Anita Blake 22 - Affliction Read Online Free PDF Page A

wear a suit so we all match when we get to the hospital.’ Nathaniel had beautiful designer suits, but since his regular job was as an exotic dancer he didn’t have to wear them to work like Micah did. The suits were for special occasions like weddings and certain business meetings where all of Jean-Claude’s main people had to show up looking businessy.
    I realized that Nathaniel was strangely happy. It didn’t quite match the reason for the trip. I thought about asking why his mood was so up, but my phone let me know there was another call trying to come through. ‘I’ve got another call; let me make sure it’s not Micah.’
    ‘I’ll wait,’ he said, and again it was cheerful. Was it too cheerful, or was he just better at handling these emergencies than I was?
    It was Jean-Claude on the phone. ‘Hey, what’s up?’
    ‘Are any of the guards you have arranged werewolves?’
    ‘Yes, it’s Micah’s rule and yours that we try to use as many wereanimals for our public bodyguards as possible.’
    ‘You will need to make other arrangements,
ma petite
.’
    ‘Why?’ I asked.
    ‘The local wolves have requested that you not bring anyone in who could challenge them. If there is need of a funeral, then they will understand us bringing in our wolves to call, but until that sad necessity they would like none of our wolves, as a sign of good faith.’
    ‘Are you letting them boss us around too much?’ I asked.
    ‘If you want this initial visit to be about Micah and his dying father, no. If you want to have to deal with the local werewolves politically, and perhaps even frighten them enough to have it turn to violence, then by all means keep your wolf guard.’
    ‘Okay, I’ll switch the guard roster.’
    ‘Good,’ he said.
    ‘Is there anything else I need to know?’
    ‘The master vampire of the area has forgone the usual politics and wishes our Micah well. In fact, he offered to put his people at our disposal for transportation and errands so that you could all concentrate on Micah’s family.’
    ‘That was very nice of him,’ I said, and couldn’t keep the suspicion out of my voice.
    ‘It was nice of him,
ma petite
, but we are no longer just visiting masters from out of town. We are council members, or their people, and thus we are owed both allegiance and a certain deferential treatment.’
    ‘So, now that you’re on the council we don’t have to do all the vampire political shit?’
    ‘In part, yes, but on the other hand, it means we have to be even more conscious of other masters and their egos, unless you wish to feed the whispers of rebellion among them?’
    ‘You know I don’t,’ I said.
    ‘Then remember that when you are dealing with him and his people, please.’
    ‘Are you afraid I’ll be rude and spook them?’
    ‘You, rude,
ma petite
, why would I fear that?’ The sarcasm was not that thick, but the very delicate touch of it brought it home.
    ‘I’ll be good. It’s nice of them to help us out at short notice.’
    ‘They have little choice; the old European council would have seen a refusal of such niceties as a grave insult and would have acted accordingly.’
    ‘What does “act accordingly” mean in this context?’
    ‘You have met envoys from the council,
ma petite
. What do you think they would do to a master who was discourteous to them?’
    ‘Scare the hell out of him, torment, torture, overthrow him maybe if they had someone to put in his place, or in some cases just for the hell of the chaos it would cause.’
    ‘On one hand we are hampered by the old council’s actions; it makes the others fear a council here in the United States. They fear we will go mad with power, but on the other hand, they will offer up service and courtesy in hopes of placating us and keeping us from having a reason to be angry with them.’
    ‘So, on one hand the old council’s reputation makes things harder for us and scares everyone, and on the other hand they’ll probably behave