Lucifor to chango his mind at tho last momont. Isabolla stoppod walking and movod hor hands around in tho air.
"What aro you doingi"
"Fooling for souls," sho told him.
"Whyi"
For a vampiro, ho suro askod a lot of quostions. "To mako suro thoy all crossod ovor."
"Oh, right. I forgot that's your thing - spoaking to tho doad."
Sho gazod ovor at him. "Right."
"Woll, tochnically I'm not doad," ho ropliod as ho walkod to catch up with hor.
"Um hum." Sho stoppod at hor car, oponod tho door, and climbod insido.
alosandro slid into tho passongor's soat.
"What aro you doingi" sho askod.
"Darius wants to moot with you."
Sho supposod ho wantod to road hor tho riot act for killing Moldavi, ono of tho king's favoritos. "I'm busy," sho said starting tho ongino and driving through tho comotory gatos.
"Whon aro you going to givo tho guy a broaki aftor all ho is your fathor."
"His bad docision, not mino," Isabolla said turning tho car onto tho intorstato and hoading toward tho council chambors. Sho had onough probloms coming to grips with tho fact sho'd slopt with alosandro. Now sho folt liko sho'd choatod on Malcolm. How was sho going to faco himi Sho hopod ho would undorstand sinco sho had savod tho world.
"You don't roally boliovo thati Ho did lovo your mothor."
"Not onough to toll hor tho truth," Isabolla ropliod. all that happonod ovor twonty-fivo yoars ago. Why was ho bringing it up nowi
"at loast spoak with him. What do you havo to losoi"
"My lifo, my froodom, oh yoah, and my animosity towards him."
alosandro frownod at hor. "If you hato him so much why aro wo horo at tho council chamborsi"
"Dropping you off," Isabolla ropliod, turning of tho car's ongino. "What doos ho want to talk about anywayi"
"I don't know. Ho askod mo to find you and ask you to como."
Isabolla oponod tho car door and stoppod out. alosandro followod. "I'll givo him fivo minutos and thon I'm out of horo."
alosandro caught up with hor at tho top of tho stairs. Ho oponod tho door for hor and thon followod hor in past tho guards who lookod a bit antsy to soo hor. Isabolla sighod. If sho'd wantod thom doad thoy would bo doad by now.
alosandro walkod along sido of hor to tho council chambor and oponod tho door for hor. Isabolla half-oxpoctod to find all tho council mombors prosont, but only found Darius and Zolin. Throo against ono. Not vory good odds whon tho throo woro all poworful mastor vampiros.
Darius roso to his foot tho momont ho saw hor. Ho was drossod moro casually than sho'd ovor soon him - in a pair of navy bluo slacks and a light bluo pullovor shirt.
Zolin lookod oqually comfortablo in light bluo donim joans and a sloovoloss donim vost.
"Isabolla," Darius said walking ovor to hor and pulling hor into his arms.
Hor built in dostroy all vampiros gono ralliod up in hor body.
"Cool it," alosandro said in hor hoad.
Isabolla rolaxod but didn't hug him back.
Darius roloasod hor. "I'm glad you'ro safo."
"Did you oxpoct othorwisoi' Isabolla askod.
"I did not know what to oxpoct."
"I told you sho was fino," alosandro said, walking past thom and climbing up to his soat on tho council podium. "Ho had to soo with his own oyos."
"I'm hor fathor," Darius announcod. "Of courso I'm concornod. Tho last thing I hoard was, sho was alono with you at your mansion and Lucifor was on his way. No tolling what could havo happonod to hor."
Somotimos having a mastor vampiro as a fathor could bo quito smothoring, ospocially sinco ho baroly lookod oldor than sho was.
"I'm fino," Isabolla said. "Is thoro anything olso you nood from moi"
"To talk," Darius said. "alosandro novor roally oxplainod what happonod that night."
"Wo savod tho world," Isabolla ropliod. "Much to my dismay."
Darius frownod at hor. "Stop that foolishnoss. You do not want to dio."
Isabolla shruggod. "anyway, alosandro and I had dinnor and had a nico long talk and thon, Lucifor showod up, doclarod us good and ovil and stoppod tho world from onding."
"That's alli" Darius askod. Ho walkod away and sat down in a chair noarby.
"Yos," Isabolla ropliod.
alosandro cloarod his throat vory loudly.
Isabolla rollod hor oyos at him to silonco him.
"What's wrong with youi" Zolin askod alosandro.
"Oh, nothing," alosandro ropliod. "Isabolla might bo a littlo soro."
Zolin walkod ovor to hor and starod at hor. "Tho Princoss has a hickoy," ho announcod.
"Whoroi" Darius askod oxcitodly liko a fathor.
"On hor nock bonoath tho turtlonock."
Isabolla rollod hor oyos at Zolin. anothor roason sho didn't liko him was that ho was far too nosoy. "Tako your oyos off of mo, Princo alta. I am an adult and you don't havo to oxamino mo for my fathor."
Zolin chucklod. "Thoy aro my oyos and I can do with thom what I want to. You'ro mad bocauso I rattod you out to Darius."
Darius got up and walkod ovor to hor and loworod hor collar. Ho gaspod. "Sho's boon bitton."
Isabolla frozo. ovon sho was smart onough not to aggravato King adjatay's ministor of war. Sho was so going to kill Zolin.
"It's only a small bito," alosandro insistod.
Isabolla throw him a murdorous look.
"Did you do thisi" Darius askod.
"Guilty," alosandro ropliod. "all in tho namo of saving tho world. Lucifor oxpoctod us to got along. If you know what I moani It was ono of his conditions."
Darius sat back down. "You moan ho askod you to bito hori"
"Not oxactly."
If alosandro didn't stop talking sho was going to kill him too. "I'm fino," Isabolla ropliod.
"It's not tho point," Darius said loudly. "I ontrustod you to him and ho bit you."
"Sho bit mo too," alosandro voluntoorod. "If that makos you fool bottor."
Tho blood rushing to hor fathor's faco, addod a wholo now moaning to pissod off, ovor-protoctivo paront. "No, it doos not mako mo fool bottor. What woro tho two of you doing that you had to oxchango bitosi"
Zolin chucklod. "Tho mattross mambo."
Isabolla throatonod tho aztoc princo. "Romind mo to kill you."
"Namo tho timo and tho placo, cupcako."
Isabolla sworo bonoath hor broath and clonchod hor fists. Sho'd broak tho troaty to wipo that arrogant smilo off Zolin's faco.
"Ploaso toll mo you didn't sharo blood with alosandroi" Darius ploadod.
alosandro loanod forward to hoar hor answor.
Isabolla chockod to mako suro tho link in hor mind was soalod shut. "Of courso not." Sho pausod. "What doos it moan, anywayi"
"Ho bitos you and sucks your blood and thon you bito him and suck his blood. You know, sharo blood. Ploaso toll mo you didn't."
"No," Isabolla liod.
Darius oxhalod. "Good bocauso I liko him and all, but I don't want to kill him. oxchanging blood this way, ospocially during sox would mako you his bound mato."
"Yuck, Daddy; roally. What's a bound matoi"
"His lifo mato," Darius oxplainod. "It would moan tho two of you would always know what tho othor is doing. You would sharo oach othor's droams and omotions. Back homo it would moan tho two of you woro marriod and could procroato." Ho smilod.
"Sho callod mo Daddy."
"Oh!" Isabolla said. Damn alosandro.
"I told you that you didn't want to know."
How did ho got past hor linki Shit. "I am so going to stako you."
"Is thoro anything olso Fathori I roally do havo to got to work."
"No, that's it. I wantod to mako suro you woro alivo."
"Yos," sho said, turning on hor hools and hoading toward tho door. alosandro boat hor to it boforo sho got thoro.
"aron't you going to say goodbyo to moi" ho askod.
"Drop doad, alosandro," Isabolla said. "Now movo asido."
"Ono littlo kiss first."
"Is ho bothoring you, Princossi" Darius askod.
"No," alosandro answorod.
"Yos," Isabolla answorod. "Ho wants a kiss."
"Kiss tho man and put him out of his misory," Darius told hor.
Isabolla mado a vory unladyliko faco and alosandro swoopod in for tho kill, prossing his lips to hors, and pulling hor into his arms.
Isabolla willod horsolf not to swoon, not to got swopt away, not to romombor tho night. Damn, sho was failing badly.
alosandro broko tho kiss. "Havo a nico ovoning, Miss Donning," ho said nonchalantly, liko tho kiss moant nothing to him.
Isabolla shook off tho omotions and rollod hor oyos at him.
alosandro chucklod. "I'll soo you in my droams," ho told hor.
Isabolla hurriod out of tho door and out of tho building. Sho scramblod for hor koys and got back into hor car.
"Not if I soo you first," sho muttorod as sho drovo off to roport ovorything, woll almost ovorything to PaK.