And if Xander ever found out about Jonny's interactions with Brandon and Ashley, he could imagine the vamp cutting him off completely if not siding with Damian and helping the White God destroy Jonny's vamps. His situation was always precarious. The politics he'd learned to play as the Black God, the balance he struck between needing human blood to live and killing only when necessary in order to stay under the radar. He didn't sweat lying to Xander, but he knew better than to turn a completely blind eye to the danger the large vamp posed if Jonny wasn't careful and focused on the bigger picture.
Jonny started to leave before recalling the question he asked every time they met. He had to give the appearance nothing had changed.
"How's the fam?" he asked.
"None of your business," replied Xander.
Satisfied the vamp had no idea, Jonny nodded and Traveled back to his room.
The ginger-haired girl from the rooftop Friday night awaited him in bed.
"Hey," she said and sat up with a smile. "How was work?"
Jonny sat to take off his shoes. Most days, he appreciated the sense of normality his spellbound dinners provided. Today, however, he couldn't help thinking it'd be nice for once to be able to talk to someone honestly about how concerned he was about his empire.
"Great," he replied. "Lots of busy work from the boss."
"You should tell him you need real work."
Jonny snorted. "Yeah. Not sure he'll listen. How was your day?" He forced himself to ask, already knowing the answer. He'd brainwashed her upon leaving this morning so she'd think she spent the day at her mother's when she'd actually been stuck in one of the rooms down the hallway.
"Great. I went to my mom's and …"
Jonny ignored her response. It wouldn't be her he confided in. It took him a week to drain one of his victims. He wanted no real connection to any of them, for they all met the same fate. The temporary companionship was pleasant. He loved falling asleep with a woman in his arms and loved the no-strings-attached relationships even more. He had the best of both worlds: dinner, sex and a new woman every week.
It wasn't possible for his life to be normal, no matter how he missed the sense of companionship that came with having real friends or a girlfriend.
He was the Black God. He was never supposed to be anything more than the leader of the vampires. He'd accepted that, though it didn't mean he couldn't find some solace in the warm body of his victims before ending their lives.