Gethin muzzled the scoff trying to break free at Sorley’s blatant but apparently unconscious jealously of Charley, and said through clenched teeth, “You don’t think the kid’s had a rough ride? Can’t have been easy growing up a vampire-Fae hybrid without anyone to guide him. I suspect Dalziel’s giving him a chance to actuallybea child for a while.” His mouth twisted. “And please don’t speak about one of my kin in such a derogatory way. Lucien Bradshaw is a thoroughly decent young man. His ‘golden balls’ came at the cost of losing most of his family and being almost completely ostracised by his pack.” He huffed. “I could remind you you’re getting regularly railed by another of those ‘mutts’ but I think you’re perfectly aware you’re being a cunt. I’ll see myself around the rest of the house, thanks.” He strode off, feeling the vampire’s open-mouthed glare like a brand between his shoulder blades. Seriously, what the fuck was Sorley’s problem? He’d been like a wildcat with barbed-wire fur since they’d arrived. For all his pretty face and tight arse, Gethin had more self-respect than to hang around to be insulted.
He pushed open a door off a dimly-lit corridor and felt himself relax. A library. That’d do nicely to pass a few hours. Except…
“We meet again, shifter.” A dark shadow peeled away from one panelled corner of the room and smiled.
“Alexander. I didn’t know you were here. How are you feeling now?” Gethin noted the little vampire was richly dressed in trousers and a fitted tunic of a weighty, embroidered fabric, reminiscent of days long gone. His eyes were clear and bright, and he exuded calm and well-being.
“Alec, remember? My friends call me Alec. And I would like to think we are, or could soon be, friends.” He approached Gethin and held out a soft, scented hand, the wrist adorned in lace. “I apologise once again for my atrocious manners when we last met. I was not at my best and I’m afraid old prejudices got the better of my tongue. I am fully recovered now, and at your service for your skill and kindness in making that happen.”
Gethin was struck by an urge to bend low and kiss the man’s hand. Instead, he clasped it warmly and shook. “I’ll try to call you Alec. And you’re totally forgiven. You weren’t yourself. How come you’re staying with Dalziel? I thought you were keen to keep a low profile.”
Alec waved him to a pair of chairs by a small round table. “I was, I am. But it is rather hard to say no to Millar without causing offence, or alternatively making him think I could be the threat he so fears.” He indicated Gethin should sit, then pressed a bell inset into the wall, before joining him. “Of course, should I wish so, I could topple Millar from his position of senior British vampire in seconds, but eh,” he shrugged, “it comes with so much work and responsibility. I would prefer to resume my life in obscurity.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Once dear Dalziel is confident I won’t stake him in his sleep, I suspect I shall be free to leave.”
Gethin felt his eyes widen. “He’s keeping you a prisoner?”
“No, but also pretty much yes. But for now, I am not too fussed about it. He has justifiable concerns — including how he was unaware of my existence for so long when so many of our kind, his own progeny included, knew about me.”
“You mean Sorley?”
The vampire nodded. “He has not taken that well. He sees it as a betrayal.” He glanced up as the door opened and a pale head appeared. “Ah, Pavel, my good man. This is Mr Hughes. He’s sure to be in need of some refreshments after his journey. Gethin, this is Pavel, a devoted member of Millar’s household, and the one you want to suck up to if you don’t want your bacon charred to a crisp.” His teasing grin showed brilliant white teeth against his dark skin in the library’s low lighting, and Gethin was again struck by how handsome and alluring Alec was.
He fought to concentrate his attention on the slender blond now in front of him. “It’s very good to meet you, Pavel. If you wouldn’t mind, I could murder a cuppa.”
Pavel bowed. “And some nourishment, sir?”
“I can always eat,” Gethin murmured. “But I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“I shall concoct a worthy meal for a tired and hungry shifter, sir. It will be my pleasure.” The pale man inclined his head and practically backed out of the room.
Gethin hitched an eyebrow in Alec’s direction. “And Pavel is…?”
“A shadow, or blood slave, but heaven forbid we say those words in front of Millar.” Alec rolled his eyes. “If I am being strictly fair, I don’t think Pavel is here under duress. Millar treats his staff well, very well, but I wouldn’t like to guess as to whether the initial contact between them was consensual.” He rose to replace an ancient-looking volume on a shelf. “The Council has changed much in recent years. Not all of it for the better in my opinion.”
“But you know better than to voice that opinion out loud while under Millar’s roof?” Gethin pressed him.
The vampire shot him a sharp look. “You too are a senior Council member, m’sieur. What do you think?”
Gethin’s lips twitched. “I think you know what side your bread’s buttered.”
Alec pondered that for a moment. “Strange saying, but yes, it behoves me to keep my mouth shut and to direct my energy towards more urgent matters.”
“And what might those be?”
The vampire sat back down and steepled his fingers as he considered his reply. “Helping Sorley and everyone else concerned to put a stop to these damned attacks. I suppose you heard there’s been a death now?”
Gethin’s gasp was overshadowed by the arrival of Dalziel. He swept through the door, followed by Pavel who came bearing a tray of food and a large teapot. They waited until Pavel had been assured the food was indeed everything Gethin could wish for. Then Pavel left, closing the door behind him.
Dalziel waved a hand at the loaded plate. “If memory serves, hot dinners gone cold aren’t pleasant. Get on with it, man. We shall talk while you eat.”
Gethin dug in, mentally awarding the shadow-man a gold star for his efforts in the kitchen. A beef casserole, mashed potatoes, and assorted vegetables, with everything cooked to perfection, washed down with excellent tea, was welcome after the long drive up to Scotland, and he didn’t want to waste a scrap. Pavel must have pre-prepared it all, which made Gethin doubly impressed that nothing was over-cooked or congealed.
“So, as Alec was saying, there’s now been a death directly attributable to this monster,” Dalziel intoned morosely. “A human, which isn’t overly surprising considering how frail they are, but rather worrying from several angles.”
“Pretty damned worrying from the viewpoint of the human!” Gethin snapped. Dalziel raised one thick eyebrow. Gethin swallowed his mouthful hastily. “With respect, Millar, the Council has less to concern itself with right now than the family of the dead human does. Yes, it’s damned inconvenient if there are unexplained elements in the blood of the deceased, but people are mourning a loved one right now. I find your lack of…humanity troubling.”
“I find your apparent lack of appreciation for our combined species’ existence remaining undetectedtroubling,”Dalziel countered swiftly. “A dead human is unfortunate, but they are but mayflies compared with the rest of us. He would have died soon enough anyway.”
“Jesus, that’s harsh, man.”
