Among the Living (Tyler G Book 1) (21 page)

"I have the key, sis. I'll
take care of Fluff."

"Thanks. I can go then, I
guess." Then she stood and turned to Valerie, looking down at her. "I
really am sorry. I... thanks for being so nice about this. I won't forget it. I
should have asked first."

Ang waved at her, his face very
serious, then he and Keeber got her to follow them away. Presumably to take her
off to some island, or at least hide her for a few weeks.

Calley moved in and gave Valerie
a little hug from the side which was instantly returned.

"That was really sweet of
you. She probably expected at least a year. That's kind of the standard."

There was a gasp then from the
really pretty woman. The other blonde woman took a few steps forward and
touched her arm. It was the Alede who spoke however.

"
Alone
? That sounds
horrible. I nearly said
days
. It probably doesn't matter. It's not the
first time I've been on the wrong side of a beating meant for someone else.
Just the first time the other person was a Shifter, Catherine. Worse, you
didn't even get anything from it yourself. That's hardly fair."

The other woman, who was pretty,
in a strange, slightly cat faced way, gave a slow nod to the words. She was
human looking, but still a little off. Calley wasn't as pretty, maybe, but she
was
cuter
in a lot of ways, though he didn't know if that made sense.

"I woke up to Ang calling me
at home, telling me about all this. Imagine my surprise. I haven't even had a
date in two years, and now a woman was claiming I stole her girlfriend? I don't
even like women, as a rule."

That got nods all the way around.
Then information to be shared, since he was, after all, the new head of the
Coalition of Nations. That sounded pretty important, too.

Now he only had to get everyone
else in the world on board, and it would be real.

The rest of the night was fairly
sedate. The only thing of note, as far as he was concerned, was that Zack came
after a while and suggested that he call up Bey, since he was on the Vampire
Council, and might want in on the whole thing that Tyler was starting.

He looked at his boss and shook
his head a little.

"That's not going to work.
You know that right? No one is going to look at me and think, oh, let's do what
this kid wants."

That got a shifting of shoulders
and a strange look that was a bit annoyed seeming. It was kind of funny, since Ty
knew he was right on this one. It was just the truth.

"Sure. I'm steering you
toward this because it
won'
t work. No, that's fine. Have no faith in my
ability to get things done. I understand. Who am
I
after all..."
There was a silly, almost goofy grin then. It was sudden and sharp at the same
time. There was a slight hint of sexy thrown in too, if he was any judge.
"Oh, wait!
Greater Demon
... I nearly forgot for half a second. My
point is, of
course
it can work. The fact is, someone
has
to do
it. We don't really have a lot of Humans around here either, and you grew up in
this culture, as one of them, so it makes a certain amount of sense."

He wasn't really certain that was
the case. There had to be people around that would be more respected, and taken
seriously. Not that people hadn't that night, but how long would that kind of
thing keep going, he had to wonder. Probably not all that long, really.

"Hmmm. So, Zack, are
you
in on this? Can you get any of the other Greater Demons to sign off on it?"
That was probably a good question, and Zack, acting like it was a real one,
answered like he'd written out his response and practiced it in front of a
mirror.

"We aren't a single body as
tightly as most groups. If that's kept in mind, then I can tentatively speak
for myself. I may not back everything you do, and won't do more than my share,
but I'll put the word out with some of the others, and ask around if I can
without causing problems with them. So, sort of yes? This is big, even if you
only get me. If you can't line up Bey and Jahn Samson now, then given
that
,
you shouldn't be in charge of it. The thing there is that there really isn't
anyone a lot better for it. You're smart, and while a bit young, a lot of other
groups won't even consider that as an issue. The Alede all look so young that
they tend to judge people based on what they do, not how they look. Shifters
tend to assume that everyone is about twenty years older than they look.
Trollienkeine are a merit based society. If you stand up to people, and do
what's right, they'll back you,
every
time. They don't even really care
was
species
you are. If you were a tiny puppy, but doing the right
thing, you'd have them at your back. Vampires are the same in a lot of ways as
the Alede. Looks matter less than ability. Right now, you look decent to all of
them, and can use that, if you don't take too long."

It was a bit of a pretty speech.
Hopefully it wasn't wrong.

Tyler got off work at two, though
the shop didn't close. He was tired, but made a trip down to the frozen yogurt
place, since he didn't have a phone number for Bey at all for some strange
reason. Eve, who he guessed was his friend, more or less, stood behind the
counter, and was waiting on a man in casual clothing, handing him a cream
colored ceramic mug. Whatever was in it cost a single five dollar bill, and the
fellow, who seemed to be in his mid-twenties, bolted the whole thing then and
there. His clothing was a little messy, and he smelled a bit, but mainly of
dust and earth, not urine or desperation.

When the man spun, he had all red
eyes, protruding fangs and a wild, rust colored beard. Almost as if trying out
for a part in a movie, he hissed, lunging toward Tyler violently. Without
thinking Tyler hit the man, using a hammer blow at an angle to his neck, and a
foot sweep, which landed the rushing fellow on the floor.

Eve, behind the counter, laughed.

"Ah, I wouldn't push that
one. I saw him fight
five
Vampires at once before, and
win
. They
were all older and more powerful than you are. Armed too."

The guy on the floor stood up, a
bit fast, his face pretty pissed off looking, but after a few seconds, he
swallowed hard and moved back.

"Doesn't matter. I lost the
thread for a bit there. Sorry man. My bad." It wasn't really humble, but
the guy didn't seem cowed either, so it was him actually
trying
.

Ty gave a nod, like he would to
anyone that there was a potential problem with.

"Don't let it bug you.
Things happen, right?"

"Yeah. I have to get better.
Anymore... Look, I should get out of here. Sorry." Then he left, at a jog.

The woman behind the counter, who
was a bit shorter than he was, leaned on her arms. The counter was made of
polished marble, and nicer than he'd realized before. It was also very clean
and tidy. It left him feeling a bit sorry about how he'd left the bookstore.
That wasn't
bad
, but it wasn't spotless, like this place was.

"So, finally come to get in
on the incredible treats here? I can get you a free sample..." It was said
in a slightly singsong voice, but she didn't seem put out when he shook his
head. His diet had been pretty fruit heavy lately, but there had been plenty of
that at work that night, once he realized that Palma had tried to set him up
too.

"Thanks, but I actually came
for the secret information. In this case, Bey's number? Zack said I should ask
him out on a date." He was teasing, since the truth was even stranger, but
the counter Vampire looked at him knowingly.

"That's the dream isn't it?
He's so frickin'
adorable
. Anyway, you're going to talk up the Coalition
thing? I'll throw in, even though it won't mean too much. We need someone to
deal with the Humans, in a way that won't leave them panicked all the time. I
mean, yeah, the Council will handle Vampire issues, but most of the time we
don't find out about it until weeks later, since the Humans don't feel like
they can just call us and
ask
for things to be handled. They can and we
would, but I can see it. Vampires are strange and scary, we all know that. The
other way around works, too. Being able to get you to call up the Human's when
there's an issue might be easier to take all around. You can do that. Both
ways."

That was, he guessed, the whole
idea. Setting himself, and maybe a few others, up to make the needed phone
calls to the right people. Suddenly the whole thing sounded a lot more
reasonable than it had before. He could sell that. It was just a service, to
help people out.

Some kid that calls people up and
lets them know what's happening didn't seem like a big deal, really.

Since he'd been going home for
the day, he had his notebook with him, and when Eve led him to the back office,
and pulled out a large blue binder that was filled with numbers, he started to
copy some of them down. Openly, and without any remorse at all. That meant he
sat there for about thirty minutes, getting forty or more points of potential
contact. He'd need more, but this had a lot of them.

He was left alone with the thing,
so finally made the call, not knowing what to really expect. It was pretty
normal, since he got someone totally different than he'd expected. Some young
sounding boy named Gene.

"You wish to speak to The
Bey? May I inquire as to what this might regard?"

"Sure. It isn't a secret.
Um, the Coalition of Nations is a collective of beings getting together to
address Humanity on an open basis. Basically though that just means that if you
have a problem with the Humans, you get to dump big parts of it on us, which is
pretty much
me
so far. On the other hand, if the Human authorities or
government have a problem with Vampires, or one of the other groups, they can
come to us, and I'll get the right people together. You know, instead of them
sending in police to be killed, making waves?"

There was a pause, and then a
muttering from the back of the room on the other side of the phone.

Then the younger voice went
again.

"How binding will your
rulings and proclamations be?"

He nearly said they wouldn't be,
but then realized that things like earlier could happen. That might be
something that could be useful, if he set it up correctly.

"Pretty solid. In regards to
Human and other groups interacting only. So, if the Coalition makes a ruling,
it will be for the greater good, even if all groups involved can't see it. That
means that in Vampire matters, if I have to come up with something, which I
will
really
try to avoid, then I'd expect the Vampires to go along with
it and back me up, within reason. On the other hand, I'll do the same when I
can. Within the strictures of the organization, which will
not
cover
most things."

"I think I understand. Who
else is in on this with you so far?"

He lied a bit, but only a little,
to make it easier for himself.

"The Greater Demons are in,
as much as a group like them can be. Zack Hartley has thrown in more
completely. I have a good line on the Shifters. I came to the Vampires first
thing however, since you're a powerful and important collection of people.
Plus, really, it just makes sense."

There was a soft chuckle, that didn't
seem to be the boy on the phone.

"It does?"

"Well, sure. Vampires were
mainly Human before, right? They have insight into Humans that some other groups
might not have access to. It kind of shows already. Of all the groups that
could
go it alone really, the Vampires are the ones that have managed it. This might
be easier."

"There is a certain truth to
that. I can't speak to the whole of the matter, but there are four of us here
at the moment, and we tentatively agree, as long as there is no overt abuse of
power on your part. Gartner? Tyler Gartner?" Someone had been speaking,
giving that information. "We have a report with that name in it, Bey says.
Some rowdy youth the other day? I believe I recall that. Very good. We need to
meet to formalize things, soon. When will that be doable, do you think?"

That meant digging out his work
schedule, which he told the Vampire on the phone all about. Rather than make
fun of him for working like he did, there was a pleased sound from the other
end. From more than one person, too.

"So you don't think this
will be a full time position? You don't envision us paying tribute to you on a
regular basis?"

"No? Why would you do that?
It's going to be bad enough having to ask people for things to solve problems,
much less saying my pocket should be lined, too. Hopefully this will mainly be
about me making calls a few times a week. You know, checking in, saying hi.
Inviting people to my parties. Speaking of which, if any of you want to come
I'm having a little thing for my birthday? It's just a barbeque, and seriously,
I work at a bookstore and haven't gotten paid yet, so I mean paper plates and
all that, but if anyone is in town you should come over." He gave the date
and time, but no one said they'd be there, which was fine. They were kind of
like Senators or something.

They were probably invited to
stupid parties three times a day. That was cool. Especially since he'd never thrown
even a casual party, himself.

That let him get off the phone
though, and had Eve grinning at him when he went out front.

"Oohhh. I get to go too,
right? I love a good party."

That got a nod, since of course
she could come.

"It will probably be a little
lame, but I'd love to have you there. Everyone is invited. It will probably be
about five people, I think. If
you
come. Oh! Hey, not to be a pain, but
can we get together and work on fighting soon? I need the practice, if I'm
going to be ambushed every time I meet someone." The bottom of his right
fist ached still, from the Vampire he'd clocked.

The girl smiled, like he'd
invited her to get free money, instead of work with a slow and boring Human.

"Fuck yeah. About time I met
someone that wasn't a total pussy. Getting anyone else to work with me is like
pulling teeth. Tomorrow, at about noon? Or, I guess the next day. You have the
Shifter leader coming in. Do you want me to go along with you for that? As
muscle?"

That seemed off, for a talk, but
he nodded. He wasn't going to turn down help at this point.

"I don't know for certain,
but can you stand by for that? We might want to take a group with us, to let
the problem child know that no one is going to let her get away with her tricks
anymore. Which means I need to get with people before that, somehow." What
he needed was some way to do without sleep, but since that wasn't going to
happen, and he still needed his job, that meant getting up early.

To that end, he needed to leave.

"Oh, if you see Ginger, tell
her I said hi?" They were kind of dating, sure, but she might have sixteen
boyfriends for all he knew.