Right.
Fortunately, the voice didn’t chime in with an opinion.
She finally sucked it up and returned to the living room. Tobias was seated, his long legs crossed, in one of the chairs. Matthias stood as she entered. “Are you all right, sweetheart?”
She nodded and forced a smile. “I guess I shouldn’t feel embarrassed about my clothes, at least.”
Tobias grinned. She saw where Matthias’s blue eyes came from. Now that she wasn’t starstruck she noted the family resemblance. “My dear, I’m sure you would look absolutely enchanting in a flour sack.”
“Grandfather,” Matthias said, leading Taz to the sofa to sit next to him, “you wouldn’t be flirting with Taz, would you?”
Tobias feigned shock. “Matthias, even I am not so gauche as to attempt to seduce my grandson’s fiancée.”
Albert apparently had come in the front door at some point and stood off to the side. He coughed, but it sounded amazingly like, “Bullshit.” He looked around. “Oh, sorry. Frog in my throat.”
“So when is the big day?” Tobias asked, shooting a glare at Albert, who smiled.
Matthias looked to Taz. “We don’t have a date set yet.” He took her hand. “I’m leaving that up to her. It’s been a crazy few weeks, and we still have the Tribunal to deal with. Once we’re past that, we’ll have time to sit down and think about what we want to do. There’s no reason to rush.”
Tobias nodded. “I’m looking forward to seeing Millicent again. Remarkable woman.”
“Who?” Taz asked.
“Dame Agnew,” Albert said. “She’s the most senior member of the Tribunal.”
“Grandfather has many powerful contacts on the Tribunal and among the Clans,” Matthias explained to her.
She looked at Tobias. She didn’t feel any mental probes from him but sensed deep, calm power within. He might be a stinker, as Robertson said, yet she had a feeling when he got down to business, he wasn’t someone to screw with—or over. Perhaps that’s where Matthias inherited his quiet, solid strength.
“Okay.” She turned to Matthias. “Do you have any other relatives who might be popping in that, oh, for example, look like George Clooney or James Spader?”
He smiled. “No, sorry. Grandfather is our only celebrity look-alike.”
“Damn.”
“I have a few cousins, and my uncle, of course.”
“My brother, Patrick,” Tobias added.
“Rafael’s grandfather,” Taz said.
Tobias sadly nodded.
They should have some sort of funeral for Rafe, a memorial service at the very least, for those who loved him. She had to quit thinking she had the corner on the market of grief over his death.
The next morning, Tobias was alone in the kitchen when Taz went down for breakfast. His friendly smile alleviated some of her discomfort.
“Good morning, dear. Again, I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have teased you like that.”
It was hard not to like him. “It’s okay. I should be used to shit like that by now.” She realized what she said. “Sorry.”
He laughed. “That’s quite all right. Believe me, my ears aren’t sensitive, and I’ve been known to spout a few obscenities myself.”
She poured a cup of coffee and sat at the table. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course. Anything you wish.”
She took a moment to compose her thoughts. “First off, how old are you?”
“Eight hundred and forty-nine.”
She shuddered and her voice dropped. “How did you get through it?”
He studied her. “You mean losing loved ones?”
She met his eyes and nodded.
He touched her hand. “Anastazia, everyone copes in their own way. Rafael wouldn’t want you to be sad. He would want you to celebrate his life, remember the joy he brought you.”
Tobias’ comforting tone set her at ease. She dropped her mental barriers, just enough to send him a silent message.
“How do I talk with Matthias about this?”
He gripped her hand and mentally replied, “You don’t, if you don’t wish to. Always feel free to confide in me.”
She fought another bout of tears. “They’re going to chew me up and spit me out in London,” she whispered.
He gently squeezed her hand. “Anastazia, I think you have that backward. You’ve got them shitting proverbial bricks, darling.”
She laughed, but it sounded joyless. “I wish I believed that.”
“Don’t you realize that you’re—”
“Don’t say it. Don’t you dare say it.”
His eyes crinkled in amusement. “But it’s the truth.”
“I don’t care if it’s the truth. I’m sick of people telling me how fucking strong I am. It doesn’t change the fact that I feel like I’m crawling out of my skin.” Yes, that feeling had returned, even though the voice was still blissfully silent.
He released her hand and sat back. “You’ve been through a lot of emotional trauma in a very short amount of time. If I seem flippant, believe me, I’m not. I do understand that you’re upset and confused. I’m looking at your situation from the far distant end of things. I am proof that you can endure great heartbreak and eventually live with it. You must go easy on yourself, allow time to adequately grieve and work through the process. Unfortunately, your grief has been compounded by the recent events, and you have been denied that time.”
“Do I have to be in there alone when I testify?”
He shook his head. “Matthias cannot be there, because he was a party to the events, but I can go in with you, if you wish.”
“Please.”
“You’ll do fine. From what I understand, you’re a very talented attorney.”
“I’ve never had to go up before a room full of vampires.”
“Anastazia,” he said, his voice dropping again, “Rafael was well loved amongst his peers. He was a powerful member of the Tribunal. You are going in there with a room full of allies, not adversaries.”
She nodded but didn’t feel much better.
Matthias appeared in the kitchen doorway, his hair disheveled from sleep. “There you are, sweetheart.” He walked over and kissed her. “Are you all right?”
“Tobias and I were talking.”
“I’m trying to convince her that she has nothing to worry about in London. I also told her I’ll go in with her.”
Matthias poured his coffee and joined them at the table. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this, Grandfather.”
“Son, we’re family.”
“And what a freaky little family we are,” Taz snarked.
They flew commercial. First class, of course. The five of them sat near each other, and Taz didn’t speak much during the long flight from Tampa to Heathrow. At one point, Matthias gently squeezed her hand. When she met his eyes, he smiled and sent her a thought.
“You’ll do fine.”
“Glad you have confidence in me.” She turned back to the window but didn’t release his hand.
“This will be over soon, and we can get on with life.”
“And what kind of life is that?” She turned to him and finally spoke out loud. “Tell me what kind of life it is, Matthias.” She kept her voice low. “Let’s face it, we’re always going to be looking over our shoulders now, aren’t we? We don’t know who hired Caroline, and they’ll try again. Maybe not next week, but it’s a matter of time.”
“I wish I had answers. All I know is I will devote everything I have to keeping you safe.”
Getting through Customs proved easy. With the help of Matthias’ blue eyes, as a group they were waved through with barely a glance at their passports.