Path of Lava Crossover Ficbit – No Smoking

“Cash.” Julian Luna, Prince of San Francisco and current possessor of a headache even one of Daedalus’ alchemical concoctions wouldn’t touch, parted the curtains over his study window just enough to let him glimpse the source of that suspicious neigh. “Would you care to explain this?”

“Um…” The Gangrel Primogen stole a peek out into deadly sunlight, watching a black stallion nip at his slightly smaller blood bay companion. “Looks like horses, Julian.”

“I can see that,” Julian said with fragile calm, silently cursing whatever bright mind among the New York Ventrue had come up with the idea to send Sarah Anne Winder west to San Francisco. The last thing he needed in the midst of the fragile peace was a pretty blonde Englishwoman twice his age as the new Ventrue Primogen. But Lillie liked her, and was frankly intrigued by her lithe Toreador bodyguard Miriam Caravaggio; as Lillie put it, anyone who made necessary deaths artistic had potential worth watching. And the rest of Ventrue had bowed before Winder’s undoubted power, almost the equal of Julian’s own – so, there she sat. Sweet, flirtatious, and cute as a button as she charmed her way through the latest Conclave, leaving even Daedalus smiling as she tried to parlay this Battousai incident into another Kindred crackdown on San Francisco’s Asian population….

God, he did not want to waste any more hours snarling about Winder. “Cash, why are there horses on my lawn?”

“They belong to your guests, Mr. Luna.” The young brunette now serving as his groundskeeper stepped into the study, frowning. A silver necklace glowed against the dark cream of her throat, brightening Maria Sanchez’ dark suit-dress as the Hispanic Ventrue granted her Prince a formal nod. “Two of us, from out of town. They rode up while you were out at the Haven, requesting permission to hunt in the city. I told them you probably wouldn’t be back until after dawn. They asked to wait; apparently they have a story to trade about this Lupine Battousai.” She glanced at Cash. “I’ve never met Japanese Gangrel before. They seem… calmer.” A corner of her lips turned up. “Though that could just be the cigarettes. I put them in the old smoking room so nothing would be damaged.”

“Japanese Gangrel?” Cash stared.

Julian raised intrigued brows. “No one you know?”

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