Note: Please see Prologue for warning, copyright and disclaimer information.
The Carnival
Cormac came out of his meditation as the plane landed. I tried not to clutch at the couch, forcing my fingers to relax against the fabric. When the plane stopped, Jax came out of the cockpit and helped us collect our bags before he opened the door.
We put our things in the waiting car with help from a mortal who didn't seem to know what we were. The man looked at me funny when I placed the crossbow on the back seat, but he was too polite to comment.
A few minutes later, Jax rejoined us and we got into the car. Jax drove, and Cormac sat beside him while I had the back seat to myself. It took us nearly an hour to get into Paris, and I couldn't help but be thrilled to see the many famous landmarks I'd only heard about. Jax pointed out the hotel we'd be staying at, but drove directly to a house across the avenue from the Eiffel tower.
Paris was a bustling city, with a lot of old beautiful buildings. I tried very hard not to look like a gaping tourist as I got out of the car and a ghoul drove it away. Jax led us inside one of those old buildings and down into the basement of the house.
The basement seemed very ordinary except for a large set of bookshelves set along one wall. Jax pulled on one of the books and a panel swung out to reveal a wide staircase. As soon as the panel opened, we could hear music and talking from below. Jax led us down what turned out to be a set of stairs wide enough for five people to walk and not rub elbows. It was built like an old grand staircase, except that it was made entirely from metal. It looked very industrial, down to the holes in each metal step.
We hadn't gone downward very far when Cormac's steps faltered and it surprised me. "What is it?" I asked, worried about some unknown danger we might be walking into. I knew there were vamps down there and I didn't want to have to fight our way to the prince.
He sighed, but kept walking downward. "A Carnival."
Why would that be a problem? "And that means what, merry go rounds and dart tossing?"
"Ah, merry tossing and darts go round," he said dryly with a shake of his head.
I didn't understand his hesitation. "Is this a bad thing?"
He glanced over his shoulder at me. "You're going to see some very interesting things this evening," he warned me.
Everything I saw looked interesting, actually. The entire place was very high-tech and everything seemed to be made of metal or plastic. The room was huge, with several chrome and glass domes dominating the center that concealed booths of some sort.
As we walked downward, I saw that there was a picture gallery of some sort at the bottom of the stairs. With a start I realized that all of the artwork hanging there showed people in various stages of undress. Most of the paintings were very tastefully done, but a few were quite graphic.
I glanced away from the gallery only for my steps to falter when I realized that fully one third of the people in the crowd were quite naked. I didn't know what bothered me more, the bare servants, or the sheer number of Kindred and ghouls that I could see and feel walking among them.
A beautiful dark haired ghoul met us at the bottom of the stairs wearing a very revealing dress. She was greeting people, and talked to Jax in French.
"Gee," I mumbled to myself, "I'm glad my dress didn't look like that."
Cormac glanced at me, an uneasy look on his face. "I'm glad she's wearing the dress."
I looked at the many naked people in the crowd around us. "Uh-huh."
"This is the hostess of the establishment," Jax told us after a few minutes. "Cormac, this is Cerise, Cerise, this is Cormac"
"Good evening," she said in heavily accented English. "Monsieur Knight has told me that you are visiting the city, that you have come to see the prince. Please feel free to make use of the carnival after you have spoken with him."
She turned to me and gave me the once over twice. "What a lovely young lady you have here, sir," she told Cormac. "There is quite a number of things the carnival has to offer, feel free to peruse it after your meeting." She handed Cormac and I packages of what looked like tokens that we both took with some hesitation. "Because you are first time guests, it is customary to allow a certain amount of testing of the games area. Have you been to a carnival before, Monsieur?"
"I briefly visited the one in Las Vegas," Cormac replied.
I shot him a startled look at that. He'd been to one of these… flesh-peddling establishments?
He looked right back at me and added, "On business."
Cerise looked pleased. "Ah, then I don't have to explain the bridal path to you, sir."
"No," he assured her, "that is quite all right." He looked very uncomfortable and I wondered just what exactly the Bridal Path was.
"I personally have never been to the Las Vegas carnival," she told him, "but I'm sure it is quite lovely. Jax knows where the conclave meets, he will lead you there."
"Thank you."
"It was a pleasure to meet you," she said as she turned to greet the next visitors. "Enjoy your stay in Paris."
"Thank you," he repeated.
When Jax had led us a few feet into the room, Cormac reached forward and tapped him on the shoulder. When the ghoul turned around, he demanded, "Why didn't you warn us? How did you introduce Eliza?"
"I-I thought you knew," Jax said softly, confused.
"How did you introduce Eliza," he repeated more calmly, "in case I need to maintain?"
Jax seemed puzzled. "I said that she's your ghoul, sir."
Cormac nodded. "Very well, then."
"Is that inappropriate?" he asked, worried. "That was my assumption."
"No," he replied. "That is quite all right. Never mind."
Jax nodded and turned to lead us through the throng.
"Business?" I hissed at Cormac as we followed him. "There's business here? Are you in the sex trade now?"
He glanced back at me. "We were trailing a rouge Gangrel who was killing indiscriminately, Eliza." He sounded very irritated with me.
"And you didn't call me?" I asked, trying to keep my mind off the naked people all around us. "I could have helped."
"I did not know you existed," he reminded me.
"I could kill something," I told him distractedly. "Or maim, maim would be good."
"Well, if you feel the need to release some tension," he drawled, "I'm sure we could find something here for you."
I glanced around, seeing naked flesh everywhere and feeling vampires all around me. I swallowed and fastened my eyes on Cormac's back. "I'd rather be elsewhere."
"I believe this is elsewhere," he told me.
We followed Jax past a large bar area covered with an enormous dome. Smaller domes covered game areas, but I couldn't figure out just what games they were playing. We walked past a café style area toward a large solid looking door.
From what I could tell there were about twenty vamps in the crowd, and for real now it made me very edgy. A group of five stood to one side of the door Jax was leading us to, two male and the rest female. The others seemed to defer to the tall dark vamp, and it was hard to miss the fact that he was staring right at me through the crowd. I felt a shiver go up my spine and instinctively stepped a little closer to Mac.
"This is the door of the conclave room," Jax told us when he stopped in front of it. "Do you want me to come inside with you?"
"If you would like to," Mac replied.
He shook his head. "I'll just wait out here."
"As you wish."
I was really getting tired of hearing Cormac say that, but I tried to let my irritation slide as Jax knocked on the door.
A pretty female ghoul opened the door and looked at Cormac. "The prince is expecting you," she told him, stepping back to let us into the room.
At that point it occurred to me that if Jax didn't have to go in, maybe I didn't either. Of course it was too late by then to say anything, so I followed Mac into the room. It was a hell of a lot different than the carnival, very old worldy. Brocaded fabric covered the walls, and the stone floor had been worn smooth.
A large round table surrounded by six tall chairs stood opposite the door. Near that was a huge desk behind which sat a woman, a ghoul. At her side was a little boy but I couldn't get a good enough look at him to see exactly what he was.
To my right I saw a huge fireplace and seating area. Two couches faced each other, with vampires seated on both of them. Two chairs faced the couches, and a tall Kindred man stood leaning against the mantle, one foot propped up on the hearth.
The girl who had opened the door led us to the empty chairs and told us to have a seat. Then she joined two other women at a sideboard behind one of the couches.
Mac stood back a little to let me walk to the far chair, but I waited for him to sit down before I did. The Kindred woman that was closest to him made a point not to look in his direction, and I wondered at her obvious hostility.
The vamp near the fireplace straightened and adjusted the cuffs of his expensive suit. "Good evening," he said pleasantly. "The Tremere have arranged for your stay within my city, and I believe everything is taken care of, this is just a formality. Have you any idea how long you plan on staying?"
"Not as yet, my prince," Cormac replied. "We have just arrived and I have not had occasion to investigate the few clues I have."
The girls came forward and sat crystal bowls filled with some type of berries on the low tables in front of the couches. As a few of the vampires took some of them, another girl sat a small bowl down on the table between Cormac and me.
"Very well," the vampire I assumed was the prince said. "I'm sure if you have any problems, your clan will be more than willing to help you. The rules for my city are very simple."
Yes, definitely the prince. Probably Ventrue, too, he looked like he had a bug up his butt.
"You know the Masquerade. Feel free to hang around at the carnival here, it is rather popular with the local Kindred. There are a few other places," he added, snapping his fingers. "I have had a packet arranged for you that gives a few of the Kindred hangouts in the city so you have an idea of where to go."
The girl at the desk stood up at the prince's finger snapping and brought him a manila envelope, which he passed down the vamps on the couch near Cormac. The woman on the end never glanced toward Mac, just held it out to him. I noticed she avoided looking at the vamps on the couch across from her as well.
The prince introduced his conclave to us, or rather to Mac. The male vamp on the couch near me was Ignatius, the Tremere primogen. Beside him sat Lucia Paciola, Ventrue. The woman who so obviously avoided looking at either of the Tremere in the room was Yasmine, a Toreador.
"It is very good to meet you, Yasmine," Cormac surprised me by saying. She still didn't look at him, although her mouth tightened a little at the corners.
Beside Yasmine was Dimple, the Nosferatu primogen. He glanced at me for a moment, only the second primogen to do so. The first had been Ignatius. The last vamp in the room was apparently a Brujah elder named Lisette Sinclair.
The girl from the desk whispered something in the prince's ear then glanced at me. I was wondering what she'd said when Mac spoke up.
"This is my travelling companion, Eliza."
Just ducky, I always wanted to be the center of attention in a room full of vamps when I didn't have enough stakes to go around.
The prince looked at me, and I nodded respectfully in his direction, keeping my eyes on his. It wouldn't do to look intimidated, but the least I could do was follow the standard convention for puppies, whatever that was.
"Is this your first visit to my city?" he asked.
"Yes it is," I replied softly.
"Well, I hope you have a pleasant stay with your master," he told me
"Thank you," I said, trying not to choke on disgust I felt at his words.
The prince looked back at Cormac. "Do you have any questions for me at all?"
"No, my prince," he said politely. "I believe I understand everything."
"I'm sure you know where the Tremere chantry is in town," the vampire commented. "I believe that Ignatius would like to have a word with you. As far as I'm concerned we are done." He stepped forward again and took another of the strange fruit and popped it in his mouth.
When some of the others stood, Cormac rose too. He also took one of the berries and placed it in his mouth. He bit into it, and a look of surprise crossed his face then was gone. I stood up as well and waited, noticing that Yasmine remained seated.
The girl standing between Ignatius and me didn't look like what I'd seen of the Ventrue clan. She was actually dressed in clothes like what I was wearing, and she gave me a questioning look before Cormac stepped between us and addressed the vampire on her left.
"When did you require a word with me, my primogen?"
"Here is fine," Ignatius replied then glanced over Cormac's shoulder at the seated Toreador. "Perhaps we should come over here to the table."
"Of course," my companion replied. He turned and put his hand in the small of my back, steering me toward the table in the far corner of the room. As soon as I moved in the correct direction, he dropped his hand and I fell back to walk a little behind him. The whole master comment still grated on my nerves, but I knew if I didn't make a good show of it, I wouldn't be able to stay at Mac's side when he needed me.
I noticed from the corner of my eye that the Brujah left the room just as Ignatius started to speak.
"Gigi has told me what you have come to the city looking for," he told Cormac. "When Dougal was here last, he did stay at the chantry, so I'm sure you would like to visit there."
"If it is possible," he agreed. "I would like to visit the room in which he stayed."
"Yes, I did some looking into that and there have been others that have stayed in that room since his departure." Ignatius paused for a moment, then said softly, "You know your sire's habits far better than I, if you would like to see the room and look for something the cleaning staff might have overlooked, then by all means, of course. She mentioned that there was an address you wanted to look at."
Cormac told him the address and the primogen handed him a business card. He instructed Cormac to call the chantry when he was ready to visit. He was about to walk away when Mac asked about the blood hunt for Earl Hardy.
"I've heard of this," Ignatius replied, "but I haven't heard any of the results, if he has been captured. Dougal was last with us five years ago. I can make some phone calls and see what happened with that. It shouldn't take very long, by the time you're ready to visit the chantry, I should have it ready for you."
"Jurgen also spoke of a blood hunt declared for Garaboldy," Cormac added hesitantly, "a Tremere."
Ignatius got a disgusted look on his face. "Yes, Garaboldy."
"Has that matter been resolved?"
"Unfortunately, no," the primogen told him. "It has been some time since that blood hunt was called. That bastard is still on the loose."
"I did not mean to dredge up memories," Cormac said apologetically.
"No, it is just that Garaboldy is used here in Paris to strike fear in the heart of our neonates," he murmured with a wry smile. "Garaboldy is very old. He was a good student for a while, then he killed his sire and ran amuck. If you see him and you have the ability to kill him, that would be noteworthy to the clan."
"Of course, my lord," my companion answered with a nod.
Ignatius asked if we would be staying for a time at the carnival, and to my relief Cormac told him we would be touring the city instead.
"Too bad," the vampire murmured. "The carnival is an interesting experience. Have you been to one?"
"I have been to the one in Las Vegas."
"Have you taken the young lady?"
Cormac shot a quick glance at me and said, "Not yet." I avoided looking at either of them.
"Interesting," Ignatius said almost to himself. "Very well. Call me when you are ready to visit the chantry. Good evening."
They shook hands and the primogen rejoined the others. Cormac gestured toward the door and we left the room. Jax was waiting for us right where we'd left him, but the vamps who'd been standing near the door were gone.
"Would you care to stay for a bit?" Cormac asked me softly. When he saw the look on my face, he added, "Shall we be off then?"
"Please," I said firmly. As we turned toward the exit, I really took a look around the room. Suddenly it didn't seem so repulsive any more. The booths with games actually looked interesting, and I found myself wondering where they got all of these naked people.
"Um, you know," I began hesitantly, "maybe we should hang around for a little while."
Cormac stopped abruptly and turned to look at me. "Oh?"
Over his shoulder, I saw Lisette come out of the café area with the man who had been staring at me earlier. The Kindred who had been with him before were with him now, except the dark haired woman who I saw over by the bar. They stopped and looked at us, but were too far away to overhear our conversation.
"Why the sudden change?" Cormac asked me.
"What?" I blinked up at him in surprise. "You've been to one of these, you could show me around."
"I took a tour and then hunted a Gangrel," he told me shortly. "Not much of a visit."
"Well, Jax has been here before."
"Perhaps later you and Jax can visit again," he said firmly. "Now I would prefer to get about the mission."
"You know, we have these tokens." I was trying anything I could to get him to stay, but it didn't seem to be working.
"I said you can come back."
"But we're here now," I said. "Do you have a problem with this place?"
"Slight," he replied. "And I have a mission I am on."
"All work and no play," I warned him with a smile, "makes Mac a dull boy."
"So I've been told."
"So have some fun," I encouraged.
"After we find Dougal's possessions." His face was firm, and I knew he wouldn't change his mind, but I had to try.
"It's waited five years," I reminded him, "why can't it wait a little longer?"
"It's been twenty years," he retorted. "Why can't it wait a little longer?"
I looked away, a little hurt at that comment.
"If you'd like to stay, I'm sure Jax would show you around," Mac told me as he held his tokens out to the ghoul.
Jax took them reluctantly, shooting confused glances between the two of us. Behind him I spotted Lisette talking to the vamp that had been staring at me earlier. As I watched, he took the hand of the blond girl on his other side.
Cormac sighed deeply. "If you two would care to look around I will sit over here." He headed into the café, leaving me with Jax.
"Is there something you'd like to look at specifically?" he asked me.
I shrugged, not even sure why I wanted to look around. "I've never been to one of these."
Jax led me down the row of booths, explaining the carnival as we went. He found me a booth where I could throw things, and I did so well, I won a paddle with the word 'Mistress' on it. I laughed when I saw it.
"I can't wait to show this to Mac," I said softly.
Jax gave me a funny look. "I'm sure that if he's into all that, then…."
"Oh, I doubt that he is," I replied with a chuckle, "but I don't like this whole Master thing and this way I can show him that I'm the mistress." I couldn't help but laugh again, louder this time. It felt strange, as if it had been years since I had laughed like that. Hell, maybe it had been.
That comment got me another strange looks from Jax; I kept forgetting that I was supposed to be Mac's puppy. We moved on to another game and, not surprisingly, I won again. This time the toy I won didn't look so fun, in fact I had to ask Jax what the hell it was. When he explained, I blushed to my toes.
We decided to check out the props booth, which was right next door. The things inside were simply unbelievable, unlike anything I'd ever seen before.
"Are all the carnivals like this one?" I asked Jax.
"They're pretty close, I think," he replied. "I've been to the one on Boston."
I looked at him in shock. "There's one in Boston? Is there one in Salem?"
He shook his head. "No, I don't believe so."
I was holding a bra that would in no way cover a woman's breasts when I heard Cormac's voice behind me.
"Find anything interesting?"
I dropped the undergarment and turned around. "Don't do that."
"Do what?" he asked innocently.
"Come up behind me like that," I told him. I'd felt him, but there were too many vamps here to keep track of.
I caught sight of the blond woman I'd seen with Lisette earlier, and suddenly it occurred to me that I'd seen the Brujah and her male friend at one of the booths I'd played at earlier. Was the group keeping an eye on us for some reason? Following us through the crowd?
"This is really weird here," I murmured softly.
"The owner of this establishment has invited us to join her at her private viewing box," he informed me.
I looked at him in surprise. "There are viewing boxes here?" Viewing what?
"At the bridal path, there are," he said. "For the coming event at said path."
"What's a bridal path?" I asked with a frown.
When Jax gave me a brief explanation, I winced. "That sounds extremely uncomfortable."
Jax turned away to hide a sheepish look. "It's not as uncomfortable as you would think it would be."
I shook my head and turned back to Mac. "Did she say what she wanted?"
"She is rather interested in you, it appears," he told me. "You showed a great aptitude at the games."
Please, not another vamp that wanted to bite me. "I just threw a few things," I protested. "I missed, a couple of times. Of course, I won some really weird toys, which I know I will never use."
"For a first timer in this establishment she was rather impressed," he replied.
"Maybe we should try stakes," I suggested.
"Not at the carnival," he murmured.
"Spoil my fun," I whispered. "So we're supposed to meet her at her booth?"
"If you would like to."
What the hell, no guts, no glory. "Well, we might as well hear her out, I guess. See what she wants."
He turned away. "Lovely."
Damn, must have been the wrong thing for me to say. "Hey, this is your society, not mine," I reminded him.
"Ventrue society," he responded curtly.
I shrugged. "Teeth are teeth." It didn't really matter what clan a vamp is when they're on the business end of a sharp piece of wood.
He studied my face for a moment before saying, "Well then, if you are not purchasing anything, shall we?"
We followed Jax without speaking over to a roped off area against one wall. A beautiful blond woman in an expensive suit was talking to three humans, a man and two women. A servant asked us to have a seat in one of the two empty chairs next to the blond. I let Cormac sit next to the vampire and sat down after he did. Jax stood behind us holding the prizes I'd won in a small bag.
A ghoul asked if we wanted any refreshments. Jax accepted the offer of soft drinks and some snacks, while I asked for a coffee, although I had to settle for an espresso.
The blonde Kindred whose name turned out to be Annabelle gestured toward us during her conversation with the humans. Jax leaned down close to Mac's ear.
"She's telling them about Eliza's luck this evening," he said softly.
"Goody," Mac murmured.
"She seems to be very impressed," Jax added.
Annabelle turned and started talking to us, then realized that her ghoul was nowhere to be seen.
"Jax, I don't speak French," Cormac began, but Jax was already talking to Annabelle.
After listening to her for a moment, he looked down at us. "She asked if you had seen a newscast this evening. They were just talking about a man who killed his wife with a sharpened broom handle." Jax looked at Cormac. "He claims that she was a vampire."
"No," Mac replied slowly. "I hadn't heard that." We hadn't even turned on a radio since arriving in Paris. Even if we had, I'm sure the news wouldn't have been in English.
"Was she?" I asked suddenly.
Jax looked at me for a moment, considering. "Would you like me to ask her that?"
I tried not to smile. "Probably not."
"Yes," Mac told him.
When Jax spoke to Annabelle in French, she laughed. "Apparently," he told us, "yes, she was."
"Go slayer," I whispered, earning a puzzled look from Jax.
"There has been a caitiff around town," he explained after a brief conversation with the woman. "She was embraced a week ago and before anyone had a chance to get with her, the husband took care of it."
Annabelle added something, and Jax translated in Cormac's direction. "She asks if you were the prince what would you do about the situation."
Mac thought about it before answering. "Well, I would certainly try and keep a media control on the situation concerning the husband," he said finally, glancing at me. "As for the caitiff, I would contact a local hunter or two, see if they could alleviate the situation quietly."
When Jax conveyed Mac's answer, Annabelle thought about it for a minute. "She said that that would be a good suggestion," Jax told us after she'd replied, "if all the hunter groups weren't already known in the city. It would have to be someone brought into the city."
Cormac nodded. "Perhaps my companions and I would be able to take a look at the situation, if the powers that be wish." At Jax's concerned look, he added, "You don't have to join us, of course."
"Apparently, Jax has never been hunting," I murmured dryly to Mac. "He doesn't realize how much fun it can be."
Annabelle was delighted with Mac's answer. "She says that perhaps she will mention something to the prince and he will get with you," Jax told us. "She asks how long we intend to stay in the city."
"Well, if the prince would like us to undertake this," Mac replied, "I suppose a little extra time would be allowed. Not too much, we are on a time limit."
When Jax said that Annabelle wanted a phone number to reach us, Mac told him to give her his cell phone number, which she wrote down on a note pad.
"This is what she wanted us over here for?" I asked Cormac.
"I believe partially, yes," he replied. "As she said the hunter groups are known, we are not. Does she know the caitiff's name?" he asked Jax.
"No," he replied after asking Annabelle, "but she can get some information if you'd like her to."
Annabelle's ghoul finally came back and set down the drinks and food on a small table. With the things for Jax and myself was a small bowl of the strange berries, along with drinks for Annabelle and the others. The blond Kindred said something to him in French and he went off again.
I took a sip of the espresso and hated it instantly. It was very bitter, and thick. The taste was much too strong for me and I sat the cup back down on the table with a grimace. I picked up a cracker from the tray and ate it slowly to rid myself of the taste.
"Now, now, Eliza," Cormac said to me, "remember, I promised that you would eat."
"It's just to get the nasty taste from my mouth," I told him. I really wasn't hungry, I hadn't been all day. In fact, I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt hungry.
"Have some cheese," he suggested.
"That's okay."
"No, really," he said. "Have some cheese, or a fruit." He reached for the bowl of berries and ate one.
I watched him chew and swallow, and felt sick to my stomach. "I don't think so, I don't know what they are, and I don't want to know."
Jax interrupted our argument. "Annabelle has asked if there is something the young lady doesn't like. Would she like something else?"
Mac looked questioningly at me.
"Maybe a soda?" I said softly.
"Food-wise as well," he suggested.
I motioned toward the tray of food the ghoul had brought. "There's crackers and cheese here."
Cormac looked at Jax. "Soda," he said in a cold voice.
Was it something I'd said? "The coffee's a little stronger than what I'm used to," I added.
A naked servant came into the box and spoke for a moment to Annabelle. "Holy shit," I murmured, seeing how well… proportioned he was.
"Been a long time, dear?" Cormac asked wryly.
"I don't think I've ever seen one that big," I replied without thinking.
The servant left and came back a few minutes later with a soda for me and a tray of finger sandwiches. I sipped at the drink, grateful that it was a simple Coke.
After Annabelle's ghoul returned and spoke briefly to Annabelle, she said something to Jax.
"They weren't able to come up with the caitiff's name," Jax told us, "but they have a description."
After giving us that, Annabelle asked about Mac's reason for being in town. He explained why we were there, and she seemed sympathetic to his search. When she realized that we had a task to do here in Paris, she told us that we didn't have to stay for her benefit.
Mac turned to me. "Do you want to stay or go?"
I caught a glimpse of Lisette and her friend again, and once more he seemed to be watching me. "What, do we have another Wolfgang here?" I murmured with a frown.
"How so?" Mac asked, following my gaze into the crowd.
I am nothing like Wolfgang, I heard a male voice speak in my mind. You belong with the boy, not me.
I shivered violently and shook my head to clear it of the monster's thoughts. Mac saw the movement and laid a hand on my arm.
"What's wrong?" he demanded.
"Okay, that was really weird," I muttered angrily. "Can we leave now?"
"Sure," he replied. "What's wrong?"
"I don't like hearing voices in my head," I told him as I tried to keep an eye on the tall dark vampire, but he was quickly lost in the crowd.
"You too?"
I turned to look at Mac. "You're hearing voices?"
"I heard a voice," he corrected.
"It's nice to know it's not just me," I said wryly. I looked back over the crowd, and saw a girl circulating among the guests selling flowers. Her tray was filled with roses, carnations and, to my anguish, daisies. I looked away, not wanting to draw Cormac's attention to her.
He must have seen my distress and scanned the crowd. "What's wrong?"
"Can we go now?" I repeated.
"Yes," he agreed, "as soon as you tell me what's wrong."
"I told you what was wrong." I didn't want to sit here and talk; I wanted to get as far away from the vamp invading my mind as possible. And from the daisies before Cormac saw them.
"Can you be a bit more specific?" He asked.
I glanced at him angrily. "Voices in my head isn't specific enough?"
"No," he replied. "What did they tell you?"
"That he wasn't like Wolfgang," I said, shifting uncomfortably on the seat, "and a few other things. Can we leave now?"
He turned to Jax. "Please inform Annabelle that we will be taking our leave and thank her for her graciousness."
The human male that Annabelle had been talking to called out to the flower girl, and she quickly came into the booth. He bought a rose for one of his companions then dismissed the girl.
"She understands," Jax told us after he spoke with the Kindred, "and wanted me to tell you to feel free to return to the carnival whenever you wish."
Cormac nodded distractedly as he called the flower girl over. I tried not to watch as he bought one of her daisies, but I couldn't help wondering if he had remembered that morning in the mountains. It was obvious he'd remembered at least one incident of our lovemaking; Mac had often given me daisies after we made love.
He turned to me with a slight grin, the closest I'd seen him come to a real smile. "I just thought you would like one to remember Paris by," he told me.
I took the flower from him, biting the inside of my lip to stop from crying and clenching my left hand to stop from staking him on the spot. This wasn't the time or the place for us to get into one of our once famous arguments.
Within a few minutes we were out of the carnival. When we reached the parking lot, Jax asked if we wanted to go check into the hotel.
"Yes, why don't we," Cormac agreed, then turned to me. "So, did you enjoy yourself?"
"Well, it was different," I replied as we got into the car.
"Yes, did you enjoy yourself?"
I shrugged. "I won some things. I'm not sure I wanted them, but I won some things."
"Oh?" He looked at the packages beside me on the back seat.
"One I'm sure can go right into the garbage," I told him, suppressing a grin, "but the other I thought you might get a kick out of." I opened the case to show him the paddle.
"Interesting," he murmured.
"I thought so," I replied. "Much better than the little master comment."
"I have not made any master comment," he reminded me.
"No, but other people have," I told him coolly. As much as I had agreed to the whole puppy thing, I hated every minute of it.
I was quiet as Jax drove to the hotel, rolling the daisy between my fingers and remembering Baltimore. I'd been happy there, really happy. It had been easy to believe that my life with Mac was going to be perfect and last forever. For real now? Things had a way of never working out for me. Whatever it was that I was feeling for Cormac would do nothing but hurt me in the end, but even knowing that I couldn't make myself stop.