Marc was still standing in the outer office, his eyes on Christian. He’d have heard the whole conversation, and was waiting to see what he should do. Christian gestured him inside, and the two of them sat together, taking chairs around the small conference table. The furniture was obviously new. Probably replacements for whatever Anthony had destroyed during his tirade. Glancing around, Christian noticed there were a few blank spaces on the wall, but if you didn’t know better, you’d believe the place had always looked this way, never guessing that it had been a wreck only two days earlier.
Anthony walked around and sat behind his desk, giving everyone else a sour look, as if they were intruding on his time, and he hadn’t been the one to call the damn meeting.
“So, we’re all here. I’d like to know why.” That same pale-haired vamp pushed his chair back from the table, and shifted his unfriendly look in Anthony’s direction. Christian found it rather refreshing.
Anthony glared at the vampire’s disrespectful tone. “I already told you, Weiss. I’ve received intel on the Hubert situation. I’m doing this as a courtesy, so shut the fuck up and listen.”
So this was Marcel Weiss, Christian thought. The challenger from the Midwest. He was one of Klemens’s people who’d fled Chicago after Aden took over. On the surface, he didn’t seem powerful enough to rule the South, but then, on the surface, neither did Christian. They were both hiding their true strength, knowing that they could end up facing any one of the others in this room during the challenge. And a smart vampire learned to shield what he brought to a fight.
Weiss’s only reply was to snarl in Anthony’s direction, after which he leaned back in his chair and feigned boredom.
“All right, then,” Anthony grated. “Scoville,” he said, addressing the only vampire in the room who was one of his own children. The only one of his own left in the challenge, now that Noriega was gone. “Why don’t you set out what we’ve learned, and then I’ll answer any questions.”
“Yes, my lord,” Scoville agreed meekly. The subservient response wasn’t completely unexpected. Anthony was Scoville’s Sire, and that sort of obedience was hardwired into a vampire’s brain. But it spoke to Anthony’s insecurities that he demanded such meekness from his people. So different from the relationship Christian enjoyed with Marc.
“For obvious reasons, Lord Anthony has spies throughout Mexico,” Scoville stated. “Most of them have been in place since long before Vincent took over. But with this new European invasion, their reports have taken on an even greater urgency. Vincent is intent on uncovering any of Enrique’s European allies who might still be lurking in Mexico, but he doesn’t have the luxury of focusing all of his attention in that direction. Some of Enrique’s hold-outs still question Vincent’s newly won rule of the territory, and he has to put down those challenges, as well.
“We, on the other hand, can’t afford to ignore what the Europeans might be doing, and Lord Anthony’s network within Mexico has proven invaluable.”
Christian couldn’t believe the amount of blatant flattery in Scoville’s recitation. Did Anthony require that much ego stroking all the time? Or was this performance aimed only at this particular audience.
“In particular,” Scoville continued, “we have a spy placed very close to Hubert, and he tells us that Hubert will attack sooner rather than later. Hubert thinks to take advantage of Vincent’s distraction, as well as the pervasive confusion on the continent about what really happened in Hawaii with Lord Raphael.”
“Raphael should share the details of what happened. After all, he defeated his enemies. There’s no reason—” Weiss started to say, but Anthony interrupted.
“Give it up, Weiss. That’s never going to happen. Raphael makes up his own mind, and to hell with the rest of us.”
Christian exchanged a glance with Marc at Anthony’s vitriolic tone. He didn’t think the assessment of Raphael was quite fair. But he found it intriguing that the more time he spent in Anthony’s company, the more he realized how much the Southern lord disliked Raphael. Maybe even more than disliked. Had their relationship always been this way? He wasn’t alone in assuming that Raphael and Anthony were, if not friends, then at least friendly with one another. Why else would Raphael have supported Anthony’s rule over the South?
It was beginning to look as though Raphael had chosen Anthony not because he respected him, but because he didn’t. He’d wanted someone he could control on his Southwestern border, and Anthony was weak enough to fit the bill. Christian didn’t like Anthony, but he had to admit that the vampire lord’s resentment of Raphael was beginning to make sense.
The vampire sitting at Christian’s left blew out an impatient breath. “I’d like to know why Hubert’s moving on the South at all,” he said, in heavily accented English. “Why not take advantage of the mess Vincent created in Mexico when he killed Enrique, and seize that territory instead?”
This had to be Stefano Barranza. Marc’s info put him as a close associate of the now-dead Enrique, so it made sense that he’d be unhappy with Vincent’s rule. It was just stupid, however, for him to pretend Vincent wasn’t powerful enough to defend his territory, or that Enrique hadn’t deserved to die. In Christian’s view, Vincent had done the world, and vampires in particular, a huge favor by taking the corrupt lord out.
“Hubert is targeting what he sees as the most vulnerable territory,” Christian said quietly. “Mathilde was supposed to have eliminated Raphael, which would have weakened Anthony.”
Anthony bristled at this dismissal of his power, but he didn’t dispute Christian’s reasoning. And Christian didn’t give a fuck about insulting Anthony, so he continued. “As for Vincent, he was Enrique’s lieutenant for more than a century—a position he won by virtue of his superior strength. And let’s not forget that Vincent won the territory by defeating Enrique in an open challenge. He’s a much tougher opponent, and Hubert likes to win.”
“Well I for one would like to see an independent South,” Weiss snapped predictably. “Raphael has far too much power already.” Coming from a vampire on the run from Aden, this wasn’t surprising. After all, Aden was a staunch Raphael ally.
What amazed Christian was that, hatreds and resentments aside, he seemed to be the only vampire in this room who appreciated the genius of Raphael’s North American alliance. From what little he’d been able to piece together, it was precisely that alliance which had thwarted Mathilde long enough for Raphael to break free and defend his territory. Christian was also the only one here who truly comprehended what life would be like if Hubert succeeded in establishing himself on this continent. Mathilde was gone, but there were others who would follow in Hubert’s footsteps if he succeeded, and every vampire in North America would pay the price. This was a huge continent. The wars would never end.
“Hubert is only one vampire,” Anthony rasped. “He can be defeated like any other, which is why we’re here.”
“You propose all of us working together then?” Christian asked. It was the last thing he’d have expected.
Weiss snorted his opinion of that. “We’re vampires, and this is a competition, not a support group.”
Anthony dipped his head in agreement. “I’m not proposing anything. I’m simply doing my duty as Lord of the South to facilitate the challenge and ensure the best result.”
Christian managed not to roll his eyes in disgust. What a waste of time. He needed to move this meeting along, and get back to Natalie. “Do you have any specific knowledge of Hubert’s whereabouts? After all, it’s no news to any of us that Hubert has designs on this territory.”
Anthony’s mouth pinched in irritation. “Not everyone is privy to the plottings of our European cousins,” he said pointedly. “Perhaps you have information to share?”
Christian’s mouth turned up in a bare smile. “I know this much. When Hubert comes, he’ll come in force, with an army at his back. If you hope to hold the territory against him, we would do better to coordinate our efforts.”
Scoville seemed to nod his agreement, and opened his mouth to say something, but a sharp glare from Anthony stifled whatever it was.