I paused and considered. Monday was the next full moon. Alette must have known that. Did Duke? Did he know that I’d be at my worst, the day Wolf rose so close to the surface? I didn’t want to give him that much credit. “I hope not,” I said simply.
She said, “What do you hope will result from these hearings?”
“I guess I just want everyone to say, ‘Yeah, okay, this stuff exists.’ Then I want them to leave us alone.”
“What is the likelihood of that happening?”
“I don’t know. The trouble is, I don’t think they can both happen at the same time. I keep thinking, if the government recognizes the existence of these things, it’ll want to regulate them.”
“That is my fear as well. Whatever happens, that must not be allowed to come to pass. The government—Flemming, Duke, all of them—must, as you say, leave us alone.”
“We may not have a choice what happens.”
“Oh, there are always choices. Above all, th
e conclusion of these hearings must be that we are not a threat—to the public or to the government. You know very well we are not. We have regulated ourselves for centuries to ensure our secrecy, to ensure that the mortals don’t have a reason to fear us and take action. It may be up to you to preserve that balance.”
And I was one of the reasons that secrecy was coming to an end. No pressure or anything. “I don’t think I have that kind of authority—”
“I think you sell yourself short. People listen to you, Kitty. You simply don’t see it because you stay sheltered behind your microphone.”
She was implying that it was all make-believe to me. That I didn’t believe I really had an audience.
Maybe it was true. Here, for the first time, I was meeting some of my audience. I had to face them and stand up to defend all the stuff I’d been talking about on the air for the last year.
So much easier to hide behind the microphone.
“I’m only worrying about telling them the truth. I’m not going to be able to dictate what action the committee takes.”
“The implications may run far wider than you think. Have you ever seen someone burned at the stake? I have.”
Why was I not surprised? “It won’t come to that. We’ve gotten past that.”
“Perhaps.”
Even with all the conversation, I’d managed to finish eating. The steak was good, and I’d been hungry. I tapped my fork—stainless steel, not silver, another courteous gesture from the mistress of the house—on the plate, fine china in some antique pattern. I should have been afraid of breaking it.
“Flemming’s the one who’s going to swing this,” I said. “He’s the scientist, and he’s the one who depends on the committee for his livelihood. They’ll listen to him.”
Alette reached over and took the fork out of my hand, setting it down out of my reach. I stared at my hand, startled. I hadn’t seen her coming. I hadn’t had time to flinch. She said, “Are you suggesting we should be more worried about Flemming than Duke?”
“Duke is predictable. We know exactly where he stands. But Flemming? I don’t know anything about him. Look, Alette. I have to be able to get out and travel around without your people hanging around me. You’re worried about me and I appreciate that, but I want to look around, find out more about Flemming and his research, see if I can’t follow up on a few contacts. But I can’t do that with Bradley or Leo looking over my shoulder. No one would talk to me. I’m not trying to be disrespectful of your hospitality. But I can take care of myself, at least a little, and I need some freedom.” I’d had precisely two days to earn her trust. I didn’t know if it was enough, especially since I’d already run off once. Er, twice. But if she wanted me as an ally, she had to know she couldn’t keep me on a leash and expect me to be effective.
“You aren’t saying this just so you can run off with that were-jaguar from the Brazilian embassy, are you?”
I shrank back in my seat and tried to look innocent. “Maybe just a little.”
She studied me, lips pursed in a wry smile. After a moment she said, “I don’t suppose I could blame you for that. All right, then. But I want to hear what you learn on your investigations.”
“It’s a deal.” The kitchen staff came to clear away the dishes, then brought dessert: chocolate mousse in a crystal goblet. My God, what had I done to deserve dessert? The maid was human. I’d only seen a small fraction of the house. I was getting nervous. “Alette, can I ask—where are the others?”
“Others?”
“I’ve met you and Leo. But you must have other . . .” Minions? Lackeys? “. . . companions. Vampire companions.”
She suppressed a wry smile. “You’re accustomed to Master vampires who surround themselves with followers, as reflections of their own importance.”
Vast halls filled with pouty Eurotrash vampires—yeah, that was the image.