«There are no true necromancers,» Octavius said, but his voice didn't sound so certain.
«Have it your way, but you will leave Joseph and his people alone while you're in my city.»
«Or what?» Auggie asked, his eyes still full of gray light.
«I have another title among the vampires; do you know what it is?»
«The Executioner, they call you the Executioner.»
«Yeah, they do.»
«Are you threatening to kill me?» He managed to sound amused, even with my power breathing around his body.
«I am telling you the rules. You do not mess with our people. And all the vampires, all the shapeshifters, and other supernatural to be named later, qualify as our people.»
«We were attacked,» Octavius said.
«Fine, you've proved your point. You forced him to swallow his beast. I say it's enough.»
«I am a master vampire, a ruler of a city; you do not dictate to me.»
«If you're vampire enough to make me back down, then come and get me, Auggie. I stand here alone, no animal to call, no Nimir-Raj, no vampire at my back. I stand here with nothing but my own power. Are you vampire enough to do the same?»
He smiled. «Are you saying to step away from Octavius and my lion, and meet you in the middle of the room, for what? A duel? You would die.»
«A testing of wills then,» I said.
«You cannot hope to win,» he said.
«If that's true, then you have nothing to lose, do you?»
«Anita,» Claudia said, «I'm not sure about this.»
«Come to me, Augustine, come to me.» I put everything I had into that command. I wanted him to come to me, now. Before Jean-Claude got here.
He pushed away from his human servant and his lion. He started walking toward me, just like I wanted. «Augustine,» Octavius said, «do not do this.»
«Come to me, Auggie, come to me.»
He had taken two more steps, before he frowned at me. «You are bidding me to come. You are truly calling me.»
«I told you what I was.»
He shook his head. «I will not come to you.»
«Afraid?»
«Cautious,» he said.
«Fine, then I'll meet you halfway, that's fair.»
«Anita,» Graham said. I ignored him. I started walking toward the waiting vampire. «Meet me partway, Auggie.»
He started toward me, not gliding, but stiffly, as if his body wasn't working quite right. He finally stopped before he reached me. Stopped with a look you don't get to see on a master vampire's face often. Nervous, he was nervous.
«What happens when we meet in the middle, Anita?»
«If you get past me, fine, but if you don't, then I win.»
«That doesn't seem fair; you have only to stand your ground, but I must walk past you.»
We both stopped about two feet away from each other. I coaxed my power, whispered to it what I wanted. I wanted him to obey me. I'd never tried this so overtly against any vampire. A Master of the City was probably not the place to start, but it was too late now.
He swayed on his expensive shoes. «I will not.»
«Will not what?» I asked, but my voice held the power that was breathing around us. My voice knew what.
I expected him just to keep resisting. I should have remembered that there were other options.
«You want me, Anita, you can have me. I can do what I wanted to do all along, and Jean-Claude can't even get mad.»
I hesitated, stumbling in my mind, the power flickering. «What…»
He moved faster than I could follow, closing the distance, taking me in his arms. I was suddenly pinned against his body, my arms trapped. My power pushed at him, but his power pushed back.
«I feel it, your power, and God, you are powerful. If you were just a necromancer you might even win, but you aren't just that, are you?» He lowered his face toward me, as if he meant to kiss me.
«Stop, I command you to stop.»
He actually hesitated, swallowing hard, closing his eyes, but when he opened them, it was as if his power had taken a catastrophic leap. The gaze from his eyes stopped the breath in my throat. «Strong, but not strong enough.» He flexed his power, like some invisible muscle, and that flexing shot through my body. It bowed my spine, and only his arms kept me upright. We half fell to our knees, as if my collapse caught him by surprise. He ripped my controls away from the ardeur. He did it better and quicker than Thea had dreamt of. He brought the ardeur, with my body wrapped in his. He brought the ardeur knowing that once it rose like this, he would be my food. Which, of course, was what he had meant. He could do what he'd wanted to all along, and Jean-Claude couldn't even get mad.