Page 59 of Hot Blooded

“No, we’re just latecomers,” Etta answered.

Amos’s hand found the small of Tessa’s back, gently guiding her forward. “You’ll be an object of curiosity,” he said, almost apologetically. “In the Council chambers, the others will have to mind their manners more carefully than they would have in the entry. We came a little late to avoid that.”

“Ah.” Tessa swallowed past a dry throat.

“Don’t be nervous,” Amos told her. “I’ll rip the tongue out of anyone who bothers you.”

“No ripping out tongues!” Tessa said, her voice high and panicky.

“Aww,” Etta pouted.

“It would eventually grow back,” Amos muttered sulkily.

Tessa knew he was joking, but that joke just drove home how she was very much not in her element anymore. Her heart pounded as they neared the massive arched doors at the end of the corridor. The carvings around this door were the most ornate yet, giving the impression of twisting rose briars and creeping animals surrounding a mysterious portal. Unseen voices murmured through the doors, the words unintelligible.

As they approached, the doors swung open grandly, by some invisible means. It was probably an automated sensor, but surrounded on all sides by vampires, Tessa couldn’t help but wonder about magic.

The doors slowly revealed the grandest space Tessa had ever personally stood in. It was as soaring as any cathedral she’d ever seen. Everywhere she looked was rich, lavish, old opulence. Stained glass windows and elaborate woodwork and complex marble mosaics and soaring pillars and vaulted ceilings and hanging banners and golden gilding and so many beautifully constructed embellishments that it made the entryway look downright drab in comparison.

Tessa was so taken aback by the architecture that she completely forgot to be worried about the occupants of the building. But eventually, she realized the murmur of conversation had died away to perfect silence. She brought her gaze back down to eye-level, taking in the vast crowd of people—all of whom were staring at her.

She pulled in a shallow, choked breath, reaching instinctively for Amos. His hand gripped hers with comforting strength, tugging her close to his side.

“The offer to rip out tongues still stands,” he murmured into her ear.

A slightly hysterical giggle escaped her, cutting sharply through the unnatural silence.

Bodies shifted in the crowd as someone wove through them. A tall, slim man emerged. He was as sharp-edged as a blade, with features that could cut glass—thin, straight nose, prominent cheekbones, steeply-angled black eyebrows. His pale skin had that slightly washed-out look that seemed to be common to vampires, contrasting starkly against his raven black hair. His blood-red eyes skimmed up and down Tessa’s body before flicking to Amos.

“Amos Hansen has brought a mortal to the Council?” the man inquired, brows rising with salacious glee. He spoke with an accent that Tessa couldn’t place, something vaguely Germanic, maybe. “And here we thought you’d never stoop to tolerate our existence again.” There was a very pointed emphasis in his words. Murmurs arose from the crowd that told Tessa she was out of the loop on something. “How disappointing.”

“Fuck off, Ludolf,” Etta said impatiently.

His gaze slid to her, his disdain written across his sneering face. “In my day, women were more civil.”

“In your day, women kept dying because they wouldn’t stop licking rats,” Etta shot back.

Fran made a choking sound. Ludolf’s gaze cut to her, eyes narrowed. Before he could speak, Amos’s voice cut through the murmurs.

“Do you think you’re safe from me because there are witnesses?”

The murmurs died into another shocked silence. Ludolf straightened, drawing himself up to his full height. He towered over Amos’s average height, but there was no mistaking who the bigger threat was. The crowd’s eyes danced between Amos and Ludolf with nervous anticipation. Tessa clenched onto Amos’s hand, shrinking closer to him.

“Threatening another vampire within the Council chamber is a crime!” Ludolf hissed.

“So is turning children,” Amos answered, his voice lowering to a growl. “Do you want to have that discussion?”

Ludolf stared at Amos for a moment longer, stiff with fury. Finally, lips pressed into a thin line, he spun away, disappearing back into the crowd. Amos turned his attention to the rest of them, standing rigidly, waiting. After a tense silence, their attention slid away from him and conversation slowly resumed. The murmuring babble of countless voices sounded resonant and rich in the dramatic acoustics of the chamber. Next to Tessa, Etta and Fran visibly relaxed.

“What was that all about?” Tessa asked.

He sighed. “It’s a long story.”

Etta inhaled sharply. “Amos! You didn’t tell her?”

Tessa’s brows rose. She didn’t even have to voice the question. Amos knew.

Chagrined, he pulled her towards a quiet alcove. Discreet glances were cast their way, but nobody spoke to them or approached.

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