Page 27 of Of Flame and Fate

“Yeah, ah, rough night,” I say, glancing at Gemini who is unusually quiet.

His stare is intense and glancing ahead to where Aric appears to be arguing with the Elders. I can’t hear what’s being said, but we both see enough to know Aric isn’t happy.

“Where’s Emme?” Destiny asks, looking past me.

I turn to where Emme is standing directly behind me. She offers Destiny a wave. “Hi, Destiny,” she says. “It’s nice to see you.”

Destiny, bless her fashion faux pas heart, keeps her smile. “Wow. Look at you,” she says. “I’d hug you, but I don’t want to get anything on my new outfit.”

“I’ll bet,” I say.

Her smile softens. For what has to be the second time since I’ve known her, I get a peek at the human beneath all that crazy persona. “I really want to thank you, for stepping up and having my back. It means a lot.”

Gemini and I exchange glances. Like me, he doesn’t seem to know what the hell she’s talking about.

That’s when the crazy persona that is Destiny returns with a vengeance. “Haven’t you heard?” she squeals, jumping up and down and clapping. “You’re my new bodyguard.”

Chapter Six

I pat her shoulder, trying to reassure her and hoping not to piss her off. That brain zapping thing she does is for real, peeps, and I’m not going through it again. “I’m sorry, but I think you have me confused with someone else.”

“No.”

I smile. At least I try to. It’s hard to smile with the amount of zebra stripes currently blinding me, and because something, areally badsomething, makes me think she’s telling the truth.

“That’s not possible,” Gemini says, his voice trailing as Aric and Celia approach.

Both of Celia’s hands are wrapped around Aric’s arm and she’s leaning close to him. It’s something she always does when he’s close to losing it. Awesome.

Aric’s tight stare shifts to Uri, Misha’s maker and the granddaddy of all master vamps.

I’d noticed his presence when we walked in, you can’tnotnotice power that potent. But I’m not a fan of Uri, and didn’t bother to seek him out. I do now, mostly because Aric makes it a point to check on him.

Uri is seated a few rows down from where we wait. He’s infamous for three things: his strength, the array of young, studly, and shirtless men always at his side, and his capes. That’s right, capes. Money and influence evidently affords you the right to dress any way you damn well please. Tonight his cape, a deep green one with speckled fur along the collar is draped over the chair.

Genevieve bends in front of him, tending to his face similar to a makeup artist applying the finishing touches to a Broadway star set to take the stage. It’s not until he turns to the side that I realize Uri’s face is covered with holes!

They’re oozing, burrowing deep into the muscle and partially exposing his skull. “Jesus,” I rasp, my shock and disgust forcing me to take a step back.

“He’s had a bad night, too,” Destiny says, her voice sad.

She must have a better relationship with Uri than the rest of us. Celia can’t stand him, writing him off as a cold, cruel leader, and master manipulator. “Misha is getting too powerful,” she told me in a whisper. “It won’t be long before Uri tries to kill him so he can take that power for himself.”

I agreed, and it scared me senseless. Misha is Celia’s friend. If Uri goes after Misha, Celia will rise to protect him.

Since I first met Uri, an inner voice warned me to stay clear. Despite those stupid capes he flaunts like his young lovers, he emits danger like a coiled cobra. I’m not afraid of him. I’m just aware that snake can strike, and if he does, especially against my family, so will I.

The young men Uri feeds from stroke him lightly, speaking words of adoration. The one closest to me is crying those thick awful tears that form when your soul is falling away in pieces. All of Uri’s lovers are like that, completely enamored with him, desperate for his attention however piddly.

It doesn’t mean anything. Not to Uri. Whatever fondness he has is always fleeting. They’ll bore him soon enough and he’ll move on to the next few men who peak his interest, not caring about the broken hearts he leaves behind.

For now though, they’re with him, and whether he’ll ever admit it, he needs them. He’s trembling horribly, and close to seizing. Whatever spell was cast continues to burn its way through the tissue, causing him pain he otherwise would not openly show. Pain, hell,anydisplay of vulnerability in the presence of other preternaturals will get you killed by the one waiting to take your spot.

My gaze skitters around the room and to the other vamps loitering nearby. Like Uri and Misha, they’ll always be young and beautiful, theturningprocess gifting them with immortality and eternal beauty for the simple price of your soul. None are masters. The few who were met their demise years ago, leaving Misha to command the entire west coast, a position he won’t abandon without a fight.

Gemini leans into me, his warm breath teasing my skin. “Don’t get involved,” he warns, his lips skimming along my ear as he whispers. “Not our pack, not our fight.”

I nod. Like me, he senses the vampires’ restlessness. Newlyturnedvamps or those new to a keep are like ravenous hyenas. They’ll attack those they perceive as weak, their primal and predatory instincts often overriding their common sense. Magic eating holes into his face or not, Uri is deadly.

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