Кейти Макалистер - Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang

“Do you wish to change your clothes?” Julian asked as he returned to my room, eyeing me in a manner that had me tugging self-consciously at the collar of my blouse.

“That would be nice.” It hadn’t occurred to me that I would want to change as soon as I got here, but seeing the coolly elegant vampires made me feel sticky, sweaty, and decidedly unattractive. I might not be able to do much about the last item on that list, but at least I could greet the council looking a little less unkempt.

Julian gave a short nod. “I will tell the council you will be ready to meet with them in a quarter of an hour.”

“Can you make it half an hour?” Magda called from the room given over to her and Ray. “I’d really like to take a quick shower. I had no idea Vienna got this hot in the summer.”

Julian paused on his way downstairs, frowning slightly. “Your presence will not be required.”

“Now, wait a minute,” Magda said. I stopped digging through my suitcase for something that wouldn’t leave me looking like a rumpled tourist, and went to my own door. “You guys agreed that we could come with Pia. I was there when she talked to you, remember? You said that it would be fine if we accompanied her.”

“To Vienna,” Julian said, glancing over at me. “The council agreed to the Zorya’s terms because they had no other option, but only she will be permitted in their presence.”

Magda looked at me. “What do you think? We can leave if you’re not comfortable with the idea of bearding the lions by yourself.”

“The Zorya already agreed-” Julian started to protest.

I raised a hand to stop him. “I’ll be OK by myself.”

“You sure you don’t want someone with you when you tell them you want . . . you know.” She cast a glance toward Julian.

He raised his eyebrows at her.

“I don’t think you can help me there, but thank you,” I answered.

“All right, but I’m willing to make a fuss if you need me.” Magda’s face, normally filled with sunny good humor, was clouded with worry.

I gave her a little smile. “I’m still technically a Zorya. I think Christian knows the sort of power I can wield if anyone gets out of line.”

Julian took an involuntary step backward.

“You have a point,” Magda agreed, watching him. “All right, but if you need us, just yell.”

It didn’t take me long to get cleaned up and presentable. I spent a few minutes shaking out my clothes, trying to decide between a pair of linen harem pants that were flattering to my figure, or a gauzy peach sundress with a matching shrug, eventually going with the latter. Although I knew the vamps would not have forgotten the fateful evening in Iceland-or, more to the point, my role in it-I figured it couldn’t hurt to emphasize the fact that I was a woman.

“If men insist on being chauvinists,” I muttered to myself as I slipped on the thin shrug and tied it beneath my breasts, adjusting so it exposed a smidgen more cleavage, “then they can’t complain when it’s used against them.”

Julian was waiting outside my door when I emerged. He said nothing, just gestured toward the stairs. I caught him wrinkling his nose, though, as I passed.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, pausing on the landing.

“No. Why do you ask?” He looked surprised at my question.

“You made a face when I walked by you. I’m sorry if you don’t like my perfume. I didn’t use much of it because I know some people are sensitive, but I hate going out without a little dab of something.”

An oddly embarrassed look flitted across his face as he gestured again toward the stairs. “It’s not that. It’s . . . er . . . you are a Beloved.”

“Technically, yes.”

“Has no one told you what that means?” he asked, marching down the stairs beside me.

I met the frankly curious glance he slid my way. “Not really, other than the fact that I evidently gave Kristoff back his soul or something along those lines.”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” he said slowly. I continued down the stairs, grateful we were going down, not up, so I wouldn’t arrive before the all-important council sweaty and out of breath. “Once Joined, a Dark One can’t exist without his Beloved.”

“I hate to doubt you, since you must know your people much better than I do, but I’m pretty much a contradiction to that statement. I haven’t seen Kristoff since the night he got his soul back. So obviously Dark Ones can get along just fine without their womenfolk.”

He didn’t look surprised, just gave a little shake of his head. “You will judge for yourself how well Kristoff has been without you.”

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at him, a sudden stab of fear piercing my heart. “Is something wrong with him? Is he sick?”

Julian just waved toward a hallway. We were on the second floor, at one end of a long hallway that ran the length of the house. “As a Beloved, you must know the mental, physical, and emotional state of the one mated to you.”

I laughed a grim little laugh. Julian’s prim, chiding manner somewhat reassured me that nothing serious was wrong with Kristoff. Surely if he had been injured, someone would have told me? “June Cleaver I’m not. Besides, communication is a two-way street, and thus far Kristoff has refused to venture down that particular avenue.”

“I find that difficult to believe.” Julian paused, his hand on one handle of twin doors. “He could not stop himself if he wanted to, and I can’t imagine why he would want to do so. His state makes it obvious that one or both of you is trying to deceive us. I will warn you not to speak such obvious lies to the council. They take a dim view of people who attempt to mislead them.”

“Lie!” I stopped him as he was about to open the door, anger at being so clearly wronged doing much to drown out my concern and nervousness at the thought of seeing Kristoff again. “Me? I haven’t lied to any of you vampires, and I’m certainly not deceiving anyone. I’m sorry you don’t believe me when I say that Kristoff won’t answer me when I try to talk to him, but it’s the truth. I tried just a couple of days ago, as a matter of fact, and he shut me down quickly enough.”

Julian frowned at me for a moment, his gaze searching my face. I had a feeling he was trying to judge whether or not I spoke the truth.

“Why would he do that?” he finally asked, evidently realizing I was speaking with absolute honesty.

“I have no idea. If he’s saying I’m refusing to talk with him, he’s either delusional or . . . well, he’s lying, but I don’t think that’s very likely. He didn’t seem like the sort of man who lies.”

“He has proven himself a master of deception,” Julian said simply, dumbfounding me as he flung open the twin doors. He indicated the room beyond. “That much has been demonstrated during the last month. The council awaits you.”

It took me a moment to gather my scattered wits, so shaken was I by Julian’s statement. Kristoff, a master of deception? What on earth was he talking about?

I entered the room, my gaze quickly searching it for any signs of the man who haunted my nightly dreams. There were four people standing together, three men and a woman, the latter speaking as I came in.

“. . . might have at least warned me she was coming so I could make her comfortable. Honest to God, Christian, you may be nine hundred years old, but sometimes you act like a caveman! That poor woman is probably as confused as all get-out, and you’re not helping-Oh, hello.”

The woman who was, to my utter amazement, chewing out the very frightening Christian Dante turned and limped over to me with a friendly smile and outstretched hands. “I’m so sorry about this. You’re Pia, aren’t you? I’m Allie, Christian’s wife. You’ll have to forgive him for simply dumping you in the attic like you were a bundle of old laundry. I didn’t have a chance to check your room first to make sure you’re comfortable up there, but I’ll do so just as soon as we’re done here.”