Renie

The Council was gathered in the dining hall, around one end of the long trestle table we used for meals. It was strange to be in this room and not be eating, not to see the friendly, smiling faces of the other donors sitting around me.

The only faces that looked back now were stony and hard-eyed, unfamiliar but for the glimpses of them that I'd caught on various fansites.

I'd already met Jemima, but I was too nervous to smile at her. Her long hair was gathered in a huge bun at the back of her head, making her look younger and even more fragile. She was like a child sitting among the adults, but I'd seen her fight alongside Ysanne, and I knew just how strong she really was.

Charles Abbott, the Lord of the House Lamia, was a sturdy, square man with a head of thick curls, and a nose that listed ever so slightly to the side, making me think it had been broken when he was still human. The edges of his mouth turned down when he saw me.

Henry Baldwin, the Lord of the House Midnight, was a small man, handsome in a quiet, unassuming sort of way. His eyes were bright green, like two laser points, and they felt like they were burning a hole in my face.

Slightly further up the table sat Caoimhe Ó Duinnín, the Lady of Fiaigh, the only Irish vampire House. I wasn't wild about seeing her here if only because she and Edmond had once been a couple, and while I wasn't normally a jealous person, Caoimhe's tumbling blonde curls and cornflower blue eyes made her look like an angel. I was pretty enough to turn heads occasionally, but I felt totally inadequate compared to the Irish vampire.

Ludovic and Isabeau also sat at the table, and I assumed it was because they were among the oldest vampires, two of the original inhabitants of Belle Morte. Or maybe Ysanne actually needed the support of her friends today. It was strange to think of Ysanne needing help with anything.

Rising to his feet, Charles indicated a chair with his hand. It was further down the table from the vampires, and almost definitely an indication of my inferior status, but I took it without objection. I was here to prove that I wasn't a threat to anyone, and picking fights over little things like that wouldn't help my cause.

Ysanne joined the other vampires at the head of the table. If she was at all worried about what was going on, she didn't show it: her head was held as high as ever.

"So," Charles said, taking his own seat. He had a cultured English accent, similar to Gideon's. I wondered if they knew each other. "We are here to discuss a number of issues, the first of which is the illegal creation of a new vampire."

I suddenly felt the weight of all those pairs of eyes, and I shrank back in my seat, a mouse being eyed up by a bunch of hungry cats. Then I remembered I was one of them now, and I didn't have to cower. I straightened up, trying to mimic Ysanne's proud posture.

"How did this happen?" Henry asked. His accent held more of a Cockney twang than Charles's, and somehow it startled me. I had grown used to the lilting cadences of the French vampires and the cultured vowels of the English vampires. Henry sounded more real than most of them.

Ysanne didn't say anything, and I realised that Henry's question was directed at me.

I swallowed hard, unsure how much I was supposed to say. If Ysanne wanted me to keep quiet about anything, surely she would have mentioned it in her office. I had to assume I was just supposed to be honest.

"I was injured. My sis – the rabid fatally wounded me, and I was bleeding to death. I begged Edmond to save me, and he chose to do that rather than let my life go to waste."

Okay, so I'd fudged the truth a little there – I'd never begged Edmond to turn me. He had offered and I had agreed. But the Council didn't need to know that. If I could divert any blame, however small, from Edmond I would do it. I also kept quiet about the matter of June stabbing me. I wasn't sure why I didn't tell them, but it might have been because I didn't know these people. I didn't know if I could trust them or not, and the full extent of June's situation felt like something that we shouldn't freely advertise.

"And the turn?" Henry said.

I wasn't sure what to say to that since I'd been unconscious throughout most of it.

"It ran smoothly," Ludovic took over, shooting me a quick look. "Isabeau and I tended the girl over two days, and we can assure the Council that there is no cause for concern."

"Even though the rabid was her sister," Charles said.

"June turned rabid immediately after being bitten. Renie has shown no such inclination," Ludovic said.

Charles aimed a cold look at Ysanne. "There seems to be a lot going on in your House that you have little control over."

"Let's stick to the matter at hand, shall we?" Ysanne said, with a brittle smile.

"I would like to offer my assurances that the girl does not pose a threat," Ludovic said.

"I will corroborate that. We didn't leave her side during the turn and there was never a sign of anything amiss," Isabeau added.

I wondered why no one was mentioning Edmond, then I glanced at Ysanne and understanding dawned on me. They were covering for her. Council rules obviously dictated that Edmond should have been immediately imprisoned, but Ysanne had given him a temporary reprieve so he could be with me. The Council probably wouldn't look too kindly on that if they found out.

"I would also like to point out that when Belle Morte was under attack, Renie rushed to our aid with no thought for her own safety. Indeed, she even saved my life. She fought with the bravery of any vampire and showed that she was willing to risk her life for us," Isabeau said.

Actually I'd been willing to risk my life for Edmond, but I was hardly going to point that out when Isabeau was doing all she could to save my bacon.

"Yet it was Edmond Dantès who turned the girl. Was he not recently flogged for publicly insulting the House of Nocte Filii? Two serious infractions in just a few days," said Charles, looking at Jemima.

My hands curled into fists and I shoved them under the table. Hadn't this pompous git heard of making mistakes? Not that what Edmond had done was a mistake, but Charles didn't need to know that.

"Edmond paid the price for his previous insult in blood, and I do not believe that should be held against him," said Jemima.

I could have hugged her.

"I can assure you that Edmond Dantès is being sufficiently punished. Since his infraction was not a public one, I did not deem it necessary to make it a public punishment. If you wish to assure yourself of his condition, you may visit the cells and see for yourself," Ysanne said.

The cells? The thought of Edmond being locked up had made me so angry that I hadn't even thought about where Ysanne was keeping him. I hadn't even known that Belle Morte had cells. None of the fansites or TV shows or Vladdict-dominated forums had mentioned them – perhaps no one knew about them because this was the first time they had actually been used.

Ysanne was right. I may not have meant to, but the moment I had arrived at this House, I had started a chain of events that would disrupt so much more than I ever realised. No, scratch that. The chain of events hadn't started with me – it had started with the bastard who murdered my sister.

"It seems to me that although a serious rule has been broken, all we can do now is pick up the pieces. Edmond Dantès changed Irene Mayfield without Council permission, but I am satisfied that the girl does not pose a threat, and we cannot blame her for being turned," Jemima said, smiling at me. "Provided Edmond is sufficiently punished, I believe the matter should be closed."

"I agree," said Caoimhe. Her Irish accent was soft and gentle, as beautiful as her appearance.

Maybe she wasn't so bad, after all.

Charles didn't look pleased. "One should point out that both you and Lady Ysanne have a romantic history with Dantès."

"What difference does that make?" Caoimhe asked, her voice turning hard. "Are you suggesting that a relationship which ended centuries ago somehow blinds us to the reality of this situation? I would be inclined to take offence to that."

"None was intended –"

"Good. My opinion and Lady Ysanne's opinion are as objective as anyone else in this room."

"Henry?" Charles said, looking towards the other man.

The Cockney vampire offered a small shrug. "We can't undo what's been done, short of killing the girl, which don't seem necessary. Turning a donor into a vampire may throw the human world into a tizzy, but it'd have been worse to let her die, and it'd be worse to kill her now."

I wasn't sure if he was considering the fact that I was innocent in all this, or if he was just trying to avoid as much collateral damage as possible and keep the reputation of the vampires intact. If it kept me safe, I didn't really care.

"It seems we are all in agreement. Edmond Dantès shall continue to pay for illegally turning the girl, but she herself shall not be harmed," Ysanne said. She threw a hard look in Charles's direction, daring him to disagree.

He scowled but said nothing.

"Now though, there is an issue we do need to discuss," Jemima said, sounding apologetic. "Edmond may have acted rashly and impulsively, but my dear Ysanne; you cannot claim the same defence regarding the rabid. You deliberately hid her existence from us. You put your entire House in danger by keeping her here."

"I had glimpsed a hint of sanity in the rabid. It was my belief that bringing a beloved family member into the House might help the rabid regain her former memory. Something like this has never been tried before, but if it proved a success, the benefits would be tremendous," Ysanne said.

I zoned out while she explained in further detail what she had hoped for June and how much we had tried to save her. It hadn't really occurred to me how easily this Council of vampires could have killed me until I was in a room with them. The sheer power rolling off the people sitting at this table made me want to run and hide.

Becoming a vampire had been a huge step up the food chain, but the Council were so much higher than me. If I had changed from a mouse to a cat, then they were tigers.

"The question we really need to be asking is who killed and turned June, who released her into Belle Morte, and who opened the doors to a horde of enemy vampires," Ludovic said, and I tuned back into the conversation.

"Ysanne may have made a misstep, but it was in the best interests of everyone. The blame for those who died at the rabid's hands does not lie with her. It lies with the person behind all this," Ludovic continued.

"You believe it is one person?" Jemima sounded sceptical.

"I cannot say with any certainty. We are only seeing tiny glimpses of a much bigger picture, and I would hesitate to speculate too much without further information."

"Ysanne may think she had her people's best interests at heart, but the fact remains that she broke the rules. If she had killed the rabid, the creature would never have escaped. No one else need have died," said Charles.

I glanced at Ysanne, but her face was like stone. She really had been trying to help her people, but vampires and donors had both died because June got free. How much of that blame was Ysanne putting on herself?

"I believe that Ysanne is well aware of our rules, and I believe she will accept her punishment for her role in this. However, might I suggest a temporary reprieve?" Jemima spoke up. "Our main problem at this moment in time is that the rabid is out there somewhere. If we are to bring the creature down, if we are to find and punish the person – or people – behind this, then we need to work together. We need all the help we can get. I recommend forestalling a verdict on Ysanne's transgression until we have dealt with the far more serious matter at hand."

Caoimhe and Henry nodded in agreement.

I closed my eyes in relief.  I couldn't imagine there would ever be a time when Ysanne and I would get along, but I had been thrown into the deep end of the vampire world, and I didn't want to navigate that alone. Ysanne didn't like me, but I was one of her vampires now and I believed she would honour that by protecting me the same as she would anyone else in her House.

"How many people within these walls know of the rabid's existence?" Charles asked.

"Aside from myself and Renie, only Edmond, Ludovic, and Isabeau," Ysanne said. "Edmond and Ludovic guarded Renie while she attempted to restore the rabid's mind, and Isabeau kept her fed during the weeks we had her hidden away."

Charles looked at Isabeau and frowned. "You fed the creature?"

"It would have been far more dangerous not to," she said. "Rest assured, the only things she had to eat were stray animals."

He smiled thinly. "That is not what concerns me. What concerns me is that you appear to have had more reason to regularly visit the rabid than anyone. After all, you were doing it long before the human girl arrived." He didn't even deign to look at me.

"I'm not sure what you're implying," Isabeau said, but a flicker of unease crossed her face.

"I'm implying that you could easily have visited the west wing under the pretence of feeding the creature, and quietly let it loose."

In spite of everything, in spite of the fact that June was the one who had killed me, my teeth still ground together when Charles referred to her as 'it'. Something stung my lower lip and I realised my fangs were emerging. I needed to get control of that.

"Why would I do such a thing?" Isabeau asked.

"That, I cannot answer."

"You can't be suggesting that Isabeau is behind this. She is one of my most loyal and trustworthy vampires," Ysanne said.

Again, Charles gave that thin smile. "That is rather what I am worried about."

"Explain." The one word was ice.

"Perhaps I crossed a line in suggesting that Lady Caoimhe's prior relationship with Edmond Dantès may in any way affect her judgement regarding his punishment. But, and you will forgive me for saying so, the relationship to which I now allude is very much fresh." His eyes flicked between Isabeau and Ysanne, coldly triumphant.

Ysanne had said there was no rivalry between the Houses, but I wondered how blind she was to the power jostling between the individual Lords and Ladies.

I narrowed my eyes, watching Charles. He didn't seem to hold much love for Ysanne, and he didn't seem to like having his opinion brushed aside. Was there a chance he was the one behind this? He couldn't have killed June because someone would have noticed him skulking around Belle Morte, but that didn't mean he wasn't pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

"This is absurd," Ysanne declared.

But no one else was agreeing with her. The other Council members were eyeing Isabeau with varying degrees of clinical suspicion.

"I hate to say it, but if what you say is true then she did have the most ready access to the rabid," said Jemima.

Ysanne pressed her lips into a tight line. She couldn't take back her words now. That, more than anything, would imply that any romantic feelings she might have for Isabeau were clouding her judgement. I might not exactly know how vampire politics worked, but Ysanne had made it clear to me that she couldn't be seen to have favourites.

"This is ridiculous," I said, and everyone looked at me as if they'd forgotten I was even there. "Did you all forget the part where I saved Isabeau's life during that attack? If she let a bunch of enemy vampires into the House, why would they turn on her?"

"It is possible that Isabeau appearing to need your help was an elaborate ruse designed to throw us off the scent," said Jemima. She didn't look happy as she said it, her big eyes seeming to get even wider as she looked at Isabeau. "I do not wish to level such accusations against anyone, but it does appear that you are the most likely suspect."

Isabeau's face was white, even by vampire standards. She cast an imploring look at Ysanne, but Ysanne remained silent. But I noticed how her hands gripped the arms of her chair, her knuckles turning pale from the pressure.

"Isabeau didn't do this." Even as I said it, I couldn't help a tiny flicker of doubt. Before I'd gone to the west wing to see June that last time, right before she'd broken out and gone on a killing spree, I had been struck with the sudden, terrifying notion that Isabeau might be the killer. It had all but slipped my mind considering what I'd been through over the last few days, but even as I protested Isabeau's innocence, my old doubts came slithering back.

I didn't want to believe this. Isabeau had never given me any reason to doubt her – except that she had known about June the longest, and, as Charles rightly pointed out, she had had more interaction with June than any of us. She was the one who had fed June. What if she hadn't been feeding her at all? What if she had been pretending to do it, starving June so it would drive her deeper and deeper into the blood-madness?

But would she do that?

Didn't she want Ysanne to help potential future rabids? Why the attack on Belle Morte? What was the point of any of this?

"Keep your mouth shut and remember who you are addressing," Charles snapped.

I may be a vampire, but I was on the bottom rung of the pecking order. Inwardly, I scowled and flipped the bird at the arrogant prick.

"You realise, of course, that if your vampire is found to be responsible for this, then execution is the only justifiable punishment," Charles said, staring hard at Ysanne.

Isabeau bit her lip. She had shown more human emotion during this meeting than I had ever seen from her. Maybe that was because I'd never truly seen her scared. I didn't know exactly what was going on between her and Ysanne, but we all knew that Ysanne would not save her from the Council if they declared her guilty.

Jemima held up both hands, attempting to dispel the anger that was starting to swirl through the room. "Let's not be too hasty. The evidence against Isabeau is hardly solid. But she will need to be interrogated. In the meantime, may I recommend that she be removed to a neutral location? If she is indeed behind the attack on Belle Morte, then it is not safe to keep her here."

"By removed you mean imprisoned," Ysanne said.

She'd already locked Edmond up; surely she wasn't balking at letting the same thing happen to Isabeau? Maybe it was different because Edmond was still here, in Belle Morte. Jemima was proposing to have Isabeau taken away.

Then I looked at the way Ysanne was staring at Isabeau and wondered if logic didn't have a lot less to do with her reluctance than I'd thought. When I'd first started working with June, Ysanne had insisted on me having vampire backup, just in case something went wrong. Isabeau had been a prime candidate, considering she already knew about June. But Ysanne had refused. Instead, Edmond had recruited Ludovic to help. At the time I had wondered why Ysanne seemed so against Isabeau being involved, but now perhaps I was starting to understand. Perhaps Ysanne had – for all her talk about not having favourites – simply been trying to protect someone she cared very much about.

Edmond was one of her oldest and dearest friends, but if she was in some sort of secret relationship with Isabeau, then she might be willing to make allowances for her current lover that she wouldn't make for her former one.

I studied Ysanne, trying to gauge if I was in the ball-park, but her face gave away nothing.

"And when you say a neutral location, I presume it is one you will not share with me," she said.

Jemima looked away.

"This all started in your House, Ysanne, so until we can be sure that this woman" – Charles waved a dismissive hand at Isabeau – "is not responsible for the atrocity, then the location of her confinement shall not be shared with you. It must remain neutral."

A pause stretched out, tension turning the air as thick as tar. Ysanne clutched the arms of her chair so tightly that I was sure she was about to leap up and defend Isabeau.

But she didn't.

"Very well," she said. "I will arrange to have security take her away."

I'm sure you're all missing Edmond, but don't worry. You will see him again in the next chapter :)