by Nalini Singh
But then Nazarach laughed, and the danger passed. “She’ll be the death of you, Janvier.”
“It’s my death to choose.”
Spreading out his wings, Nazarach smiled that cold, immortal smile. “Perhaps watching you dance with the hunter will be far more entertaining than taking her.” A minute later, he’d swept off the balcony and into the sky, a magnificent, haunting being with as much cruelty in him as wisdom.
Ashwini tried to pull away from Janvier. The vampire held her. “So, you’re a sorcière.”
Janvier, too, she thought, was old. “Witches get burned at the stake.”
“Do you see my ghosts, Ash?” A quiet question.
She was glad to be able to shake her head. “I see only what you show me.”
Lips brushing her neck an instant before she broke away to spin around and face him. “Audrina?”
“A delectable morsel.” His eyes went to her breasts and she realized her damp hair had left them rather well-defined.
Had Nazarach considered that an invitation?
Shivering inwardly, she turned to twist the damp mass off her neck and into a knot.
“Beautiful,” Janvier murmured. “I could stare at your neck for hours. So long, so slender.” The languorous cadence of his voice stroked over her, into her.
Even knowing that he was an almost-immortal who’d likely forget her between one heartbeat and the next, it took everything she had to fight the urge to give in to the seduction of him. “Maybe you should go back to your delectable morsel.”
“I chose a bottle of preserved blood instead.” Walking over, he stood beside her, staring out at the sky into which Nazarach had disappeared. “Seems I’m tempted by far more dangerous fare these days.”
Ashwini considered walking away, then decided she didn’t want to tangle with the ghosts, not when she could steal a few more moments of blessed silence. So she stayed outside, shoulder to thigh with a vampire who might yet make her break all her rules about sleeping with the enemy.
The Fisherman’s Daughter was exactly as advertised—a tavern that served beer, hard spirits, and hearty food. No fancy hors d’oeuvres or chichi décor for this place. It was all wooden beams and buxom serving maids.
“Wenches,” Janvier said when she voiced the thought. “They’re always wenches in a tavern.”
She watched him take a leisurely survey of the plump, silken flesh on view. “If I liked women, I’d go for the redhead.”
“Hmm, too short. I like my women long and lean.” A smile that told her he was thinking thoughts that would undoubtedly make a lesser woman blush. “But, for a ménage à trois, yes, she’d do.”
“Any man who tries to bring a third into my bed had better be wearing armor.” She played a silver throwing star in and around her fingers.
“Possessive?” Janvier said, his tone dropping. “So am I.”
Raising her head to answer, she froze. “Callan just walked in with a small Hispanic woman.”
Janvier ran his foot up her calf. “A bit on the side?”
“No. She moves like she knows how to use that gun hidden under her shirt.” Watching the two banter with the barman, she ate a chunky piece of fried potato. “Time to earn your keep. Charm your way into their circle.”
“In that case, you’ll have to pretend to be my bit on the side.”
“I can’t pretend to be harmless.”
A thin line of blood marred Janvier’s thumb as he picked up the gleaming silver star she’d left on the table. He didn’t even flinch. “I’ve always been known to skate on the wrong side of the line.” Getting up, he slid the star into a pocket and began to amble toward the bar, his lazy, long-limbed stride catching every female eye in the place… including that of Callan’s enforcer.
But the woman went on immediate alert the instant Janvier reached out to tap Callan on the shoulder. “Cal, that you?”
The enforcer didn’t relax until her big, blond boss turned to give Janvier a back-slapping hug. “Damn, Cajun, you’re not dead yet?”
“Why the hell does everyone ask me that?” Janvier said without heat before bestowing a dazzling smile on the enforcer. “Won’t you introduce me?”
Laughing, the leader of the Fox kiss turned to the female vampire by his side. “Perida, this is Janvier. Don’t trust a word that comes out of his mouth.”
Ashwini decided it was time to make her move.
“A pleasure, darlin’.” Lifting the woman’s delicate hand to his mouth, Janvier went to kiss it.
Ashwini put her own hand on his shoulder, squeezed. “I wouldn’t.”
“Cher.” Janvier released a surprised Perida with a languid shrug. “So possessive you are.” Playful words, an intimate joke.
Ashwini looked up in time to catch Callan’s eye. One glance and she knew he’d taken in her clothing, her stance, the scars on her fingers, just above her pulse. So it didn’t surprise her when he said, “Hunter.”
“Vampire.” She leaned into Janvier, let him put his arm around her waist. The touch seared her, made her hunger for more. “We ready to go?”
Janvier played his part to perfection, sending her a charming smile. “Callan is an old friend, cherie.” A quick squeeze, a cajoling smile. “Surely we can dally a little while? A drink, Callan?”
The Fox leader nodded. “Figures you’d hook up with a woman who might one day hunt you down like a rabid dog.”
“Already tried,” Ashwini said, deciding Callan would likely have that information within the hour in any case. “Three times.”
Callan raised an eyebrow as Perida attempted to hide her surprise. “And will there be a fourth?”
“Depends on how badly he pisses me off.” Sticking out her hand, she offered it to Perida. “Ashwini.”
The other woman shook it, her hold firm, her eyes narrowed. “We don’t associate with hunters.”
“And I don’t sleep with vampires.”
That made Callan grin, and it was so open, so honest, Ashwini could almost believe he was the good ol’ farm boy he seemed. “Let’s sit,” he said, ordering wine from the bar.
Ashwini offered Perida a fry as they sat down, knowing vampires could taste and digest a small amount of solid food. “It’s good.”
The vampire took it. “Mmm. Almost makes me wish I was mortal.”
“Almost,” Callan said, his eyes lingering on Ashwini’s scars.
It was, she thought, a very deliberate reminder that he could survive almost anything she did to him, while she’d die a very final death. But that warning was clearly only on the periphery of Callan’s mind—it was Janvier he was interested in.
“You still friends with Antoine?” he asked after taking a sip of his wine, the question as casual as casual could be.
“Oui, I’m friends with everyone.” Janvier pressed a kiss to Ashwini’s cheek. “But this one, she doesn’t like… What is her name?”
“Simone.” Ashwini ate several fries in a row instead of illuminating.
Perida took the bait. “Why?”
“Have you seen her?” Ashwini snorted. “Thinks the sun shines out of her ass.”
Perida’s suspicious expression turned into one of pure dislike. “She’s a bitch, especially for being so pathetically weak. She makes like she’s got power. Bullshit.”
Ashwini raised an eyebrow. “I thought she was on her third century. Can’t be that much of a lightweight.”
“Age is relative.” Perida shook her head. “Only thing keeping that smug smile on her face is the fact she’s got Antoine on a leash.”
“Antoine likes hard women,” Janvier said, an amused cast to his voice. “Remember that one he was with when we were at court together, Cal?”
“That countess with six dead husbands.” Callan shook his head. “You’d think with age would come wisdom.”
“Instead, mon ami’s got himself in trouble from what I hear.”
Callan put down his wineglass. “Oh?”
“Games, Cal?” Janvie
r raised a sarcastic eyebrow. “You know of Antoine’s difficulties—word is, you’ve got yourself a kiss.”
“You know a lot for someone who’s passing through.” Cool words, guarded eyes.
Janvier shrugged. “Keeps me alive. I’m staying clear of Antoine this visit—I don’t want Nazarach’s attention.”
The leader of the Fox kiss picked up his glass again. “Where are you staying?”
Ashwini answered for both of them. “We’re not. He promised me we’d be out of here tonight.”
Janvier leaned in close, murmuring just loud enough that the others would hear. “Come, sugar, one night? I will make it up to you.”
Ashwini scowled, let him murmur more promises before nodding with obvious reluctance. “One night.”
“So,” Janvier said, turning back to Callan, “can you put us up, old friend?”
“We were never friends,” Callan replied. “But… we could be.”
Ashwini found herself relegated to the guest bedroom in Callan’s fortress of a mansion on the outskirts of Atlanta, while the Fox leader took Janvier aside for a “cigar.” Knowing she was under surveillance, Ashwini locked herself in the bathroom, checked that it wasn’t wired, then tried to figure out if she could make her way through the old-fashioned air vent. It would be a tight fit, she thought, but she could do it.
“No time like the present.” Stripping down to a tank top and boxer shorts, she turned on the shower, and used the cover of noise to unscrew the plate and get herself into the shaft. There was barely enough wiggle room that she could move. Good thing she didn’t have hips to speak of.
Keeping a mental map in her head, she began to crawl through dust and piles of small, round, hard things that she preferred not to think about. Thank God she’d had all her inoculations. The first room she came to was empty; the second full of the murmurs of men and women grabbing something to eat. The third she almost bypassed because it was so quiet, but something made her stop, take a second look.
The woman in front of the vanity was utterly and absolutely lovely. Hair that was stunningly close to true gold, eyes of electric blue, full lips and skin so smooth and flawless, it was almost translucent against the white satin of her thigh-length robe. And she’d only been a vampire a year.
What would Monique Beaumont look like after a century of vampirism?
Ashwini’s lips pursed in a silent whistle. Given that it took decades for most vampires to reach Monique’s level of physical perfection, the woman might just put the angels to shame. But right now, as she brushed her hair, it was a very human smile that flirted with those lush red lips. Nothing about her screamed “captive.”
That fit with what Nazarach had said about Callan treating her well until Antoine was out of the equation. As if the thought had conjured him up, the door opened to reveal the vampire in question, his blunt masculinity at odds with the sky blue and cream décor of what was clearly a woman’s bou-doir.
“Callie,” Monique said, her tone husky with reproach. “It’s getting tedious to be confined to this room.”
Locking the door behind himself, Callan leaned back against it, arms crossed, as Monique shifted around on her stool—to display the sleek length of one slender thigh. The gesture was sexual, but it was the look in the woman’s eyes that interested Ashwini. Predatory… but also aroused?
Feeling like a voyeur, she continued to watch as Monique ran her hand down her thigh. “Has my father agreed to your ransom?”
Callan’s eyes locked on Monique’s fingers where she touched herself with slow, hypnotic strokes. “I haven’t asked for a ransom.”
Monique pouted, all sex and a sweet, dark hunger. “Are you planning to kill me, Callie?”
5
“You’re not that good, Monique, so stop with the seduction act.” Hard words, but his voice had dropped, his face tight with strain.
Getting up off the stool, the beautiful vampire crossed the thick cream-colored carpet. “Liar. I’m very good. I had Jean for a mentor.” Putting her hands flat on Callan’s wide chest, she rose on tiptoe. “And you’re quite luscious.”
Callan held her back with a hand fisted in golden hair that screamed Monique’s immortality. “Try leading me around by the cock, Monique, and you’ll find your hand hacked off.”
Monique’s lips seem to grow even fuller at the threat, her nipples beading against the satin. “Take me.” She rubbed herself sensually against him. “It’ll be the best choice you ever make.”
“I’m fully capable of having sex with you,” Callan whispered against her throat, “then burning you to true death.”
“I’d be more useful to you alive.” Trembling visibly, Monique ran her hands up to cup Callan’s face. “I hate Simone. She takes Grandfather’s attention away from me.”
“Are you saying you’ll betray Antoine to get at Simone?”
“I’m saying we could work out a mutual agreement.” Her nails were perfect ovals against Callan’s skin. “You get rid of Simone for me, become my consort and my grandfather’s right-hand man. The old transitioning to the new.”
Callan’s jaw hardened. “Sorry, sweetheart. I’m not playing second fiddle to anyone—least of all a vicious brat who’d sell out her own family.”
Ashwini saw the flash of surprise in Monique’s eyes the instant before Callan kissed her. Hearing the other woman moan in the back of her throat, Ashwini decided she’d seen more than enough to form a conclusion, though what that conclusion might be, she had no idea. Two wrong turns later, she found herself back in her bathroom. Jumping out of the vent, she replaced the cover, then got into the shower and scrubbed herself until her skin stung.
When she walked out into the bedroom, dressed in jeans and a tee, she wasn’t surprised to see Perida waiting for her. “We got worried when you didn’t answer the door,” the vampire said.
Ashwini held out a hand, palm up. “Earplugs. Hate getting water in my ears.” Rubbing at her hair with a towel, she looked at the woman questioningly. “Where’s Janvier?”
“Walking in the gardens.”
Ashwini threw the towel over a chair. “I think I might join him.” She felt Perida’s eyes on her all the way to the roses where she’d spied Janvier. “You won’t believe what I saw,” she said, wondering if Monique and Callan were even now locked in that embrace powered by equal amounts of lust, ambition, and loathing.
“Try me.”
She did, had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes widen. “Think Callan still intends to go through with his plan of wiping out Antoine, then getting rid of Monique?” she asked.
“If he wants to seize power in Atlanta,” Janvier said with the icy pragmatism of an almost-immortal, “he’ll have to eliminate Jean, Frédéric, and the others, too.”
Ashwini thought of the ruthlessness she’d seen in Callan’s expression as he spoke to the Beaumont vampire. “He’s capable of it. But, no matter what he says, he’s also susceptible to Monique.”
“There’s a chance Monique won’t want to be rescued,” Janvier pointed out, “not if she thinks she can get Callan ’round to her way of thinking.”
“Doesn’t matter. Nazarach wants her.” And not even the most ambitious young vampire would dare gainsay their sire. Angels had torture down to a fine art—and those screams locked in the walls of his home told her Nazarach was better at it than most. “You’d think,” she murmured, “that Monique would’ve had better sense than to ask to be Made after seeing the life Antoine and Jean lead.”
“There are advantages to being a vampire.” Janvier stopped to pick up and bring the trailing edge of a climbing rose to her nose.
The scent was decadent, luxurious. “Maybe,” she said, taking another perfume-laced breath, “but once Nazarach has Monique back, he’ll use her as he might use a chess piece. And she has to let him. For a hundred years, she’ll have no freedom, no self-will. She’ll be less than a pet.”
Dropping the rose, Janvier thrust his hands into his pockets. “You’ve neve
r asked how I was Made.” His voice was missing its usual music, something brittle and hard in every syllable.
“You fell in love with a vampire.”
He froze. “Been researching me?” His anger was hidden but as apparent to her as the sickle-shaped moon in the soft summer sky.
“Didn’t have to.” She shrugged. “Man like you, your personality, doesn’t easily accept submission. But if you decided to give yourself to someone, you’d do anything for that person—even if the choice half killed you.”
“I’m so obvious?”
“No.” She met his eyes, stripped away a single fragile layer of her own shields. “You’re like me.”
