But Ash looked so penitent and persuasive ... and what other choice did she have?
"Okay," she said finally. "For just a little while." Ash gave a dazzling smile. "Just a very little while," he said.
"So they could be anywhere on the Strip," James said.
Thea sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have known Ash was up to something. But hijacking your girlfriend ..." She lifted her hands in a what-next gesture. "For what it's worth, she didn't seem very interested in him. If he's planning to put the moves on her, he's going to get a surprise."
Yes, James thought, and so is she. Poppy was only useful to Ash as long as Ash thought he could play with her. Once he realized he couldn't ...
He didn't want to think about what would happen then. A quick visit to the nearest Elder, he supposed.
His heart was pounding, and there was a ringing in his ears.
"Did Blaise go with them?" he asked.
"No, she went to the Solstice party. She tried to get Ash to go, but he said he wanted to show Poppy the town." Thea paused, raising a finger. "Wait you might check a t th e party. Ash said he might stop in later."
James spent a moment forcing himself to breathe. Then he said, very gently, "And just who is giving this party?"
"Thierry Descouedres. He always has a big one." "And he's an Elder."
"What?"
"Nothing. Never mind." James backed out of the shop. "Thanks for the help. I'll be in touch." "James. .." She looked at him helplessly. "Do you want to come in and sit down? You don't look very well...."
"I'm fine," James said, already out the door. In the car he said,
"You can get up now."
Phillip emerged from the floor of the backseat where he'd been hiding. "What's happ eni ng? You were gone a long time."
"I think I know where Poppy is." "You just think?"
"Shut up, Phil." He didn't have energy for exchanging insults.
He was entirely focused on Poppy. "Okay, so where is she?"
James spoke precisely. "She is either now, or she willl be later, at a party. A very large party, filled with vampires. And at least one Elder. The perfect place to expose her."
Phil gulped. "And you think that's what Ash is going to do?"
"I know that's what Ash is going to do."
"Then we've got to stop him."
"We may be too late."
The party was strange. Poppy was amazed at how young most of the people were. There were a few scattered adults, but far more teenagers.
"Made vampires," Ash explained obligingly. Poppy remembered what James had said-made vampires remained forever the age of their death, but lamia could stop aging anytime. She supposed that meant that James could get as old as he wanted, while she would be stuck at sixteen eternally.
Not that it mattered. If she and J ames wer e going to be together, they could both stay young-but apart, maybe he'd want to age.
But it was odd to see a guy who looked about nineteen talking earnestly with a little kid who looked about four. The kid was cute , with shiny black hair and tilted eyes, but there was something at once innocent and cruel in his expression.
"Let's see , now that's Circe. A witch of renown. And that's Sekhmet, a shapeshifter. You don't want to get her mad," Ash said genially. He and Poppy were standing in a little anteroom, looking down a level into the main room of the house. Of the mansion, rather. It was the most opulent private residence Poppy had ever seen--and she'd seen Bel Air and Beverly Hills.
"Okay," Poppy said, looking in the general •direction he was pointing. She saw two tall and lovely girls, but she had no idea which was which.
"And that's Thierry, our host. He's an Elder."
An Elder? The guy Ash was indicating didn't seem older than nineteen. He was beautiful, like all the vampires, tall and blond and pensive. Almost sadlooking.
"How old is he?"
"Oh, I forget. He got bitten by an ancestress of mine a long time ago. Back when people lived in caves."
Poppy thoug ht he was joking. But maybe not.
"What do the Elders do, exactly?"
"They just make rules. And see that people keep them." An odd smile was playing around Ash's lips.
He turned to look directly at Poppy.
With the black eyes of a snake. That was when Poppy knew.
She backed away rapidly. But Ash came after her, just as rapidly. She saw a door on the other side of the anteroom and headed for it. Got through it. Only to find herself on a balcony.
With her eyes, she measured the distance to the ground. But before she could make another move, Ash had her arm.
Don't fight yet, her mind counseled desperately.
He's strong. Wait for an opportunity.
She made herself relax a fraction and met Ash's
dark gaze. "You brought me here."
"Yes."
"To hand me over." He smiled. "But why?"
Ash threw back his head and laughed. It was lovely, melodious laughter, and it made Poppy sick. "You're a human," he said.
"Or you should be.
James should never have done what he did." Poppy's heart was racing, but her mind was oddly clear. Maybe she'd known all along that this was what he was going to do. Maybe it was even the right thing to do. If she couldn't be with James and she couldn't be with her family, did the rest really matter? Did she want t o live in the Night World if it wa s full of people like Blaise and Ash?
"So you don't care about James, either," she said. "You're willing to put him in danger to get rid of me."
Ash considered, then grinned. "James can take care of himself," he said.