Microsoft Word - The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance.doc (28 page)

It didn’t take long. Petra screamed and charged towards him, her fangs running out. “I should have simply killed you myself, you bastard! It’s not too late!”

It took both Ambrose and Josalyn to pull the enraged vampire off of him. No matter how much he hated her, Rafferty didn’t want to be the one to kill her.

231

Once Petra had been subdued, Ambrose called for the guards. “You will be charged with both the murder  of the human and the attempted murder of Mr O’Day. Your assets are hereby frozen to cover the cost of your trial and to compensate Mr  O’Day for any inconvenience he’s suffered at your hands.”

Petra was still cursing them as the guards dragged her away.

Once age was gone, Ambrose turned his attention to Josalyn and  Rafferty. “You two played a very dangerous game. If she’d controlled her mouth, you would’ve been on your way back for immediate execution.”

“It was a chance we had to take.” Josalyn looked pale.

Clearly the strain of the past few days had been hard on her.

“I’ll need your resignation by the end of the week,

Chancellor Sloan.”

Rafferty snarled, “But she  ”–

“Enough!” Ambrose included both of them in his glance.  “Chancellors have to be neutral.  You both know that. Looking  back, I realize her feelings for you are the real reason she left  her position as Arbitrator. And the way you leaped to her  defence only confirms my opinion. Your last duty as Chancellor  will be to write up the paperwork exonerating Mr O’Day here of  any wrongdoing. I would do it, but I’ll be busy with the charges  against his ex-betrothed.

Rafferty tried to feel some sympathy for Petra, but couldn’t.

“If you need my testimony . . .”

“I’ll let you know when I’ve had time to review the case in

its entirety.”

232

Josalyn took Rafferty’s hand and faced her superior. “Thank you for your assistance Chancellor. For the record, I’m sorry,  Petra is guilty of a lot of things, but she did have some cause to resent my feelings for Rafferty.”

“I’ll take that into consideration.” Ambrose gathered up the  papers. “Now I must be going. I imagine the two of you have  plans to make.”

Rafferty held his hand out to the older man. “That we do,

sir. Would you like an invitation to the wedding?”

Ambrose  smiled for the first time as he shook Rafferty’s

hand. “Most certainly.”

When he was gone, Josalyn pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. Rafferty realized he’d been a bit high-handed announcing their intent to get married before discussing it with her.

“About this wedding . . .”

“I should have asked you first.”

“Yes, you should have, but for the record, I accept. But

there’s one thing you should know.

The twinkle in her eyes told him it was going to be all right.

“And what’s that?”

She grabbed his collar and pulled his face down close to

hers. “I don’t believe in long engagements.”

Then she kissed him.

233

Coming H ome

Lilith Saintcrow

E

ven a magus raised by a demon might have a little  trouble with this
. Liana Spocarelli’s hand locked

around the doorknob, her other hand cramped tight

around the katana’s scabbard. “What the hell do
 
you
 
want?

The Nichtvren on her porch  –  a tall, deceptively slight male with a shock of dirty blond hair and the face of a celluloid angel

–  tilted his head slowly, his hands in the pockets of his linen  trousers. His aura was the deep, deliciously wicked fume of  colourless Power that meant
 
not-so-human
, without the pleasant  edge of spice attached to so many of her childhood memories.

“It is a pleasure to see you again,
 
cherie
,” Tiens said  quietly. His suit, as always, was wrinkled, rumpled and  pristinely white. “May I come in?”

“No, you may not.” Liana let go of the doorknob. “Go suck

on some virgins or something. Leave me alone.”

Behind him, the night breathed, redolent  with rain and cold

metal, the edge of radioactive damp that meant Saint City.

234

Home. And here she was, all the way across the city from any house that was hers. Specks of hovercraft glow danced overhead, a river of fireflies.

“
La Belle Morte, ta mere
, said  I should not come.”

Well now, isn’t that special. Since she can’t leave me alone, she tells you to
. Her cheeks burned, the clawed triple-circle tattoo moving and tingling in response to the weight of Power covering him. Nichtvren night-hunting masters: the top of the paranormal food chain  –  except for demons.

Always except for demons. Liana’s arm loosened, dangling her sword. “How’s Jaf?” The irony of inquiring about the wellbeing of a Fallen demon didn’t escape her.

“
M’sieu
 
is well. He also said I should not come. He said my  welcome would be uncertain at best.” Tiens’ thin lips curved  into a smile, his eyes gas-flame blue holes in the dimness. The  single bulb on her porch was deliberately weak; a bright light  would disturb her night vision.

Besides, she hadn’t got round to changing it.

“I wouldn’t call it
 
uncertain
, Tiens. I’d call it
 
nonexistent
. I

repeat, what the ever-loving hell do you want?”

“Your help,
 
petite sorciere
.” The smile dropped as quickly  as it had bloomed, and he was once again the familiar Tiens of  her childhood, ageless and accessible at once, the object of her  painful schoolgirl crush and the last broken heart she’d ever  allowed herself. “I have a death I must achieve.”

Her entire body went cold. “I’m no contract killer, Tiens.

Go  ask Dante, I’m sure she’ll be more than helpful. Goodnight.”  She stepped back, sweeping the door closed, and wasn’t surprised when he put up one elegant hand. The heavy iron door stopped cold, as if it had met a brick wall.

235

“She cannot interfere, and neither can
 
M’sieu
. I need you,

Liana.”

“Go away.” She retreated two steps, realized her mistake,

but by then he was already in the hall. “I didn’t invite you in.”

“When have you ever left me on the cold doorstep?” If he  meant it whimsically, he must have realized it was a mistake.  The air stilled, and she realized any other psion in her place  would be utterly nervous to have a Nichtvren in her hallway.

“I thought you bloodsucking maniacs couldn’t cross a  threshold without an invitation,” she returned, as coldly as her  hammering heart would allow. She turned on her bare heel and  headed for the kitchen. Her right hand itched for the hilt, but  there was a plasgun under the counter that would serve better.  Habit and instinct sent her hand to the sword most times, probably the result of growing up in a house where katana was a  metaphor for any combat, any honour, any guilt. Dante’s  standard response for any problem was to slice it in half.

Not that there was anything wrong with that, as far as Liana

could see.

“Liana.” He tried again. “I am . . . sorry. I did not mean to

wound you.”

But you did
. That was uncharitable, however, and worse untrue. He had simply, kindly, refused her, because she was too young and human besides. Only human. Even if she was a combat-trained magi.

God, how I wish I was something else. Even a sex witch would be better than this
. “Shut the door, Tiens. And make sure you’re on the other side of it.”

236

“I have asked for your help,
 
petite
. I am desperate.” He even  sounded the part, his usually melodious voice suddenly ragged.  “I will beg, of it pleases you.”

Liana shut her eyes, put out her right hand, and touched the wall. It thrummed under her fingers, the house’s defences humming along as if a Nichtvren hadn’t stepped right through them. Of course, he knew her work and, if  she had to be honest, she hadn’t really wanted to keep him out, had she?”

“It’s not even me you want.” Her throat was dry, the words

a harsh croak. “It’s the glove.”

He drew in a breath to speak  –  and wasn’t
 
that
 
a joke, because Nichtvren didn’t need to breathe. They only did it when they needed to seduce someone into something. Liana shook her head. The sword in her left hand made a faint noise through its scabbard, a high, thin note as her distress communicated itself through the metal.

This is your honour, Liana. It must never touch the ground
.

“Don’t bother lying to me again, Tiens.” Even to herself she  sounded strange. “Just shut the goddamn door. I’m going to  make some tea.” She took an experimental step. All her  appendages seemed to be working just fine. “When you’re  ready, come into the kitchen and tell me who you want me to  kill.”

“She arrives on a private transport, midnight tomorrow.  Nikolai cannot interfere, as I am not his vassal.” Tiens stared  into the blue mug full of hibiscus tea  –  astringent enough that a  Nichtvren could drink it without severe stomach cramps, red  enough that it could be pale blood. Still hr merely inhaled its  fragrance and watched her with those blue, blue eyes.

“What about Jaf? Can’t  he make her go away?”

237

“He has . . . other worries.”

Story of my life. Worries other than us petty mortals. He’s busy keeping Dante from chewing at her cage or her own wrists, busy keeping the Tithe back from Saint City, busy dealing with the Hegemony’s demands. Busy, busy, busy
. “Which don’t include taking care of you right now?”

“I have not asked, Liana.
 
M’sieu
 
has enough problems.” He

frowned, every line on his face drawn for aesthetic effect.

“So why do you want to kill this Amelie, anyway?” Liana

tapped her bitten fingernails against the counter. This city was  too cold. She’d fled south as soon as she’d finished her  Academy schooling and never looked back.

Right. Never looked back. That’s why I’m here now
.

His blue, blue eyes tilted up, and there was a shadow in them she didn’t care to name. “She is my Maker. And she has come to reclaim me, or to make trouble for
 
M’sieu
. Either way, she must be dealt with. And where else can I turn if not to you?”

Not fair. So not fair
. But Liana’s fingers tightened and a flush rose on her throat. “She’s your Maker, so you can’t attack her. How in the hell am I supposed to  ”–

“I can distract her by fighting her command. I am old and a  Master in my own right,
 
petite
. I will keep her occupied, you  take her head and free me. Easy, no?”

“Nothing’s ever easy,” Liana muttered
. I sound like Dante.  Well, I should, she raised me
. “How the hell am I supposed to  kill a Nichtvren? I’m
 
mortal
, Tiens. As you reminded me until

you were blue in the face.”

238

“Separate her head from  her body. It will not be so hard.”

He paused, as if there was more to say.

Liana sighed, rolled her head back on her shoulders, easing the tension creeping up her neck. “You want me to risk my neck decapitating your Master. Why should I?”

“There is no other I would trust.” He didn’t give her a wideeyed, dewy, innocent stare, but the way he dropped his gaze into  his tea was almost as bad. Liana half expected to hear a splash.  “You would grind my heart to powder if you could, and I do not  blame you. Betrayal, however, is not in your nature.”

I wouldn’t be so sure about that if I were you
 
. “You can go away now, Tiens. Come back tomorrow at dusk and I’ll let you know.”