Zen and the Art of Vampires

To my utmost surprise, a quick smile flickered on his lips. "I thought you might appreciate that term."

I was too incensed to be charmed by the smile, even though I had a feeling there were few enough of them. "So you intend to haul me in front of this vampire court? To charge me for crimes against other vampires? You know, as tempting as that thought is, I think I'll pass. A few days ago, I didn't even know you guys existed. I'm sorry that your girlfriend died at the hands of the Brotherhood, but I'm not going to make myself a martyr over it."

At the mention of his girlfriend, Kristoff's fingers tightened on the steering wheel. He said nothing, however, just kept driving.

I had no intention of being dragged out of the country, either. "Do you have any knockout drugs with you?" I asked in as calm and sweet a voice as I could muster.

He shot me a startled glance. "No."

"I see. Perhaps you have a gun?"

He frowned. "I prefer bladed weapons to guns."

"Ah. And do you have any knives, daggers, swords, axes, or other weaponry that might possess a blade upon you at this very moment?"

Another quick glance showed I had his interest. "At this moment? No. I left them behind since it's hard to get them through airport security."

"I imagine it is."

"In case you had any ideas, I'll point out that I don't need a weapon to defend myself."

"Indeed." I was silent for a moment. "How about a Taser?"

His frown deepened. "What, exactly, are you getting at? That I'm unarmed? I admit to that, but if you think you can overpower me, you're sadly mistaken."

I smiled at him. "You yourself admitted you have no hypnotic powers, so how, exactly, do you propose to get me onto a plane?"

The light of understanding dawned in his eyes, his jaw and fingers tightening. "You wouldn't."

"On the contrary, I most definitely would. I will make the biggest scene that has ever been made in an airport. I will attract the attention of anyone with ears in a five-mile radius. I will bring down the full force of security, airport officials, and airplane employees. In short, I will throw the hissy fit to end all hissy fits. You'll have to drug me or knock me out to get me onto a plane, and I'm willing to bet that much as you talk tough, you're not going to hurt me."

He pulled the car over to the side of the road, and before I could even take a breath, he was leaning over me, one hand on my throat, squeezing out almost all the air. "I have killed reapers before, and will kill them again. What makes you think you're any different?"

"You didn't marry any of them," I croaked, realizing with some surprise that something had changed since I'd spent the night with Kristoff—I no longer feared him.

His lips pulled back. "That was a sacrifice on my part to keep you from gaining your full powers."

"A sacrifice that ruined my life as well as yours," I said, swallowing as his fingers released their grip slightly. A little song of triumph sang in my head. I was right—he wasn't going to hurt me. He might be a revenge-motivated vampire, a man who thought nothing about killing those who tortured his own people, but there was something in him, something honorable that I must have sensed during the night.

His eyes narrowed in question.

"Not that I believe for one minute that the marriage ceremony you forced me into was legal, but let's just say it was. Did you ever stop to wonder what happens if you find a woman you really do want to marry? Or me? What if I run into the man of my dreams tomorrow? I won't be able to marry him."

"Marriage is a mortal legality." He snorted, releasing my throat to sit back in his seat. "It means nothing to Dark Ones."

"Well, it means something to me," I said, rubbing my throat. "And you ruined any chance I had of having happiness with a man."

His fingers twitched. "You do realize if you create a scene at the airport the police will be down upon you instantly?"

"Oh, I realize that. And thank you, I think I'd rather take my chances with the Icelandic police than a kangaroo court filled with vengeful vampires."

He sat staring out of the front window for a few minutes, clearly realizing that he wasn't going to be able to bully me into submitting to his wishes. "I should just dump you on Alec's lap and let him deal with you."

"I really do need to talk to him," I said, indulging in a little frown of my own. There was a lot I wanted to ask him, but more importantly, I needed to see how he felt about me. If he wanted to continue a relationship, I'd have to tell him about the night spent with Kristoff. And I could just imagine what his reaction would be to that.

Kristoff hesitated for another couple of seconds, then slammed his hands on the wheel and jerked the car into a very illegal, and highly dangerous, U-turn. "I will take you to Alec. I am through with this."

What was "this" I wondered? Me? The whole situation? Seeking revenge for his girlfriend's death? I pondered that, and what I was going to say to Alec, while he drove us back to town.

Chapter 12