Amadeo met Amber in Washington and flew to Los Angeles with her. Neither of them knew what to expect. Amadeo had let his sister and parents know that he would be a Vampyre someday. His mother had cried. It was a most sensitive subject with the Jewel family.

Amadeo had never been out of New York.

Amadeo let Amber lead the way through the airports. She had always been able to talk to people. With Amadeo it was a learned thing. He had to push himself. With the Fay it was easy. They almost always said yes.

As they arrived in the Los Angeles airport they found an uniformed driver waiting for them. When they went to claim their luggage he snapped at one of the airport employees as if they all worked for him. Their luggage was wheeled outside for them to a waiting limousine. Their driver opened the door.

Amadeo ducked down to climb into the dark compartment inside the limo. He found himself looking right at Steven. He'd seen pictures before but he was struck by the eyes. They were his eyes. Joy was leaning against his shoulder, sleeping. Amadeo got inside and he sat opposite them. Amber came in after him and slid across the faux leather seat till their shoulders touched.

"She had us carry her into the car," Steven said of Joy and shook her gently. The door was closed after Amber. "It is good to meet you. I miss being with the family sometimes." Steven breathed a nervous sigh.

The car started moving. It was quite dark inside. The windows were not tinted they were opaque. Amadeo wondered if they were even legal. There was a small light overhead and it was the only light to see by. Amadeo realized the sun had not set yet on the West Coast. Vampyres did not like the sun. "Where exactly are we going?" Amber asked.

"They call it the Palace Shade. It has become very well known here. The way our family was always known in New York. Athen likes to have parties there. I think he must invite every musician and artist in the city."

"Is it really a palace?" Amadeo asked. He'd been searching for anything to look at but in the small compartment his eyes locked to Steven's again. Here was his own great grandfather, surely over a hundred years old, and despite the fact his hair had all gone white, he looked no older than forty at the very most.

Steven laughed boyishly. "You just have to see it to believe it. It is a tourist attraction because of its size and architecture. I really don't know much about it. I keep a low profile here. I would never have been able to in New York, just among the family there would be so many questions."

Joy woke up then. She reached past Amadeo to the small refrigerator. Amadeo and his sister watched her pull out an unmarked wine bottle. A wineglass she took from the little bar beside her and filled it from the bottle. It was blood, Amadeo was sure of it. She emptied the glass quickly. Amadeo stared as he saw her small white fangs knock against the very edge of the glass. She closed her mouth quickly. Her brow wrinkled slightly, obviously that had been a clumsy action on her part. She moved forward and kissed Amadeo. Then she took Amber's hand and held it for a moment. "You'll like it here," she said. It was as if she wanted them to forget what she had just done. Amadeo felt himself forgetting.

She wouldn't tell them much about where they were going or whom they would meet. "It will be better if you just see everything and then you can ask all the questions you like," she said with a dismissive wave of her left hand. She let out a sigh suddenly and fell back against Steven's shoulder.

Steven slipped an arm about her shoulders.

Amadeo didn't see the palace until he was right outside of it. He stepped out of the car and saw immediately in front of him the façade of a five-story palace. The shape of it seemed a cross just from his first look because beyond the very front-most façade, he could see two wings jutting out from the sides. It seemed so strange that a family of Vampyres should live in a cross-shaped structure, blasphemous. It was just turning dark. Spotlights pointed up at the palace. Amadeo spun all around discovering the large formal garden they had driven through and a large garage on one side. There was one neighboring house visible in the distance, something with a lot of glass.

They went up the stairs and through the towering doors. Amadeo gasped at the sight of the interior. Amber grabbed his hand. They were in a long hall with a ceiling barrel arched at the top of the structure. Everywhere there were paintings. He didn't want to leave. Even the ceiling was painted. "You can sit here in the hall later, you can learn art and history both that way," said Joy.

Amadeo realized suddenly that Amber and Steven were gone. He was alone with a Vampyre. He followed Joy up several flights of stairs. It almost tired him. "I guess I forgot how many stairs there were," she laughed at him. "I'll show you the elevator." She pointed it out as they walked into the wing on his left. "The eastern wing is for the living," Joy said.

His room was beautiful. Amadeo knew they must have done it up just for him because the sort of things he kept in his room at home were there, only this was a suite of several rooms. The walls were interesting to look at, not pink or rose or red but some textured mixture.

Joy asked if he would like to be left in his room or if he would like to be shown the palace along with his sister. He wanted Joy to show him everything immediately.

He was suddenly feeling much more at ease with her and hungry to learn all the palace's secrets. "The most interesting things are downstairs, we can take a short cut through Julien's studio, maybe," Joy said. She walked with an arm around Amadeo, leading him with the subtlest movements so it appeared he was leading.

Julien's studio was nearby. They walked through the pair of white gilt-trimmed French doors. Inside it was filled with clothing and fabric. "He designs clothes," Joy explained. It was the spiral staircase in the corner they were interested in. Joy had Amadeo go down it before her. The room below was another, studio, with an even higher ceiling. It was cluttered with paints and supports and odd furniture. Amadeo knew it must be Athen'. He was the painter. Leaving the room he recognized the first floor.

"Steven and Amber are eating in the dining room, you should see it." Amadeo didn't disagree. He found it to be absolutely medieval, with stone lined walls and sturdy wooden furniture. Yet it was filled with candlelight from a chandelier and candelabra on the long table. Behind him was the most amazing painting he had yet seen, Vampyres in a garden eating flowers, or something. Amber and Steven were at his right sitting at one end of the table.

Amadeo realized he was hungry and sat down with them to eat. Joy excused herself. She had to go talk to the others.

She came back shortly. "You can meet everyone now. We'll go to the livingroom," she said.

They all went. Steven was leading the way this time. The livingroom was in the corner of the western wing on the first floor. It was a large room that looked like many livingrooms, couches and chairs and some lamps and wall decorations. Amadeo didn't notice it at first because there were creatures. Joy made the introductions rather formally. Shade was the first to be introduced. Joy titled him father. He was a Vampyre with gold skin rather than white, a beautiful creature who didn't seem the slightest bit vain. He spoke with an English accent. The Vampyre on his arm was a woman who had much similar complexion but the features of an Arab, her face and hands dyed with deep brown or orange in intricate patterns and having straight black hair and darkest brown eyes. This was Shade's younger sister-in-blood, Zuelekha. She was a mother-in-blood to her own brood and leader of all the Rome-based Vampyres. Steven explained that there were a total of 8 Vampyres who lived in the house along with resident Humans and other creatures but many more were visiting for the holiday as Amadeo and Amber were.

Athen and Julien she pointed out quickly. She said that Athen was Shade's real son as well as his Vampyre child. "And of course Athen made Julien." 

Then Joy introduced Ardor and Ganymede, two more Vampyres who she said were Blade's children and added that they would call Blade by the taken name, Angel, most often. Ardor was a well-dressed woman with dark eyes and hair and very pale white skin as most of the Vampyres had.  Ganymede appeared even more a child than Athen. He gave his age as 13. Even small for a 13-year-old, he was, with darker brown eyes and wavy brown hair. He wore men's clothing in miniature though, at least he did now, in a neat black suit that looked a bit heavy for California.

The Vampyre standing between Athen and Ganymede but fading back in the room seemed just a girl. "This is Dolores. She isn't related to our family, but Athen and I have sort of adopted her into ours."

Amadeo thought just then of the way Mab had taken Pony into her court and he nodded.

"There was a sort of battle over the summer; between the brood Lo was from and ours. But she had issues with them already, she's on our side." Joy smiled quickly then stopped. "There are several Vampyres related to us you will not meet because we have banished them."

There were others in the room. Mazaret, who Amadeo thought now he might have met before, was visiting from their Haven under New York, and was wearing only a black cloak. She had short burgundy hair and yellow very bird-like eyes. Her sister, Melalie, was wearing a black silk dress. Her skin was more tan and her hair was dark brown. She had the same eyes though. Joy said they were Lilim. Melalie lived in the palace with them and had since the summer.

Apart from the Lilim, there were four others with them also not quite Human. The tall radiant female creature introduced herself. She stood near as tall as Amadeo and her golden hair fell beyond her waist in collection of intricate braids. "I am Psyche," she said softly and extended her hand. Amadeo made a small bow, kissed her hand and she seemed pleased with this. "Athené," she said and seemed to address Athen, "May I play with him?"

Amadeo felt hot and looked to Athen. He was grinning, teeth showing. "He is a Jewel, be sure to get his permission, whatever you do."

The near androgynous red-head at her side laughed but then smiled as if in apology for Psyche. It was Shade himself who made the introduction. "Amadeo, this is my soul-sister, that is we are avowed to be as brother and sister and have been since the time we were both mortal. Like Psyche, she has angelic power. She shouldn't tease too much," Shade looked playful as he spoke then, "she's much to fond of Steven and I not to stay clear of toying with anyone named Jewel."

"You may call me Sid, but I've had so many names I can't really be responsible for answering to any. If you desire knowledge about our kind or even gossip you can ask Murph here," she said with thumb hiked to the blue-haired young man in slim black clothes, in a chair.

"He likes telling stories," Psyche offered.

The blue-haired boy stood up, was just slight bit taller than Amadeo. He smiled and Amad thought he would blend in well among the Rose Petal Fay though he got no strong feeling of attraction as the Fay exuded.

He shook Amadeo's hand. "It is nice to meet you, Amad, my name is Morpheus, but Murph is all right. I'm sure my mother would like to meet you...oh, I live here, have about as long as the rest, though I'm only related in the most distant round about way. Opium is my mother and I'm sure Joy can introduce you. Some others of my family should be around by time of the party. But really, Psyche knows all the stories just as well." His eyes flickered to Julien then quickly back to Amadeo as he made half a smile.

"I'm Spider," called the other young man, at least he appeared young. "They let me live here too, just a friend." He paused a moment then looked at Amadeo and Amber in turn. "You aren't afraid of spiders are you? If you see any, could you not kill them, please. They wander sometimes."

"You have those all under control?" Amber asked. Amadeo looked closely at Spider and saw the spider he had thought a broach was live and the teased white-blonde hair his bits of web...he saw another spider on the floor."

Spider looked to Morpheus and then Sid as if to ask permission then said, "I'm a Quatangel, lots Halfangels and the like inherit weird abilities, odd weaknesses even, I can make all sorts of arachnids do what I want them to...plus I'm immune to their bites and stuff."

Joy moved her head around looking for something and then was very still for a second. "If you see a Vampyre Grey Wolf it is only Shade's pet, Troy. And if you run across a very finicky Vampyre cat it is mine. We call her Lady Charlotte Bast but she never answers to anything really. And when you go out to the orchard or the stable you might meet Angst, our resident dragon, he's wonderfully shiny and purple."

Amadeo choked at the mention of the dragon. That was just too far fetched for him to believe, and he thought that was saying a lot as he had no trouble believing in Vampyres. When he looked about himself he saw everyone beginning to move away. Amadeo was drawn to look at the series of framed photographs on one wall. It was a series. They were outstanding as far as technique, the composition and light, all black and white 8x10 photos. But they were terribly disturbing. Every one was of a dead body. Most of them were women. "Do you like them?" Amadeo hadn't noticed Ganymede approach his side.

"I do not know if I understand them. They are perfect, but well, they are dead people."

"They are more disgusting to me. Like rotten meat, maggots, and shit. But it is art. The deaths. But they are not all really dead. Can you tell which? We make the models up with theatrical makeup. The others I killed myself. No one knows. I put my victims faces on the gallery walls and no one is any more disturbed than usual."

"They are your photos?"

"I do cinematography also." It seemed Ganymede was speaking purposely slow. And then it switched, as he stopped trying to cover an accent, "I just moved here from London."

"Was Angel banished? She isn't here."

"She's here. Athen just has her locked in the tower room. She's sleeping up there, glass coffin and everythin'."

"You mean sleeping for years like in Vampyre stories?"

"It ain't been a year yet."

Amadeo realized Joy was gone. Ganymede said she had left with her fathers some time ago. Amadeo wanted to find his sister. "She's in Steven's office with him. I can show you around."

"I want to see what's in this palace."

"Come," said Ganymede. He led Amadeo out of the livingroom. "It's Shade's house, but Athen seems to actually be in charge. His friend Chris designed the palace for him."

Ganymede showed Amadeo several smaller rooms, a music room, a more intimate sitting room. He took him into the huge library. "If you like old stuff, this is a good room. I mean they got new stuff, monitors and discs and videos, but there are ancient scrolls and poems and plays from the renaissance and years worth of comic books. Paper ones."

Amadeo explained that in the Village they had shops that sold comic books along with other rare collectibles. Ganymede said he'd only once been to New York City and it had only been overnight.

The office was connected to the library. It looked like a place to do business. Amadeo had visited his father's office before. There were three big desks. "One for Athen, one for Steven and one for Athen' assistant. You might meet her if you sleep at night like she does. She does know that he's a Vampyre. Her name's Shio. She bosses the help around during the day. I've spied on them before. They know what we are. I think most of L.A. has an idea but Athen owns the city. He owns the police for sure."

"Is he really like that?"

"Yeah, but he's overly generous to his family and friends so they forget how cruel he is. I'm cruel. But I like Athen because he likes my art. Are you any kind of artist? You better be. They don't admit it but they are just a circle of artists and stuff. Ard was a magazine director and blogger. Joy was a musician in a girl band or something. Shade is a poet, and a writer and a musician. Of course Athen and Julien are a couple of art fags."

"Do you know what that word means?"

"Art school mates? Fashion victims? Tragic hipsters? What do you call them?"

"I have friends in art school. I don't call them 'fag'..."

"It can have different meanings. If you went to boarding school..." 

"I went to boarding school and we never used that word. It's a really rude word for a faerie."

Ganymede fixed his eyes on Amadeo and just stared at him for a couple seconds. He turned away and spoke quietly,"They moved I suppose." He gestured to the office about them.

 Amadeo forgot he had been seeking his sister. He saw Ganymede go back out into the hall. Amadeo went after him.

"Do you have something against The Fay?"

"Quiet, I'm texting my boyfriend about advances in American English." Ganymede said, poking at some device in the palm of his hand.

"You're straight homosexual?"

He laughed. "No, you prat, I was being facetious. I'm Ace."

"What's 'ace'?"

Ganymede stopped walking. He looked up at Amadeo. "Asexual."

"Is that even a thing?"

"Bloody Hell! Do they not have Queer Studies at university anymore?"

"Queer?" Amadeo asked.

"Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual...."

"What's queer about that?"

Shade stopped them. "Ardor would like to see you, Ganymede." Shade was standing in front of them. Ganymede seemed to glare at Shade for a moment before spinning around and leaving. "Can I show you anywhere, Amadeo?" Amadeo was still trying to get over the fact he hadn't seen Shade coming at all.

"I didn't get Ganymede in trouble?"

"No one is in trouble. Do you understand he is a lot older than he looks?"

"Because Vampyres stop aging when they are turned?"

Shade made a nod. "Ganymede is a young Vampyre, but he's nearly 100-years-old. He's lived through generations of events you may know only through the interpretation of media and scholars." He was speaking in that calm British voice, it would be rather spellbinding, Amadeo thought, even if Shade wasn't a Vampyre.

"I guess we had a miscommunication?" Amadeo asked.

Shade smiled. "No. That was just establishing the social hierarchy."

"I understand, Sir."

"I view us as family. If I did not love you all, you would be living elsewhere, if not dead. Or I would leave." What passed as coldness in Athen was simple bluntness in his father. Shade was creating no illusions for Amadeo. And like Joy, he did not for a moment appear to be human. He might have seemed an angel if his hair was not so wild and spiky and his eyes were not shadowed in so much black make-up, but then Amadeo was realizing angels were not as he had expected.

"I think I will go to my room now."

"Amadeo, I know of Joy's promises, that she will make you her child. It is not my way to have an opinion on whom she may chose, except that you are related to Steven. You can change your mind at any time, if that is what you want. The other thing I want to say is that, if my brood went by the rules others do, you would be Julien's to deal with, and you and Joy would have no say. Be considerate in your manner toward him and those he counts friends. A Vampyre does not like to find its dinner is other than expected. It can be quite embarrassing for both parties. I promise he will not try to hurt you, but I expect he will not try to see you either."

Amadeo nodded deeply. "I did not realize."

"I know. There are times when we do things...well, let's just say that we have all made mistakes, all of us, and we'd like to avoid anymore if it can be helped. Whatever you chose, things will work out for all parties in the end, I can assure you of that with some certainty. Of course, it may not seem that way for some time. So, may I advise you more specifically?"

"Please."

Shade nodded slightly. "I don't wish to explain why, so I ask that on faith that you avoid being alone with Julien or Morpheus."

"I thought Morpheus had some connection to Julien from their manner near each other."

Shade smiled darkly. "Morpheus is his friend. There's a lot of fairly harmless teasing and mocking about the house. Julien and Morpheus defend each other fiercely. You have to stay away from both to stay away from one."

Amadeo was going to say he understood, but Shade was gone.

"Ye fair?" Psyche asked, it was the same voice. She walked about to Amadeo's side. "You see I did leave Eros for my darling fanged boy, but he insists on playing husband to Julien, and lover to so many others. I was grounded once for him, and I won't be again. So if he doesn't take me for himself, I'm available for anyone who can." She smiled and stepped in close to Amadeo, "there are few in the palace that are aroused by things other than blood and gore."

Amadeo bent to her ear so that his lips brushed Psyche's cheek. "I'm definitely aroused."