I yanked the magic cord, squeezing as hard as I could. Unlike the other vamps I’d killed, Cadmael was too strong to crush completely, but I could make him very unhappy.
“Get your fucking hands off me,” I whispered past his grip. Yanking again, I caused him to choke and then drop me as he fell to his knees.
Moving faster than I could track, Clive had me as far away as he could get me in the enclosed area, hidden behind him. I hadn’t yet released Cadmael, though.
Darling, while I’m inclined to kill him myself, please don’t. I’m afraid we need him.
When I snapped my magic back, Cadmael fell forward and then leapt to his feet. His eyes were on Clive, obviously believing Clive was the one who’d had him in a hold. Interestingly, Vlad was watching me, one eyebrow raised.
“You don’t like each other,” Clive said carefully, trying to keep his rage in check. “That’s fine, but you will stay out of her head and keep your hands off her. Do you understand?”
Cadmael turned away, eyes still black. “She needs to learn her place.”
Vlad laughed. “Even I’ve heard tales of how deadly she is.” He glanced at me and then back to Cadmael. “She knows when you’re mucking about in her head. How many of us can sense and block you? If there’s anyone here who doesn’t know her place, it’s you.”
“They can’t be trusted,” Cadmael ground out, turning back to us.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, sliding from behind Clive. Almost immediately, his arm snaked out and held me hard against him. “Jeez, did some wolf hurt you once and you’ve never gotten over it? Try therapy.”
You’re not helping, Clive said.
I’m not trying to. “I’m sick of your anti-werewolf bullshit. Get over it or get the fuck out.”
“This is the Guild,” Cadmael said, his voice low and dangerous. “If anyone should be getting out?—”
“All right,” Vlad said. “Enough. Clive’s right. You don’t have to like her. Hell, I hate everyone, but I still know how to tolerate allies, especially useful ones.”
“What use can she possibly have,” he sneered, “besides the obvious one.”
Clive moved, but it was Vlad who got there first, slapping Cadmael with such force, he staggered to the side a step.
When dealing with beings who can kill easily, a slap is particularly humiliating.
“Do you have so many trusted allies in your life that you can throw one away, one the age and strength of Clive?” Shaking his head, Vlad paced away. “I don’t know what your issue is with Sam. I don’t think any of us do, but indulging in this childish antipathy you have for her will lose us one of our strongest weapons against this faction in the Guild trying to destroy us.”
Cadmael took a moment to get his facial expression, if not his emotions, under control. “That was why I was waiting here for you, to discuss this, before she interrupted to demand a chair,” Cadmael said.
“I believe,” Vlad said, “if you’ll recall correctly, I’m the one who interrupted, asking why we were meeting in one of the least hospitable locations in the Guild. Sam was merely coming up with a way to make this tunnel entrance more comfortable. You’re the one who blew up for no reason.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Now that that is settled, what do you have to tell us?”
Cadmael closed his eyes briefly and then said, “Like Thomas, Henry”—he glanced at me—“the other Australian Counselor, has been seeking me out for no discernible reason this past week, dropping comments about how he thinks the Guild may be overstepping in some respects.
“After I walked the townspeople out with you, he came back with Thomas, wondering why I didn’t see feeding from humans to be our right. They launched into age-old arguments about not denying our nature or hiding our power.”
Giving his head a quick shake, he added, “I’ve heard the same points countless times over the millennia and the answer is always the same. Humans outnumber us and we are powerless during the day.”
“The ones who are pushing for the dissolution of the Guild,” Vlad said, “are too young to have experienced what it was like when Hunters ruled.”
“We live quite comfortably in the shadows,” Clive said. “Making ourselves known to the world will not only inspire a new generation of Hunters but will cause governments and banks to seize our assets.” He finally released the arm around me. “They’ve obviously never had to feed from livestock in the fields or hide in sewers to escape the sun.”
“It’s not just the Australian Counselors,” Cadmael said. “At least one of the Asian Counselors—Dakila—seems to be spending a great deal of time with them.”
“Perhaps instead of these interminable meetings, we should have history lessons,” Clive said.
“Maybe you should,” I suggested. “The internet is everywhere. Get a channel or site, one you need a password for or an invitation to, and fill it with interviews with older, more experienced vampires. Don’t show faces or names, just stories. Teach the youngsters that their desire to be rock stars will lead to your extermination.”
They were silent. Whatever. I thought it was a good idea.
“I like that,” Clive finally said. “If someone finds it who shouldn’t, they’re anonymous stories that could just as easily be fiction or the work of a conspiracy theorist in a basement.”
