"I will if you'll overlook what you insist is youth," I muttered. "I can't help it, Gavin. I cry when I lose somebody. I get depressed if six people are dying because of me. Honestly, I don't know why you want me. We don't have that much in common."
Gavin lifted me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me. "I remember when I was introduced to you," he whispered against my hair. "I saw your perfect little mouth and I was lost. Forever lost. If it were possible to go back and revisit a time, ever, I would go back to that moment. I would hold your face in my hands, cara, and kiss you. Your scent is an aphrodisiac to me—didn't you know? I thought I would have to contact Wlodek and ask him to get me away from you that first night."
"You would have killed me if he'd asked."
"And that would have killed me. I don't know how long I would have lasted, cara, if you'd died at my hand. Now, when I hold you, I can't say how fortunate I am—or how grateful. As if something precious was meant for someone else and it was handed to me by mistake. That's how I feel. Of all the important vampires in the world, the little Queen belongs to me. Wears my ring and sleeps in my bed. How many envy me already? How many more will envy me when they learn what I have?" He tipped my chin up and settled his mouth over mine. "Take us to bed, cara mia," he broke the kiss to whisper the words.
* * *
When I'd attended the last Annual Meeting, it had been on Merrill's arm at some location in Great Britain. This year it was held in France, and I couldn't help thinking of René as Gavin helped me out of the limousine we'd ridden in. Wlodek and Merrill had come separately, thank goodness. I wasn't in any mood to talk to either of them. And I hadn't talked to either of them. Not for days.
"Cara, you are lovely," Gavin kissed me lightly and tucked my hand inside his arm. We walked toward the entrance of an expansive chateau, with neatly trimmed grounds and gardens surrounding it. Water tinkled in fountains, the scent of flowers floated past and hectares of land surrounded us as we walked toward the brightly lit structure. There wasn't another home, chateau or village anywhere in sight. Thank goodness, this chateau wasn't René's—that would have been sadness on top of sadness. For Gavin and me.
Wlodek insisted that Tony stay in England. He was too young, according to Wlodek, although Gavin thought highly of his fighting skills. Gavin informed me quietly that he imagined Wlodek would allow Tony to come next year, to help the Enforcers guard the meeting.
Vampire guards nodded respectfully to Gavin when we walked through the doors. After passing through a grand entry, Gavin led me into a huge ballroom, decorated in Louis XVI style. Russell, Radomir and Will were already stationed around the ballroom's perimeter, carefully watching the guests. I wanted to go to all three of them and say hello, but that wasn't acceptable. I was supposed to be more circumspect.
"Come this way," Merrill drifted silently beside us, leading Gavin and me toward a knot of vampires. It was the Council; I learned that quickly enough. I had to be civil and respectful to Merrill, Wlodek and the others. I hated that I had to be there. Hated that I had to act as if I were enjoying myself. I wondered briefly how many others felt exactly the same. The males were all dressed in expensive tuxedos, either white or black. A few had ventured into the fringe of fashion and worn a bowtie that wasn't black or white. Female companions dotted the floor like colorful snowflakes, fallen onto darker ground.
"Follow me," Radomir was there suddenly, Wlodek and Charles right behind him. Charles carried his laptop case, so there would be minutes taken. We were going to a meeting. All of us were led toward a doorway at the back of the ballroom, every other vampire present stepping aside to allow us passage. Most bowed to Wlodek as we passed.
It was a small room, designed perhaps for more intimate gatherings. Still, it was large enough to hold all eight Council members, Wlodek, Merrill, Radomir, Gavin, Charles and me. Radomir closed the door behind us and stood guard there.
"Lissa, this is Montrose." Merrill was introducing me to the Council. Montrose lifted my hand and kissed it. "Ilaisaane." The Asian female that had voted against me. I schooled my face and muttered pleasantries. "Nestor. Cecil. Jarl." The three males who'd voted against me. Two of those were tainted, along with Ilaisaane. Did I think anyone had paid attention to me when I'd said that before? Of course not. Jarl was the only exception. He was shorter than most vampires I'd met. "Oluwa," he actually smiled at me, his beautiful, white teeth a contrast to darker skin. His black eyes danced as he kissed my hand. "Susila," the second female Council member. She didn't smile but her eyes sparkled. "And Flavio, of course," Merrill made the last of the introductions. Flavio kissed both cheeks in the European style. Still the handsomest male I'd ever met on Earth. I'm sure he knew it, too, although it didn't seem to affect him at all. Charles's laptop was set up and waiting before the introductions were ever completed.
"I called this meeting," Wlodek spoke for the first time, "to inform all of you that we have a Queen again." The only sound I heard after that announcement was Charles tapping on his computer. Wlodek cleared his throat. "Lissa is a Queen Vampire, and we will be sending her out quickly to hunt Xenides."
"She is susceptible to compulsion," Ilaisaane spat, breaking the silence. Well, she wasn't high on my list, either. None of them were. Gavin pinched my elbow to keep me from snapping at her.
"She is not. Even my compulsion cannot hold her," Wlodek admitted. Ilaisaane turned to him with a sneer. She might have opened her mouth to say something else, but the words were never spoken—I drew in a breath, a huge hole was blown into the side of the chateau and human companions were screaming in terror inside the ballroom.
No! I shouted mentally to Radomir, whose hand reached for the doorknob—he was ready to go out and do battle. That was a bad idea. Xenides had come to call, I was sure of it, and he'd probably brought friends. A lot of friends, unless I missed my guess.
"Well, bitch," I snarled at Ilaisaane, "you get to stay here. Everybody else is coming with me." Before Wlodek or Merrill could stop me, I turned everyone else in the room to mist, leaving Ilaisaane behind and cursing as I swooped through the ceiling.
My guess, sadly enough, turned out to be correct. An army surrounded the chateau, and Xenides' troops were pouring through the newly blasted hole in the wall and either fighting or shooting the Aristocracy inside the ballroom. I knew without a doubt that somebody had given secret information to Xenides, leaking information on the Annual Meeting. I smelled vampires, humans and Dark Elemaiya in the attacking army—Xenides had been busy collecting allies after we'd offed many of his vampires.