Much Ado About Vampires

All seven heads swiveled to look at us, identical expressions of surprise on all their faces.

Are you OK? I asked Alec. Did they hurt you? Have they tortured you yet? And just what the hell do you think you’re doing leaving me to go off and be Mr. Brave on your own, huh?

What are you doing here? Alec answered, looking annoyed rather than relieved I’d come to save him from being St. Alec the vampire martyr. And what the hell have you brought all of them for?

“To save you, you idiot man!” I stomped forward, waving at the occupants of the room. “Liches, attack!”

“No!” Alec bellowed, leaping to his feet as the other vamps did likewise. “Stand down!”

“Who is this woman? The rest of you will not take one more step into this room!” commanded one of the vamps at the table, a dark-haired man with a pissed-off expression. To my surprise, the liches seemed to heed him as well as Alec, since all of them came to an awkward halt just inside the doorway. “Is this the Beloved of whom you spoke?”

Cora, you can’t attack the Moravian Council.

Want to bet?

I am in no danger, love. “Yes. This is Corazon, my Beloved, and the one you have to thank for the actions of the day.”

“And just so you know, Mr. Whoever You Are, I’m not going to let you send Alec to the Akasha or anywhere else evil like that,” I said, swaggering toward him, my words dripping with implied threat that I prayed I could actually back up. “I know you guys are conducting some sort of a vendetta against him, but that ends now, do you hear?”

“Very well,” the spokesman said, inclining his head, his expression now somewhat blank, although I could have sworn I saw his lips twitch once or twice like he was trying to hold back laughter.

Just the thought that he could laugh at something so heinous as Alec’s life freedom being threatened made my blood boil. I would sic the liches on him, first, I swore to myself.

Cora, you’re not listening to me.

“Who are you?” I asked, ignoring Alec as he tried to stop me from marching forward to the vampire. “Are you the head guy?”

“I am Christian Dante,” the man said, giving me a little bow. I had to admit, as bows went, it was a pretty nice one, almost as smooth as Alec’s. “And yes, I do lead the Moravian Council. Now, you will please remove your liches from the building before I have them removed for you.”

Corazon! Alec all but yelled in my brain. Will you stop?

Alec, I know you’re peeved at me for being here, but you’re just going to have to deal with the fact that we’re a couple now. I take that very seriously, and it does not mean that I’m going to expect you to solve all our problems by yourself.

To my utter surprise, he started laughing.

“Oh, they’re not Cora’s servants,” Jane said, rushing forward to stand next to me before Christian. She bobbed a little awkward curtsy, gesturing toward her chest. “We’re a union, you see. Technically the liches are under my control—”

Alec, are you insane?

“Oh, for the love of Pete,” Eleanor said, pushing her way through the mob of slowly retreating liches. She gave Alec a sour look before running her gaze over the remainder of the vampires present.

No, just amused.

“—most of them are under my control, technically, as I said, but we are a cooperative, and under most circumstances function along the lines of a self-policing commune rather than a dictatorship. I’m Jane, by the way.”

Amused because I expect you to give me the respect due to your partner in life? I asked, outraged and ready to punch him in the arm.

No, I’m grateful beyond human understanding for that, mi querida.

Christian made a bow at Jane before turning to give Eleanor his attention. “And you are?”

“She is my Beloved,” Alec said, finally giving in to my glares enough that he stopped laughing, and, taking my hand in his, kissed my fingers.

Christian raised one eyebrow. The other vampires looked vaguely scandalized. “You have two, as well?”

“I do. Eleanor was my first Beloved, the one who was killed by Kristoff’s first wife some five hundred years ago. Corazon is her reincarnation, and thus it is she who is now my true Beloved.”

“You know,” Eleanor said to the vampire nearest her, the one everyone called the messenger, “I’m really getting tired of being referred to as the disposable Beloved.”

The vampire just stared at her.

“I don’t suppose you’d like me for your own?” she asked him.

“Er . . .”

“That’s it,” Eleanor said, shoving the vamp aside. “I’ve had more rejection than is right for any one woman to have. Send me back to the Underworld. Right now. You can all go to hell for all I care—I just want to go back to my adorable little house, and garden, and friend with benefits who never, ever rejects me.”

“Er . . .” I leaned into Alec. Do you know how to send someone to the Underworld?

Yes. You kill them.

My eyes widened as I looked at Eleanor standing angrily in front of us. “Uh . . .” Is there no other way?

Yes.

“Well?” Eleanor asked.

I looked at Alec. He looked back at me. Well? I asked him in turn.

Well, what? Are you trying to imply that you’d like me to take over this matter, rather than let you deal with it as you obviously prefer to do with problems?

I jabbed him in the side with my elbow. “You are so incredibly funny. Get over yourself already, would you? You know full well what I mean.”

He laughed again, wrapped an arm around me, and addressed Christian. “Is your Beloved available for a Release ceremony?”

Christian pursed his lips slightly as he glanced at Eleanor’s angry expression. “I have no doubt she would be happy to do so, although she has not yet conducted such ceremonies on the living. Allegra is nothing if not dedicated, however, and I’m sure she would be delighted to tackle the situation. Madame, if you would please follow August, he will take you to my Beloved.”

The messenger’s companion gestured toward the doorway, still filled with liches who were watching the proceedings with unabashed interest. They parted to allow Eleanor and the vampire through.

“You’re welcome,” I yelled after Eleanor when she turned on her heel and marched off without anything but an annoyed sniff in our direction. “I hope you stay there this time,” I added in a much softer tone.

Alec’s arm tightened around my waist, no doubt in warning to behave myself. That reminded me of just why I was there with Jane’s lich army. I turned back to the four council members, who were now clustered around the messenger, who was gesturing at Alec and me as he spoke in a low tone.

“I am not going to let you send Alec anywhere,” I announced in a firm, no-nonsense voice. “Or me, if that’s what Mr. Nosy there is telling you that you should do. I know you guys are angry at Alec about some mix-up in the past, but that was then, and this is now, and although I may not be a lichmaster like Jane, I think you can see that Alec and I mean business.”

Thank you for including me in that statement.

I told you, we’re a couple now. That means we do important things together. I glanced at him, suddenly worried that he didn’t really want to be part of a team.

He leaned to the side and kissed me, very gently. There is nothing I want more than to be a