Then I became aware that the room had fallen silent. When I looked around, everyone had stopped what they were doing to stare at us - and the look Bones gave me could have freeze-dried steam.
"Kitten," he said. "Would you kindly return...now."
Uh-oh. Guess I'd committed a faux pas by greeting a friend out of order.
"I gotta go do this," I muttered to Vlad. "Thanks for coming."
"Of course." His smile changed from the genuine one he'd given me to its usual sardonic curl. "Go greet your fans."
My fans, indeed. I'd never felt more judged or dissected in my life than I had tonight. Forget my lack of heartbeat or breathing; if someone had pried open my mouth and demanded to see my fangs, I wouldn't have been surprised.
"So sorry," I said to Bones. It surprised me that he was rigid, anger wafting from him like he'd been splashed with kerosene.
"Quite," he said, ice warmer than his tone. "Let me introduce you to Malcolme Untare. You'll recognize him by another name. Apollyon."
I almost snatched my hand back from the insipid grip of the man I'd barely glanced at. This was the ghoul who'd been spreading the most rumors about me?
Malcolme Untare, or Apollyon, as he'd named himself, was my height if I was in bare feet. He had black hair anybody could see was dyed, and even had one long piece wrapped around his head in that way some men did to fool no one into believing they weren't bald. I resisted a sudden strong urge to tug away that piece and scream peekaboo! at his bare crown underneath. Since I just left him standing there after I'd dashed off to welcome Vlad, however, I thought that might be pushing things.
But some things couldn't be helped. "How do you do?" I asked, giving him a more-than-firm handshake.
Apollyon let go like touching me had been distasteful. He had flat blue eyes and those smooth baby cheeks seemed at odds with his persona. Somehow I thought he should be covered in warts because he reminded me of a mean, squat toad.
"You are just as I expected you to be," he said with a scornful twist of his lips.
I straightened to my full height. In heels, I had two inches on him. A prick like Apollyon would hate to be looked down on by a woman. "Let me return the compliment."
"Kitten," Bones drew out.
Right, this was supposed to be a "no stones thrown" affair. "Great to meet you, Apollyon, and make sure you save me a dance. I'll just bet you've got on your boogie shoes."
Vlad made no attempt to hide his laughter. Mencheres gave me one of those you're-not-being-prudent glares, and Bones looked like he wanted to throttle me. Well, too bad. Apollyon had tried to incite people to kill me and other vampires, all based on lies and paranoia. Damned if I was going to kiss his ass and say it tasted like candy.
Apollyon moved past me reeking with anger - I was getting good at this scent thing! - and I fixed another false smile on my face as I greeted the next dubious well-wisher.
Chapter Thirty
IT WAS AFTER I'D SHAKEN THE LAST PERSON'S hand in line that Bones turned to me and spoke through a clenched jaw.
"Why did you invite Tepesh?"
I glanced over at Vlad, who was on the far side of the room talking with a vampire named Lincoln. To my knowledge, it wasn't the same man who'd freed the slaves, but then again, he was really tall.
"I didn't."
Bones stared at me as if weighing whether I was telling the truth.
"Ask him yourself if you don't believe me," I said, exasperated. "Not that I mind Vlad being here, but it didn't occur to me to invite him since he wasn't one of the people screaming for my head."
"Keep your voice down," Bones hissed, tugging me none too gently toward an alcove near the front door.
I didn't know what he was so angry about. Had it really been such a big deal for me to leave the line and say hello to Vlad? Frigging vampires and their warped rules.
Though maybe I should rethink that statement, since as a full vampire, I was insulting myself now, too.
"What is your problem?" I asked, keeping my voice very low.
Bones looked at me like I'd grown two heads. "My problem, pet, is you leaving my side to greet your former lover as if you'd severely missed him."
Now it was my turn to stare at Bones like he'd morphed into an alien being. "My former lover? Have you lost your mind?"
In my disbelief, my voice wasn't as soft as it had been before. Bones's fingers tightened on my arm. "Do you want to air our business in front of everyone? Just say the word, then."
I forced myself to calm down, because otherwise, I'd get really shrill. "What gave you the idea that I'd had sex with Vlad?" I managed to ask in a whisper.
Bones raised a brow. "Charles telling me about how he'd rung you when you were in bed with Tepesh."
Oh for God's sake, that's right. Spade's phone call that morning when Vlad slept in my room. With everything that had happened, I'd forgotten about how that would have looked.
"You know how you told me I should have asked you about what happened in New Orleans, instead of assuming based on appearances? Well, back at you, Bones. If you had asked, I'd have told you I've never had sex with Vlad. I've never even kissed him. We slept together because we were both lonely and needed a friend. Nothing more."
From his face, Bones was wrestling with the information. I tapped my foot. If I can believe you picked up girl after girl with Cannelle and only drank them to sleep, then you'd better be able to believe me about Vlad, I thought with a glint.
"All right," he said at last. "I believe you, and I should have asked."
"I can't believe you thought I slept with Vlad, yet you decided not to mention it."
"Oh, I would have mentioned it, just not until this situation with your mum was resolved." His voice was rough. "I thought you did it because you believed I'd cast you off and had been shagging multiple women myself. I understood how it could have happened, though I damn sure wasn't going to let it continue."
So that was the other reason Bones challenged Vlad to a death match the night he'd taken me from the Impaler's house. He hadn't just wanted me away from Vlad out of concern over Vlad sacrificing me instead of his people if ghouls attacked.
"You came to get me even though you thought I was cheating on you?"
Bones cupped my face. "You pulled me out of New Orleans even though you believed I'd left you and humiliated you with several other women. That's what vampires do, Kitten. We always come for what's ours, no matter the circumstances."
I was just thinking I'd never been happier to be a vampire when a withering voice crackled the air.