Blood and Blade (Goddess with a Blade #6) - Lauren Dane Page 0,56
my keep. Do you protect my Petal then?”
Star approached him carefully, scenting the hand he held out, and Rowan let out the breath she’d held when he gave Star’s head a pat.
“She’s a very beautiful girl,” Theo said to her and then to Star, “You may call me Theo. Only my Vampires need call me The First.”
Star just gave him a look but he pet her and scratched behind her ears so she didn’t run off.
It was so weird, but since no one got mad or bloody or cried, Rowan counted it as a win. She hadn’t been entirely sure how Theo would react to a dog who was Rowan’s guide. Sometimes he was very jealous about stuff like that and took it out on others. And if he’d have tried, Rowan would have put herself between them which would have sucked for everyone. So she was glad it went well.
Since everyone was still alive, Rowan thought it best to keep things moving. “So I guess we’ll see you in October for the Joint Tribunal. And then again at the holidays.”
“I simply fail to understand why we cannot hold all the Joint Tribunal meetings here,” he said, offended that everyone in the universe didn’t just do things in ways easiest for him.
“It’s only in Prague this time. Not even far for you if you decide to attend.”
The Joint Tribunal was a quarterly work group meeting between Hunter Corp., the Vampire Nation and sometimes members of the Conclave Senate. The witches didn’t always attend but Genevieve had mentioned it already so Rowan figured they would this next time. The meetings were to assure that everyone involved with the Treaty was abiding by its rules and that if there were any problems they addressed them.
The meetings were beyond tedious and the last one had a whole lot of fuckery involved. But even Rowan had to admit they were important. Because if it wasn’t in their face every few months the longer lived beings tended to forget and did whatever they wanted, which ended up in Treaty violations with humans dead and/or drained.
“Prague is a good location if we can’t hold the meeting here, I suppose. Still. One does hate to travel so much.” He sniffed. Indignant that he’d have to travel less than two hours to get where he needed to be while Rowan and everyone else not in Europe would have to spend a lot more time on planes to get there.
“Will you be staying at the estate with us?” he asked.
The meetings would be held at a neutral location, a villa in the Castle District within walking distance of all the places each group would house itself in. Naturally Vampires had lots of real estate in Prague. It was a gorgeous city with one foot in the glorified past Vampires loved so much while also having great mass transit, lots of fantastic food and a love for the modern. It meant great libraries and art galleries but a lot of annoying baby Vamps who dressed like Lestat or Blade.
“Clive and I purchased a home in Prague recently so we’ll stay there along with David and some of the Hunter Corp. people who’ll be attending, like Susan and Rex.” Or rather, Clive had bought her a fucking giant house in Prague because when they were there last, Rowan had said she liked the look of the garden when they’d walked past and he’d gone and bought it for her.
It was a beautiful place she was sad they couldn’t spend more time in. But it would be good to have another home base in Europe when needed.
Theo frowned at that news but even if they didn’t have a house Rowan wouldn’t have stayed with him. She was at the Joint Tribunal meetings as the liaison between Hunter Corp. and the Nation and Conclave. Not as anyone’s wife or daughter or any of that. She didn’t like blurring those lines. It was hard enough to keep track in her own head. If she wasn’t very careful about appearances it affected how others saw her and whatever she was trying to get done might not work out because of that perception. She’d just dealt with that and a crapton of other trouble when the last meeting had been at the Keep and he’d fucked with everyone for entertainment. Oftentimes using her as a way to tweak his own Vampires. She’d also nearly been killed and had to duel someone, but that seemed standard for