Burning Both Ends

“Yes, but that is not the point.” He returned to staring out the window.

So what was the point? Ari didn’t know whether this was a guy thing or a vampire thing. She looked at Lilith, and the lioness shook her head. No one else seemed bothered by this waiting game, not even Russell. Must be a guy thing. Testosterone based.

“So-o, when do we go?” Ari ventured. “I mean, how do we decide when it’s time?”

When no one else spoke, Oliver, the older of the two vamp guards, said, “Andreas will sense when Sebastian is ready to move.”

“Um, I don’t understand. Are we talking telepathy?” Was it the same thing she and Andreas shared?

“Not exactly.” Andreas spoke this time. “Master level vampires can read other vampires, pick up on impressions and feelings. It requires constant blocking to prevent readable leaks, even in the oldest vampires. Sebastian is so arrogant, he is careless in guarding his thoughts.”

“How will he read you? You wouldn’t be that sloppy.”

“He is more powerful.” Showing no discomfort with this admission, Andreas turned his attention back to the view outside the window.

Ari’s gut clenched at his words, her fear meter bouncing wildly upward. Maybe it was his matter-of-fact tone, his easy acceptance of Sebastian’s superior power. Andreas was always so confident; Ari was used to thinking of him as nearly invincible. In her head she knew that Sebastian was much older, but she hadn’t considered how that might play out in a contest of wills. If Andreas thought they were out-gunned, they should be running for the hills. But what options did they have?

She didn’t know much about the inner workings of the secretive vamp community. Much of their life—especially court maneuverings—was hidden from the rest of the world. Take tonight, for example; none of her education and training had prepared Ari for what might happen when two master vampires met under the current circumstances. If it turned into a fight, would they use weapons? Hand-to-hand combat with strength and teeth? She didn’t think it would be that simple, and not knowing what would happen next gave her goose bumps.

She studied Andreas’s rigid back. He was different tonight, unapproachable, remote. The indefinable, mystical link between them barely flickered. Andreas was blocking her out. A part of her, a very small part, wished she’d stayed home in Riverdale.

Ari stood and joined his eerie watch at the window. The moon chose that moment to pop from behind the clouds. “The Hunter’s Moon!” she said, startled she hadn’t remembered before now. The coincidence made her uneasy. This was the night when hunters of the past had killed the meat for the long winter. Also known as the killing moon, it boded a night of terror for prey. Otherworlders of all kinds, including vampires, were attuned to the ancient call of this night.

“Yes, a night to be wary,” Andreas said without inflection. “I could wish our timing was better, but it cannot be helped. Our errand is urgent.”

She studied his profile. Was he worried? Her witch blood stirred sending tiny barbs across her neck.

Another half hour passed.

At last Andreas turned away from the window. “It is time to go.”

Chapter Three

The clouds had covered the moon again and left the area outside Sebastian’s headquarters in total darkness. The storefront seemed as deserted as before, but Andreas didn’t hesitate. He strode to the door, tapped once and announced his name. It opened immediately, a werewolf beckoned to them, and the delegation from Riverdale filed inside.

Andreas halted at the sight of a dozen heavily armed vampires and werewolves. A large, black-haired vamp detached himself from the group. “I am Francois. Your servants will remain here.”

The big guy looked impressive, but he was no more than a hundred years old. Ari sensed his limited power.

Andreas arched a brow. “I think not. Surely, this is not how Sebastian treats a visiting court.” Andreas was at his most commanding and arrogant. He allowed a hint of his power to leak over everyone in the room. “These are members of our delegation. I am sure you do not intend to disrespect them. Take us to your prince.”

The other vamp took a step back but remained adamant. “My orders do not include your party.”

“If you do not have the necessary authority to admit them, then find someone who does. We will wait.”

The younger vamp hesitated this time. “You can ask Jerome. Follow me.”

Round one to Andreas. The group was in, but it had been a shallow victory. The vamp sent to meet them was so low level his presence was an insult. Sebastian would not expect him to stand up to Andreas’s greater authority. Their host was being pissy. Not a good start.

Andreas moved forward, and the others followed, crossing an open space to the back of the original store and down the stairs into a basement area. A wall panel slid open on the right. Stone steps descended into man-made, or vampire-made, subterranean tunnels. Branches spiraled in all directions, similar to Prince Daron’s compound in Olde Town, except much older. As the area had not been modernized with electricity, their escorts took torches from the walls. Two of Sebastian’s party went ahead; the others, more heavily armed, followed behind.

A gradual upward slant in the path preceded their arrival at the inner chambers. They entered a small, nondescript room of bare stone and concrete walls. Two giant werewolves guarded the massive, iron, double doors at the other end. Although both wolves were in human form, they didn’t look or act human. Their eyes were the distinctive, golden-brown common among their kind, and one of them had furry tuffs on the back of his hands. To retain such wolfish features, the men had to have been infected by lycanthropy, not been natural born, and spent way too much time in wolf form. Both had the physiques of weight lifters, and their faces betrayed a feral look.

The furry-handed guy glared at their escort. “Why are the others here? Your orders were clear.”

“But Jerome, I…I mean, he…”

Andreas interrupted. “As a representative of a visiting court, I have the right to bring my delegation with me.”

Jerome looked them over, then ordered the big vamp back to his post. The wolf pointed at Ari but spoke to Andreas. “Why is this female wearing a holy item? It will do her no good and is an insult to the prince.”

Which item was he objecting to? The silver cross or the holy water? They weren’t big enough to do much damage. The amulets were much more powerful, but he hadn’t mentioned those. In any case, she wasn’t handing over the gift from her grandmother.

“It is mere jewelry,” Andreas responded in an even tone. “Surely the great Prince Sebastian would not be bothered by such a trifling thing. As you can see, I am not.”

“She must leave it behind,” the wolf insisted.

Ari tilted her head. “No, but I will take it off.” She looked at Andreas. “Perhaps you could keep it for me?”

“My pleasure.”

Ari unfastened the clasp and slipped the bracelet into a pocket of Andreas’s jacket. She had anticipated her bracelet would raise an objection. In fact, she’d counted on it to distract him from other possible weapons.

The giant werewolf wrinkled his nose with displeasure, and for a moment Ari thought he would try to confiscate the charms. She tried her best to look like a spoiled but helpless female. Not something she had much practice in, but her blonde hair and slender frame often conveyed that impression. She offered a slightly apologetic smile and dropped her lashes submissively. Argh. The wolf sniffed her once, sneered, and promptly lost interest.

“If this one is your chosen consort, she may come. Select one other. The rest will remain here.”

Ari kept her eyes down but was amazed they were allowing her to enter the court chambers without a thorough search. Had Sebastian’s court grown complacent, too sure of their power? Didn’t they know she was a cop and likely to be armed? Maybe the big wolf had so little respect for females that he didn’t think of her as a potential threat. Whatever the reason, it was a serious breach of security. Ari would have fired him on the spot.

That Jerome had mistaken her for a consort kind of rankled, because she didn’t like the implications of servitude tied to the word, but if the deception would get her inside Sebastian’s court, Ari was willing to play along. She waited to see what Andreas would say.

He lifted the other brow, as if in disbelief at Jerome’s impudence, then turned his back on the wolves. He spoke to his companions as if Sebastian’s people weren’t there. Andreas kept his voice bland, but his eyes glittered with mischief.

Ari suddenly realized he was enjoying this test of wills.

“I am afraid Sebastian is having some kind of security problem,” Andreas said. “Otherwise, they would not be restricting visitors. Under the circumstances, we will honor their request. Oliver, you will accompany us. Marcus and the werelions shall remain here, prepared to assist the wolves with this unknown peril.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “I would not want Sebastian to be endangered while his people are concerned with offering us their hospitality. Understood?” He waited until everyone nodded, then he flashed a brief smile and turned back toward the wolves. “We are ready to proceed.”

Jerome’s whole body bristled with suspicion. He glared at Andreas, clearly thinking he’d been insulted—but not quite sure. Andreas looked back at him with studied indifference. Finally the giant wolf mastered his temper and turned away, jerked his head at his partner, and together they pulled open the double doors.

Andreas wrapped his cool fingers around Ari’s left hand, and they entered the court chambers together. Oliver walked on Andreas’s left side.

Ari’s immediate impression was they had transported through time and space to a high school gymnasium, poorly decorated for a Roman or Grecian-themed school prom. Walls were draped with white cloths; white columns and statues stood here and there. If it was intended to be elegant, it had failed. Tacky came to mind. The Riverdale delegation crossed a wide polished wood floor and stopped in front of a raised platform at the far end. The stage was carpeted in black velvet with a white, pillowy couch placed in the center.