Vampire's Soul (Vampire Queen 14)

He murmured to the wolf, nothing coherent, just a reassurance, and rose. He rested his hand on Rand's shoulder to hopefully keep him at his side. No such luck. The wolf apparently recalled himself, whatever wolf-insanity that had made him be so affectionate probably replaced by more human-Rand sanity. He stalked away, flattening his ears and baring his teeth at the vampires, but he took an alert stance about fifteen feet away from all of them, staying watchful.

It was a smart idea, since it gave him a vantage of anything coming up behind Cai, but Cai didn't know if that was why Rand had done it. He couldn't parse Rand's thoughts from the wolf's, and the wolf's were still sometimes a little too cryptic for him to translate perfectly, especially when Rand was worked up.

Have back. Want horse meat.

Okay, clear enough. Hopefully he'd sit on that last urge, at least right now.

"Good." Lyssa had been watching the two of them shed their respective bonds and make it to their feet. Now she turned at the appearance of another human, this one a slim male whose wary look toward Lord Greenwald suggested he was a house servant used to his Master's erratic nature. But Lyssa took charge of things. "Giles, escort Mordecai and..." she glanced at Cai, then significantly to Rand.

"Just Wolf," Cai said. "I'm not sentimental enough to name him."

A lie, but he couldn't believe he'd confirmed what he thought he'd confirmed to her. Maybe if he played dumb she'd think he'd meant something else. No need to make it worse.

Her gaze flickered. "In a moment, Giles, I wish you to escort Mordecai and his wolf to a room where they can clean up. Provide a change of clothes in the appropriate sizes. Mordecai is here as a Council guest."

Her attention cut to Greenwald's underlings, and then to Greenwald himself. "From this moment forward, any who treat either him or his wolf otherwise will answer personally to me. Do you understand, Georg? You are an overlord. Do you doubt my ability to handle this situation properly?"

Greenwald seemed to be regaining control of his faculties. He rubbed a hand over his face, a brief gesture of vulnerability and helpless fury that had Lyssa's hand resting on him in comfort this time, instead of to admonish restraint.

"It's all right," she said. "I know stress makes it worse. But you're all right. You're with us again. Just try to stay as calm as you can. That's what Dovia needs right now, isn't it?"

His gaze lifted to her. He had light brown eyes, a bisque complexion and a short crop of black hair. He was tall and lean, a male who, when he straightened and took a breath, showed the command that had landed him the role of overlord, before the illness had taken him. "Yes, my lady. I'll... I'll go check on Leona."

Clearing his throat, he strode back up onto the front stoop and disappeared into the house. Lyssa leveled her gaze on Voltaire. The jade green eyes were abruptly as sharp as Rand's teeth. "Overlords are appointed by Region Masters and confirmed by Council members. Keep that in mind, Voltaire. To some, taking advantage of your lord's illness might seem like initiative. To others, it seems cruelly opportunistic, especially if your actions are designed to take advantage of a terrible situation, and push him further toward the inevitable conclusion of his state."

She took a step forward. Whatever Voltaire saw in her expression had him stepping back, Tyra and Chavez likewise shrinking away.

Cai noticed that Jacob had gone from the casual stance he'd adopted during their conversation to a far more alert and hard-eyed look, as had Torrence and the female vampire Lyssa had called Lady Helga. Ditto on the death-look from the copper-haired vampire. His servant managed somber well enough, but unlike the others, she fell short of menacing. From the glint in her eye and set of her chin, she could be tough, though.

"If you wish to explore the depths of cruelty and how far it can take you in this world," Lady Lyssa continued, "I am happy to show you that personally, until you will beg for Hell. Re-evaluate your tactics."

"Yes, my lady," Voltaire said, wisely not choosing to argue the point. He bowed, his eyes lowered, his jaw tight.

"Good. Be gone from my sight. You'd do best to stay that way awhile."

The three vanished like smoke. Cai didn't blame them. He cleared his throat.

"If I'm a guest, does that mean I can say thanks but no thanks and hitch a ride out of here?"

When Lyssa's frosty eyes landed on him, he knew for sure he was an idiot. But what else was new? "Do you go by Mordecai?" she said, after a moment heavy with tension.

"Cai," he said.

"Cai, then. There is a reason you've been brought here. A very important one. We're hoping you will be able to advise us on the best course of action. Lord Greenwald's daughter is twenty-two years old and she has been taken by an Appalachian sect of Trads. I expect you're familiar with them, since you grew up among them. Yes?"

The world grew black for a second. Black, dark, and it turned upside down. Cai fought out of that mental oaken barrel ride, swearing if he did something mortifying like faint he'd just kill himself when he woke up. He shoved back a million images, most of them populated with screams, blood and other things that belonged to horror shows, and blinked once, twice, three times. Slow. Then he spoke.

"Yes, my lady."

He didn't know how she knew his origins, let alone how they'd decided he was a "Trad unsympathetic to their ways," but he wondered how much else she knew.

Rand's gaze snapped to him when he made the honorific.

Yeah, I do know how to be polite. Don't die of shock.

Lyssa was continuing. "While he had you brought you here in a brutal and unsanctioned manner, Lord Greenwald loves his daughter and is not thinking quite clearly. I'm sure he might tender an apology to you, especially if you have information that can help us."

"Don't know how much help I'll be, and don't want an apology from him." Cai couldn't inject too much venom into the comment, though. Now that the puzzle pieces were in place, he saw the desperate, enraged father beneath the savagery. Not that he wouldn't punch him in

the mouth if he got the chance. "I'll tell you what I can. Like to be headed back the way I came before the night gets too late."

"Good. Go with Giles and refresh yourself, clean up. Join us in the study as quickly as possible." She nodded in a noncommittal way and gestured to Giles. The servant took the lead and Cai followed, though he paused at the front stoop. Waiting for Rand.

With another baleful stare around him, the wolf trotted through their ranks and joined Cai, so they mounted the stairs together.

Under far too many prying, expectant and overly curious eyes.

The house was what Cai expected. Reeking of money and comfort. From a couple quick questions to Giles, he learned Lord Greenwald had been overlord of the territory for nearly twenty years.

When they reached the underground level, they passed an open door where a small shape was curled on a king-sized bed, covers pulled up high. The room looked like it belonged to a young woman. A girly teenage decor, including a graduation cap, stuffed animals and a couple posters of beefcake, were mixed with touches brought to it by the older version of the same female. Vase of flowers, a few pictures. College school books rested on the desk.

A worried look crossed Giles' face and he drew the door to a small crack. "Leona, Lord Greenwald's full servant," he said quietly. "Dovia's mother."

In Dovia's room, no doubt. When they moved on, Cai realized Rand wasn't following. Looking back, he saw him nudge open the cracked door to stare inside. Giles came to a full halt when he realized it, his expression tightening in a way that said he knew he couldn't protect the woman, but he wasn't going to do nothing. Cai appreciated the guy's protectiveness enough to give him a heads up.

"Believe me, the last thing that wolf will ever do is harm an innocent. Or a grieving mother. He's cool."

Giles studied the wolf's quiet posture. After a moment, Rand turned and padded toward them. Cai resumed their trek, Giles breaking into a trot to take the lead again. He showed them to a guest room and turned on the bathroom light. "Towels, soap and other toiletries. If you tell me your sizes and preferences, I'll find you some clothes."

Cai glanced at Rand. You want him to bring some in your size?