Carrie Vaughn - Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand

“That’s okay, Mom, you really don’t have to—”

“Oh, no, it’ll be fun. And you’re right, one big wedding is probably enough for a family. You should do something different. Why don’t I call Cheryl to see if she wants to come along, and I imagine Mark’s folks would be happy to look after the kids for a few days—”

Well. At least there’d still be a pool and froufrou drinks.

That rule about vampires not being able to enter a place without being invited was true. What the rule didn’t say is that it applied only to private residences. Public places, like office buildings, for example, were free and clear. An hour or so after dark—enough time to wake up, dress, maybe grab a bite, literally, from one of his willing donors, and drive over here—Rick appeared in the doorway of my office without any fanfare.

“Hello,” he said, and I jumped, because I hadn’t heard him coming. It was like he appeared out of thin air, and at the same time seeming like he’d been standing there for hours. Hands in the pockets of his tailored slacks, he leaned against the doorjamb and quirked a smile. He had dark hair and fine features, and he dressed well and looked great, like an upper-class scion comfortable with wealth and attention. He also smelled cold. Like a well-preserved corpse, which he was.

“I hate when you do that,” I said.

“I know. Sorry,” he said in a way that made it clear he wasn’t, really. “How are you doing? The pack coming together all right?”

Taking over the pack had been weird. I’d vanished into exile, then a year later came blazing back onto the scene like the Lone Ranger to run the bad guys out of town. Some of the other, stronger wolves in the pack might have taken the opportunity to challenge me, to question my authority by starting fights. So far, I’d managed to talk everyone out of it. Rick didn’t need to know all those details.

“Great. We’re doing just fine. I think everyone’s so happy to have new management, they don’t even care who the management is.”

“Ah, the honeymoon phase. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

I gave him my sweetest, most innocent smile. “And how are the vampires doing with their new management?”

“I’m enjoying the honeymoon phase while it lasts.”

“I’ll bet you are. Now tell me about this favor.”

The longer Rick put off telling me what the favor was, the more likely it was something I wouldn’t like. During the whole of that day, I kept building it up in my mind. I marshaled my arguments. I wouldn’t get into any fights for him. It would just be me and Ben in Vegas, without the pack, and I wasn’t going to risk my mate’s safety for some petty vampire politics. If he asked for something along those lines, I was all ready to have at him.

Stepping to my desk, he pulled an envelope out of his pocket. “I’d like you to deliver a message to the Master of Las Vegas.”

Most major cities had a head vampire, someone who kept the local supernatural underworld in line. Why should Las Vegas be any different? But it occurred to me to wonder what kind of supernatural underworld a city like Vegas had. I shuddered to think. I suddenly wondered if I was ready to face it. Sometimes, I still felt like a pup.

“And who is the Master vampire of Las Vegas?”

“That would be Dom, owner of the Napoli Hotel and Casino. He won’t be hard to find.”

I’d heard of the place. It was one of the older hotels, not built on the current model of super-ostentatious spectacle theme hotels, but it had managed to reinvent itself and stay current enough to still be popular. It had a reputation for Old World opulence. Now that I knew it was run by a vampire, that made sense.

I took the envelope from Rick. Sealed, of course. It didn’t even have a name on it.

“And what can you tell me about Dom? Or is it Dominic?”

“He answers to both. I can’t tell you much, except that he’s been there since the forties, when the money really started pouring in, and he has some very good stories.”

That got my attention. I was always looking for material for the show. “Oh, yeah? Like what?”

“You’ll have to ask him.”

“Can you at least tell me if he’s one of the good guys?”

Rick’s smile thinned, and he said, “He’ll do.”

He was being particularly inscrutable tonight. Not that I could expect anything different from a vampire.

“Why can’t you people use the phone? Or e-mail?”

“I’d like this to be a little more traditional.”

“And are you going to tell me what this is about?”

“It’s nothing, really.”

Stories ran that, traditionally, lycanthropes in any given territory tended to serve the local vampires. Or the vampires treated the lycanthropes like servants and the lycanthropes bought into it. The alternative was fighting between them. Bottom line, they didn’t usually get along as equals. Rick and I were trying to change that. Neither of us was fond of the old hierarchies. Yet somehow here we were. Both of us had ended up at the top of our respective totem poles, and while Rick might not have agreed with the old traditions, he sometimes fell into old patterns.

I leaned forward over my desk, the message in hand, studying him. Actually trying to think out what to say for once, rather than blurting it all out. “Rick. We decided to form a kind of partnership here, didn’t we? I support your claim to be the Master of Denver. You support my being alpha of the local pack. But what we’re most interested in is keeping the city safe from outsiders, right?” He gave a cautious nod. “Which means that I’m not your servant. The werewolves here are not at your beck and call. We’re not your messengers.”

His voice was soft. “If you don’t want to do the favor, just say so.”

“I’m happy doing it, I just want to know what it’s about.”

He gave me this puckered expression, half amused, half annoyed. “You just don’t like not knowing everyone’s secrets.”

“You read Hamlet ? Or see it staged or something?”

He looked away to mask a chuckle. “Once or twice.”

“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? A couple of dimwits who are given a message to deliver to England, asking the English king to execute Hamlet? And Hamlet switches the letter to one that says to execute them instead? And they deliver it blindly, because they’re idiots?”

“And you’re bringing this up because...”

“How do I know this isn’t a letter asking this Dom guy to take care of a little werewolf problem you have?”

“Kitty, you’re being paranoid.”

“Don’t tell me about being paranoid.” I really had had people out to kill me. That kind of thing left scars.

“I’d have thought you trusted me more than that.”

“Yeah. Well. I do. But I’m paranoid.” I gave him a toothy smile.

“Fine.” He took the envelope out of my hand and tore off the end. He read the note in a rapid deadpan patter: “‘Dear Dom, I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but I thought I’d confirm the rumors personally. Denver has a new Master and it’s me. Surprise. By the way, this is Kitty, alpha female of the Denver werewolves and a friend of mine, so be nice to her, signed, Rick.’ There, that’s it.”

A perfectly straightforward note, I had to admit. But these were vampires, so there was probably some secret code or veiled meaning that I wasn’t privy to. I glared. “Are you sure you can’t just e-mail him?”

“You may need an ally in Vegas, and this is a formal introduction between you.”

“I’m going to try to avoid any supernatural politics. This is a completely mundane, ordinary trip. I shouldn’t need any of that kind of help.”