35 The Las Vegas Fae (1/2)

”Fifi, what's that?” little Sampson asked his aunt.

Phoenix shot Ash an apologetic look as she answered the baby. ”Be nice, Sammy. Daddy's friend is a vampire.”

”What is a vampire doing in Las Vegas? Don't you all like the sunless north?” Hagan asked curiously.

Ash shot Ruby a panicked glance, not knowing how to handle the sudden attention. She clapped a hand on his shoulder to reassure him and he was able to find his voice after that. ”My home is further north but we're here on business.”

They all turned their scrutiny to the fairy who managed to convince a vampire to be her business partner next. She got mixed looks of awe, shock, and approval.

Ruby felt herself flush. Whatever they were thinking definitely wasn't what actually happened. She hadn't managed to tame a vampire or anything! They were simply helping each other out after a strange set of circumstances tossed them together.

It was time to change the subject. ”I was thinking about sticking around for a while. Can you tell me what other fae live around here? Or where the nearest witch coven is?”

”Sure thing,” Cole said easily. ”There's a coven in Summerlin running a health food store, a pack of werewolves near Lake Las Vegas who operate a boat rental place and camping gear store, some elves who own smaller casinos off the Strip, and kelpies in the Colorado River and Lake Mead.

”I think there are a couple of water fairies who take care of them too but they live closer to the Hoover Dam. I've never met them but supposedly they make it to the witch coven now and then for supplies.”

Cole seemed to be fairly knowledgeable but Ruby wasn't sure whether or not she should ask about fae banking tricks. It might be better to save that for a witch. As the backbone of the fae world, they knew how to keep their mouths shut.

”You have quite the community here,” she said.

He smiled proudly. ”Yeah. We take what we can get. I know most fae tend to avoid the hustle and bustle of large cities but we love it. You said you're from Northern California, right? How far north?”

”Pretty close to the Oregon border. It's beautiful with all of the redwoods.”

”Ah, right. Trees. You don't see many of those here, unfortunately. Will you be okay sticking around only palm trees for a while?” Cole asked, gesturing to the vine hair that indicated she had plant-based powers.

If only he knew. Ruby loved plants but that was because she grew up around them; it had nothing to do with her powers. She could feasibly set down roots anywhere that had dirt or stone, no plants required.

”I'll be fine. I'm more concerned about this one. It's so sunny here he can't go out during daylight hours at all,” she said as she nudged Ash's shoulder.

He hadn't said anything in a while, clearly uncomfortable with all the fairies staring at him like he was a zoo animal. When he felt her nudge he finally spoke. ”It isn't that big of a deal. The nightlife here is quite interesting. I can manage for a few weeks.”