He swept Alex into the elevator before she had a chance to change her mind, his arm around her reassuring her that everything would be okay. On the way down William began to draw on my power to change the colour of his skin in swirling patterns on his face and hands.
"Do you think that will be necessary?"
"Better to remove all doubt as soon as possible, don't you think?"
We joined the others in the foyer and set off for the Reception.
It appeared that Ulrich had arranged for us to be the last to arrive as the long, elegant ballroom was busy as we entered. The buzz of voices hushed and every head turned in our direction. We walked across the ballroom with Ulrich, heading for a large, heavily build man whom I assumed, from his confident stance and the group of vampires clustered around him, to be the King of New York. Alex walked calmly alongside William. I could hear the pounding of her heart and feel, through William's hand on her arm, her fast, panicky pulse, but you would not have known this to look at her. There was a long mirror on one wall and I watched our reflections, William elegant and alert with Alex alongside him, slender and dark with her head high as they crossed the floor, every eye on them.
I began to realise that my perception of her was changing. Initially she had merely been an annoyance to me. Even when I began to accept her I thought of her only in relation to William's bed, as a vessel for his seed, a partner for his pleasure. As I watched the reflection I suddenly saw her as a person in her own right. Someone who had been ripped out of her life and thrown into something for which she was completely unprepared, but she had accepted this because of William, because of what she felt for him, because she loved him.
"You're finally beginning to understand aren't you?"
"She reflects well on you William. Your public image is important and she makes a fine consort...you have chosen well."
Ulrich introduced us to his Majesty Gustaaf Van Straten the King of New York, a huge bear of a man who smiled broadly at William and showered florid compliments on both Alex and Azaria, chatting comfortably until we were joined by the two Magisters. The group of us made polite conversation for a while until the two Magisters excused themselves and his Majesty kissed Alex's hand and moved off to be introduced to some other group.
William had just suggested that they go and get some drinks when Ulrich approached with another couple. I felt William tense as he saw them and examined them more carefully. They were a handsome couple, both tall and blonde.
"May I present her Majesty, Freyda, the Queen of Oklahoma" said Ulrich formally. "Together with her new consort." There was a pause while William and the Queen's new consort glared at each other.
"Eric" said Bill calmly.
"Bill" he replied with a nod.
"You know him?"
"Unfortunately, yes!"
William turned back to Freyda with a smile. "It is an honour to meet you your Majesty."
"You too your Excellency" she said. "And your charming companion. I gather that you and Eric are already acquainted?" she said.
"Yes indeed" replied William. "I was born in Louisiana and returned there for a while after the Revelation."
"Oh! I see" she said. "Well I'll leave you for a moment. I'm sure you will have plenty to talk about." She took Ulrich's arm firmly and steered him away.
William and Eric watched her walk away and then turned to each other and squared up like a pair of fighting dogs.
Ten minutes later William and Alex walked away, heading back to the rest of their party who were standing by the bar watching them.
"Okay...so are you going to tell me what that was all about?"
"It's a long story!"
"So give me the edited highlights!"
He sighed. "I met a girl in my home town, when I returned there after the Revelation. I was sent by my Queen to investigate her, she was part fae, like Alex, but when I met her I...I fell in love. I hadn't thought that I could ever fall in love...she was...it was like a miracle." He blinked and shook his head. "Eric met her and...took her from me. He tricked her into taking his blood to form a blood bond. Forced me to admit what I had kept from her for fear of losing her...that I had been sent to find her. And she left me for him...that's really all there is to say!"
"She was yours?"
"Yes"
"And he knew this?"
"Yes"
"That goes against all custom! Could you not have reported him to your sheriff?"
"He was the sheriff!"
"He abused his position to steal your woman?"
"Yes"
"And you're on first name terms with this weasel?"
"On the rare occasions that we meet."
"He did not believe in me did he?"
"No...Eric has never really believed in anything except Eric!"
"But he does now?"
There was a definite trace of satisfaction in his final thoughts. "Oh yes...he certainly does now!"
He reached down and took Alex's hand, entwining his fingers with hers. "I'm sorry about that" he murmured as we walked away.
"It's okay" she said. "I know you're not the best of friends!"
So she knew about this other vampire? Presumably this meant that she also knew about this other woman. Her next words confirmed this.
"What will she do?" she asked.
William answered her readily enough. He didn't seem entirely comfortable with the subject but it was obviously not the first time they had discussed her."Sam has always been very fond of her, he'll take care of her, and she has many friends. A lot of them kept away because of Eric but they'll come back."
We strolled over to the bar where Gerry was ordering drinks. When he saw William approaching the barman reached for an elegant looking blue glass bottle.
"Wow!" said Gerry. "Is that Royalty Blend?"
"It was ordered in specially for you and your party your Excellency" said the barman with a smile pouring a couple of glasses. Gerry picked one up and took a sip. "Oh boy...this is magnificent!" he murmured.
William picked up the other glass and handed it politely to Azaria. The barman hurriedly poured another for him.
"What's this "Your Excellency" stuff?" asked Alex.
He shrugged. "Who knows?" he said. "Practically everyone here has a title of some sort. I guess they thought I should have one as well."
Gerry grinned. "Shows a proper deference for your exalted position" he said cheerfully.
William picked up his glass with a smile and took a sip.
"Oh that is delicious! What is it?"
"It's a special blend of rare bloods, mostly obtained, at outrageous expense, from European royalty."
"This is so much better than that synthetic rubbish! You should insist that the Authority provide you with a supply."
"Well...perhaps a small supply."
We stood at the bar gossiping amongst ourselves for a while. I was concentrating on something that Ulrich was saying when I became aware that William's attention was elsewhere. His eyes were on Alex who was at the bar talking to a strange human male.
She glanced back at him and smiled and I felt him relax. The dark stranger gave her a dazzling smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sascha, I am companion to her Majesty Francesca de Luca of Illinois" he lowered his voice and glanced around to see all of us watching him, however he seemed unconcerned by our observation.
"But I have to stay out of the way when she is with her husband!"
Alex laughed. "Yes, I would imagine you do!" She said, holding out her hand to him. "I am Alexandra, companion to His Excellency William Compton, the vessel of the Goddess." He took her hand and bowed deeply and theatrically over it.
"Where are you from Sascha?" I asked, since one of the most noticeable things about him was his beautiful, richly accented voice. "I arrived in America three years ago from St Petersburg" he explained. Perhaps you will permit me to buy you a drink?"
At this point I began to think that both William and Gerry were losing patience with his florid compliments.
He leaned back with his elbows on the bar and turned to the barman to order a whisky.
"Shouldn't you be drinking Vodka?" asked Gerry, slightly sourly.
Sascha looked him over, suspiciously. "Shouldn't you be wearing a long black opera cloak and taking in a middle European accent?" he asked.
Susie and I both giggled. "Touché" said Susie.
Gerry tried to look annoyed but one look at Susie's face was enough to have him giggling as well.
"Okay, you've got me there!" he said with a smile. "I'm Gerry, and this is Mr Compton to whom you owe an apology for attempting to chat up his girlfriend!"
Sascha's eyebrows shot up into his wavy black hair. "Not at all, I was merely being polite!" he said in an offended tone. "After all we are both in a similar position, being the human partner of a high ranking vampire." He turned to William and bowed politely, "your Excellency!"
William smiled. "He has a point there Gerry" he said. "Besides, since we are to visit Chicago he may be able to provide us with some useful information."
"Oh indeed!" said Sascha with a broad grin. "I am a terrible gossip!"
Ulrich looked around and gave William a look which said clearly "we should go somewhere more private". William gave a little nod and slipped an arm around Alex's shoulders and directed her out onto the terrace where we settled down on three couches arranged in a semi circle around a low table.
"So who is this man exactly?"
"Well, from what he's told us I'm assuming that he's probably Queen Francesca's human lover."
"This is quite common then? To take a human lover?"
"Well yes I suppose it is."
"Why?"
I felt him smile to himself. "Probably because we're almost impossible to live with ourselves and we don't have the patience to deal with each other!"
I considered this for a moment. "Yes, I can see that. With a human you always know who is the more powerful, with another vampire one would always be trying to overpower the other."
"Quite, very well reasoned in fact."
I turned my attention back to the dark man, Sascha, who was talking about an associate of her Majesty who had come originally from England. She had been turned several hundred years ago as a young woman of about sixteen.
"I think you would like her" said Sascha to Alex. " She is about your size, tiny, but fierce!" His dark eyes flashed with amusement.
"And what role does she play in the Queen's inner circle?" asked William with a smile.
"Oh she is an advisor" said Sascha airily, "the Queen has been consulting her recently because of her knowledge of witchcraft."