Crouching Vampire Hidden Fang - By Katie MacAlister Page 0,15

gauzy peach sundress with a matching shrug, eventually going with the latter. Although I knew the vamps would not have forgotten the fateful evening in Iceland-or, more to the point, my role in it-I figured it couldn't hurt to emphasize the fact that I was a woman.

"If men insist on being chauvinists," I muttered to myself as I slipped on the thin shrug and tied it beneath my breasts, adjusting so it exposed a smidgen more cleavage, "then they can't complain when it's used against them."

Julian was waiting outside my door when I emerged. He said nothing, just gestured toward the stairs. I caught him wrinkling his nose, though, as I passed.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, pausing on the landing.

"No. Why do you ask?" He looked surprised at my question.

"You made a face when I walked by you. I'm sorry if you don't like my perfume. I didn't use much of it because I know some people are sensitive, but I hate going out without a little dab of something."

An oddly embarrassed look flitted across his face as he gestured again toward the stairs. "It's not that. It's... er... you are a Beloved."

"Technically, yes."

"Has no one told you what that means?" he asked, marching down the stairs beside me.

I met the frankly curious glance he slid my way. "Not really, other than the fact that I evidently gave Kristoff back his soul or something along those lines."

"It's a bit more complicated than that," he said slowly. I continued down the stairs, grateful we were going down, not up, so I wouldn't arrive before the all-important council sweaty and out of breath. "Once Joined, a Dark One can't exist without his Beloved."

"I hate to doubt you, since you must know your people much better than I do, but I'm pretty much a contradiction to that statement. I haven't seen Kristoff since the night he got his soul back. So obviously Dark Ones can get along just fine without their womenfolk."

He didn't look surprised, just gave a little shake of his head. "You will judge for yourself how well Kristoff has been without you."

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at him, a sudden stab of fear piercing my heart. "Is something wrong with him? Is he sick?"

Julian just waved toward a hallway. We were on the second floor, at one end of a long hallway that ran the length of the house. "As a Beloved, you must know the mental, physical, and emotional state of the one mated to you."

I laughed a grim little laugh. Julian's prim, chiding manner somewhat reassured me that nothing serious was wrong with Kristoff. Surely if he had been injured, someone would have told me? "June Cleaver I'm not. Besides, communication is a two-way street, and thus far Kristoff has refused to venture down that particular avenue."

"I find that difficult to believe." Julian paused, his hand on one handle of twin doors. "He could not stop himself if he wanted to, and I can't imagine why he would want to do so. His state makes it obvious that one or both of you is trying to deceive us. I will warn you not to speak such obvious lies to the council. They take a dim view of people who attempt to mislead them."

"Lie!" I stopped him as he was about to open the door, anger at being so clearly wronged doing much to drown out my concern and nervousness at the thought of seeing Kristoff again. "Me? I haven't lied to any of you vampires, and I'm certainly not deceiving anyone. I'm sorry you don't believe me when I say that Kristoff won't answer me when I try to talk to him, but it's the truth. I tried just a couple of days ago, as a matter of fact, and he shut me down quickly enough."

Julian frowned at me for a moment, his gaze searching my face. I had a feeling he was trying to judge whether or not I spoke the truth.

"Why would he do that?" he finally asked, evidently realizing I was speaking with absolute honesty.

"I have no idea. If he's saying I'm refusing to talk with him, he's either delusional or... well, he's lying, but I don't think that's very likely. He didn't seem like the sort of man who lies."

"He has proven himself a master of deception," Julian said simply, dumbfounding me as he flung open the twin doors. He indicated the room beyond. "That much has been demonstrated