Adrian Phoenix - Beneath the Skin

Grazie, (Italian) thank you.

J’ai faim,I’m hungry.

Je regrette,I’m sorry.

Je t’aime, mon fils. Toujours, I love you, my son. Always.

Joli, (m) pretty, cute, (f) jolie. Mon joli, my pretty boy.

J’su ici, I’m here.

Le Conseil du Sang,the Council of Blood, nightkind lawgivers.

Le coquin qui vole a un autre, le diable en ris, when one thief robs another, the devil laughs.

Lesbica, (Italian) lesbian. Una lesbica, a lesbian.

Llygad,(THLOO-gad) (s) eye; a watcher; keeper of immortal history; story-shaper, (pl). Llygaid(THLOO-guide).

Ma belle, my beauty. Ma belle dame,my beautiful lady.

Magnifico, (Italian) wonderful.

Mais ça vont jamais finir, but it’ll never end.

Ma mère, my mother.

Marmot, (m) brat.

Ma ’tite-doux, (f) my little sweet one.

Menteuse, (f) liar, (m) menteur.

Merci,thank you. Merci beaucoup,thanks a lot. Merci bien,thanks very much.

Merde, shit.

Mère de sang,(f) blood-mother; female vampire who has turned another and become their parent.

Mia ballerina scura(Italian), my dark ballerina.

Minou, (m) endearing name for a cat.

Mio amico, (Italian) my friend.

Mio figlio, (Italian) my son.

Mio ragazzo bello, (Italian) my beautiful boy.

Moi aussi, me too.

M’selle,(f) abbreviated spoken form of mademoiselle,Miss, young lady.

M’sieu,(m) abbreviated spoken form of monsieur,Mr., sir, gentleman.

Naturellement, naturally, of course.

Nephilim, the offspring resulting from Fallen and mortal unions.

Nightbringer,a name/title given to Lucien De Noir.

Nightkind,(s and pl) vampire; Dante’s term for vampires.

Nomad,name for the pagan, gypsy-style clans who ride across the land.

Oui,yes.

Où suis-je?where am I?

Pas de quoi, you’re welcome.

Père de sang,(m) blood-father; male vampire who has turned another and become their “parent.”

Peut-être que oui, peut-être que non, maybe yes, maybe no.

Piazza, (Italian) plaza.

Principe, (Italian) prince.

P’tit, mon,(m) my little one, (f) p’tite, ma(Generally affectionate.)

P’tite marmaille, (f) little brat.

Ragazzo pigro, (Italian) lazy boy.

Rappelle, remember. Oui, je rappelle, yes, I remember.

Rêves doux, sweet dreams.

Ritorna, bella(Italian), return, beautiful.

Sì, (Italian) yes.

Sì, esattamente, caro mio, (Italian) yes, exactly, my beloved.

Signor, (Italian) sir.

S’il te plaît,please (informal).

Sì, mia Signora, (Italian) yes, my lady.

Tais-toi,shut up.

T’a menti, you lied, you lie.

T’es sûr de sa?are you sure about that? T’es sûr?you sure?

Tout de suite, right away.

Très, very.

Très bien,very good, very well.

Très joli,(m) very pretty.

True Blood,born vampire, rare and powerful.

Una bella donna merita un uomo, non un ragazzo(Italian), A beautiful woman deserves a man, not a boy.

Vous êtes très aimable, you are very kind.

Wybrcathl(OOEEBR-cathl), sky-song. Fallen/Elohim word.

SEATTLE, WA

March 24–25

“ARE THESE THE PEOPLE who broke into your house, sweetie?”

Brisia Rodriguez didn’t look up from her cup of hot cocoa. She studied the white swirls of whipped cream melting into the chocolate instead of the pictures Mr. Díon slid across the polished wood table.

Interview station, her dad would’ve called the small, pale green-painted room with its table and two chairs. But this wasn’t a police station or the FBI field office. She knew because she and her fifth-grade class had visited both with her dad on a career-day field trip last month.

“Is my dad okay?” she asked.

“He’s in the hospital,” Mr. Díon said. “But your mom and sisters are with him right now. As soon as we’re done here, I’ll drive you over there, okay?”

Brisia curled her fingers tighter around the warm mug. “Will he be … all right?” She prayed she wouldn’t have to ask the other thing, the horrible thing she never, ever wanted to say aloud. She was scared if she did, it’d come true like a reverse wish.

Nononono. Don’t even think it!

She drew in a shuddering breath laced with the thick scent of creamy, hot milk and dark chocolate. Her stomach knotted.

“Brisia.” Mr. Díon’s low, soothing voice felt like a hand to her chin, gently tugging her gaze up from the depths of her hot cocoa. “You’re the only one who can help us find the people who hurt your dad.”

She looked at Mr. Díon. His purple eyes reminded her of sunlit violets. “I told the police everything,” she said. “They wrote it all down.”

“Yes, but the police don’t know who they’re looking for. But I believe we do,” Mr. Díon said, his voice as soft and warm as his eyes. “All you have to do is look at the pictures, okay?”

“Okay,” Brisia said. She lowered her gaze to the trio of photographs lined up neatly on the table between her and Mr. Díon. The first one showed a man with curly blond hair, a smile curving his lips. Laugh crinkles V-ed out from beside each green eye. He reminded her of that actor, Matthew McConaughey.

Standing in the hall inside her house, Matthew McConaughey Guy smiles, all warm and friendly, almost slike he’s supposed to be there, even with the gun in his hand. But when his gaze flicks over to Brisia, his eyes are like ice.

“He was there,” Brisia said. “He had a gun too.”

“Alexander Lyons. Good job, Brisia. What about the next photo?”

Brisia shifted her attention to the middle picture and recognized the pretty red-haired woman. Only a hint of a smile touched the woman’s lips, but her blue-eyed gaze was open and direct. Brisia remembered the hushed urgency in the woman’s voice as she’d hurried Brisia to the front door after Matthew McConaughey Guy had sauntered from the room.

I want you to run to a neighbor’s house and have them call 911, okay?

Do you need help too?

Don’t worry about me. Just go.

“Heather Wallace,” Mr. Díon said. “Why did you think she needed help too?”

Brisia glanced at Mr. Díon. Had she spoken aloud? “Well … I could tell she didn’t like this guy,” she said, touching a fingertip against the first photo. “And she asked me to call 911. I don’t think she would’ve done that if she was one of the bad guys.”

Mr. Díon nodded. “Good observation. I’ll bet your dad’s proud of you,” he said, his violet eyes full of light. “Are you planning to be an FBI agent like your dad?”