"It's white," I pointed out. There's nothing like being a fluorescent light bulb around a bunch of old, moth-eaten vampires.
"You look good in white." Charles bumped my shoulder with his. Flavio was standing nearby, allowing Charles and me to decide on my ball gown. If Griffin hadn't told me I ought to go, I would have given Wlodek and Merrill a rude gesture and refused outright.
I asked them to hold the white dress so I could try it on and went on to the rest that they had. I said no to the gold one, the yellow one and the red one. Not good colors for me. A dress made of aqua silk was brought out, which I loved, and another in black was set aside to try.
Charles liked the white, but fell in love with the aqua dress when I slipped it on. It was strapless and hugged every curve I had, falling to a full skirt that swirled around my feet. I thought about wearing the same shoes I'd worn last time, but Charles just shook his head. "Good memories, remember?" He tapped his head. Well, there was that. The black dress looked good too, so Flavio tossed down his credit card and we walked out with all three, along with six pairs of shoes. We'd only come for the evening, so we loaded right back into Merrill's jet, which Brock had piloted for us.
Flavio drove us straight back to Merrill's after we landed in London, and I found Franklin moping around the kitchen. The Annual Meeting was in three days, and Franklin's depression hadn't improved. Of course, my anger hadn't improved, either, and I didn't see any way out of that, barring a lengthy passage of time. I went to the roof to spend what was left of the night—barely an hour, actually, after convincing Franklin to go to bed. He wasn't getting much sleep. The roof was where Gavin found me after going through lessons with Tony.
"Cara, are you going to be angry with me forever?" he asked as he settled beside me.
"Gavin, you knew and you didn't tell me." That hurt. Really.
"Cara, I know I told you it was dangerous to keep email information on your cell. And it is. Cell phones are easily lost. And I also know I told you that you could borrow my laptop so you wouldn't have to take yours along. I had no idea that things would go in the direction they did, I promise. We have protected ourselves over the years by doing as Wlodek and the Council instructed. I know this has hurt you. You have faced two losses whereas I have only faced one. Anthony has been damaged greatly by this as well."
"Gavin, would they have waited to tell you that René died if it happened while you were on assignment? Would they?" I looked up at him. His face was shuttered, just as Wlodek's usually was.
"Cara, I have been a vampire for a very long time. I have learned to control this."
"Is that what the problem is? I can't control my emotions? That you can't control my emotions? Gavin, listen to yourself."
"Cara, we were worried that the assignment would not be completed."
"Have I failed you or your precious Council, Gavin? Have I? Tell me when I didn't come through—for them or for you. Did I fall apart in that bar in Tampa when I saw you get burned to a crisp? Did I fall in the floor weeping, instead of taking care of Nyles Abernathy? Did I collapse in a heap when Glen was killed in New Mexico? Did I? If Tony hadn't called me back after I killed the vampire holding the First Lady in Washington, I'd have gone after Xenides and taken his ass out, right then and there." I was pissed. Really, really pissed. And shaking, too, I was so angry.
"Cara, I have seen you depressed and moping about the house. Tell me that was not the case when you learned six men were dying after receiving your blood." Gavin was giving me tit for tat, now.
"And I got sent off-world, right in the middle of all that. And I did what I was supposed to do there, too. Were we on some sort of time limit in Kansas City? Would it have been a big deal if we put it off for a day or two?" I watched his face and drew in a breath. There had been a designated time and place. More than likely, it had been set up by Xenides himself, after he'd killed Don's brother, David. And since Gavin and the others had the time and place, somebody knew that Tony would be there. He'd been the target in Kansas City, I was sure of it. Who might know he would come? Who?
Gavin looked away from me as soon as he knew I knew. They'd kept that away from me. That's why he'd asked me to go as mist—so Xenides or his minions wouldn't see me. That was just fucking wonderful. "Cara, you are young. So young, as a vampire. Yes, I know we have had this argument before and yes, I remember where that got us." Gavin held up a hand.
"Gavin, I can't help that. And I guarantee that no matter how old I get, I'll still be pissed."
"Lissa, I came up to make things right between us, not fight with you." He pinched the space between his eyebrows as if he had a headache or something.
"You sure as hell go about things strangely," I muttered. I missed Roff at times like this. If he were here, I'd have misted away and settled in bed beside him, I think. Gavin and I hadn't slept in the same bed since we'd come in from Kansas City.
"Lissa, what I'm trying to say is that I love you. Overlook my age and rigidity, I beg you." Gavin was attempting to pull me against him, his deep brown eyes begging me to allow his touch.
"I will if you'll overlook what you insist is youth," I muttered. "I can't help it, Gavin. I cry when I lose somebody. I get depressed if six people are dying because of me. Honestly, I don't know why you want me. We don't have that much in common."
Gavin lifted me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me. "I remember when I was introduced to you," he whispered against my hair. "I saw your perfect little mouth and I was lost. Forever lost. If it were possible to go back and revisit a time, ever, I would go back to that moment. I would hold your face in my hands, cara, and kiss you. Your scent is an aphrodisiac to me—didn't you know? I thought I would have to contact Wlodek and ask him to get me away from you that first night."
"You would have killed me if he'd asked."
"And that would have killed me. I don't know how long I would have lasted, cara, if you'd died at my hand. Now, when I hold you, I can't say how fortunate I am—or how grateful. As if something precious was meant for someone else and it was handed to me by mistake. That's how I feel. Of all the important vampires in the world, the little Queen belongs to me. Wears my ring and sleeps in my bed. How many envy me already? How many more will envy me when they learn what I have?" He tipped my chin up and settled his mouth over mine. "Take us to bed, cara mia," he broke the kiss to whisper the words.
* * *
When I'd attended the last Annual Meeting, it had been on Merrill's arm at some location in Great Britain. This year it was held in France, and I couldn't help thinking of René as Gavin helped me out of the limousine we'd ridden in. Wlodek and Merrill had come separately, thank goodness. I wasn't in any mood to talk to either of them. And I hadn't talked to either of them. Not for days.
"Cara, you are lovely," Gavin kissed me lightly and tucked my hand inside his arm. We walked toward the entrance of an expansive chateau, with neatly trimmed grounds and gardens surrounding it. Water tinkled in fountains, the scent of flowers floated past and hectares of land surrounded us as we walked toward the brightly lit structure. There wasn't another home, chateau or village anywhere in sight. Thank goodness, this chateau wasn't René's—that would have been sadness on top of sadness. For Gavin and me.
Wlodek insisted that Tony stay in England. He was too young, according to Wlodek, although Gavin thought highly of his fighting skills. Gavin informed me quietly that he imagined Wlodek would allow Tony to come next year, to help the Enforcers guard the meeting.
Vampire guards nodded respectfully to Gavin when we walked through the doors. After passing through a grand entry, Gavin led me into a huge ballroom, decorated in Louis XVI style. Russell, Radomir and Will were already stationed around the ballroom's perimeter, carefully watching the guests. I wanted to go to all three of them and say hello, but that wasn't acceptable. I was supposed to be more circumspect.
"Come this way," Merrill drifted silently beside us, leading Gavin and me toward a knot of vampires. It was the Council; I learned that quickly enough. I had to be civil and respectful to Merrill, Wlodek and the others. I hated that I had to be there. Hated that I had to act as if I were enjoying myself. I wondered briefly how many others felt exactly the same. The males were all dressed in expensive tuxedos, either white or black. A few had ventured into the fringe of fashion and worn a bowtie that wasn't black or white. Female companions dotted the floor like colorful snowflakes, fallen onto darker ground.
"Follow me," Radomir was there suddenly, Wlodek and Charles right behind him. Charles carried his laptop case, so there would be minutes taken. We were going to a meeting. All of us were led toward a doorway at the back of the ballroom, every other vampire present stepping aside to allow us passage. Most bowed to Wlodek as we passed.
It was a small room, designed perhaps for more intimate gatherings. Still, it was large enough to hold all eight Council members, Wlodek, Merrill, Radomir, Gavin, Charles and me. Radomir closed the door behind us and stood guard there.
"Lissa, this is Montrose." Merrill was introducing me to the Council. Montrose lifted my hand and kissed it. "Ilaisaane." The Asian female that had voted against me. I schooled my face and muttered pleasantries. "Nestor. Cecil. Jarl." The three males who'd voted against me. Two of those were tainted, along with Ilaisaane. Did I think anyone had paid attention to me when I'd said that before? Of course not. Jarl was the only exception. He was shorter than most vampires I'd met. "Oluwa," he actually smiled at me, his beautiful, white teeth a contrast to darker skin. His black eyes danced as he kissed my hand. "Susila," the second female Council member. She didn't smile but her eyes sparkled. "And Flavio, of course," Merrill made the last of the introductions. Flavio kissed both cheeks in the European style. Still the handsomest male I'd ever met on Earth. I'm sure he knew it, too, although it didn't seem to affect him at all. Charles's laptop was set up and waiting before the introductions were ever completed.
"I called this meeting," Wlodek spoke for the first time, "to inform all of you that we have a Queen again." The only sound I heard after that announcement was Charles tapping on his computer. Wlodek cleared his throat. "Lissa is a Queen Vampire, and we will be sending her out quickly to hunt Xenides."
"She is susceptible to compulsion," Ilaisaane spat, breaking the silence. Well, she wasn't high on my list, either. None of them were. Gavin pinched my elbow to keep me from snapping at her.
"She is not. Even my compulsion cannot hold her," Wlodek admitted. Ilaisaane turned to him with a sneer. She might have opened her mouth to say something else, but the words were never spoken—I drew in a breath, a huge hole was blown into the side of the chateau and human companions were screaming in terror inside the ballroom.
No! I shouted mentally to Radomir, whose hand reached for the doorknob—he was ready to go out and do battle. That was a bad idea. Xenides had come to call, I was sure of it, and he'd probably brought friends. A lot of friends, unless I missed my guess.
"Well, bitch," I snarled at Ilaisaane, "you get to stay here. Everybody else is coming with me." Before Wlodek or Merrill could stop me, I turned everyone else in the room to mist, leaving Ilaisaane behind and cursing as I swooped through the ceiling.
My guess, sadly enough, turned out to be correct. An army surrounded the chateau, and Xenides' troops were pouring through the newly blasted hole in the wall and either fighting or shooting the Aristocracy inside the ballroom. I knew without a doubt that somebody had given secret information to Xenides, leaking information on the Annual Meeting. I smelled vampires, humans and Dark Elemaiya in the attacking army—Xenides had been busy collecting allies after we'd offed many of his vampires.
All of these were armed to the teeth, too; I saw weapons of all kinds, as well as armored vehicles (somebody had raided the army, looked like). And the humans? They'd all been given a little extra. I smelled vampire blood taint on all of them. Xenides had a disposable army of humans around him—they would all die—if not tonight then soon, from a terrible disease with no ready cure.
Lissa, take us to that hill toward the north. Merrill's mindspeech came through loud and clear when I hesitated over the battle in the ballroom below. We will decide there what to do about this attack, he added. Well, if we lived over this, Merrill and I might have a little chat. I'd tried to reach him before with mindspeech, and as he hadn't responded, I didn't think he could. Seems he had it all along, he'd just ignored me. There wasn't time to be more furious than I already was with him; there was a job to do and Xenides had stacked the deck in his favor.
Surprisingly enough, not a peep came from any Council member when I set them down on the designated hill. Located half a mile from the chateau, it was still within hearing distance as Xenides' army fought the Aristocracy and pounded away at the building; nearly half of it had been destroyed in their initial assault. Screams filled the air—if anyone attempted to escape, they were taken down swiftly. Xenides' army was herding all vampires toward the ballroom; two outside walls were completely down and the room was visible to all of us from our hilltop perch. Wlodek cursed.
"We are formidable, but even our strength is no match for that many," Oluwa muttered. He was right—at least two thousand lay siege against the chateau.
"Agreed," Montrose sighed. "We might take out the perimeter, but we will perish if we attempt to make our way past that."
"We don't have enough here to properly surround them, or to fight our way out if Lissa returns us to the chateau," Flavio pointed out.
"And we still have no guarantee that Xenides is among them," Susila added. I jerked toward her—that statement frightened me. We all stood there, atop a grassy hillside, dressed for a ball while humans and vampires died below us.
