Crouching Vampire Hidden Fang - By Katie MacAlister Page 0,13

familiar," Magda whispered to me as we walked toward them.

"They should. The one on the left with the scowl is Andreas, Kristoff's brother. The middle one is their cousin Rowan. And the guy on the left is named Sebastian. I don't know what his connection is to everyone else, but he seems just as unflinching as the others."

"Oy," Magda said under her breath.

I thought for a moment of turning and running back to the plane to demand that I be taken back to safety, but I had a feeling that Julian, the messenger, would grab me before I took more than a few steps. "You're the one who begged to come with me," I reminded Magda in an equally soft voice.

"I didn't beg. I just had you suggest to your watchdog that if he ponied up tickets for Ray and me, you would be less inclined to smite him with that blinding light you can summon up. And you have to admit he didn't really protest much once you told him you changed your mind."

I glanced behind us. Ray walked alongside the messenger, the former chattering happily and looking about with bright, interested eyes, while the latter stared at me in stony silence.

"I just wish we didn't have to involve an innocent bystander in all this. You're sure Ray is OK with the whole vampire thing?" I asked Magda.

"He is, rather surprisingly. He said he always suspected there was more going on around him than people were willing to admit, and who am I to poohpooh general paranoia? To be honest, he's dying to see them, since he's a big Joss Whedon fan. He was a bit disappointed when I told him they don't change their appearance at all, but he'll survive."

My gaze moved to our reception committee. "The question is, will I?"

"They do look awfully grim, don't they?" Magda agreed.

"Hello, gentlemen. I expect you remember my friend Magda," I said as the three men stepped forward to greet us. I gestured to Ray, who stopped on Magda's other side. "This is Ray Victor. He's a friend of Magda's who has kindly consented to accompany us."

"Pleasure to meet you," Ray said, sticking out his hand. After a moment's slight hesitation, Andreas shook it. "Can't tell you how grateful I am you let Mags and me come along. I've been a big fan of Angel ever since the show came out, and it's a real thrill to meet a vampire in person."

The three men introduced themselves briefly to him before turning back to me. I was a bit puzzled by the cold reception we were getting-although I hadn't parted on the very best of terms with the Dark Ones, we weren't enemies, either. In fact, Christian had gone to great trouble to ensure that I was not blamed for the murder of an innocent woman, handing over to the police the person to blame. I knew how much that had cost him, and was duly appreciative, a fact about which Christian was aware. So why was I now getting the icy treatment?

"Hello, Andreas. How's your brother?"

Andreas had blue eyes, as did Kristoff, but where the latter had eyes of the purest teal, Andreas's were darker, a midnight blue that considered me now without the slightest bit of warmth. "You will find out soon enough," was all he said before he turned around and started walking out.

The two remaining vampires fell into place behind us as we were escorted out of the airport to a waiting limousine.

"Your vampire friends sure know how to travel," Ray said in a hushed voice as we filed in to occupy the backseat of the limo. Andreas and Rowan sat facing us, while Julian and Sebastian took up positions in the front of the car. "This is very nice. Are we going to the hotel first? I'd like to get my camera out of my bag so I can get some pictures for my travel album."

"I assume so," I said, puzzling over Andreas's comment. I leaned forward a smidgen. "Is Kristoff here? In Vienna?"

Andreas ignored me, turning to look out of the tinted windows.

I switched my attention to Rowan. "I realize there's no love lost between us, but I would appreciate it if you could overcome your natural aversion to me and answer my question."

Rowan had reddish brown hair and grey-green eyes. His face was not as angular as his cousin's, and had hints of laugh lines around the mouth and eyes. There was no evidence of