Frost Burned

quit smiling.
    “It’s like that bit in
The Princess Bride
,” I told him. “When Vizzini says, ‘You fell victim to one of the classic blunders.’ Never go in against an ancient Italian vampire when
death
is on the line.”
    Stefan laughed. I think he might have been the only one who had watched the movie. Or no one else thought I was funny.
    “I have brought an audience for us,” Frost said, ignoring me entirely. “So the display will not be ruined.”
    He clapped his hands, and the upper edge of the north side of the shell of the basement of the winery was suddenly lined with the shapes of people—like Indians on the ridgetop in one of those old Westerns. It should have looked hokey—and it did, sort of—but it was also worrisome. Then, in a simultaneous motion that raised every hair on my body, they all jumped into the basement. They were so close in sync that they made one sound when they landed. I’d seen vampires do that kind of thing before, responding to the dictates of their master or mistress. But repetition didn’t make it seem less
wrong
.
    A black cloud formed around their feet and rose as far as their knees before the ash settled back down on the ground. Maybe a little more rain would be a good thing—but the water that was coming down so far was still just a drop here and there.
    “These are mine,” Frost told Marsilia, raising one arm theatrically. “I have bound them to me in such a way that if I die tonight, they will all die. I thought it only fitting that they witness this.”
    He looked around again. “So it is you and the Soldier who will fight me, then? Who is your third?”
    Marsilia just smiled at him—and I realized we were missing someone. I tried to remember when I had last seen Hao, and it was a long while ago. Long before Frost had done his sudden-appearance act. The sharp smell of the burnt building, so much more sour than true woodsmoke, made it impossible to pick out one vampire from so many. If Hao was somewhere nearby, I couldn’t find him. I wanted to turn around to look, but controlled the impulse. If he had disappeared, it was for a reason. The broken-cement remnants of walls stuck up waist high in places. Maybe he was hiding behind one of those.
    Frost laughed again, and all of his people laughed in unison. They all had exactly the same expression as he did on their faces.
    Unable to help myself, I snarled. Frost looked at me with a sudden intentness that told me he’d been paying attention to me all along.
    “Don’t tell me that you’re going to pull the coyote girl into this? What exactly is she supposed to do—besides die?” The words were a chorus spoken by all of his vampires in time with his lips. I could tell from Stefan’s careful expression that I wasn’t the only one who was getting creeped out by it.
    “I’ve been good about not dying so far,” I said. “You should quit concerning yourself with my health.”
    I didn’t say it very loudly, and the vampires were too busy talking to each other to pay attention to me. But Asil frowned at me and made a motion with his hand. I recognized the soundless instructions because Adam used the same ones with our pack. Asil thought we should leave.
    But I had a feeling that leaving was not an option. For some reason, Marsilia had wanted
me
here.
    “I have heard about you, Frost,” said Marsilia, sounding bored. “I had disregarded it as vindictive gossip, but I see that it is true. You are a show-off who wastes resources making himself look impressive. You talk and talk, and it is empty talk. You will bring in a new era of vampire freedom and power, and blah blah blah. And yet you have only puppets. When their strings are cut, you have nothing.”
    The other vampire’s lips flattened, and he said silkily, “Marsilia, raise your right hand.”
    Her lips tightened and both of her hands fisted.
    Pay attention, coyote,
whispered a voice in my ear.
Can you see what he is doing? How he is doing it?
    Stefan, to whom the voice belonged, was several feet away. My stomach clenched. He wasn’t supposed to be able to do that anymore. The blood bond between us had been broken when Adam brought me into the pack.
    Stefan glared at me and tilted his chin toward Marsilia.
    “Marsilia,” said Frost again, focusing his attention on her. “
Raise
your right hand.”
    I felt it then, the thread of power he used—it was sort of like the power of Adam’s voice when he’d roll it over the pack and bring them