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But that didn’t hold her attention. She was all for Havily and Warrior Marcus. They stood off to the side opposite the line of what must be the Territory ambassadors.
To Medichi, she said, “Commander Greaves is at the Ambassadors Reception. I remember him from the arena battle. He’s brought some of his generals with him, including Warrior Leto. Havily and Marcus seem distressed but I don’t think it’s focused on Commander Greaves or his entourage.”
“You can see all this?” His voice was sharp, worried.
She didn’t look at him. She felt the need to keep searching, a profound impulse that caused her to pan left and to move her window backward several steps so that she could view more of the room. There. A death vampire cloaked in mist. She would know one anywhere, the porcelain bluish complexion, the extraordinary beauty. He moved steadily, hidden by the line of ambassadors. He drew closer to Madame Endelle and Warrior Thorne.
“Antony,” she said. “Can you fold me directly to Havily? I have to warn her. I can see a death vampire not far from Madame Endelle. I can see him near the line of ambassadors hidden by mist.”
She put her hand on his arm and relayed the vision to him as well as Havily’s location.
He did not hesitate because the next moment she stood beside Havily. Medichi had his hand on her arm, supporting her.
* * *
Havily jumped at the sudden presence of Parisa and Medichi next to her. She gasped and put her hand to her chest. “What are you doing here?”
Parisa didn’t say a word. She just planted both her hands on the sides of Havily’s face and, with the same ability that Endelle possessed, imparted what she knew.
Havily gasped and watched the replay of some sort of vision, one of Parisa’s visions. She saw the death vampire, disguised by mist, moving up along the far side of the ambassadors’ reception line. He was almost opposite Endelle and Thorne.
The death vampire slipped through a break in the line. He was focused on Thorne. He lifted his arm and metal flashed.
Havily didn’t hesitate. Even from the distance of several yards, she concentrated on Thorne. Just as the death vamp drew his arm up and back, she took Thorne straight into the darkening.
Thorne weaved on his feet, looked around, and drew his sword into his hand all at the same time. His gaze landed on Havily. “What the f**k?” he cried. “What have you done? Where the hell are we? Shit. Is this the darkening?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Death vampire and a very sharp dagger aimed straight at you. Do you trust me?”
Thorne shook his head, clearly stunned, but he cried, “Hell, yeah.”
* * *
Marcus watched the pretty-boy’s dagger fly from his hand, through empty airspace, to embed in one of the palm trees not far from where Marcus stood. Holy shit. That blade had been aimed at Thorne, but Thorne had vanished a split second earlier.
He looked around. Havily was gone as well, and a tremor went through him. If he understood what had happened, Havily had just swept Thorne into the darkening, which meant she had just saved Thorne’s life. Holy shit!
Marcus focused his attention on the death vampire cloaked in mist and invisible from most of the eyes present. He folded directly behind the pretty-boy. “You looking for someone?” Marcus asked quietly.
The pretty-boy whipped around and met his gaze. His eyes flared as Marcus lifted his sword. With preternatural speed, before the death vamp could move, Marcus sliced in a strong swift arc at the bastard’s neck. He made quick work of it, which unfortunately sent a fine spray of blood in every direction. At least the vampire was no longer breathing when he fell headless to the white marble floor and his constructed mist disappeared. His head rolled, thankfully, away from the line of ambassadors.
A cry went up at the same time and the reception line fell back, forming a half circle around the bloody sight.
Endelle joined Marcus then glanced at Medichi, who drew up on Marcus’s other side. “What the hell happened here?” Endelle cried. She looked down at the death vampire. She peered around, hunting. “Where the f**k is Thorne?”
Marcus explained. Medichi added information that concerned Parisa and a sudden vision.
Endelle listened, her striated eyes widening, her cheeks turning a dark red, her lips thinning. She seemed to grow an entire foot, and electricity began to spray from her head, her arms, her shoulders in brilliant green and blue flashes. She turned in Greaves’s direction. The crowd parted.
She moved to stand once more in front of the Commander, the flashes turning red. “It would seem one of your own has made an attempt on the life of one of my Warriors of the Blood. So unless you wish to face me now, a challenge I would gladly accept, you had best get the hell out of here. Do you understand me, Commander?” The last word, spoken aloud and with unfathomable resonance, brought half the ambassadors to their knees along with most of Greaves’s war party.
Greaves, however, didn’t move; nor did he meet Endelle’s gaze. His attention was elsewhere. He even frowned as he glanced around. Marcus watched him closely.
When the Commander’s gaze landed on Medichi and Parisa his frown deepened. Medichi, however, stepped in front of Parisa, his sword drawn. He looked goddamn righteous in battle gear, his weapons harness strapped to his chest, over his black tee. His height was unmatched in the building by any other man present, the strength of his features enough to give even the most powerful death vampire pause.
And still Greaves didn’t seem to care. He kept searching the room.
Then it dawned on Marcus what he was looking for: Thorne and Havily. But the hell if he was allowing Havily to be called back while Greaves was in the goddamn building.
Time to end this.
Marcus crossed the room and drew close to Endelle. He cried out in his loudest, most commanding voice, also splitting resonance: “You’ve got your marching orders, ass**le. Get lost! Now!”
More groans erupted from several quarters, but Greaves leveled his gaze on Marcus. He felt the punch inside his brain but Marcus pushed back with a powerful, effective shove. Greaves wasn’t getting anything out of this little show, not command of his mind, not clues to Havily’s whereabouts, and not the death of a Warrior of the Blood.
Hell. No.
Greaves backed down. He bowed to Endelle. “I shall see you tomorrow at the committee hearing.”
And that was that since Greaves lifted an arm, then he and his contingent, as one, disappeared.
Damn, that vampire had power. Bastard.
Endelle turned to Marcus then glanced at the body of the death vamp. She made a careful assessment. “So he was after Thorne.” Whatever her temper might be, her mind was quick.
