lord. The thurgs won't mind the extra weight of this gentleman. They probably won't notice it.
If his baggage can be ready by tomorrow you can start out in the early morning just as you planned."
Damon gave her his best "shut up or die"glare. She shut up.
Through clenched teeth, Damon managed to say, "This is Pelat. She's the coordinator of our little expedition. Hel o, Pelat. Good-bye, Pelat. You may go."
"As you wish, my lord."
Pelat bowed and left.
"Aren't you taking this 'my lord'thing a bit too seriously?"Stefan asked. "And what is that costume you're wearing?"
"It's the uniform of the captain of the guard of Madame le Princess Jessalyn D'Aubigne,"Damon said coldly.
"You got a job?"
"It was a position."Damon bared his teeth. "And it's none of your business."
"Got your canines back, too, I see."
"And that's none of your business either. But if you want me to knock you out and trample over your undead body, I'l be delighted to oblige."
Something was wrong, Stefan thought. Damon should be through the taunting phase and be actual y trampling on him by now. It only made sense if...
"I've already spoken to Bonnie,"he said. And so he had, to ask where he was. But to a guilty mind, apparent foreknowledge often worked wonders.
And Damon hastily said exactly what Stefan hoped he wouldn't. "I can explain!"
"Oh, God,"Stefan said.
"If she'd just done as I told her - "
"While you were off becoming a princess's captain of the guard? And she was - where?"
"She was safe, at least! But, no, she had to go out into the street and then to that shop - "
"Shocking! She actual y walked in the street?"
Damon ground his teeth. "You don't know how it is around here - or how the slave trade works. Every day - "
Stefan slammed both hands on the desk, now truly angry.
"She was picked up by slavers? While you were sleazing around with a princess?"
"Princess Jessalyn does not sleaze,"Damon replied icily.
"Nor do I. And anyway it al turned out to be a good thing because now we know where the Seven Kitsune Treasures are."
"What treasures? And who cares about treasures when there's a town being destroyed by kitsune?"
Damon opened his mouth, shut it, then looked narrowly at Stefan. "You said that you'd talked to Bonnie about al this."
"I did talk to Bonnie,"Stefan said flatly. "I said hel o."
Damon's dark eyes flared. For a moment Stefan thought he was going to snarl or start a fight. But then, through clenched teeth, he said, "It's al for the damned town, don't you see that? Those treasures include the largest star bal ever to be fil ed with Power. And that Power may be enough to save Fel 's Church. At least to stop its total annihilation. Maybe to even clear out every malach that exists and destroy Shinichi and Misao with a single blow. Is that noble enough for you, little brother? Is it reason enough?"
"But taking Bonnie - "
"You stay with her here if you like! Spend your lives here! I might mention that without her I would never have been able to set up an expedition, and that she's determined to go.
Besides, we're not coming back this way. There has to be an easier route from the Gatehouse to Earth. We wouldn't survive coming back, so you'd better hope like hel that there is one."
Stefan was surprised. He had never heard his brother speak with such passion about anything that involved humans. He was about to reply, when behind him there came a scream of pure, unadulterated rage. It was frightening - and worrying, too, because Stefan would recognize that voice anywhere, anytime. It was Elena's.
Chapter 27
Stefan whirled around and saw Bonnie, with only a towel wrapped around her, trying to physical y restrain Elena, who was similarly clad. Elena's hair was wet and uncombed.
Something had caused her to leap out of the bathing pool and run directly into the corridor.
Stefan was surprised by Damon's reaction. Was that a spark of alarm in the endlessly dark eyes that had remained impassive watching a thousand disasters, calamities, cruelties?
No, it couldn't be. But it certainly looked like one.
Elena was getting closer. Her voice rang out clearly through the hal way, which was spacious enough to give it a slight echo. "Damon! I see you! You wait right there - I'm coming to kill you! "
This time the flicker was unmistakable. Damon glanced at the window, which was partly open.
Meanwhile Bonnie had lost the fight and Elena was running like