Part 2 (1/2)

Merrill wandered in while they were eating and I was cleaning the kitchen. ”Wlodek wishes to see you,” he said when I straightened up after putting the stew pot in the dishwasher.

I wanted to mutter something long-suffering such as ”not again,” but didn't. I wouldn't be able to tell Wlodek no, no matter what it was that he wanted. ”Let me go change,” I said, wiping my hands on a kitchen towel.

I'd never seen Wlodek in anything except a suit and tie. If the man wore jeans, I probably wasn't destined to see it. Merrill also dressed most of the time but I did see him upon occasion in slacks and a nice pullover. Jeans, too, once in a while. Therefore, I dressed nicely for this occasion, in a calf-length silk dress. I hoped I wouldn't be running across the English countryside as I slipped into low-heeled sandals. The dress was a deep green; one of my favorite colors next to blue. I even wore my gold hoop earrings, one of the two pairs I actually owned. Merrill was waiting for me at the door when I was ready, and we went out to the garage together. He drove the Bentley, and it was a pleasure to ride in that luxury.

”You look beautiful, Lissa,” Merrill said when he opened my door and helped me out of the car roughly half an hour later.

”Thanks,” I said and followed him to the door of Wlodek's manor. Rolfe let us in as usual; Charles stood behind Rolfe, waiting to take us to Wlodek's office. Wlodek was busy signing papers when we walked in and didn't glance up for several seconds. For a moment, I wondered if he were signing termination papers on anyone before shoving that thought aside. Eventually Wlodek laid his pen aside and turned his attention to Merrill and me; we were sitting in the two chairs before his desk.

”Something came up missing recently,” he said, in lieu of a greeting.

If I'd been talking to Don, I would have said automatically, ”I'm innocent, as usual,” and given him a smile. The Head of the Vampire Council, however, was as far removed from Don as I could possibly get. Instead of explaining what that something was, Wlodek lifted a paper from his desk and handed it to Merrill, who glanced at it briefly, raised his eyebrows slightly and then pa.s.sed the paper over to me. It was a photograph of the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara and the Spencer family tiara. Holy c.r.a.p.

”It has come to my attention that these items may be somewhere in France,” Wlodek went on. ”Lissa, I desire that you to fly to Paris with Russell and Radomir. While there, I wish for you to learn if these items are indeed where we think and retrieve them if you can. They will be returned to their rightful owners if you are successful.”

There was only one reason I could see that Wlodek, Head of the Vampire Council, would involve two Enforcers and a mister in the theft of two tiaras and that was if they were stolen by a vampire in the first place. And the fact that he wasn't intending to bring the vampire in for doing this meant that the vampire had to be important and the whole thing was probably going to be hushed up. Great. This involved vampire politics and intrigue, and I was being shoved into the middle of it.

Merrill asked the question before I could. ”When?” he inquired.

”Tomorrow evening. Have her at the airport at nine.”

”Very well,” Merrill nodded.

”The annual meeting is also approaching,” Wlodek said, flipping his gold pen in his fingers.

”I will be there,” Merrill said, sounding as if that might be the last thing he wanted to do.

”I expect you to be there,” Wlodek agreed. ”I also expect you to bring Lissa. See that she is dressed appropriately for the ball. You look lovely tonight, my dear.” He turned to me and almost smiled.

”Thank you, Honored One,” I did what I'd seen some of the others do, dipping my head a little. No sense p.i.s.sing off the King of the Vampires.

Charles hugged me before I got out the door, telling me he intended to call sometime so we could see a movie when I got back. I grinned at him and told him I'd look forward to it. I hadn't gone to a movie since I'd seen one with Winkler, Gavin and the werewolf bodyguards in Corpus Christi. It seemed a lifetime ago, although it was only a bit over three months.

”If you were human, I'd take you for ice cream,” Merrill said, once we were loaded into the car and driving through the huge iron gate that guarded Wlodek's drive.

”And if I were human, I'd eat it,” I said.

”Franklin, what are you doing still up?” I scolded him when we walked into the kitchen half an hour later.

”Waiting on you,” he said.

”Did you drink your berry smoothie and take the flaxseed oil?”

”I did. I never thought I'd see a vampire so health conscious, before,” he laughed.

”Those berries have antioxidants and the flaxseed oil does the same thing the fish oil does, it just doesn't have the taste to it,” I said. ”And even you can't stand there and say they aren't good for you.”

”I'm convinced.” He came over and hugged me. ”I just want my goodnight kiss before I go to bed.”

I kissed his cheek and watched him walk toward the stairs. ”He's in great shape, I just want to keep him that way,” I sighed as he walked out of earshot.

”I've offered to turn him many times,” Merrill said. ”He refuses every time and gets a bit testy over it, too. He tells me he likes to cook and to taste what he cooks.”

”I'm right there with him on that,” I said. ”I only have the memory of what it tasted like. And that may go someday, too.”

”Little girl, are you prepared for tomorrow evening? You should pack. Probably for four days, at least. I don't believe it will take that long but one can never tell.”

”All right,” I nodded. ”Goodnight, Merrill.”

”Goodnight, child.”

Merrill drove the Range Rover to the airport. It was a stormy night and rain was pelting us as we made our way to the Council's private strip outside London. My pa.s.sport and other important ID was in my purse; Merrill had scrounged up a wad of euros and handed them to me before we left the house. I probably had twelve hundred euros in my purse when I left the house, in addition to my credit card. Russell and Radomir were standing beside the steps leading to the Council's jet, waiting for me when Merrill and I arrived. My bags were loaded in while I boarded, and I sat down before my two flight companions did. Radomir ended up sitting next to me, Russell right across the aisle.

”Will wanted to come but I told him he had to stay home,” Russell grinned.

”Will is guarding Wlodek while we are away,” Radomir added. I just sat there between both of them, trying not to let my breaths sound too shaky. I liked Radomir, but maybe not that close. I hadn't forgotten what Merrill told me about Radomir, either; whatever you said to Radomir you said to Wlodek, since Wlodek was Radomir's sire.

”Have you done anything fun, lately?” Russell asked, reaching across the aisle to pat my hand. I think he may have recognized my discomfort.

”No. I did learn to drive on the wrong side of the road, but Merrill still doesn't trust me with his cars,” I offered Russell a smile.

”You should come out with Will and me, sometime,” Russell offered.

”And what do you do that's fun?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. I had no idea what vampires did for fun.

”Mostly they pick up women,” Radomir said, a smile in his voice if not on his face.

”You pick up women? Do you put them down again?” It was out of my mouth before I thought.

”Oh, yeah,” Russell was grinning.

”The Monet that you gave to the Honored One was a nice gift,” I said, referring to the huge painting of water lilies that hung on a wall in Wlodek's study.

”He wanted it; I didn't particularly like it,” Russell replied with a shrug. I knew it was a really nice gift; some of those paintings had sold for more than forty million pounds.

”So, did you hang up a print of dogs playing pool instead?” I asked. Radomir laughed.

”I did turn the s.p.a.ce into a billiard room,” Russell agreed with a stifled snicker.

”I knew it,” I said, tossing up a hand. ”And if you were human, your trash would be full of pizza boxes.”

”I never got to taste a pizza,” Russell observed.

”They're good,” I said. ”You strike me as a pepperoni kind of guy, leave the veggies off.”

”Hear that, Rad?” Russell looked over my head at Radomir.

”Don't mess with him, he's the Italian sausage and extra cheese man,” I said, pointing a thumb at Radomir.