“The executive council is called to order,” Sabina said as she took her seat. “The chair recognizes Leo Pellissier, acting in his capacity as Master of the City.”

I figured that meant he would not be acting as master of Clan Pellissier. Interesting but not enough to cause the look Bruiser had sent me.

Leo shot his cuffs and walked around the table to stand a step down, in front of his usual chair. He was a lithe and elegant man at all times, but in a tux, with his hair loose and hanging on his shoulders, he was gorgeous. He paused, his French black eyes taking in the room, waiting until every eye was on him. Something glinted through his hair and I realized he was wearing diamond studs in his ears. He also wore two gold rings, one on either hand. Two diamond studs were in his collar points and his cuff links were large onyx with tiny diamonds. I’d never seen Leo in this much jewelry, and it only accented how pretty he was. And then I realized how human he looked, instead of pale as bone and cold as death. All the council members had fed and fed well. Bruiser had warned me about something with that glance. Was this the reason? Prickles of unease feathered down my body. I tried to catch Bruiser’s eye, but he was watching Leo, his face impassive.

“My people,” Leo said. “Tonight we gather.” His power shot into the room, serrated and hot. It was like being dragged through a flaming cactus patch, naked and blindfolded.

I sucked in a breath. This was the reason for Bruiser’s warning glance. Eli nearly went for his weapon and I placed a hand on his arm, murmuring, “It’s okay. It’s not an attack. It’s vamp magic.”

Alex cursed softly. The spectators sat back, tense and wide-eyed. A gather was one of the most sacrosanct of vamp rituals, sharing and exchanging energy, working for a purpose. Except for the people behind the dais, who looked fine with the proceedings, Leo hadn’t warned anyone. The spectators were uniformly rattled.

The vamps all stood, lifting their hands to the dais. Their humans shrank back, breathing too deeply, eyes shocked. The reek of dead flowers intensified, the smell of papyrus and lavender and ink and black pepper growing strong enough that I had to breathe through my mouth to keep from sneezing. I kept a hand on Eli and put one on Alex’s arm too. Gee could look after himself. Edmund, however, was standing with the other vamps, his arms at his sides, and Leo was watching him.

“Edmund Hartley,” Leo said. “Though you are not of my bloodline and soon will no longer be of my clan, you have been named my heir. State your loyalties.”

Ed raised his hands to Leo. “I am primo blood-servant to Jane Yellowrock. I accept the honor and responsibility as primo heir to Clan Pellissier, and primo heir to Master of the City of New Orleans and associated territories, to care for its Mithrans and protect its cattle. My shoulders are strong and my sword is true. I swear fealty to my mistress the Dark Queen, to the city, and to its master.”

Leo didn’t react, but something suggested it wasn’t exactly the response he had been expecting, or maybe it was the order of importance he didn’t like. Me, then the city, and Leo last. After a pause that stretched too long, Leo said, “That is acceptable. Take your place beside me. Drink of me, and I will drink of you.”

Oh crap. This was gonna get icky.

Edmund bobbed a kneel in front of me, one of those half-bow things people do in a Roman Catholic church. “My mistress,” he murmured. “Your leave?”

I almost said sure, but caught myself at the last moment. “The Enforcer of the Master of the City gives you leave.” I carefully didn’t give him leave by the power of the Dark Queen. No way.

Ed gave me a cheeky grin before wrapping a solemn demeanor around himself. He turned and knelt before Leo, this time down on both knees, which seemed to please the MOC.

“Our city’s Mithrans have been weakened by internal strife and civil war, by kidnap and imprisonment, by perfidy and betrayal. Attacked from without, by other clans and other masters. Attacked from within by those we should have been able to trust. Yet we have survived. Now we have cemented new alliances with the witches, and with the werewolves of the Bighorn Pack, we’ve affiliated with the Mithrans of many cities, and our territory has grown to include Atlanta. With Sangre Duello imminent, we must choose wisely those with whom we ally ourselves and our clans.

“Edmund Hartley. You have proven yourself wise in leadership, wise in the webs of Mithran politics, and far more capable in La Destreza than anyone knew.” There may have been a hint of irony in Leo’s tone. Yeah. Ed was quite the fighter. “Should I fall in battle, will you accept the weight of responsibility for my clan, my city, my territories, my Mithrans, and my cattle?”

“I will.”

“Should I fall in battle, will you take up my sword and my war?”

“I will.”

“Should I fall in battle, will you seek to find peace with the conquerors?”

“If there is no way to win and all would die otherwise, I will.”

“Should I fall in battle, will you seek to protect the alliances and the Mithrans I have sworn to protect?”

“I will. Moreover, I will avenge your life and your true-death should you fall.”

Leo smiled at that one, and clearly he hadn’t been expecting it.

“I will govern wisely, I will listen to counsel, I will elevate the wise and teach the foolish. I will carry the long view as my master has foreseen it, has dreamed it, to fruition.”

“I have chosen wisely,” Leo said, surprised.

“I have served with honor, my master, and that will never falter nor fail.”

Leo slid a hand into his tux jacket and removed something small and green, a jade knob, about the size and shape of a golf ball. He cradled it in the palm of his hand, and between his fingers a small, wicked blade protruded. Ed held out his hand and Leo stabbed downward, puncturing Ed’s thumb. Bright blood welled. I wondered who Ed had been drinking from to have such good skin color and such bright blood. He had a female blood-servant, Maryanne. I seldom saw her, but Edmund had to drink from someone.

Leo lifted the thumb to his mouth and captured Ed’s eyes with his own. The level of magic in the room rose, spiky and blazing, my skin itching. Leo took the thumb into his mouth and closed his lips around it. And sucked. Ed bowed his back without breaking Leo’s gaze, as if the sensation of Leo’s mouth sucking on his thumb was unanticipated. There was nothing erotic in the action. The smell of vamps rose on the air, suffocating. The magic intensified with it until I wanted to scratch off my skin to get to the itch in my bones. Eli frowned hard. Alex shook his kinky curls and shivered.

Leo pulled his mouth from Edmund’s thumb and punctured his own thumb. He placed it at Edmund’s lips and Ed sucked in a ragged breath before taking Leo’s thumb into his mouth. He sucked, eyes closed. He shivered. The magic crept up another notch. The temperature in the room went up a few degrees and it was getting hard to breathe. I was pretty sure my skin was turning red. The air felt charged with electricity. My body ached. Beside me, Eli opened his mouth as though he was having the same trouble breathing as I was. His skin was glistening with sweat. Alex, on my other side, was breathing hard, as if he’d run several smiles at a dead sprint. I tensed, ready to grab up my partners and carry them from the room.

And then it hit me. Leo might expect something similar from me tonight.

Will drink Leo’s blood, Beast thought at me.

No.

Will drink Leo’s blood.

No.

Will—

No!

Beast fell silent and I knew she was playing with me like a cat with a new toy, batting me around, biting me a little, and batting me some more, watching me ricochet into the corners.

Beast chuffed with amusement as Leo pulled his thumb from between Ed’s lips.

Leo said, “Tonight I officially appoint Edmund Hartley as my clan heir and as heir to my position as Master of the City of New Orleans and her territories.”

The magic blasted out. Pain like forge-heated razors. I gasped, stood, and grabbed the boys, one beneath each arm.

The pain fell away. The room chilled so fast the sweat on my skin felt like ice water. Alex sucked in a breath and started coughing. Eli shoved me away, his chin dropping with irritation as he peeled my arm and hand off him. Former Army Ranger didn’t need saving, not now, not ever. Right. I dropped Alex too. We all sat. We were okay.