The accent immediately struck Fatima as familiar, although she couldn't place it outright. She didn't have the musical ear that the York sisters had. Auntie Diana had forced her to take piano lessons, but she'd lost interest in it pretty quickly. It always managed to ruin her manicure.

She smiled politely, then turned to glance at the boots. "Old habit," she admitted, with a little laugh. "Helps with balance though. You suddenly become keenly aware of the fact that you could topple over at any minute, if you're not careful."

And the pressure of a woman's weight on a single stiletto was enough to decapitate a vampire.

She'd learned that one from experience.