Blade To The Keep Part 8

She nodded. "I...yes, they are." What could she say? That she was touched that they had been left exactly how she had them before? She was, on some levels. On others she was disturbed. She wasn't that Rowan anymore. That Rowan would always be part of her, but she wasn't...dependent. She had options. She was a force to be reckoned with, and that made all the most important differences in her life as an adult.

"Good. You'll attend me for tea each day until you leave. If anyone interrupts us again, I'll beat them to death."

He sipped from his gla.s.s nearly delicately, and she barely resisted rolling her eyes. She could be irreverent with everyone else, but no matter how much distance she got from Theo, she never forgot what he was. A silly comment he found amusing one day might mortally offend him the next.

Being careful meant staying alive for all of her formative years. They were lessons she would never forget. She knew he believed them important, no matter the cost. She didn't agree, but they were lessons all the same, and they equipped her for the position she held so there was that.

"I see Collette is here." Theo toyed with Clive, which, admittedly, amused her.

Clive suppressed his cringe. But not entirely. Rowan saw it at the edges. She watched them both carefully.

"Yes, Ovilius. She is here with Victoriana's...cadre."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, even as she managed to b.u.t.ter a piece of bread. This little interchange between Scion and Master fascinated her. Because she knew them both so well.

Theo was not surprised by Collette's presence, and while Clive was careful in his replies, it was a normal sort of care. Like she herself took when she spoke with Theo.

Clive had told Theo, or at the very least, one of Theo's people, that Collette was there. Which begged the question as to what brought it on. If she was just one of many, and she knew Theo had formally ejected everyone but the number of Vampires and humans he'd told Victoriana she could bring, Theo wouldn't be discussing it in this manner. She'd simply be one of a number unless she'd f.u.c.ked him over in some sense.

And if that were the case, Theo'd have said her name differently. He didn't like her, that was clear enough. He distrusted her even. But it wasn't quite personal.

Clive flicked his gaze her way, not surprised to find her watching. She relaxed a little, understanding he meant to inform her about whatever this Collette had done.

Not that she was going to give up the opportunity to toy with him and make him squirm a little.

And then Victoriana tried it on again. "I find it fascinating a human has been seated higher at the table than you, Paola. Does that not bother you?"

Rowan sampled some of the pickle and made a mental note to beg a few jars from Dina before she left.

Paola looked to Rowan and smiled, shrugging. "Some of us earn our positions, human, Vampire, whatever. The First knows the difference between family and business. As I'm sure you know."

Victoriana pouted slightly. "We all work hard for our positions, Paola. That place at the table doesn't belong to a human."

Theo's attention moved from Clive to Victoriana, and a palpable cool rushed from him out through the room. He went very still, and Rowan lowered her gaze, hoping like h.e.l.l they all walked away from the table.

Clive didn't look at Victoriana. It would do no good. She'd poked the oldest Vampire on earth, and now he'd slid into a killing rage. Stupid.

She might believe that the diplomatic nature of the meeting would protect her. And it might. But The First had been alive thousands of years. What was waiting a few days to him?

The staff who'd been moving about the table filling plates and gla.s.ses stepped back, shrinking away as best they could.

"I decide what place belongs to who at my table. You seem to be overly interested with things that do not concern you. It's a dangerous habit."

"Sir, I meant no..." Her sentence trailed off as the cool breeze went freezing. Across from him, Clive noted Rowan squeezing her fork so hard her knuckles were white. His heart ached for her. On one hand, if this were any other situation he knew she'd be amused as h.e.l.l. But this was no other situation. This man formed her, shaped her with his generosity and his vicious temper.

"I am not a Sir, fledgling. I am The First. Have you forgotten this?"

No one even cleared their throat.

"You are correct. And gracious to remind me, Ovilius." Ovilius was the Latin word for shepherd and the formal form of address for their leader. "I apologize most sincerely for my comments. I meant no offense."

The First remained very still, like a snake waiting for a bird to get close enough to strike. Finally he waved a hand. "See to it that there is no repeat. Now, please go back to eating or my cook will be offended and I will never hear the end of it."

Rowan put her fork down and took several swallows of her wine before she looked up at Clive.

If they could all just hold it together and get through the next several days without a death or maiming, it would be a miracle. Scratch that, if she could just get the amendment to the Treaty pa.s.sed first, then the maiming could occur. She just wanted to get her business concluded and go back to Vegas, d.a.m.n it.

After dinner they all retired to a series of formal social rooms. Soft music played as staff pa.s.sed through with trays of coffee, tea and after-dinner drinks. Rowan had already enjoyed three gla.s.ses of wine, so she switched to a cherry red port to go with the truffle she'd selected.

"I want you to know I have no patience at all with that little show Victoriana pulled earlier."

Paola was the only female Scion, and she held a very powerful territory within the Nation. South America wasn't that populated with Vampires, but the ones it had were very old and therefore they held a great deal of sway in the upper echelons of Nation politics.

They liked to be left alone. They didn't much interact with each other, preferring to keep it to no more than one Vampire per several hundred miles. They liked their life. Liked their secret and did nothing to rock the boat. If Paola had opposed Rowan, it would have made the Treaty discussions much more difficult.

Rowan raised her gla.s.s slightly. "I'm not sure yet just exactly what her issue is. I didn't know who she was yesterday. But I can take a guess."

"It's not that mysterious. My Vampires have no patience for such games in any case. Nor do they want to be policed by the Hunters."

"We share that in common. I have no desire to go adding more things to my to-do list when it comes to Vampires. Believe it or not, I don't like having to police your behavior. It cuts into my sleep time. It makes me cranky and the paperwork when I have to stake one of you is a huge pain in my a.s.s. Nearly a year it took when I staked the last Scion in Vegas. And he was stealing from you."

"Good riddance to bad rubbish in that case. Fool. Why don't you tell me why we're not fit to handle this particular issue ourselves, then?"

Rowan finished the rather delightful truffle and let the sweet smoke of the port chase it before she spoke. "In most cases I'd wager you can. And frankly I hope you do because as I said, it's a pain in my a.s.s to have to do it. But in those situations where it doesn't happen, like the one we just had, it took extra time, time that resulted in more deaths, just to get all the ducks in a row. If I'd known, or if the Nation had been organized to handle it, I wouldn't be here now.

"The sad fact is, you all knew the blood barrier had been broken for crystal meth. You knew it as these women turned up dead. All addicts or recovering addicts. Targeted because of that. If I'd have known about the barrier being broken, it would have helped me sooner. But you knew. The Nation knew and still this rogue killed. I'd far prefer it if you had taken care of it. But in the times you don't someone has to, and if it's not in the Treaty it takes all my time playing these games to get basic cooperation, and let's be honest, The First is my father and if I get caught up in red tape, how long would it take a run-of-the-mill Hunter?"

Paola nodded, clearly thinking it over.

"The changes we're proposing for the Treaty only put into place a failsafe in the situation where the Nation does not do its job. I'm not out to control you all any more than you already have submitted to."

"But in point of fact, Rowan, you will receive more control with this change. It's one more area where the Hunters can interfere in our internal governance."

"Because in the past you proved you were not willing to share the information you should have to protect not only humans, which Hunter Corp. are bound to protect, but the secrecy of your existence. I'm the one who had to protect you. At great personal expense, I should add."

Valerie sidled up to them, and Rowan restrained an eye roll.

"I'm Valerie Portman from Hunter Corp. A Junior Partner. He didn't introduce all of us by name." She held a hand out to Paola, who stared at her for long moments before taking it. A Vampire as old as Paola would have expected a hand offered wrist up, open, on the way to a handshake. For Rowan, it would have shown her mark, said who she was, if she was protected. It was an old-school way of introduction, and there more than most places, it should have been honored.

Rowan tipped her chin in deference to Paola before she introduced her to Valerie. Hoping to smooth over the faux pas. "This is Paola Castel, Scion of South America."

"Is this your a.s.sistant, Rowan?"

Valerie actually sputtered, and Rowan had to rein in her desire to backhand the other woman across the room.

"I'm no one's a.s.sistant!"

Paola's eyes widened for a brief moment, and then they narrowed. Offense had been taken quite clearly.

"Paola, I appreciate your time and your ear. I'll speak with you tomorrow evening." Rowan lowered her chin again but kept her gaze on the Vampire as she did. "I apologize for Ms. Portman's manners."

She clamped a hand around Valerie's upper arm and squeezed tight enough to earn a yelp before Valerie could dig herself in any deeper with Paola.

"Just so." Paola stepped back and Rowan hustled Valerie from the room. Across the hall, Celesse took the scene in and gave a brief raised brow in question, but Rowan shook her head and shoved a protesting Valerie into a smaller receiving room away from the rest.

"Get your hands off me!"

Rowan shoved Valerie away, squaring her shoulders and blocking the exit. "You will never show such vulgarity again as an official representative of Hunter Corporation or I will have you fired."

"How dare you? I should have you fired for a.s.saulting me."

"Go ahead on and try. I'm a Full Partner, here in an official capacity. I know how to address an ancient Vampire. I know how to speak in a professional setting. When you shook Paola's hand, you did not show your wrist. You called attention to The First not introducing you by name."

"What? So?"

"Moreover, after acting as if you'd been raised in a barn, you did not wait to be introduced to her by me. You shoved up into her personal s.p.a.ce, you interrupted my conversation with her-about the Treaty changes, I might add-and then you looked her directly in the eye, dumba.s.s. You insulted her when you sputtered your outrage at her question. You acted like a mannerless cur."

"I know how to deal with the rich and powerful. She's the one who was rude by asking if I was your a.s.sistant. If you hadn't been so jealous I was out for your job, I'd have had her charmed in five minutes with a clever compliment about her clothes. Even if they were pedestrian."

"These Vampires care nothing for your idea of elbow rubbing. They don't talk about who they're wearing on the red carpet. Your ideas of what is powerful are pathetic. That Vampire you just showed your a.s.s to is over a thousand years old. She's got more power than you can even wrap your tiny, feeble brain around. She cares little for designer labels and everything about whether or not she is shown the position and respect she has earned by being the most vicious b.i.t.c.h on an entire continent.

"You were briefed about protocol. I should know as I created the materials. I am not, nor would I ever be jealous of you in any way. Or threatened by you. This job is mine. It will be mine tomorrow and next year and I will be qualified for it a million times and again before you can even contemplate why you are so wrong for it. You are a social-climbing, useless t.w.a.t, and you are on very thin ice. This is not the opportunity for you to try to charm anyone with compliments about their clothes. This is business. This is big leagues, life-and-death stuff that concerns the well-being of billions of people. If you can't get behind the point of this Joint Tribunal, that is to get this amendment pa.s.sed, you need to get yourself out of here and back to London. The goal has been clearly outlined. Let me add that you will not act like a cretin again with these Vampires or I will beat you b.l.o.o.d.y and then send you home on the bus where you will be met at the doors of Hunter Corp. with your meager belongings in a box. I will end you. Do you understand me?"

Valerie blinked, and Rowan could see the other woman still didn't get it.

"You can't fire me. You can't threaten to beat me like a common criminal. The Treaty protects these monsters and it's time they realized who their betters are. I'm supposed to show my vein to that thing in there? Are you out of your mind? She should be staked! They all should. The Treaty only protects them."

"Oh, is that so? First, I will beat your a.s.s b.l.o.o.d.y. I will break your f.u.c.king arms and legs and while I'm at it your nose too. Hunter Corp. would do nothing but congratulate me for knocking your a.s.s down a few pegs. You are unfit to even have an opinion on the Treaty. You've not done even five minutes of field work your whole useless life. You have this job because your mother's boyfriend is a Full Partner. And I'm sure even he knows you're a dimwitted cow. This is your only warning. If I catch you pulling s.h.i.+t like that again, you will spend the next year healing from what I will do to you."

Rowan turned her back and stalked to the door. "If you'd been thinking instead of social climbing you'd have remembered they've got amazing hearing." No one liked to be called a monster.

Rowan went out into the hall and kept walking until she had arrived in the main room again.

Celesse would get an earful from Valerie, but Celesse would back Rowan. Especially when she found out what Valerie had done. Still, she did hope Valerie pushed it because she wanted a whole lot to punch her right in the face until her nose crunched.

Chapter Eight.

Rowan wasn't surprised at the knock on her door about half an hour after she'd left the gathering downstairs. She'd had enough time to get out of her sw.a.n.ky clothes and take a shower before Clive came up.

She opened, always so pleased at the sight of him in a perfectly fitted suit. Wearing a tie she'd foolishly bought him because it had been the same green as his eyes. She'd been so embarra.s.sed giving it to him, so much she'd tried to s.n.a.t.c.h it back, but he'd gotten quite cross and told her he loved it and that one simply did not give gifts only to take them back.

"You're still awake?" His gaze took her in with so much intensity the hair on the back of her neck rose.

"Nope. I'm sleeping right now."

He sighed and came into the room, loosening his tie as he did. She locked up, including the connecting door to David's suite, and leaned against the doorjamb, watching him remove his suit jacket and carefully fold it, laying it over the back of a chair.

"Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the cla.s.s, Scion?" She held back her smile. He needed to squirm a little about Collette.

He winced. "I wanted to tell you before dinner, but she...I had to discuss her presence with The First. That took more time than I'd intended. I was nearly late for dinner as it was. I'm sorry."

"If you had to tell Theo, it means she tried to recruit you for her nefarious whatever. I mean, more than to get you back in her bed. And I can't blame her for that, though I don't share. Doesn't mean I won't stake her if she pets you again."

He scrubbed hands over his face, and she allowed herself a pleased smile while he wasn't looking.

"Can we do this in your bed?"

She dropped her robe and walked past him into her bedchamber and slid under the blankets. The plus of having a fireplace in your bedroom was that it kept the cold at bay. Even in a castle.

"Is it that bad then? That you have to be naked to tell me? Are you trying to captivate me with your p.e.n.i.s first? Or is this farewell s.e.x? If so, I might bite you or break something. It might be wise to tell me after."

His annoyance wisped away as he pulled his s.h.i.+rt off. "I believe you would break something, my darling Hunter. But if you truly thought I was going to give you the brushoff, you should know me better than to think I'd do any such telling before I placed my softer bits anywhere near you."

She laughed, leaning against the pillow, loving the sight of his body as he unveiled it bit by bit until he was totally naked.

"Doesn't look like any bits are soft, Scion."

He shook his head. "Incorrigible."

"Oh? Do you want to play stern headmaster and naughty schoolgirl again?"

This made him laugh as he slid into bed and got very close. He was warm.

She slid her palms up his chest. "You fed again? You must have some strenuous plans for me."

"Liquid courage to tell you an ex of mine had shown up and offered me a position in the opposing camp."

"I guessed that part. Why didn't you tell her how amusing I am?" she teased.

"I told her you were dangerous and not to play with you or it would end badly for her. I doubt she's going to listen, Rowan. I told her no, in case I wasn't clear."

"To her bed and her political invite too?"

"Both are things I'm not interested in. Not in the slightest."

"So the Blood Front is going to come at Theo. Here in his Keep? So openly?"