– even if I knew the bloodsuckers made contracts with those people that were unbreakable.
I pushed past a waiter and decided to try to see if she was there anyway. The closer I got to the back of the house, the stronger the smell of blood got. It turned my stomach. I cursed Mack for complicating everything.
There was only one human in the kitchen – a young man in his early twenties smiling dreamily at the ceiling. I strode over and grabbed his wrist.
‘Have you a seen a woman around here?’
His eyes drifted down towards me. ‘I’ve seen many women, mate.’
‘You’d remember this one,’ I growled. ‘Bald head. Unusual eyes. She would have tried to free you.’
He frowned. ‘I don’t want to be freed. I chose to come here.’
‘That wouldn’t make a difference to her.’
He just looked at me blankly. I cursed again and spun on my heel. Maybe she’d gone upstairs.
I was just about back at the main hallway when I finally spotted her, oddly barefoot. Aubrey was standing in front of her, his red eyes firing spite – and something else – in her direction. I felt a sudden ripple of fear. If he’d caught her doing whatever in the world it was she’d been doing, I wasn’t sure what I could do to help her. We were in his house and under his rules. Even the Arch-Mage wouldn’t stand in the vampires’ way if they wanted to take vengeance for some slight she’d caused. Like encouraging some Otherworldly nastie to gatecrash.
My heart pounding, I called out. ‘Honey! There you are! Did you find the bathroom?’
I walked up, looking as casual as I dared, and placed a proprietary hand on her arm.
‘No,’ she answered in an entirely uncharacteristic girlish tone, ‘it’s not up there. That creature out there has almost made me wet myself.’
I almost snorted in laughter. Whatever it had been, I very much doubted it would scare Mack. Then I realised she was barely breathing. Aubrey was watching her like a hawk, sniffing the air as if trying to scent out her real identity.
‘Aubrey, this is Mackenzie.’ Using the thought she’d already planted, I took her lead. I needed him to think she was nothing more than my date. No-one powerful or important. I prayed that she’d continue to play along instead of letting her famous temper get the better of her. ‘Say hello,’ I told her.
‘Hello, Aubrey,’ she cooed, batting her eyelashes. ‘I love your eyes. They’re so ... red.’
‘You’re not human,’ Aubrey declared.
‘No, no, I’m not.’
I forced my way back into the conversation. ‘She’s a werehamster,’ I said, amazed at how easily the lie came. It was probably because I’d heard it so many damn times, of course.
‘Fascinating,’ Aubrey drawled. ‘I’ve never come across one of those before.’
‘Aubrey, do you know where the bathroom is?’ She asked.
He pointed down the corridor. I was tempted to tighten my grip on her arm and refuse to let her go again but she slipped out easily and almost sprinted off. Aubrey gave me a strange look.
‘There’s no way she’s a werehamster.’
I simply shrugged and tried to steer away the conversation from her. ‘Did you call that monster here for entertainment?’
‘It wasn’t a monster,’ he told me. ‘It was just a wendigo. And no, we did not conjure it up. Perhaps it was one of your people.’
‘I can assure you,’ I said stiffly, ‘it was not.’
‘Then it was the Fae or the wizards. Either way we have been insulted. I demand retribution.’
‘Of what sort?’
His eyes gleamed. ‘Of the Albus seal sort, of course.’ He patted my arm. It took everything I had not to recoil.
‘The seal belongs to the Tower now. We’ve been through this.’
‘I don’t care,’ he hissed. ‘We want it.’
‘Tough.’
Aubrey bared his teeth, his long white fangs elongating over his bright red lips. ‘Sooner or later, you will get it for us.’
‘Look,’ I said annoyed enough by now to tell him the truth, ‘I know you
I pushed past a waiter and decided to try to see if she was there anyway. The closer I got to the back of the house, the stronger the smell of blood got. It turned my stomach. I cursed Mack for complicating everything.
There was only one human in the kitchen – a young man in his early twenties smiling dreamily at the ceiling. I strode over and grabbed his wrist.
‘Have you a seen a woman around here?’
His eyes drifted down towards me. ‘I’ve seen many women, mate.’
‘You’d remember this one,’ I growled. ‘Bald head. Unusual eyes. She would have tried to free you.’
He frowned. ‘I don’t want to be freed. I chose to come here.’
‘That wouldn’t make a difference to her.’
He just looked at me blankly. I cursed again and spun on my heel. Maybe she’d gone upstairs.
I was just about back at the main hallway when I finally spotted her, oddly barefoot. Aubrey was standing in front of her, his red eyes firing spite – and something else – in her direction. I felt a sudden ripple of fear. If he’d caught her doing whatever in the world it was she’d been doing, I wasn’t sure what I could do to help her. We were in his house and under his rules. Even the Arch-Mage wouldn’t stand in the vampires’ way if they wanted to take vengeance for some slight she’d caused. Like encouraging some Otherworldly nastie to gatecrash.
My heart pounding, I called out. ‘Honey! There you are! Did you find the bathroom?’
I walked up, looking as casual as I dared, and placed a proprietary hand on her arm.
‘No,’ she answered in an entirely uncharacteristic girlish tone, ‘it’s not up there. That creature out there has almost made me wet myself.’
I almost snorted in laughter. Whatever it had been, I very much doubted it would scare Mack. Then I realised she was barely breathing. Aubrey was watching her like a hawk, sniffing the air as if trying to scent out her real identity.
‘Aubrey, this is Mackenzie.’ Using the thought she’d already planted, I took her lead. I needed him to think she was nothing more than my date. No-one powerful or important. I prayed that she’d continue to play along instead of letting her famous temper get the better of her. ‘Say hello,’ I told her.
‘Hello, Aubrey,’ she cooed, batting her eyelashes. ‘I love your eyes. They’re so ... red.’
‘You’re not human,’ Aubrey declared.
‘No, no, I’m not.’
I forced my way back into the conversation. ‘She’s a werehamster,’ I said, amazed at how easily the lie came. It was probably because I’d heard it so many damn times, of course.
‘Fascinating,’ Aubrey drawled. ‘I’ve never come across one of those before.’
‘Aubrey, do you know where the bathroom is?’ She asked.
He pointed down the corridor. I was tempted to tighten my grip on her arm and refuse to let her go again but she slipped out easily and almost sprinted off. Aubrey gave me a strange look.
‘There’s no way she’s a werehamster.’
I simply shrugged and tried to steer away the conversation from her. ‘Did you call that monster here for entertainment?’
‘It wasn’t a monster,’ he told me. ‘It was just a wendigo. And no, we did not conjure it up. Perhaps it was one of your people.’
‘I can assure you,’ I said stiffly, ‘it was not.’
‘Then it was the Fae or the wizards. Either way we have been insulted. I demand retribution.’
‘Of what sort?’
His eyes gleamed. ‘Of the Albus seal sort, of course.’ He patted my arm. It took everything I had not to recoil.
‘The seal belongs to the Tower now. We’ve been through this.’
‘I don’t care,’ he hissed. ‘We want it.’
‘Tough.’
Aubrey bared his teeth, his long white fangs elongating over his bright red lips. ‘Sooner or later, you will get it for us.’
‘Look,’ I said annoyed enough by now to tell him the truth, ‘I know you
Similar Books
