That drew a quizzical glance but he shook it off and checked over his shoulder. “I hate these damn parties.”
“Too violent?” I asked innocently, my lips quirked.
Matthias turned back to me and smirked. “Very funny.”
“Thanks. I try.”
I didn’t even know what I was doing still sitting there. Sure, the banter was fun. It was borderline refreshing to know there was at least one other vampire in the Court who hated it as much as I did. But the exhaustion of having spent six weeks living on a razor’s edge, wondering what fate lay waiting for my return home, and the two days of traveling to get back, was threatening to overtake me. All I wanted to do was close my eyes, click my heels together, and find myself back home in Beechwood Harbor again.
Granted, I could do without the little dog and the bumbling idiot sidekicks, and I certainly wasn’t interested in having a pack of flying monkeys chasing me, but a touch of Dorothy’s homesick magic would come in handy.
“What time is it?” I asked Matthias, reaching absently for the glass I’d shoved away.
“Quarter to midnight,” he answered.
I groaned. “These things still run till dawn?”
“Afraid so.”
“Splendid.”
“You expecting to turn into a pumpkin? Is that the problem?”
I scowled at him.
He cracked a smile. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Hey, at least you can leave anytime.”
“Hardly.” He scoffed and his eyes found a silver-haired woman across the room. She wore a floor-length navy gown that featured a modest neckline and a traditional cut. Her jewelry was a little more ostentatious; a gold chain hung around her neck, dotted with diamonds, all growing in size until it reached the center stone that was the size of a quarter.
She was also looking right at us.
“Lady Hartford?” I said, already knowing the answer.
Matthias’s jaw tensed as he nodded. “That’s her.”
Lady Hartford flashed a wide smile and twinkled her fingers at us.
Matthias groaned. “Word of warning, she’d already got her real estate agent looking for a suitable family home for us. Apparently my condo is too bachelor pad. I’ll be shocked if she doesn’t take it upon herself to furnish the damn thing too.”
I snorted. “But does she have a name picked out for our first born? Cause, if not, she’s just not trying.”
Matthias’s green eyes flashed, surprise registering in the emerald pools before he laughed. The low, rumbling sound wrapped around me and for a flicker, I dropped my guard and indulged in the warmth of his smile and the lines framing his mouth. “You really don’t take this stuff seriously, do you?”
“If you’re asking whether or not I’m going to go along with my father’s insane plan … then no. I’m not. I have a few weeks to find a way to wiggle out of it, and I fully intend to.”
“A full-time rebel, huh?”
“From the sound of it, you’re a little bit of a desperado yourself,” I said, thinking back to his introduction. “My father said you’d only recently returned to Court. Got a little rebellious streak in you too?”
“Something like that,” he muttered.
It didn’t sound like he’d come back solely for the pleasure of the impending fight for my hand, but what else had brought him back? And more importantly, where had he been?
Whatever it was, he didn’t elaborate.
I couldn’t fault him for that. I wasn’t in the mood to talk about my past, so why should he be? Still, it nagged at me. Vampires didn’t tend to leave the Court. And the ones who did generally weren’t welcomed back in. The rules were similar to a posse of high-school mean girls, only on a larger and more deadly scale.
Lady Hartford, seeing an entry into the conversation, wound through the crowd and approached our table. She inclined her head and dropped an inch in a curtsey. “Lady Vaughn, it’s so good to see you home again.”
“Definitely,” I said, masterfully keeping my sarcasm at bay.
“Mother, what can I do for you?” Matthias asked, clearly—and almost comically—trying to shoo her away.
Lady Hartford wasn’t deterred. She flapped a hand at him and took a seat. “I wanted to welcome Lady Vaughn back to the court and see if I could get in a little bragging about you.”
His lips went back into a flat line again.
“Now, Lacey—may I call you Lacey?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
Lady Hartford grinned wider, as though she’d been given the key to the VIP room at a swanky club. “Naturally, this is all a little presumptive, but I know my Matty and if anyone can win this tournament, it’s him.”
Matthias’s hands balled together on the table and he looked away, doing his best to ignore his mother.
“I don’t doubt it,” I said through a giggle. This was almost fun.
“In fact, I went to see my psychic just last week, and do you want to know what she told me?”
Matthias groaned. “I thought you agreed to stop seeing her?”
“Now, why would I do that?” Lady Hartford replied.
He bit back something as she continued, “Anyway, she told me that love was in the cards for my little Matty. See, he’s always been so shy, we thought he might never get married. Hard to get a girlfriend if you never ask anyone out for a date! I’m always telling Matty that he should—”
“All right,” Matthias jumped up and reached out for his mother’s hand. “I think we’ve taken up enough of Lacey’s time, Mother.”
He grimaced at me, likely sending a telepathic plea for me to erase the conversation from my mind, but it was too late. I grinned at him as he collected his mother and started to usher her away.
“I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you soon, Lacey dear!” Lady Hartford called over her shoulder.
“Oh absolutely,” I replied, wiggling my fingers. “It was nice to meet you too, Matty.”
He shot me a death glare and then hurried his mother to the opposite end of the room.
Laughing softly, I sank back in my chair. As the smile died, I realized I had no cover should that troll Jerrod come over now again. I glanced up at the dais where my father was seated. He’d been joined by two couples and looked to be enjoying his meal.
Of course he was.
Jerrod wasn’t seated at his side. Probably off resetting his nose. Matthias had landed one heck of a punch. Guess that earned him a third point. I’d always appreciated a man who could handle himself when things got scrappy.
Jupiter wasn’t anywhere in sight either, which was strange. Wasn’t she supposed to be my shadow? With my father occupied and his hawk-eyed rent-an-oaf out of commission, it would be easy for me to slip away …
I was considering which exit to use when a rumble went through the crowd at the other end of the room. Another guard, recognizable by the uniform he wore, beelined to my father’s table and bent down to speak into Lord Vaughn’s ear. Apprehension tingled over my arms, the faint blonde hairs standing up as the two exchanged some hurried words. A deep V appeared between my father’s brow and he abruptly pushed up from the table. With a wave of his hands, the music stopped on a sharp note.
Addressing the crowd, Lord Vaughn held up both hands. “Everyone needs to return to their residences. The gala is over.”
Whispers and speculation whipped through the crowd as people got to their feet and glanced around, confused. Dawn was still hours away. There was no reason for the party to end so soon.
Across the crowded room, my father met my eyes and with a crook of his finger beckoned me forward.
He met me in the middle of the dance floor and took hold of my upper arm. Two-thirds of the crowd had disappeared through the arched entry. “What’s going on, Father?”
He gave me a pointed look. “Someone has been killed.”
Chapter 6
Killed.
The word propelled me back half a step. “Wha—what? Who?”
He reeled me back in. “Ivan Murrad.”
Ivan Murrad, wasn’t he—
“One of the suitors?” I hissed.
He nodded, his face grave.
“What happened?”
He ignored me and flagged down a passing man in a suit. It took me a moment to realize it was Matthias.