P.C. Cast - Hidden

“Damaged? Can you give us an example?”

“Certainly. The first that comes to mind is James Stark—a fledgling who came to us from Chicago after he accidentally caused his mentor’s death. He has become the first Warrior red vampyre.”

I gasped.

“That bitch is talking about your boyfriend!” Aphrodite said.

“Just last night the school’s longtime Sword Master, Dragon Lankford, was killed. Gored to death by a bull. Lankford was in James Stark’s company when the accident” —she emphasized the word, making it clear she didn’t believe it— “happened.”

“Are you saying this Stark vampyre is dangerous?”

“I’m afraid he could be. Actually, many of the new fledglings and vampyres could be. After all, the new High Priestess of the Tulsa House of Night is Death.”

“Can you give us more specifics about—”

One of the suits stepped forward, cutting Neferet off. “I, more than most, am highly concerned about these developments in the vampyre community. As many of you know, my beloved daughter, Aphrodite, was Marked almost four years ago. I understand all too well that vampyres do not like humans to meddle in their personal, political, or criminal affairs. They have long policed their own. But, let me assure you, and our local House of Night, that by Tulsa Council resolution, we will be creating a committee to look into vampyre-human relations. I’m afraid that is all the time we have for questions today.” The man who stepped forward and spoke into Neferet’s microphone was Aphrodite’s dad—the mayor of Tulsa. “I do have one more short announcement to make. Beginning immediately, Neferet has been added to the City Council committee under the title of Vampyre Liaison. Let me reiterate, Tulsa intends to partner with vampyres who wish to live peacefully with humans.” When the reporters all started speaking at once, he raised one hand, smiled a little patronizingly (which weirdly reminded me of Aphrodite). “Neferet will be authoring a weekly column in the Tulsa World ’s Scene insert. For now that will be the forum through which she will answer your multitudes of questions. Keep in mind that we are at the very beginnings of a partnership here. We must move slowly and gently so as not to upset the delicate balance of vampyre-human relations.”

I was watching Neferet’s face instead of the mayor and I saw the way her eyes narrowed and the hardening of her expression. Then Mayor LaFont waved at the camera and the video shifted back to Chera Kimiko and the studio. Damien tapped the screen, and it went blank.

“Oh, for shit’s sake! My father has lost what living with my mother had left of his mind,” Aphrodite said.

“Hey, thought I heard someone call my name.” Stark walked into the room, running his fingers through his bed head and giving me his sexy, cocky, half smile.

“Neferet just had a press conference and told everyone you’re a dangerous killer,” I heard myself telling him.

“She did what?” He looked as shocked as I felt.

“Yeah, and she did more than that,” Aphrodite said. “She got with my dad and has the city making her look all good-guy-like, and us all blood-sucker-like.”

“Uh, newsflash of our own, Aphrodite,” Stevie Rae said. “ You’re not a blood-sucker anymore.”

“Oh, please. As if my parents know anything about me. I haven’t spoken to either one of them for months. I’m only their daughter when it’s convenient for them—like now.”

“If it wasn’t so scary it’d be funny,” Shaylin said.

“Neferet is making it look like she broke with the High Council and the school, versus being kicked out for killing my mom,” I explained to Stark.

“She can’t do that,” Stark said. “The Vampyre High Council won’t let her do that.”

“My dad is loving this,” Aphrodite said. I noticed she’d set the champagne aside and this time was refilling her glass with just orange juice. “For years he’s wanted to figure out how he could get in with vampyres. After they got over me not turning into a clone of my mom, they were actually pleased when I was Marked.”

I was watching Aphrodite closely and remembering the day that seemed so long ago now when I had overheard her parents being really pissed at her for having the leadership of the Dark Daughters taken away from her and given to me. Aphrodite was looking like her usual ice queen self right now, but in my memory I could still hear the sound of her mother’s hand slapping her face and see the tears she had had to choke down. It couldn’t be easy for her to have her dad call her a “beloved daughter” when the truth seemed like all he’d ever wanted was to use her.

“Why? What do your parents want with vamps?” Stevie Rae asked.

“To get access to more money—more power—more beauty. In other words, being part of the cool crowd. It’s all they’ve ever wanted—to be cool and powerful. They use whoever they can to get them what they want, including me, and, obviously, Neferet,” Aphrodite said, weirdly echoing what I’d been thinking.

“Neferet is not the way for them to get any of that,” I said.

“No kiddin’, Z, she’s crazier than a rat in a tin shithouse,” Stevie Rae said.

“Well, whatever that means, yeah, but not just that. Did anyone else notice Neferet’s look when Aphrodite’s dad was talking? She definitely didn’t like how things ended,” I said.

“A committee, a newspaper column, and going slowly and gently doesn’t seem like something the Consort of Darkness would be particularly interested in,” Damien agreed.

“And she definitely didn’t like it when the mayor avoided the question about you being dangerous,” I said.

“I’d like to be dangerous to Neferet!” Stark blurted, still looking kinda shell-shocked.

“My dad is very good at promising one thing and delivering another,” said Aphrodite. “I can tell you right now that he thinks he can play that game with Neferet.” She shook her head. No matter how callous she sounded, her expression was strained.

“We need to go to the House of Night. Now. If Thanatos doesn’t know about this, she needs to,” I said.

Neferet

Humans were so weak and boring and so terribly plain , Neferet thought as she watched the mayor, Charles LaFont, simper and placate and continue to avoid any direct questions about danger and deaths and vampyres after their press conference. Even this man who the whisperings of rumor said was next in line for a senatorial seat, and was supposedly so charismatic and dynamic … Neferet had to hide her sarcastic laughter in a cough. This man was nothing. Neferet had expected more from Aphrodite’s father.

Father! A voice echoed from her past, startling her and causing Neferet’s grip on the filigreed iron banister to tighten suddenly, spasmodically. She had to cough again to hide the cracking sound that came from the wrought iron as she pried her hand from it. This was when her patience ended.

“Mayor LaFont, would you escort me to my penthouse.” The words should have been a question, but Neferet’s voice did not frame them as such. The four city councilmen who had joined the press conference and the mayor turned in her direction. She easily read each of them.

They all found her beautiful and desirable.

Two so much so that they would be willing to forsake their wives, their families, and their careers to mate with her.

Charles LaFont was not one of those two. Aphrodite’s father lusted after her—of that there was no doubt—but his foremost desire was not sexual. LaFont’s greatest need was to feed his wife’s obsession with status and social acceptance. It was a pity, really, that he couldn’t be more easily seduced.