Then he let me go and moved away to switch on the light. Then he opened the door and stood strong in its frame, barring the way to whoever was out there.
I was behind the door. I couldn’t see who was there and they couldn’t see me. Lucien spoke and he did it in a way that provided me with the information I needed without letting on to our visitors he was doing so.
“Rudolf, Cristiano, Marcello,” he drawled, his voice sounding amused. “They sent three of you?”
“My profound apologies, Lucien,” a heavily accented, definitely uncomfortable voice replied. “I know it’s very late but unfortunately we’re here to ask you to come with us.”
What?
Why?
I held my breath.
“This can’t wait until morning?” Lucien returned.
“No.” Another accented voice, not uncomfortable but hostile, now sounded. “The Council waited for you to come to them. Now, matters have arisen and they will wait no longer.”
Lucien was silent, considering this.
“Please, Lucien, don’t make this difficult. It shouldn’t take long.” The first voice urged.
All amusement was gone when Lucien spoke again. “This does not make me happy, Rudolf.”
“Don’t tell us. Tell The Council,” the hostile voice retorted.
Lucien’s body changed like it did when Katrina came to visit. The muscles stood out, defined, deadly. I didn’t take this as a good sign.
“Marcello,” a third voice, also accented, said the name as a warning.
There seemed to be some kind of standoff happening. I could only see Lucien’s half of it but I felt it and it scared the freaking heck out of me.
Finally, Lucien’s body relaxed, he stepped back, opening the door wider, his voice now courteous. “Wait inside. I’ll be a moment.”
His eyes cut to me. I read his intent and moved to him. His arm curled around my waist, shifting us back so the three, large vampires could fill the foyer. Two were dark, both looking Latin or Italian or something. One was fair. All were gorgeous.
My heart skipped a beat.
The fair one closed the door then turned which meant all of them were staring at me. I pressed into Lucien’s side.
“Leah, this is Rudolf, Marcello and Cristiano,” Lucien introduced, indicating each with his hand. Rudolf was the fair one.
I nodded and gave a lame wave.
Cristiano and Rudolf smiled. Marcello scowled.
“It’s a long awaited pleasure, Leah,” Rudolf murmured, his eyes calm and gentle on me. I suspected his words held greater meaning because Marcello’s scowl deepened. At the same time Cristiano’s smile widened.
“Thank you.” My voice was soft and breathy and something changed in the room when I spoke. It was powerful, electric, weirdly both dangerous and seductive and it was emanating from all three.
“We won’t be a moment.” Lucien’s voice cut through the thickened air and he started to move us away.
“Leah’s to wait here,” Marcello announced, Lucien stopped and his eyes sliced to the vampire.
“Leah will come with me,” Lucien replied.
Marcello’s gaze moved to me, raking me from top-to-toe and something about the way he did this freaked me out. I didn’t know how but I sensed Rudolf and Cristiano tense and I felt Lucien’s body change to that freakishly scary alertness of moments before.
“Leah will stay,” Marcello declared.