won't kill me anymore, Anita. My new master has promised me that."
Liv appeared in the open car door, peering in at us, muscular arms propped on the sides of the door. She smiled broadly enough to flash fangs. When you pass the five-hundred mark like Liv, you only flash fangs when you want to. She was grinning like the Cheshire cat, very pleased about something. She wore a black sports bra and high-cut jogging shorts so that all that body-building muscle gleamed in the street lights. She was one of the vamps that Jean-Claude had invited into his territory recently. She was supposed to be one of his vampire lieutenants.
"What canary did you eat?" I asked.
She frowned at me. "What?"
"The cat that ate the canary," I said.
She continued to frown. Liv's English is perfect, no accent of any kind. Sometimes I forget that it's not her first language. A lot of the vamps have lost their original accents but they still don't understand all the slang. But, hey, I bet Liv knew some Slavic slang that I'd never heard.
"Anna is asking why you are so pleased with yourself," Jean-Claude said, "but I think I already know the answer."
I glanced at him, then back at Liv. I had the Firestar out but not pointed. She was supposed to be on our side. I was getting the feeling that might have changed.
"Did Liv say, her new master?" I asked.
"She did," Jean-Claude said.
I raised the gun and pointed it at her. She laughed. It was unnerving. She crawled into the back seat, still laughing. Very unnerving. Liv may have been six hundred years old and some change, but she wasn't powerful. Certainly not powerful enough to laugh off silver ammo.
"You know I'll shoot you, Liv. So what's the joke?"
"Can you not feel it, ma petite ? The difference in her."
I steadied my hand on the back of the seat, gun pointed at her impressive chest. I was less than two feet from her, at this distance the bullet would take out her heart. She wasn't worried. She should have been.
I concentrated on Liv. Tried to roll her power in my mind. I'd done her before, knew what she felt like in my head. Or thought I did. Her power beat along my skull, hummed down my bones. I could feel her power like a thrumming note so deep and low it was almost painful.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I kept the gun pointed at her. "If I pull this trigger, Liv, even with the boost in power you'll die."
Liv looked at Jean-Claude. It was a long, self-satisfied look. "You know I won't die, Jean-Claude."
"Only the Traveler could make such an extravagant promise, and hope to keep it," Jean-Claude said. "You are a little too feminine for his tastes, unless he has changed."
Her face was disdainful. "He is above such petty desires. He offered me only power and I accepted."
Jean-Claude shook his head. "If you truly believe the Traveler above the desires of the body, then he has been very ... careful around you, Liv."
"He is not like the others," she said.
Jean-Claude sighed. "On that I will not argue, Liv. But be careful that his power does not become addictive."
"You seek to frighten me, but it will not work, Jean-Claude. His power is like nothing I have ever felt before, and he can share it. I can be what I was meant to be."
"He can fill you to bursting with his power, Liv, it will not make you a master. If he has promised you that, then he has lied to you."
She hissed at him. "You would say anything to save yourself tonight."
He shrugged. "Perhaps."
"I thought Liv took an oath of loyalty to you," I said.
" Oui ."
"Then what's going on?"
"The council will be very careful to observe the rules, ma petite . The Circus is a public business, thus the council might have crossed the threshold uninvited. Instead, they found someone to invite them inside."
I stared at the smirking vamp in the back of my Jeep. "She betrayed us?"
"Yes," he said softly. He touched my shoulder. "Do not kill her, ma petite . The bullet would enter, but the Traveler would not allow her death. You
Liv appeared in the open car door, peering in at us, muscular arms propped on the sides of the door. She smiled broadly enough to flash fangs. When you pass the five-hundred mark like Liv, you only flash fangs when you want to. She was grinning like the Cheshire cat, very pleased about something. She wore a black sports bra and high-cut jogging shorts so that all that body-building muscle gleamed in the street lights. She was one of the vamps that Jean-Claude had invited into his territory recently. She was supposed to be one of his vampire lieutenants.
"What canary did you eat?" I asked.
She frowned at me. "What?"
"The cat that ate the canary," I said.
She continued to frown. Liv's English is perfect, no accent of any kind. Sometimes I forget that it's not her first language. A lot of the vamps have lost their original accents but they still don't understand all the slang. But, hey, I bet Liv knew some Slavic slang that I'd never heard.
"Anna is asking why you are so pleased with yourself," Jean-Claude said, "but I think I already know the answer."
I glanced at him, then back at Liv. I had the Firestar out but not pointed. She was supposed to be on our side. I was getting the feeling that might have changed.
"Did Liv say, her new master?" I asked.
"She did," Jean-Claude said.
I raised the gun and pointed it at her. She laughed. It was unnerving. She crawled into the back seat, still laughing. Very unnerving. Liv may have been six hundred years old and some change, but she wasn't powerful. Certainly not powerful enough to laugh off silver ammo.
"You know I'll shoot you, Liv. So what's the joke?"
"Can you not feel it, ma petite ? The difference in her."
I steadied my hand on the back of the seat, gun pointed at her impressive chest. I was less than two feet from her, at this distance the bullet would take out her heart. She wasn't worried. She should have been.
I concentrated on Liv. Tried to roll her power in my mind. I'd done her before, knew what she felt like in my head. Or thought I did. Her power beat along my skull, hummed down my bones. I could feel her power like a thrumming note so deep and low it was almost painful.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I kept the gun pointed at her. "If I pull this trigger, Liv, even with the boost in power you'll die."
Liv looked at Jean-Claude. It was a long, self-satisfied look. "You know I won't die, Jean-Claude."
"Only the Traveler could make such an extravagant promise, and hope to keep it," Jean-Claude said. "You are a little too feminine for his tastes, unless he has changed."
Her face was disdainful. "He is above such petty desires. He offered me only power and I accepted."
Jean-Claude shook his head. "If you truly believe the Traveler above the desires of the body, then he has been very ... careful around you, Liv."
"He is not like the others," she said.
Jean-Claude sighed. "On that I will not argue, Liv. But be careful that his power does not become addictive."
"You seek to frighten me, but it will not work, Jean-Claude. His power is like nothing I have ever felt before, and he can share it. I can be what I was meant to be."
"He can fill you to bursting with his power, Liv, it will not make you a master. If he has promised you that, then he has lied to you."
She hissed at him. "You would say anything to save yourself tonight."
He shrugged. "Perhaps."
"I thought Liv took an oath of loyalty to you," I said.
" Oui ."
"Then what's going on?"
"The council will be very careful to observe the rules, ma petite . The Circus is a public business, thus the council might have crossed the threshold uninvited. Instead, they found someone to invite them inside."
I stared at the smirking vamp in the back of my Jeep. "She betrayed us?"
"Yes," he said softly. He touched my shoulder. "Do not kill her, ma petite . The bullet would enter, but the Traveler would not allow her death. You
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