"It"s Jeruvian," he said, urging her to take a sip. "A special favor from my superior. Hard to pull a party like this together on short notice." He nodded approvingly as she swallowed. "So, enjoying your notoriety?"
Maybe it was the bubbles tickling her nose that made her laugh; she should have been too nervous. "I had some notoriety already," she admitted. "Just not among this lot."
The junior amba.s.sador, or whatever he was, smiled at her wit. Because he seemed at home in this milieu, she decided to ask him her question. "Mr. Amba.s.sadora""
"Rinaldo," he insisted, though it probably was not proper.
"Rinaldo, why are almost all the Yamish women wearing red gloves?"
"Ah, that." The faintest blush belied his worldly pose. "Means they"re available for, well, anything."
"Anything? Evena" She hesitated, but she needed to know. "Even drinking etheric-force?"
"They won"t take it without a willing partner, but, yes, that"s precisely what most of them are interested in. The diplomatic circuit tends to draw a fast crowd. The more forbidden the pleasure, the more it attracts their type. Conservatives stay at home. They wouldn"t touch a human if you paid them." He peered at her through his round-lensed spectacles. "I hope you don"t mind my being frank."
Roxie"s hand was at her throat. Inexplicably, her concerns for her and Adrian"s safety while in this throng were joined by a bit of fear for the Yama themselves. When a society"s elite became more interested in self-indulgence than government, could that be a good sign? Worse, did the fact that she cared mean she wasn"t thinking of herself as wholly human anymore?
With an effort, she shook off the strange worry. "I don"t mind you being frank at all. In fact, I thank you for answering honestly. I had no idea my father was being so considerate when he sent me these."
She turned her cream-gloved hands back and forth. Smiling gently, Rinaldo offered his arm. "Why don"t you let me introduce you around, since you know you"re not sending the wrong message."
He was as careful of her comfort as if his governmenta"or her fathera"had ordered him to the task. The more she thought about it, the likelier that option seemed. If her father wished his superiors to believe he found her existence distasteful, delegating such ch.o.r.es would be appropriate. Happily, Rinaldo was a fine stand-in, steering her toward those individuals who would behave themselves in her somewhat scandalous presence. Without taking a single insult, she met a number of human diplomats, one grand duke from a tiny Silver Island, two Ohramese earlsa"both of whom had bought her paintingsa"and even a few lady daimyo whose exquisite manners put her on her mettle to be as polite.
"You"re a quick study," Rinaldo praised her jovially. "Perhaps the Queen should put you on staff."
Before she could respond, her escort caught sight of someone behind her shoulder who made him purse his lips ruefully.
"Brace yourself," he warned in an undertone. "I"m afraid I can"t wiggle you out of meeting this fellow."
Not surprisingly, this fellow turned out to be Narikerr"s prince.
Their guest of honor was an exceedingly elegant and languid young man, gliding through the crush as if his pointed slippers didn"t touch the ground. As beautiful as any of the women, with straight, hip-length black hair and slightly tilted eyes, he wore traditional silver-on-white Yamish robes. The garment"s shoulders were unnaturally broad, their pale embroidery designed to resemble a long-tailed phoenix rising from a fire. His skin very nearly matched the white of the cloth. Strikingly, the only color on his person was the belt that wrapped his narrow waist, a ta.s.seled silk so deeply red it put Roxie in mind of a slash of blood. A single faceted diamond, as large as a pigeon"s egg, hung from his neck.
Even without such dramatic garb, he was worthy of a stare. Roxie was obliged to remind herself to shut her mouth.
The junior amba.s.sador bowed low as the prince approached. "Your highness," he said in a deeply deferential tone. "Might I have the honor of introducing Miss Roxanne McAllister?"
"You might," said the prince with a nearly invisible Yamish smile. When he turned his lazy silver gaze to her, she saw his brows were slanted like his eyes, giving him a fainta"and possibly misleadinga"expression of surprise. Taking his time, he perused her up and down. When he finished, she had a feeling her every measurement had been committed to memory. She was grateful she"d been cautioned not to betray offense.
"Your highness," she said with a small curtsey.
Perhaps he had expected a deeper obeisance. When she rose, his glimmer of a smile was gone.
"You favor your father"s family," was all he said.
Though his voice held no inflection, she sensed this was not a compliment. "Many children do, your highness."
He blinked at her temperate response. Perhaps he thought she ought to wish she were prettier. Genuinely unmoved by the implication, she noticed his pupils were large and black, as if he were under the influence of a stronger substance than champagne. She must have said something wrong in a way she didn"t understand, because Rinaldo"s formerly gentle fingers were digging into her arm.
"Yes," mused the prince. "Many children do take after their parents." Suddenly, he smiled, a dazzling exposure of snow-white teeth. "I wonder that your father didn"t mention your resemblance to Louise. What a gift from heaven you must have seemed, as if his darling sister had returned from the grave."
"I regret I cannot satisfy your curiosity on that score," Roxanne said, hoping she sounded suitably respectful. "Lord Herrington keeps his feelings to himself."
Again the prince gave a single blink. His smile had disappeared as quickly as it came. "Of course he does. He"s a deep one, your father."
As this seemed to have no answer, Roxie inclined her head. She was beginning to feel very uncomfortable, in a way she hadn"t with the other Yama she"d met. Peculiar p.r.i.c.kles were crawling down her spine, and she wondered if there might be something odd about the prince"s energy, something only a half-breed like her could sense. No one else was looking askance at the prince, and if her father had noticed the effect, surely he would have said.
"My, it"s stuffy in here," the prince commented in his languid way. "Why don"t you and I stroll toward the orangerie for some air?"
Rinaldo uttered a soft protest, but the prince flicked his fingers to shoo him away. "No need to tag along," he said. "Miss McAllister and I shall enjoy getting acquainted."
When they reached the cooler air of the conservatory, the prince seemed unable to look away from her eyes. Dwarf orange trees blossomed all around them, smelling as sweet as spring, but her companion spared them not a glance.
"So strange," he murmured, his hand lifting slightly without coming close enough to touch. "Seeing those human eyes in a Yamish face. I wonder whether the world looks different from behind them."
"I couldn"t say, your highness, not being able to see the world through yours."
The prince"s almost-smile appeared again, curling just the corners of his mouth. "You are cleverer than I expected. I suppose you get that from your father."
Roxanne offered a tiny shrug. "People say my mother knew how to land on her feet."
"Like a cat," said the prince.
Though his amus.e.m.e.nt remained in place, Roxie was unable to restrain a small shudder. She couldn"t help thinking she might have caught the response from him, that her reminder of her human mother had repelled him. If it had, his outer manner didn"t show it. Looking beyond her, he pressed two fingers to his lips.
"Oh, look," he said. "I believe one of my cats has caught a mouse."
Roxie looked. In the arch that separated the crowded ballroom from the conservatory, she saw one red-gloved female daimyo leaning close to Adrian. She was the tallest Yama Roxie had seen yet, so slender she seemed spindly. She was beautifula"as they all werea"but with looks like that, her nonhuman nature shone undisguised. Though Adrian appeared to be holding her off adequately, he must have been unnerved by the way her glove-clad fingers caressed the whorl of energy above his heart. The daimyo looked as if she longed to drink him down then and there.
What disturbed Roxanne more was the man in black who was even then slipping furtively behind the pair, a figure whose appearance caused Adrian to tense like a hunting dog. The figure seemed more startled to see the prince. As he pa.s.sed, his eyes went as round as silver coins. If he"d been human, they would have been showing whites.
"Oh, dear," said the prince. "I"m certain I didn"t request that he be added to the guest list."
Roxanne didn"t stop to ask what he meant.
"Excuse me," she said, forgetting in her dismay to add your highness. "I believe I must go rescue my friend from yours."
Chapter 27.
To keep a friend close is pleasant. To keep an enemy close is wise.
a"The Collected Sayings of the Emperor "Was that him?" Roxie demanded, taking Adrian"s arm and forcing the hovering lady daimyo to step back. She lowered her voice until she was only moving her lips. "Was that The Dragon?"
"Yes," he said, then strained to watch the black-clad figure wend toward the door. "That exit leads to the servants" quarters. I should go after him."
"I"m coming with you."
"No," Adrian refused. "I"ll take care of it."
She was about to tell him he was crazy when the prince joined her in the arch. The smile she was beginning to hate was painted on his lips.
"You two look worried," he said. "Might I be of a.s.sistance?"
Adrian glanced at her, but she gave her head a tiny shake. In no fashion were they going to trust this Yama. Whether his involvement with The Dragon was real or merely speculative, she had no desire to have him know what was going on.
"Go," she said reluctantly, knowing every second they delayed gave their enemy a better chance of accomplishing whatever he"d come for. "See if you can find my father to help."
Adrian didn"t bother to ask if she"d be fine. He knew he had to move quickly to be sure of Max"s safety. Giving the prince a single doubtful look, he pressed through the party-goers toward his quarry.
"How nice," said the prince, forcing her to turn back to him. "Now you have more time for me."
"Forgive me, your highness," she said, adding a curtsey for good measure. She looked around for possible distractions, but the woman who"d been trying to work her wiles on Adrian seemed to have melted into the crowd. "I"m sure I shouldn"t be monopolizing your company, certainly not at such a splendid gathering."
"Nonsense," said the prince. "I see this lot all the time." He gazed at her with an odd approximation of paternal care, as if he"d been practicing human expressions in front of a mirror and hadn"t quite got them right. She knew Yama lived longer than humans, but if he was trying to treat her like a daughter, she had to wonder what age he was. He didn"t look a day older than her. Now he spoke again. "I couldn"t help overhearing you mention wanting to find your father. I believe I saw him go upstairs a short while ago."
"Thank you!" she said, forgetting herself enough to touch his shoulder. "I"ll run up and get him now."
"If you wouldn"t mind taking me with youa" the prince requested before she could slip away. "I"m feeling a trifle overwhelmed by the heat."
For G.o.d"s sake, Roxie thought impatiently, but he did look pastya"even for a Yama. His brow was slightly blueish, and his pupils glittered in his silver eyes, larger than the last time she"d noticed them. Perhaps he was having a bad reaction to whatever substance he"d imbibed. She wished she could ignore him or pa.s.s him off to someone else, but for all she knew her refusal would cause an international crisis. It wasn"t as if she knew what sort of deference was due a prince.
"I"d be happy to escort you to a quiet room," she said as amiably as she could. "Perhaps you"d like a moment to lie down."
"You are graciousness itself," the prince praised weakly, taking the arm she hadn"t thought to offer.
His grip was heavier than she expected. She doubted she"d be able to shake him off even if she threw caution to the winds and tried. As they climbed the grand stairway to the second floor, much too slowly for her peace of mind, she attempted to resign herself to having him along. Maybe it was just as well she knew what one of their possible suspects was up to.
"I"ll stop in his study first," she said, because that door came after the landing. She received no answer when she knocked, but when she tried the k.n.o.b it was unlocked. From her previous visit, she knew the room was big enough that her father might not have heard. To her dismay, though she"d meant for the prince to wait in the corridor, he followed her inside.
Well, fine, she thought. Completely uncaring of how it looked, she hiked up her skirts to wade through the stacks of books and papers that formed a maze on the carpet.
An electric light with a deep-blue gla.s.s shade burned on her father"s desk. Other than this, the room showed no signs of occupation.
"h.e.l.lo," she called, hoping against hope that she"d missed some concealing nook. Didn"t wealthy people love putting secret pa.s.sages in their mansions? Couldn"t Herrington be hiding away to escape his guests? "Father?"
It wasn"t a sound mat made her turn, but an awareness that the atmosphere in the study had suddenly grown thicker than it ought to be. Her ears felt as if they"d been stuffed with cotton.
She found the prince affixing a palm-sized silver disk to the heavy wooden door. Whatever the device was, she knew it was the source of the change in the atmosphere. The air directly around it shimmered like summer heat. Her heart began to hammer in her throat.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
The prince spun back to her, his black hair fanning out from his hips. "I"m guaranteeing our privacy." He indicated the thing on the door with a graceful hand. "This mechanism blocks both sound and pressure. No one will be able to hear us, and not even a Yama will have the strength to break ina"perhaps not even a group of Yama."
Knowledge dropped into Roxie"s mind like a pebble hitting the bottom of a well. She leaned back against the front of her father"s desk and gripped its marble edge. Though the prince remained by the door, the distance to where he stood seemed far too small. His smile was gone, as if it had never been. He watched her with the unemotional interest of a naturalist studying a bug.
"You planned this," she said, fear roughening the words. "You wanted us to catch sight of The Dragon so Adrian would be drawn off."
"And your father as well, apparently. My friend, Vyineyri, must have caught up with him after all."
"Your friend?" Roxie said, because she couldn"t have repeated his p.r.o.nunciation. Maybe it was a good thing the Yama took human names.
The prince stroked the corners of his mouth as if to smooth away any possible return of his smile. "The tall woman with the long red gloves. I needed help to ensure that all the pieces of my game fell into their proper place."
"But why?"
"Because Raymond"a"he said the name with an edge of mockerya""has become dispensable. Constantly importuning me to raise him up from the rohna"as if he were the only low-born doctor willing to work for gold. True, there aren"t many as brilliant as he is, but I think I"ll be content with his replacement."
"The Dragon is a rohn?"
As he came closer, the prince swept a stack of books aside with his foot, a gratuitous bit of destructiveness. "Oh, yes," he said. "I don"t think you realized how lucky you were when you didn"t know who your father was. Such trouble parents cause their childrena"either dragging them down or setting a standard the world refuses to believe they can match. If I had one of your human pennies for every time I"ve been called a pale shadow of my sire, I"d be twice as rich as I am."
His grin was not a human gesture, more like a baring of fangs. Roxie began to edge toward the other side of the desk, wanting to put it between them. With a flash of unnatural speed, the prince blocked her way, a stream of toppled books and papers settling in his wake. The maneuver was so swift, it stole her breath. While she was still too stunned to move, he took hold of her throat in a cross between a threat and a caress.
"I showed them," he said. "Even as they whispered insults behind my back, I proved I was more cunning than anyone. Your own father, the great Red Fox, was fooled. He thought I couldn"t tell how much he treasured you from the start, how he"d do anything to keep you safe." The prince shook his head and clucked. "Blood ties can be the most seductive set of chains."
Roxie struggled not to show weakness by shrinking back, but the place where he gripped her neck was buzzing unpleasantly. "Are you trying to get back at my father by hurting me?"
"Nothing of the sort," demurred the prince. "That"s simply an agreeable side effect. No, what I want from you is exactly what my hopefully soon-to-be-departed employee did."
"To study me," Roxanne said.
The prince"s thumb followed the line of her throat to the first curve of her necklace. Roxie couldn"t tell whether he was more interested in stroking her skin or her father"s finely polished sapphires.
"What I want," he said, soft and intimate, "is to drink you down, drop by drop, without fear of being tainted by undiluted human energy. I want no risk of addiction. No nasty, uncontrolled emotions. Nothing but strength and pleasure and longer life. Through me, my dear, you will have the honor of serving the Yama"s greater good."
The prince"s touch made it hard to swallow. Her instincts screamed for her to fight him off, but she feared he"d do even worse if she tried and failed. "You were behind The Dragon"s experiments on children."
The prince shrugged one slanted eyebrow at her guess. "I funded them. Regrettably, they were unsuccessful but a worthy effort all the same."
"A worthy effort!"
"They were only human children. Plentiful as rats, and all bought fair and square with demon gold. If you want to be outraged, blame the parents who sold them to Raymond. Those children were lucky to have done then-small part to advance etheric sciencea"as you shall also do soon enough."
Roxie struggled to contain her rage. Succ.u.mbing to it wouldn"t help her escape. "You"re forgetting I can taint you exactly as those children did," she said, unable to resist bracing her hands against his chest, even if she wasn"t able to push him off. "Half-demon or not, I have emotions."
"Everyone has emotions," he said, condescension coloring his tone. "The question is, how strongly do they infuse your etheric-force, and how much of them cross over in a transfer. If your energy isn"t perfect for our purposes, we can always breed you until the mix is right. Perhaps a quarter-human would be better. Or an eighth. I"m a patient man, Miss McAllister, despite my reputation. I"m more than willing to try as many times as it takes. In fact"a"he rolled his pelvis tellingly against hers, trapping her between him and the deska""if more demon blood will improve your strain, I"d happily breed you myself."
The ridge that dug into her abdomen left no doubt as to what he meant. He wasn"t as hot as a human would have I been in that stage of arousal, but he was warm enough. His pupils were huge circles of black, as large now as her own irises. Finally, she understood that no drug had swelled them, but rather excitement at what he planned. He"d been antic.i.p.ating having her at his mercy all night.
As if he knew the moment she comprehended, he opened his mouth and let his tongue flick out, curling the dark, forked marking over his upper lip. "What"s the matter, Miss McAllister? Never seen a demon in rut?"
"I disgust you," she gasped, pushing futilely against his chest. For all his slightness, the prince"s strength was greater than hers. "I know you can hardly stand to look at me."