Celine toyed with her hair. “You flatter me, Desmund. Was she someone of noble birth?”
“No, but I believe she serviced a duke or two.”
I choked on my water. Tristan reached over to pat my back, while smiling graciously at the outraged woman. “Celine, I have a Beaujolais that would go lovely with this meal. If I remember correctly, you prefer French wines.”
She tossed her hair, only slightly mollified. “That would be lovely, Tristan.”
Tristan called over a server and requested the wine. While he waited, he stepped in to steer the conversation to safer subjects. He talked about the teams he had sent to Las Vegas after the young couple from town had returned home as vampires. It might just be a coincidence that two local people vacationing in Las Vegas had run into a vampire, but he was not taking any chances. In addition to searching Nevada, he had posted several people in town to keep an eye on things.
“You think they’re up to something?” I asked, pleased that he was finally willing to discuss it in front of me.
“Vampires are always up to something,” Nikolas replied for him. “It’s our job to anticipate what they will do next.”
I knew I was safe here, but a shiver passed through me. I had learned firsthand how crafty and resourceful vampires could be – and determined. Eli’s Master had enlisted the help of a dying sheik and a Hale witch to get their hands on me. Thank God the Master thought I was dead or who knew what he would come up with next.
The wine arrived, and Tristan poured a glass for Celine then asked me if I would like some. The memory of hanging over Nikolas’s toilet made me almost gag at the thought of drinking alcohol. “No thank you,” I managed to say. I avoided looking at Nikolas, but out of the corner of my eye I saw his knowing smirk.
While we were talking, everyone else took their seats. Tristan gave the servers the signal to start serving the meal; then he stood and addressed the room.
“My friends, it has been another great year for us. We’ve had many successful missions and saved countless lives. There is no greater reward for a warrior than to fulfill the destiny we were created for.”
“We have a fine group of trainees who will soon be warriors themselves, and I am proud of each and every one of them.” He looked down at the people around our table and continued. “I am especially blessed to be spending the first of many Thanksgivings with my granddaughter.”
Warmth filled me at the emotion in Tristan’s normally calm voice. He wasn’t the only one who had been blessed this year. The last few months had been difficult and life-changing for me, but I had gotten so much in return. I had a grandfather and a cousin I hadn’t known existed a few months ago and new friends.
And Nikolas.
I looked at him and found him watching me. Our gazes met, and for a moment there was no one in the room but the two of us. The gleam in his eyes told me I wasn’t the only one remembering last night and all that had been said between us. It wasn’t that long ago that I wished him out of my life, and now I could not imagine my life without him in it.
A server placed a bowl of soup in front of me, breaking the spell between me and Nikolas. Soon everyone at our table, except me and Desmund, was talking about council business. On my left, Desmund was quiet and I figured he found council talk as boring as I did.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I said to him. “I wish Nate could have been here, too. I really wanted you to meet him.”
He dabbed his mouth with his napkin. “He will come as soon as he is well, correct?” I nodded, and he smiled. “Then he and I will have plenty of time to get to know one another.”
Dessert was being served when Ben came to whisper something to Tristan. I could not make out what was said, but Tristan wore a puzzled expression when he stood and excused himself.
“The rest of the world doesn’t take a holiday when we do,” Nikolas said when I looked at him. His easy manner usually put my mind at rest, but it didn’t this time. A tiny knot of anxiety formed in my stomach. Call it intuition or paranoia, or just a history of bad things happening around me, but something did not feel right.
I laid down my napkin and pushed back my chair. “Excuse me.”
Nikolas, Desmund, and Chris stood at the same time like perfect gentlemen. “Is everything all right?” Nikolas asked.
“Yes. I just . . . I need to check on something. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“She’s fine, gentlemen,” Celine scoffed, put out by the lack of attention being paid to her. “She doesn’t need an escort to go to the ladies room.”
For once, I was glad for Celine’s presence. “She’s right. Please, finish your dessert.”