With a sharp look at me, Sebastian sat down again.
“That’s the pot calling the kettle black,” Allie said under her breath to me, a little chuckle following the observation.
“Nor will interruptions be allowed,” Christian continued with a pointed look at his wife.
To my surprise, she blew him a kiss and sat back with a smile.
Christian eyed me for a moment before saying, “You are concerned about the welfare of the prisoners. As my Beloved says, the woman Kristjana is detained in Iceland. Would you like to see the sacristan?”
“Yes, I would. I don’t believe you would deliberately harm either of them without cause, but at the same time, I can’t help but feel somewhat responsible for their welfare.”
Christian nodded to Rowan. “Have the prisoner brought in.”
Rowan slid him a questioning glance, but Christian sat with calm assurance, his gaze flickering from me to his wife.
No one spoke for the next few minutes. Despite that, I had an odd sense that Christian and Allie were holding a mental conversation, for every now and then a frown would flicker across his face, and once I heard her laugh to herself.
The door opened at last, and behind it marched a familiar man, tall and blond, with an open, friendly face, and a manner to go with it.
“Wife!” Mattias said, taking a step toward me as if he were going to rush me.
Sebastian leaped from his chair, causing Mattias to flinch backward, yelling, “The evil one will torture me!”
“We haven’t harmed you yet,” Sebastian said with obvious lack of patience as he pushed Mattias into a chair along the wall. Esme drifted over to sit next to him. “Tempting as it is to fulfill your opinion of us, you will notice that we have thus far refrained.”
“Hello, Mattias,” I said politely. “You look well.”
“You have come back for me,” Mattias said, nodding. He was as handsome as ever, an obvious throw-back to his Viking ancestors, but he left me feeling as cold as a dead flounder. “It is only right that you do so, wife.”
I grimaced at the last word, not wishing to be reminded that in the eyes of the Brotherhood, we were legally married.
“You will tell these vermin to release me,” Mattias continued, his incarceration obviously doing nothing to eliminate some of the hatred he felt for the vampires. “I have endured their company long enough.”
“Oh, my,” Esme said, her cheerful face suddenly turning dark as she glared at him. “You are a very rude young man to speak of dear Christian and the others in such a manner.”
Mattias’s expression of surprise as Esme chastised him was comical. “I . . . Who . . . You’re a spirit?”
“Yes, I am, and I am very fond of Christian and Josef. Very fond of them! If I weren’t a lady, I’d take you out back and give you the thrashing you deserve for referring to the Dark Ones as you have.” Her large grey curls bobbed angrily as she spoke.
Mattias’s eyes widened at the threat.
“That’s enough, Esme,” Allie said, pulling out a little yarn bobble, the kind found on the tips of winter hats. “Bobble time.”
“I have not yet finished giving this young man a piece of my mind,” the ghost answered.
“Yes, you have.” Allie held her other hand over the bobble and mumbled a few words. To my amazement, Esme dissolved into nothing.
“How did you do that?” I asked, profoundly curious.
“I’ll show you later, if you like. It’s the best thing I ever learned.” She smiled at her husband. “Well, almost the best.”
He looked distracted for a moment before he recalled himself and turned to me. “As you can see, the reaper has not been starved or tortured.”
“Yes, and I’m very gratef-”
The door opened again, and Rowan and Andreas appeared with another person slumped between them. They hauled the man in and let him fall to the floor.
The words dried up on my lips as the crumpled heap of man raised his head.
“Pia,” a familiar voice croaked.
I was on my feet and running toward him before the word could even form in my mind . . . Kristoff.
CHAPTER 4
“What happened to him?” I cradled Kristoff’s head against my chest protectively as I hastily searched his upper torso for signs of injury.
Kristoff made a plaintive noise. It resonated within me, bringing to the surface all sorts of emotions that I had no idea lurked beneath. I wanted to protect him, shake him, demand he speak to me, give him comfort, and tear off all his clothes and have my wanton way with him.
It was an effort, but I managed to tamp down the wave of emotions. “Dear God, what happened to you?”
Eyes that I knew could shine a brilliant teal were now dulled with pain. Waves of anguish rolled off him, suffering etched in every line of his now horribly gaunt face.
“Pia, don’t,” he groaned, trying to push back out of my embrace. “I can’t fight it if you touch me.”
“Fight what? Good Lord, Kristoff, you look like death warmed over. Haven’t you been eating at all?”
He closed his eyes, his face a mask of pain as he again struggled to get away from me. I wrapped my arms tighter around him.
“Animal blood.”
“That obviously isn’t doing you much good. Why didn’t you tell me you needed some blood?” I asked.
He shook his head and wouldn’t answer.
“Why did you bring him here?” Mattias demanded of Rowan. He gestured toward where I sat. “That one seduced my wife!”
“Oh, be quiet, Mattias,” I said, brushing the hair back from Kristoff’s brow.
“I gave you the benefit of the doubt once,” Christian said, strolling up behind me. “I will not be so foolish as to do so again. You may cease playacting.”
“Playacting?” I asked, suddenly furious. Couldn’t they see that something was horribly wrong with Kristoff? He looked terrible, his flesh grey and clammy, his body emaciated, racked with waves of pain so strong even I could feel them. “What the hell is going on here? Why aren’t you doing anything to help him?”
“They deserve no help,” Mattias muttered. “They are evil. You should have destroyed them. You should have wiped them from the earth, as you were supposed to do.”
“Knock it off,” I snapped at Mattias.
His expression grew darker, but at a menacing gesture from Andreas, he slumped back in his chair.
“I do not like to be deceived, Pia. I would have thought you’d recognize that fact.” Christian stopped next to me, his eyes distrustful.
Julian, standing in the open doorway, shook his head. “I told you the council would not welcome lies.”
“What lies?” I yelled, wanting to scream at them.
Julian said nothing more, just closed the door.
I twisted my head around to glare up at Kristoff’s brother. “You’re his brother! Why aren’t you doing anything to help him?”
“His plan has been discovered,” Andreas said in cold tones that sent a little shiver down my back. “His plan . . . and yours.”
Mattias burst into laughter. I wanted nothing so much as to smack him right at that moment, but reminded myself that Kristoff needed my attention more.
“You’re all insane,” I said, looking around for help. Kristoff shuddered in my arms, his knees pulling up as he
