one of you can continue on with the tour while the other handles the problem quietly. That’s especially true when it comes to the two human guides. They’re Sienna’s friends, but they have no clue what she or the rest of us are. I’d prefer to keep it that way.”

There was more discussion along the same lines but in the end everyone agreed that working in pairs was for the best.

“So who are you putting me with?” Trent asked the first time he was set to take out a group of tourists.

“Celeste and Dominique.”

“Oh really? Why them?”

Rory smirked. “I figure that way you can concentrate on the tour, not on your partners.”

“As if I would,” Trent retorted while he finished dressing.

Rory came up behind him, putting his hands on Trent’s shoulders to turn him toward the mirror. “Look at yourself. You’re so damned sexy I’m drooling.”

Trent snorted. “Vampires don’t drool.”

“This one does, when he’s around you.” He nibbled the back of Trent’s neck, causing an immediate reaction that made Trent wish he hadn’t listened when Rory told him tight leather pants like the ones Rory wore would be perfect for him.

“Stop that,” Trent muttered.

“And if I don’t?”

“Celeste and Dominique will be taking the tour out without me,” Trent replied, turning to look at Rory. “And since you wouldn’t be around either… Well you can imagine what everyone will be thinking.”

Rory grinned. “They’d be right, too. But…”—he sighed, stepping away—“tonight, being a Saturday, is not a good one for both of us to be among the missing.”

“Unfortunately, you’re right. No rest for the wicked as the saying goes. And you, my dear man, are very, very wicked. So move it or we’ll be late.”