A Cold Day in Hell (The Hellcat Series)

by Hannaford, Sharon

  "Someone who would gain by your consort's death," Benedict address Julius, ignoring Athena. "Someone who doesn't have faith that the vote will go the way they want it to."

  "Or to send the vote into turmoil," Kyle countered.

  "With Gabrielle dead, there would be no need for a vote,” Benedict pointed out. “We all know the charges over Dantè won't stick. Those are just to pacify the Maleficus. Julius would walk away from here free of a consort, though perhaps planning revenge, perhaps a broken man, vulnerable, easy to manipulate."

  "You think this is a power play?" Julius asked.

  "I don't know, Julius,” Benedict responded quietly. There was a pause as everyone digested the discussion.

  "Do we bring this to the attention of the Princeps, or do we keep it to ourselves?" Julius finally broke the silence.

  "You could make it official,” Benedict told him. “If you can prove it was Mariska who placed the spells, you'd be within your rights to request her death for attacking your consort. Unfortunately I think she's just a pawn in this game. I'm not sure she'd even know who was behind the attack. You could have your revenge on her, but the real assassin would walk free." He paused. "I think it would make whoever set this up insane with rage if you walked out of here tonight as though nothing had happened. People in the grip of insane rage can trip up, make mistakes." What Benedict said made sense to Gabi.

  "They could try again," Xavier warned.

  "Almost without a doubt," Benedict affirmed, "but you'll now be on your guard. I don't think they'll try the subtle route again." There was a short pause. "I must go now before it's noted that I'm missing. We all have our spies; some are just better than others." Gabi could hear the taunting smile in his voice.

  "Sire, I should probably go too," Xavier said.

  "Yes, go, Xavier," Julius replied. "My deepest thanks for your help today." There was the sound of two sets of footsteps, one far quieter than the other, then the slide of wood and the room went silent.

  Gabi cracked one eyelid open. "How many hours until the ball this evening?" she asked, a tight knot of anger beginning to form inside her.

  "Lea, you don't need to worry about that now, just rest," Julius assured her.

  The knot of anger exploded like a firework. "Someone just tried to kill me," she snarled. "They're not going to get away with it, and I'm going to rub their noses in the fact that I'm not dead." She sat up, glaring at everyone. Razor issued a deep, challenging growl. No one was going to keep her from that cursed ball.

  CHAPTER 15

  There was nothing simple or demure about the dress Julius had ordered for her to wear to the Princeps' Ball that evening. It was an exquisite creation of form-fitting, deep red satin. Delicate crystal beadwork adorned the 'v' of the neckline, only just revealing a hint of cleavage. Narrow straps over her shoulders criss-crossed over her shoulder blades, adding a little support to the dress, which was otherwise backless, the red satin plunging down to only just above her butt. More beadwork sparkled at the base of her spine, where the satin was bunched artfully before cascading down to the ground and pooling at her feet in a chapel train. As she took a step, a slit up the front of the red sheath gave her freedom of movement and, for everyone who cared to look, a glimpse of her leg to mid-thigh. Delicate silver evening sandals, with diamante encrusted straps, gave her an extra four and a half inches of height. Ruby and diamond jewellery graced her wrist, throat and ears.

  While this outfit was planets removed from what she would've chosen for herself, she had to admit it looked good. The dress showed off her toned body, and the shade of red didn't even clash with her hair. There was only one downside; there was nowhere to hide Nex. Even though Julius assured her that no one else would be sporting weapons at the ball, she still felt naked and exposed without the sword.

  She took one last look in the mirror, dabbing at her make-up. Well, at least she looked good, even if she felt like something a Demon had just puked up. She shuddered; some of the hallucinations were still too real in her mind. She took a deep breath and sashayed out to the main room before Julius could ask for the ninety-ninth time if she was sure she wanted to go.

  She instantly had the attention of all the males in the room. Julius's gaze began bleeding to liquid gold, and she could feel the lust flare through their connection. He quickly tamped it down, obviously reminding himself of how close she'd been to death just hours before. He shot looks at the other men, and they all suddenly had something else to look at. All except Alexander, of course.

  "Hellcat," he drawled, in a tone that implied his next words would be 'ooh-lala'. "You look pretty good for a corpse."

  "Back at ya, bloodsucker," she retorted, trying to hold back a grin.

  It was true; the men all looked amazing in their formal wear, she could be backstage at a Hugo Boss fashion show. Every one of them could've graced a runway at any fashion show in the world, even Fergus with his scar and in full Scottish formal wear: black doublet, tartan kilt and hose and a traditional sporran. It was the first time Gabi had ever seen him dressed like this, and she had to admit he wore it well. Julius was darkly mesmerising in his black, single-breasted suit, cut to perfection, accentuating the width of his shoulders and the tapering slimness of his waist. He'd broken with tradition and worn a black dress shirt with tie and handkerchief the exact shade of her dress. He looked like a panther on the prowl. Caspian had chosen to stand out, wearing a crisp white dress shirt under a red, velvet, double-breasted jacket edged in black satin and midnight-black formal trousers. As always, the wolf's head cane was in his left hand.

  Athena came out of her room at that moment and sized everyone else up in a glance. She'd brought her own evening dress, so apparently she'd been better informed than Gabi was. The aquamarine, A-line dress looked fabulous on her. The strapless, velvet bodice emphasised her petite cleavage and showed off her surprisingly toned shoulders and arms. Chiffon fell gracefully from the front of the bodice, swaying with every movement and floating to reveal elegant, pewter-coloured, peep-toe pumps. A matching pewter shawl, modest jewellery and natural make-up completed her look. Her fine, blonde hair was brushed up on one side and fastened with a delicate Swarovski crystal clip. She looked supremely elegant and utterly collected, so Gabi was confused by her almost hesitant approach as she walked to join the rest of them.

  It was only when Gabi glimpsed her eyes that she realised Athena genuinely wasn't sure that she measured up. That she was intimidated by the company she was joining. She put on a really good show when she could hide behind her formal business suits and superior attitude, but it was clear that she now felt naked, open to judgment by the others. Gabi tilted her head so Athena couldn't see her face, and glared meaningfully at Alexander.

  "Wow, Lady Magus," he exclaimed, catching the objective of Gabi's glare. "In that outfit, we may just need to give you a stick to fight the men off with." There was a chorus of agreement from the rest of the men.

  Gabi had to hide a smile as Athena's gaze went hard, and she lifted her head in usual arrogant, Athena fashion.

  "Are we ready to go?" she asked imperiously, ignoring the compliment, but pleasure creased the corners of her eyes.

  Iris left them at the door to the great hall. Music was pouring from the entrance, a little too formal for Gabi's taste, but then she doubted she had the energy to be dancing tonight anyway. It was taking everything she had to simply remain upright and keep a smile pasted on her face. She was leaning quite heavily on Julius, and to give him credit, he didn't make any attempt to send her back to their suite. The room itself was awash with black suits and colourful evening gowns. Feathers, tiaras and extravagant diamond jewellery screamed for attention as every woman there seemed to be trying to outdo her peers. Gabi, having felt severely overdressed just seconds before, realised that, if anything, she was actually underdressed.

  "Welcome to the quarterly Princeps' Ball," Caspian said with a grim smile. It sounded more like he was announcing the commencement of a battlefi
eld skirmish. Though, after surveying the faces and expressions on those nearest them, Gabi decided it may well be closer to a battlefield than an enjoyable evening of food, drink and dancing. The predatory gazes that the women directed at their small group were reminiscent of a cackle of hyenas scenting a fresh kill.

  "Ears and eyes open," Alexander growled low in his throat. "Do not get sidetracked."

  Gabi knew they'd formulated a strategy for her protection during the evening, but she didn't even have the spirit to argue with them. And honestly, if guarding her kept them out of the clutches of some of these women, it might not be a bad thing. Was there a serious lack of unattached male talent around here?

  Gabi bit back a groan, but couldn't stop the roll of her eyes as a woman broke from the crowd and rushed towards them in a froth of cream and gold taffeta, golden blonde curls bouncing and overdone make-up giving her an unnatural glow.

  "Amelia," Julius was using his formal voice, "you look wonderful."

  The other men, with the exception of Kyle, who seemed to have drawn the straw for first shift of guard duty, all made themselves suspiciously scarce, suspiciously quickly.

  "Ooh, thank you," she simpered, self-consciously placing one fluttering hand over her heart, "so do you." Her stupid, fake eyelashes fluttered coquettishly. She then did a pretend double-take, as though she'd only just noticed Gabi. "Oh, and doesn't your consort just look lovely too?"

  Gabi wondered if she should just bitchslap the annoying woman now and get it out of the way. It was only a matter of time, after all, and she probably had more energy now than she would later. Julius put his hand over hers, where it rested on his forearm, and squeezed warningly.

  "Spoilsport," she hissed quietly from between clenched teeth and a fixed smile. From the corner of her eye she watched his jaw clench in suppressed amusement. He moved slightly away from her and looked her up and down with an openly lustful gaze.

  "Yes, yes, she does," he said to Amelia, without taking his eyes off Gabi.

  Gabi caught the flash of anger in the tiny blonde's eye, before she quickly covered it with another dewy-eyed smile.

  "I'm sure your lovely consort wouldn't mind if I stole you for the first dance of the evening, would she?" More battering of silly, overdone eyelashes followed, and Gabi realised she must have subconsciously twitched as Julius tightened his grip on her hand almost to the point of pain.

  She sent him a mental picture of him sleeping on the couch, and he released her hand just long enough to change his grip and draw her fingers to his lips, putting the male equivalent of dewy-eyed adoration on his face and staring into her eyes as he replied, "I'm afraid I just can't bring myself to let her away from my side for even a moment when she looks this incredible." He finally tore his gaze from hers to look at Amelia. "You understand of course, my dear? Our union is still so fresh, I couldn't bear to leave her side quite yet."

  A stormy expression darkened Amelia's pretty features, and her lips narrowed in pique. Gabi actually had to pretend a sudden coughing fit to cover her laughter. Julius immediately patted her back in outrageously overdone concern.

  "My darling, do you need some water?" he asked her anxiously. "Excuse us, Amelia, I'm sure we'll be able to catch up later." And with that, they left the blonde Vampire to have silent conniptions, as they wound their way through the crowd towards the non-Vampire catering tables. The thought of food made her stomach clench warningly, but she allowed Julius to pour her a glass of champagne. She thought it wasn't necessary, but it still made her feel better when he calmly took a sip before handing her the glass with a surreptitious nod.

  "Julius, man," Kyle said in a quiet undertone. "That chick has the serious hots for you. You might be playing a dangerous game with that one. Would she be powerful enough to pay the price Gemini would ask for their services?"

  Gabi's thoughts raced; Kyle made an interesting point. Could the attempt on her life be because of something as basic as jealousy, instead of the more complicated politics they were assuming?

  "Not Amelia," Julius said with certainty. "She’s a particularly weak Vampire. It must have something to do with her Sire, but as he was killed several decades ago, no one is quite sure. She's hell-bent on finding a stronger Vampire to make her his consort, but she hasn't managed to net one so far."

  "So she wanders court, stirring trouble and poking her nose into everyone else's business," Caspian said as he joined them near the tables. "Your presence here has ignited her aspirations like nothing has for ages," he told Julius. "Perhaps we should put a little more thought into the theory that she could benefit greatly by Gabrielle's demise. While she may not be powerful herself, she has made some powerful, if tenuous, connections here at court. She's a passive-aggressive, manipulating troublemaker, who has uncovered many secrets others would prefer stayed buried." Caspian sounded absolutely sure of Amelia’s guilt, and his anger was blatantly clear.

  "It wasn't her," Julius insisted calmly. "Gabi's presence here tonight wasn't any kind of surprise to her. No one expecting a person to be dead would be able to pull off such nonchalance in the face of that person's perfect health."

  Gabi wished she felt in perfect health. Truthfully she wasn't going to make it much longer before she’d have to find a seat. She kept her feeling of exhaustion tightly controlled, though, knowing Julius would drag her back to the suite with the tiniest provocation.

  Caspian harrumphed at Julius's answer, but didn't sound convinced. He obviously knew a fair bit about the sweet, innocent-looking Amelia. She'd have to ask him for more details later.

  She sipped her champagne and allowed her gaze to sweep the crowd, letting her Vamp sense out to see if anything unusual pinged. It was then that she noticed that the serving and wait staff, mostly humans, were dressed in two distinct uniforms. The men all wore black trousers, and the women neat, black pencil skirts, and they all wore loose-fitting peasant shirts. There were two distinct colours of shirt. A pale, dove grey and a deep burgundy. As her gaze continued to take in every detail of the room, she suddenly understood the reason for the difference. A couple intertwined in an unoccupied alcove: one a female Vampire, the other a human male in a burgundy shirt. Others in burgundy shirts wandered the ballroom, smiling and mingling. Those in grey shirts were carrying trays and refilling glasses; they had no interaction with the guests.

  "Julius, you should probably mingle, so the rest of us can see how others react to you and a very much alive consort," Kyle urged.

  Julius drew in a deep breath as though bracing himself for an unpleasant task. "Yes, you're right." He took Gabi's empty champagne glass from her and set it on the table. "Let's go and introduce you to the Princeps' Court."

  Alexander and Athena joined them, taking up the mantle of covert protectors from Kyle. Their appearance as a couple made it easier for them to trail Julius and Gabi without seeming to be guarding them. Caspian went off to mingle, greeting almost every Vampire he met as though they were long-lost friends. Gabi watched him as Julius helped her weave through the crowd. He was a master at conversing with enough people that it wasn't obvious he was keeping a close eye on the faces of every Vampire within eyesight of her and Julius. She spotted Nathan and Quentin, both swamped by female attention, but both alert enough to acknowledge her passing.

  Julius stopped every few paces and greeted Vampires. She noted that none of them shook hands. It appeared to be the norm; a slight incline of the head was the only concession to a formal greeting. They all greeted her formally and politely, though their gazes were all equally inquisitive and, in some of the females' cases, somewhat malicious.

  She'd lost track of names about thirteen introductions ago, so she wasn't even trying to keep them straight, simply concentrating on keeping the smile on her face and feigning interest in the Clan details and achievements that were touted amidst the introductions. She recognised Fianna as they approached a small knot of less extravagantly dressed Vampires, her Irish brogue clear over the low hum of the large crowd. Gabi pe
rked up; this introduction she was actually interested in. The legendary female warrior Princep who was purported to have never lost a fight held a certain fascination for Gabi. It was a rare thing to come across another like her, a woman who held her own among men. Fianna spotted them and immediately pushed a few of her hangers-on to one side to make room for them to join the group.

  Fianna's hard, uncompromising assessment of Gabi reminded her that many of her battle scars were visible in the dress she was wearing. She hadn't been aware of them before, but now each one seemed to tingle as the other woman looked her over. Gabi stood quietly, allowing the assessment without comment or question until the Irish woman was done, then allowed her own gaze to appraise the Princep in just as much detail. The older woman was dressed in a smart pants suit in deep green, with a pale ivory blouse and soft leather boots. She wore no make-up, and her only hint of femininity was a gold necklace with some kind of Celtic charm hanging from it.

  After a few tense moments where no one spoke, Fianna smiled, an open, honest smile acknowledging a peer, a comrade. Gabi felt relieved, but kept the emotion from her face, returning Fianna's smile as though it was simply her due. Tension eased from Julius as well, as he watched the exchange between the two.

  "The tales of your exploits are very entertaining, my dear," Fianna finally said. "We will have to exchange stories one day, in a less crowded setting."

  Gabi was genuinely regretful that they would probably never get to have that conversation. They exchanged a few more pleasantries and were about to move on when Julius suddenly looked around, as though he'd had an inaudible call. Gabi followed his gaze and found that Nathan was staring at them from across the room, something was passing between the two, but it was over in a split second. Julius glanced down at her.

  "I think we've pushed the limits of your strength enough for tonight," he said as they took their leave of Fianna's group.