fake! And you never cared about the law. Why would you do this?”
I’m warning you.
Ian’s partial text flashed across my mind. So much for thinking he had nothing to threaten me with! But how could I have guessed that he’d sue the highest ruling court of vampires? Here I was, running all over the world fulfilling the vow I’d made to bring Ian back from the dead, and he was daring the Grim Reaper to come back for seconds!
Now, I had to go to the council, talk them out of whatever retribution they were planning, then abandon Ian all over again. It would hurt less to tear my guts out and stomp on them.
But I had no choice. I couldn’t leave Ian at the council’s mercy. I also couldn’t ignore a direct summons from the council. If I did, I might as well resign as Law Guardian on the spot.
I ground my teeth until my jaw crunched. Ian wanted a meeting, probably to have me formally renounce our marriage so there’d be no doubt in anyone’s mind that he was a free man?
Fine. He’d get his meeting, and I hoped I could convince the council to let him live long enough to regret it.
Chapter 3
The rugged limestone peak of Mount Lycabettus jutted above Athens, Greece, like an imperious stone giant. I remember when people said that this spot was created when the goddess Athena accidentally dropped a mountain after receiving bad news. Later, it was said that this was the home of fearsome wolves, hence its play on the word lycos—Greek for wolves. Both legends had it wrong. As was often the case, the truth was much stranger.
Mount Lycabettus was the official location for the ruling council of vampires. Oh, the council had other, lesser courts across the continents, but this was where all eleven members of the council presided when court was in session, and they only all came together when the charges were truly severe.
Like, for instance, the entire council being sued by a vampire known more for snubbing the laws than following them.
I began my climb up the worn stone steps that led to the modernized amphitheater at the top. The cable car wasn’t running tonight since none of Mount Lycabettus’s famed attractions were open. The surrounding city of Athens might be as boisterous as ever, but the silence on the mount was almost eerie. Normally, this was a bustling tourist attraction, with its rich history and unparalleled views of Athens. Now, it was as quiet as the grave.
No demon should be stupid enough to attack the vampire’s highest court while it was in session. Still, I scanned my surroundings with every upward step. Had news of this lawsuit reached Dagon? It might have. Vampires were as prone to gossip as any species. If Dagon had heard of tonight’s events and decided to risk an ambush, I was without weapons to fight him since defendants could hardly arrive armed at court–
Wait, what was that? I tensed when I heard it again. Ian’s voice, his British accent as smooth as ever. Hearing him was its own form of assault, making me stop so I could take a moment to collect myself. You can do this. Come on!
I resumed my climb, my pace brisk. I was almost at the top of the mount when I stopped again because I heard something even more unlikely than an approaching horde of demons. Great gods above the earth and below it, was that the council laughing?
“. . . then I landed next to him, dropped the warlord at his feet and said, ‘Is this the sod you’re looking for?’” Ian was saying, followed by fresh bursts of laughter.
Somehow, Ian had he gotten the normally dour council to sound like a bunch of merry drunks at a comedy club! I’d underestimated his charm, and I shouldn’t have. Even back when we first met and I was only using Ian as bait to draw out Dagon, he’d charmed me, too.
And now, I had to act as if I cared nothing for him.
I entered the amphitheater, my gaze drawn to Ian as if pulled by an invisible force. The last time I’d seen him, his hair had turned white from his death and his face had been more bones than features. Now, his hair was back to its lustrous, deep auburn shade and his profile showed his flawless alabaster skin, a hint of his high cheekbones, the line of his chiseled jaw, and part of