by Olsen, Lisa
“You will?” I blinked, surprised but not displeased by the idea. Only Rob’s declaration stemmed from less personal reasons than I’d hoped for.
“I’m not taking any chances with their security after what happened to Tommy. I’ll be right by your side the entire time we’re here.”
“I kind of like the sound of that,” I ventured a smile. “There’s room for an entire platoon of security in this bed.” I patted the mattress beside me.
“I’ll take the couch out in the sitting room.”
Where was the fun in that? “Hey, it’s no big deal. I sleep like the dead for the bulk of the day, remember? I promise to keep my hands to myself.”
“I can’t promise the same thing.”
That caught my attention for sure. “Is that such a bad thing?” Our eyes locked for a long moment, neither one of us so much as breathing, before he looked away.
“The couch will do me fine.”
“Okay, but the offer’s on the table if you change your mind.”
“I think I’ll just have a quick wash up before we go down to the hall. Don’t go anywhere without me,” he warned.
My hand came up to lie over my heart. “I promise I’ll be good. But, um… if you don’t trust me, I could always join you in there. Help you wash your back?” I threw out the semi-serious tease.
“Behave.” Rob wagged a stern finger in my direction before he escaped to the safety of the bathroom.
Things were looking up.
*
Rob was out in two shakes, and I’d already changed into my cherry blossom dress, wanting to look more put together before we joined the other high muckety mucks in the ballroom. It took almost another half hour before Felix and Bridget emerged from the other bedroom, Bridget looking flushed but happy in a dress of deep green as we started down the stairs to the grand hall.
Felix peeled off to go talk to someone almost the moment we stepped into the room, taking Bridget with him, but Gunnar and Rob stayed by my side, comforting in their solid presence. Simon Corley, Warden of Vetis, sat tucked away in the corner of the room on his massive armchair, holding court, but I ignored him for the time being. Sure, I’d have to go present myself to him and go through all the formal greeting rigmarole, but first I wanted to take a look around and see if I could place some of the faces with the names I’d studied.
It was far more packed than last time, but I actually felt more comfortable with the larger crowd, the easier to blend in. Soft piano music added to the din of conversation, but there wasn’t any dancing. Not that there weren’t couples a plenty. I’d thought the Gathering might be heavy on the male side, but there were lots of women present, beautiful in their colorful dresses, heavy jewels glinting under the lights. Thank goodness I’d changed first, only I hadn’t thought to wear anything sparkly to impress. Rob’s necklace hung tucked inside the bodice of my dress, Jakob’s ring and my ring of office the only other jewelry I wore.
“Lìngrén jingyì… Aren’t they just beautiful? I breathed, feeling a little like Cinderella at her first ball, wowed by all the opulence gathered in one place.
“Ó, nǐ shuō zhōngguó huà ma?” A voice sounded at my elbow, and I turned to face a petite Asian man who was peering at me closely, posh as anything in a black tuxedo with a white bow tie.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” I asked, bewildered when he fired off a string of rapid fire Chinese, leaving me more confused than before. “Sorry, I only speak Firefly,” I grinned sheepishly. The man shook his head with a confused squint, and turned away. “Who was that?” I whispered to Rob as soon as he’d moved away a respectable distance.
“I’ve no idea,” he replied, his eyes scanning the crowd, all business.
Gunnar just shrugged when I looked to him for an answer.
“They should make people wear nametags to these things,” I grumbled. “Or maybe put out a newsletter. The who’s who of the vampire world. Or a website!” My eyes opened wider in excitement. “We should totally do a website! We could get pictures of everybody, take a few candids during the meeting, what do you think?”
Rob’s response didn’t fill me with a ton of confidence in the idea. “Something tells me that won’t be met with a lot of enthusiasm.”
“It’s not like I’d put VAMPIRE across the top of it. Or heck, who’d care if I did? There are a ton of wacky websites out there. I can think of three alone that friends of mine run claiming knowledge of vampires, witches, and aliens. Nobody cares. I should talk to Felix about it, if I can find him.”
“I’ll go fetch him,” Rob offered. “Stay close to her,” he added unnecessarily to Gunnar, who edged a few inches nearer.
“He didn’t mean that close,” I laughed, side stepping him when I started to lose my balance. “Felix can’t be too far. Can you see him from your height?” My head twisted around, looking for my partner in crime when I spotted a familiar set of shoulders.
Bishop.
I almost didn’t recognize him at first. I half expected to see him in tactical gear, but he wore a finely tailored suit of navy wool that emphasized his broad shoulders and lean waist. His dark hair was shorter than I’d seen it before – almost a buzz cut, utilitarian – his cheeks smoothly shaven without a trace of stubble.
“Bishop!” I gasped, with just a little too much volume for the room, and heads swiveled in our direction. Had I said I was over him? All it took was one glimpse of him and my heart leapt into my throat as I waited for him to turn my way. It hurt to look at him, he was so beautiful with those green eyes holding me fast. And so tense. That only made it worse. But the worst thing of all was the way he said my name – as though we were strangers.
“Anja.”
“That’s Your Grace to you,” Gunnar warned, but I shook my head.
“It doesn’t matter.” I hardly expected him to address me as such but Bishop inclined his head in apology.
“No, he’s right. Forgive me, Your Grace. I meant no disrespect. I trust you’ll find everything to your liking and enjoy your visit.”
I stared at him, not fully comprehending the words coming out of his mouth. I knew we were in the middle of a fancy get together, but surely he could talk to me like a regular person, couldn’t he? What did you even say to something like that? My mouth opened to murmur something noncommittal about the weather, but instead, I found the gumption to speak my mind.
“This is ridiculous. We haven’t seen each other in weeks and there’s so much I want to tell you about what’s happened and ask about how things are going with you and…” I became aware of the fact that he wasn’t even close to being on the same page with me. Not that I imagined we’d pick things up where we’d left off, but I’d expected some spark of the Bishop I knew and loved. “Aren’t you glad to see me?”
“I’m… glad you arrived safely.”
It was like a slap in the face. “That’s all you have to say to me?”
His eyes were tragic as he stared back at me, as though there were too many words crowding to the surface at once. There… I wasn’t nothing to him, I knew it. Bishop opened his mouth like he might have said something, but dropped his gaze without uttering a single word, almost as if he was afraid to meet my eyes. So we were right back to that again.
Rob appeared at my side, extending a flute of champagne to me. “Hullo, Bishop,” he said with a tight smile, laying a proprietary hand to the small of my back.
“Rob,” Bishop stiffened.
“Been congratulating our girl?”
“I wouldn’t quite call it that, but I suppose they’re in order. Elder of the West… you’re moving up fast in the world.”
“Don’t sound so thrilled, I won’t be able to contain myself,” I muttered. Clearly Bishop didn’t think it was one of the better ideas of the century, but I’d prepared myself for that. I was even looking forward to one of his ‘you can’t do that’ lectures, in a sick way.
“I had no idea you were so politically motivated.”
“You
know Anja. When she sees an injustice done, she can’t help but try and make it right.” Rob’s hand hadn’t moved away from my back, as if he was staking a claim to me. Was he? Or did he not entirely realize how his actions came across?
“I thought I did,” Bishop said quietly. “I’ll let you two enjoy your evening. I have business to attend to.”
“Of course.” I suppressed the roll of the eyes that threatened, when wasn’t Bishop rushing off on Order business? This was so not how I’d thought our first conversation would go, with or without Rob’s interference. My voice was a few shades cooler as I said my goodbye. “Don’t let us keep you then.”
Rob, conversely, looked almost chipper. “Nice to see you again, Bishop. We’ll have a chat later, yeah?”
“I look forward to it,” Bishop gave him a brief glance before offering a short nod to me. “Your Grace.”
I was about to ask him to stop being a dumbhole and call me Anja like always, but he turned on his heel and left. Closing my eyes, I let out a long breath, doing my best to control the swirl of disappointment laced with anger. “Gunnar, go find Felix for me, okay?” He’d remained silent for the duration of the conversation, but he was probably used to staying out of things, being a professional bodyguard and all. With Rob as my only target left, I whirled on him, determined to sour his happiness over the messed up situation. “What was that all about?”
“What?”
“You didn’t say more than two words to me on the whole flight over, but the moment Bishop shows up it’s here have a glass of champagne, and fawning all over me?” I pitched my voice low, for his ears only.
“I was seeing to your comfort is all.”
“Seriously?” My head canted to one side until he dropped his gaze. “Because I don’t want any part of macho posturing between the two of you, especially since I’m not actually going out with either of you.”
“Understood, miss.”
My eyes closed for a second, lips pressed tightly to keep from losing it over the use of the title again. “What are you going to be talking to Bishop about?”
“Just want to make sure he understands what’s what.”
“Meaning…?”
“Meaning, I want to make sure he don’t pose a threat to you.”
“Why would he possibly pose a threat to me?”
“Because he knows things about you that are best left quiet. And his loyalty isn’t what it used to be.”
My relationship with Bishop might be over, but couldn’t bring myself to think he’d ever deliberately hurt me. “I don’t think Bishop would ever let that stuff come out.”
“You also thought he’d stick by your side through good times and bad, yeah?”
I recoiled from the harsh reality of that statement. What could I say to it? He was right. I’d thought I would be with Bishop forever, and look how easily it’d all fallen apart. “Alright then, what about the ‘our girl’ jazz? Are you calling me yours?”
Rob shifted uncomfortably, the corners of his mouth turning down. “It was a figure of speech, nothing more.”
“A slip of the tongue, is that what you’re saying?”
“Nothing more.”
“Whatever.” I wasn’t going to chase after him. I knew Rob wanted me, but I couldn’t force him to do anything about it. It was probably even for the best, given how strong my reaction was to seeing Bishop again. I had no business starting anything new with anyone.
“Hey, there she is,” Felix threaded his way through the crowd, tugging Bridget along in his wake. “Come on, boss, we’re on.” His head jerked his head towards the corner of the room where Simon Corley, the Warden of Vetis, held court.
Chapter Ten
I took Felix’s arm and Bridget dropped back to walk between Rob and Gunnar as we approached the Warden. His dark eyes homed in on me from across the room and I felt the weight of his stare for the entire walk. I forced my steps to remain slow and unhurried; this man and I were enemies, he’d made that perfectly clear on our last talk. I wouldn’t bow or scrape to him, even if he did have the home court advantage.
There was probably some protocol that said I should curtsey, even with me facing him this time as an Elder, but I kept my head held high even as Felix bowed beside me. “Greetings, Simon Corley, Warden of the House of Vetis,” I said serenely. “May your House prosper under the Sister Moon.”
His voice was suitably cordial upon his reply, lacking some of the acid I’d come to expect from him. “Greetings, Anja Gudrun, Elder of the West. May your House never know hunger.” The traditional greetings past, he spread his hands. “So lovely to see you again, and might I offer my congratulations at your victory? I’m told it was a masterful display.”
What the heck? Where was the biting sarcasm? Had he been replaced by a pod person? It took me a second to regain my composure, I’d been so braced for a set down. “Yes, ah, thank you. It’s funny how things turn out sometimes, isn’t it?”
“Indeed.” His dark eyes flashed with some other meaning I didn’t pick up on. “Welcome to Vetis, I invite you to hunt in my domain and I offer you sanctuary come the dawn,” he said formally. “I hope the Gathering proves fruitful for you. I must say, I look forward to our negotiations.” He gave me what I suppose could be called a warm smile, for him at least, but it came off looking ghastly.
Negotiations? What negotiations? I kept my composure, resolving to grill Felix about it as soon as possible. “Thanks. I accept your kind offer of hospitality, and I hope we can resolve things between our houses.” Not a lie, though I had my reservations as long as he was still pulling the strings behind Sylvius’ rule.
He smiled again. “Wouldn’t that be lovely, though not as lovely as you are this evening, Your Grace.”
I got out of there before we started complimenting each other’s shoes, still not quite sure what to make out of the acerbic Warden’s one eighty turn. Only after we were halfway across the room did I draw Felix aside.
“What negotiations is he talking about?” I asked.
“That deal he wanted me to sign after Tommy died.”
“Oh right, I forgot about that.” I’d been meaning to ask him about that but it got lost in the shuffle of preparing for the trip. “Don’t you think you should have briefed me on that, at least on the plane?”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” he grimaced. “I was gonna bring you up to speed on all the matters on the table once your schedule starts to fill up. Besides Corley, we’ll want to set something up with the House of Belonoc. But I expect you’ll get a few more requests than that.”
Belonoc… that was the Germans, if memory served. “What’s the deal with Vetis about?”
“I think it’ll be better if we talk about that later,” Felix replied, and I could see his point. The room was crawling with delegates and I couldn’t tell friend from foe.
“What about Macallister, is he on the up and up?” I’d had a chance to review the accord he’d proposed and it looked fairly simple to me. In exchange for a healthy sum of money, the West would agree to recognize Texas as a sovereign nation and should the need arise, we would come to their aid. They’d come to our aid too, though the chances seemed far less of that happening, given how much bigger we were. As for the man himself, the jury was still out on that one, but I always did like an underdog.
“He’s a straight shooter,” Felix replied with conviction. “What you see is what you get. At least in any dealings he’s had with us before.”
“So you think we can trust the proposal he sent us?”
“I think we could do worse. He needs us more than we need him. I’d add another zero to his pitch.”
“That much?” My brows rose in surprise.
“They can afford it.”
“Shiny, I’ll counter when I meet with him then, we’ll see what he says. Oh, by the way, if you see a guy hanging around our room, kinda tall, blonde hair, lanky, he’s okay to be there. I asked Brody to assign him to us for extra security.”
&nbs
p; “He’s a werewolf? Are you sure we can trust him?”
“Yep, we sort of made friends the last time I was here. I’m pretty sure I can count on him to be loyal to me. His name is Tucker, and he’s pretty shy, so he might not talk much.”
“I like the sound of him already,” Felix grinned. “Now stick close to me, it’s time to press the flesh.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Bridget whined, her full lips pouty as she draped herself across his shoulder.
“Daddy has work to do right now, babycakes.” He leaned in to give her cheek a peck. “Be a good girl and stay out of trouble. Arthur will look after you.” He tossed his head towards one of his guards, currently spending more of his attention looking down some woman’s dress.
“Yeah, okay. Laters.” Bridget let out a long sigh and I gave her a supportive smile. I’d probably be bored if I was her too – all those vampires looking at me like nothing more than a hot meal. Felix gave her behind a pat as she sashayed off, before offering me his arm.
“You ready to play with the big boys?” he grinned.
I dropped my untouched glass of champagne onto a passing tray, laying my hand across his arm. “You bet,” I smiled back with more confidence than I felt. Grateful for Rob and Gunnar’s presence at my back, I let him lead me through the crowd, giving me a muted commentary on the people we passed.
There were a lot more people present than the delegates themselves, most of them seemed to travel with an even bigger entourage than I did. He didn’t introduce me to any hangers on, but went straight for the head honchos themselves. I made a few mental notes to add to my cheat sheet of Houses. One thing became clear as soon as I’d made a couple of new acquaintances – nobody gave a damn who I was.
After coming from the West where everybody acted like I was the second coming, it was a shock to find out most of the delegates were only vaguely interested to meet the new Elder. I started to appreciate how small a role the West had taken in world politics before, especially with Tommy being little more than a dupe of Jennike Vendal. I mean sure, they were polite enough, but I got the feeling I was dismissed as a gauche American and a female to boot. In fact, apart from Jennike, I was the only other female Elder at all. It was definitely a boys club mentality.