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“So you want him dead,” I say matter-of-factly, carefully keeping my voice even. But I am furious. Even though Andi’s story is common, one I’ve heard a million times before, I feel like her words are fresh and somewhat shocking, like I can't believe someone would ever consider hurting such a small creature. I see a flash of my little sister’s tear-stained face in my mind's eye, bruises on her skin. How strange. I have not thought of Alizée for maybe a decade, shielding myself from my greatest failure. Something about the way Andi speaks, the emotion in her voice, the way she describes things, is stirring memories better left forgotten.
Andi’s beautiful eyes widen. “No! I didn’t mean . . . I mean to say, that’s not . . .”
So a little murder flusters the mouse. Adorable. I would let her ramble along, flustered for a while longer, but Gaspard breaks in to say, “Then what is it you want from us?”
Her eyes flick away from me to my second, and it rankles. She tells him, “Jade, well, my friend, she said that you are bodyguards? That having you all around might, well, scare my ex off.”
Bodyguarding. Interesting. An idea starts to form in my mind, a way to stave off the ennui that I so often struggle with. But before I can say anything, render my judgment, Leander speaks. “Are you rich, woman? Famous? How would you pay us for our services?”
Andi goes pale, then flushes a delicate pink. “Umm . . . no, I’m not. But Jade said that there are other ways to pay . . .” She trails off, obviously not knowing what she’s talking about. Jade was most likely thinking of a blood contract, an easy enough solution. The way that Andi flushes, though, it’s easy to think that she thinks the way to pay would be tawdry in practice. The idea has a surprising amount of merit, and I find myself thinking what she might look like under that dress. What other delightful surprises might the mouse have?
But Leander just laughs, the sound mocking and cruel. “It’s not like that. If you think that any of us would take the trouble to fuck a plain-looking woman like yourself and then give you anything for it, you are delusional.”
A snickered agreement meets Leanders’ words, and Andi flushes darker, this time with humiliation. Without thinking, I stand suddenly. The snickers break off immediately, but that’s not enough for me. In a blink, I am behind Leander, and I slam his head into the table. The room goes deathly still, but I just slam his head again. And again. Then grind it into the wood.
“Is that the way we speak to ladies, Leander?” My words are conversational, blasé, like I'm discussing the weather. But my grip is iron, and though I feel Leander push and struggle, he barely moves. There’s no way that a younger vampire like him could even hope to win against a seven-hundred-year-old vampire like me.
He grunts in pain, then finally squeezes out, “No, Commandant. My apologies.”
I tsk. “It is not me to whom an apology is owed.”
He looks up, eyes going a little wild, his head still pressed cruelly into the wood. Then his eyes slide up, trying to see the human at the end of the table.
“I’m sorry, woman.”
“Andi,” I correct and then push harder. Any more pressure and I may crack his skull with my hands.
He whines lightly. He must be in agony, but I don’t care. “Andi,” he finally gasps out, “I’m sorry, Andi.”
Something makes me want to keep tormenting him, but I glance up to see round blue eyes looking at me in horror. This is not Andi's world. She doesn't understand the need to put vampires in their place with force of arms. It is the only way that they will learn. I’ve been alive long enough to know that, but she hasn’t. She is still young and innocent in the ways of the Other World.
But I don’t like that she is looking at me in fear, so I let Leander up. He sits up carefully, as if expecting me to strike out at him again. Leander is clever. That’s how such a young vampire received a council seat in the first place. But I don’t attack him again. I just reach out my hand, and without hesitation, he kisses my signet ring.
“Thank you for your correction, Commandant,” he murmurs before slouching down in his seat, trying to make himself small.
I accept his thanks as my due, holding Andi’s gaze with my own. Her eyes are not as wide now, but there’s a wariness in them, like she has just realized that she is in a cage with a predator. What she doesn’t realize is that the entire room is full of wolves, and she is a helpless deer. She doesn’t belong here, but she has no choice. She’s out of options, thanks to her bastard of an ex.
I’m feeling more awake than I have in years, interested and alert. All because of this tiny mouse. I’ve made up my mind. I’m keeping her around. To entertain me and chase away my boredom and melancholy. In return, I’ll help her, but only in return for a price. I’m not a generous man, after all.
“Get out,” I suddenly command, breaking the tension in the room. “This council session is over.”
Without a word, the other vampires stand and begin hurriedly leaving. No one wants to stay in the room after what happened to Leander. Andi looks confused, turning to Gaspard, who gives her an inscrutable look of his own before moving to leave the room as well.
The human turns to me, still looking confused and a little disappointed. “Thank you for your time, Commandant,” she says hesitantly, before moving to follow Gaspard. But I step in front of her, stopping her steps.
“You misunderstand, ma souris,” I say. “The council meeting is over, but our bargaining has just begun.”
Chapter 5
Andi
Shit. Shit. Ho-lee shit.
I’m in way over my head. Damn it, Jade. What the hell just happened? One moment, one of the guys at the table was insulting me and laughing, and then the next thing I knew, the head guy, the Commandant, was bashing his face into the table. I didn’t even see him move. How is he that fast?
Now I’m alone with him, his body close to mine, a little smile playing at his lips. But it’s not a friendly smile. It’s the kind of smile the cat gives the canary, the crocodile gives the fish. Suddenly, I’m thinking of a poem I read as a kid: “'Come into my parlor,' said the spider to the fly.”
But I think I get why the fly went inside, because this spider is beautiful. I was expecting “the Commandant” to be some fat, balding man with a nice suit and too many rings. I guess I was still thinking of The Godfather. But, no, he’s a stereotypical tall, dark, and handsome. He has long, slightly curly, shoulder-length dark hair and sooty eyelashes that stand in stark relief against his pale skin. Attractive scruff rims his sinfully full lips. His eyes look dark as well, but it’s hard to tell; the light in here is dimmer than a room should be. I was right about the nice suit and rings, though. He fills out a three-piece suit well, with obvious muscles under the tailored fabric. It looks custom to my untrained eyes. He’s wearing one large gold ring with an intricate design on top. That same one the rude guy kissed earlier, thanking this psycho for beating him bloody. What have I gotten myself into?
