an idiot.”
“For hunting Noir, yes, I would agree.” His gaze hardened and something inside of me curled in on itself. Not that I would ever admit it. “Do not mistake his gentleness for weakness. You don’t want to make him mad. Ever.”
With that warning, he turned to Jason, arms crossed over his chest. “I might not be your Dominus, but as a Lord of Centennial, I feel as though I have the right to ask you a question.”
The smile had never left his face. “I’m not stopping you.”
“What is the woman doing here with you?
He couldn’t possibly have said “that woman” with more scorn and animosity.
“She’s my Ailward,” said Jason easily.
Ryder’s eyes widened and Eve’s dark eyes narrowed.
“Ailward?” Vincent let out a sigh. “We do not observe such standing here in America.”
“Fine,” said Jason, his smile starting to crack around the varnished edges. “She’s my bodyguard. Satisfied?”
“A human for a bodyguard.” Vincent walked a slow circle around me, looking me up and down and then up again. I didn’t like it. “How…novel. And yet, if half of what I hear is true…perhaps not such a novel idea, after all.”
His human emissary cleared her throat. “Vincent.”
Just a single word and he stopped.
Strange.
Wasn’t she his human servant?
He walked back to his entourage, hands held behind his back. “I apologize. You are guests, after all.”
Why was he acting like he was her servant?
Vincent turned on one heel. “Reynold never arrived.”
Jason titled his head to one side. “Pardon?”
“As a Lord, I am privy to certain information…” He stared at me blatantly and my skin crawled. Beautiful or not, he was frightening. “Reynold was a contract killer. A rather infamous one, at that. He took hits from various people, be they human or otherwise. Yesterday, I received word he did not return back to his keeper. A well-known killer disappearing…rather curious, wouldn’t you say?”
My face was immobile. “What are you trying to say?”
“I presumed his hit had, in turn, eliminated him. But a vampire strong enough to dispatch Reynold…certainly, there are not many in this City that is able to dispatch a three hundred year old vampire who’ve been trained by the best killers of the millennium.”
I didn’t think he was that good. But I wasn’t foolish enough to admit to anything unless there was damning evidence. And even then, perhaps I would play deaf. “And what makes you think I know anything about him?”
“Nothing,” he said in a contemplative manner. It didn’t fool anyone. “Except I know who the contract was for.”
Jason wasn’t smiling anymore. “I don’t understand why you are trying to be so subtle. Do you want me to admit a vampire came looking for me?”
I wanted to bash my head against the metal wall. Or his head. It didn’t really matter. “Don’t. Tell. Him. Anything.”
“Too late,” he said and turned his gaze back to Vincent. “Yes, I’ll admit it. He came for me on the same night Reiko decided to turn me. Ran was simply defending me. Nothing more.”
Idiot!
“Normally, I would applaud such efforts,” replied Vincent in a hushed undertone. “However, I know about Ran’s history. I know where she comes from. A skilled hunter becoming the Ailward to a vampire? A new one, at that? One to which she had absolutely zero contact with? If you were me, don’t you think you would find that slightly…suspicious?”
He whispered the last word, but he might as well have screamed it for all the effect it had.
His emissary’s brows rose and the blond vampire’s mouth gaped open. The brunette flipped her hair back and regarded me with cool eyes. If I’d been prettier, I might’ve mistaken her look for jealousy.
But not the way I was dressed.
Jason let out a slow breath and I saw his hands clench at his sides. Surely he wasn’t an idiot enough to throw himself at Vincent?
But no, he unclenched his fists and
“For hunting Noir, yes, I would agree.” His gaze hardened and something inside of me curled in on itself. Not that I would ever admit it. “Do not mistake his gentleness for weakness. You don’t want to make him mad. Ever.”
With that warning, he turned to Jason, arms crossed over his chest. “I might not be your Dominus, but as a Lord of Centennial, I feel as though I have the right to ask you a question.”
The smile had never left his face. “I’m not stopping you.”
“What is the woman doing here with you?
He couldn’t possibly have said “that woman” with more scorn and animosity.
“She’s my Ailward,” said Jason easily.
Ryder’s eyes widened and Eve’s dark eyes narrowed.
“Ailward?” Vincent let out a sigh. “We do not observe such standing here in America.”
“Fine,” said Jason, his smile starting to crack around the varnished edges. “She’s my bodyguard. Satisfied?”
“A human for a bodyguard.” Vincent walked a slow circle around me, looking me up and down and then up again. I didn’t like it. “How…novel. And yet, if half of what I hear is true…perhaps not such a novel idea, after all.”
His human emissary cleared her throat. “Vincent.”
Just a single word and he stopped.
Strange.
Wasn’t she his human servant?
He walked back to his entourage, hands held behind his back. “I apologize. You are guests, after all.”
Why was he acting like he was her servant?
Vincent turned on one heel. “Reynold never arrived.”
Jason titled his head to one side. “Pardon?”
“As a Lord, I am privy to certain information…” He stared at me blatantly and my skin crawled. Beautiful or not, he was frightening. “Reynold was a contract killer. A rather infamous one, at that. He took hits from various people, be they human or otherwise. Yesterday, I received word he did not return back to his keeper. A well-known killer disappearing…rather curious, wouldn’t you say?”
My face was immobile. “What are you trying to say?”
“I presumed his hit had, in turn, eliminated him. But a vampire strong enough to dispatch Reynold…certainly, there are not many in this City that is able to dispatch a three hundred year old vampire who’ve been trained by the best killers of the millennium.”
I didn’t think he was that good. But I wasn’t foolish enough to admit to anything unless there was damning evidence. And even then, perhaps I would play deaf. “And what makes you think I know anything about him?”
“Nothing,” he said in a contemplative manner. It didn’t fool anyone. “Except I know who the contract was for.”
Jason wasn’t smiling anymore. “I don’t understand why you are trying to be so subtle. Do you want me to admit a vampire came looking for me?”
I wanted to bash my head against the metal wall. Or his head. It didn’t really matter. “Don’t. Tell. Him. Anything.”
“Too late,” he said and turned his gaze back to Vincent. “Yes, I’ll admit it. He came for me on the same night Reiko decided to turn me. Ran was simply defending me. Nothing more.”
Idiot!
“Normally, I would applaud such efforts,” replied Vincent in a hushed undertone. “However, I know about Ran’s history. I know where she comes from. A skilled hunter becoming the Ailward to a vampire? A new one, at that? One to which she had absolutely zero contact with? If you were me, don’t you think you would find that slightly…suspicious?”
He whispered the last word, but he might as well have screamed it for all the effect it had.
His emissary’s brows rose and the blond vampire’s mouth gaped open. The brunette flipped her hair back and regarded me with cool eyes. If I’d been prettier, I might’ve mistaken her look for jealousy.
But not the way I was dressed.
Jason let out a slow breath and I saw his hands clench at his sides. Surely he wasn’t an idiot enough to throw himself at Vincent?
But no, he unclenched his fists and
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