Vlad and Cadmael shared a look.
“If so,” Cadmael said, “they’re being very quiet about it. Of course, they know I consider you an ally. Vlad, though, could best be described as your belligerent acquaintance. Has anyone approached you about Clive?” he asked Vlad.
Vlad shook his head. “No. And until a couple of days ago, they would have found me an interested audience.”
Clive tilted his head. “What changed?”
Vlad grinned under his heavy mustache. “I’d always thought you a pretty playboy. Powerful, sure, but no one serious. I’ve been paying attention to you lately and I’ve realized you cultivate that”—he gestured to all of Clive—“that act so opponents underestimate you. It’s easier for you to strike when they aren’t expecting aggression.”
“Nope,” I said. “That’s not him.”
Clive kissed my temple. “It’s alright, darling. I’ve never liked him either.”
Vlad laughed at that. “And that’s what changed. I’d heard you’d taken a mate and assumed it was another one of your perfect women, but then I saw this one.”
“Hey,” I interrupted. Looking at Clive, I grumbled, “You’re right. I don’t like him either.”
Clive smiled and hugged me. “Not so fast, love. I believe a compliment is coming. If not, I’ll kill him for you.”
“Make it hurt,” I whispered. We both turned to Vlad, and I gave him my suspicious squinty look.
“You’re beautiful, yes, but not like his other lovers?—”
“Okay. That’s it. Go kick his ass!” I stepped back so Clive could get him.
Clive studied Vlad a moment. “You’re remarkably bad at this. I feel certain a compliment is coming for my wife and yet you’re doing it in a way that is incredibly rude.” He turned back to me. “I honestly believe he’s merely awkward, rather than intentionally insulting. Let’s give him a moment to take his foot out of his mouth. If he doesn’t, I’ll deliver his death in whatever manner you see fit.”
“Deal,” I said, and we returned our attention to the Impaler.
He looked down at the ground, muttering something in another language. “I miss that.” When he looked back up, he focused on me. “My third wife, my heart, was a werewolf. You remind me of her. When I watch you two together, I see it, what I had with her. I recognize what it’s like to constantly be in contact, touching, kissing, talking. He boasts of you fighting by his side. His partner. His wife.
“Yes, you’re quite beautiful,” he continued, “but that’s not it. I don’t see mere appreciation in his gaze. He loves you completely, as I loved my wife. So, my opinion of him has changed,” Vlad said.
I felt suddenly teary, though I kept it in check. Patting Clive’s arm, I said, “Stand down. He can live.”
Fourteen
Let the Undead Smack Down Begin!
“So, who are these anti-Guild people, and are they causing real problems or just taking the edge off their boredom by complaining?” I asked.
“There is a contingent of my kind,” Clive began, “that misses feasting on entire villages.”
“Good times,” I deadpanned. “Wasn’t that also when vampire hunting was a valid career choice?”
“Indeed,” he said. “They want the Guild to loosen up their restrictions.”
“It’s not just feeding,” Cadmael said. “They want a place in politics so that laws can be changed and created to benefit us.”
“There aren’t already vampires in politics?” I asked. “That’s surprising.”
Clive led me over to a stone outcropping. “Sit down. Rest your leg. And, no. Do you know of any politicians who only campaign at night? Be a bit suspicious.”
Laughing, I sat. “Good point.”
“We work behind the scenes, influencing those in power,” Cadmael continued.
“Okay,” I said, “but those are usually the ones with the real power. And they don’t have to shake hands at a county fair at midday in June.”
