Kiss of the Vampire(17)
“Of course we do,” Tobias replied, unfazed by the other vampire’s outburst. “But when I see a colleague of mine being treated with disrespect for no apparent reason, or strictly because of her bloodlines in which she had no choice, I have to wonder why. I also have to wonder how long it’ll be before I’m treated with the same discourtesy.” He folded his arms over his muscular chest.
Nix envied his ability to stay cool. Her emotions were pinging all over the place, partly because of the way the council had been acting toward her, but mostly because of Tobias and the confusing mix of feelings he wrought in her. The itching sensation on her forehead had increasingly become more and more uncomfortable and now bordered on pain. She had a feeling it wouldn’t take much more for her to pop her horn buds. While she knew she couldn’t overcome all of the people in the room, they were a hell of a lot stronger than she was, she could still do a lot of damage. Going demon not only gave her additional strength and agility, it also let loose an unholy rage that lurked deep within her like a hidden river of bubbling lava. Only the calming influence of her daily tai chi workout kept a lid on it. That and the fact that Tobias had been so willing to stand up to the council in her defense lent a level of shock that somewhat quelled the other emotions.
Tobias murmured, “I’m well aware of how other preternaturals look upon vampires. You call us akĥ khantu, carrion feeders. Partly because we can only take over a dying or recently deceased body, and partly because in order to make another vampire we must drain the person of almost all their blood.” He glanced at Nix, his gaze unreadable. “I would like to believe we’ve all grown beyond that attitude; that we look at people for their individual worth. It’s no less than I deserve. It’s no less than any of us deserve, including Nix.”
Nix released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. It was nice to have someone on her side in such an obvious way. She didn’t get that support often. She barely ever saw her mother and when she did it was like two strangers getting together. She’d never known her father, and her paternal grandmother had passed on almost ten years ago. Nix had gone to the streets, supporting herself by petty thievery and a few bigger jobs. She wanted to stay mad at Tobias, keep the hurt close to the surface, but right now she was just damn grateful for his support.
Deoul turned his glare solely on Nix. “She is a half-breed,” he spat. “An abomination.”
Here we go. More of the “purebreds are better” bull Deoul dished out as often as he could. Unable to help herself, Nix whispered, “I believe the politically correct term is hybrid.” Before Deoul could deliver what no doubt would have been a scathing response, she continued in a louder tone. “You knew when you hired me that I was part demon.” She glanced at the other two councilors and then back at Deoul. “I was told at the time that my hiring was a unanimous decision, so what’s changed?”
The elf’s chin lifted. “Some of us were lobbied quite extensively on your behalf. It by no means began as a unanimous decision.” He glanced at Caladh with a frown. The selkie must have been one of the members originally in favor of hiring her. Deoul went on, “While we understand you are also human, and it cannot be denied that you’ve done an acceptable job for us, it still remains that your humanity is twisted with that of demon. It is, without a doubt, only a matter of time before your inner demon comes out to play. Literally. And what then?”
What then indeed. Nix wanted to say that when she did start going demon, Deoul would be the first one on her list, but she restrained herself. “I disagree. I’m twenty-eight years old. If I was able to maintain control over my demon during puberty—a time during which many human parents believe their children are demons—and didn’t fall prey to madness in my early twenties, I’m confident I’ll be fine.” She made eye contact with Deoul, holding his gaze for several moments, then did the same with Caladh and Braithwaite. They could never know how many self-doubts she had about her ability to stay in control. The tai chi worked, but would it always? “I’m already five years, almost six, beyond the time when most other hybrids have lost the battle. Have I given you reason to believe I’m about to lose it? Or are you just speaking out of fear?”
All three of them stiffened, as did Tobias and Victoria, and, as Nix’s heart rate tripled its beat, she thought she’d finally gone too far.
Braithwaite opened his mouth, probably ready to give her a scathing put down, but Caladh slammed his palm on the table. “Enough!” Looking at Braithwaite, he muttered, “Sit down.” When the vampire didn’t move, Caladh bared his teeth, showing a set of pearly whites that were starting to sharpen into neat points. “Sit. Down.”