“Madam, our honored guest requests a redress of the accommodation situation for her Alpha.”

He was nodding to whatever reply he was receiving. “Hmm, yes, well she would like him situated in a guest suite near her own.”

Silence.

“Yes madam. Of course.”

Noble pressed behind his lobe again and turned to them with a false smile. “The key card sir?”

Lucien handed it back, and Caia smiled smugly. “To our rooms, Jeeves.”

Her guest room was unbelievable. It was decked out in the plush Louis XIV decor that Marita seemed to favor. Huge canopied bed in the center of the room; large roaring fire at the opposite end; a massive marble-tiled en-suite, and insane walk-in closet. And to top it off, the east facing side of the room was part of the curved glass window that looked out over the river and Paris.

Its beauty was enough to make this trip worthwhile.

And right next door was Lucien. The object of her almost constant thoughts. She had been excited when Marion had explained about the classes she could inspect while there. But Marita’s warning that not everyone would welcome her had really brought home for her how much Lucien had done for her.

And of the one thing she hadn’t done for him.

“Hey.” He looked surprised to see her on the other side of his door. “You OK?”

“I need to talk to you.”

Lucien nodded and stepped aside to let her into a room that was much more masculine in design. It looked like Vanne had gotten his way here with the style.

“Well, if it’s about the room... thanks,” he said, shutting the door behind her and following her in, watching as she took a seat at the fireplace. “I have no doubt that this is far more comfortable than a candidate’s room.”

Caia laughed at the mocking look he gave her. “Do you think it was a test to see if I understood my position here?”

“What... you’re pulling power?” He smirked, sitting down across from her, relaxing his big body into the leather sofa. “I have no doubt Madam has been testing your intelligence and mettle since you got here.”

Caia sighed, looking down nervously at her hands. Coming to the Center was a mistake. Marion may have some kind of mother-figure faith in her, but Marita was going to expose her for the fraud she was afraid she was. Feeling traces of good Midnights? Was she crazy?

“Hey, you’re gonna blow her away,” he reassured her gently, his voice sending a soothing hand down her back. “You’re more than a match for her.”

She smiled softly at him, hoping her feelings weren’t so obviously clear in her eyes. “Thank you. But believe it or not I didn’t interrupt your rest for a confidence boost. I’m not quite that selfish... yet.” She chuckled nervously, sucking in some dust and then spluttering, and coughing...

Oh Goddess, she was the queen of un-cool.

“Caia.” Lucien sounded like he was choking on laughter as he got up and sat down beside her, patting her on the back more roughly than was necessary.

“I’m OK.” She held a hand up to ward him off, eyes watering more from his help than the coughing.

“Can I get you water?”

“No,” she croaked. Then she looked up at him and realized how close he was, the heat from his body stroking her skin, his silver eyes curious and concerned, inches away from her. “I came to apologize.”

A wrinkle appeared between his eyes. “Apologize?”

She took in a shuddering breath, her gaze falling to her hands again. “I never apologized for what... for what my mother did to you... to your father... to your family…”

“Cy-”

“No, let me say this. She did all those horrible things, and when I found out the truth the first thing you said was that you were sorry. You didn’t have to do that. She deserved what she got. But I never apologized properly. More than that, I never thanked you for supporting me without question. I am part Midnight and you refused to judge me for that. Thank you.”

“Caia!” Lucien grabbed her chin, jerking her eyes up to meet his own. He looked angry and sad... and frustrated. “You have nothing to apologize for. You. Are. Not. Your mother.”

A tear slid down her cheek and he caught it with his thumb, rubbing the salty liquid into her skin.

“Do you really believe that?”

His eyes widened in disbelief. “Of course. Caia...”

“I’m scared, Lucien,” she whispered.

He pulled her gruffly into his arms and she sighed, inhaling him, clinging to him like a life boat.

“You’re not her. They will see that. You have to know that.”

Thoughts of those Midnight traces she had been feeling trickled down towards her tongue. She needed to tell someone. Maybe Lucien would understand. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe...“There’s something I-”

Tap tap tap

Lucien groaned. “Sorry, that’ll be room service.”

Caia pulled back, grinning tremulously. “You ordered food already?”

He grinned wolfishly back. “Of Course. We haven’t eaten in-”

“Three hours.”

He laughed and got up to open the door. “Bring it on in, thank you.” He stood aside as a guy in a waiter’s uniform pushed a trolley of food into the room. The guy nodded briskly and left quickly.

“You’re unbelievable.” Caia chuckled, watching him lift dish after dish up to inhale the aromas. Her own stomach started to ache in protest.

“Hey.” He grinned again, almost licking his lips. “Thought I’d cash in on your powerful pull with these people and get me a proper meal before prep work tomorrow. I will need all the sustenance I can get if we’re gonna kick some evil Midnight ass.”

Caia’s face fell. Well, there went that window.

“You wanna join?”

“Uh no.” She shook her head and made for the door. “I’m tired.”

“OK. Hey.” He frowned. “Didn’t you have something to tell me?”

She locked on to his concerned gaze and wished she did. But her previous instinct had been right. Hating Midnights was too ingrained in a Daylight to make what she had to say understandable.

And Marita was right. She needed all the allies she could get.

“No, not really. Night.”

“Night.”

“You’re late,” he reproached darkly, watching beneath his lidded eyes as the large man walked sedately into the room.

“I had a few issues to deal with before coming here,” the distinguished magik said in his heavy accent, before brushing off a chair and easing into it. He straightened the lapels on his long wool coat before crossing his leg over the other in a gesture that was at once elegant and masculine.

“I have people to get back to. I don’t have the luxury of your abilities, remember.”

“Well, be quick with your news, by all means.”

“My contact tells me you have a problem, Nikolai.”

Nikolai chuckled, lifting his hands up in a gesture of disbelief. “I would really like to know how you... have contacts within my Coven.”

“I’m very old, Nikolai. I have had many years to garner enough knowledge in which to blackmail people.”

“Of course.”

“My contact told me your problem goes by the name Pierre Du Bois.”

Nikolai stiffened. “What is Du Bois up to now?”

“You know him?”

“Da. He is a thorn to say the least. What is he up to?”

He shrugged. “My contact doesn’t know.”

“You believe your contact?”

“Yes. Let’s just say he has no pain threshold.”

“You must watch your methods. If we want our plan to work we must present the right image.”

He nodded. “Believe me, I know. Don’t worry about me. You better find out what Du Bois is up to, Nikolai.”

“I have every intention of doing so. If it’s what I think he is up to, it will provide me the perfect opportunity to have him… misplaced.”

A silence settled upon the room. Then...

“And the document… is it finished?”

Nikolai nodded gravely and stood up. His large hand delved inside the wool coat and reappeared with an envelope. He pushed it across the desk separating them, the small diamond on the onyx ring on his pinky finger winking in the dim light.

He opened the envelope his hands almost shaking in anticipation. The paper inside was the beginning of the end. He was sure of it. He pulled it out and unfolded it slowly, his eyes widening at the information printed in Nikolai’s scrawling penmanship.

“The Septum,” he breathed.

“Da.”

“And we’re sure this is correct?”

“Positive. We’ve been searching a long time. I would not have brought you it merely based on assumption.”

He nodded impatiently. “I know, I know. I just can’t believe we’re getting this close.”

His heart thudded loudly in his chest. All they needed now was the girl. He needed to get back. His plans so far were not going as smoothly as he had hoped, but it was time to take matters in hand. He needed the girl, and at present he only had one avenue to her.

“Will we get her, you think?”

“Have no fear, Nikolai. Caia Ribeiro will be in our hands before the year is out.”

6 - Why?

“Well, ain’t you a picture,” Ryder boomed as Jaeden threw open her motel door, face pale and eyes squinting against the sun.

She sighed heavily, slipping a pair of dark sunglasses over her eyes. “You know I’ve never noticed how annoyingly chirpy you are. Have you always been so, or is this a recent development?”

He laughed as she pushed past him, heading across the lot to the motel grill & bar. “Not a morning person, huh?”

“Please be quiet.”

He grinned behind her back, enjoying her obvious irritation and, by the looks of the stiffness in her body, the morning effects of sleeping in the worst bed in the state.