“No no no no no,” I said, shaking my head. This was too much. Having to face a coven—a freaking coven—was strange enough. But a potentially hostile group of vampires? I’d get eaten alive—literally. I began backing away.
Andre saw the mutiny in my eyes. “Oh no you don’t.” He reached out to grab me, but I was too quick. I bolted.
I ran back down the hallway we came through, amazed at how swift I had become. The gold leaf molding that decorated the hallway blurred.
Andre was not pursuing me, but then he didn’t have to. From my peripherals I saw a blur of movement, and I had less than a second to react before a huge body tackled me. The air in my lungs whooshed out as I landed hard on the ground. But as quickly as I was knocked down, I was dragged up again.
I looked up at my attacker’s face, and all I saw was fang.
I let out a surprised scream.
“Thought you’d get away, eh?” the man asked in a thick Scottish accent. He held my upper arm and walked us back down the hallway. I struggled against him for a bit, but my new powers had no special effect on him. Defeated, I allowed him to lead me back. Andre waited by the double doors, arms crossed.
“I’m guessing this wee one is our guest of honor,” my attacker said.
“She is.” Andre inclined his head. “Thank you Theodore.”
Roughly, Theodore let me go, and I stumbled forward. Andre caught me and turned me around.
“Gabrielle, meet Theodore, my second-in-command.”
I eyed the man who tackled me; I disliked him immediately. “You owe me an apology.”
He looked amused.
“No,” Andre said, “he doesn’t. You ran away like a fugitive and Theodore caught you. Now stop wasting time.”
I gave Andre my best stink eye. “God you are rude. No wonder you go through women. One hour with you, and they are probably begging to leave.”
Theodore laughed. “Oh, I really like her.”
Andre frowned, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted as the double doors in front of us opened.
“Ready?” he asked, reaching for my hand.
I ignored the gesture and walked through the doors.
***
“I have gathered you all together for a very strange and important meeting—” Andre spoke to the beautiful, undead crowd.
My hands were clasped tightly together, my knuckles white.
“—to meet our newest member.”
The crowd collectively gasped, and I saw a few vampires literally hiss in response.
Someone spoke up. “But it is forbidden to create a vampire!”
Another voice joined the first. “Who did this to her? Have they been punished?”
“She smells human!”
Suddenly the room was full of angry voices.
“Quiet!” Andre’s voice rang out above the others.
The crowd fell silent and he continued. “Her name is Gabrielle Fiori.”
This started another round of excited chatter.
Andre put a hand up. “Yes,” he continued, “the same Gabrielle who was thought to have died in the fire that killed our dear friend and comrade.”
My eyebrows rose. He knew about the fire? I thought his statement had shocked me, until he spoke again.
“Gabrielle died two nights ago during her Awakening and was reborn this way. You see, no one changed Gabrielle. She is the first and only vampire ever to be born. She is the biological daughter of our late friend, the vampire formally known as Santiago Fiori.”
***
Santiago Fiori. My father. How had I ever forgotten? His name kept running through my mind; I wanted to burn it into my memory so I’d never lose it again.
“See, that wasn’t so bad,” Andre said as he walked me back to his car.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, such a friendly reception. I especially liked the comment about how tasty I smelled.”
I was trying for sarcastic but fell short, still distracted by all this new information. I wanted to ask Andre more about my father, but he had already proven himself to be the manipulative type. I would have to find the answers I sought some other way.
Andre casually reached out and took my hand, and I brusquely pulled my hand away. I knew it was rude, so sue me. I held grudges, and Andre had a whole bag full of them.
Andre was unfazed. Tenacious vampire.
“You know that being part of the coven means you will always have our protection. My protection,” he said. “You will also always have a home here. We look out for our own. Don’t think that because the others were taken aback by you tonight that they don’t like you.”
I didn’t respond to his statement, but it reminded me that no one had mentioned anything about a siren or soulmate clan.
We got in the car and Andre pulled away from the mansion.
“Hey Andre?” I said. He glanced over at me. “Do sirens and soulmates have a clan gatherings?”
He slammed on the brakes. I grabbed the holy shit handle as my body was thrown forward.
“Geez! What was that for?” I asked.
“What did you say?” Andre’s voice was lethally quiet, and the hair on my forearms rose in response.
“I wanted to know if sirens and soulmates had clan gatherings.”
“Why?” His voice was hostile.
I gave him a look. “Why do you think? I happen to be both.”