"Oh God, I may be sick," I said, hanging my head and trying to steady my breathing. "Please tell me the Italian guy didn't say the same thing."
"Oh, he was quite taken with you, but René gave him a look and he backed away for the time being."
I didn't realize it, but I'd somehow tangled my hands in Gavin's tuxedo jacket while Wlodek was speaking and was now hanging on for dear life. Where was my freedom? Where was my right to live my own life, away from sniffing hounds? The truth was that I had none of those things. The stark reality of being female and vampire was only now hitting me. Unless I was very, very old, like the two females on the Council, I was something in demand by the males of the race. "You're saying I need the protection of someone's claim? Is that it?" I tried desperately to keep the panic out of my voice.
"Mine will only go so far," Merrill agreed. "They know I do not have an interest in that part of your life. I am only teaching you. Therefore, they feel free to make offers of this nature."
"These vampires may be willing to fight one another for you and we do not need such conflict within their ranks," Wlodek's voice was stiff and unrelenting.
I didn't know the evening was going to end this way. I realized that Wlodek and Merrill had most likely known all along and once again, nobody was telling me anything. I wanted to shout at them. Weep angry tears and throw priceless art objects at Flavio's tastefully painted walls. They'd trapped me like a wild animal. The inescapable power of the Vampire Council was herding me down a path I had no desire to tread. I couldn't escape, Merrill's compulsion saw to that. His was a velvet glove covering the steel of the trap, but it was a trap nonetheless. I'd had more freedom while Winkler was blackmailing me.
"You may put a stop to further offers if you accept one of them tonight," Merrill said. "You will be consenting to a lengthy engagement, with a courtship during the five year period. The Council will not allow a vampire to marry until he or she has successfully passed their probationary period." Yeah, Wlodek already said that. Obviously, Merrill didn't think it registered the first time.
"And I have to get married after the five years is up?" I had to know. I wanted to curl up in a ball and whimper. Hanging onto Gavin would have been frowned upon under any other circumstances. I was supposed to develop the mask they all had. None of them showed any emotion.
"Yes, unless you petition the Council to dissolve the engagement. And unless both parties wish to have the engagement dissolved, it will be put to a vote, I warn you," Wlodek informed me coldly. "Therefore, if they decide against you, your marriage will take place. Marriages between vampires last a period of one hundred years and may be renewed for additional periods of one hundred year intervals, from thereon."
"You're not going to let this go, are you?" I searched Wlodek's face for any empathy or emotion. There was none.
"An unmated female vampire is too much of a temptation, Lissa," Wlodek said. "Males will challenge and fight over you as long as you are unclaimed."
Gavin had been watching and listening the entire time, his face in that expressionless mask that I was coming to recognize. All of them had it—it was the face they showed each other most of the time. No way could I go to René. He'd kill me if he ever found out what I'd done. Ivan? I think I'd rather die at René's hand. "Gavin, you're not going to become insufferable, are you?" I turned to him, begging with my eyes as well as my voice.
"Only if you refuse me," he replied softly. "And especially if you turn me down in favor of my cousin. He likes to acquire things. It would give him great pleasure to snatch you from beneath my nose." I wondered where my time was—the period Gavin had requested to earn my trust. Had he known about this? I had no idea. Everything was turned upside down and I had no way to sort it all out now.
"He's not about to snatch me anywhere," I said, struggling to keep my voice even. "Ivan scares the crap out of me. Wellington almost put me to sleep. Moretti? He wanted to have sex, right there in the floor, I think." I shuddered, just thinking about it. "Gavin, I'm not turning you down, but you have an uphill climb." I let his arm go and sat up straight, leaning my body away from his.
"You are accepting Gavin's offer?" Wlodek quirked an eyebrow again.
"Yes. I suppose so," I sighed. I really didn't have much choice.
"Gavin, you will bring a ring and make the formal offer within the week," Merrill said. "The acceptance will be listed in the Council's records immediately."
"There's a ring?" I must have sounded lost. I thought it was just some sort of promise, I suppose, with all of that coming later. I hadn't even been widowed a year, yet.
"There will be," Gavin growled. I think he knew not to push things right then. I was still a little stunned.
"Gavin, if I lend you my car, I trust you can get Lissa home before dawn and in one piece?" Wlodek asked. "Merrill will drop me off. We have business to discuss."
"I can do that," Gavin nodded.
"You may spend the night at the manor, if you wish," Merrill said. "In a separate bedroom, of course."
"Of course," Gavin nodded slightly. "Come, Lissa," he said, helping me off the sofa. Gavin laid his jacket across my shoulders once we were outside in the cool air, opened the car door and put me up front on the passenger side. The driver gave the keys over and Gavin pulled out of the driveway, heading away from London.
"We're engaged?" I tried to keep the trembling from my voice.
"Love, it will be all right," Gavin reached over and patted my hand.
* * *
"She will be protected; I cannot imagine many who would willingly challenge an Assassin, especially this one," Wlodek sighed. "Had I the penchant, I would have wagered against her acceptance of Gavin under any circumstances, and I was quite surprised he arrived tonight before the ball was over. He was on assignment in Madrid. No matter, she has made a choice so I will make the announcement at the meeting tomorrow and see if anyone has a complaint."
"She still doesn't trust him, but the others were unknown to her and they frightened her more," Merrill said.
"Especially de la Roque. Did you see the look on her face? She has no idea that this is a game to him. She is terrified that he will kill her if he discovers that she took those tiaras. I imagine she witnessed his anger when he discovered that he'd lost this round," Wlodek said. "Too bad she didn't come away with some of the other things, but we didn’t send her after those. I had no idea she'd come out of this as successfully as she did. This bodes well for us in the future. And now that she's with Gavin, it may be easier to persuade her to work for us once her probationary period is up. In the meantime, we will send her out on other supervised assignments so she may gain the experience she needs. This one will definitely be an asset for us."