Safeword: Storm Clouds by Candace Blevins Read Free Book Online Page A

Dom.
    I suppose you're right, but I still would rather not burden him with all of this. It's my worry, it shouldn't be his.
    If he is clueless then he may say something that would make things harder than they have to be. He is smart enough to grasp the political side of things and act accordingly. He has your safety in mind, that is clear. He'll be fine.
    When Eric came back he sat down on the sofa beside Kendra and reached for her hand. "Kendra, I'll listen to the rest of Abbot's explanation in a moment, but first I want you to tell me how you envision our relationship working."
    "While Abbot is correct that he doesn't tell me what to do very often, he does offer me advice. He is an expert at working the political parts of vampire society and it is usually smart to listen to his counsel. His advice is to tell my housemates that I'm grooming you to be a human companion, they will smell confusion in my statement, but it can easily be explained away by my saying you're unlike any human I've ever met and that grooming you is going to be a fun challenge. This means we'd act like you'd expect things to work in the beginning of most any human relationship. At some point the other vampires would realize that we are acting like a human couple for longer than would be expected, and at that point I would admit to having decided against a formal human companion relationship with you. I would once again hint that you are a bit different than most humans and say that I'm having some wonderful adventures with you. This way when it is discovered that I am submitting to you it won't come as a complete surprise to them. I'll let Abbot explain the political ramifications of my submitting to a human."
    "Kendra, you will have to formally put him under your protection when you state that you aren't grooming him to be a human companion. He'll lose the protection automatically given to human companions as soon as you tell someone you aren't grooming him for that anymore. And I recommend you formally put him under your protection at least two weeks before it comes out that you are submitting to him in bed."
    Eric leaned forward in his seat. "Protection? You mean, going against the.. norm? That could put me in danger? What about Kendra, would it put her in danger as well?"
    Abbot and Kendra looked at each other, Abbot answered. "There are many vampires who see humans as a lesser species. Kind of the way humans view pets. Or maybe the way you view some of the smarter monkey species. Kendra and I do not see you that way, so don't get defensive, I'm just trying to explain that there will be some vampires who will take it as a personal insult that a vampire that is over them in the hierarchy is submitting to a human. There will be challenges to her status as third, but she is more than capable of taking on any challenger so there are no worries there. But, if you aren't under the protection of a strong vampire, then it is possible some of them could try to challenge you. Their logic being that if you are holding yourself as stronger than a vampire then you are putting yourself in a position to be challenged."
    "You're the Master of the territory, right? Why can't you just put me under your protection? Wouldn't that solve the problem?"
    "If I were to do that it would undermine Kendra's position. I would be saying she isn't capable of protecting you. I have done this for weaker vampires who took on a human girlfriend or boyfriend, but politically, I can't do that for Kendra."
    Kendra spoke up. “Actually Abbot, if he were working for you then he'd be protected as an employee. Haven't you been looking for someone to teach some of the older vampires who have resisted your efforts to get them to put some of the latest technologies to use? If you can get them to finally be set up to check and send emails and text messages then it will make some things much easier for all of us."
    Abbot looked at Eric. "You make computer games for a living, correct?"
    When Eric