Page 77 of Vampire so Virtuous
“Yes, that’s what I said.” Gabriel’s smile was thin. “Well, that may be difficult going forward. You know what they’re like.”
“Yes, I know what they’re like.” Antoine said. “‘Terror. Power. Excitement.’”
Gabriel smirked. “Quaint, but not inaccurate.”
“Something my sire once said,” Antoine tapped the chip on the table. “So, who’s coming?”
“Leonard, from what I hear. And he’s bringing someone new.”
Antoine blinked. “A new Curia member?” That was rare.
“Indeed,” Gabriel said, drawing out the word. “Apparently, they’ve cooked up some kind of exchange program with the Europeans, as if it were all a jolly old school trip. Can you believe it?”
Antoine barked a laugh, the chip slipping from his fingers to spin on the table. “A European Curia member? For how long?”
“Unclear. Some time, I gather.”
“Wonderful.” Antoine let the chip fall still, its momentum spent. “So, full pomp and circumstance.”
“Precisely.”
Antoine rubbed his temple. “I’m going to need more thralls.”
Gabriel bared his teeth. “I knew you’d be pleased.”
Antoine studied him from across the table. “Tell me, Gabriel: are we friends?”
Gabriel’s expression remained composed, though amusement flickered in his eyes. “Do vampires have friends?”
“No, I suppose not.”
“But,” Gabriel continued, leaning forward slightly, “if they did, it would be a good time to have them, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes.” Antoine kept his tone neutral, masking the flicker of interest stirring within. “I think it would.”
“Or, if not friends, perhaps allies.”
“That would be prudent.”
Gabriel extended his arm across the table. “Allies, then?”
Antoine grasped it firmly. “Allies. Perhaps friends too, in time.”
“Perhaps.”
Their hands parted, the brief connection severed, and they both eased back into their chairs. Antoine studied him a bit longer. The willingness seemed genuine, but was such a thing possible? Was honor even a concept for their kind, or would this alliance last only as long as it served Gabriel’s purpose?
“Have you met any of the Curia before?” Gabriel asked lightly, the shadow in his eyes belying his tone.
Antoine shifted in his chair, carefully schooling his expression. “Yes, I’ve had that pleasure.”
*
Nantes, France, 1749
“La Curia arrive,” Belle said, reading the letter she had received.
Antoine looked up, his brow furrowing at her tone. “Qu’est-ce que la Curia?”
