The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires

"My past situation with the Court has nothing to do with this." His lips tightened. "To imply that just because it's theoretically possible for me to contact a demon lord for the purpose of changing the appearance of a mortal, I have done so, is not only ridiculous, it's damned near obscene. I am a member of the Court of Divine Blood! It would be impossible for me to conduct any act in such opposition to the tenets of the Court."

Is there any way to tell if he's been in contact with a demon lord?

Theo rubbed his chin. Not here. A Guardian might be able to, but I doubt if it would be possible to tell if Milo has been near a demon lord lately.

"Your graces, I beg of you, please allow my lady wife to leave. She has suffered much trauma by the abduction and resulting indignities, and I fear for her well-being if she should be made to stand here while this person throws her smoke screens and misdirection." Milo's head bent solicitously over that of his wife, the very picture of husbandly concern.

"Oh, for reason's sweet sake…smoke screens and misdirection. Like I'm the one trying to pull something on the Court." I didn't even try to temper the disgust in my voice.

"Everyone here knows the true reason you summoned and destroyed the virtue Hope," Milo said, his voice ringing clear and loud as he turned to confront me. He gestured toward Theo, whose fingers tightened around mine in warning or anger, I didn't know which. "You are the only one here who has an ulterior motive, not me."

"Hey now," I protested.

He continued before I could say anything more. "It is an established fact that Theo North has for centuries sought someone who would present the Court with an order of exculpation, thankfully to no avail. Until you agreed to help him by granting him the exculpation the moment you were made a member, his cause was lost."

"I did not agree to anyth—"

"Do you deny that you intend to ask for a pardon?" Milo shouted, the entire ballroom silent but for the echoes, just as if everyone was holding his or her breath.

Theo's eyes were a light slate grey. His muscles were tight, as if he was poised to spring. I cleared my throat nervously, and looked at the mare. "I do not deny that I intend to speak to the Court about Theo's situation, but that was not my plan when I came to England, nor did I ever agree to take on the duties of a virtue. I didn't even know why Hope showed up when she did! I thought she was a hallucination at first!"

How distant those days a week ago seemed.

"You lie," Milo drawled, his face hard. "You knew exactly what you were doing when you spoke the spells of summoning. Why else would you so conveniently have the spells upon you when you breached the sacred ground?"

"I told you that faery ring was real," Sarah said in a whisper, nudging the back of my shoulder.

I was about to refute Milo's ridiculous accusations when something occurred to me. "How did you know that Hope was summoned by a spell?" I asked, wondering if at last a glint of luck was turning our way. "The only people to whom I explained what happened are my friend Sarah, and Theo, and I'm sure neither of them have spoken about it to anyone here."

Both of them shook their heads.

"I heard of it from Terrin the scholar," Milo said, crossing his arms over his chest as he nodded toward Terrin. "We had a discussion regarding your trials, and he told me the far-fetched tale you'd spun him."

"I don't believe the method of summoning the virtue was ever broached," Terrin said thoughtfully. "All Portia said was that she had inadvertently summoned a virtue, and received the Gift without understanding the importance of the act."

"How is it you have such insight into the method of summoning Hope if you did not hear the details from the woman herself?" Theo asked, his voice as smooth and rich as milk chocolate.

We have him.

Possibly.

"I…it's only common sense," Milo sputtered. "Virtues can only be summoned by spell, thus it was safe to assume that Portia Harding used such a method."

"That's not true!" Sarah startled me by bouncing forward, apparently ready to battle Milo on our behalf.

"Sarah—"

"Who is this mortal?" Disin asked, giving Sarah a narrow-eyed once-over.

"My name is Sarah Wilson," she answered, making an incredibly graceful curtsey. "I am Portia's oldest friend. I also happen to be an author, and am the one who gave Portia the spells. I thought they had a slight chance of working, but Portia was absolutely skeptical, disbelieving there even was such a thing as a faery ring."

"This is all very interesting, but hardly has relevance—"