"Friends must always trust each other."

I had a moment to wonder if "friends" meant for them what it had meant for Augustine and Jean-Claude. Not the time to ask.

"I trusted you tonight, Samuel, but Thea tried to force herself, and your Thomas, on my human servant. That is not the way a trusted friend behaves."

"I can only give you my deepest apologies, Jean-Claude. Thea is sometimes overly enthusiastic in her pursuit of our sons' powers."

Sampson and I both laughed at the same time. The vampires looked at us. "Sorry," I said, "but I think you're understating it."

"Mother, overly enthusiastic in pursuit of her children's destiny," Sampson laughed again, shaking his head.

Samuel frowned at him. Then he sighed and turned back to Jean-Claude. "Once I helped you, not for money, but because Augustine was my friend, and he asked a favor."

"Your ship was my escape to the new world," Jean-Claude said.

I remembered Auggie, in Jean-Claude's memory, saying something about a ship and a captain he trusted. Had that been Samuel?

"I propose that we put aside mistrust, and speak plainly. I propose that we act as true friends and not adversaries."

"All master vampires are adversaries," Jean-Claude said.

Samuel smiled. "You speak what you have been told, not what you believe." He looked at Asher. "He is master enough to have his own territory, but he stays with you out of love. You do not fear each other."

"No, but you and I have never been close in the way of lovers."

Samuel waved his hand in the air as if Jean-Claude had missed his point. "I do not covet your lands. Do you covet mine?"

Jean-Claude smiled. "No."

"I do not covet your lady, do you covet mine?"

Jean-Claude shook his head. "No."

"We have different animals to call, so that cannot even be shared. We are no threat to each other, Jean-Claude, our powers are too different. Let us help each other, and leave off this game playing. Let us come in honesty and friendship."

Jean-Claude gave one brief nod. "Agreed." Then he gave a wide smile. "You first."

Samuel laughed, sudden and wide enough to flash fangs. It was an echo of Sampson's laughter, as if when human he'd been even more like his son.

The thought made me wonder: if I was pregnant, who would the baby be like? Would it be a little carbon copy of someone? Would there be a little