Hidden (House of Night #10)(21)

"It's the lobby of the Mayo," Aphrodite said dryly. "And that's my dad standing behind her."

"Ohmygoodness!" Stevie Rae's eyes were giant and round. "She's giving a press conference with the mayor?"

"And some of the city council. Those are the rest of the suits with him," Aphrodite said.

Then the video started to play and we all shut up and gawked.

"I am here to officially and publicly sever my ties with the Tulsa House of Night and the Vampyre High Council." Somehow Neferet managed to look regal and victimized at the same time.

"She's so full of shit," Aphrodite said.

"Shhh!" the rest of us shushed her.

"High Priestess Neferet, why would you sever ties with your people?" asked one of the reporters.

"Can we not be considered one people? Are we all not intelligent beings with the capacity to love and understand one another?" Apparently she was speaking rhetorically because she didn't wait for an answer. "Vampyre politics have become distasteful to me. Many of you know that recently I opened employment at the House of Night to the Tulsa community. I did so because of my conviction that humans and vampyres can do more than just uneasily co-exist. We can live and work and even love together."

Stevie Rae made gagging noises. I kept shaking my head back and forth in disbelief.

"I received so much resistance from the Vampyre High Council that they sent their High Priestess of Death, Thanatos, to Tulsa to intercede. The current vampyre administration promotes violence and segregation-just look at the past six months and the record of increasing violence in Midtown Tulsa. Do you really believe all of the attacks, especially those involving bloodletting, were human gang related?"

"High Priestess, are you admitting that vampyres have attacked humans in Tulsa?"

Neferet's hand flew dramatically to her neck. "If I knew that with one hundred percent certainty, I would have gone to the local police immediately. I only have suspicions and concerns. I also have a conscience, which is why I have left the House of Night." Her smile was luminous. "Please, you no longer need to call me High Priestess. From here on I am simply Neferet."

Even through the video I could see the reporter blushing and smiling at her.

"There have been rumors of a new kind of vampyre, one with red Marks. Can you substantiate that rumor?" asked another reporter.

"Sadly, I can. There is, indeed, a new type of vampyre-and fledgling. Those who are Marked in red are damaged in some way."

"Damaged? Can you give us an example?"

"Certainly. The first that comes to mind is James Stark-a fledgling who came to us from Chicago after he accidentally caused his mentor's death. He has become the first Warrior red vampyre."

I gasped.

"That bitch is talking about your boyfriend!" Aphrodite said.

"Just last night the school's longtime Sword Master, Dragon Lankford, was killed. Gored to death by a bull. Lankford was in James Stark's company when the accident"-she emphasized the word, making it clear she didn't believe it-"happened."

"Are you saying this Stark vampyre is dangerous?"

"I'm afraid he could be. Actually, many of the new fledglings and vampyres could be. After all, the new High Priestess of the Tulsa House of Night is Death."

"Can you give us more specifics about-"

One of the suits stepped forward, cutting Neferet off. "I, more than most, am highly concerned about these developments in the vampyre community. As many of you know, my beloved daughter, Aphrodite, was Marked almost four years ago. I understand all too well that vampyres do not like humans to meddle in their personal, political, or criminal affairs. They have long policed their own. But, let me assure you, and our local House of Night, that by Tulsa Council resolution, we will be creating a committee to look into vampyre-human relations. I'm afraid that is all the time we have for questions today." The man who stepped forward and spoke into Neferet's microphone was Aphrodite's dad-the mayor of Tulsa. "I do have one more short announcement to make. Beginning immediately, Neferet has been added to the City Council committee under the title of Vampyre Liaison. Let me reiterate, Tulsa intends to partner with vampyres who wish to live peacefully with humans." When the reporters all started speaking at once, he raised one hand, smiled a little patronizingly (which weirdly reminded me of Aphrodite). "Neferet will be authoring a weekly column in the Tulsa World's Scene insert. For now that will be the forum through which she will answer your multitudes of questions. Keep in mind that we are at the very beginnings of a partnership here. We must move slowly and gently so as not to upset the delicate balance of vampyre-human relations."

I was watching Neferet's face instead of the mayor and I saw the way her eyes narrowed and the hardening of her expression. Then Mayor LaFont waved at the camera and the video shifted back to Chera Kimiko and the studio. Damien tapped the screen, and it went blank.

"Oh, for shit's sake! My father has lost what living with my mother had left of his mind," Aphrodite said.

"Hey, thought I heard someone call my name." Stark walked into the room, running his fingers through his bed head and giving me his sexy, cocky, half smile.

"Neferet just had a press conference and told everyone you're a dangerous killer," I heard myself telling him.