Michael had picked himself up and looked like a kicked puppy. “Sorry. I thought…”
“You thought she was alone,” Marcus allowed. “You thought she was soft and beautiful and if she was here and alone then she was looking.”
“I thought I’d hit the jackpot,” Michael said with a sad shrug. “Guess I’ll go to the club for dinner. I hate that damn club. What do I have to do, Marcus? I’ve tried three times to get women approved and I get turned down. I’m sick of being alone.”
Marcus looked at the younger vampire, compassion in his dark eyes. “I understand. I’ll talk to the king tomorrow. I have several females in my employ back home in Venice. They would love to have a vampire for a lover. Their families served me for centuries. Would you like to meet one of them?”
Michael perked up fast. “Seriously, you would do that for me?”
“I would, if only to keep your eyes off my lovely Kelsey,” Marcus said with a slight bow.
Michael grinned and nodded my way. “Well, I can look at her all I like, but I promise I won’t try persuasion on her anymore. She kicked me out of her head faster than I could start my proposal. What is she? Is she a witch? She’s damn powerful.”
“Yes, she is,” Marcus murmured and he quickly assured Michael he would get back to him about the woman and led me off.
He strode toward the door of the club, sweeping me along in my bare feet. The doorman nodded as Marcus hurried through. I jogged to keep up with him.
“Are you upset with me?” He was suddenly in a big hurry to end our evening. I pulled back. Maybe he’d figured out how bad traffic could be and he didn’t want to drive thirty to forty-five minutes to take me home. “Look, Vorenus, I’ll call a cab if it’s too much trouble.”
He continued on, not looking back at me and I’d had enough. I planted both feet and ceased moving. The vampire turned, his eyes flaring with anger. I pulled my hand out of his.
“What did I do?” Where had I gone wrong this time? At least I’d understood how I pissed Gray off. Was Marcus that upset that I’d gotten some words wrong? It didn’t seem like that would make him mad, but I didn’t understand protocol.
“I’m not an idiot, Ms. Atwood.” The vampire’s eyes seemed to rake over me, and there was no admiration in them. “Perhaps I am since I spent the evening mooning over a piccola puttana. Tell Devinshea his plan did not work.”
“What does that mean?” I pulled away from the man I’d been becoming friends with. I should have walked away, but I wanted to know what he’d called me. I had a sneaking suspicion and it made my heart hurt. Stupid that I’d gotten so close to him in the course of a few hours. “If you want to insult me at least do it in a language I understand. Be a man. What did you call me?”
“Little whore.”
I’d wanted to see what he was like when his guard was down and I was getting it in full measure now.
I reached out and slapped him full on across the face, enjoying the satisfying crack of flesh against flesh. I pulled myself up to my full height and really wished I’d worn something other than a stupid dress. I’d have felt less vulnerable if I’d worn jeans and a T-shirt. I would have been myself and I would have remembered to not trust people. I’d stared at myself in the mirror at Gray’s place and thought that looking pretty made me pretty, but it didn’t. I was still my father’s daughter and I still couldn’t find someone to accept me as I was.
“Fuck you, vampire,” I said with all the anger I could manage through the hurt. When the hell was I going to learn? I tried to stalk past him. I would get to the garage with as much dignity as I had left and I would call a cab. I hoped I had enough cash. I doubted they would take my IOU until I could cash the faery’s check.
“Tell me you’re not working for the prince.” Marcus grabbed my arm.
“I’m not telling you anything except good-bye.”
“You seriously expect me to believe that you are innocent? That you aren’t working with him?”
“I don’t give a shit what you believe. Let me go.” I managed to get my arm out of his hold.
“You’re a witch with the power to avoid persuasion,” the vampire accused. “Persuasion is my talent, but you know that. You’re the perfect person to send to me. You can tell your boss that until I hear the words from the king, I won’t leave. If the king wants me gone then I’ll go, but Devinshea can’t trick me into doing something to get me banished. He’ll have to try something else.”