“appetizer” on his forehead and “idiot” on his ass. To add insult to injury, his last memory would probably be Daegan"s insufferable “I told you so” in his ears. There was a reason people weren"t supposed to live to be seven hundred. They just got to be too damned annoying, knowing everything.

He kept his gaze on the two in front of him. Anwyn had her hand resting on Daegan"s lifted one in that formal European-looking way. As they went down stone hallways illuminated with torchlight, even with their contemporary clothing, they looked the same as any lord and lady who might have passed this way centuries before. Gideon didn"t see any signs of modern fixtures until they passed an open doorway. It led into an office with a computer and printer on the desk. The harried-looking assistant on the phone didn"t even look up. It seemed out of place, a reverse glimpse of Wonderland. Old traditions, history and codes of behavior lay heavily over every square inch of the castle, making the air thicker. He suspected that was exactly why the Council preferred the Berlin location. Intimidating and institutional, it sent the right message. Unlikely to bend or change, it had settled formidably into its age.

The walls also whispered of old violence and blood. Where there were strong resonances from the past, his precogition sometimes worked in reverse, picking up visions of those times.

Old battles and hatreds, pain and suffering that had happened here. It wasn"t the Council"s doing, but they didn"t mind conducting their business on top of that environment.

He really didn"t like it here.

Anwyn was holding up well, though, fully in charge of her faculties and with energy to spare. However, he kept himself attuned to her mind, just in case. He wanted to speak into it, make sure she was okay, but realized from Daegan"s body language it would be best if they all behaved as expected, inside and out. Until it was absolutely necessary to do otherwise.

He"d gone into situations that he"d had a feeling from the beginning were not going to go well. Unfortunately, that meant his mind started to sift through possibilities, preparing for the worst.

Despite Daegan"s insistence on Anwyn"s need for a servant, his support for taking Gideon along, over Anwyn"s protests, what did he know of the vampire"s motives? He represented everything aloof, arrogant and secretive about vampires Gideon knew. Daegan loved Anwyn, that was easy enough to see, but he"d made it clear that didn"t extend any protection to Gideon.

If push came to shove, Daegan might use him as a bargaining chip to deal with the Council.

Which, if it was for Anwyn"s benefit, he"d do the same himself, but . . . Jesus, did he want the guy to betray him? Would that make things easier?

You can trust Daegan, Gideon. I’d stake my life on it. And I think you know it, too. Don’t let your fear of this place mess up your mind. Remember our night at the wine and cheese festival, how it felt between the three of us.

I’m not afraid of this place. Hell, she was tuning in to his thoughts. Trying to reassure him like he was some kind of little kid. Fuck. He really missed his crossbows, though.

The doors to the Council chambers were suitably impressive, tall and oak, banded with black steel hinges that gave way soundlessly as the male servant slipped inside, bidding them wait. Before there was time to exchange a word, he was back, gesturing. “Lord Belizar says you may enter now.”

The night he"d led an attack on the Vampire Gathering, Gideon hadn"t actually seen the Council. When he found out it had been a trap, that they"d been used by the made vampires intending to overthrow the Council, he"d been involved in getting his guys out of there, and then distracted by helping Jacob. While he recognized them from file descriptions, it was beyond surreal to step inside the large chamber and see those assembled faces for the first time. With effort, Gideon remembered not to stare directly at them, as much as it chafed.

Supercilious bastards.

Medieval-style chairs had been placed on an elevated wooden platform that formed a crescent shape around half the room. It clearly put the three of them in a petitioner"s status, no chair offered. Unrelenting stone was beneath their feet.

“Lord Daegan.” Belizar greeted them from his perch, centrally located to make it clear who headed the Council. Gideon identified Lord Uthe on his right, the councilor who"d been a particular friend to Jacob and Lyssa. There was no evidence of mercy now in his stern expression. It wasn"t hard picking out “Steve and Barb.” They were on the far end, clearly accorded the lowest status, but it was more than that that helped him recognize them. Whereas it was difficult to get born vampires to change their expressions, even if a poker was rammed up their asses, he picked up their simmering discontent and resentment of the current status quo under the mask of self-righteous indignation they both wore.

“During your recent visit, you informed the Council about recent events,” Belizar continued.

“We tabled several issues. Are you prepared to address them?”

“At the Council"s pleasure, we are here to do just that.”

Belizar nodded. “Begin by justifying your destruction of four made vampires without seeking our sanction first.”

No preliminaries for this group. Gideon found himself appreciative of it. A pre-chat about weather or the latest bloodsucker gossip would have grated his nerves.

“I will be pleased to provide that explanation to the Council, but as I noted then, I feel you have a far more serious issue threatening your authority than four unstable fledglings. I spoke of it privately with you and Lord Uthe, and ask leave to discuss it with the full Council now.” Daegan kept his attention locked on Belizar, waited for his nod before he swept his attention over the whole group. “That nest of vampires came looking for me. They sought me at a place I use as a sanctuary. Asked for me by my given name.”

“So you chose to kill them all? For your carelessness at being discreet?” Lord Stephen raised a brow.

“Among our kind, my name has only ever been spoken inside this chamber.” Daegan accorded him a cold glance that ran a shiver up even Gideon"s back. Dial it down, Daegan.

You might not want to remind them you’re the scariest thing in the room. Of course, maybe Daegan didn"t give a rat"s ass. Grudgingly, Gideon knew it was one of the things he kind of liked about the male.

“I killed them all, because the lead vampire was a homeless schizophrenic whose mind was gone, and the others were teenage prostitutes he"d turned. Henry Barnabus also illegally turned Anwyn Inara Naime, this fledgling. He and his cohorts left her to die of madness from a lack of her sire"s blood. Time was of the essence, as you know, so when I went to retrieve the blood, I destroyed the nest. It was efficient, for there was no doubt they had committed violations that have always resulted in a kill order.”

“That never gives you the right to assume a kill is sanctioned without permission,” Lady Helga said severely. “Lord Daegan, while you serve a valuable purpose to this Council, our decision to execute one of our own is always significant.”

Helga was a conservative member of the Council, Gideon recalled, so not necessarily in Steve and Barb"s camp, but a stickler for rules.

“I always take it as such,” Daegan returned. “But as I said, time was very short. While I greatly respect this Council"s authority, I thought I might be given some latitude because of the circumstances. The nest was a direct threat of exposure, and they might have scattered if I"d delayed.”

“Mmm.” Belizar gave a noncommittal noise. “We shall think on both of these things. But for the moment, present the fledgling to us, Lord Daegan.”

Daegan"s pause was minimal, but Gideon sensed his frustration, even if it didn"t show. The male inclined his head, though, and offered his hand to Anwyn, drawing her forward. As always, the Mistress of Atlantis handled herself without flaw. She made a graceful bow to the Council members, but remained silent. Daegan had counseled her to say nothing unless addressed, just as he had Gideon.

“Anwyn is a business owner. Her Club Atlantis is an upscale fetish club, very prosperous.

As you know, the Region Master and territory overlord are not yet aware of her presence, as I felt it more important to meet with you first on the matter of her validation and these other issues, but I expect they will welcome her addition in their territory.” Irritation curled in Gideon at the thorough appraisal of the other vampires, particularly the males. “A beautiful addition to Lord Walton"s territory.” That came from Lord Stewart, to the left of Belizar. “As a fledgling, she of course will serve the requisite period of transition in his household. A temporary manager can be installed in her club to handle its operations until that period is over.”

“With respect,” Daegan interjected, “I propose a less disruptive option for her club operations and for her. Anwyn has already provided me a sanctuary for some time in her home.

It is well suited for a vampire"s habitation, and I have assumed the role her sire should have during her transition.”

“But if you continue to serve us, Lord Daegan, you cannot give her the guidance she needs.

To our knowledge, you have never even taken a servant, let alone shepherded a fledgling. Your differences may make it . . . difficult for her to truly assimilate into our society.” Gideon saw the smallest finger on Daegan"s left hand, held to his side, twitch. A bare movement, nothing anyone else would see, but he thought it was an indication that Stewart had struck a nerve. And despite his smooth, oh-so-helpful tone, Gideon had no doubt it was intended to do so.

“I"ve already established location and mind blood-links with her,” Daegan said. “Almost all of my trips of late have been of short duration. Surely the services I have rendered will make it possible for me to have six months to stay close to her area, or continue such short trips.”

“That seems unnecessary and unwise.” Lord Stewart shook his head. “I strongly support her move to Lord Walton"s home for the time necessary to oversee her transition and integration into vampire society. Her business will be an excellent source of income to compensate Lord Walton for his effort. He is a close friend of mine, and I will be pleased to visit periodically and monitor her progress.”