Page 75 of Vampire so Virtuous (Boston Vampires #1)
He heard Marcel’s footsteps before the tentative knock on the door.
“Sir? My most sincere apologies, but the matter is urgent.”
Cally slept, one arm and one leg flung over him, her breathing soft and steady. He brushed a loose curl from her cheek and carefully extricated himself, pulling on a robe before opening the door.
Marcel took a pace back, giving him room to step into the hallway.
“What is it?” Antoine asked quietly.
“A summons, sir.” Marcel raised the vellum envelope, the wax seal unbroken.
Antoine took it, his lips pressing thin, and slit the seal with his thumb. “How do you know it’s a summons?”
“Two vampires wait below, sir.”
Antoine skimmed the contents. The missive was terse— come at once. It was signed not by any individual, but simply, The Curia.
He cursed. “Very well. I’ll dress and come down.”
“Very good, sir.”
Antoine re-entered the bedroom, pausing to watch Cally as she slept.
The duvet lay draped across her hips, most of her naked back visible, smooth and elegant and perfect.
It was tempting to wake her, just to see her smile, but there was no need.
He’d be back before morning—the Curia would sleep then too.
The thought of slipping back into bed beside her would give him something to look forward to while he endured whatever new decree they wanted to make.
Padding silently into the walk-in wardrobe, he dressed swiftly: jeans, a T-shirt, a replacement leather coat for the one left in ribbons on Minh’s study floor, and a dry pair of boots.
He smelled of sex—of Cally—and his lips twitched as he deliberately didn’t bother to shower.
So what if they could all scent it? Let them.
With a final look, he eased the door shut behind him.
“Noah?”
“Antoine? ”
“Cally’s asleep in my room. Pull up a chair out here, and make sure nothing gets past you.”
“Be my pleasure. What about her friend?”
“Not even her. Cally can find her when she’s ready.”
He marched down the stairs to the living room, where two vampires waited, as Marcel had said. One was Nico, dressed in a formal suit. Antoine clenched his jaw. Not only was Nico an ally of Minh’s, but his territory was Milton. He was looking at the vampire who had killed Cally’s mother.
The other was Valeria, clad in an elegant, backless evening dress. One of the vampires from north of the river. A stranger, for all intents and purposes.
They turned as he entered, sniffing the air in unison—Nico blatantly, Valeria more subtle, almost playful.
“Welcome to my home,” Antoine said. With war already upon them under the Curia’s decree, he wondered if there was any point to these rituals now, but… “Uphold our traditions, and keep my domain tranquil.”
“Your trust is met with solemn commitment,” Valeria replied.
Nico sneered. “You smell of chattel. Quite disgusting.”
Rage hit Antoine so suddenly and so hard that it took every ounce of control to keep his expression impassive. Not to clench his fists. Not to grit his teeth. Not to rock forward onto his toes—or simply rip the bastard’s head off.
He looked away, just in case his eyes had changed, letting his glamour fade before it became a problem again.
But Nico had done him a favor. Now he knew how much of a liability his feelings for Cally could be. Next time, he’d be prepared.
No. Not a liability. Never that. Not her.
He met Nico’s contemptuous gaze, his voice cold with restrained fury. “You’ve given me no solemn commitment. Next time I find you in my territory, I’ll kill you.” Nico stiffened, but Antoine had already turned to Valeria. “I believe the Curia wishes to see us?”
There was interest in her eyes as she nodded. “We have a car waiting.”
He almost said he’d drive himself, but both of his cars were out of commission. So was Marcel’s. Something to remedy when he got back.
Antoine inclined his head toward her, then turned a glacial stare on Nico. “Get out.”
The other vampire curled his lip, flashing fangs, before spinning on his heel and striding toward the door.
Antoine turned back to Valeria and gestured with much more grace. “ After you.”
“So kind,” she laughed lightly, her hips swaying as she followed Nico outside.
Nico climbed into the front of the SUV that waited, leaving Valeria and Antoine to take seats in the back. That suited Antoine fine. He stared out of the window, deliberately ignoring the others. His mind was on the encounter ahead.
Was this more than a gathering? Was it something… personal? Yes, he’d killed Minh, but he’d done so within the new rules of the Curia—and in defense of his territory and marked chattel. He could hardly be blamed for that.
Yet they hadn’t sent an escort for the last summons, and Nico’s presence, in particular, did not bode well. Then again, Nico had been at the house last time, and perhaps he’d only been sent because it was convenient.
Antoine took a subtle breath, letting it out steadily. There was no point speculating when they’d be arriving soon enough.
When they pulled up outside of Roberto’s house, Antoine let himself out before a thrall could come to open his door. He didn’t wait for Nico or Valeria, striding into the house, the thralls opening the doors for him.
The living area was quiet, only Lena and Anastasia sitting in one corner. They both looked up as he entered, and Valeria walked past him to join them.
Nico stopped at his side. “They want you in the basement. This way.”
Antoine kept his expression impassive at the news, but it confirmed that this wasn’t a general gathering, but one reserved for his august presence. He wondered who else might be there, and hoped it wasn’t just Roberto and Nico. That could be… awkward.
Nico led him to a set of steps that descended beneath the house. The walls became stone, with a few dim lights illuminating the way, perhaps for the benefit of thralls. At the bottom, a large set of double doors waited.
“After you,” Nico said, his lip curling in a sneer.
Antoine didn’t bother looking at him, simply opening the doors and walking in.
At first, the room appeared mostly empty, taking up a large portion of the house’s lower level.
The low ceiling and stone walls made it feel more like a crypt than a meeting room.
At one end, five chairs were arranged on a raised platform, and several of them were occupied by Curia members—Leonard in the center, flanked by Roberto and Raphael.
Jorge sat with them, and Belle took the last seat, looking rather bored .
Behind him, Nico entered, pulling the door closed.
Antoine walked to the center of the room, stopping far enough back to easily see the Curia. He looked at Leonard, deliberately ignoring the other members.
“Good evening, my lord.”
“Let’s get on with it,” Roberto growled, his corpulent bulk threatening to spill over the sides of his chair.
“I assume you know why you’re here?” Leonard asked.
“No, my lord,” Antoine replied smoothly. “I must admit, you have my curiosity piqued.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Belle’s lips twitched in amusement. Roberto huffed, leaned back in his chair, and glared.
“This is hardly the time to play games, Antoine,” Leonard said. “Patience wears thin as it is.”
“No games intended, my lord. One assumes it has something to do with the events earlier this night. However, the reason for the summons escapes me. As far as I am aware, I have done nothing to warrant such a gathering.”
“Did you kill Matteo?” Roberto growled.
“I did. He attacked my territory.”
“And Minh?”
“Yes,” Antoine said firmly. “I felt it was fully justified after he attacked Gabriel and me with spawns.”
Leonard leaned back in his chair. Raphael and Jorge stiffened, and even Belle twitched in her seat.
“A spawn?” Roberto said. “You expect us to believe that a spawn of Minh’s was justification for breaking into his club and killing him?”
“Not ‘spawn,’ my lord,” Antoine replied. “Spawns. Minh had an army of them. They attacked Gabriel’s tower and—”
“Bullshit.” Roberto stared at him, eyes narrowed in contempt. “You’re suggesting that Minh persuaded ‘an army’ of spawns to his cause?”
“Not quite, my lord,” Antoine replied, his tone even. “First, I’m not suggesting anything, I’m merely stating the facts. Second, the spawns in question were near-feral, and were controlled by Minh.” He paused. “Given he was of your bloodline, I would think that shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
“How dare you!” Roberto leaned forward, his red eyes flashing with rage. “You presume to suggest—”
“I’m sure Antoine was not implying you have ever created an army of spawns,” Leonard interrupted, his mouth quirking in amusement. “But I must agree with Roberto on this point, Antoine—you cannot simply imply Curia members have broken the Code.”
Antoine carefully avoided looking at Belle, but from his periphery, he saw that she wasn’t even watching him. To all appearances, she was disinterested, bored by the conversation.
“My apologies, my lords,” Antoine said, not making any attempt to sound apologetic. “Nevertheless, the facts, as I have presented them, remain true.”
Raphael cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair. “I am still unclear as to why we bother with this charade. So what if that upstart is dead? The goal was to consolidate, was it not?”
“It would seem the upstart in question was Roberto’s spawn,” Jorge added, amusement creeping into his voice.
Raphael waved a dismissive hand. “Make another.”
Leonard cocked his head, ready to speak, but just then, the door behind Antoine opened.
Leonard paused as Antoine turned, unsurprised to see Gabe enter.
Tobias, another of Minh’s allies, was with him and took up position against the wall beside Nico.
Gabe walked forward to stand near Antoine, though leaving a diplomatic distance between them.
“A pleasant gathering we have here,” Gabe drawled. “My lords.” He gave Belle a roguish smile. “Fair lady.”
Belle inclined her head.