“More like drunk than bedazzled,” I said, somewhat startled by his change in behavior.
“It has been likened to that, yes,” Christian agreed.
“Do you need a hug?” Mattias asked, his face scrunched up with worry. “You’re frowning. I should hug you. And then take off all your clothes and lick-”
“No! No hugs! Or anything else. In fact, I’d like for you to just sit there quietly and not mention anything about torture or hugging. And stop doing that.”
A rapt look came over his face as he stopped making loud kissing noises. He clasped his hands together as he answered, “I will lick you later.”
I blinked at the offer. “Er . . . OK.”
Kristoff shot me a look.
“That is to say, no, thank you. Um . . . where were we?”
“I love you,” Mattias told me.
Everyone ignored him.
“Christian was just saying that he could toss everyone in jail, but he’s not going to do that because it’s patently obvious that Pia and Kristoff haven’t been separated as part of a big, elaborate plan to not only siphon away funds from widows and orphans, but also to kidnap and hide Kristoff’s oldest and dearest friend, not to mention killing off an innocent woman who hadn’t even taken up the job of Zorya, because instead of archcriminals, they are instead victims of what seems to be a really nasty twist of fate,” Allie said, smiling at her husband. “So instead of damning them for something that was not their doing, you’re going to let them go on their way so they can try to live happily ever after, not that living with a Dark One is easy by any stretch of the imagination. Isn’t that right, snuggles?”
“Our second option,” Christian said, trying to look stern, but I could have sworn his lips twitched a smidgen, “is to allow one of you to prove the innocence you so vehemently claim.”
“One of us?” I asked, my stomach feeling as if it were made of lead. “Just one?”
“How do you expect us to prove that?” Kristoff asked at the same time, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“I believe in this instance my usage of pronouns is confusing,” Christian answered. “My apologies. My intention is to allow Pia to prove both your and her innocence.”
“All right,” I said without hesitating. “If it will end all of this nonsense, I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”
“Good.” Christian glanced at the other two vampires at his table. “Then it is the decision of this council to postpone the hearing until such time as Pia has located and freed Alec, and identified the person behind his abduction.”
“What?” I almost shrieked. “Wait a second! How am I supposed to do that?”
“You are a Zorya,” Sebastian said. “You are a member of the Brotherhood no matter if you decry them or not.”
“That doesn’t mean they’re going to tell me anything if I march up and ask where they keep the captive vampires!”
I could swear I heard Kristoff snicker, but when I glanced at him, his face was without expression.
“You stand a better chance of gaining information from them than any of us do-without, that is, the use of those practices that you find objectionable.”
“You do know what you are asking me to do, right? Here I am trying my darnedest to get out of the Brotherhood, and you guys want me to stay in so I can be some sort of super-secret double agent for you.”
No one said anything for a moment. Even Allie looked a bit nonplussed.
I turned to Kristoff. I don’t have a choice, do I?
If there is another way, I don’t see it , he admitted.
Great. Now I have to find Alec, when I have no idea where he is or what he’s doing. Guilt stabbed at me at the memory of Alec’s stricken expression when he realized I was Kristoff’s Beloved, not his.
Kristoff, did Alec . . . That night, Alec was upset, wasn’t he?
Again I sensed Kristoff’s reluctance to speak to me. His presence in my head was tentative and hesitant, and I felt once again a darkness within him, something he shielded me from seeing.
That worried me more than anything.
Yes.
Do you think he would have done anything stupid?
Suicidal, you mean? Kristoff turned that thought over a few times. I don’t believe he would. If you had turned out to be his Beloved and you were taken from him, he might, but not otherwise.
Pain twisted inside me at his casual words. Alec might have felt despair at the thought of losing his Beloved, but Kristoff had managed quite well on his own for two whole months.
Yes, nearly dying of starvation was my master plan all along .
I stared at him, startled by both the amusement and the self-loathing in his mind.
“Do you agree to our terms?” Christian asked, pulling my train of thought back to the present.
I was torn. Part of me wanted nothing more than to figure out the mess that was my conflicted emotions toward Kristoff, but there were other things at stake. If I could find a way to locate Alec before I was de-Zoryaed for freeing Mattias and Kristjana, then everyone would be happy. The question was, could I pull off both tasks? “Yes, I agree,” I said at last, my shoulders slumping as I leaned into Kristoff, drawing comfort despite the horrible situation. “But only on the condition that Kristoff help me find Alec, and that you release Mattias and Kristjana to my custody.”
“My first inclination would be to refuse both demands, but since Allegra would take issue with keeping Kristoff from his Beloved, we will accede to the first.”
“If you expect me to get anything out of the Brotherhood people without having Mattias and Kristjana released-” I started to say.
Christian gave me an odd look. “I expect you to do whatever is necessary to achieve your goal. I cannot authorize the release of the two reapers, however. You will have to find another way.”
“There is no other way,” I protested. “I have to have Mattias and Kristjana.”
“You may have me,” Mattias said, opening his arms. “I’m all yours. Take me!”
“You cannot infiltrate the Brotherhood as our ‘supersecret double agent’ if you are no longer a Zorya,” Christian said with a hint of a smile.
“But-”
“It is too dangerous,” Sebastian said, getting to his feet when Christian rose and offered Allie a hand. “The sacristan must be held in custody. To have the two of you together and unattended is too risky.”
“But if he’s this way, he’s not dangerous at all,” I said, gesturing toward Mattias.
He blew me a kiss and waggled his eyebrows.
Kristoff rolled his eyes.
“As he is now? No. But what guarantee do we have that you will not lift the light-binding, or order him to do some act harmful to Dark Ones?” Sebastian countered.
“You really don’t like me, do you?” I said, my hands on my hips as I faced him. Mattias got to his feet and mimicked me, his hands on his hips as he glared at Sebastian. “What have I ever done to you?”
Sebastian blinked in surprise, his expression disconcerted. “You are a Zorya.”
“Move past that,” I said, too tired and jet-lagged to listen to the voice of reason warning me against an outburst. “Is it something about me personally you don’t like? Every time I come near you, you make a face like you smelled something bad!”
“You make a face,” Mattias accused. “You do not want to lick the beauteous Pia!”
Sebastian stammered out a nonanswer as Allie laughed. She came around the table, taking my arm. “Come on; I’ll go up to your room with you to make sure you guys will be comfy there. And while we’re on our way, I’ll explain to you about Dark Ones and this really obnoxious thing they have about Beloveds who aren’t their own smelling like roadkill.”
“I will come with you,” Mattias said happily, bat-ting his eyelashes at me. “Pia, Pia, Pia.”
“ Dio , he’s worse than he was before,” Kristoff muttered, elbowing Mattias aside when he tried to crowd me.
Mattias blew Kristoff a kiss, causing the latter to look in horror at him.
