Was Xander implying that he’d deliberately left a clue at Wu’s office for Thomas to track him down? “You have a funny way of trying to attract new followers.”

“Followers? You wouldn’t be a follower. I thought I made that clear during our earlier conversation.”

“Just as I made it clear that I want you to leave my turf.”

Xander smiled. “I’m afraid we can’t do that. You see, we have plans at dominating the vampire world.”

“By threatening law-abiding vampires and running them out of town? Killing them when they don’t comply?”

Xander shrugged. “Casualties are to be expected. People are killed in every war.”

“This is not a war. And you’ll fail,” Thomas promised.

“What makes you so sure?”

Thomas rose and turned his mind in towards himself. “Because I’ll destroy you!”

Concentrating on Xander, he bundled his mind’s energy and unleashed it on his opponent.

Xander shot up from his chair and the air vibrated between them. Then a blast sent Thomas into the wall behind him, breaking his concentration.

The sudden power that had come from Xander stunned him. How was this possible? He’d only sensed a low level of dark power within Xander, but what his enemy had fought back with was magnified.

Xander laughed, the sound bouncing against the walls, creating an eerie echo. “You haven’t learned, have you? The more of our kind are together, the stronger the power grows. It’s like gravity. It attracts more and more of the same kind, and as we join forces, we get stronger. You have no choice in the matter. You’ll soon be one of us! You’ll join the family.”

“Never! I already have a family!”

“Oh, you mean Scanguards? Or are you talking about the boy you’re fucking?”

White hot anger shot through Thomas’s body as he peeled himself away from the wall.

Xander knew about him and Eddie?

“You think he’s your salvation?” Xander mocked. “Dream on. Not even he can save you from yourself. Just admit what you are!”

Blind with rage, Thomas charged him and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him in the air, and slamming him against the fireplace. “You touch one of them, you’re dust.”

Footsteps sounded on the stairs from above. Knowing he couldn’t defeat their collective powers, at least not in the state he was in, Thomas ran out of the room and to the entrance door, unlocked it, and barreled outside before they could reach him.

***

Kasper charged into the living room and saw Xander getting up from the fireplace. Luckily no fire had been lit in it, otherwise his trusted follower’s clothes would have caught fire.

“I see Thomas is still as hotheaded as ever,” he remarked.

Xander rubbed his backside. “I don’t know why you couldn’t talk to him yourself.”

Kasper narrowed his eyes. He didn’t tolerate insubordination from anybody. “Because I think it was better this way. So unless you would like to meet the same fate as some of your predecessors, you’ll do well not to question my decisions. Do we understand each other?”

Xander bowed his head in submission. “Yes, Master Kasper.”

Kasper turned to the six men who’d followed him. “Get back upstairs! I’ll call you when I need you!”

They turned without protesting and marched back upstairs. He’d trained his minions well.

They were scared of him. And fear produced obedience. He’d sired them, all of them, but his blood wasn’t as strong in them as it was in Thomas, because their minds were weak, and the power couldn’t thrive in a weak mind.

He turned back to Xander. “Very well then. What else do you have to report?”

“Your suspicion was correct: he has a lover, a young vampire who lives with him. When I confronted him, he went ballistic.”

Kasper felt a wave of jealousy boil up in him and pressed it back down. This wasn’t the time for weakness. He would have Thomas back, and together they would rule the world of vampires.

Just as it was always meant to be.

“He’s strong, just like you said. If you hadn’t channeled your power through me when he attacked me, he would have killed me.”

“I know.” He pulled his lip up in a snarl. “Let that be a lesson to you. Now, join the others. I need time.”

Xander bowed and quickly left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Kasper walked to one of the chairs and inhaled. Thomas’s scent drifted into his nose. “I’m coming for you. You had your fun. But it’s time to come home now.”