"IT'S NOT FUNNY!'
"Youre right,' agreed Sydney. "It's not funny. It's hilarious.'
We were back at Raymond's house, in the privacy of our room. It had taken forever for us to get away from the fireside festivities, particularly after learning a terrible fact about a Keeper custom. Well, I thought it was terrible, at least. It turned out that if someone wanted to marry someone else around here, the prospective bride and groom each had to battle it out with the other's nearest relative of the same sex. Angeline had spotted Joshua's interest from the moment I'd arrived, and when she'd seen the bracelet, she'd assumed some sort of arrangement had been made. It therefore fell on her, as his sister, to make sure I was worthy. She still didn't like or entirely trust me, but proving myself a capable fighter had shot me up in her esteem, allowing her to consent to our "engagement.' It had then taken a lot of fast-talking to convince everyone-- including Joshua--that there was no engagement. Had there been, I'd learned, Dimitri would have had to stand in as my "relative' and fight Joshua.
"Stop that,' I chastised. Dimitri leaned against one of the room's walls, arms crossed, watching as I rubbed where Angeline had hit my cheekbone. It was hardly the worst injury I'd ever had, but I'd definitely have a bruise tomorrow. There was a small smile on his face.
"I told you not to encourage him,' came Dimitri's calm response.
"Whatever. You didn't see this coming. You just didn't want me to--' I bit off my words. I wouldn't say what was on my mind: that Dimitri was jealous. Or possessive. Or whatever. I just knew he'd been irritated to see me friendly with Joshua ... and very amused at my outrage over Angeline's attack. I abruptly turned to Sydney, who was just as entertained as Dimitri. In fact, I was pretty sure I'd never seen her smile so much. "Did you know about this custom?'
"No,' she admitted, "but I'm not surprised. I told you they're savage. A lot of ordinary problems are settled by fights like that.'
"It's stupid,' I said, not caring that I was whining. I touched the top of my head, wishing I had a mirror to see if Angeline had taken a noticeable chunk of hair. "Although ... she wasn't bad. Unpolished, but not bad. Are they all that tough? The humans and Moroi too?'
"That's my understanding.'
I pondered that. I was annoyed and embarrassed by what had happened, but I had to admit the Keepers were suddenly way more interesting. How ironic that such a backward group had the insight to teach everyone to fight, no matter their race. Meanwhile, my own "enlightened' culture still refused to teach defense.
"And that's why Strigoi don't bother them,' I murmured, recalling breakfast. I didn't even realize what I'd said until Dimitri's smile dropped. He glanced toward the window, face grim.
"I should check in with Boris again and see what he's found.' He turned back toward Sydney. "It won't take long. We don't all need to go. Should I just take your car since I only have to go a little ways?'
She shrugged and reached for her keys. We'd learned earlier that Sydney's phone could pick up a signal about ten minutes from the village. He was right. There really was no reason for us all to go for a quick phone call. After my fight, Sydney and I were reasonably safe. No one would mess with me now. Still ... I didn't like the thought of Dimitri reliving his Strigoi days alone.
"You should still go,' I told her, thinking fast. "I need to check in on Lissa.' Not entirely a lie. What my friends had heard from Joe was still weighing on me. "I can usually still keep track of what's going on around me at the same time, but it might be better if you're away--especially in case Alchemists do show up.'
My logic was faulty, though her colleagues were still a concern. "I doubt they'd come while it's dark,' she said, "but I don't really want to hang out if you're just going to stare into space.' She didn't admit it, and I didn't need to say anything, but I suspected she didn't want someone else driving her car anyway.
Dimitri thought her coming was unnecessary and said as much, but apparently, he didn't feel like he could boss her around as much as me. So, they both set out, leaving me alone in the room. I watched them wistfully. Despite how annoying his earlier mockery had been, I was worried about him. I'd seen the effect of the last call and wished I could be there now to comfort him. I had a feeling he wouldn't have allowed that, so I accepted Sydney's accompaniment as a small victory.
With them gone, I decided I really would check in with Lissa. I'd said it more as an excuse, but truthfully, it beat the alternative--going back out and socializing. I didn't want any more people congratulating me, and apparently, Joshua had read my "maybe' and acceptance of the bracelet as a real commitment. I still thought he was devastatingly cute but couldn't handle seeing his adoration.
Sitting cross-legged on Angeline's bed, I opened myself to the bond and what Lissa was experiencing. She was walking through the halls of a building I didn't recognize at first. A moment later, I got my bearings. It was a building at Court that housed a large spa and salon--as well as the hideout of Rhonda the gypsy. It seemed weird that Lissa would be going to get her fortune told, but once I got a glimpse of her companions, I knew she was up to something else.
The usual suspects were with her: Adrian and Christian. My heart leapt at seeing Adrian again--especially after the Joshua Incident. My last spirit dream had been too brief.
Christian was holding Lissa's hand as they walked, his grip warm and reassuring. He looked confident and determined--though with that typically snarky half-smile of his. Lissa was the one who felt nervous and was clearly bracing herself for something. I could feel her dreading her next task, even though she believed it was necessary.
"Is this it?' she asked, coming to a halt in front of a door.
"I think so,' said Christian. "That receptionist said it was the red one.'
Lissa hesitated only a moment and then knocked. Nothing. Either the room was empty or she was being ignored. She held up her hand again, and the door opened. Ambrose stood there, stunning as always, even in jeans and a casual blue T-shirt. The clothing hugged his body in a way that showed off every muscle. He could have walked straight off the cover of GQ.
"Hey,' he said, clearly surprised.
"Hey,' said Lissa back. "We were wondering if we could talk to you?'
Ambrose ever so slightly inclined his head toward the room. "I'm kind of busy right now.' Beyond him, Lissa could see a massage table with a Moroi woman lying face down. The lower half of her body had a towel over it, but her back was bare, shining in the dim lighting with oil. Scented candles burned in the room, and a calming kind of New Age music played softly.
"Wow,' said Adrian. "You don't waste any time, do you? She's only been in her grave a few hours, and you've already got someone new.' Tatiana had finally been laid to rest earlier in the day, just before sunset. The burial had had much less fanfare than the original attempt.
Ambrose gave Adrian a sharp look. "She's my client. It's my job. You forget that some of us have to work for a living.'
"Please?' asked Lissa, hastily stepping in front of Adrian. "It won't take long.'
Ambrose looked my friends over a moment and then sighed. He glanced behind him. "Lorraine? I have to step outside. I'll be right back, okay?'
"Okay,' called the woman. She shifted, facing him. She was older than I'd expected, mid-forties or so. I guess if you were paying for a massage, there was no reason not to have a masseuse half your age. "Hurry back.'
He gave her a dazzling smile as he shut the door, a smile that dropped once he was alone with my friends. "Okay, what's going on? I don't like the looks on your faces.'
Ambrose might have radically deviated from a dhampir man's normal life, but he'd had the same training as any guardian. He was observant. He was always on the lookout for potential threats.
"We, uh, wanted to talk to you about ...' Lissa hesitated. Talking about investigations and interrogations was one thing. Carrying them out was another. "About Tatiana's murder.'
Ambrose's eyebrows rose. "Ah. I see. Not sure what there is to say, except that I don't think Rose did it. I don't think you believe that either, despite what's going around. Everyone's talking about how shocked and upset you are. You're getting a lot of sympathy over having been tricked by such a dangerous and sinister "friend.''
Lissa felt her cheeks flush. By publicly condemning me and renouncing our friendship, Lissa was keeping herself out of trouble. It had been Abe and Tasha's advice, and Lissa knew it was sound. Yet, even though it was an act, she still felt guilty. Christian stepped to her defense.
"Back off. That's not what this is about.'
"What is it about then?' asked Ambrose.
Lissa jumped in, worried Christian and Adrian might upset Ambrose and make it difficult to get answers. "Abe Mazur told us that in the courtroom, you said or, uh, did something to Rose.'
Ambrose looked shocked, and I had to give him points for being convincing. "Did something? What does that mean? Does Mazur think I, like, hit on her in front of all those people?'
"I don't know,' admitted Lissa. "He just saw something, that's all.'
"I wished her good luck,' said Ambrose, still looking offended. "Is that okay?'
"Yeah, yeah.' Lissa had made a point to talk to Ambrose before Abe could, fearing Abe's methods would involve threats and a lot of physical force. Now, she was wondering if she was doing so great a job. "Look, we're just trying to find out who really killed the queen. You were close to her. If there's anything--anything--at all you've got that can help us, we'd appreciate it. We need it.'
Ambrose glanced curiously between them. Then, he suddenly understood. "You think I did it! That's what this is about.' None of them said anything. "I can't believe this! I already got this from the guardians ... but from you? I thought you knew me better.'
"We don't know you at all,' said Adrian flatly. "All we know is you had lots of access to my aunt.' He pointed at the door. "And obviously, it didn't take you long to move on.'
"Did you miss the part where I said that's my job? I'm giving her a massage, that's it. Not everything is sordid and dirty.' Ambrose shook his head in frustration and ran a hand through his brown hair. "My relationship with Tatiana wasn't dirty either. I cared about her. I would never do anything to hurt her.'
"Don't statistics say most murders happen between close people?' asked Christian.
Lissa glared at him and Adrian. "Stop it. Both of you.' She looked back at Ambrose. "No one's accusing you of anything. But you were around her a lot. And Rose told me you were upset about the age law.'