A Cold Day in Hell (The Hellcat Series) (28 page)

Gabi bit back a groan, but couldn't stop the roll of her eyes as a woman broke from the crowd and rushed towards them in a froth of cream and gold taffeta, golden blonde curls bouncing and overdone make-up giving her an unnatural glow. 

"Amelia," Julius was using his formal voice, "you look wonderful." 

The other men, with the exception of Kyle, who seemed to have drawn the straw for first shift of guard duty, all made themselves suspiciously scarce, suspiciously quickly. 

"Ooh, thank you," she simpered, self-consciously placing one fluttering hand over her heart, "so do you."  Her stupid, fake eyelashes fluttered coquettishly.  She then did a pretend double-take, as though she'd only just noticed Gabi.  "Oh, and doesn't your consort just look lovely too?" 

Gabi wondered if she should just
bitchslap the annoying woman now and get it out of the way.  It was only a matter of time, after all, and she probably had more energy now than she would later.  Julius put his hand over hers, where it rested on his forearm, and squeezed warningly. 

"Spoilsport," she hissed quietly from between clenched teeth and a fixed smile.  From the corner of her eye she watched his jaw clench in suppressed amusement.  He moved slightly away from her and looked her up and down with an openly lustful gaze.

"Yes, yes, she does," he said to Amelia, without taking his eyes off Gabi. 

Gabi caught the flash of anger in the tiny blonde's eye, before she quickly covered it with another dewy-eyed smile. 

"I'm sure your lovely consort wouldn't mind if I stole you for the first dance of the evening, would she?"  More battering of silly, overdone eyelashes followed, and Gabi realised she must have subconsciously twitched as Julius tightened his grip on her hand almost to the point of pain. 

She sent him a mental picture of him sleeping on the couch, and he released her hand just long enough to change his grip and draw her fingers to his lips, putting the male equivalent of dewy-eyed adoration on his face and staring into her eyes as he replied, "I'm afraid I just can't bring myself to let her away from my side for even a moment when she looks this incredible."  He finally tore his gaze from hers to look at Amelia.  "You understand of course, my dear?  Our union is still so
fresh, I couldn't bear to leave her side quite yet." 

A stormy expression darkened Amelia's pretty features, and her lips narrowed in pique.  Gabi actually had to pretend a sudden coughing fit to cover her laughter.  Julius immediately patted her back in outrageously overdone concern.

"My darling, do you need some water?" he asked her anxiously.  "Excuse us, Amelia, I'm sure we'll be able to catch up later."  And with that, they left the blonde Vampire to have silent conniptions, as they wound their way through the crowd towards the non-Vampire catering tables.  The thought of food made her stomach clench warningly, but she allowed Julius to pour her a glass of champagne.  She thought it wasn't necessary, but it still made her feel better when he calmly took a sip before handing her the glass with a surreptitious nod.

"Julius, man," Kyle said in a quiet undertone.  "That chick has the serious
hots for you.  You might be playing a dangerous game with that one.  Would she be powerful enough to pay the price Gemini would ask for their services?" 

Gabi's thoughts raced; Kyle made an interesting point.  Could the attempt on her life be because of something as basic as jealousy, instead of the more complicated politics they were assuming?

"Not Amelia," Julius said with certainty.  "She’s a particularly weak Vampire.  It must have something to do with her Sire, but as he was killed several decades ago, no one is quite sure.  She's hell-bent on finding a stronger Vampire to make her his consort, but she hasn't managed to net one so far."

"So she wanders court, stirring trouble and poking her nose into everyone else's business," Caspian said as he joined them near the tables.  "Your presence here has ignited her aspirations like nothing has for ages," he told Julius.  "Perhaps we should put a little more thought into the theory that she could benefit greatly by Gabrielle's demise.  While she may not be powerful herself, she has made some powerful, if tenuous, connections here at court.  She's a passive-aggressive, manipulating troublemaker, who has uncovered many secrets others would prefer stayed buried."  Caspian sounded absolutely sure of Amelia’s guilt, and his anger was blatantly clear.

"It wasn't her," Julius insisted calmly.  "Gabi's presence here tonight wasn't any kind of surprise to her.  No one expecting a person to be dead would be able to pull off such nonchalance in the face of that person's perfect health." 

Gabi wished she felt in perfect health.  Truthfully she wasn't going to make it much longer before she’d have to find a seat.  She kept her feeling of exhaustion tightly controlled,
though, knowing Julius would drag her back to the suite with the tiniest provocation. 

Caspian harrumphed at Julius's answer, but didn't sound convinced.  He obviously knew a fair bit about the sweet, innocent-looking Amelia.  She'd have to ask him for more details later. 

She sipped her champagne and allowed her gaze to sweep the crowd, letting her Vamp sense out to see if anything unusual pinged.  It was then that she noticed that the serving and wait staff, mostly humans, were dressed in two distinct uniforms.  The men all wore black trousers, and the women neat, black pencil skirts, and they all wore loose-fitting peasant shirts.  There were two distinct colours of shirt.  A pale, dove grey and a deep burgundy.  As her gaze continued to take in every detail of the room, she suddenly understood the reason for the difference.  A couple intertwined in an unoccupied alcove: one a female Vampire, the other a human male in a burgundy shirt.  Others in burgundy shirts wandered the ballroom, smiling and mingling.  Those in grey shirts were carrying trays and refilling glasses; they had no interaction with the guests. 

"Julius, you should probably mingle, so the rest of us can see how others react to you and a very much alive consort," Kyle urged. 

Julius drew in a deep breath as though bracing himself for an unpleasant task.  "Yes, you're right."  He took Gabi's empty champagne glass from her and set it on the table.  "Let's go and introduce you to the Princeps' Court." 

Alexander and Athena joined them, taking up the mantle of covert protectors from Kyle.  Their appearance as a couple made it easier for them to trail Julius and Gabi without seeming to be guarding them.  Caspian went off to mingle, greeting almost every Vampire he met as though they were long-lost friends.  Gabi watched him as Julius helped her weave through the crowd.  He was a master at conversing with enough people that it wasn't obvious he was keeping a close eye on the faces of every Vampire within eyesight of her and Julius.  She spotted Nathan and Quentin, both swamped by female attention, but both alert enough to acknowledge her passing. 

Julius stopped every few paces and greeted Vampires.  She noted that none of them shook hands.  It appeared to be the norm; a slight incline of the head was the only concession to a formal greeting.  They all greeted her formally and politely, though their gazes were all equally inquisitive and, in some of the females' cases, somewhat malicious. 

She'd lost track of names about thirteen introductions ago, so she wasn't even trying to keep them straight, simply concentrating on keeping the smile on her face and feigning interest in the Clan details and achievements that were touted amidst the introductions.  She recognised Fianna as they approached a small knot of less extravagantly dressed Vampires, her Irish brogue clear over the low hum of the large crowd.  Gabi perked up; this introduction she was actually interested in.  The legendary female warrior
Princep who was purported to have never lost a fight held a certain fascination for Gabi.  It was a rare thing to come across another like her, a woman who held her own among men.  Fianna spotted them and immediately pushed a few of her hangers-on to one side to make room for them to join the group. 

Fianna's hard, uncompromising assessment of Gabi reminded her that many of her battle scars were visible in the dress she was wearing.  She hadn't been aware of them before, but now each one seemed to tingle as the other woman looked her over.  Gabi stood quietly, allowing the assessment without comment or question until the Irish woman was done, then allowed her own gaze to appraise the
Princep in just as much detail.  The older woman was dressed in a smart pants suit in deep green, with a pale ivory blouse and soft leather boots.  She wore no make-up, and her only hint of femininity was a gold necklace with some kind of Celtic charm hanging from it. 

After a few tense moments where no one spoke, Fianna smiled, an open, honest smile acknowledging a peer, a comrade.  Gabi felt relieved, but kept the emotion from her face, returning Fianna's smile as though it was simply her due.  Tension eased from Julius as well, as he watched the exchange between the two. 

"The tales of your exploits are very entertaining, my dear," Fianna finally said.  "We will have to exchange stories one day, in a less crowded setting." 

Gabi was genuinely regretful that they would probably never get to have that conversation.  They exchanged a few more pleasantries and were about to move on when Julius suddenly looked around, as though he'd had an inaudible call.  Gabi followed his gaze and found that Nathan was staring at them from across the room, something was passing between the two, but it was over in a split second.  Julius glanced down at her.

"I think we've pushed the limits of your strength enough for tonight," he said as they took their leave of Fianna's group. 

"What's going on?" she asked without preamble.  She'd noticed Fergus making his way through the crowd towards them, and Athena and Alexander were close on their heels. 

"Nothing to worry about," Julius assured her.  "Just a meeting I wish to avoid if possible." 

Gabi allowed him to gently tow her through the crowd, but something wasn't quite right about his attitude.  It was as though something had him spooked.  Curiosity getting the better of good judgment, Gabi began perusing the dancers on the massive central dance area.  His sharp intake of breath almost made her turn to him in time. 
Almost, but not quite.  Her eyes found exactly what he didn't want her to see.  A sight that made her stop in mid-stride; cold, sick horror blossomed in her chest.

Santiago—resplendent in a classic, black tuxedo, his beauty still breathtaking, unearthly—one part angel, two parts Satan.  His left arm wound possessively around a petite female figure dressed in frothy pink lace and tulle, blonde curls piled artfully on top of her head, a few wisps trailing free and framing her delicate features.  Dainty pink ballet slippers peeked out from beneath her skirt.  Santiago looked down at her, lust clear in his gaze and his attitude.  The female was Vampire and no more than nine or ten years old. 

Disbelief, shock, confusion.  Was she still hallucinating?  Children couldn't be turned into Vampires.  It killed them.  Their bodies just weren't strong enough for the change.  Julius had confirmed this fact just a few weeks ago when she'd asked him about it.  Children couldn't be changed, but there was absolutely no doubting the age of the Vampire in Santiago's embrace.  The rest of her party had frozen in place, some in shock, others in resignation.  No, she wasn't hallucinating.  This was what Julius was trying to keep her from seeing.  This was who they'd been trying to avoid. 

She knew her mouth was open, a look of horror frozen on her features.  The tiny blonde child looked up at her then, cocking her head curiously and looking the group over, just as Santiago finally looked up at them as well.  A slimy, knowing smile crept over his face as he took in Gabi's expression. 

"Good evening, Dhampir," he greeted her, taking the child’s hand and drawing closer to them.  "Master Julius."  He inclined his head to the rest in a thin facade of politeness.  "This is Victoria."  He brushed one of the girl's stray curls off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.  "Isn't she just beautiful?"  He drew out the word 'beautiful' and let it roll off his tongue, as though he could taste it.  "She is my latest toy.  I did such a perfect job with her."  He put a large masculine hand under the girl's chin and drew her face up to his so he could gaze at her with hungry eyes.  The child's eyes slid to Gabi's, fear-tinged resignation flickered in the clear, blue depths.

Red.
  Red.  Gabi's world turned red.  She reached for Nex, but the sword wasn't there.  She was moving towards the monster regardless.  She didn't need Nex.  She'd rip his heart out with her bare hands.  A wall of Vampires materialised in front of her, strong arms wrapped around her from behind.  She clawed at the arms, hissing, spitting.  She swiftly repositioned her body, ready to throw her restrainer across the room.  Two more bodies crowded her, slipping between her and the wall of foreign Vampires.  They smelled familiar, but that didn't stop her; she delivered a bone-cracking kick into one of them.

"Fuck, Hellcat."  Alexander's voice, laced with pain.

"Not here, Lea."  Julius's voice was urgent in her ear.  His presence filling her mind.  Reassuring, calming, desperate.  "Come back to me, Lea.  We can't do this here and now." 

Red.
  Red.  Rage. 

Julius's voice, stressed. 
"Deep breaths.  Get Control." 

Damn him to Hell. 

She forced the red back a little, enough to assess their predicament.  The great hall had fallen eerily silent.  Hundreds of Vampire eyes were trained on them, waiting, anticipating, expecting bloodshed.  The three-deep wall of guards standing between her and Santiago stared impassively at their small party.