JК
Burnt Offerings :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 40 из 286You remember Balthasar?" She touched the man's arm, and he obligingly slid it around her waist. He planted a chaste kiss on her pale cheek. He looked at me then for the first time. It wasn't a look I'd ever gotten from a man. If it had been a woman, I'd have said she was jealous. The vampire's English was perfect. Her accent was pure French.
"Of course, I remember him," Jean-Claude said. "Time spent with Balthasar was always memorable."
The man turned back to Jean-Claude then. "But not memorable enough to keep you with us." He, too, sounded French, but there was an undercurrent of some other language. It was like mixing blue and red and getting purple.
"I am master of my own territory. It is what everyone dreams of, is it not?"
"Some dream of a seat on the council," Yvette said. Her voice was still mildly amused, but there was an undercurrent now, like swimming in dark water when you know there are sharks.
"I do not aspire to such lofty heights," Jean-Claude said.
"Really?" Yvette said.
"Truly," Jean-Claude said.
She smiled, but her eyes stayed distant and empty. "We shall see."
"There is nothing to see, Yvette. I am content where I am."
"If that is so, you have nothing to fear from us."
"We have nothing to fear regardless," I said. I smiled when I said it.
Both of them looked at me as if I was a dog that had done an interesting trick. I was really beginning not to like either of them.
"Yvette and Balthasar are envoys of the council, ma petite ."
"Bully for them," I said.
"She doesn't seem very impressed with us," Yvette said. She turned full-face to me. Her eyes were greyish-green, with tiny flecks of amber dancing round the pupils. I felt her try to suck me under with those eyes, and it didn't work. Her power raised goose bumps on my skin, but she couldn't capture me with her eyes. She was powerful, but she wasn't a master vampire. I could feel her age like an ache in my skull. A thousand years, at least. The last vamp I'd met who was that old had cleaned my clock. But Nikolaos had been Master of the City, and Yvette would never be that. If a vamp hadn't attained master status in a thousand years, she, or he, was never going to. A vamp gained power and abilities with age, but there was a limit. Yvette had reached hers. I stared into her eyes, let her power tickle across my skin, and wasn't impressed.
She frowned. "Impressive."
"Thanks," I said.
Balthasar stepped around her and went to one knee in front of me. He put one hand on the back of my chair and leaned into me.
"Of course, I remember him," Jean-Claude said. "Time spent with Balthasar was always memorable."
The man turned back to Jean-Claude then. "But not memorable enough to keep you with us." He, too, sounded French, but there was an undercurrent of some other language. It was like mixing blue and red and getting purple.
"I am master of my own territory. It is what everyone dreams of, is it not?"
"Some dream of a seat on the council," Yvette said. Her voice was still mildly amused, but there was an undercurrent now, like swimming in dark water when you know there are sharks.
"I do not aspire to such lofty heights," Jean-Claude said.
"Really?" Yvette said.
"Truly," Jean-Claude said.
She smiled, but her eyes stayed distant and empty. "We shall see."
"There is nothing to see, Yvette. I am content where I am."
"If that is so, you have nothing to fear from us."
"We have nothing to fear regardless," I said. I smiled when I said it.
Both of them looked at me as if I was a dog that had done an interesting trick. I was really beginning not to like either of them.
"Yvette and Balthasar are envoys of the council, ma petite ."
"Bully for them," I said.
"She doesn't seem very impressed with us," Yvette said. She turned full-face to me. Her eyes were greyish-green, with tiny flecks of amber dancing round the pupils. I felt her try to suck me under with those eyes, and it didn't work. Her power raised goose bumps on my skin, but she couldn't capture me with her eyes. She was powerful, but she wasn't a master vampire. I could feel her age like an ache in my skull. A thousand years, at least. The last vamp I'd met who was that old had cleaned my clock. But Nikolaos had been Master of the City, and Yvette would never be that. If a vamp hadn't attained master status in a thousand years, she, or he, was never going to. A vamp gained power and abilities with age, but there was a limit. Yvette had reached hers. I stared into her eyes, let her power tickle across my skin, and wasn't impressed.
She frowned. "Impressive."
"Thanks," I said.
Balthasar stepped around her and went to one knee in front of me. He put one hand on the back of my chair and leaned into me.