“Why don’t you ask Gabriel? He’ll have the inside scoop.”

“I don’t want the Vamp Council to hassle Gabriel because of me. Not that anything will happen, but you know the Council has a problem with me already.”

There was silence on the other end of the line, and so I said, “And, no, I haven’t told Ian I’m going. I need to get away from him and clear my head. Sometimes I think that he could convince me to do anything.”

I heard Mercedes sigh and she said, “Seriously? Because the only time I’ve ever seen you make compromises was when you were with Oswald.”

“That time I was too compromising. Trying to please others made me vulnerable to their machinations. You’re the only one I really trust to look out for my best interests.”

“That’s not true. There are others who love you and want the best for you.”

“Do you mean Ian?”

There was a pause, and she said, “I meant your dog.”

People who said you couldn’t run from your problems had obviously never flown first-class to London seated in a private pod with their own movies, luxury gift bags, and a super-cute flight attendant who gave a great minimassage.

After a tasty Bloody Mary, I put on my complimentary terry slippers, eyeshade, and headphones, and tried to sleep.

four

An American, a Broad

I jauntily wheeled my chartreuse zebra-striped suitcase through the airport and to the stairs that led to the trains. Although I’d repaired one of the case’s broken wheels with a piece of wire coat hanger, it still looked very stylish.

I liked the hustle and bustle of big-city public transportation, and I liked grabbing a window seat on a train and seeing billboards and scenery flashing by.

Mercedes had recommended a hotel in Kensington that was close to the Tube. The hotel was a well-kept, renovated Victorian with moderately priced rooms, just the sort of comfortable, convenient place Mercedes would stay while checking out bands.

My junior suite was a medium-sized room with a love seat, a narrow desk, a view to the street, and an all-white bathroom with a deep tub.

I walked to a French café, bought a latte, and took a stroll to the park, trying to remember to look to my right when crossing streets. When I returned to my hotel, I called Don Pedro.

“Don Pedro, why don’t we meet at one of the local attractions so I can sightsee while you tell me whatever?”

“Alas, I have so many followers all over the world, those who come to me for guidance in the ways of the shapeshifter. I fear that we would be interrupted and I want to give you my undivided attention.”