A Christmas Peril (4 page)

A vampire in a long tailcoat and a
pink rose boutonniere shoved his way to the front of the crowd. He
waved a sheaf of papers at Hedda. “This female human is not on the
guest list, nor is her companion!”

The agitated vampires crowded even
closer. I swallowed, realizing how terrible this must have looked.
Although Isaiah and I had followed Hedda’s orders to kill the
monstrous rogue vampires threatening the Widderstrom grieve, the
crowd before me didn’t look interested in details. To them, I was a
known vampire killer who had crashed their party and was attacking
the guests.

“
We
were
invited,” I said. I struggled
to stay calm, but even my discipline as an actress couldn’t keep
the tremor out of my voice. “I can prove it.” Then I realized that
I couldn’t. The invitation was with Isaiah who was probably still
chasing the woman who’d defaced his Jag.

“
I can explain,” I said,
desperate to ease Hedda’s doubts. One word from her, and
I’d
be the buffet table.
“Isaiah will back me up, but right now he’s chasing down one
of
your
humans
who vandalized his car.” The vamps stood perfectly still. I
couldn’t tell if this was a good sign or not. “She’s the one in the
metal stiletto heels, and she’s been harassing me since I got
here.”

To my relief, more than one vampire
nodded in recognition. Maybe I could get out alive after all. If
Isaiah would just show up with the vandal and the invitation, I’d
be fine.

I nearly sobbed in relief when the
vampire guards opened the door. But when I saw the newcomer, I
sobbed for an entirely different reason. It wasn’t Isaiah; it was
Cornelius, the vampire who’d gotten the wrong end of my holy water
spray.

He was led in by two other vamps
because his eyes were nothing but blackened pits leaking red tears.
My jaw dropped. I’d blinded him! I knew holy water was a powerful
weapon, but vampires regenerated quite well. I’d never suspected
that a light mist could cause such injury. What if the damage was
permanent?

The crowd parted as he stumbled his
way to the front. Hedda looked on in horror.
“Cornelius!”

“
I told you!” Edith
crowed. She raised her voice even louder. “Now the question is,
Hedda, what are you going to do about this
human
?”

My spirits sank even lower. Hedda was
in a terrible position: coming to my defense would make her look
weak in the eyes of her grieve. But punishing me would break her
own rule: that no one was to hurt me.

I held my breath as Hedda’s eyes
traveled from Cornelius’s empty eye sockets, to me, and finally to
the members of her grieve. My body shook with the need to run away,
and an unbidden tear traced a line down my cheek.

“
Cornelius, is all of this
true?” Hedda nearly whispered her question.

Tell
her
, I silently begged the blind
vampire.
Please make her
understand!

Cornelius, however, gave a resigned
nod. “Yes, it’s true.”

A sudden pounding made
everyone turn towards the barred doors. Vampires were never afraid,
but the outraged voice from the hallway did make a few of them fall
back a step. “I said, LET ME IN
NOW
!!”

One more pound and Isaiah burst into
the room. He, too, was generally not afraid, but the shock of all
the red-eyed stares made his own eyes widen until the whites stood
out. “What’s going on here?” When he spotted me on the dais, he
plowed his way to the front of the crowd, throwing his shoulder
against anyone who got in his way. In a moment, his large hands
were holding my small ones.

“
They say she attacked
Cornelius,” Hedda said, nodding towards the injured vampire. Her
second in command must have been hurting because when someone
brought him a chair, he immediately sank onto it. If rule number
one for vampires was to never show emotion, then number two was to
never show weakness. Especially not in front of humans. The
blistered, black craters of his eyes turned in my direction. I
tightened my hold on Isaiah’s hand.

“
She’d never do something
like that!” Isaiah growled.

Tears stung my eyes. He
had so much faith in me, but I’d lied about being weaponless. “I
did hurt him – ” at this, Isaiah’s eyes grew even wider “ –
but
accidentally
!” I jabbed my finger at Edith. “She was going to feed from
me!”

Edith smiled silkily and
smoothed her hair. “After Cassandra saw the gifts that the other
humans were receiving tonight, she offered herself to me.” She
lifted an eyebrow. “Anyone can tell by looking at her that she is
desperately poor. Where
did
you get that dress, my dear? Salvation Army or
Goodwill?” Several vampires tittered.

My face burned. The bitch! “I never –
”

She cut me off.
“You
did.
Don’t
deny it now. And when I turned you down, you attempted to attack
me. Only instead of harming me, you blinded Cornelius.” The grieve
growled in response.

A glance at Isaiah told me that he
wasn’t buying a word of it, but Hedda frowned thoughtfully and put
a finger to her pursed lips.

“
Hedda invited known
vampire killers to this party, and this is the result!” Edith
cried. Several in the audience murmured in agreement, and I
realized it wasn’t just Isaiah and me who were under
suspicion.

“
Don’t you see? She’s
plotting a revolt!” I cried. “She wanted to use me as a bribe to
persuade Cornelius to take over the grieve.” Several hisses cut
through the air. “He refused, and that’s when she went for
me.”

“
Liar! I’ve served Hedda
as well as any of her host.”

It was my word against hers, but if I
knew vampires, none of them would listen to me. Both Hedda and
Cornelius remained maddeningly silent.

“
You’ve got to believe
me,” I begged.

Isaiah face remained calm, but his
hands were shaking. “Let’s get out of here,” he muttered. The
moment we tried to step off the dais, however, vampires blocked our
way.

“
Justice must be done!”
Edith shrieked. “Hedda, Cornelius’s mutilation cannot go
unpunished.”

To my horror, Hedda nodded. Her eyes
weren’t red, but they were as flat as the backside of a mirror.
“Cassie, I had considered you a friend of the grieve.”

“
So did I,” I shot back,
“but if this is how you treat your friends, forget it!” I’d been
right before. Vampires never thought of humans as anything other
than milch cows. There could be no friendship between us. I shifted
my glare to Isaiah. He’d been foolish to ever trust
them.

Hedda didn’t blink. “I won’t allow
this injustice to stand. Something must be done to put it right.
What do you recommend, Cassandra?”

I swallowed. Did she really expect me
to choose my own fate? I wiped my sweating forehead, wishing I’d
never agreed to go to the damn party. I should have listened to
Andrew! My knees had begun to tremble so hard that I was in danger
of toppling. I offered Hedda a final, silent plea to save me. To my
surprise, her flat stare changed. In the space of a second, her
eyes softened and she gave the slightest of nods. She knew of a way
out! If I was clever, I could save us both.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling
clever.

To stall for time, I once again stated
my case, doing my best to ignore the vampires who crept closer and
closer. Isaiah, watched the crowd, too. His muscles were tensed,
ready to spring. The only person impervious to the drama was
Cornelius. I regretted that he’d gotten my holy water in his eyes.
He’d been trying to defend me! In fact, he’d been trying to defend
Hedda as well. He was a good vampire. Well, as good as they got.
His fate was too cruel. I wished there was something I could do to
help him.

The answer struck like a lightning
bolt. I could do something! It wouldn’t be easy, but it would save
us.

I stood taller. “I will give my shine
to Cornelius in order to help him heal.”

“
Cassie, no!” Isaiah
protested.

“
It’s the only way.” When
Hedda’s lips twitched upwards, I knew I’d guessed her
idea.

Isaiah, however, wasn’t in on the
plan. Still holding onto me, he jumped from the dais, determined to
help me escape. When a young, burly vampire blocked his way, Isaiah
landed a punch in the vamp’s face. Blood gushed, dousing my dress.
Several other vampires leaped onto my hero’s back, and Isaiah shook
them off with a roar. He caught another with a blow to the jaw, and
a third in the nose. There was a grisly crunch followed by a spray
of blood across my face. I kicked off my shoes, ready to lend a
hand, but it was pointless. Isaiah’s efforts were heroic, but there
were simply too many vamps. Within moments, he was pinned, and I
was back on the dais.

“
Bring Cornelius forward,”
Hedda demanded.

My stomach churned even as I tried to
psych myself up. I’d lost my soul to vampires before, and had
managed to get it back. I could do so again. Plus, I did owe
Cornelius for what had happened to him. A pair of eyes for a soul.
It was only fair. Still, I trembled as Cornelius was led,
stumbling, onto the dais.

“
I’m so sorry,” I
whispered to him. “I never meant to hurt you.”

He didn’t reply. Closing my eyes, I
swallowed and tilted my head back, ready for the feeling of fangs
at my neck. His hand caressed my skin, and I shuddered. Make it
quick, I begged him mentally. And please, don’t let it
hurt.

One heartbeat passed. Then another.
And a third.

I opened one eye, and when the crowd
gasped, both eyes popped open. Cornelius was mending himself. A
milky-white caul grew over the blackened crust of his skin. Then,
in the space of seconds, the caul withered and fell off, revealing
a pair of perfect, brown eyes. There were no scars. No marks at
all.

Cornelius’s eyes crinkled at the edges
as he smiled at me. Then he faced the crowd. “Did you really think
I was so weak?”

“
Unhand him,” Hedda
commanded the vampires restraining Isaiah. Reluctantly, they did.
Isaiah sprang onto the stage and gathered me in his arms. “You
okay?”

I nodded and buried my head against
his chest. I’d come so close to losing everything I’d worked so
hard to reclaim. When a backwards anxiety attack made me shudder,
Isaiah held me tighter.

“
I
invited the vampire slayers,” Cornelius said. “I knew there
was a malcontent in the grieve, spreading rumors and stirring up
trouble for our leader.” His eyes zeroed in on Edith. “Now, I know
who it is.”

The vampires who had been restraining
Isaiah darted over to Edith and grabbed her. She shrieked and
fought, but they held her tightly.

“
You can see for
yourselves that Cassandra Jaber is a friend to the grieve. Only a
friend would have offered her most precious possession to save me.”
Cornelius smiled at me again. “Well done, Cassie.”

My heart had slowed back into the
normal range, but my mouth was still too dry to speak. I nodded
dumbly.

“
Now, if there is anyone
here who doubts Hedda’s decision to befriend the vampire hunters,
make yourself known.”

Immediately, every knee bent in
submission to Hedda. Even those who had been reluctant before
dropped to the ground.

“
Never!” Edith said,
lifting her head. Cornelius raised his arm, and the vamp nearest
Edith went for her throat like a guard dog. I pressed my face into
Isaiah’s chest, hiding from the savagery. When I dared to look
again, Edith’s body slumped on the ground, and the vampire who’d
attacked her was wiping blood from his lips with a spotless
handkerchief.

“
I am head of this
grieve,” Hedda said. Despite all the drama, she remained calm and
stately. “My decisions are law.”

“
My liege,” the vampires
replied in unison, bowing their heads. When Hedda raised her hand,
the vampires stood. “Let the party recommence,” she
said.

Immediately, Edith’s body was dragged
off, and the blood partners were readmitted into the ballroom. By
the time I reached the door, the band had started to play and
people were dancing.

Once again, Hedda prevented Isaiah and
me from escaping the party by ushering us back into the small
library. Cornelius joined us.

Hedda’s eyes blazed as she turned on
her second in command. “If I’d known what you were up to, I never
would have allowed it.”

“
Which is why I never let
you know,” he returned coolly.

“
Cassie and Isaiah could
have been terribly hurt.”

Or killed, I added
mentally.

“
They
would
have been hurt if I hadn’t
interfered,” Cornelius said. “I knew there was an insurgency within
the grieve, and I had to ferret it out.”

“
I know my grieve,” Hedda
snapped. “Most are loyal to me.”

“
Exactly, my dear.
Most
of them are. Don’t
let your pride blind you to what’s really going on.”