The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires

As a threat, it had sufficient punch to calm Carol down. She jerked her arm out of Theo's grip, but limited herself to a couple of murderous looks my way.

The snow moved to fall only on Carol.

"You will cease with such unseemly dramatics," Disin ordered, pointing at me.

"I would if I could, but I don't seem to have a very good grasp on weather control," I said.

Irina shook her head, her all-seeing eyes on me. "Child, child. This is not worthy of you."

I cleared my throat as a little blush warmed my cheeks. "I hope that once I am formally accepted as a virtue, I'll be able to learn how to control the weather effects a little better."

Sweetling, you will never be an actress.

I smiled at the soft brush of Theo's mind.

"Such an event is not yet in your grasp," Disin answered with a distinct threat in her voice. "Nor will it be, if your present actions continue."

I made an effort to dismiss the cloud, arranging my expression to be something a little less antagonistic, folding my hands together and waiting for Disin to continue.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm late I know, but I was held up in the mortal world. Goodness, is it snowing? How interesting." Suria, the third mare, pushed her way through the crowd, giving the snow-covered Carol an interested look before taking her seat on the dais. "What have I missed?"

"Portia Harding has effected an act of violence against an outsider, and brought her to the Court without either permission or the knowledge of the mare." Disin's glance flickered over to Sarah for a second. "Two outsiders. Such an inconsiderate disregard for the laws of the Court of Divine Blood is not to be tolerated!"

"Portia has little knowledge of Court etiquette and laws," Theo said, moving closer to me. "We ask your graces to show the leniency for which you are so well known in regards to her accidental violations."

"Accidental?" Disin asked, her face tightening. "Do you consider kidnapping a woman accidental?"

"It would, perhaps, be prudent to allow Portia Harding to explain her reasons for conducting such an…extreme act," Irina said softly.

Suria nodded, her normally sunny face pinched and worried. "I will confess that I, too, am curious as to why Portia would go to such lengths. Who exactly is this woman you have abducted?"

"She goes by the name of Carol Lee, and is wife to Milo, who conducted the fourth trial."

Immediately, a buzz of conversation started up behind me.

"And you say that she is responsible for the death of the virtue Hope?" Suria asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." I slid a glance toward Theo. His face was expressionless, but his warm presence gave me much comfort.

Go ahead, sweetling.

You speak with much more of a Court flair than I do. Maybe you should be the one to explain.

No. The honor goes to you. You figured it out—you should be the one to explain.

"You will explain your actions, child," Irina said in her soft voice. The undertone of steel was enough to warn me that she wasn't going to be supportive if I didn't offer up enough proof.

"What do you mean, in a manner of speaking?" Disin asked, her words lashing the air with whiplike accuracy. "Did she kill Hope or not?"

"No."

The buzz grew in volume.

I raised my voice to be heard over it. "She did not kill Hope for the simple fact that she is Hope."

Chapter 22

She is Hope. The last of my words echoed eerily from the back of the ballroom.

I licked my lips, nervous now that I had to lay the facts—such as they were—out before everyone.

You are doing fine, Portia.

Disin frowned at Carol, who stood as frozen as a statue. "You claim this mortal is a virtue? Do you think us so ignorant that we can't tell the difference between a member of the Court and an innocent mortal?"

"I don't quite understand how she can appear to be someone else, nor do I know about the mortal business, although I thought someone told me that you had to be a member of the Court to be immortal, and it follows that if she isn't a virtue anymore, she would no longer be a member, and thus lose her immortal status."

The three mare gaped at me.

"I could be wrong on that, though," I said, squirming slightly under their combined looks of disbelief. "I'm not very current with all the intricacies of Court life."

"You are correct, as it happens," a man's voice said behind me. We turned en masse to see Terrin at the door, a rumpled Milo beside him. He bowed to the mare, shoving Milo forward. "Your graces, please forgive me for this disruption, but I found this man sneaking into the Court, and felt it might have some bearing on a recent conversation I had with Theo North."

"You are welcome here, scholar," Irina said, bowing her head graciously. "Bring forward the one who was banned and readmitted into our grace."