Page 2 (1/2)

I sed hard Oh crap, a decapitated body and the attention of the king of Haven Did I kno to break up a party or what?

Chapter Two

"What happened?" Tatius de into me

I looked around Nathanial was several feet away, standing at the edge of the semi-circle that had opened around me His posture was aloof, uninterested, but he watched ers on his full bottoain, his gaze didn’t waver Soether

Crap My fangs were still out

I willed the dahtened He shook me

"I said, what happened?"

"I touched her shoulder, that was all"

"Should we guess why?" A chime-like voice spoke froritted e to press s weren’t visible anyreatme "She smelled like blood," I muttered underwas exquisite

The woold-trimmed dress lifted an arched eyebrow dotted with rhinestones "In this crowd, I should think more than a reckless child "--she dismissed me with the insult--"would have noticed blood Unless there was soain There was no blood on the collar of the outfit--there wasn’t even blood around the cleanly severed stub of neck The woman turned back to Tatius "What have you to say of this, Puppet Master?"

"My apologies, Collector I assure you, I intend to get to the bottoruff voice crackled downbad star of this party The guest of honor I so needed to get out of here In my old life I’d learned better than to pull an alpha cat’s tail--though knowing better didn’t mean it didn’t happen anyway, sometimes But I totally hadn’t meant to land in the center of this attention

"Nuri," Tatius said, turning toward the crowd The mass of vampires who--now that the initial shock of the body’s discovery had worn off--were irl through

As the girl, Nuri, approached, Tatius released my arm

Thank the moon I moved to step aside, but his hand slid around the back of , but it was overly personal, his fingers co to a rest in the holloeen my collarbone and throat Oh hell no The last tielse to do with the vaers flexed in response, his nails biting againstto have to make a scene--another scene--or stay put I erred on the side of caution, for once

Nuri, dressed as an ancient Egyptian queen with a large snake peeking out beneath her dark dreadlocks, knelt beside the harlequin As I watched her lift the dead woman’s hand, I realized where I’d seen Nuri before She’d sat at the council table the first tiht before the vampires, which meant she must be a lot older than she looked

After aat the body, she stood and turned to Tatius "Rigor uess she’s been dead noof the flesh, so she was decapitated by a sharp instruests she was drained before death I’ll report more when I find it" The words were too old, too serious for her thin, girlish voice Not that anyone else appeared to notice She stepped aside and nodded to two pleather-clad vampires, who rushed forward to lift the body and carry it toward a private elevator in the corner The fake head still lay on the floor, ignored

The Collector stepped forward, over the forgotten head, until the train of her dress engulfed it "You have your Truthseeker looking into things, and while I’h"--the way she said it --"I offer the assistance of one offor an answer, she lifted her hand

"Elizabeth, attend us"

Tatius’s fingers flexed againstas the siant’s arm stepped forward