Tempted

went to Stark. I saw her eyes widen as she took in his red tattooing of intricately decorated arrows on either side of the crescent in the middle of his forehead.
    “This is Stark,” I said, needing to break what was becoming an awkward silence.
    “Merry meet, Stark,” she said.
    “Merry meet,” he replied automatically, even though he sounded strained.
    I understood how he felt, but I was getting used to vamps and fledglings staring at my weird tattoos.
    “Stark, I have taken care to be certain our boat has curtains drawn and windows blackened, though sunset is within the hour and it has been snowing on and off all day, so what sun is still shining is rather wan.”
    Her voice was musical and nice to listen to, so nice that it took me a moment to actually hear what she was saying.
    “Boat?” I said. “How does he get to the boat?”
    “Well, it’s right there, Zo.” Heath, who was sliding down the stairs with his feet up and his hands on the cold, slick rail, jerked his chin toward the side of the hangar. Cut out of the floor at one edge of the building was a large rectangular dock with a big door that reminded me of a garage closed at one end. At the other was a slick-looking black wooden boat. The top front was glass, and I could see two tall vampyres standing there by the dash. Behind them shiny wooden stairs led down into what must be the passenger area. I say “must be” because,even though there were windows along the side of the boat, they were, indeed, completely covered.
    “If the sun’s behind clouds, I can stand it,” Stark said.
    “So it’s true that sunlight isn’t simply uncomfortable for you? It will literally burn you?” I could hear the curiosity in her voice, and it didn’t sound pushy or “oh-my-god-you’re-such-a-freak.” She sounded honestly concerned.
    “Direct sunlight would kill me,” Stark said matter-of-factly. “Setting or indirect sun would be anywhere from very dangerous to uncomfortable.”
    “Interesting,” she mused.
    “I guess interesting’s one way to look at it. I mostly think of it as annoying and inconvenient,” Stark said.
    “Are we going to have time to shop before the High Council meeting?” Aphrodite asked.
    “Ah, you must be Aphrodite.”
    “Yes, merry meet, whatever. So can we shop?”
    “I’m afraid you won’t have time. It will take half an hour to get to the island, then I will get you settled and, most importantly, brief you on the rules of the Council. Actually, we must be going now.” She started to shepherd us to the boat.
    “Are they letting me speak before them, or am I not good enough now that I’m
just
a human?” Aphrodite said.
    “The rule about humans has nothing to do with them not being good enough to speak before the Council,” Erce said as we moved from the wharf-like part of the hangar and boarded the boat, stepping down into a dark, luxurious cabin. “Consorts have long been allowed in the Council Chamber because of their importance to their vampyres.” She paused here to smile at Heath, who was totally, obviously human. “They are not allowed to speak before the High Council because humans do not have a say in intimate vampyre policies and issues.”
    Heath sighed dramatically, smooshed himself next to me and, ignoring Stark, who was sitting on the other side of me, draped his arm possessively around my shoulders.
    “I’m going to elbow the crap out of you if you don’t put your arm down and act right,” I whispered.
    Heath grinned sheepishly and moved his arm, though he didn’t unsmoosh from me.
    “So does that mean I can attend the almighty Council Meeting, but I have to shut up like the blood donor over there?” Aphrodite asked.
    “You they have made an exception for. You may attend, and you may speak, but you’ll have to follow all the other rules of the Council.”
    “Which means no shopping right now,” Aphrodite said.
    “That is what it means,” Erce said.
    I was impressed by her patience. Lenobia would probably have snapped Aphrodite’s head off before then for her smart-alecky attitude.
    “Can all the rest of us come to the Council Meeting, too? Oh, hi and merry meet, I’m Jack,” he said.
    “You are all invited to meet before the Council.”
    “And what about Neferet and Kalona? Are they there also?” I asked.
    “Yes, though Neferet now calls herself Nyx Incarnate, and Kalona says his true name is Erebus.”
    “That’s a lie,” I said.
    Erce’s smile was grim. “That,