Night Huntress 07 - This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost Page B
Authors: Jeaniene Frost
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scratching access. Mencheres took a seat next to Kira, trailing his hand over her arm before returning his attention to us.
“I assume you’re here because you have new information regarding Apollyon ?”
Some part of me was amused at how staid and proper all of us must look right now, perched on our opposing couches with our very somber expressions. Just a group of vampires discussing a supernaturally dangerous situation with all the solemnity and gothic dignity it deserved, recent sexual indulgences notwithstanding.
“Only thing new is there is nothing new,” Bones growled, taking a long swallow of his whiskey before continuing. “We’re on our way to New Orleans to speak with Marie. With luck, we’ll be able to convince her that Apollyon is as much of a threat to rational members of the ghoul nation as he is to us.”
Mencheres nodded thoughtfully. “Marie Laveau would indeed be a powerful ally for whoever can sway her loyalties.”
That was an understatement. The voodoo queen wasn’t just the master of a large line of ghouls; she also ruled over an entire city, a feat no other undead person I knew of had accomplished. Therefore, the thought of anyone “swaying” her allegiances made me let out a snort.
“Marie’s first loyalty is to herself, and if I were a betting woman, I’d say she’s already made up her mind whether she’s backing Apollyon or not. Our only shot is the fact that war would be bad for everyone involved, not just vampires. If Marie didn’t always insist on face-to-face meetings, we could save time by just asking her over the phone. Or texting her.”
Then the mental image of potentially getting a text from Marie reading “ i kill u” made me laugh. Marie didn’t mince words once she’d determined a course of action, so I wouldn’t put such a thing past her.
Bones gave me an inquiring look, but I waved a hand.
“Never mind. Just my warped sense of humor. So, Mencheres, I don’t suppose you’ve had any recent visions about where Apollyon’s base of operations is, hmm? Or whether he’ll whip the ghouls into the same hysterical frenzy as last time?”
He opened his mouth, but Kira beat him to it, her aura sparking and eyes flashing green. “Don’t pressure him. He already feels guilty that he can’t see anything about this.”
I bit back the laugh that rose in my throat, feeling a similar wave of amusement sweep over Bones even though nothing changed in his expression. Kira’s hackles rising in protectiveness for a vampire who could kill all of us without even getting up from his seat was just too funny. So was the quelling look Mencheres shot us before murmuring something soothing to her, obviously picking up on Bones’s humor through their shared power connection, if not mine as well.
“You’re right, Kira. Mencheres, I’m sorry,” I said, managing to make my voice contrite despite my ribs aching with suppressed laughter. “Um, anyway, we wanted to give you guys a heads-up about where we’re headed and why. You know, in case we’re never heard from again.”
I said the last part jokingly, but the grim reality was that it was true. Marie Laveau normally promised safe passage to and from any meetings with her, but with her being the ghoul queen of New Orleans, these circumstances with Apollyon made things a little different. She might decide it was in the best interest of her species to go back on her word just this once, and make our trip to the Big Easy a one-way journey.
“We will go with you,” Mencheres stated.
“No,” Bones replied softly. “You’ll stay here protecting our line in case anything does happen. That way, our people will remain safe.”
The faintest smile ghosted across Mencheres’s lips. Bones had just repeated the same argument the Egyptian vampire used on him two months ago, when it had been Mencheres refusing Bones’s help in a dangerous situation.
“Very
“I assume you’re here because you have new information regarding Apollyon ?”
Some part of me was amused at how staid and proper all of us must look right now, perched on our opposing couches with our very somber expressions. Just a group of vampires discussing a supernaturally dangerous situation with all the solemnity and gothic dignity it deserved, recent sexual indulgences notwithstanding.
“Only thing new is there is nothing new,” Bones growled, taking a long swallow of his whiskey before continuing. “We’re on our way to New Orleans to speak with Marie. With luck, we’ll be able to convince her that Apollyon is as much of a threat to rational members of the ghoul nation as he is to us.”
Mencheres nodded thoughtfully. “Marie Laveau would indeed be a powerful ally for whoever can sway her loyalties.”
That was an understatement. The voodoo queen wasn’t just the master of a large line of ghouls; she also ruled over an entire city, a feat no other undead person I knew of had accomplished. Therefore, the thought of anyone “swaying” her allegiances made me let out a snort.
“Marie’s first loyalty is to herself, and if I were a betting woman, I’d say she’s already made up her mind whether she’s backing Apollyon or not. Our only shot is the fact that war would be bad for everyone involved, not just vampires. If Marie didn’t always insist on face-to-face meetings, we could save time by just asking her over the phone. Or texting her.”
Then the mental image of potentially getting a text from Marie reading “ i kill u” made me laugh. Marie didn’t mince words once she’d determined a course of action, so I wouldn’t put such a thing past her.
Bones gave me an inquiring look, but I waved a hand.
“Never mind. Just my warped sense of humor. So, Mencheres, I don’t suppose you’ve had any recent visions about where Apollyon’s base of operations is, hmm? Or whether he’ll whip the ghouls into the same hysterical frenzy as last time?”
He opened his mouth, but Kira beat him to it, her aura sparking and eyes flashing green. “Don’t pressure him. He already feels guilty that he can’t see anything about this.”
I bit back the laugh that rose in my throat, feeling a similar wave of amusement sweep over Bones even though nothing changed in his expression. Kira’s hackles rising in protectiveness for a vampire who could kill all of us without even getting up from his seat was just too funny. So was the quelling look Mencheres shot us before murmuring something soothing to her, obviously picking up on Bones’s humor through their shared power connection, if not mine as well.
“You’re right, Kira. Mencheres, I’m sorry,” I said, managing to make my voice contrite despite my ribs aching with suppressed laughter. “Um, anyway, we wanted to give you guys a heads-up about where we’re headed and why. You know, in case we’re never heard from again.”
I said the last part jokingly, but the grim reality was that it was true. Marie Laveau normally promised safe passage to and from any meetings with her, but with her being the ghoul queen of New Orleans, these circumstances with Apollyon made things a little different. She might decide it was in the best interest of her species to go back on her word just this once, and make our trip to the Big Easy a one-way journey.
“We will go with you,” Mencheres stated.
“No,” Bones replied softly. “You’ll stay here protecting our line in case anything does happen. That way, our people will remain safe.”
The faintest smile ghosted across Mencheres’s lips. Bones had just repeated the same argument the Egyptian vampire used on him two months ago, when it had been Mencheres refusing Bones’s help in a dangerous situation.
“Very
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