“We can—providing the gas station here received its scheduled supply of gasoline.” Tobias hesitated. “The guests you’re expecting. Do they know all we’ve got to offer is simple rooms at a motel?”
“Jesse Walker told Vlad what was available, so he knows.”
“Is there a reason your guests don’t want to stay at your settlement? Just asking.”
“Vlad was specific about the living arrangements.” But not specific about who was arriving with the books. That made him uneasy, but there was no point howling about it until there was a reason to howl.
They reached the platform just as the train pulled in. Half the station was a waiting area for humans. The other half was an area for merchandise and packages that came in by train. It made Joe think of Meg Corbyn’s office with a person at the counter and a separate room to hold packages until someone came to collect them.
Humans hurried down the steps of the two passenger cars. Some looked pale, smelled weak. If he were hunting with a pack of Wolves, he would focus on the weak-smelling prey as the easiest to bring down.
“Must have some la-di-da folks on the train this time,” Tobias said.
“La-di-da?” Joe had never heard of such a human.
Tobias lifted his chin to indicate the third passenger car. “Rich. Important. Don’t always see a private car.”
Rich. Important. Or lethal, Joe thought as he watched a male with a carryall descend, then turn and offer a hand to the female. The male was dressed in a black suit with a pale gray shirt. The female wore a long, old-fashioned black velvet gown with draping sleeves. They both had olive skin, black hair, and dark eyes. The male, by himself, could have passed for human and blended into a crowd—at least for a little while. The female made no effort to hide what she was.
“Gods above and below,” Tobias breathed. “Are they . . . ?”
“Sanguinati,” Joe finished. “Come on.” He moved quickly, more to keep the humans from panicking if they realized who was now among them than because he was in a hurry to meet his guests.
The male saw them and smiled, while the female glided down the platform to watch the men who were unloading the baggage cars.
Joe smelled fear in Tobias’s sweat. Not a good way to begin with predators like the Sanguinati.
“Joe Wolfgard?” the male said. “I am Tolya Sanguinati. We met a few months ago in Lakeside.” He moved his hand in a slight gesture that indicated the other Sanguinati. “Vlad told you to expect us?”
“He did.” Joe glanced toward the men who were carefully unloading boxes near the female, stacking them as if to build a wall between the humans and her.
The Sanguinati had been among the terra indigene who had destroyed the Controller and the compound where he had kept cassandra sangue like Meg Corbyn. Joe could appreciate them as predators, but he wasn’t sure he could be friends with one the way Simon was friends with Vlad.
Now I know why Vlad wanted them staying near humans, although, when they’re smoke, they could hunt anything at night.
“This is Tobias Walker, the foreman of Prairie Gold’s ranch,” Joe said.
“We brought many books for Jesse Walker and Shelley Bookman,” Tolya said as the female joined them. “This is Nyx.”
“Ma’am.” Tobias brushed the brim of his hat with a finger before turning to Joe. “Mr. Wolfgard, we should get the boxes loaded and be on our way.”
Hearing wariness, Joe looked around. There were too many humans paying attention to them. “Yes, we should.”
Tobias wrangled a cart from the baggage handlers. Joe helped him stack the boxes on the cart and roll it out to the parking area while Tolya and Nyx trailed after them.
After they loaded the boxes into the pickup’s bed, Joe remembered Tobias’s comment about making trips up to Bennett. “Do we need to buy anything while we’re in town?”
“Just gas for the truck.” Tobias shifted his eyes in Nyx’s direction but didn’t look at her. He simply opened the passenger door. “Ma’am.”
She shifted to smoke from the waist down and flowed into the pickup.
“There’s room on the seat for you, too, Tolya,” Joe said. “I can ride in the back.”
Tobias shot him a panicked look before lowering his head enough for his hat to hide his face.
“I can ride in the back with you,” Tolya said.
Joe shook his head and patted a hand against his leg. “This clothing fits in with riding in the back of a pickup. Your clothing does not—at least while we’re in the human town.” Once they left Bennett, it wouldn’t matter, and he thought Tobias would feel less threatened if there was only one Sanguinati riding up front with him.
“You are more familiar with the customs in this part of Thaisia.” Tolya got in and pulled the passenger door shut.
Joe jumped into the back and settled in the remaining space. Lots of books. More than he’d expected Simon and Vlad to send to the humans. Then he noticed his name on two of the boxes and happily realized they had sent books for the terra indigene settlement too.
Tobias came around and closed the tailgate. “Mr. Wolfgard . . .”
“They aren’t going to feed on you,” Joe said, then added silently, At least not while you’re driving.
Tobias got behind the wheel and drove to the gas station. As he pulled in, Joe studied the human males who were gathered around watching a man in overalls tape a hand-printed sign above the pumps.
<Your human is angry,> Tolya said. <I don’t understand all that he’s saying—he speaks differently from the humans in Toland—but I understand some of the swearwords mixed in with the rest.>
As soon as Tobias pulled up to the pumps and shut off the truck, Joe vaulted over the tailgate and came around to stop Tobias from biting the man with overalls. Or punching him. Punching was more likely, since Tobias had strong hands from ranch work but small teeth.
“What kind of crap is this?” Tobias demanded. “You doubled the price of gas when you saw us coming?”
“Supply and demand,” Overalls said, giving Tobias a nasty smile. The smile slipped away when Tolya opened the passenger door and stepped out of the pickup, but Overalls focused on Tobias. “You should know about supply and demand.”
“We do,” Tolya said so pleasantly it made Joe shiver. Then the Sanguinati gave Tobias a look that warned the human not to make trouble. “Since you had to make the trip on our behalf, I will pay for the gasoline.” He took a wallet out of his suit coat, then held up two fifty-dollar bills as he focused on Overalls. “So that you know we can pay.”
Wanting to get away from the town and this pack of humans who seemed ready to attack, Joe opened the gas cap and snapped, “Tobias.” Then to Tolya, <Letting them change the price because we wanted some gas is no different from letting smaller predators run you off a kill before your own pack has fed. If you pay them this time, they’ll keep making the Prairie Gold humans pay more.>
<Not for long.>
The ominous words made him uneasy, but the scent in the air—there and gone as the wind shifted—was more disturbing.
“What they’re doing isn’t right,” Tobias said as he started to pump the gas.
Joe growled at him because this wasn’t the time or place to discuss human meanness or greed—not when the Elders were so close to the town their scent was in the air.
Tobias filled the tank, Tolya paid for the gas, and they drove away as the pack of men made what Joe assumed were insulting comments.