she felt, and just a little embarrassed. Probably because he hadn’t been the first to reach her. To his credit, he still held his protective pose in front of her.
Christoph's eyes darted over the assembled vampires. Thank god Analie couldn’t see how damned terrifying they were like this.
Analie grabbed his arm, peering nervously over his shoulder. He was reminded of his condition when he felt the strength behind her grip, a strength he no longer possessed. If anyone did attack, she’d stand a better chance than him.
“What in the name of the gods happened here?” Royce muttered, looking and sounding about as irate as he might if someone kicked his favorite puppy. Maybe they had; Analie was cringing on the floor behind Christoph. “I do hope one of you has an explanation…”
Mouse rapidly went into a bout of sign language, and Isabelle started to speak, practically shrieking in fear.
“That thing interrupted our lesson for the third time today! She threatened us with her fangs, practically attacked me—”
Royce cut them both off with a roared, “Enough!”
Isabelle quieted, and Mouse’s hands dropped to her sides, though she looked angry enough to leap on the Were if she so much as twitched the wrong way.
Royce shouldered his way past the people crowding the door. He gave Isabelle a warning look, then turned to Mouse.
“Give me your side of the story.”
Her hands started going in sharp, angry motions, occasionally gesturing at Analie or Isabelle in the process. Isabelle seethed off to one side, the other vampires edging further into the room as curiosity got the better of them.
“Thank you,” he said to Mouse when she was finished, turning to Isabelle. “And your side, if you please?”
Frightened, angry eyes focused distrustfully on Mouse, Isabelle started up her rant again. “I was told when I had lessons to give, they wouldn’t be interrupted. She’s been through here three times today. Three! She looked like she was going to do something, I don’t know what, and I growled at her to warn her off. She was just going away when Analie got scared or something and howled and then the rest of you came barging in—”
Once again, Royce interrupted, his usually smooth voice rather throaty and tinged with a husky growl of his own. “Thank you, Isabelle.”
Lastly, he turned to Analie.
“Is that true? You weren’t hurt, were you?”
Analie swallowed.
“Mouse walked through a few times,” Analie began, trying to keep her voice level. “It sounded like she got water. The last time Isabelle sort of hissed at her. Mouse stopped and turned back to her. Then Isabelle showed some teeth and I thought it was, um...” She wondered how stupid this was going to sound. “I thought it was a challenge. Then Isabelle stood up and I got out of the way. I sorta freaked out. I mean, I can’t see Mouse so great so I dunno if she was doing anything.”
Analie trailed off, at a loss. The last thing she wanted to do was get either Mouse or Isabelle in trouble with Royce. Even worse, Isabelle could get in trouble with her alpha.
Angry alphas, as evidenced by Royce’s current terrifying demeanor, were not fun.
Royce made a soft sound of irritation in his throat, eyes briefly flaring red before he closed them and turned to Analie’s tutor.
“Isabelle, please remember that you are a guest in my territory, and in Mouse’s personal space. She’s allowed to use the facilities in her own home. The agreement was for no interruptions, and it doesn’t sound like she stood around to bother you.”
Isabelle deflated a little, nodding sullenly.
“Analie, in the future, please try not to overreact. The most dangerous time of day for us is when the sun is up, and most of us like our rest to go uninterrupted. Making a ruckus like that is guaranteed to get a reaction like what you just saw, and I don’t think any of us want a repeat performance.”
That was about the closest thing to a reprimand as he’d give. He turned to go the way he came, along with the rest of the vampires.
Analie wouldn’t have noticed, but everyone except for Wesley had been in PJs of some form or another. The vampires started whispering to each other, speculating on whether Isabelle would return and questioning each other about Christoph. John stayed smugly silent, not answering their questions, and Mouse managed to look a bit irritated as someone muttered that it looked like her “latest catch was a bit on the scruffy side.”