Except, you know.
And then I recognized the man. “Jules?”
The handsome blond playing tag with the vamp nodded.
“Tell him you didn’t mean it,” he told me. “Tell him now!”
“That I didn’t mean what?”
“Whatever it was you said! Just say the words!”
“I didn’t mean it!” I yelled, because the vamp’s distress had reached earsplitting decibels.
And, just as suddenly, cut out.
He collapsed to his knees, taking me with him, and Jules knelt beside us. “What . . . ?” I breathed, after a minute.
“Later,” Jules said, looking around. “Let’s just get out of here.”
I followed his gaze. We were in a wide hallway that would have looked at home in old Rome. Not the terra-cotta and picturesque stucco version, but pure empire: gorgeous inlaid marble floors, nooks with priceless statuary, tasteful ionic columns. And, for some reason, the utter devastation of the place—it was currently lacking most of the once soaring ceiling—gave it an added charm, like ancient ruins.
Well, it would have if not for the crowd. Moonlight spilled through the giant hole above, splashing us like a floodlight. But not enough that I couldn’t see the ring of curious faces staring at us from the stairs and out of rooms, or just standing around the shadows, because the place was packed. And because the vamp had covered his face with both hands now, and was sobbing.
“What is it?” I asked, beginning to be seriously concerned. I put a hand on his arm. “Are you all right?”
And, oh God, here we go again, I thought, as he looked up at me, brown eyes huge, mouth already opening in distress.
“I didn’t mean it!” I said, quickly. “I didn’t mean it!”
The mouth closed again, with a pop.
For a minute, we just sat there, both of us fairly freaked out.
And then Jules took charge.
“Get up and bring her this way,” he told the vamp, clearly and distinctly. “Now.”
The vamp got to his feet and bent to lift me.
No questions, Jules mouthed at me, over his back.
I shook my head. No questions.
The vamp picked me up, a swift, graceful motion that belied the turmoil on his face. And followed Jules down the hall, one teeming with people. People in burnooses and saris, suits and ties, sarongs and kimonos, turbans and kaffiyehs, who passed us on all sides. Until we ducked inside a door, which Jules kicked shut behind us.
I gave an audible sigh of relief, and he grinned sympathetically. “Yeah. It’s been like that all day.”
I looked around, grateful that we were somewhere pretty normal. Well, except for a dozen lit candles on the coffee table, which provided the only light. But otherwise, it could have been a posh room just about anywhere: a couch, a couple of chairs, some probably expensive paintings on the walls that seemed oddly focused on cows, but overall I liked it.
The vamp must have, too, because I felt him relax a little.
“Put her on the sofa,” Jules ordered.
The vamp put me on the sofa.
He had a watch on his wrist, which I might have noticed sooner if he hadn’t been screaming at me. “Four a.m.?” I asked Jules—carefully, with one eye on the vamp. But there was no reaction this time.
Jules nodded. “Yes, why?”