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“I think . . . I think that guy”—I indicated the redhead again—“was the one who invited him to play cards. He invited other people, too.”
“He invited them so he could kill them?” the consul asked. “It was premeditated, then.”
I nodded.
Looked pretty premeditated to me.
“Tensions have been running high,” the old officer said, his face troubled. “Many of the families here have long-standing grudges, as do some of the senates. Add that to what we’re asking them to do—”
“There has been violence on a daily basis,” one of the other vamps said. “Although nothing this . . . extreme.”
“Yes, but that’s not what happened here.” Mircea knelt by the ravaged man.
“And how do you know that?” the vamp asked. His tone wasn’t exactly a sneer, but it wasn’t one I’d have expected from someone addressing his general. I didn’t know him: a generic blond in a uniform that was more braid and medals than cloth. He obviously thought well of himself.
Mircea looked up, the dark eyes sardonic. “He killed all these others, then, in your view?”
The vamp nodded. “Likely was unstable before he came. That, or the pressure—”
“Did nothing! Are ye blind, man?” the old soldier demanded.
The officer drew himself up. “I simply pointed out that we have our killer. The Pythia even thinks so!”
“Perhaps,” Mircea said gently. “But then who killed him?”
Everybody looked at the blond idiot for a moment, who flushed with embarrassment.
And then everybody looked at me.
I stared back for a second, and then started shaking my head. Vigorously. Dizziness be damned!
“Cassie—”
“Not only no, but hell no!”
“We’re not asking—”
“Like hell you’re not! I am not going back in there! Forget it, I’m done!”
“That is your prerogative, of course.”
“Damn straight it is! There’s nothing to go into anyway, even if I wanted! His head is . . . is like that!” I gestured at the flattened cranium, which looked like one of those full-size head masks they sell for Halloween, only with nothing inside. I didn’t know what had happened to the guy’s brain, but it wasn’t in there anymore.
Most of it wasn’t, anyway.
“Yeah,” Billy agreed. “Ain’t nobody getting anything out of that.”
“Especially if it’s me!” I didn’t care if it looked like I was talking to myself. I didn’t care if I looked unstable in front of the consul’s new friends. I didn’t care about anything but getting out!
And now everybody was looking at Mircea, because of course they were. He was supposed to control the crazy Pythia, right? Only not this time.
He pulled me away from the rest—why, I didn’t know. It wasn’t like they couldn’t hear us anyway. Although I was frankly past caring.
“You don’t have to do this,” he told me, and sounded like he meant it.
“Damn straight!” I repeated, and then I shuddered, and felt his arms go around me. I was supposed to be mad at him—furious, even. And I was. But I couldn’t deny that, right then, those arms felt good. I shuddered again, and they tightened.
“I’m sorry,” Mircea whispered. “We shouldn’t have put you through that.”
