“Wow. He was in worse shape than I was. But then, I didn’t get thrown into the side of the stronghold and fall thirty feet to the ground.”
LV’s eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, but she looked unmoved. “It’s my understanding he wasn’t the easiest of patients.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” Donna frowned. “He wasn’t exactly fun to deal with when I was negotiating with him before the raid.”
“I’m grateful you managed that, however you got it done.” LV smiled. “I am very glad to have my grandson home.”
“Yes,” Toni said. “We are all very happy about that. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to us being allies.”
“I’m glad.” Maybe they hadn’t heard about the recent news then. Donna was happy to keep it that way.
“So am I. Fitzhugh may not like it, but then he already doesn’t like you from what I hear,” LV said.
“I guess that means you heard about his complaint against me.” Donna sighed.
Toni looked at her mother, then back at Donna. “What complaint?”
“Governor Fitzhugh has filed a complaint against me with the Immortus Concilio claiming that I’m responsible for Queen Artemis’s death.”
Toni gasped. “That lying son of a mongrel. He wants the kingship. He’d do anything to get more power. Everyone knows that.”
LV looked disgusted. “If you need us to testify on your behalf, just say the word. We aren’t fans of his, as you know. And unlike him, we were actually at the raid.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.” The offer lifted her spirits considerably. “I don’t want to keep you any longer. Your pack needs you.”
Toni put her hand on Donna’s arm. “Please, keep us informed on how things are going.”
“I will.” With a smile and a nod, Donna walked back to her crew. They were all looking at something behind her. Maybe the ceremony was about to begin.
She joined them and turned.
On the other side of the large crowd, Fitzhugh and Claudette were walking through the tombstones.
She stared at them for so long she forgot to blink. They were both under large umbrellas, their bodies completely covered and their faces an odd, pasty white. “How are they out in the sun? Does an umbrella and gloves really keep the sun off that well?
Pierce came closer. “They can if they’re very thick fabric. But they appear to be using some kind of thick sunscreen too.” He squinted. “They could have gotten a spell or potion that made this possible. If not, they won’t be able to stay out here for long.”
Charlie glared at them. “He has a lot of nerve showing up here. This isn’t his state. And he had nothing to do with that raid. He’s doing this for show. Or he knew you were going to be here and didn’t want to be left out.”
Donna looked at her. “You think he knew we’d be here?”
“It’s possible. But this is some stunt. He wasn’t included in the raid, so now he’s making his presence known.”
Donna frowned. “I wish I could have sent Neo after him.”
They watched in silence as Fitzhugh and Claudette paid their condolences to LV and Toni. Neither woman seemed overjoyed to greet him.
Temo grunted. “I wondered what had happened to Claudette. Never figured she’d gotten back with him.”
Donna snorted. “No wonder Cammie said he smelled like French perfume last night. Claudette didn’t stay at her studio in the village very long, did she?”
Pierce nudged Donna gently. “You think she’s behind his recent council complaints?”
“After I saved her life, she’d better not be.”
Charlie blew out a breath. “I bet she’s not discouraging him. In fact, I bet he’s got her so twisted up that she somehow believes you’re the bad guy. He’s such a rat. Of course, Claudette’s not exactly an angel either. They’re so well suited.”
“That’s an understatement,” Pierce muttered. He leaned in. “Do you want to leave?”
Donna arched her brows. “And let him think he intimidates me? Not a chance.”
Pierce smiled. “Good. Because I was going to argue to stay.”
She laughed softly. “He ought to worry about you punching him again.”
Pierce gave her a wry smile. “He really should.”
The ceremony began, and Fitzhugh and Claudette found a spot at the edge of the gathering under the scant shade of a few bare crepe myrtles. The reverend’s voice traveled easily over the quiet crowd.
Donna listened, her mind wandering to the last time she’d been at a funeral.
It had been for Joe. She hadn’t known he wasn’t really dead then, and that day had been extremely hard on her. Not because of her grief, but because of all the manufactured sympathy for a horrible man who’d spent his life breaking the law to get ahead.
The willpower and self-control that it had taken for her to get through that day had nearly pushed her to her limit. And then Big Tony, Joe’s boss, had given her an order that had changed her life.
Do one last job for him, a job Joe had been unable to complete, and Donna would be free to live the rest of her life as she wished.
She should have known it was too good to be true.
Not only had it been a setup, but her side trip to Joe’s gravesite had put her in the path of the rogue vampire who’d bitten her.
Thankfully, Claudette had saved Donna’s life. And set her on the path she now walked.
Donna shifted her gaze from the reverend to the former governor. Claudette had her arm through Fitzhugh’s and was leaning into him, their two umbrellas mashed together.
What was she playing at? She had to know about the complaints he’d made to the council.
At least he’d been smart enough not to bring Claudette to Francine’s party. Or Claudette had been smart enough to stay home. Although referring to either of them as smart enough seemed odd.
Donna would not be the terrible sire Claudette had been. She’d called Will after returning home from Cammie’s Venari visit to Fitzhugh, thankful to find the man in good spirits and grateful to her for saving his life.
He’d seemed perfectly at ease being a vampire. But then, he was already part reaper, so maybe there wasn’t much of a transition for him to deal with. If so, he was lucky.
Claudette had basically left Donna to fend for herself. Which was how she’d ended up draining Yuri, the Russian gangster, to death and breaking her psychic bond with Claudette. Thankfully, Will had told her he had no plans to use their psychic connection unless absolutely necessary. Donna appreciated that, because how did you prepare for having a man’s voice in your head?
She looked at Rico, his hands folded in front of him. Was that Russian lunk still in the FBI’s deep freeze? Rico had covered for her with Yuri. That alone would have been reason enough to rescue him from the fae.
What did he want to talk to her about? She couldn’t imagine.
A violinist played as the casket was being lowered.
Her attention returned to Fitzhugh and Claudette. Had they seen her yet? Did they know they weren’t the only vampires here?
She didn’t think so, because they weren’t looking at her, and they weren’t actively not looking either. They were far too relaxed.
The funeral ended, and the crowd milled about, talking to the family and gathering in small groups. Some went straight to their cars, presumably to head to the reception. Donna wasn’t going to that. The last thing this man’s family needed was more strangers in their house.
Temo looked over. “Ready to go, boss?”
“Not just yet.” There was one more thing she wanted to do. Needed to do. “Don’t worry about visiting Ishalan. According to Toni, he disappeared on them last night.”
“Sounds like something he’d do. Thanks for letting me know.”
“Sure.” She looked at Pierce. “Keep the umbrella closed and stay near me. Everyone.”
She started walking, Pierce at her side, Charlie and Temo behind her. She wound her
way through the people, the not-unpleasant earthy scent of wolf wafting by every so often.
Her target was easy to spot. About a foot away, she stopped. Pierce stayed at her side. Charlie and Temo came around to flank them. She stood there, waiting.
Then Claudette turned around and gasped, causing her umbrella to jump.
Fitzhugh glanced back and grimaced, his lip curling before he could stop it. “What are you doing here?”
“Funny question, seeing as how I govern this state and you do not.”
He pushed his sunglasses onto his head. Donna left hers in place. “I am paying my respects.”
She looked past him. The woman behind him, the fallen wolf’s widow, was already walking away with an older woman at her side. Good. She didn’t want to interrupt their day with the business she needed to handle.
She stared at Fitzhugh again. “Did you lodge a complaint against me with the council in the hopes of making yourself a better candidate for king?”
He jerked back slightly as if her bold question had caught him off guard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“So you have no desire to be king, then?” She posed it as a question, hoping to force him to answer.
“Whoever the council nominates is up to them.”
She took her sunglasses off to glare at him. “Then why make that claim against me? Why?”
“Because you’re responsible for Artemis’s death, and you should be held accountable.”
She nodded like she was pondering that with all seriousness. When she spoke, she kept her voice calm and level. “You’ve made a grave error, Hawke. Coming against me like you have. But your real failure is your own arrogance. Pride cometh before the fall.”
She shifted to Claudette. “I hope the sex is worth it, because when he falls—and he will—there’s no way you’re going to escape that disaster.”
Claudette’s mouth hung open.
Donna wiggled her finger at Fitzhugh’s face. “Your sunscreen looks like it’s melting a bit. Better get home before you burst into flames, Fitzy.”
He slapped a gloved hand to his cheek.
Donna put her sunglasses back on and smiled at him, the white-hot desire to crush him into the ground mixing with her need to show everyone what a jerk he was. Patience, she told herself. His time was coming.
Still calm, she lifted one hand and flicked the edge of his umbrella with her fingers, making the silk quiver. “You take care now.”
Chapter Twenty-six
The minute the car was moving, Donna spoke. “I want to file a counterclaim with the council. Against Fitzhugh.”
Charlie nodded. “Absolutely. What do you want to lead with?”
“His drunken behavior at Francine’s party. His disparaging remarks against me. But mostly his false claims that I caused Artemis’s death. Pierce, what do you think?”
His eyes narrowed as he metaphorically put on his lawyer hat. “I’d start with defamation of character, but we could also add slander and libel.” He paused. “It would be worth mentioning malicious prosecution as well.”
Donna took her sunglasses off. “Can you work with Charlie to write all that up?”
“I’d be happy to.” He winked at her. “We’ll give Fitzhugh a lot to think about.”
Charlie was smiling. “We’ll do it this afternoon.”
“Perfect.” A phone chimed. It wasn’t Donna’s.
Temo pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and checked the screen. “Hey, it’s Ishalan. He wants to meet with us. Says he needs to talk to you.”
Donna leaned in. “Seems to be a lot of that going around. When?”
“Tonight.” Temo grimaced. “At the stronghold.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a trap at all,” Pierce said.
“I’ll meet him on the mortal side of the gate, but I’m not going through. You can tell him that.”
Temo handed his phone to Charlie. “Can you text that back to him?”
“Sure.” She tapped away at the screen, then hit send. As she held the phone out for him to take, it chimed again.
“Just read it,” he said. “I’m not supposed to be doing that while driving anyway.”
“Okay.” Charlie looked at the screen. “Ishalan says outside the gate is fine. He’ll see you at sundown.” She looked back at Donna. “Is that good with you?”
“Yes.” Donna yawned, unable to stop herself. “I really need to get back on a regular sleeping schedule.”
Pierce glanced at her. “I don’t think it’s that so much as you’re still recovering from your injury. You need sleep now more than ever.” He tilted his head. “In fact, you ought to go to bed as soon as we get home.”
She smirked. “So bossy. But I’m not going to argue, because I’m not sure I could stay up much longer.” Her leg was also still aching, but she kept that to herself.
“Well, good.” He smiled. “You did what you needed to do this morning. You showed support for the wolves. And you got to confront Fitzhugh. After that, you’ve earned a rest.”
And rest she did, going straight to her bedroom when they returned. She stripped down to her underwear, threw on a tank top, and got under the covers in her deliciously dark room.
Sleep came fast and deep and dreamless, which was a blessing. When she awoke hours later, she felt the best she had in a few days.
She got up and went straight to the bathroom, flicking on the light to look at her leg. The bruise was almost completely gone. There was no more ache either. She was finally almost whole. Now if she could just keep from being poisoned or shot or stabbed or bitten or anything else, she’d be in great shape.
Of course, she had a meeting with Ishalan in—she looked at the time—two hours, so what were the odds nothing else would happen to her?
She touched her crucifix and prayed the meeting would be peaceful. Then she added a request that the rest of the week would stay that way too.
After a quick shower, then putting on jeans and a sweater, she went out to feed and find out what everyone was doing.
Rixaline was in her pajamas, playing a video game on the living room TV. There was a bowl of cereal on the coffee table, and Lucky was lying beside her on the couch. Donna walked over and gave him a tummy rub but spoke to Rixaline. “How are you doing?”
“Good. How are you?”
“I’m doing better. Going to meet with Ishalan today. He’s the fae that helped us at the raid.”
Rixaline paused the game. “Do you want me to go?”
“No.” Donna smiled. “Just mentioning it. Enjoy your breakfast. Lucky looks like he’s ready for a nap.”
“He’s waiting for me to brush him, but I told him not until after I eat my breakfast.”
“Did he eat?”
“Yep, fed him first thing.”
“Thank you for taking such good care of him.” Donna felt a twinge of guilt. Rixaline had pretty much become Lucky’s favorite person since she’d moved in, but then, Donna had been a little busy, so it was actually a very good thing.
Rixaline shrugged. “I love him. And he loves me. Dontcha, Lucky boy?”
Lucky’s only response was a single air biscuit.
Donna laughed. “See you later.”
She went down the hall to the office, where Charlie was hard at work. “What’s going on? Anything new?”
“The complaint to the council is drafted, just waiting on you to read it and make whatever changes you want. Same with the letter announcing your daywalker status. Marcus sent a formal announcement to the governors’ loop that Artemis’s memorial service will be held at midnight next Wednesday at her estate.”
“Where is that?”
“Kansas.”
Donna stared at her. “Artemis’s royal estate is in Kansas.”
Charlie nodded. “Lebanon, Kansas, to be exact.”
“That seems…random.”
“She chose it because it’s the center of the United States. She felt it would give her the best a
ccess to everyone that way. Also, she was able to buy the entire town, so I think she liked that part too.”
“Oh. Wow. Who gets the town now that she’s gone? Her successor?”
“No, the town is part of her personal holdings, along with her estate, so I imagine it’ll go to whoever she left it to. It’s not like with the governor’s holdings that go to the next person to take the office. Her successor can make their headquarters anywhere they want. That’s part of why the Prime usually picks a vampire from the contiguous United States.”
“Makes sense. Have you ever been to her estate?”
Charlie nodded. “Once. It’s pretty amazing. Biggest house I’ve ever been in. Sits on a hundred and twenty acres.”
“That does sound amazing. How does travel for an event like this work? Is there a vampire-friendly hotel or what?”
“Attendance isn’t really expected. The service will be livestreamed. It’s too difficult for most vampires to travel on such short notice. Not to mention that the logistics of keeping yourself safe from the sun during travel can be tricky.”
“Five days is short notice?”
“It can be when you’re a vampire who can’t do daylight travel.”
“So no one will be there but her staff?” That seemed sad.
“No, there will definitely be a good number who go. Won’t just be vampires either. I’m sure there will be supernaturals of all kinds who want to offer their condolences.”
“Can we attend if we want?”
“Of course. You want to go?”
“Artemis was my grandsire. That kind of connection makes me feel like I should go. And yes, I want to. I want to pay my respects. She helped me when Claudette didn’t.”
Charlie nodded. “Let me reach out to Marcus and see what her team is doing for those who want to attend.”
“Great. Thank you.” Donna turned on her laptop and found the drafted complaint and daywalking announcement in her email. She opened the file. “I’ll read these drafts now. Thank you for doing that.”
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