All Together Dead

another word, I knew that was true. I was glad she couldn’t talk to me. Being able to communicate with Barry was kind of fun, but if we hung out together all the time I was sure it would get old in a hurry. Plus, Sophie-Anne was a heck of a lot scarier.
    The queen’s suite was lavish. I’d never seen anything like it. The carpet was as thick as a sheep’s pelt, and it was off-white. The furniture was upholstered in shades of gold and dark blue. The slanting slab of glass that enclosed the outside wall was opaque. I have to say, the large wall of darkness made me feel twitchy.
    In the midst of this splendor, Sophie-Anne sat curled on a couch. Small and extremely pale, with her shining brown hair swept up in a chignon, the queen was wearing a raspberry-colored silk suit with black piping and black alligator heels. Her jewelry was heavy, gold, and simple.
    Sophie-Anne would have looked more age-appropriate wearing a Gwen Stefani L.A.M.B. outfit. She’d died as a human when she’d been maybe fifteen or sixteen. In her time, that would have made her a fully-grown woman and mother. In our time, that made her a mall rat. To modern eyes, her clothes were too old for her, but it would take an insane person to tell her so. Sophie-Anne was the world’s most dangerous teenager, and the second most dangerous had her back. Andre was standing right behind Sophie-Anne, as always. When he’d given me a thorough look, and the door had closed behind me, he actually sat beside Sophie-Anne, which was some kind of signal that I was a member of the club, I guess. Andre and his queen had both been drinking TrueBlood, and they looked rosy as a result—almost human, in fact.
    “How are your accommodations?” Sophie-Anne asked politely.
    “Fine. I’m rooming with a…girlfriend of Gervaise’s,” I said.
    “With Carla ? Why?” Her brows rose up like dark birds in a clear sky.
    “The hotel’s crowded. It’s no big thing. I figure she’ll be with Gervaise most of the time, anyway,” I said.
    Sophie-Anne said, “What did you think of Johan?”
    I could feel my face harden. “I think he belongs in jail.”
    “But he will keep me out of it.”
    I tried to imagine what a vampire jail would be like, gave up. I couldn’t give her any positive feedback on Johan, so I just nodded.
    “You are still not telling me what you picked up from him.”
    “He’s very tense and conflicted.”
    “Explain.”
    “He’s anxious. He’s scared. He’s fighting different loyalties. He only wants to come out alive. He doesn’t care for anyone but himself.”
    “So how does that make him different from any other human?” Andre commented.
    Sophie-Anne responded with a twitch of one side of her mouth. That Andre, what a comedian.
    “Most humans don’t stab women,” I said as quietly and calmly as I could. “Most humans don’t enjoy that.”
    Sophie-Anne was not completely indifferent to the violent death Johan Glassport had meted out, but naturally she was a little more concerned with her own legal defense. At least, that was how I read her, but with vampires, I had to go on subtle body language rather than the sure knowledge right out of their brains. “He’ll defend me, I’ll pay him, and then he’s on his own,” she said. “Anything might happen to him then.” She gave me a clear-eyed look.
    Okay, Sophie-Anne, I got the picture.
    “Did he question you thoroughly? Did you feel he knew what he was doing?” she asked, returning to the important stuff.
    “Yes, ma’am,” I said promptly. “He did seem to be really competent.”
    “Then he’ll be worth the trouble.”
    I didn’t even let my eyes flicker.
    “Did Cataliades tell you what to expect?”
    “Yes, ma’am, he did.”
    “Good. As well as your testimony at the trial, I need you to attend every meeting with me that includes humans.”
    This was why she was paying me the big bucks.
    “Ah, do you have any schedule of meetings?” I asked. “It’s just, I’d be ready and waiting if I had any idea when you needed me.”
    Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door. Andre rose and moved to answer it so smoothly and fluidly that you would have sworn he was part cat. His sword was in his hand, though I hadn’t seen it before. The door opened a bit just as Andre reached it, and I heard Sigebert’s bass rumble.
    After they’d exchanged a few sentences, the door opened wider, and Andre said, “The King of Texas, my lady.” There was only a hint of