The vampire in the doorway was Indian, as in from India. He was even wearing one of those long combo coat-tunic things. It was gold and white and shimmered on the edge of my vision as he walked further into the room. I kept my sights on his son. One monster at a time.
Jean-Claude let his hand drop away from my arm. He stepped behind me and to one side, careful not to block my shot. "Padma, Master of Beasts, greetings and welcome to my home."
"Jean-Claude, Master of the City, greetings. Your hospitality has been beyond my wildest expectations." He laughed then, but it was just a laugh. Theatrical and annoying, even sinister, but it didn't make my skin jump.
"Tell him to let Hannah go," I said.
"You must be Jean-Claude's human servant, Anita Blake."
"Yeah, nice to meet you. Now tell your son to let go of our vampire, or I'm going to put a really big hole in him."
"You wouldn't dare harm my son."
It was my turn to laugh, short, abrupt, and not very funny. "Your son said almost the same thing. You are both so wrong."
"If you kill my son, I will kill you. I will kill you all."
"Fine, let me test my understanding. If he doesn't let her go, what's he going to do with her?"
Fernando laughed, and it was low and hissing. The laugh was enough. Somewhere in that lovely body was black fur and big button eyes; wererat. "I will have her because the Traveler has forbidden it, and my father has given her to me."
"No," Willie said. He took a step forward but Jean-Claude stopped him.
"No, Willie, this is not your fight."
Fernando slid his hand over Hannah's groin. Only Jean-Claude's hand on Willie's arm kept him from rushing the shapeshifters.
Hannah said, "Master, help me."
"He can't help you, child," Padma said. "He can't help any of you."
I aimed two inches to the right of Fernando's head. The shot echoed in the big room. The bullet bit into the stone wall. Everyone froze.
"The next bullet goes in Fernando's skull."
"You wouldn't dare," Padma said.
"You keep saying that. Let's get something straight, Beast Master. Fernando is not raping Hannah. No way. I'll kill him first."
"Then I will kill you," Padma said.
"Fine, but that won't bring back your son, now will it?" I let the breath out of my body and felt that stillness spill through me. "Decide, Beast Master, decide."
"I am the Master of Beasts," he said.
"I don't care if you're Santa Claus. He lets her go or he dies."
"Jean-Claude, control your servant."
"If you can control her, Padma, be my guest. But take great care. Anita never bluffs. She will kill your son."
"Decide," I said softly, "--decide--decide--decide--decide." I wanted to shoot him. I really did, because I knew as surely as I was standing there that if I didn't shoot him now, I'd have to shoot him later. He was too arrogant to leave it alone, too blinded by his own power to leave Hannah alone, and he couldn't have her. That was a line he could not cross and live.
"Let her go, Fernando," Padma said.
"Father," the man sounded shocked.
"She will pull the trigger, Fernando. She wants to pull it. Don't you, Anita?"