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“Uh-huh.” They nodded in unison and Bodie said, “She really has her bodyslave trained perfectly.”
“Is that so?” Priss glared at Lilli. “Well, then let me be the first to congratulate you on not tripping over your own two feet up there and acting like an idiot,” she snapped, nodding at the stage where someone else was currently being announced. “I know it must have been really hard for you to overcome your natural inclinations..”
Lilli didn’t know what to say when faced with such open hostility. Such nasty manners hadn’t been allowed at the convent, where everyone treated everyone else with respect and the Sisters insisted on mediating all conflicts, no matter how small.
“Um, where is the necessary room?” she asked the twins, deciding that getting away from the table completely was her best bet. “I need to find it before the ceremony starts.”
“Running away, Lilliana?” Priss sneered at her but Bodie and Beelie seemed to have mercy on her.
“It’s through that back exit,” Beelie said.
“Right beside the elevator bank,” Bodie added.
“Thank you.” Lilli rose and nodded at Karn. “Come on, let’s go.” She nodded her thanks to Bodie and Beelie and, ignoring Priss, headed for the back of the huge, glittering ballroom.
Twenty-Seven
“Well, here we are. Do you really need to use the fresher?” Karn asked, looking down at Lilli when the two of them were finally clear of the ballroom and could talk normally instead of as Mistress and bodyslave. “Or were you looking for an excuse to get out of there so we can solve our mystery?”
“Oh, our mystery!” Lilli brightened at once. “That’s right—we need to find out what happened with the Nightwalker Kindred!”
She’d been so preoccupied with the awful tingle—which Karn had finally soothed with his tongue—and then with Priss being nasty and awful, that she’d nearly forgotten the main reason she and Karn wanted to be here in the first place.
“Exactly—the mystery,” he rumbled. “Are you up for it?”
“I’m up for anything that gets me out of that crowded ballroom with those awful people,” Lilli said fervently. “Come on, let’s go!” She waved her hand over the elevator’s sensor and the shiny, mother-of-pearl door immediately slid open.
Lilli and Karn stepped in and Lilli said, “Take us to Mistress Zangelo’s floor.”
The elevator chimed and a smooth, artificial voice said,
“I’m sorry, that floor has been restricted as a crime scene area.”
Thinking fast, Lilli said, “Override by order of Mistress Mirabella, member of the Sacred Seven.”
The elevator seemed to take a while to process this but after a moment it chimed again and said, “Access granted.”
Lilli sighed in relief as the doors slid shut and the richly appointed elevator began to hum quietly. Her mother would probably be upset if she found out Lilli had been taking her name in vain, but honestly—what else could she do? An innocent male’s life might hang in the balance. And hopefully, her mother would never find out.
After a moment the elevator chimed again and the smooth artificial voice announced, “Zangelo residence.”
The doors slid open and Lilli and Karn got out into a dimly lit, richly furnished apartment.
“What are we looking for?” Lilli found herself whispering, though she didn’t know why. It wasn’t like there was anyone else here—it was clearly deserted.
Karn shrugged.
“Clues, I guess. The Nightwalker was accused of killing his Mistress here. Let’s see what we can find to either confirm or refute that.”
“Okay, but let’s stick together.” Lilli shivered as she looked around the darkened living space. “This gives me the creeps!”
“I won’t leave your side, little Mistress,” Karn promised. “In fact, here…”
And he took her hand in his and intertwined their fingers.
Lilli felt better at once about walking into the dark apartment where a woman had been murdered. Karn was with her—he wouldn’t let anything happen to her, she told herself.
They wandered past the richly furnished living area and through the well-appointed kitchens being careful not to touch anything. Nothing looked out of order until they came to a room off the kitchens which was filled with large metal cages.
“What’s this?” Lilli asked blankly as Karn called for lights, which came on at once.
The big Kindred frowned.
“Looks like some kind of a kennel,” he growled. “Did Mistress Zangelo breed any kind of animals?”
“No.” Lilli felt her gut clench. “But I do think she might have kept rather a lot of bodyslaves.”
“What a fucking way to live!” Karn shook his head as he looked at the empty metal cages.
Each one had a long chain affixed to the back of it, attached to a choke collar. Some had thin blankets lining their chain-link floors and some had nothing at all. A few discarded water and food dishes could be seen too.
“She treated them like animals,” Karn muttered, glaring around at the cramped, bare cages.
“It’s awful.” Lilli felt hot tears prick her eyelids. “How could anyone treat other people this way?”
