I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t.
She flicked her wrist at her side, the movement meant to draw attention. “Where are you meeting your friend?”
I shrugged, not looking up, not meeting her eyes. Still my vision went dark. A stifling presence weighed down on me in the blackness.
“Answer my questions truthfully,” her disembodied voice said from the darkness. “Where are you meeting your friend?”
“I don’t know,” I heard myself reply, though I hadn’t meant to say anything.
“Then how will you find him?” she asked. I bit my tongue hard, concentrating on not saying anything. She clicked her tongue. “Answer me.”
“A mutual friend.”
“This friend is a shapeshifter?”
“No.”
“What is he?”
“She is a scholar.” I gave myself a mental pat on the back for restraining from saying mage.
“And where is this scholar?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then how will you find her?”
“I’ll call her.”
“What is her phone number?”
“I don’t know.”
The darkness around me buzzed with irritation, and an agitated sound escaped the Collector’s throat. “What do you know?”
Oooh, an open-ended question. “I know that sunlight prompts the brain to produce happy chemicals, and so it is my belief that older vampires are grouchy due to light deprivation.”
The darkness surrounding me retreated with a snap. The street fell into focus. I swayed, disoriented. The Collector’s icy—and completely unamused—eyes dominated my vision.
My hand ached, and I realized Nathanial held my fingers in a death grip. I looked at our hands. When did he—? Hell, what did it matter?
“You are a most frustrating creature,” the Collector snapped. Then she turned. “Jomar! Where are those limos?”
The squinty faced guard shuffled his feet. “There appears to be a problem, Mistress. One of the drivers is missing. I’ve sent for another. But until then, there is only one car.”
I couldn’t see her face, but it must have been fierce because Jomar stumbled back. He growled something into his cell phone, and Nathanial tugged on my hand, drawing me several steps away. When we were several yards from the other vampires, Nathanial’s arms slid around my waist. He pulled me against his chest.
I stiffened. “Nathanial, I—”
“Shhh, Kitten. Listen to me,” he whispered, his lips so close they brushed my ear as he spoke and I still scarcely heard.
And if I could scarcely hear him—No one else could. I settled against his chest, and he let out a sigh as if he’d expected me to put up a fight. I frowned. This wasn’t the first time he’d acted surprised when I didn’t fight him. He clearly considered contrariness my default mode. I huffed out my breath. Okay, so maybe I’m a little difficult at times, but I’m not completely unreasonable. If this was the only way to have a somewhat private conversation, so be it.
“I know you need to search for the unaccounted-for members of Tyler’s gang, and I will help you when I can, but you must be careful.”
Like I don’t know that. “Trust me, it is not on my to-do list to get Bobby and Gil added to the Collector’s zoo.”
“Kita, there is more at stake than that. We are walking a precarious line with vampire laws of hospitality. Right now she is trying to seduce us with grandeur—”
“You. She is trying to seduce you.”
I felt his lip twitch, just a small movement against my cheek. A frown? A smile? I wasn’t sure. After a moment, he continued, “She is splitting hairs with our laws. You are a companion, so she cannot separate you from me by force unless we are in her territory.”
“We are in her territory.”
“That is why we must be careful. For now we are guests, but if we break her rules or disobey her, we could be seen as hostile. That would be a very bad situation to find ourselves in.”
And more than likely, she’d consider my sneaky behavior and smart mouth a violation. “She promised you we wouldn’t be separated if you joined her.”
“I remain Tatius’s subject and only a visiting master unless I petition her for a place in her city. If I am deemed hostile or a threat, she could execute me without penalty. You would then be masterless.”
And I’d already learned that masterless meant ‘anyone’s meat.’
We had been whispering for too long. I pushed away from Nathanial, and he didn’t fight me. Rocking back on my heels, I considered our dilemma.
“How long are we visitors?” I asked. The other vamps might be able to hear, if they were straining to listen, but what did it matter? I was getting the abridged version of vampiric law, I’m sure they already knew it.
“Our timeline is dictated by Tatius. Though I am a master vampire, I must still answer to the master of my city. As Tatius’s subject, I am protected. But if I disobey him while out of his territory, I effectively disclaim him and am without protection. He is no fool. By now he has surely confirmed we are missing. We cannot know if he believes we left willingly or not, but when he finds our location, he will demand our return. I think the Collector is counting on his move. When he sends for us, time will be up and a choice must be made.”
A choice? Like joining the Collector’s menagerie was an option? Of course, Tatius had to be well and truly pissed by now, and if he believed Nathanial took the Collector up on her offer… Returning to Haven might not be possible. Moving to another master’s city meant Nathanial would have to negotiate our safe travel, which would be hard to do while we were under lock and key as the Collector’s guests.
“We’re so screwed.”
Nathanial winced. “Charming vernacular, but accurate enough.”
“So what do we do?”
Nathanial drew me into his arms again. “We play by her rules. She owns many cities. If we are not forced into an urgent decision, I may be able to negotiate a permanent relocation for us. One which will limit how she displays you.”
Limit being the key word. “I hate vampires.”
“I know.” He brushed a kiss across my forehead. “And I know the urgency in which we need to untangle… that other issue.” His thumb trailed over the Judge’s mark, indicating which other issue he meant. “But for now, it would perhaps be more appropriate if you attempted to behave like Elizabeth.” He nodded to the porcelain doll where she clung to the Traveler’s hand, her body leaning against his.
My teeth gritted. I can’t believe he just suggested— “There is more going on,” I whispered, the words hot with anger.
“There is the necro—”
My jaw snapped shut as twin currents of first fire and then ice ripped through me. Avin warned me not to tell. I squeezed my eyes shut as I swayed. When I opened them again, I was clinging to Nathanial, his worried face filling my vision.
“Kita, what happened? What was that?” As he spoke, a single white limousine rounded the corner.
I shook my head as the limo pulled to the corner. I’d have to find a way to tell him. Somehow. But later.
The Collector turned toward us. “I trust you have finished your gossiping?” It wasn’t a question. She strolled toward the limo. “Aphrodite, you appear to have a personnel issue with your drivers. I suggest you fix it.” She gave the blonde woman a tight smile. Which was not returned. “You and your council can wait for the backup car. My council will be returning to the mansion. Hermit, come. We have much to discuss.”
* * * *
At the mansion, I left Nathanial in Aphrodite’s drawing room, with the Collector. My fate was being decided in that room, but I wasn’t allowed to speak, so there wasn’t any reason for me to be there.
Well, actually, I thought there was plenty of reason. But after the Collector expressed her ‘plans’—she wanted me to do the grand tour, letting each and every master vampire she wished to impress take a bite out of me—and I lost my temper and told her where she could shove her offer, I was kicked out.
I hated vampires.
Stupid, selfish, power hungry—
I lingered outside the drawing room door for a few moments, but the damn room was sound proof. I couldn’t hear a word. Now all I could do was trust Nathanial to negotiate a better deal. If he can.
I sighed and took the steps of the sweeping staircase two at a time. Mine and Nathanial’s bedroom was the last on the second floor. I didn’t pay any attention to the doors I passed on my way, until one opened. The sour smell of snake musk preceded a kimono-clad figure into the hall.
Akane.
She glared at me, stepping into my path. Then she unsheathed a gleaming blade. Crap.
The only Japanese sword I knew was the katana, and her sword was much too short to be one. No doubt it could still do damage. If she knew how to use it.
Her body language promised that she knew exactly what she was doing.
“You smell foul,” she spat. “You make the whole house stink.”
“Nice to see you again, too. How about putting away the pointy sword?”
She didn’t. Spreading her stance, she lifted the sword, angling it toward my throat. Not good. I backed up a step and gripped the folds of my gown. Come on, now would be a good time for claws. I pushed energy at my hands, my fingers. A spasm shot up my arms.
Thank the moon!
Another spasm hit, a pop sounded. Then a wave of dizziness rushed over me. I staggered and Akane charged.
Crap. I flung myself back, lifting my hands. The spasms had stopped, but instead of claws, I had paws.
I wasn’t sure what her reach was with the sword, but it was definitely longer than mine, especially since at the moment my only natural weapons were fangs. She blocked the path to the stairs. Screaming for help wouldn’t do a whole hell of a lot of good with Nathanial holed up in a sound-proof room. My choices came down to an out-matched fight or barricading myself in my room.