Danse Macabre   ::   Гамильтон Лорел

Muscles played under her thin arms asshe stood and smoothed her long dress around her body. Her coloring was odd, but not outside human norms. Her white-blond hair fell to her waist. Her only jewelry was a circlet of silver set with three pearls, the biggest in the middle and two smaller to either side, surrounded by tiny but brilliant diamonds, so that the light flashed and winked as she moved her head. Her pale neck was smooth and unadorned, with no gill slits. Jean-Claude had told me that when they wished, the maids of the sea — his phrase — could look very human.

«May I present my wife, Leucothea. Thea.» He took her by the hand and drew her into a low curtsey.

Did I curtsey back? Did I tell her to get up? What should I do? What Could Meng Die have done that was taking Jean-Claude this long to sort out? She was so on my shit list.

Not knowing what else to do I offered her a hand up. She took my hand, raising a softly startled face to me. Her fingers were cool against my skin.

«Are you helping me rise like a queen taking pity on a commoner, or do you acknowledge that I am your superior?»

I helped her to her feet, though she moved like a dancer and hadn't needed the help. I dropped her hand, and said what I was thinking. When in doubt I usually do. «Okay, truthfully, I'm not sure who outranks who between the two of us. If Jean-Claude had been here then you could offer up to him, but it's me, and I don't mean to be insulting, but I'm just not sure who tops who here.»

Thea's pale face looked surprised, but Samuel looked pleased.

Auggie laughed an abrupt, very human-sounding laugh, turning me to look at him. «Jean-Claude said you were a breath of fresh air, Anita, but such an honest breeze, I'm not sure we're up to it.»

«I like it,» Samuel said.

«Only because you are hopeless at deceit,» Auggie said.

Samuel gave him a look. «None of us who have risen to Master of the City is without deceit, old friend.»

The humor in Auggie's face softened, and faded. I realized that of almost all the other master vamps I'd ever seen, his face was the most mobile, the most expressive. Now it went suddenly blank the way all the old ones could do. «Fair enough, old friend, but you do prefer honesty.»

Samuel nodded. «Aye, that I do.»

«You like honesty?» I said. «Then you are going to love me.»

There were abrupt laughs from at least two different corners of the room. In one of the corners was Fredo, slumping artfully, his black T-shirt a little bulky in places from all the knives he hid on his body.