* * * *

Sophia waited until Darren had left, then shot the lock on the door and set her own barrier of power to secure it. She waited even longer, until the other vampire’s footsteps had faded and she could no longer sense him nearby. Then she turned to regard what was clearly Lucien’s private retreat. The sense of him was everywhere in here, and she was struck by a longing so sudden and so strong that it was a physical pain, as if her heart had stopped beating for a moment. What if the impossible had happened? What if someone had somehow taken down the powerful vampire lord who was her Sire? Was he dying even now, wasting away as she stood here squandering what little time he had left? She shook herself slightly and crossed the room, pulling open the French doors to the balcony beyond.

Bracing herself against the cold and wind, she stepped onto a balcony high above the city. Lucien’s study was on the third floor of his manse, which was itself at the top of one of the steepest hills surrounding Vancouver. The skies were dark overhead, only the occasional star or glimpse of moon breaking the overcast. She longed for the warmth of her southern home, for the familiar pulse of life and vitality. She took in the lights twinkling down below. Although, she thought, Vancouver had a pulse of its own. Different, but no less alive.

Her gaze scanned the horizon. She had to give it to Darren. This was the perfect location from which to search for their master. Whatever the other vampire’s feelings for her, he seemed genuine in his desire to help her find Lucien. Perhaps he loved their Sire as much as she did after all.

Drawing a deep breath, Sophia closed her eyes and set aside her dislike of Darren, set aside the cold and the wind, the strange scents and sounds of this foreign city. From somewhere deep inside herself, she touched the invisible, unbreakable bond she shared with Lucien. He was her Sire, the vampire who had ended her life three centuries ago and given it back to her as something more, something eternal and strong and beautiful. Sophia loved being Vampire, delighted in the power it gave her, in the exquisite heightening of her senses until she could hear the soft fall of an orchid’s blossom on a dark night. Certainly she missed the feel of the sun against her face, the smell of her skin after a day at the beach. But it was a small price to pay for what she’d gained. And it was all because of Lucien who was missing and perhaps in trouble.

She stretched out her senses, drawing on all of her considerable power, and cast a net over the city

Hours later, she opened her eyes, exhaustion seeping through her pores, weakening every muscle in her body. She had searched through the night, had followed every trail, no matter how faint. And there were so many trails—the traces of Lucien were everywhere in this city. This had been his home, his lair for hundreds of years. If there was a single street or alley where he had not walked, she hadn’t found it. But the very pervasiveness of his scent was somehow wrong. He was alive. She was certain of that. But it was almost as if he’d intentionally spread himself thin, so thin he barely existed in his own city anymore.

She shoved herself to her feet, shaking out legs gone almost numb from sitting in the same position for so long. Sunrise wasn’t far off. She could feel it in the sluggishness of her blood, the dullness of her nerve endings. The time shift imposed by her rapid journey from South America only made it worse. Her body was telling her the sun had already risen, while her brain knew she still had an hour or so to get someplace safe and dark. Jet lag was hell on vampires, too.

She wondered if Darren was still about, or if she’d have to find her own lodgings somewhere in this massive house. It had been much smaller when she’d been here last, but she suspected some things hadn’t changed. Either way, it hardly mattered. She’d been providing her own safe havens for hundreds of years; this morning would be no different.

She walked wearily back into Lucien’s study, just in time to hear a timid knock on the door. She eyed the closed panel speculatively. It was a vampire; she knew that much. And it certainly wasn’t Darren tapping so softly. She used power to release her personal shield and unlock the door. “Come,” she called out as she sank into one of Lucien’s chairs.

The vampire who entered was tiny but most definitely adult, her breasts amply displayed by a tight-bodiced gown which gave lie to her childlike stature. She had to be very old, harkening back to a time and place when her diminutive height would have been the norm among women. But whatever her age, she had little or no power. Sophia wondered what it would be like to live that long as Vampire, but to be so weak that she was forever frozen on the bottom rungs of power.

The vampire smiled gently, as if she knew what Sophia was thinking. “Lady Sophia, I am Larissa, Lord Lucien’s secretary.”

Something about the way she said the word secretary told Sophia, she meant it in the old way, an assistant and a confidante. Sophia had never met her before, so she’d probably come from one of Lucien’s other cities sometime in the last hundred years, which was how long it had been since Sophia had been to Vancouver. But if Larissa had been close to Lucien, she just might know more about what went on with him than anyone else in the house.

Sophia didn’t offer to shake hands. Judging by her manner and dress, Larissa would not be one of those who embraced the modern custom. “Larissa,” she said, nodding, “How can I help you?”

Larissa again gave her that knowing smile. “You are kind, my lady, but I am here to assist you. You will want a place to rest, yes?”

Sophia breathed a tired sigh. “I will, thank you. And is there blood in the house?”

“Of course, my lady.”

“Does Lucien still maintain the guest cottages? If so, is the smallest available, the one in the gardens?”

“The fire is already lit, my lady. Lucien was well familiar with your preferences. Shall I send the blood to the cottage, then?”

“That would be most appreciated. Thank you, Larissa.” She stood and started to turn away, but then frowned as the meaning of Larissa’s words penetrated her tired brain.

“Wait!” she called out. “Lucien told you I was coming to Vancouver?”

Larissa nodded. “Some weeks ago,” she replied. “He told me you would be coming, my lady, and he left something for you. Only for you, he said.”

Sophia stared at the tiny female. It had been days since Lucien had summoned her home, not weeks. “What . . .” She swallowed hard, suddenly certain that she didn’t want to know the answer. “What did he leave for me?” she made herself ask anyway.

Larissa crossed to a bookshelf, pulling aside several volumes to reveal a hidden wall safe. It was the older kind with a numbered dial rather than a keypad. She spun the dial several times and pulled open the door, reaching in to withdraw a fine, white envelope. Setting it on the shelf, she carefully closed the safe and replaced the books before turning to face Sophia once again and holding the envelope out to her.

Sophia met and held the other vampire’s gaze for several minutes, searching for any sign of betrayal or malice. Finding none, she accepted the envelope, glancing down to see her name written in Lucien’s extravagant script. Judging by the weight and heft, it held several sheets of folded paper. She stared at it a moment, then asked, “Do you know what’s in here?”

“Not all of it, but enough.”

Sophia caught the note of sorrow in Larissa’s voice and looked up, surprised and worried—very worried—to see the sheen of tears in her eyes. “Larissa?”

“Read what’s there, Sophia,” she whispered. She backed away and turned to leave, pausing by the door to say, “If you need anything, my lady, you have only to ask. I’m here . . . in this house. Always.” She pulled open the door and was gone, leaving Sophia to fear that Lucien had gotten himself into a mess that even he could not get himself out of. She could only hope it was nothing more than that.

Chapter Four

North of Seattle, Washington

The sleek, black limo glided through the sturdy gates of the new Seattle compound. They still called it that, although, in truth, it was no longer in Seattle. That city, once a haven for those seeking to get away from the crowds and congestion of places like L.A. and San Francisco, had become the very thing they’d tried to escape.

For Raphael’s vampires, that meant their old compound, which had once been located on ten acres of isolated countryside, had found itself in the middle of a crowded suburb. It had taken some time, but his people had finally located a suitable new site in the hills some distance from Seattle. They’d bought up adjoining parcels this time, until they had a hundred acres as a hedge against future expansion. The new compound had taken nearly as long to build as it had to find the site. There were no humans Raphael would trust with such a commission, and those few vampires who were both trustworthy and sufficiently skilled were in great demand. Of course, they were also his own children, which gave him a certain priority in requesting their services, but above everything else, Raphael was a businessman. He wasn’t about to demand that any of his vampires sacrifice their businesses just to save him a bit of time. Not unless it was absolutely necessary.

The limo took the final curve of the driveway and the main building came into view from behind the trees. Wei Chen, head of the Seattle nest, emerged onto the steps along with several others, standing under the gray, concrete overhang, waiting to greet him.

Cyn sat next to him in the limo, her long leg warm against his, their fingers laced together. She’d been extra vigilant since his nightmare, almost obsessive about his security. She was armed, as always—a .9 mm Glock in a shoulder rig beneath her jacket—but she was also wearing a second identical weapon tucked against her lower back, into the waistband of her slacks. She hadn’t even tried to hide it from him and had made clear her preference that he remain in the car until she’d checked out who and what waited for them. His woman, his very human mate, thought it appropriate to put herself in danger for his protection. As if the phalanx of vampire guards deployed around them weren’t enough, as if he wasn’t visiting one of his own nests where every vampire present was pledged to him personally . . . or as if he wasn’t fully capable of protecting himself and her, as well.