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"Wasn't he hovering near Assan when we met?"
"Yes. I think that one is his personal bodyguard. You will have to deal with him when the
time comes." I smiled and nodded as if Vayl had just complimented the band.
"Thank you all for coming," said Assan, his voice echoing weirdly in the enormous room.
"You are the reason so many young children have been given a second chance at life." He
went on but I stopped listening, so steamed by his b.s. I'd begun to consider how I would
kill him if Vayl gave me the chance. But those daydreams ended abruptly as my nose
twitched and my scalp began to tingle.
"Jeremy?"
"Hmm?"
I tugged on his sleeve so he'd lean down, bringing his ear within an inch of my lips.
"There's another vampire in the room." It seemed weird to be the one, of the two of us,
who could sense this. But vamps are completely closed to one another. I would imagine it
makes for horrible relationships.
"Find him."
I focused on the scent, a rotten potato kind of odor that made my head ache. When the
man slithered his way to the front of the crowd I knew it was him. He wore his nutmeg
colored hair long, past his shoulders. His eyes, a striking light blue as cold as the arctic,
kept him from looking girlish. His blue, pin-striped suit fit so well at least half the guests
would be asking him for the name of his tailor before the evening ended. But it didn't look
as if he meant to stay. He caught Assan's eye, signaled him with a slight nod, and suddenly
our host couldn't get away from the microphone fast enough.
"Excuse me," he said, "I am afraid that duty calls. Please enjoy the rest of your evening
knowing that, even tonight, your generous donations have helped to make an unfortunate
child whole again."
I caught myself short of a full-blown snort. I murmured, "If he's going to put some poor
kid's face back on straight I'll do the hula."
"Lovely dance, that. The story is all in the hands. I did not know you knew "
"Vayl, I was kidding."
"Oh." Tightening of the lips. Translation crap, when am I going to leap into the 21st
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century and get with their damn humor? Jerk of the head. Translation obviously not
today, so let's get on with the job, shall we?
"Keep hold of my hand." Vayl's power slid over me like silk pajamas. What a rush! No
one even glanced at us as we passed, and most of them couldn't have seen us if they'd
tried. We followed Assan and his vampire friend into the part of the foyer that wandered
underneath the stairs. Assan's vamp wouldn't sense me here either, not as long as I was
touching Vayl.
There are other, more permanent ways for a vamp to share power, but I preferred this
one. Less invasive. Plus I liked the hand-holding. Pathetic, I know, but that's what happens
when you haven't touched another soul in over a year.
We crouched behind a huge statue of a naked guy and listened in. Okay, the gleaming
black marble butt in my face distracted me slightly, but I'm still a pro, so I did hear the
highlights.
" well?" Assan was saying.
"Better than expected," the vamp said, "the virus has already mutated."
My stomach clenched at the word 'virus.'
Assan nodded happily. "So we are ready for the final test?"
The vampire nodded, pushing his hair away from his face in a way I found chilling,
because it was such a graceful gesture. The worst monsters are always the prettiest.
"I wish we could do it tonight," Assan ventured, but the vampire shook his head.
"No, we must follow the plan. We know the mutation must have a full 24 hours to thrive
before it can be transferred and made lethal. Tomorrow night is soon enough."
"And then?"
"You know," the vampire said indulgently.
Assan's grin would've fit better on a shark. "And then the purge begins."
The vamp flashed his fangs in ecstatic agreement. He looked at his watch. "Svetlana and
Boris arrive in 20 minutes. We should go."
Vayl and I traded looks of dread. Obviously defrauding charities and rearranging fanatics'
faces were the least of Assan's crimes.
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