by Ally Shields
“So Andreas was leading a normal life, going to balls and whatever else you guys did back then? Didn’t people notice he was a vampire?”
“Andreas, Andreas. Can you talk of nothing else?” Gabriel shook his head, dislodging a shock of blond hair. He finger-combed it back in place. “I know he’s a fine fellow and all that, but sometimes a guy wants to talk about himself, you know? Why don’t you ask me about the great accomplishments of my life? Or, heaven forbid, even my failures?”
“Fine, I’ll bite,” Ari said. “No pun intended. You can tell me all about yourself, and then you can tell me about Andreas.”
He gave her a prissy look. “I give up. A man has to admit when he’s beaten. You have a one-track mind.” He gave her his lop-sided grin, but when he spoke again, the carefree lilt was missing from his voice. “You’d have to understand London at that time to understand Andreas’s behavior—and later, mine. Society, at least the part we belonged to, was a constant swirl of parties and dinners. Almost everything happened at night, so it wasn’t remarkable that no one saw Andreas during the day. And remember, no one believed in vampires, not really. No one suspected that Andreas and I were different. Without an older vampire to guide us, we didn’t know how vampires were supposed to act, so for a while we kept doing the things we’d always done as humans. At least most of the time. The rest of the time… It was almost as frightening to us as we were to our victims.” His voice drifted away, and he gazed pensively into the fire.
Gabriel’s face reflected pain, and Ari was sorry she’d pushed him into talking about the early years. She didn’t know what she could say to make it better, so the silence lengthened. Gabriel finally looked at her. “I think that’s enough of the history lessons for tonight. Maybe it would be better if you talked to Andreas about those first months and years.” He smiled ruefully. “I didn’t mean to turn gloomy, but some of my memories aren’t so good.” He took another sip of wine. “I think it’s time to tell you why I wanted to have a drink tonight.”
“That would be good, but I don’t understand your hesitation. I thought we’d become friends.”
“We have, but I’m not sure how to say this, without there being another misunderstanding. It’s about your leaving tomorrow. I won’t pretend I like it or agree with your decision, but I want you to know that up here,” he tapped his head, “I understand your reasons. You have a job to do, and Andreas has his own life to live, but you two belong together. Not for romantic reasons—that’s none of my business—but you’re stronger together. Your magics are stronger.” He shifted to sit forward in his chair, resting his arms on his legs and gave her a direct look. “I’m worried about what happens to him and to you after you leave.”
“Worried about what?” Although he meant well, Ari wished he wouldn’t do this to her. “Believe me, this magical thing is a two-edged sword. It isn’t all good.”
“I can see that.” Gabriel shrugged.
“What is it you want from me?”
He shook his head. “I guess what I really wanted was to say you won’t get further grief from me. When you’re not here, I’ll keep a close eye on everything—including your boyfriend, and if he gets into trouble, I’ll call.” Gabriel grinned and leaned back. “You better not hang up on me again, even if I deserve it.”
“Deal. I can drink to that.” Ari lifted her glass.
“What are you two toasting so early this evening?” Andreas was smiling, obviously pleased at seeing them so comfortable with one another.
“Long lives and pretty women,” Gabriel said glibly. “At least, I was.”
“A worthy toast,” Andreas said. “I wish you luck with both, but I am going to take this particular pretty woman away with me.”
“Such is my life,” Gabriel grumbled. “Destined to drink alone.”
“I hardly imagine that will happen,” Ari predicted, rising from her chair.
As they left the lounge, she glanced back and smiled to see Gabriel had already found other company. A dark-haired vampiress was regarding him with a sultry look over the rim of a glass of dark burgundy liquid.
Ari looked up at Andreas. “Did your meeting go OK?”
His lips tightened for a moment. “Finances are not particularly enjoyable but necessary to the running of an operation this complicated. I must admit, I was unpleasantly surprised by the large amounts of money Sebastian squandered. Another few years and he would have run the court into disastrous debt.”
“That bad? But then he seemed to do everything to excess. I suppose he had expensive tastes.”
“Very. Speaking of that, I wanted to discuss your return trip to Riverdale. When do you have to be there?”
Ari shot him a quick look. How did finances bring up her trip? He couldn’t be that worried about flight cost. Besides, the Council would reimburse her. But his question reminded her how short their time was, and she struggled to keep the regret from her voice. “The vote’s tomorrow afternoon. I can’t risk missing it, so I should probably get a flight out late tonight. I haven’t checked connections yet. I guess I’ve been putting it off, not wanting to cut into our time.”
Andreas’s face broke into a boyish smile. “Forget about the connections. One of Sebastian’s extravagances was the sweetest little jet you will ever see. I have decided to keep it, and it will be at your disposal whenever you feel you must go. Flight time to Riverdale’s small airport is approximately three hours, which means we still have until dawn.”
Ari returned his smile. Andreas loved to spring things on people and watch their reaction. Usually she didn’t share his enthusiasm for sudden revelations, not unless she was the one making them, but this was fantastic news. “You mean I’ve been catching these commercial flights for nothing? Why haven’t I heard about this plane before now?”
“If you had checked with me before flying here and there, I would have told you.” A twitch of his lips assured her he was teasing. “Shall I have its galley stocked with champagne or coffee?”
“Are you kidding?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I was. I am working on that sense of humor you value so much. My special blend of coffee from Club Dintero is already on board.”
“You seem to have thought of everything. Since I don’t have to fly tonight, we have quite a few hours with nothing planned. Do you have thoughts about that, too?” She sure hoped so. Something that would shut out the real world for a few more hours.
He drew a finger across her jaw line and followed it with a brush of his lips. “I might have one or two.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Chapter Nineteen
Promptly at 4:58 the following afternoon, Ari walked unannounced into the Magic Hall conference room. She and the Magic Council president had agreed on the phone that her appearance would be more effective if no one knew she was coming.
Startled faces swiveled in her direction, proving the secret hadn’t leaked. She noted the variety of emotions that chased across their features. Annoyance. Surprise. Suspicion. No fear, not yet. Chairs scraped as two of the men pushed back from the conference table and stood. Steffan was one of them, and the first to speak. “Ari. What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
“Sorry to interrupt. But I have information for you.”
Steffan walked toward her, frowning as he searched her face. “Can it wait? We’re about to take the final vote. This ballot must be taken in privacy, even from you.”
“No, it can’t wait. What I have to say might make a difference in the outcome today. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
Steffan still seemed hesitant. “OK. Do you want to talk to me privately? Or is this for everyone?”
“All of you. It affects everyone.”
His eyes widened in surprise, and he parted his lips as if he was going to demand an explanation. Instead, he turned to his colleagues. “Anyone have an objection to hearing her out before we vote?”
“What is this? Another delay?” Vita’s tone was belligerent. “
Nice timing, Steffan, but it isn’t going to work. Oh, don’t look so innocent. You set this little scene up. But the votes are against you this time.” With a sneer on her face, the pregnant wolf leaned back in her seat and crossed one leg over the other. “I suggest we proceed. Whatever she wants will have to wait.”
So the she-wolf had claws. It sounded like some drastic vote switching had occurred while Ari was in Toronto. The balance of power had shifted again. Not that she hadn’t anticipated this would happen. After all, that’s why she was here. She’d come to level the playing field, force the last big revelation.
“That’s not true, Vita. I have no idea why Ari’s here.” Steffan was indignant and annoyed.
Vita’s face flushed, but she repeated her accusation, and Steffan’s denial was stronger this time. Ari waited while they argued it out. She was in no hurry.
The other wolves seemed confused, taken aback by Vita’s strong objections. Jena scowled, clearly unhappy with the renewed bickering. Warren fidgeted in his chair and looked embarrassed when the voices grew loud. As she might have expected, Robert kept a wary eye focused on her, perhaps speculating on what she had to say, but he sat down to wait.
Ari cleared her throat loudly. “Steffan didn’t know I was coming today. I deliberately kept it a secret from everyone except the president, so you’d all learn the findings of my final report at the same time. I’m sure Steffan will be as surprised as anyone, except, for the one person in this room that knows more than I do.”
She had their full attention now. Despite the suddenly heightened tension, no one spoke right away. Some, if not all of them, had to suspect a traitor was among them, and four of them were wondering who.
“What’s that mean, Guardian?” Robert shoved his chair back from the table as if prepared for sudden action. “It sounds like you’re accusing one of us of something. Whatever it is, just say it.”
“I’m getting there. But I need to cover some old ground first. It’s important for you to see exactly what happened.” She began by reminding them how votes and opinions had swayed back and forth over the intervening months. Of the five leaders only two votes had never changed: Steffan and Jena, who had been in favor of the coalition. As recently as two weeks ago, they had been the sole supporters.
“Then Warren changed his vote to yes. It seemed like the coalition would pass. One of you panicked and set events rolling that led to Steffan’s kidnapping.”
“Who?” Robert demanded. “Why? We’ve all had our say in this. No one was against the idea of a coalition, only the timing.”
“That’s right,” Vita agreed, scowling. “You’ve got your facts wrong.”
“It only seemed like everyone agreed. One of you was strongly opposed to the basic concept and was willing to do almost anything to stop it.” She held up a warning hand. “Let me complete the story before you ask anything else.
“Steffan’s kidnapping was already planned when Warren switched his vote, setting up a coalition loss by three to two. But the conspirators wanted a guarantee against Warren or someone else switching again, so their plan went forward. Suddenly Vita changed her vote, and even without Warren, the coalition would now win. Steffan disappeared that very night, bringing the negotiations and vote to a halt.” The wolves were growing restless. Chairs creaked, feet shuffled, but Ari also picked up the scent of fear that was growing in the room. One person knew the end of this story and was beginning to realize that Ari might have figured it out.
“Yes, yes, we know all this,” Robert grumbled, finally interrupting and glaring at her. “I’m beginning to think Vita’s right; you’re stalling for some reason. This is all ancient history. Is there a point you’re trying to make?”
“You bet there’s a point. To influence the vote, one of you lied, conspired in a kidnapping, betrayed every secret held by this group, and changed her vote in an attempt to throw everyone off her trail. Actually the vote switch was your first mistake, Vita. I have a good idea why this all happened, but I’d rather hear it from you.”
Jena gasped. “Vita?”
The other leaders jerked to attention, heads turning toward Vita. As if frozen in place, the she-wolf barely moved. She gripped her hands tightly in her lap; her face revealed nothing of what was going on inside her head.
Shock and disbelief written on her face, Jen turned to Ari. “I don’t understand. You just said she was going to vote in favor of the coalition. This must be a mistake.”
“I wish it was, but she fooled us all for a while. Later, when I thought about it, her switching votes was the only thing that didn’t make sense. Not until I considered what the switch actually did. It didn’t change the fate of the coalition, but—”
“It left me and Warren as the only suspects in the kidnapping,” Robert interrupted. “My God! Why?” He came around the table and dropped on his haunches in front of Vita’s chair. “You’ve said nothing, Vita. Why would you do this?”
At first, it seemed as if she still wouldn’t answer, then she met Robert’s look with a defiant one of her own. “She can’t prove a thing. All I’ve heard is a lot of talk and speculation. It’s some game she and Steffan are playing on behalf of the government. If she could prove any of this, I’d be under arrest.” Vita pushed to her feet, forcing Robert to stand and step away. “It’s all lies, Guardian. You and Steffan are obsessed with this coalition. You’ll accuse anyone, do anything, to make it happen. Maybe you think it’s a good thing, but you’re not a wolf. You either can’t see or don’t care how bad such a federation would be for us. Steffan,” she spat his name, “doesn’t have any excuse.” Vita shook her head, anger turning her aura an orange-red.
Ari crossed her arms. So the role Vita had chosen was the injured innocent. So be it.
“You’re right, up to a point,” Ari conceded. “Your part in this conspiracy is circumstantial, an assumption based upon other facts.”
“Then why—” Robert began, his face flushed with sudden anger.
The anxiety in the room grew as the other wolves reacted to the anger and fear radiating from Vita. It was instinctual behavior but could get out of hand if Ari wasn’t careful.
“Because those facts are rather damning. While the leak might have been anyone, the extent of knowledge narrowed it to the four of you very quickly.” She pointed her finger at each as she spoke. “Robert and Warren were obvious suspects, as we already noted. Jena seemed unlikely due to her unwavering pro-coalition stance, but in the beginning I suspected everyone. Vita’s switch in position eventually drew my attention. It was the timing. This sudden change of heart occurred just before the kidnapping. I couldn’t figure out why, until I realized she must have known she’d never have to follow through.”
“That’s taking a big leap,” Steffan said. His face wore a worried frown, as if he thought she’d made a mistake.
“Don’t worry, that was just the first clue. Then she mentioned it was too bad Steffan hadn’t seen his captor’s face.” Ari looked at the she-wolf. “How did you know about the kidnapper’s efforts to conceal his identity?”
“I remember when she said that.” Jena looked at Vita, shock still evident on her face.
“No!” Vita stomped a foot. “Steffan told us. You all heard him.” She swept her angry gaze from colleague to colleague and lied through her teeth. Watching her, Ari decided her act was really quite convincing. Warren appeared more confused than before.
“That’s wrong, Vita, I didn’t.” Steffan’s voice held regret, even sadness. “Not until later—after you brought it up.”
“Then I made a lucky guess, a natural assumption. It still proves nothing.” Vita appealed to her colleagues for support, but no one said anything. Indecision flitted across her face, as she turned her back and stalked across the room. When she reached the far wall, she spun on her heel, crossing her arms. “I can’t believe I’m seeing this. You’re taking an outsider’s word over mine?” Her voice was scathing.
“That’s not how I see it.” Robe
rt bristled, pulling himself to his full height. “Steffan is not an outsider, and I want the truth.”
Warren shuffled his feet again. It was time to end this. She’d given Vita every opportunity to come clean. Now Ari would have to do it for her.
“Nice try, Vita. It might have worked if not for your close, or should I say, intimate association with the actual kidnapper.” Vita’s face paled. For the first time she seemed to realize Ari knew too much for her to bluff her way out of this.
Sudden voices in the hallway drew everyone’s attention, but Ari hurried on before they were interrupted. “Which one of you put this scheme together? You or Derik?”
The kidnapper’s name landed like a bomb.
“What’s this? Derik?” Robert’s entire body seemed to reel with the shock. Doubt, followed by anger, flashed across his face and was reflected by others in the room. “What makes you think her mate did this?
“Airline records show him flying in and out of Riverdale and Galena twice in the past two weeks.”
“He had business in the area,” Vita said before Ari could finish. Eyes burning a golden orange and fists clenched at her thighs, she stalked toward her accuser. “Any law against that? I didn’t think we had to report our every movement to you.”
“I can prove it was him. His scent, his voice, his aura. I can recognize them all, and even if Steffan didn’t see his face, he’ll remember the sound, the smell of him too. Is that what you want? Derik in a line-up?”
Vita came at her, raising her hands as if they were already claws. “You wouldn’t dare treat him like a common criminal,” she screeched.
“Back off, Vita.” Ari kept her voice level. She placed a hand on the she-wolf’s shoulder and firmly pushed her away, as Steffan tried to step between them. Both women ignored him. “If you think I won’t smack a pregnant woman, you’re wrong.”
“No, don’t touch me!” Vita recoiled, concern flashing across her face, as she clutched her belly and Ari had one of those “ah-ha” moments. Robert growled and took a step forward.