Dayhunter

FIFTEEN

The sun slid back beneath the earth, its long rays of light clawing at the sky in a desperate attempt to find some last second purchase. The world sighed and shuddered, shaking off the day’s tight grasp like shedding a skin it had outgrown. I didn’t see the sun’s steady descent into darkness, but I could feel the birth of a new night. The subtle shift of the nocturnal world as it yawned and stretched, ready for a night of hunting, rippled through me.

Tristan lay silent last night in the bed after returning from the Coven, lost somewhere between Sadira’s betrayal and my failure to protect him. I’m sure his mind had replayed his time with the court in all its gory detail. He’d come so close to dying in that place of permanent night and horrors.

I should never have left him alone with Sadira, completely underestimating her need to strike out at me. The court could have easily destroyed him, and Sadira had already proven that he was dispensable if it meant breaking me. Protecting Tristan was going to be harder than I’d anticipated, and he had paid the price for my foolishness and ego. His encounter in the Great Hall was my fault. We both knew now that neither of us would ever be completely free until Sadira was dead and gone. But at the moment, he slept deeply beside me on the bed, curled up in the fetal position, the blankets twisted around his naked body.

Hesitantly, I reached over and smoothed some of the soft locks from his face. Full dark was still more than an hour away, and he was immersed in the deep, healing sleep of our people. Blissful darkness consumed his thoughts, and for a time the memory of Sadira’s betrayal and my failure were no doubt wiped away. He would have to face those memories again all too soon, but for now there was only nothingness.

I stared down at his beautiful form, cool and limp. A knot lodged in my throat and I blinked back a swell of tears that blurred my vision. My sweet, beautiful Tristan with the fragile, playful smile. In him, I saw both a child and a brother. Brought into the darkness by the same nightwalker, we were of the same bloodline. Yet, he was so much younger and weaker. His very existence seemed so tenuous.

Jabari had saved me five hundred years ago from Sadira, bringing me out of the shadow of pain and despair. Was it my job to save Tristan now? How could I when I could barely protect myself? Both Michael and Thorne had died while I watched. Would the young nightwalker be next despite my best efforts?

Touching his hair again, I wished his peace would last. I wished for his wounds to heal, on the outside as well as the scars on the inside, but I feared it would all be for nothing. Just nights ago I had professed to James that nightwalkers were more than monsters. I told him that we felt joy and that we loved. Yet hadn’t the bloody mess that they’d made of Tristan’s back when they peeled the skin from his body proven that wrong? Hadn’t the fact that I reveled in the bloodbath I created proven that wrong? How could one monster ever succeed in protecting another monster?

Sparing a glance to find that his back had healed from last night’s debacle, I pushed off the bed. Never in my long existence had I risen so early. I had been called. I could feel Valerio in my head the second consciousness came flooding into my brain, and then he pulled away, leaving behind a faint impression on my lips, as if he’d kissed me. Standing in the silent room, I inhaled deeply, half expecting to catch a faint whiff of his scent, and my brain even told me for a second that I did, but I knew he had never been in the room. His presence in my thoughts had been so strong that it left a mark on all of my senses.

But that was Valerio, as silent as a shade and as ubiquitous as the wind. He was a ghost from my past that I could never quite shake off. But then, there was the question of whether I truly wanted to shed his long-reaching touch.

The sound of the door to the hotel room closing jerked me from my thoughts. I grabbed the ankle-length silk robe from where I’d tossed it over a chair and quickly pulled it on. I was still tying the sash of the hotel robe when I stepped into the main salon. Danaus was pushing in a cart covered with a white cloth, laden with dishes hidden under silver covers. A dozen scents of rich sauces, cooked meat, and hot coffee suddenly filled the air. It was time for dinner or breakfast. By the smell of it, I was convinced that the hunter was indulging in both.

Danaus abruptly halted, his eyes darting from me to the bay of windows that revealed the distant sunset. The sky was painted deep shades of red, orange, and a heavy purple. It had been centuries since I last looked on such colors in the sky.

“Did you have any problems last night?” I stiffly inquired. With my arms folded over my stomach, I walked over to the windows, ignoring the silent question resting in his narrowed eyes. The fading sunlight made my eyes burn, and I blinked back bloody tears but didn’t move. I wasn’t sure if I would ever see the sunset again, and I wanted to soak in the colors while I could.

“No. You?”

“Nothing important.” I tried to sound nonchalant and indifferent about last night, but failed. Those two words came out sounding weary and ragged. My encounter with Rowe and the slaughter at the Great Hall had left me torn in two.

“Mira?” I hadn’t heard him move, but he sounded closer now. Just a few feet away, standing directly behind me. The scent of him was strong, a soothing mix of soap and the sun, with a hint of spice from his cologne or aftershave. A part of me wanted to lean back and rest my shoulders against his strong chest as we shared the sunset in comfortable silence.

“Everything is well,” I said, pushing aside the silly urge.

“It would be easier to protect each other if I understood what was happening,” he firmly said. “Who took Sadira and Tristan?”

I opened my mouth to say that it was none of his business and that I had it all under control, but another set of words came tumbling out. “Sadira took Tristan to the court of the Coven to punish me. He was tortured until I arrived.”

“Did you destroy Sadira?” The words escaped his throat, sounding matter-of-fact, his question holding no emotion or inflection. I couldn’t decide whether he would condemn or praise me for my actions.

“She still exists, though I’m sure she wishes she didn’t,” I finally replied.

“And the Coven?”

“Who knows what they think? They weren’t present at the time. They will only act when it is to their benefit.” Biting back a sigh, I turned on my bare right heel to face him. I needed to get moving. Valerio had woken me for a reason. He wanted something, and I didn’t want him showing up there. “I have another meeting tonight.”

“Alone?”

“Naturally,” I said with a little smirk, which faded almost as quickly as it appeared.

“What about the Coven and their arrangement with the naturi?” Danaus inquired.

“I haven’t forgotten. We have to stop it, or it could mean war among all of the races, along with fighting a war against the naturi. No one would survive such a thing.”

“Don’t you find it odd that Jabari demanded we come here, risking us discovering their grand plot?”

A smile brightened my features and exposed my fangs briefly. “Yes, I do,” I said, almost chuckling. “I’m beginning to think that not everyone is of one mind on the Coven.”

“And it’s our job to destroy the bargain,” Danaus finished with a nod.

“Destroy the naturi trying to break the seal. Destroy the Coven’s bargain with the naturi.”

“It’s what we do best,” Danaus said. A fleeting smile slipped across his face.

“True, but we may need some help, hence the meeting.” I glanced over my shoulder one last time as the colors in the sky continued to fade. “Stay close to Tristan while I’m gone. Don’t let him out of your sight,” I commanded, not caring how the hunter felt about my issuing orders to a creature more than three times my age.

“Do you think they’ll come after him again?”

I cocked my head to the side as an odd thought skipped through my brain. “Would you protect him if they did?” I softly asked, my eyes drifting over his hard features. Danaus’s eyes darted across the room and his frown deepened as he paced a few steps away from me. I doubt either one of us knew the answer to that question. I opened my mouth to push on when he suddenly spoke, his voice like a distant rumble of thunder in the quiet room. “I would protect him against the creatures that hurt him last night.”

I wouldn’t go into detail about what happened to the young nightwalker last night. That was Tristan’s choice. But I had no doubt that Danaus felt my pain and rage. I had not attempted to shield him.

A slow smile grew on my lips, and my eyes glowed dark lavender with the memory of the bloodbath. “Those creatures no longer exist,” I purred.

Danaus nodded, the frown disintegrating from his face. I was surprised. There was no disgust or disappointment in his eyes when he looked at me. All I could feel from him was a sense of peace and calm.

I blinked and the glow disappeared from my eyes, the swell of power slipping from my form as if caught up by a light breeze. “No, that is not why I want you to stay with Tristan. I fear the court may come after you next.”

“And you expect him to protect me?” he asked incredulously.

“No,” I said, a smile trembling on my lips. “Tristan and I are connected. I can feel his emotions and see through his eyes. I will know if you are troubled.”

“Unlike our connection?” he asked, arching one thick brow at me.

“Our connection weakens with time and distance,” I replied sharply. “It is also a connection I do not wish to cultivate, and would prefer it to die completely.” I was still unnerved by the way his mind had touched mine last night, slowly scanning my body for the injury I’d sustained. But now the contact had dissipated, and I was only vaguely aware of his emotions, much like most humans.

Danaus simply nodded, wisely refraining from commenting on the fact that I hadn’t known Tristan was in trouble last night until it was too late. But then again, I had taken care of that problem last night. Sadira wouldn’t cause any problems for a long time.

As I turned to go back into the bedroom to throw on some clothes, Danaus pointed out a large box that had been delivered to the room a couple hours earlier. I shook my head as I carried it into the bedroom with me, knowing without opening it who had sent it. Valerio believed that appearance was everything in keeping up a facade.

Placing the large, white garment box on the bed, I pulled off the lid. Inside I found a black silk camisole and a white wrap made of antique lace. The straight, black skirt fell to my calves and was slit up the back. And of course, a pair of heels that had wide black ribbons that wrapped around my ankles. Quickly dressing, I decided at the last minute to leave my hair down. I took one last glance in the mirror and couldn’t quite fight back the small smile that rose on my lips. The outfit was elegant and appropriately conservative. Yet, it still somehow managed to be sexy and alluring with its tiny flashes of pale skin. If Valerio could divert his attention long enough from fashion and keeping up appearances, he could be a truly dangerous figure.

I was still smiling when I strode out of the suite and rode the elevator down to the lobby. It had been on the tip of my tongue to warn Danaus that Rowe was in the area as I slipped from the room, but I knew if I mentioned the naturi’s name, I would never be able to attend this meeting without his dark shadow. Besides, Danaus could at least sense the naturi, making him better protected. He didn’t need my warning.

When I entered the large marble lobby to the hotel, the sun had finished its descent in the horizon and the night took over. My footsteps nearly stumbled at the sudden surge of power that rippled through the air. For a brief moment my body felt more awake and alive, connected to something larger than myself. But just as suddenly the feeling faded, leaving me aware and calm. I was back in my element.

A soft chuckle drew my gaze across the nearly empty room. Valerio folded the newspaper he was pretending to read and laid it aside as he pushed out of his chair.

Valerio was the classical image of a vampire. Not the rotting, shambling corpse with breath that smelled like death, but the Hollywood version with brown hair and pale blue eyes like a glacier kissed by the sea. His cadaverous white skin was stretched over lean muscle, created by a human life spent at hard manual labor and an undead existence filled with constant physical activity. He was shorter than me, but not by much. It was not something easily noticed either. When the nightwalker entered a room, his presence filled it in such an overwhelming way that you couldn’t be aware of anyone or anything else. He became everything and was everywhere.

Handsome was an inadequate word to describe him. He was beautiful in the same fashion Michelangelo’s David was beautiful or the Venus de Milo. He possessed the same type of beauty as a summer sunset on the Mediterranean with a full moon rising in the distance. Awe-inspiring. Breathtaking. The type of peaceful, exquisite beauty that made you want to believe in a God or that there was good left in the world. It was the kind of beauty that convinced you to hold on for just one more day.

But it was more than his appearance that fulfilled the image humans now clung to when it came to vampires. It was also his manner. Calm, unshakable confidence oozed from every pore and controlled the muscles in his lean frame. It was in his walk and the way he stood, poised and always aware of his surroundings. He possessed the same seductive beauty as a sleeping jaguar. Beautiful and infinitely deadly when awakened.

Sadira taught me concepts like power and control when dealing in the world of nightwalkers. Jabari gave me the concepts of loyalty and honor, instilling within me a sense of history for my kind. But Valerio taught me how to live as a nightwalker and how to live with myself. He opened my eyes to the world of pleasure and joy. I learned to laugh again. Valerio gave my kind a new reason to fear me. I learned how to play games with my prey, both physical and mental, to induce equal parts happiness and fear.

When I left both Sadira and Jabari, I had never looked back. I stepped from their shadow and pursued my own life, in a fashion. But I had yet to completely shed Valerio. Years withered away and I found myself once again seated in an elegant parlor or strolling down a rat-infested alley with Valerio smiling at my side. I’d leave him with unspoken words like “Never again” balanced on the tip of my tongue, but knew better than to say it. Our paths always found a way to cross.

I had no idea how old he was. Old enough. He had such a quiet, unobtrusive way about him that I couldn’t begin to guess the extent of his powers, but none dared to cross him, and he gave few reason to do so. Was he born chum, or was he a First Blood? I couldn’t even begin to guess.

I didn’t fear him, and I knew that it might prove to be my greatest mistake. I didn’t trust him and was extremely cautious around him, but my lack of fear could prove to be the end of me. If anything, Valerio had taught me to fear myself.

Walking over to where I stood, a patronizing smile lifted his full lips, revealing a hint of white teeth. “Cara Mira,” he chuckled, an Italian accent faintly lacing his words. “I had forgotten you usually sleep late, missing out on the birth of the night.”

“What is it you wanted to see me about?” I demanded, overcoming my momentary surprise that he had chosen to speak in English. It was a struggle to keep from crossing my arms over my chest. I didn’t want him to see how tense I was, but I had no doubt he could read it in the stiffness of my shoulders and the frown that pulled at the corners of my lips.

“Where is your companion? The hunter?” he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“In the suite. I assumed you wanted a private meeting.”

“Oh, I do,” he said, his smile widening. Valerio took one last step forward, the lapels of his jacket briefly brushing against my breasts. His left hand snatched up my right hand from where it dangled limp at my side and he placed his right hand on my waist as he forced me into a quick waltz around the lobby. If we hadn’t been cloaked from the gaze of the people who lingered in the expansive entrance, I’m sure we would have earned more than a few strange stares. “I’ve been waiting to discuss a few things with you, sweet Mira.”

Tilting my head down slightly so I could look him in the eye, Valerio took advantage of our closeness to press his lips to mine. My body reacted to the familiar contact before my brain had a chance to step in. We stopped moving and I leaned into his hard frame, relaxing at his touch as my eyes drifted shut. His right hand slid from my waist to my back, pulling me tightly against his frame. His familiar touch eased the tension from my shoulders and it drained from the muscles in my limbs. His scent teased my nose as if trying to call up some of the good memories I had packed away of him. For some strange reason, the nightwalker smelled of cinnamon.

But it was wrong. My thoughts finally surfaced above the sensations vibrating in my frame. Valerio was trouble. He was another manipulator and killer. And the kiss was no different than the one I had received from Rowe, leaving me feeling used and dirty. More of my nights with Valerio had been washed in blood than all my years with Sadira and Jabari. The only difference being that Valerio had made it fun, where his predecessors had turned it into a nightmare.

Breaking off the kiss, I pushed against his chest. The nightwalker didn’t fight me, allowing me to take a few steps out of his embrace. Rubbing my eyes, I shook my head, marveling at how quickly I had been swept up in him. “Don’t touch me,” I said in a cold, hard voice.

“I’ve missed you, Mira,” he murmured, drawing my gaze back to his face.

I snorted, stifling the bitter laugh that nearly escaped. “And last night you were calling me a traitor. I’m no fool, Valerio.”

“Foolish, sometimes, but never a fool,” he said. His smile widened to reveal a pair of perfect white fangs.

Waving my hand dismissively at him, I turned to pace away from him when the sound of my muffled footsteps caught my attention. I looked down at the thick white carpet that covered the floor. The hotel lobby was entirely filled with marble. My gaze jerked up to find that I was no longer standing in the lobby of the Cipriani, but in a salon with antique furniture.

“Damn it, Valerio!” I growled, stalking over to one of the curtained windows on the far wall. “Where the hell am I?” The decor was unlike anything I had seen in the Cipriani. In fact, it didn’t remind me of anything I’d seen in Venice.

“Somewhere private,” he replied.

Ignoring him, I grabbed the curtains in my fists and jerked them open to reveal concrete where the canals had once been. I glanced up and down the street but didn’t immediately recognize any of the buildings. A knot of panic tightened in my stomach and I forced myself to release my hold on the curtains before I sent them up in flames. “Where the hell am I?” I snarled, turning back to face the nightwalker. He still stood in the center of the room, his hands in his pockets again. My flare of temper had no effect on his mien of perfect calm.

“In my private apartment in Vienna,” he said with a slight shrug.

“Vienna, Austria?” I shouted. “Send me back now.” I was furious with him and myself. He had kissed me so I wouldn’t notice the push through space, and I let it happen, hoping for a moment to erase the memory of Rowe’s kiss. I wanted to ask when he had gained the ability to disappear and reappear across vast distances like Jabari. It was a skill I had never seen him display before, and it made me more than a little nervous. Only the Ancients had such a skill, and Valerio never admitted to being more than one thousand years old.

“We need to talk Mira and we cannot do that in Venice,” he calmly said.

“I will not let the court hurt Tristan again or threaten Danaus. Send me back now,” I said through clenched teeth, closing in on him. “First Nicolai, and now you. I always thought the role of distraction was beneath you.”

“I am not acting on behalf of the Coven or its pets,” he continued, unmoved by my rage. “I left the island last night shortly before you did and have not returned to San Clemente. I do not know what the Coven plans for you today, but I promise that my bringing you here is not an attempt to threaten those that belong to you.”

“Then send me back,” I stubbornly repeated. My anger was ebbing, but frustration was still evident in my voice. I was afraid Jabari or anyone else on the Coven would sense that I was no longer in Venice. They would jump at the opportunity to attack Danaus and Tristan. I had to protect them, but I couldn’t do that when I was several countries away.

“I cannot. We must talk and I do not feel safe doing so in Venice,” he finally admitted. I paused, noticing for the first time a tension around the corners of his eyes and an unusual brittleness in his smile. “Reach out and touch Tristan’s mind. See that he is safe. Touch the hunter’s mind.”

I frowned but said nothing. Touching Danaus’s mind was tricky and I doubted if I could do it from that distance. However, I did reach out and touch Tristan’s thoughts. He was just awakening from his daylight slumber. His thoughts were sluggish and confused, but he was calm.

When I met Valerio’s gaze again, my frown eased a bit. The nightwalker’s shoulders slumped slightly as some of the tension flowed from his body. “So now you believe me?” he gently asked, a soft smile haunting his lips again.

“For the moment,” I snorted, walking away from him. The door between my mind and Tristan’s was left open a crack. I wasn’t in his mind reading his thoughts because I wanted to give him some privacy, but the constant connection would allow me to know the second anything was wrong.

I returned to the far wall and pulled open the curtains on the three windows there, giving me the opportunity to look out on the grand old city. It had been a long time since I last visited Vienna, and my reason for leaving then had been grim. Yet, the long, endless years had dulled the pain and muted the memories. I was more disturbed now by the fact that the pain I thought I should be feeling was little more than a hollow ache.

“I haven’t lied to you, Mira,” Valerio continued. There was a whisper of cloth rubbing as he walked over to me. “I have missed you.”

“You were never one to lie, Valerio. You just preferred to omit crucial information,” I said, not bothering to turn to look at him, but continued to stare out the window. My hands rested on the smooth wooden windowsill, letting the tips of my fingers absently trace the fine lines created when the white paint dried.

Laying his hands on my shoulders, his strong fingers kneaded my tense muscles, rubbing away the several days’ worth of tension. Slowly, he let his hands slide down my arms, pulling away the lace wrap to bare my shoulders. “We were so good together,” he whispered, gently pressing a kiss to my right shoulder. “Remember our fun in Morocco? I don’t think we stirred from that apartment for nearly two weeks.”

“Or the bars after the bullfights in Pamplona,” I volunteered with a little laugh. “It was a shame about the matador. I don’t think he ever properly recovered.”

“What’s that American saying? He could have been a contender,” he chuckled, pressing another kiss to my bare skin, only this time a slight whisper of teeth grazed my flesh. Only after his chuckles died did he speak again. His voice was heartwrenchingly soft, like an ex-lover’s touch on my cheek. “Since traveling to the New World, you have not returned to visit.”

“You could have come to the United States,” I countered, twisting around slightly so I could look him in the eye. “You obviously have the ability to make it a quick trip.”

“You never invited me.”

My brows furrowed and my eyes narrowed at his strange comment. “My domain is a single city within the country. That’s all. You don’t need me to invite you into the country should you wish to visit.”

“Most would question such a statement from you. It is well known that nightwalkers within that country defer to your judgment in most matters, particularly if they wish to continue their existence. Don’t lie to me or yourself. You know your reach extends far beyond the boundaries of your quaint city.”

Turning completely around to face Valerio, I stepped away from his touch. The fresh smile on my lips wilted and died in a breath. “I know the question without reading your mind: Do I plan to take the empty seat on the Coven? I’ll tell you what I’ve told everyone else. No. I don’t want the seat. I don’t want anything to do with the Coven.”

Valerio threw his head back and laughed. The noise seemed to echo and skip as he sped to the opposite end of the room and plopped down in a comfortable chair.

“Mira, my little firefly, maybe you should wonder why so many are asking you that question,” he suggested with a chuckle. “You’ve set up your own little kingdom in the New World.”

“My domain is only the city of Savannah,” I interrupted.

“But you’ve hunted and destroyed nightwalkers who were a threat to the secret from one coast to the other in that darling country,” Valerio countered. He folded his hands over his stomach as he rested his left ankle on his right knee.

“At the request of the Coven.”

“A group you’ve never hidden your lack of respect for. And now you’re back in Venice after being absent for more than fifty years—”

“Again, at the request of the Coven,” I interjected, but my voice was losing strength and my fingers were shaking. I was beginning to see all my actions in a new, horrible light.

“Maybe so, but you walk in with your head held high and a nightwalker killer in tow, making no secret that he is under your protection.” I had no argument to make against his words, so he continued, laughter filling his voice. “Then, as if to top it all off, the pièce de résistance, you steal one of your own maker’s children from her and stage a bloodbath in the Great Hall I’ve not seen the likes of in more than a few centuries. Hell, probably not since you appeared before the court the last time.”

“Valerio,” I whispered, his words crushing my throat. “I don’t want a seat on the Coven. I’m just trying to survive.”

“Survive?” he gasped, sending him into new peaks of incredulous laughter. “Surviving would be keeping your head down and your mouth shut. Surviving would be allowing the court to have its fun with Tristan and the hunter. Surviving is not pissing off both your maker and members of the Coven.”

He pushed out of his chair and was at my side in a flash. His large hands cupped my cheeks and his thumbs wiped away tears I hadn’t realized were falling. “I have always marveled at the cautious way you’ve lived your life,” he softly began again, his sweet voice a gentle caress on my frayed nerves and fractured thoughts. “But recently you’ve acted in such an impulsive fashion. I can’t begin to fathom why you’ve acted with such a suicidal fervor unless you truly wish to die.”

Lifting my haunted eyes to meet his confused gaze, I wet my lips and forced the two words past the lump in my throat. “The naturi.”

I could feel the jerk in his muscles as he flinched at my whispered words, but his hands didn’t fall from my cheeks as his gaze narrowed into cold blue slits of ice.

“The naturi are coming,” I continued.

“What are you talking about, dearest?” he demanded. His deep voice was firm, but not as steady as I would have preferred, as his hands dropped from my face.

Closing my eyes, I drew in a deep breath, catching the hint of cinnamon mixed with the scent of roses in a crystal vase on the other side of the room. When I looked at Valerio again, I launched into my tale, starting with Nerian in my own domain and stretching through the attacks in Egypt and London. I told him of the massacre at Themis and the discovery that not only would Danaus be a part of the triad that would push back the naturi, but that I was also the weapon they would wield. I even told him of the female naturi that appeared to walk freely in the Great Hall. I talked until my throat was raw and choked with tears I was no longer willing to shed. I spoke of fear and blinding pain and night after night of death until I was sure that the grim reaper himself now hounded my every step.

I talked until there were no more words and I was on my knees, shaking and exhausted by just the memory of everything that had happened and the horror still to come. Looking up, I found Valerio standing on the opposite side of the room, one hand resting on the wall as if to steady himself. His beautiful face was blank except for the look of horror he could not push from his eyes. The distance between us made me feel as if my very presence carried with it a pestilence that would destroy all of our kind, and maybe it did. Those around me didn’t seem to live long lives.

It suddenly dawned on me that he probably didn’t believe me. If I hadn’t lived through it, I would have claimed it all was madness. The naturi hadn’t been seen in centuries, seeming content to fade into oblivion.

“Doors,” he suddenly said, the word coming out ragged and breathless. Valerio turned his eyes to finally meet mine and he slowly pushed away from the wall. He took a couple steps closer to me but maintained a large distance. “In the lower levels beneath the hall, great iron doors were placed before the rooms where we sleep during the daylight hours. Another iron door was placed before one of the rooms, and guards stand at it during at all hours of the day and night. No one dared to ask the Coven why the doors were added, but everyone knows that iron affects only one creature. I spent one day at the Great Hall. At sunrise I no longer find rest within the shelter offered by the Coven. If the Coven does not feel safe on San Clemente, then none of us will be.”

“The naturi are coming. The next new moon is in three nights, as well as an old pagan holiday. I think the naturi will try again to break the seal then,” I explained. Placing my left hand flat on the floor, I tried to find the will to push back to my feet but couldn’t. “I cannot begin to guess at what the Coven plans. You’re older than most. I assumed that you might know more.”

“I know nothing,” he admitted with a shake of his head. “Most of the court is a witless bunch, prone to gossip. If any of them knew what was going on, I believe I would have heard by now.”

“Macaire will try soon to meet with me privately,” I murmured, dragging my gaze back up to his face. A new frown pulled at his full lips, drawing deep lines of worry in his cheeks. It somehow added to the distinguished age of his features.

“More games,” he muttered, absently pacing the room. I had a feeling he was talking to himself more than to me.

“Jabari and I have had…a falling out,” I said, fumbling for some phrasing to encompass my hatred for a creature I had once loved and respected. Everything fell short of what I needed, but it wasn’t important.

“More games,” Valerio repeated, sounding more confident.

“I will not be a pawn for the Coven,” I firmly stated.

Valerio stopped pacing and looked down at me. A small sad smile slipped across his mouth and glittered in his eyes. “Firefly, that is all you have ever been.”

“Even for you?”

His smile grew larger and more sheepish at my question. Extending his hand to me, I ignored it until he finally spoke. “I have never used you as such, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t or won’t if the opportunity presented itself.”

I hated his answer, but it was the truth, which was more than I was getting from anyone else. Struggling to keep from gritting my teeth, I placed my left hand in his so he could help me to my feet. Yet he paused unexpectedly, staring down at my hand. It was only when I felt his thumb run over my ring finger that I realized he was looking at the ring he had given me a few centuries ago. It was a silver band with ocean waves inscribed in it in an old Grecian style.

“You still have it,” he whispered, not trying to keep the surprise from his voice.

“I like the memories,” I admitted as he finally pulled me to my feet.

“And the creature those memories are tied to?”

“He’s tolerable some nights,” I teased, brushing a kiss across his cheek near his ear.

“I believe you found me more than tolerable some nights,” he reminded me, his voice dipping down to a husky tone. He still held my hand in his, increasing the pressure slightly. I was being drawn back into him, his allure, his promise of happiness away from all the chaos that seemed to currently rule my life.

“Valerio…” I started, but paused when my voice threatened to fracture. When I could finally speak again, the words would drift no higher than a whisper. “What games are you playing?”

The nightwalker looked up at me, a smile back on his lips, but it somehow failed to reach his eyes. “I’m just trying to survive.”

He tilted his head back and pressed a kiss to my jaw just below my ear. “We do not have to go back,” he whispered, his lips skimming across my cool flesh. “Stay with me. Away from the naturi.”

“And keep running from the Coven?” I asked, letting my eyes fall shut. For a moment the idea was truly tempting; more tempting than the fantasy Sadira had dangled before me last night because this one was real. To go back to my nights of hunting and pleasure with Valerio at my side. No more naturi. No more Coven Elders. No more worrying about whether a nightwalker could protect himself without me. No more horrid weight of responsibility dragging me down.

“In time, they will forget about you.”

With a sigh, I took a step away from him and blinked back some unexpected tears. “No, they won’t. And the naturi won’t go away because I go into hiding with you.”

“I blame Jabari for this silly noble streak in you. It certainly didn’t come from me,” Valerio teased before brushing his lips across mine. “But the offer still stands.”

“I can’t spend the rest of my existence running from Jabari.”

“Facing him will only shorten your existence.”

“I—”

Mira!

The sudden, unexpected shout from Tristan in my head nearly put me back on my knees. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get adjusted to so many creatures stomping around in my brain.

No shouting, please. I briefly wondered if the sarcasm would translate this way. I never spent a great deal of time speaking with other nightwalkers that way. I never felt confident that they could see or hear only what I wanted them to, and I liked my privacy.

The naturi. They’re here!

I didn’t question him. At any other time I would have laughed and called him crazy, but not now. A naturi was already lounging in the catacombs of the Great Hall and Rowe was sulking on San Michele. Why couldn’t more be strolling down the fractured sidewalks of Venice?

“We have to go back,” I said, turning my attention to Valerio again.

“What’s wrong?”

“The naturi are in Venice.” Those words actually caused the vampire to backpedal a couple steps away from me, and I honestly couldn’t blame him. A nightwalker did not go marching into any area where the naturi were known to be. It’s why you never heard tales of vampires wandering the woods alone on a moonless night.

“No,” I snapped, instantly closing the distance between us. I wrapped my fists in the lapels of his jacket, holding him close to me. “You and I are going back to Venice now or I will give you a nasty sunburn. You have to see them. You need to understand.”

“Mira—”

“Now, Valerio!”

I didn’t have a chance to make another argument when I felt the push of magic as it ran its hands through my body. There was only time to blink when I found us standing in my suite at the Hotel Cipriani. I opened my mouth to thank him when Valerio wrapped his arms around me, pressing my body tightly against his as he leaned forward. A second later there was the telltale thunk of a knife hitting wood.

Valerio stood, pulling me back into an upright position. We both looked around to find a silver knife with a black handle embedded in the door frame of one of the bedrooms. Our eyes then traveled over to Danaus, who stood frowning at us.

“Does he always try to kill you when you enter a room?” Valerio teased, slowly releasing his hold on me.

“We have a special relationship.” I stepped away from the nightwalker. I didn’t have to say anything to Danaus. The hunter had been startled by our sudden appearance and reacted. It was that kind of speed that had kept him alive for so long. I was even particularly pleased with the fact that Valerio obviously had the ability to come and go where he wanted. I’d always thought there were more rules and limitations to that type of travel. Unfortunately, asking Valerio directly was a waste of time. That wasn’t the kind of information he would volunteer.

“Mira.” Tristan’s fragile voice pulled me back to why I had raced to the Venice in the first place. The young nightwalker was standing before the bay of windows dressed only in a pair of jeans that were too big for him. His heels were resting on the bottom of the pant legs and the waist hung low on his hips. I briefly wondered if they belonged to Danaus, considering he and I were the only ones to bring a change of clothes, but decided not to ask. My eyes briefly skimmed over Tristan’s back to find only a few faint red marks.

Frowning, I joined him at the window, with Valerio standing behind me. I didn’t need to follow where Tristan was pointing. The three black shapes were easy to make out despite the dark sky as they headed toward the island of San Clemente. The creatures flew like bats, with quick movements of their wings instead of gliding on the air. However, they were too big to be anything that humans were accustomed to seeing. These nightmarish figures were naturi.

“What are they?” I asked, unable to tear my eyes away from them as they drew closer to the distant island. The three figures circled once then finally descended into a pocket of trees. They were headed for the Great Hall. I placed my hand on Tristan’s shoulder, meaning for the gesture to be reassuring, but removed it when I felt him flinch at the contact. His fear rippled through me, sapping my own reserve of strength, which had kept me going during the past few nights. We were all running low and this dance was far from over.

“Not sure,” Danaus admitted, drawing my gaze to his face. He was standing a couple feet away from me, his features tight and drawn. After a couple of seconds he looked down at me. “But this isn’t good.”

“I agree. We need to get out of Venice soon. If they’re going to make another attempt at breaking the seal, they’ll try to do it during the harvest holiday and the new moon. That’s only a few nights away, and we have no idea where the sacrifice is going to be. Delays aren’t good.”

A part of me wanted to know where the next sacrifice was now so we could grab my private jet and head off to that distant locale. We could stop whatever naturi were in that hot spot, but that wouldn’t keep more from arriving from other parts of the world. It would be a nonstop battle for the next three nights. If one or both of us were killed before the new moon rose, there would be no way to stop the naturi from making the sacrifice.

“But…” A slow smile dawned on my face as I looked up at the hunter. “We could stop by the Coven and see what’s happening.” Jabari had brought us there for a reason, and I refused to believe it was because he wanted the naturi to destroy us. He wouldn’t give up the opportunity to kill me himself if he was so desperate to have me dead. Danaus and I needed to be on the island to disrupt whatever plans the Coven and the naturi were cooking up.

A rare smile trembled on Danaus’s full lips and jumped in his deep blue eyes, laughing at me. “Risky, don’t you think?”

“Oh, it’s definitely risky, but not as much as you would think. Besides, it could also be fun.” I laughed.

“More risky than going after nearly a dozen naturi in the forest?” Danaus asked, raising one thick eyebrow at me.

“No,” I said, my smile dwindling at the memory. Looking back on the hastily launched assault in the woods not far from Stonehenge, I realized that the plan had been stupid and highly flawed. I’d reacted out of fear and anger. I knew better than to launch an attack on the naturi in the woods with an inexperienced nightwalker at my side. The fact that all three of us hadn’t been destroyed was a miracle in itself.

I shook my head, pushing away the memory and the need to berate myself for my impulsive stupidity. It would do no good now, and I assured myself that this time would be different. “The Coven still needs us both alive. That’s our ace in the hole. You in?”

“Definitely. Weapons?” he asked, his right hand sliding down to the knife that was still strapped to his waist.

“Load up.” My gaze slid over to find Tristan watching me with a blank expression. He was waiting to see if I would command him to accompany Danaus and me. And he would if I demanded it, regardless of the fear still trembling within him. “You’re not coming along. Not old enough,” I teased.

“Mira, I can—”

“No,” I interrupted before he could continue, my hand tightening on his shoulder. “Danaus and I are the only ones going in. Makes it easier to get out again.”

“Do you actually think they won’t kill you for this?” Valerio demanded. I had forgotten that the nightwalker was still in the room. Looking over my shoulder at him, I was surprised to see his handsome features looking haggard. His full lips were pressed into a hard, thin line and shallow furrows now stretched from the corners of his eyes and crisscrossed his brow.

The naturi had become a garish ghost story we told all the new, little nightwalkers to give them chills, but now we were all waking up to discover that this nearly dead species was suddenly fighting back. Our nightmares were threatening to become real and expose us to the sun. Again.

“That’s another question I’m hoping to answer,” I admitted with a smirk. “Exactly how irreplaceable am I? Would they be willing to risk the door opening by killing me or Danaus? Would they damn all nightwalkers just to protect their schemes? Or is that their plan in the first place?”

“You’re not that important, Mira,” Valerio chided, his frown deepening.

That was probably true but I wasn’t planning on being killed that easily. I still had an ace or two up my sleeve in the form of Danaus. Of course, this plan could just as easily slit my own throat as save it if I was reading Jabari’s intentions wrong.

“I need your help,” I started, turning to Valerio. I quickly grabbed the sleeve of his blazer, even though I couldn’t hold him here if I wanted to.

“I’m not going with you to the Coven. They need me alive even less than they need you.”

“True, but I need you alive,” I countered. I took his left hand in both of mine. “Go east. Find others who are older than me. Tell them everything I told you. If the Coven succeeds with whatever it’s planning with the naturi, our people have to be prepared.”

“You want me to raise your army,” Valerio said, trying to pull his hand free.

“No, if the Coven and the naturi succeed, it will be your army. Someone needs to protect the nightwalkers from the Coven.”

“Mira, I’m not a leader.”

“Bullshit. You just never wanted the responsibility. Fine. Then find someone else to give the job. Don’t let the information stop with you.”

Frowning, Valerio squeezed my hand. “You may not want a seat, but you’re the only one that deserves to be on the Coven.”

“For our sakes, I hope you’re wrong.”