AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Holden, hand still raised in the air, stood smirking on the other side of the door. Being a vampire, he knew perfectly well what he’d interrupted. Smug bastard.
“Sorry to bother you,” he said, his voice sweet with charm.
“No you’re not. ” But it was difficult to stay mad at him. Seeing him in my doorway, his hair cut and his clothes clean, looking like his old self and no longer a wanted man, made me joyful. Unable to contain myself, I wrapped him in a fierce hug. “I’m glad you’re okay. ”
He hugged me back, then pushed me away. He gave Desmond a polite nod from the doorway. The werewolf waved halfheartedly. “Sorry, chap. I need to borrow Secret. Won’t be but a minute. ”
“Sure?” What else could he say, though? Holden had already pulled me through the door and shut it behind us.
Outside the apartment the wall of heat I’d been hiding from in the air conditioning sucked at me like a hungry ocean, threatening to drown me. Holden walked me up the short staircase to street level where, parked in front of my BMW, was a long, sleek, black stretch limo. The overhead streetlights reflected in each of the glossy windows.
I looked questioningly at Holden.
“What’s this?”
He opened the door for me. “Just get in. ”
I followed his instructions and he climbed in beside me. Sitting opposite us against the driver’s window and half-hidden by the low lights inside the cabin were Sig, Juan Carlos and Rebecca the French vampire I’d met at Havana.
I shot a glance at Holden, but he leaned back in the leather seat and laced his fingers behind his head like he was settling in for a good movie. I looked back at the trio of vampires, all of whom were watching me patiently. I didn’t have much to say to them, so I watched them right back.
Sig broke the silence. “We want to thank you for the excellent job you did. ”
“You’re welcome,” I replied. Something was wrong with this. The Tribunal had never come to thank me in person for anything. Come to think of it, I could count on one hand the number of times I’d been thanked, period.
Silence again. J
uan Carlos was looking especially unhappy, his jaw clenched so tight I thought he might break his own teeth. Rebecca was staring at Holden.
“Well. ” I slapped my hands against my bare legs. “If that’s all. ” I moved to climb over Holden, who stayed put, letting me attempt to clamber over his lap.
“Not quite,” Rebecca said.
I sat back down.
“I want to thank you personally,” she began. “You see, I may have neglected to mention when we met that Holden is of my line. ”
I turned from her to Holden. He gave a small nod. “Must have slipped your mind,” I mumbled.
“I am grateful to you for saving his life and restoring his reputation. ”
What she didn’t mention but must have known was that I was also responsible for killing one of her other vampire children. A few years earlier I’d been tasked with killing the actor Charlie Conaway, who turned out to be a vampire rogue using the thrall to feed from and kill his young female fans.
No one mentioned this because the whole event was a rather ugly history that was better off not being discussed. I appreciated that Rebecca didn’t bring up Charlie.
“It was my pleasure,” I said. “Your help was…instrumental. ”
“There is one more reason for our being here,” Sig said, and Juan Carlos groaned. The others ignored him, but I’d definitely heard it.
“You are aware there is now an open seat on the Tribunal since Daria’s death,” Sig continued. “This, of course, is unacceptable, as a Tribunal of two is no Tribunal at all. ”
“Right. ” I didn’t see what he was getting at.
“Another must rise to fill the position, and we have been dealing with this matter since the night of Daria’s passing. We have now arrived at the natural conclusion, and a third member has been chosen by the elders of the council. ”
“Oh. ” They made a house call to introduce me to my newest boss? I looked at Rebecca. “Congratulations. You’ll make a great—”
She’d already begun chuckling before my words were formed. Even her laugh sounded highbrow. “Non, non, Secret. I am not the one. I am here as a representative of the elders to ensure our decision is properly carried out. ” She shot Juan Carlos a meaningful look, then smiled back at me. “You see, dear, there has been much discussion among the elders about this situation. If Daria had passed by her own hand or been executed in another fashion, a member of the elder council would be chosen to replace her. In such a case I might very well sit before you as that replacement. However, according to tradition, the only true way for a vampire to become a member of the Tribunal is if they kill the existing member in a declared fight. That night at the park, I understand Daria initiated the fight against you, which qualifies it as a declared fight. ”
