Page 22 of The Mermaid’s Bubble Lounge (Sam Quinn #8)

TWENTY-TWO

It Would Be So Much Easier If We All Just Spoke the Same Language

Clive checked his watch. “Let me introduce Sam to the others and then she can chat with her friends while we meet. Oh, darling,” Clive said just to me, “take the keys. You and Fergus don’t need to stay all night. We can get home easily enough on our own.”

I opened the top of my small bag, feeling the interest of those around me. A phone and lip gloss were obviously disappointing for some. Clive dropped the keys in and gave me a kiss. Personally, I thought we were killing this whole I’m-harmless-and-we-have-nothing-up-our-sleeves thing.

“Please excuse us,” Clive said to Ahmed and Adaeze before walking me over to a group of three.

“Good evening. Allow me to introduce my wife, Samantha. Sam, this is Joao and Pablo. They are the Counselors for South America. And this is Thi. She is the Counselor for Asia.” Clive turned back to the three.

“It’s good to see you all, though I wish it was under better circumstances. ”

Joao was quick to smile, his dark eyes dancing as he reached out to shake my hand.

I took it and only felt curiosity from him.

The man was a heartbreaker. Pablo, less so.

He wasn’t ugly exactly, just severe to the point of discomfort.

His gaze ran up and down my body once with a look of mild distaste before his focus was back on Clive.

I felt Clive’s arm stiffen around me. He hadn’t missed the slight.

Let it go, I told him.

I turned to Thi and felt her hate like a blast of hot air. She showed no outward emotion, but it was roiling under the surface. “Hello. Lovely to meet you,” I said.

Her lips tipped up in the approximation of a smile, but her eyes were cold and empty. “And you,” she responded.

“Darling.” Clive squeezed me around the middle and let go. “I’m afraid we need to start our meeting now.”

“Of course.” I kissed him on the cheek and then glanced at the other three. “Have a nice meeting.”

Joao grinned at this, but neither Pablo nor Thi bothered to look in my direction. Both turned to the underlings hovering behind them to speak in hushed tones too quiet for me to make out.

Russell walked back into the center of the entry. “We have a conference room downstairs, as well as gathering rooms for your people. If you’d prefer, though, we’ve set up a table in the library, which I thought you might find more pleasant. It’s up to you, of course, where you’d like to meet.”

Godfrey stepped up beside Russell. “While the Counselors decide, I’ll show everyone else our facilities.” Grinning, he gestured to the twenty or so underlings to follow him. “Come along. You’ll be comfortable and entertained while we wait.”

Godfrey had a way with people. He looked like the cover model of a historical romance, but it was the twinkle in his eye, the ready smile, that made him so effective.

This is why he was third. No one would believe a second didn’t have ulterior motives when he went to watch a football game with the other vamps.

Godfrey had mastered an I’m-hiding-from-work-no-one-tell-the-Master facade.

He was funny and irreverent, disarming people and discovering information people didn’t even realize they’d uncovered.

He played up his reputation, but I would trust Godfrey with my life.

When it came right down to it, he’d do anything for the people he cared about.

Right now, though, what all the assistants saw was an activities director, not the warrior he was.

And that was fine with him. “Come along, you lot. I have some crap TV to watch.”

The assistants checked with their Counselors, who nodded, and then followed along in Godfrey’s wake.

“The library is right down this hall, if you’d like to see it before you decide,” Russell said.

“Bummer,” I whispered to Audrey. “I wanted to hang out in there tonight.”

Thi’s eyes flicked to us before she inclined her head to Russell, an indication he should show them the way. The eight Counselors followed in Russell’s wake, with Vlad taking up the rear. He glanced at me and rolled his eyes. I suppressed a grin in case anyone turned around.

“S’allright, ma’am,” Audrey said. “You used to fancy the blue salon. We can go there.”

Once the library door closed, I let out a breath. Audrey waved me into Russell’s office, where she closed the doors and hit the button on the sound system, filling the room with low bluesy music.

She pointed to one of the visitor chairs and mouthed the word sit. When I did, she whispered in my ear, “You go ahead and do your thing. I’ll work on your hair.”

Nodding, I closed my eyes, found the green blips in my head, and checked first on the assistants downstairs. They wouldn’t be as strong as the Counselors and might know sensitive information. There were a lot of them. On a sigh, I began.

The assistants or underlings or whatever they were called—I’d need to ask someone—didn’t talk to each other.

Godfrey was showing them around, but none of them seemed to care.

They stayed in five distinct groups and peeled off from one another into different sections of the underground.

Joao’s people were in the music room. Pablo’s were in the training room.

Thi’s were in the lounge. Ahmed’s were in the kitchen.

Adaeze’s were in the TV room, ignoring the baseball game on the screen.

A few of Russell’s vamps were watching the replay of the game, but Adaeze’s group stood in the corner, speaking another language.

Shit. Language again. This was just like the ghosts in Budapest. I didn’t speak any of these languages. How was I supposed to know what they were thinking? I needed to start some intense language courses because this was pointless.

Before giving up, though, I checked on Thi’s group.

As she was the one who seemed to actively hate me, I decided to try something.

I went to each of her four people and pushed an image of myself, dressed as I was tonight, into their minds.

Two of them spoke quickly in low tones to the others.

One of them pictured a furious Thi speaking on the phone before her eyes went vamp black and she crushed the phone in her hand.

The fourth one, though, pictured Thi at her desk.

Her phone alerted and she read a short text.

The fourth could see it from where she stood in the corner, but I couldn’t interpret it.

Thi didn’t seem upset at that point, just mildly concerned.

She closed the document she was working on and began to search for information on Sam Quinn.

I found Clive’s blip in my head and pushed in.

Hello, darling.

Hey. Little problem with checking what the assistants know.

Is it that you don’t speak their languages?

Yes. Yes, it is.

Sorry, love. Cadmael is currently explaining what happened in Budapest.

He was possessed most of the time. How is he explaining?

He’s explaining the story we agreed upon. We decided he’d be the best believed of us.

I don’t know if you could tell, but Thi hates my guts.

There was a thoughtful pause and then, I couldn’t.

I felt it, so I checked with her assistants, forcing an image of myself on them. One of them had a memory of her receiving a text and then searching up info on me.

Bloody hell.

I need you to visit the memory with me so you can read the text.

When we get home, we can try. For now, you can stay with me and listen.

“But you three miraculously made it out without a scratch?” Pablo asked, an edge to his voice. “How fortuitous.”

“Two of us,” Vlad said.

Pablo’s eyebrows went up. The others turned to Vlad as well.

“Cadmael and I were in the training room. Clive was late. Newlyweds and all that,”

Pablo sneered at Clive before returning his focus to Vlad. “I don’t understand how you two survived. How were you immune to this possession you described?”

“Pablo,” Clive began. “I realize that we don’t know each other very well, but I would have thought that you’d have at least spoken to your historian about us.

” He tipped his head, as though studying a bug under a microscope.

“For instance, I know that you were Alejandro’s third before you betrayed him and took over his nocturne. ”

Pablo’s eyes went vamp black. He leapt out of his seat and then froze, awkwardly falling onto the table.

“Just as I know,” Clive continued, “that you never bothered to find out my gifts, or those of Cadmael or Vlad. If you had, you’d know that Cadmael and I are two of the oldest vampires in the world.” Clive nodded to Ahmed. “Though my friend here may have me beat on age.”

Ahmed tipped his head in acknowledgment. The way the others scowled not at Clive but at Pablo showed that they too were irritated by his lack of finesse, not to mention the shame of being snared by Clive and made to look a fool.

“Vlad’s prowess in warfare is legendary, even amongst humans.” Clive shook his head. “Asking how they survived a battle is like asking Joao how he gets so many women.”

Joao laughed and nodded. “It is a gift.” He gestured to his face and body. “How can any resist this?” He pointed at Clive. “You, though, are also known for your endless conquests.”

Sorry, darling.

“Ancient history,” Clive responded. “I’m a one-woman man now.”

Joao shivered in mock horror. “Save me from a fate that is worse than final death.”

Adaeze pointed at Pablo. “Will you release your hold on him?”

“Oh,” Clive said. “Of course.”

Pablo flew back from the table, eyes locked on Clive, fangs locked and loaded. “I will kill you,” he hissed.

“Sit down,” Cadmael growled. “You embarrass yourself.” He looked around the table. “We have positions to fill. I suggest we get to work.”

“Yes,” Ahmed agreed. “We have two Australian Counselors to choose, two Asian, and one European. Though I think we should first choose a Guild leader.” He paused, looking around the table. “Cadmael, I know this isn’t something you enjoy, but I think we could use you right now.”

Clive and Vlad nodded. Joao shrugged one shoulder, not seeming to care, though I felt his disgruntlement. He would have liked to have at least been asked if he wanted it.

Clive turned to Cadmael. “Will you take it?”

Cadmael, looking put out, finally nodded.

“Good,” Clive said. “That’s decided.” He turned to Thi. “Do you have recommendations for the Asian Counselors?”

What followed was a long discussion about people I didn’t know. It was endless. And then if certain people were chosen as Counselors, who would take over as nocturne Masters? I checked out and started listening in on the thoughts of the other Counselors.

Pablo was still fuming. He didn’t know anyone who was being discussed and was instead envisioning killing Clive.

Joao knew them but didn’t care. He thought Thi should have the final decision.

She was the one who was going to have to work with them.

Ahmed and Adaeze wanted the strongest candidates, not only for the Asian nocturnes and Masters, but for the Guild.

When they got around to discussing a European Counselor, Bram was suggested, but Clive didn’t think he’d want to give up his nocturne.

Clive said he’d call and talk to him about it, though.

I’d met Bram when we were in the UK. I thought he’d make a wonderful Counselor, though he did seem well suited to his nocturne.

I was starting to nod off on my bench against the wall of Russell’s office when I heard Pablo say, “Even here, in your precious city, vampires are coming out and making themselves known, taking the blood they require, and leaving it to others to clean up. How can you go on about oversight and control when even the vampires in your former nocturne are part of the revolution?”

Pablo was pleased that everyone had stopped to listen to him. He’d spent most of the meeting being ignored and he was furious. It was time to make the English scum squirm.

Ahmed said, “We saw those reports as well. Can you tell us what you know?”

“Of course,” Clive responded. “I know the human press has labeled the killer a vampire, but he is not.”

That got people’s attention. They were expecting what they’d heard in previous investigations: vague beliefs and possible conclusions, not outright denial.

“What are you talking about?” Pablo sneered. “The humans were drained of blood and had bite marks on their necks.”

Clive nodded. “True, but it wasn’t a vampire.” He gestured to Cadmael and Vlad. “The three of us investigated after the first killing and the second. There was no vampire present. The bodies were killed in a way that made it look as though they were our victims, but they’re not.”

“There’s video of the second killing,” Vlad put in. “None of us could drain a body that fast.”

“Show us,” Pablo demanded.

The others were still irritated with him, that was obvious, but they too directed their laser-sharp focus on Clive. They all wanted to see the video.

Clive nodded. “Of course. First, though, we’d like to explain what we actually believe is going on.”