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“What is going on, Anita?”

What was I supposed to say, You’re such a weak vamp that Malcolm mind-fucked you like you were a human? He sounded scared enough without me making him feel weaker. “Malcolm sent me a message.”

“What?” Then there was noise on the other end. I heard Avery’s voice, a little distant, as if he’d taken the phone from his mouth to talk to someone there.

“Avery?”

The voice that came on wasn’t Avery, or Malcolm. “Who is speaking, please?” It was male, and I didn’t know the voice.

“I don’t answer your questions, you answer mine.”

“Are you police?” he asked.

“Yes.” It was the truth.

“We are breaking none of your laws.”

“You’re trying to take over the Church of Eternal Life here in my town. I’d say that’s illegal.”

“We have offered no violence to anyone. This will be a contest of wills and magical power. It is not illegal to use vampire powers on other vampires in your country. We will not use our powers on the humans here. I give you my word.”

“How about the vampires? They’re legal citizens of this country, too.”

“We will offer them no weapon, no hand of violence. Your laws protect only humans from vampire powers. In fact, the law could be interpreted to exclude all supernatural citizens from the protection the law gives against vampire manipulation.”

“Lycanthropes are still considered human under the letter of the law.”

“If you say so.”

“I say so. Give me your name,” I said.

“I am known as Giovanni. I would like to know who I am speaking with.”

Frankly, I wasn’t sure that he’d treat me like a cop, or like Jean-Claude’s human servant. I wasn’t even sure which role would work best here. “I’m Federal Marshal Anita Blake.”

“Ah, the Master of the City’s human servant.”

“Yeah, that, too.”

“We have done nothing, my mistress and I, to anger you in either of your roles.”

That was a little too close for comfort to what I’d just been thinking. Had he read my mind, and me not know it? Shit.

“If Columbine is your mistress, then yeah, she did piss me off.”

“We read your laws, Marshal. Columbine used her powers on you, your master, and his wolf. She did not use her powers on humans.”

“She and her friend Nivia framed two legal citizen vampires for murder, and two humans died to do that.”

“Nivia did that on her own. My mistress was most upset when she found that Nivia had done these horrible things.” He didn’t even try to keep his voice from sounding fake.

He knew I couldn’t prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it hadn’t been just Nivia, who was conveniently dead. It was her weretiger that had tried to kill Peter, a human. Again, conveniently dead.

“Son of a bitch,” I said, softly.

“Excuse me, Marshal.”

“I have a warrant of execution and it works just fine for you and your mistress.”

“But if you use it knowing that we did not do these crimes, then you are a murderer. Perhaps you will never be tried as such, but you will know that you have abused your powers and simply killed to protect your master like a good human servant, but not a very good federal marshal.”

“You’ve done your homework,” I said.

Micah was beside me now. I held up a hand so he wouldn’t try to talk to me. I glanced back and found Nathaniel still talking to Zerbrowski. Whatever he was saying had the sergeant’s full attention.

“We know you are honorable, and your master is honorable. We will not harm Malcolm or his people. We will simply challenge him for them, and use only legal means to win the challenge.”

“Avery Seabrook is already blood-oathed to Jean-Claude. He’s off limits.”

“Very well, but the others are no one’s flock.”

“Malcolm gave them to Jean-Claude. We haven’t blood-oathed them yet, but they are ours.”

“Lies do not become you, Marshal Blake.”

“Can you taste a lie in my voice?”

“I have that ability.”

“Fine, then listen carefully, Giovanni. Malcolm gave his entire congregation to Jean-Claude and me. They belong to the Master of the City of St. Louis now. You can defeat Malcolm with your vampire wiles, but it won’t win you shit. By vampire law you have