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alive for a really long time, you have contacts all over the world. It may be a big place but when you have forever, what is distance?”
    Keisha shook her head. “Wow...just...wow.”
    Yuri stood and walked over to the desk to take out some papers. “Here are some ideas I would like you to look through. I’ve read many of your published works. I would be honored to have you read mine. They will tell you what I know about what we are and maybe inspire you to pursue the research to answer my questions.”
    “What are you going to do?”
    Yuri pulled out a cell phone. “I’m going to send some texts and see if I can set up a meeting to figure out what’s going on to endanger you.”
    “Texts? Don’t you just, you know, put the whammy on someone? Oogie-boogie stuff, read their minds, and all that?”
    Yuri laughed. “Uh, no. I can only read minds when I’m in physical contact with the blood of someone and even then it’s hard to do. Most peoples’ minds are such a jumble of whirling ideas and thoughts. It’s difficult to get them to focus on what you want to find out—especially without them realizing someone is in their minds with them.
    “Besides, the people I need to talk to are also vampires. We don’t intrude on each others’ minds without permission. I don’t often share blood with other men. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course, but I don’t find them attractive.”
    Yuri leered at Keisha, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. “Not like attractive women...like, I don’t know...you?”
    Keisha made a face at him. “Down, boy. Men. I guess it doesn’t matter if you are blood-sucking demons; you’re still men, huh? Fine; give me those papers. By the way, why are they papers? Why not notes in your laptop?”
    Yuri smiled, “Because they are papers I’ve been writing for years. Some of them are very old, so be careful with them. I was always interested in science, even when I was a young mortal. Once I was turned, I was shocked at how little was known about what I became, so I tried to answer my own questions. Only gradually I realized that I don’t have the specialized education and skills needed to discover what we really are. That’s what you can do for me. Then we will be even-Steven and you won’t owe me anything for saving your life.”
    Keisha snorted. “Asking me on my deathbed wasn’t much of a choice, but whatever. I don’t really feel indebted to you...”
Yuri nodded. “You will. I don’t think those who want you dead will be happy with no female body having been found in the car. So, I may be of more use to you in the future. Besides…” He flashed a mischievous grin. “I’m a big man. Most guys won’t mess with a big man as fast as they will with a gorgeous woman.”
    “Thanks. Don’t think I’m that grateful, Romeo. I may be a nerd but I’m not easy.”
    “Ah, but you have yet to discover just how sensitive your skin has become and how enhanced your senses are now that you...”
    Keisha blushed and, even though she had milk chocolate-colored skin, the sudden rush of dark blood to her face was noticeable.
    Yuri snorted with amusement. “Oho. So, that’s part of what took you so long in my shower, little girl. I’m so glad to discover that I was right about you in so many ways.”
    “Little girl? I’m a thirty-six year old woman, thank-you. You don’t look like you even made it into your thirties.”
    Yuri nodded. “Good guess. I was twenty-nine, which was considered fairly old at the time, when I was turned. The average life-span back then was about forty.”
    “Back when?”
    “Enough questions. You get to reading; I’ll get to texting. We’ll have lots of other times when I can answer your questions. In fact, that’s the most often neglected part of bringing someone across...most teach their newbies how to feed and hunt safely but few bother to answer even the most basic questions. Rest assured I won’t do that to you.”
    Keisha whistled