“Okey-dokey,” he said. He strolled into a room that was as elegant as everything else he had seen of her home. She had continued with the Mediterranean theme in the interior decor. The room had textured walls, thirteenth-century Florentine tapestries and artwork, and leather burgundy furniture. Way to be all-over classy, Carling.
As he opened up the container to pull out his duffle and Carling’s leather bag, he heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching. They were much heavier than Carling’s soft, almost imperceptible tread, no doubt belonging to a male. “Councillor!” Yep, it was a male. “What a surprise! What may I do for you? Would you like for me to wake the others?”
“There’s no need to bother them, Rufio,” Carling said. “I’m not staying.”
“The others” must be Vampyres, as it was fairly standard practice in Vampyre households to have a human or two on staff to attend to daytime affairs.
Carling was continuing. “I have dismissed Rhoswen. She is no longer acting on my behalf, nor is she to be trusted. She may come by for her things, so you are to have everything packed and waiting for her, but do not allow her access to any part of the house unsupervised, is that understood? I want to know if she becomes a problem for you. If she does, or you feel threatened in any way, let me know and I will take care of her.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Startlement-R-Us. Was there something else in the male’s voice, something like relief, or was that Rune’s imagination? He wished he could see the human so he could get a take on the other male’s expression, although anyone Carling had on staff would have the ability to be discreet.
“Two more things before I go. First, the staff needs to look after Rasputin for the time being while I attend to some unexpected business. Rhoswen was to have hired someone to look after him, but I had to let her go before that happened. Have Abelard look for someone. He should have a list of prospects prepared for me by the end of the week. Is that clear?”
“Yes, ma’am. And what is the second thing?”
“Pack some clothes and things for me, and send it to the Fairmont Hotel.”
“Yes, ma’am. Right away. Has the little man eaten recently?”
Little man. Rune grinned. He might grow to like this Rufio guy.
“He’s due for his evening meal. What is the date and time here?”
Given that the Other land was not in sync with the time in San Francisco, it was not as odd a question as it might otherwise have sounded. Rufio informed her that it was late Monday morning. Rune had left on Friday evening, so the time slippage hadn’t been all that bad.
“Excellent. Give him a late breakfast, and he’ll be on track for the next evening meal. Don’t take the stasis collar off of him until we are gone. There’s no need to go through all his drama while I leave the house.”
“We? My apologies, Councillor. I did not realize we had a guest to attend to.”
“We don’t. Wyr sentinel Rune Ainissesthai is with me, and he and I are just leaving.”
“Very good, ma’am. I’ll have some of your things sent to the Fairmont within the hour.”
Rune rolled his eyes. He knew just what those things would be too. The forecast called for more wretched caftans with a ten percent chance of classic black Chanel scattered throughout. Shoes, optional. Makeup, nonexistent.
“Feed Rasputin first, Rufio,” Carling said.
“Yes, ma’am. Of course. Will there be anything else?”
“No, that will be all, thank you.”
Rune walked out of the room, their two bags in his hand, and he met Carling as she returned. He looked over Carling’s shoulder at the tall, wide-shouldered man who cuddled Rasputin at the opposite end of the hall and stared back, his face alive with curiosity. Rufio was perhaps a fit forty years old and well groomed.
Of course he had to be a good-looking male, didn’t he? Rune wasn’t so sure he would like the other man after all. He found his lip curling and instead of suggesting Carling take her time and at least have a hot shower before they left, he growled, “Ready to go?”
She looked at him in surprise, but whether that was for his tone of voice or his question, he didn’t know. “Of course.” He walked with her out the front door. When they were outside, she turned to face him. “What is wrong?”
As soon as the door was shut behind them, he began to feel better. “Nothing,” he said. “Nothing at all. Why don’t I change again? I can fly us to the Fairmont more quickly than a taxi could take us.”
She frowned. She was certain something had been wrong. In the hall he had flared with aggression, but whatever had set him off, the aggression was gone now. She put it out of her mind and shrugged. “Fine, if that’s what you want to do.”
Secretly she was thrilled. She couldn’t wait to fly with him again. She schooled her face to hide her excitement as they stepped down to the sidewalk, he handed her his duffle and her leather bag, and shimmered into the change. Just before he shifted, he cloaked them again. She felt the ripple of it settle over them both like a warm blanket. As she leaped onto his back, he pointed out, “And still, nobody has seen us.”
Amused, she tapped the back of his sleek eagle’s head. “Pay attention. There’s nobody around.”
“You want more proof? I’ll just have to show you more proof.” He crouched and launched.
The power in his spring was even more incredible as he took off from land. Her spirits launched with him, in a straight-up trajectory toward exhilaration. After a steep climb, he wheeled to head in the direction of the hotel.
The Fairmont Hotel was one of the premiere luxury hotels in San Francisco. It sat atop Nob Hill and looked over the city and the Bay, and it had hundreds of rooms and suites, three restaurants and lounges, ballrooms, multimedia rooms for business conferences, shops and a spa. It was not far from Carling’s house, so in just a few minutes they landed on the hotel’s spacious manicured grounds, and Rune waited until Carling slid off his back before he changed into his human form.
Carling watched in fascination as he rippled through the change again. She had seen him change a few times now, and she still could not quite grasp what happened. This time the blur of his change was made even more indistinct by the cloaking . . . spell? no, that didn’t seem quite right, as it didn’t involve an incantation . . . that he kept wrapped around them. Then he was in his human form again, with his broad bare chest, horrible blood-streaked jeans and all.
He stepped close to put an arm around her and she leaned into him. “By the way, how are you feeling?” he asked. “Any hint of an approaching fade?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“Good.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Check this out; here’s your proof. We’ve landed, you’re here in public, I’m half dressed, and nobody’s noticed. Now Councillor, you’ve got to admit, that’s just not right.”
Her eyebrows shot up and she laughed. She took a quick look around. The fog blew vaporous tendrils of white along the streets. She could hear and see people and traffic in the distance, but by some trick of chance, once more nobody happened to be nearby. “That’s sheer luck,” she said. “Nobody has noticed us because again, nobody is paying attention. I’m not convinced.”
“All right,” he said. “Come with me. Just remember to be quiet now. The cloaking only works on the visual, not on the auditory senses.”
He took the bags from her again and slung them onto one shoulder, kept his other arm around her, and walked with her to the flagged, well-lit portico at the front of the hotel. She stayed silent, watching the street that was busy with honking traffic and pedestrians as Rune steered them down the sidewalk. This time they came closer to other people, and not one person glanced their way.