“I thought you knew that, because they offered him Oberon.”

The vampire’s eyes widened, and I could’ve sworn his jaw dropped at my words. “The council offered him Oberon?”

“Yeah. You didn’t know that, oh great and powerful Lord of the Tower?” Harrison seemed to know everything else about my business, it seemed odd he hadn’t heard about that particular detail.

“No.”

“Huh. They announced that I agreed to be Titania though, right?” I questioned, and he nodded. “Maybe they didn’t say anything because Lex didn’t-”

“Didn’t agree to it?” Harrison finished.

“Yeah.”

“Interesting. Well, bon appétit.”

Harrison smiled as he rose from the table. I gave him a weak parting wave in reply as he left the room. I finished the pancakes in silence, enjoying the fang-free time. Unsure of what to do with myself when I was done eating, I decided to shower. After all, I might as well be neat and clean for whatever drama bomb exploded in my lap next.

I read for the rest of the day instead of parking myself in front of the TV again. Even my favorite book couldn’t lift my spirits. I found myself making snide remarks at the hero and heroine instead of enjoying the romance. My mind kept drifting back to Lex and I in the snowy courtyard of Silverleaf castle on the night of my celebration ball. It was my fault that you were attacked that night. I should’ve been there… Well if he’d been in my apartment when Faust showed up, I wouldn’t be here, either. Sure I was glad that he’d showed up to check on me today-I hadn’t expected it-but it would’ve been better if I’d hadn’t been lured to Vampire Central in the first place.

Mac showed up promptly at six o’clock. He stood near the bar, glancing around the suite as a waiter set the table for our dinner. I wasn’t sure I could take another gourmet experience, but when the dishes were uncovered a simple meal of pasta was revealed. The waiter left, and Mac ducked around behind the bar.

“Nice place. What do I have to do to get my own bar?” he joked. Choosing a bottle of wine, he searched for a corkscrew.

“Let the head vampire molest you,” I replied.

“I’m fine with that, he’s gorgeous. I don’t think I’m his type though. Pity.” Tugging the cork free of the bottle, he crossed to the table and poured us each a glass of wine.

“He’s pretty, but he’s a jerk. Have they been treating you well since they nabbed you? Not using you for a blood donor?” Flopping down into the chair, I sipped at the wine. Not bad, but then again I knew Mac had better taste than I did.

“No. Most vampires aren’t interested in dining on librarian. I’ve heard we taste too dry for them.”

“So, what’ve you been doing?”

“Reading, mostly. They let me borrow some interesting texts about the history of a few of the Italian sorcerer families, which are completely sordid in a very daytime-television kind of way.” Mac sat across from me and dropped his napkin into his lap. “I have to say, the food’s not bad. I’m thinking of adding risotto to the dinner menu at the café.”

“I have to get us out of here soon. The café’s been closed. Your family’s not sure what to do with it.”

“We’re out of here on the full moon?” he asked, and I nodded. “Well, that’s good. I was a little concerned that they’d keep me here indefinitely. Congratulations on becoming Titania, by the way.”

“I’m not Titania yet. Soon-to-be-Titania. They offered Oberon to Lex, he turned it down.” I took a long drink of wine, emptying half the glass in one long gulp, and Mac stared at me.

“They did what? Is that even possible?”

“Apparently so. The council figured out that Lex and I are soul mates, so they offered to let him be Oberon to my Titania. Okay, technically he hasn’t turned it down yet, but he said he’d think about it, and I know he’s going to say no. He’s not going to do anything that would jeopardize his guardianship. Guardianness. Guardianocity. Whatever.”

Pausing with his fork halfway to his mouth, he slowly put it back down on his plate. “Soul mates?”

“I know. And he knew. He knew when I touched his magic spear thing and he didn’t tell me. Because he’s a big dumb jerk.”

Mac raised his eyebrows, surprised, but then he grinned. “You touched his magic spear? I’m assuming that’s not a euphemism for something lascivious.”

“Mac!” I gasped, and he laughed.

“Sorry, hon, I couldn’t resist. Well, it’s probably for the best. You knew he’d be moving on after this assignment anyway,” Mac assured me. Looking down at my plate, I pushed the pasta around aimlessly. Ravioli in some sort of cream sauce-it smelled delicious, but I was rapidly losing my appetite. “Okay, Cat, spill.”

“Lex and I…guess we kinda got back together for a bit. He started talking about plans for the future. Having me meet his family, get married in New Orleans, that sort of thing. Then they told him he’d have to give up being a guardian if he wanted to be Oberon. I’m sure you can guess how well that went over.”

“Like a lead balloon. Do you want me to have a talk with him?” Mac’s shoulders straightened as he sat up in his chair, sounding like an overprotective older brother. “Or maybe Tybalt should speak with him.”

At the mention of my cousin’s name I reached out, picked up my glass of wine, and drained the rest of its contents. “There was an attack on the castle, Tybalt was killed during it. By Dorian. Dorian really had a lot to answer for, I hope he’s rotting in hell.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I liked Tybalt. Well, let’s drink to Dorian rotting in hell,” Mac suggested, refilling our glasses.

The rest of the evening was spent trading gossip and making plans. Words could barely describe how grateful I was just to spend time with Mac. It felt like a miracle that he was alive and well, like I’d been given a second chance to appreciate our friendship. We drank wine, watched trashy tabloid television, and did our best to pretend that we weren’t the unwilling guests of some of the most powerful vampires in the United States. When his escort showed up at ten to take Mac back to his room, I gave my friend a long hug and silently promised that I’d make sure we both got out alive and safe.

Chapter Eighteen

After Mac left, I stayed up later than I should have, enthralled by nature specials in high definition and surround sound (nothing quite like hearing the sharp snap of bones when a lion snacks on a wildebeest). When I went to bed I considered dragging the reading chair across the room to barricade the door, but it was too heavy and I was too tired to deal with it.

Drifting off to sleep, I soon found myself standing in the grove once again. Turning, I spotted Lex standing a few feet away, his back to me. He was shirtless, and I could read his tension in the pinched muscles of his shoulders.

“I thought I told you not to let him bite you,” he said, his voice accusing.

“Let him bite me? You think I let him do that? Like I was bored and just decided to open a vein for the hell of it?” I snapped in reply, offended.

Lex whirled around, crossing to stand in front of me in quick, angry strides. “Why not? You agreed to stay with him ’til the ceremony.”

“Because he has Mac. He’ll kill him if I don’t cooperate.”

“You could’ve called me, we could’ve gotten Mac out together. It’s dangerous, Cat. You don’t know what a vampire that powerful can do once he’s tasted your blood.”

A chill ran down my spine, and I rubbed my arms in reflex. It was true. I didn’t know what sort of things Harrison could do to me, only rumor and old wives’ tales. Vampires don’t feed on the blood itself, but on the magic within it. I wasn’t sure if that could be used against me.

“I couldn’t call you, Lex,” I replied, shaking my head.