The restaurant they hit up had a quaint charm to it. Beauty in its simplicity. After a few days of flash, this was what her eyes needed. What she needed. And for once they did not have to eat in so much secrecy. The waiter showed them to the VIP area and their reserved table. This morning had been a bust and not worth the amount of jet lag she got dumped with.
“So what's first on the agenda?”
“What catches your fancy?” He asked, receiving his menu from the waiter. Rita opened hers and looked through it.
The food looked delicious on the menu. She wanted to try everything. She settled on the second thing on the menu.
“Let's start with the appetizers. The Lyonnaise salad looks promising, I'll start with that.”
“I'll have one too.”
The waiter nodded, bowed and left. It did not reach five minutes after the waiter left for a woman, a brunette to make her way to their table. “Bonsour Samuel. Lovely surprise seeing you here. Vous amène à Lyon?”
(Translation: What brings you to Lyon?)
“Hello, Pamela.”
Oh great. Another one. She was probably something decadent/being a model. She looked like she could walk the runway with a coffee stained T-shirt and sweat pants and still look gorgeous. Rita coughed to bring the brunette's attention to her objectively ignored existence.
“Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there. Samuel, who is she?”
“Pamela, this is my Personal Assistant, Rita Anozim.” “Rita, this is Mademoiselle Pamela Arbane. She is a highly sought after ballerina.”
With a chest that size why wouldn't she. “Nice to meet you Mademoiselle Arbane.” Rita stood and said with a smile faker than the things on her chest.
“Likewise.” A pretty lie. On both sides.
“To answer your question, we are here on business.” Samuel answered. Keeping his eyes anywhere but the woman at his side.
“Yeah that's right. How is Deleze Inc treating you?” And just like that Rita had been sidelined. Again.
“Fairly. Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be in Paris for a performance?”
“I just had some things to take care of before I leave.”
Mademoiselle big boobs Arbane bent down and whispered to Samuel. It was not even a whisper since the clear aim was to have her hear it too. “Je t'attendrai après. Même endroit.”
Rita knew enough french to translate that. (Translation: 'll be waiting for you after. Same place.)
Same place?! He had been here before? Then why was he acting like a semi-newbie? And why was she so surprised? Samuel Princeton was a world renowned playboy. Somehow knowing he had screwed this woman in this city made her want to throw up and leave. It was even made more worse by the thought of her not being the only one.
Arbane left to find her table, same time the waiter arrived with their appetizers. The food, looked and smelled delicious but she was not hungry anymore. She had lost her appetite.
She forced the courses down her throat and sipped her wine. They were in public, she had to keep an uninterested and affected appearance.
Once dinner was done, she requested for her own check. She made to take her leave, Samuel begged her not to leave with his eyes. “See you back at the hotel, Mr Princeton.”
*****
TWO DAYS LATER
IN THE AIR–ON ROUTE TO ITALY
After the Arbane incident, Rita distanced herself from him. Completely. For the rest of their stay in Lyon, he had been meeting up with Arbane which was more like a slap in the face. She never called him by his first name again and acted like she was still on the job when they were alone.
Samuel was the only one that knew where they were headed this time, the hotel, the meeting place, everything. To be honest, it scared her. Now she would have to talk to him.
“Is there anything I should know about the meeting in Milan Sir?” she asked.
“I wondered when you would ask about that.” he said. He closed his laptop and looked at her. She did not waver.
“The meetings in Milan are power meetings. Instead of seedy businessmen and women, there will be seedy, power hungry, already powerful, bloodthirsty and ruthless leaders of the supernatural community.”
“What?! Why didn't you tell me that before?!” she exclaimed. Better question would be why she was going with him in the first place.
“I didn't want you getting worked up over it.”
“Oh and telling me that just under an hour before we land there was a much better idea!” What was he thinking? “So I'm staying in the hotel then?”
“Unfortunately no.”
Rita looked at him confused yet again.
He explained. “I trust Milan the same as I would a tiny magician's box.” he said with all seriousness. “It is pretty on the outside but in the inside, it's a lethal deathtrap when the swords start coming in.”
MILAN 6:33 P. M.
The hotel was breathtaking with its white wall interior, multi-coloured tiles and hand carved ornaments. The best part of it was the indoor pool. Too bad she could not stay in and enjoy it while he headed to this meeting.
They would arrive at where the meeting would be held in a few minutes.
“Rita, human laws will not apply once we are on the grounds.” he said. Which meant she was more than a potential target, she was also be a potential meal.
“Will there be blood?” she asked.
“Not if it can be helped. I cannot speak for the vampires though.”
Rita looked out her window and saw the name of the hotel whose gates they were about to go through. Celeste Hotel.
Samuel tapped her and showed her a small jade pendant. “Just stick close to me, don't get into long conversations, don't take this off and don't get lost.” He made it put it on her neck but she took it in her hand instead and put it around her neck herself. “What is it?”
“Protection stone. It works to negate compulsion, mind control and most invasive spells.”
He took her hand in his, raised it to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to it. The place where his lips met tingled. It was sudden, the feeling and his action. She had not expected that.
He raised his head and looked into her eyes. You have to stay strong no matter what, the people there prey on weakness. And I can't leave until the meeting is over.”
The driver hopped out of the car. “Are you ready?”
The answer was no but she nodded her head anyway.
¶¶¶¶
The building was nothing short of extremely grand. Rita stayed just a step behind Samuel, doing her best not to let uncertainty eat at her like a candy bar.
All the faces around looked so beautiful, some more than others, the words, gorgeous and ethereal were the only words that could describe them. It made it all the more clear that they were not human. The very few that were were among the servers and plus ones.
A clinking glass rang out. and all attention turned to where the sound had come from. “Thank you all for being in attendance for the annual Verastige gathering. We ask that all participating in the meeting move to the fifth hall on the left with the exception of humans, of course.” The speaker barely hid the contempt in her voice.
They were going to be separated. Samuel gave her a small nod before proceeding with the others. Rita like everyone else left in the hall heard the doors of what was the fifth hall close.
¶¶¶¶¶
Behind the doors of the fifth hall, Samuel knew better than to expect everything to go according to plan but one way or the other he was going to have this council on his side.
“Now Alpha Samuel Princeton, your cousins. Demons, Klaus and Dylan Deleze are causing a ruckus. We all allow ourselves fun and games from time to time, some even more than what these two have done but they are gathering too much attention to themselves and to our activities.”
“What say you on the situation?”
“I say they should be dealt with. For too long have the Delezes been allowed to do as they please without the slightest consequence.”
“It is clear you harbor no familial sentiment towards them whatsoever.”
“Let us pass a vote. All in favour of punishing the Delezes indicate by raising your right hand.” Out of the sixteen gathered excluding Samuel himself and Languard, eight from either side of the room raised their right hands in agreement.
“All those in favour of not punishing the Delezes indicate by raising your left hand.”
Three hands went up. And they belonged to Roland Telok, Diana Fredrick and Musa Abdullah. Not much of a real surprise there, these three had strong dealings with those two bastards. They also stood to lose a lot if the twins were punished. There were more in that category, Samuel knew from personal experience, but they chose to abstain than object outright.
“Reason for opposing?”
Musa was the first one to speak. “Alpha Princeton may not have any familial sentiment towards the two but he does have a axe to grind on a personal level. The two in question, Klaus and Dylan Deleze have never done anything to attract the council's attention before. Even on their wildest activities.”
“So what are you saying Vizier Abdullah?” Languard asked.
“I am saying that someone namely Alpha Princeton himself has escalated the whole range of incidents.”
“You are looking for fire when there is no smoke Vizier Abdullah.” Someone beside him said.
“No, the Vizier has a point.” Roland spoke. “Was it not only recently that Alpha Princeton acquired one of the most powerful demons in the known worlds?”
Mumurs broke out. If Samuel did not change this soon the tides would turn against him.
“What The Grand Mage of the East says is true. Alpha Princeton has the powers of Carmilla at his very beck and call. How can we trust that he had nothing to do with these incidents? When he has all the motive and the means.” Diana added.
Even more murmuring continued.
Languard looked to Samuel, piercing green eyes trained on him. “Alpha Princeton what do you have to say to that?”
“I say that those are words meant to mislead this council and put blame on me and not the true culprits.” he said.
“Yes, I have Carmilla at my every disposal, what I do with that power is mine alone to choose. It is no secret who my enemies are. Why didn't I use such power on them, immediately? My deplorable cousins are not even at the top of my list.”
There was silence, cold, charged silence. “And besides, this council was brought together to discuss how best to deal with them long before Carmilla came to be under my control.”
Languard looked at the three and said. “Does anyone have anymore objections?”
“None.” Diana bit out.
“Then it is decided. Klaus and Dylan Deleze will be punished by the council.”
********
OUTSIDE THE CONFERENCE HALL.
But that was not what Rita paid attention to. It was the guards at every door, how no one except the servers was willing or brave enough to leave.
“Ciao, cara bellezza.” Someone said from behind her. Rita turned to find an old man, probably in his seventies, with black eyes and snowy hair with a beard to match. He was wearing a midnight blue double breasted jacket with pants to match and he had a gilded cane in hand.
(Translation: Hello, dear beauty.)
“I don't speak Italian.”
“That is alright. I know English.” he smiled, a smile meant to charm.
“Oh, then what were you saying before?” Rita asked. Those words sounded and felt like a threat, or maybe it was not. She could not speak a lick of Italian.
“It was nothing.” he assured. “I thought you were someone else. So who are you here with?”
Remember what Samuel said. “I just come with my boss.”
“Who?” he questioned further.
He was being pushy. Definitely a good idea not to say anything. “I'd rather not say until he comes.”
A scream went out, it startled her and all eyes turned to the left corner of the room where a vampire had his fangs deep into a server's neck. He fought, the server, and the vampire broke one of his arms. The sickening crack and the intensity of the other scream rocked her to the core. Everyone else just looked away and went back to what they were doing.
Was no one going to help him? It was evident no one was going to lift a finger, so she moved to. The new comer, held her back by her arm. “It would be best if you don't interfere.”
“I can't just watch him die. Let go.”
Without another word, the old man pointed his cane before the snacking vampire could bite again and a bolt of green light shot out of it and hit the bloodsucker through the heart. Red bloomed against the wall on the far side where the heart was slowly sliding to the floor. The server got up and scurried away, clutching his wounded neck.
The old man was a mage. “Ummm...Thank you.”
He smiled again. This time charm was not the only thing there. Was that enjoyment? “You are very welcome.”
Yeah, definitely a red flag. Rita heard the click of heels and soles of shoes quickly advancing towards them. She turned again to see Samuel along with the others he had gone into the conference room with.
Their eyes went to the bloody mess on the other side, some however fixed their eyes on the man. “What is the meaning of this Silas?” Samuel asked. Animosity in his gaze, one that was entirely reciprocated by the man she would presume was Silas and the hand he had on her arm.
“Alpha Princeton. How did the meeting go?” His voice sounded sarcastic. Almost mocking.
“Better than yours in Lyon. Let go of my P.A.”
Silas looked down at her and slowly let go of her arm and she brought it back to her side. She felt weird and did not know why.
Silas faced to the council members. “I apologize. I had no idea this lovely flower was working for you Princeton. Such as shame.”
“The meeting is over Silas.” Languard said. The same animosity or maybe even more in the old man's piercing green eyes. “The council has already decided. Dylan and Klaus Deleze will be punished in accordance to community laws and that of the demon realm. You would do well to distance them from yourself.”
“I will take that into... consideration.”
He faced Rita and smiled. “Ciao bello.” Then disappeared.
(Translation: Goodbye beautiful.)
“Rita,” her name snapped her out of whatever daze she was in. “Yes, Sir?” The many eyes on her made her feel even more self conscious.
“Come. We are running late.”
“Yes, sir.”
They walked to the steps of the building and waited for the Valet to bring the driver and the car around.
“So...your cousins are demons?” she asked, trying to get passed what had happened in there.
“They're part wolf too but yeah, they are more demon.”
“Anything else I need to know?” Maybe next would be his grandmother, maybe she was a mermaid, the queen of the sea even or a Valkyrie. Hell! The valet could even be his cousin!
“No, just that the council has decided there fate for the next decade or so. What happened in there and what did you talk about with Silas Wren?”
“That's his full name? We didn't talk about anything in particular. He just asked who I was with and who I was.”
“Did you answer?”
“No. Never got to.”
“And the blood?”
“He shot a vampire that was feeding on one of the servers.”
“Strange. Silas likes human suffering. Why would he stop that from happening?”
He what?! Her arm pulsed and she held it.
“Anything else?”
“No.”
The car was almost here. “Think Rita. Silas Wren is a Master of manipulation, is there any way you might have given anything away about yourself away, even just a little bit?”
“I told you already. We did not talk about anything.”
*******
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A/N: So what are your thoughts about Silas? What do you think the Delezes got as punishment?
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