Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(16)

"First, the Judge is not a pea shooter. It is a high-powered revolver that is easily handled and maintained."

"It's also ineffective against most spooks," he said, without taking his eyes off the TV.

"And yet I was able to kill Eleanor with it." I folded my arms across my chest.

"You got lucky; you probably won't be a second time."

I left that alone. There hadn't been any luck involved. I was prepared and had learned my lesson from my previous failures.

"How did you know I even had it?" I asked.

He tapped an ear. "Superior hearing, remember? I heard you take it out of your safe." He then tapped his nose. "Also, I could smell the gun oil you use to clean it."

I filed that last piece away. I'd known about the hearing—though mine was nowhere near as sensitive as his—but hadn't realized we also had a heightened sense of smell.

"Any chance I'm going to get it back?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Anything is possible; however, the chances of you getting that thing back while you're under this roof are improbable." He gave me a jaunty grin. "Liam decides who goes armed in the mansion."

And he wasn't my biggest fan at the best of times. Having just involved myself in an interspecies incident, I doubted he'd be cutting me any breaks anytime soon.

I rubbed my forehead and sighed. I did not like being unarmed in hostile territory. Worse, the ammo inside the Judge was my own special blend, complete with silver nitrate. None of my other weapons had ammo like that, so they would be useless against a spook until I could find time to create more.

Nathan switched off the TV and climbed to his feet. "Enough about your pea shooter. Time for the real fun of the evening to begin."

I gave him a frown at his nickname for the Judge and followed him on grudging feet as he steered me out of the room. If nothing else, the tour would at least give me an idea of the lay of the land in case I needed to find the best exit points.

*

The mansion, it turned out, was a bit of a maze. The areas I'd seen the last time I was here were only the beginning. In addition to the great ballroom, there were two other massive sitting rooms, a pool and sauna in the basement, as well as two wings set aside for the enforcers and their companions.

We made our way up from the basement as Nathan pointed out several other features of the mansion, including a section that he called the war room.

"Our weapons are stored in a locker in there." He gave me a sidelong glance. "I'd recommend not approaching unless you're accompanied by one of us. It's under twenty-four-hour observation, so we'll know if you trespass. The consequences of such an incident would be severe."

He gestured to the ceiling, pointing out the cameras so I would know he was serious. I suspected that the visible cameras were only the start of their security measures.

A man stepped out of one of the rooms, his silver-gray eyes meeting mine before his companion distracted him.

Seeing the other vampire, Nathan grabbed my arm and drew me away, trying to distract me with inane chatter. "Let me show you our entertainment room. It's pretty sweet."

I looked back over my shoulder even as Nathan kept marching me forward. Thomas watched me with an enigmatic gaze as his fellow vampire talked at him. Seeing where Thomas’s attention had focused, the man paused and glanced my way, his eyes narrowing as he took in our retreating figures.

Nathan didn't release me until we were halfway across the house, and then only because I twisted my arm out of his grip. I had no doubt he let me escape, but I'd take what I could get.

"Does Thomas visit you guys often?" I asked in a calm voice.

Nathan looked uncomfortable, his shoulders tense as he avoided my gaze.

"Nathan?" I stepped in front of him, bringing him to a halt. "What is Thomas doing here and is he here often?"

"That's one way to put it."

I narrowed my eyes. It was not lost on me that he’d given a cryptic non-answer that failed to address the first part of my question.

"Does he live here?" I asked.

Nathan grimaced. That was answer enough.

I let out an animalistic growl, the sound wild and full of anger. My fangs dropped down and my hands curled into fists.

Nathan stepped in front of me and held up his hands, his face clear of any amusement for once. "You cannot confront him right now. He’s the master of this territory. You make a scene in public, and he'll have no choice but to punish you. Believe me, you don't want that."

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm. It wasn't like I planned to hunt Thomas down and attack him right this second. I wasn't an idiot. Thomas was powerful, perhaps more powerful than any vampire, with the possible exception of one of the vampire elders I'd met last year.

I wasn't sure of that last part, since I was still learning how to decipher things my magic-seeing eye showed me. What it had shown me of Thomas, was enough to impress on me the need to have a concrete plan and exit strategy, in the event I wanted to take him down. Even then, if I were ever to take revenge against him for what he'd done to me, I'd strike unseen from a distance, and make sure it could never be traced back to me.

My fangs folded back into my gums, and I glared at Nathan for a long moment before turning on my heel and striding away. His footsteps were nearly silent as he followed me down the hall.