“Oh, they’re not Cora’s servants,” Jane said, rushing forward to stand next to me before Christian. She bobbed a little awkward curtsy, gesturing toward her chest. “We’re a union, you see. Technically the liches are under my control—”
Alec, are you insane?
“Oh, for the love of Pete,” Eleanor said, pushing her way through the mob of slowly retreating liches. She gave Alec a sour look before running her gaze over the remainder of the vampires present.
No, just amused.
“—most of them are under my control, technically, as I said, but we are a cooperative, and under most circumstances function along the lines of a self-policing commune rather than a dictatorship. I’m Jane, by the way.”
Amused because I expect you to give me the respect due to your partner in life? I asked, outraged and ready to punch him in the arm.
No, I’m grateful beyond human understanding for that, mi querida.
Christian made a bow at Jane before turning to give Eleanor his attention. “And you are?”
“She is my Beloved,” Alec said, finally giving in to my glares enough that he stopped laughing, and, taking my hand in his, kissed my fingers.
Christian raised one eyebrow. The other vampires looked vaguely scandalized. “You have two, as well?”
“I do. Eleanor was my first Beloved, the one who was killed by Kristoff’s first wife some five hundred years ago. Corazon is her reincarnation, and thus it is she who is now my true Beloved.”
“You know,” Eleanor said to the vampire nearest her, the one everyone called the messenger, “I’m really getting tired of being referred to as the disposable Beloved.”
The vampire just stared at her.
“I don’t suppose you’d like me for your own?” she asked him.
“Er . . .”
“That’s it,” Eleanor said, shoving the vamp aside. “I’ve had more rejection than is right for any one woman to have. Send me back to the Underworld. Right now. You can all go to hell for all I care—I just want to go back to my adorable little house, and garden, and friend with benefits who never, ever rejects me.”
“Er . . .” I leaned into Alec. Do you know how to send someone to the Underworld?
Yes. You kill them.
My eyes widened as I looked at Eleanor standing angrily in front of us. “Uh . . .” Is there no other way?
Yes.
“Well?” Eleanor asked.
I looked at Alec. He looked back at me. Well? I asked him in turn.
Well, what? Are you trying to imply that you’d like me to take over this matter, rather than let you deal with it as you obviously prefer to do with problems?
I jabbed him in the side with my elbow. “You are so incredibly funny. Get over yourself already, would you? You know full well what I mean.”
He laughed again, wrapped an arm around me, and addressed Christian. “Is your Beloved available for a Release ceremony?”
Christian pursed his lips slightly as he glanced at Eleanor’s angry expression. “I have no doubt she would be happy to do so, although she has not yet conducted such ceremonies on the living. Allegra is nothing if not dedicated, however, and I’m sure she would be delighted to tackle the situation. Madame, if you would please follow August, he will take you to my Beloved.”
The messenger’s companion gestured toward the doorway, still filled with liches who were watching the proceedings with unabashed interest. They parted to allow Eleanor and the vampire through.
“You’re welcome,” I yelled after Eleanor when she turned on her heel and marched off without anything but an annoyed sniff in our direction. “I hope you stay there this time,” I added in a much softer tone.
Alec’s arm tightened around my waist, no doubt in warning to behave myself. That reminded me of just why I was there with Jane’s lich army. I turned back to the four council members, who were now clustered around the messenger, who was gesturing at Alec and me as he spoke in a low tone.
“I am not going to let you send Alec anywhere,” I announced in a firm, no-nonsense voice. “Or me, if that’s what Mr. Nosy there is telling you that you should do. I know you guys are angry at Alec about some mix-up in the past, but that was then, and this is now, and although I may not be a lichmaster like Jane, I think you can see that Alec and I mean business.”
Thank you for including me in that statement.
I told you, we’re a couple now. That means we do important things together. I glanced at him, suddenly worried that he didn’t really want to be part of a team.
He leaned to the side and kissed me, very gently. There is nothing I want more than to be a team with you , Beloved.
I smiled, all warm and fuzzy inside at the emotion behind the words.
“Yes, we can see that you mean business,” Christian said, taking his own sweet time to finish his conversation before turning back to us. He made a dismissive gesture. “You’re free to go.”
I gawked at him for a minute. “Both of us?” I asked, just to make sure I was understanding him correctly.
“Both of you.” He gave a pointed look toward the mass of people at the door. “I’d be appreciative if you took your lich army with you.”
“We’re not really an army,” Jane said quickly. “We’re fully unionized, so that each member can feel he or she is an important part of our family.”
“Wait. . . . You’re letting us go?” Alec laughed again as I shook my head. “You’re really that worried about the liches?”
“On the contrary, with all due respect to the lich union, they are nothing more than an annoyance.”
I thought for a moment. “Is it because Sally is helping us? Did she threaten you guys?”
“Sally?” Christian frowned. “Do I know of a Sally?”
“I mentioned her earlier,” the messenger said with a dark look toward me.
“Ah, her.” Christian’s eyes widened for a moment. “No, it is not the threat of the—” He bit off the word with a look toward the liches. “It is not due to her that we have released Alec.”
I looked at the love of my life. “Did they just come to their senses?”
“Something like that,” he said, kissing me again.
“I didn’t need to rouse the liches?”
“No. If you’d stayed put, I would have been back there by now, and it all would have been taken care of.”
I smacked him on the chest. “Dammit, I hate being left out of things. What did you do to get them to let up on you?”
“He helped rid the mortal world of Bael,” Christian answered. “That, along with continued petitions by Kristoff and Pia, have been deemed as suitable punishment for the acts of the past.”
“But . . . I thought you guys didn’t mind Bael? I mean, wasn’t there some sort of a pact you had with him?”
“One he honored only when he felt like it,” Christian said with a wry twist to his lips. “Bael was a danger to us, as well as mortals.”
“Oh. So we really can go?”
“Yes.” This time he did smile. “Although Allegra would like to meet you. She enjoys meeting other Beloveds. If you decide to stay in Vienna, I would be happy to introduce you to her, perhaps over dinner.”
I looked from him to Alec. “The man who put you in the Akasha to die wants to do dinner.”
“We would be delighted,” Alec said politely, pinching my behind as I tried to wrap my brain around this sudden change in the situation.
Dammit, Alec, I was all prepared to fight for you!
I know you were, and I appreciate that. But there is no need. I had a feeling that once the council realized that you were instrumental in ridding the mortal and immortal worlds of Bael, they would look kindly upon my case, since they could not damn you to any punishment they wished to mete out upon me.