Changes (Belle Morte Book 4)

Chapter Three

Gideon

He hadn't been looking forward to this day.

Though he'd known it was coming – there was no way around it – he still felt unprepared.

Before today, he'd been able to pretend that the vampire way of life wasn't in imminent danger of coming to an end. Protestors raged outside the walls, and the rooms and corridors of the mansion were a lot emptier than they used to be, but Gideon still found he could pretend.

Pretending was easier.

It kept him from facing the grim reality that they were trying to fight off – that they might not be able to fight off.

Now he couldn't pretend anymore.

Tomorrow, the Prime Minister would arrive.

Today, they had to prepare their case.

Ysanne looked around the room. "For those of you who don't know each other, may I introduce Adele Desmoulins of Du Sang. She will be running Nocte Filii for the time being, along with Mateo Bianchi of Ombre in Italy. Liliya Vogel and Kara Braun of Blutrausch in Germany will be taking care of Midnight, and George Johnson and Constance White of Fallen Night will be running Lamia."

The new arrivals nodded to the Belle Morte vampires.

Gideon had never met any of them, but if they were here to help then they were friends.

"I am not going to lie to any of you," said Ysanne, laying her palms flat on the tabletop. "I suspect we have dark days ahead. We fought and bled and suffered to win back our House, and now it is under threat again, but this is a threat we cannot fight with brute force."

Kara scowled, leaning back in her chair. Gideon didn't know the woman but she struck him as someone who preferred brute force to diplomacy. Ysanne was right, though. Force wouldn't win this battle.

"During my recent liaisons with McGellan, she has expressed doubts as to whether the donor system should be salvaged," Ysanne said.

Gideon's heart sank. If the Prime Minister herself wasn't on their side, what chance did they have?

"What happens if it collapses?" he asked.

Ysanne's face hardened. "You're assuming that it already hasn't." She indicated the room with a graceful sweep of her hand. "There are no donors left, in any of the Houses."

Gideon's eyes went to Jason.

So did Kara's.

"Excuse me," she said, "but is the boy not a donor?" The look she gave Jason wasn't exactly unfriendly, but it wasn't welcoming, either.

It made Gideon's hackles rise.

Jason had earned his place at this table, and Kara needed to respect that. He opened his mouth to tell her just that, but Ysanne was faster.

"Jason Grant stopped being a donor a long time ago. He is as loyal a friend to Belle Morte as we could possibly hope for," she said.

Jason's cheeks went pink.

Kara said nothing.

"All of the Houses have lost their donors? Even Fiaigh?" Constance asked.

The American vampire was almost as tall as Gideon himself, with strong, handsome features, and straw-coloured hair twisted into a loose braid.

Ysanne nodded. "Although Fiaigh is the one House that stood outside Jemima and Etienne's control, Caoimhe deemed it prudent to send her donors home, too."