Carlos took half a step away from her as he set down the suitcases. He could hear her pulse, too, and it was very tempting. Katherine had a bit more self-control, but she felt a bit of temptation, as well. She glanced at Carlos.

"Go call Uncle," she told him. "Have him send the car."

Carlos opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again and nodded, walking a few yards off to make the call.

Leila sat down so she could calm down properly. She knew that her pulse rate needed to go down. Especially around these two.

"Well. At least we're out of the city."

Katherine nodded.

"The loup-garou can't justify attacking us now," she said.

Leila nodded. "That's a good thing. And we can relax at your uncle's for a day and figure out what we want to do."

"I seem to be bad luck for you on this vacation," Katherine said. "I'm really sorry."

"It's fine," Leila said, smiling a little. "I've learned a lot on this vacation, at least."

Katherine smiled back, but didn't say anything as Carlos came trotting back to them.

"The car is on its way," he said. "Uncle Vlad's out with the pack, but the driver replied."

"Oh goodie." Leila dug in one of her bags for a moment to find a jacket. It was getting colder. "So how long?"

"Not long," Carlos replied, glancing around. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find something furry and alive that isn't a wolf."

Katherine just rolled her eyes and waved a hand.

Leila blinked at that but decided not to ask. She did not want to know. She could definitely do without knowing, after all.

"Is he normally so...?" Leila trailed off, waving vaguely after Carlos after he'd vanished.

"Weird? Yes, but I gather that's him, rather than his generation," Katherine replied. She shrugged. "He can make do with an animal tonight. It's just not a good idea to get into the habit." She paused for a moment. "And I think he took off so suddenly because he's not as old as I am, and probably doesn't have the same kind of self-control."

Leila grimaced. "I thought that might have something to do with it. I'm sorry. I really couldn't help it." She frowned a little.

"It's not your fault," Katherine assured her. "We're both old enough to know better."

Leila sighed. "Still, I feel kind of bad. I mean, I don't like tempting you guys."

"Lei, the temptation is always there," Katherine said. "Just like the hunger is always there. It's just a matter of keeping the hunger manageable enough to ignore temptation."

Leila nodded. That would have to be a good enough for now.

"Alright. Anything else I need to know about dealing with him?"

"Don't let him eat animals too often," Katherine said dryly. "It's not good for him." She paused and snickered. "Geeze, it sounds like I'm talking about a pet." She grinned and looked at Leila. "Want a pet vampire? I promise he might be housebroken."

Which, of course, just made Leila giggle like crazy. "Can I train him to be a guard pet vampire?" she asked, being dissolving into giggles again.

"Probably," Katherine replied, giggling as well.

"But then I'd have to keep him fed." Leila pouted a little. "That might be a little more tricky than feeding a dog."

"Just a little," Katherine agreed. "You could always have him fend for himself."

"True. Just so long as he's not fending himself by feeding on me. Or the neighbors." Leila shrugged.

"There are enough suppliers around in the States for him to get bags," Katherine said, waving it off. "No big deal."

"Oh good." Leila grinned then. "Are we sure he's housebroken?"

"Marginally," Katherine replied. "He's a little over a hundred, he should be."