Though nothing about her screamed arrogance, she exuded vitality and confidence. She was tall and slim, with perfectly symmetrical features, and a regal posture that in no way inhibited her sensuality. Mahone could just as easily picture her wielding a sword to protect her people as reclining in bed, her body cushioned by cashmere and silk, as she opened her thighs and beckoned him to top her.
To fuck her.
He gasped, appalled that he’d thought such a scandalous thing about vampire royalty, but at the same time something startling happened. She gasped, too. Her cheeks went pink. Her mouth dropped open. Her eyes grew slumberous. As if she was picturing the very thing he’d been—as if she’d been aroused by it.
Her reaction snapped Mahone back to reality. Eyes narrowing, he took a step away from her, and blurted out, “Are you reading my mind?”
At his words, her blush dissipated and her expression went smooth. She laughed, an inviting, tinkling sound. “Why would I need to read your mind when your desire for me is so obvious?”
Again, she spoke without arrogance or disdain. It was merely a fact, one he couldn’t very well deny with his erection standing at attention inside his pants. Somehow, he managed to speak without sounding like a babbling idiot. “That doesn’t answer my question,” he said.
He just wanted her to know that he knew vampires couldn’t lie and thus were usually masters at evasion.
She smiled approvingly. “You’re right, of course. I apologize. It’s habit. But no, I wasn’t reading your mind. My people don’t read minds as a matter of course. We consider it rude. But I could read your mind anytime I wanted—if, for example, I felt you were lying to me or were a danger to my people.”
“We both know that between the two of us, I’m hardly the dangerous one here.”
She sighed. “Yes. I understand only too well why humans fear us. It’s natural. It’s why we’ve stayed hidden for so long. And why we want to stay concealed, despite the dissatisfaction that causes.”
“Who’s dissatisfied?” It seemed impossible. Not with her for a queen.
Her brows furrowed. “You can’t be serious, Mr. Mahone. Living in the dark? Hiding who we are? Suppressing our natural abilities? All so we can stay safe. You must know how unnatural and tedious that is. It’s certainly not our first choice.”
“Huh. Must be why some vampires no longer follow your rule. But a lot of laws are a pain in the ass.”
She politely ignored his second comment. “I assume that by ‘some vampires’ you mean the ones you call Rogues. I understand they’re causing all sorts of problems.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
She tapped her platinum-tipped fingernails together for a thoughtful moment. “All societies have those who refuse to follow the law. We can only police them a little and that from a distance, unfortunately. Maintaining our secrecy is our chief concern.”
“Of course.”
She smiled again. “Well, Mr. Mahone? Is that why you wished to meet with me? To ask for my help with the Rogues?”
He was having a hard time remembering why he was here, given the all-consuming lust that was riding him. With effort, he crossed his legs and pretended to brush a speck of invisible dust from one of his wingtips. He needed to focus on bigger things. Not necessarily more important, just bigger. For now.
“Yes, Your Majesty. In part. But also because I know things can’t continue like this. The reason the FBI went to the Rogues is because you refused to give us any real information about your people. Information that would take away the mystery, and thus maybe the fear, of vampires.”
She pursed her glistening lips for a fraction of a second. Fascinated, Mahone stared at her. Do that again, honey.
She didn’t.
“And maybe the reason I refused is because any information I give will only highlight what a threat we would be. If we were so inclined. We’re not, but despite the fact I’ve assured your people of that time and again, you don’t believe me. There’s nothing I can do to change that.”
“You’re wrong,” he said, obviously surprising her. He got the distinct feeling she didn’t hear those words very often.
She sat down on the chaise next to him, crossed her legs under the gown she wore—that, at least, resembled something a queen would wear—and said, “Tell me more.”
“You tell us the truth about your powers and we devise ways to reassure humans about them.” He cleared his throat, unsure if he could actually say the words out loud, but he had to. It was the only way FBI Director Hallifax would even consider negotiating with this female.
The queen obviously sensed his discomfort and narrowed her eyes. “Continue.”
“Right now, part of the problem is the fact your people are hidden. We have no way to police you. What if vampires agree to wear some kind of emblem or monitoring equipment—”
She pushed to her feet, her sudden anger all too apparent. “Like a scarlet A? Or ankle bracelets? We are not in-home-custody defendants. My people are a sovereign nation.”
“A sovereign nation existing within another sovereign nation,” he pointed out.
“Don’t waste my time, Mr. Mahone.”
With that, she strode toward the door, obviously ready to end their meeting when it had barely begun. No wonder. He’d known she’d never go for such things. But he’d tried. And now he’d try again. His way.
“Wait. Please. You must realize the position I’m in. I’m trying to do the right thing here.”
She paused with her hand on the doorknob, then turned back toward him. “I know. But that won’t be accomplished by treating my people like pariahs or criminals or victims. We’ll fight before we’ll allow that to happen, and you can take that to the bank, Mr. Mahone.”
Mahone wondered for a second if the vampire community had its own kind of money. One nation, under blood—
He realized she was staring at him.
“Sorry. Zoned out for a sec. Hey, how about helping me help you?”
“I beg your pardon?” Her tone was elegantly frosty.
What a voice. He felt hotter.
“Help me bring down the Rogues. The longer they run amok, the more havoc they create. Which will lead to more and more problems between your people and mine.”
Queen Bianca took a step toward him. Just one.
“You’re asking me to help you silence Rogues so that … what? The FBI can find others to turn humans in opposition to our laws?”
“Strengthening the Turning Program by eliminating the Rogues is definitely what the FBI wants. It’s why I wanted them captured initially. But I know now it’s much more than that. Avoiding or ignoring you will only postpone the inevitable. The day is coming when our nations either turn against one another or unite. I think we should get a head start on our unification—by working together to defeat our common enemy.”
“Just to be clear. You want information that will enable you to easily defeat the Rogues.”
“Yeah.”
“But that would mean sharing vampire secrets that will place those loyal to me in peril if humans are informed.”
She was considering what he was asking, but she was far from convinced. Mahone thought about Belladonna, and the news he’d just received that Salvation’s Crossing had invited both Ty and Ana inside its walls.
He’d okayed the trip. So had Carly.
Mahone pondered the issue of his loyalty to the FBI and its mission to use the vampires to its best advantage versus his duty to humans in general, which included keeping peace with vampires so no one got unnecessarily hurt. He thought about the very real possibility that if the FBI continued to do what it was doing, vampires would fight back in a big way. And he thought about this female, who would no doubt lead the vampires in their fight against humans, and the way he still wanted to fuck her.