Prologue 13 страница

redheaded woman came out instead.

“I said to meet me at the third door,

Leila, ” she said, flashing Shrapnel a

brilliant smile. “Not that it isn’t easy to

get lost in this huge place.”

I’d first met her months ago. Vlad

counted her as a friend, which was why

she’d been one of our wedding guests, but

for the life of me, I couldn’t remember her

name. Still, I gave Shrapnel an apologetic

shrug and seized on the excuse, tucking my

hand into my skirt pocket. He’d run

straight to Vlad if he knew what I’d really

been doing.

“Sorry, wrong door.” Then to the

redhead I said, “Ready? ”

She flashed another dazzling smile.

“Sure am.”

Her Barbie-doll perfect looks jogged

my memory. Right, her name was Cat and

she was married to Bones, the vampire

that had taught me how to block Vlad’s

mind reading by mentally singing. That’s

how Cat had known I was about to be

busted by Shrapnel. She could read minds,

too, and her helping me showed that she

could be trusted. Otherwise, she would’ve

let Shrapnel bust me.

Thank you, I sent to her.

She waved an airy hand. “I can’t wait

to see the communications room, ” she

said, as though continuing a conversation

we’d had before. “It’s on this floor, isn’t

it? ”

That question was directed to Shrapnel,

whose frown was back. “Yes, but only

authorized persons are allowed.”

Cat snorted. “Vlad’s wife isn’t

considered ‘authorized’? ”

Shrapnel opened his mouth... and

nothing came out. Now that I’d married

his boss, he couldn’t be certain if anything

was off-limits to me. Cat took my arm,

whistled at the current that shot into her,

and then went on with her cheery chatter.

“I bet Vlad’s got the most high-tech

stuff available to protect his people, so the

communications room should give you

great ideas for what you want in voiceactivated

software.”

It was all I could do not to kiss her.

Where would the traitor have likely left

the most incriminating essence trail? In the

room that would’ve been used to locate

Maximus’s cell phone signal. Cat must’ve

been listening to my thoughts this morning

for her to know exactly what I was after.

I controlled my grin with effort. “Great.

I’m sick of not being able to use any tech

stuff.” Then I turned to Shrapnel. “Which

way is it again? ”

Those generous lips pursed in

disapproval, but he said, “Left at the end

of this hall, then it’s the first door on the

second hallway to your right.”

“Thanks! ”

As soon as Cat and I were out of his

sight, I stopped her.

You don’t have to go any further, I

thought rapidly. If Vlad finds out you

helped me do this, he’ll be pissed.

“That’s why Bones is packing now, ”

she said with a little laugh. Then her voice

lowered and she leaned in close. “But you

don’t shelve your best weapon just

because using it is risky. Vlad told me that

once. He’s just too deep in Overprotective

Male Mode now to remember it.”

“You nailed that one, ” I said dryly.

An eye roll. “I’ve had lots of

experience with it. One night we’ll swap

stories over drinks. But be smarter than I

was, Leila. Know your limits, and when

you reach them, ask for help.”

“Believe me, I’m not looking to jump

into the grave.”

The stare she gave me made me wonder

if I’d misjudged her age. It seemed to hold

the weight of centuries even though I’d

pegged Cat to be recently undead.

“Sometimes the grave finds you

whether you’re looking for it or not.”

I said nothing, once again covering my

thoughts with Vanilla Ice’s one-hit

wonder. Even if it did bring the grave one

step closer, I was doing this. Until we

found the traitor, no one in this house was

safe, least of all me.

T he communications room looked like a

smaller version of something NASA

would have. A dozen manned computer

stations were spread out around a large

map of the world with multiple pinpoints

indicating safe houses for Vlad’s people.

Another interactive map could be

rearranged by grabbing things out of thin

air, and a third 3-D image was a digital

recreation of this house. Right now, all the

lines on it were green. If any of them

turned red, it indicated a security breach.

When Cat and I opened the door

unannounced, the area for this room went

red. Then, much like Shrapnel, Vlad’s

staff decided they didn’t want to be the

ones to tell me I needed better clearance

than the wedding ring on my finger and it

returned to green.

“Check this out, Leila, ” Cat said,

pointing at the screen nearest to her. “The

different sections on this security grid

indicate that it checks for trespassers on

the grounds, in the air, and a hundred feet

below the ground, too.”

“That’s right, ” the monitor tech said

with faint surprise.

Brisk nod. “I designed a similar system

for my old job.”

I leaned in next to Cat, pretending to be

fascinated by the security details. In

reality, I palmed a pen and stuck it in my

skirt pocket. Then we moved to the next

station, where I swiped a paper clip. By

the time I’d feigned interest in every

workstation, my skirt pocket was full of

stolen items.

Cat helped by angling her body to

shield what I was doing, but I could only

hope that if a sharp-eyed employee had

seen anything, he’d chalk it up to me being

a kleptomaniac. Now, to beat a hasty

retreat. I’d used up every minute of the

half hour I’d arranged for releasing

Maximus. With luck, by the time Vlad

heard where I had really been, I’d already

have psychically sorted through my stash

to see if any of the employees on this shift

were the traitor.

“This has been great, thanks, ” I told the

group as we left. Once in another hallway,

I gave Cat a grateful smile.

“I owe you. Now, get the hell out of

here.”

She grinned. “You’ve made Christmas

come early for my husband, you know.

Vlad once mocked Bones for his

overprotectiveness by saying he should’ve

married a docile girl who wouldn’t stray

too far from the kitchen.”

Then she enveloped me in a quick hug

before dashing off with a cheeky

“Karma’s a bitch! ” thrown over her

shoulder. In the next blink, Cat was gone.

I was still smiling over that when I

rounded the next corner—and almost ran

right into Vlad. Ice Ice Baby, too cold!

rang across my mind as I gave him my

most guileless look.

“Hi. Cat was just keeping me company

until you came back.”

He glanced in the direction she’d

disappeared to before returning his

attention to me.

“Fourteen hundred and thirty-one.”

I blinked. “What’s that? ”

“The year I was born, which is not, as

you’ll note, yesterday. ”

I stifled a groan. Busted already. “Vlad,

I—”

“Not here, ” he interrupted, grasping my

arm. Then he propelled me down the hall

and into our bedroom far less romantically

than he’d done last night. Once the door

shut behind us, I started back in on my

defense.

“Look, I was being careful. See? No

blood, no problem.”

Vlad leaned down until his mouth was

near my ear. “Before Maximus walked out

of this house, I hadn’t paid your bride

price yet. You could’ve picked using your

powers to find the traitor instead of his

freedom.”

“That is not fair, ” I hissed, my voice

equally low.

A light kiss preceded his response.

“Neither is life.”

I pushed him away, sending my next

message with my mind because I was too

angry to trust keeping my voice down.

You can’t expect me to do nothing

when my abilities could find the traitor

that leaked information to Hannibal AND

probably helped the person that blew up

the carnival, too.

Vlad crossed his arms over his chest

almost casually. “When it could kill you at

any moment, I can.”

I’m fine! I mentally shouted.

“You were also fine the time before

when your powers caused you to

hemorrhage to death in my arms.”

Spoken in a whiplike tone I’d seen

centuries-old vampires cower under. All

it did was add to my growing ire.

Oh, but all’s well if I bleed to death in

your arms while you’re turning me into a

vampire?

Not a hint of shame colored his tone

when he said, “Yes.”

Pride stiffened my spine.

Unless you lock me in this room, you

can’t stop me from using my powers to

find the traitor.

The grin he flashed me said I’d made a

critical mistake.

“Don’t you dare, ” I said out loud.

He closed the space between us, that

charming wolf’s smile never leaving his

face. Then his arms went around me. I

remained stiff despite things inside me

reacting to the feel of his body.

Seriously. You try it and there will be

DIRE consequences.

His lips brushed my ear again.

“Imprison my new bride in our bedroom?

I’d be a walking Dracula caricature.”

He wasn’t giving up that easily. That’s

why I didn’t relax my rigid posture even

when he sensually nibbled on my earlobe.

“But if you use your powers again, ” he

murmured, “I will coat you in enough of

my aura to suffocate them for months.”

Son of a bitch! For all I knew, he was

doing that right now. I shoved him, but he

didn’t budge this time.

“You’re safe for the moment, and

you’re right—I can’t stop you from doing

what you feel you must. But then I’ll do

what I must, and you can’t stop me,

either.”

Using the words I’d once challenged

him with against me. Now he decided to

act like a modern man.

His mouth slid to my jaw, showing the

slight curl to his lips. “Be careful what

you wish for, isn’t that the saying? ”

Before I could answer, he kissed me

with such raw carnality that I responded

despite my frustration. Anger gave an edge

to my lust, and I grabbed him hard enough

to yank out a few strands of hair when I

pulled his head down to kiss him back.

A chuckle vibrated against my mouth

before he flung me to the floor and ripped

off my skirt with one hard swipe.

“Looks like we’re having angry sex

after all.”

Chapter 32

H ours later, I got up, wrapping the sheet

around me as though it were a huge towel.

An amused snort sounded from the other

side of the bed. “It’s a little late for

modesty.”

My bladder urged less talking and more

walking to the nearest bathroom. “It’s not

for you. It’s in case one of your staff

decides to clean the lounge when I’m

crossing through it.”

“I take it you didn’t notice the new

addition to the bathroom this morning.”

New addition?

I went into the black marble bathroom,

which I hadn’t used earlier because I’d

showered in my old one out of habit. In the

space that used to bridge the enormous tub

and glass shower was now a gleaming

black toilet. Such an ignoble item, yet its

presence was like being surprised with a

room full of roses.

“Vlad, it’s...”

“You’re supposed to use it, not

compose sonnets about it.”

I shut the bathroom door. He could

mock all he wanted, but I was touched by

the gesture anyway. A few minutes later I

returned, hair combed and teeth brushed,

too. The toilet hadn’t been the only new

addition. Half of the marble vanity was

now stocked with everything I’d ever

need.

“Your people must’ve been crazy busy

yesterday, ” I noted.

“Those weren’t put in yesterday.”

He said it without opening his eyes.

Firelight played across his body, turning

his pale skin into a warm amber shade. I

got back into bed and traced the groove in

his chest before following it down to his

hard, flat stomach.

“You had it done when I was

comatose? ”

His eyes remained closed. “I had

everything done the day after you told me

you were leaving.”

I was speechless, but my mind wasn’t.

What? Why? You didn’t act like you

wanted me back. You avoided me for

days and didn’t even say good-bye

before I left!

“I thought you would change your

mind.” Sardonic smile. “My pride

wouldn’t let me believe you’d actually

leave, so I upgraded the bathroom while

waiting for you to apologize.”

A strangled sound escaped me. Vlad’s

mouth curled downward.

“Imagine my shock when you boarded

that plane. Then I reasoned that in a week

or two, you’d realize how much you

missed me and return. And so I waited

again, but the only call I received was

from Martin telling me about the

explosion. Once I realized you hadn’t

been killed... I was through waiting.”

I’m coming for you, he’d said the first

time we spoke after that. I’d thought it was

a dream, and then later figured he was just

keeping up his reputation as a formidable

protector of his people. Looked like we’d

each underestimated the other.

“You’ve never asked why I offered to

make you a vampire.”

The statement caught me off guard for

more reasons than the abrupt change of

subject. Vlad opened his eyes, the rings of

emerald encircling his copper irises

almost shimmering.

“I’m not changing the subject, in fact.”

I swallowed to relieve the lump that

rose in my throat. “I thought it was

because you’re worried my powers will

kill me.”

“That’s a reason. Not the main one.”

He traced the scar from my temple

down to my fingers before he spoke. “I

offered before that, and if your powers

killed you now, you’ve had enough of my

blood to be brought back as a ghoul.

You’d be no less immortal, so that’s not

the reason why.”

“Then what is? ” I asked softly.

“For one, most vampires don’t

recognize our marriage.”

“ What? ”

He smiled slightly at my tone.

“Vampires honor only a blood vow in

front of witnesses, and you must be a

vampire to make that vow. My people

consider you my wife because I say you

are, but in vampire society, you aren’t.”

Now that he mentioned it, Marty had

told me the same thing years ago when I

first asked him about his species. It also

explained Vlad’s comment about this

being our first ceremony.

“You want to change me into a vampire

to make an honest woman out of me? How

chivalrous, ” I teased.

“Normally I don’t care about others’

opinions, but you’d only be granted

certain protections in my world as my

legal wife. That I care about, yet it’s not

my primary reason.”

Vlad caressed my hand. My currents

were muted from all the electricity I’d

released making love to him, so only a

faint crackle remained. That didn’t

compare to the jolt I felt at the sudden

intensity in his gaze.

“I despise flowery speech since those

who use it are usually guilty of the worst

betrayals later. That and the type of life

I’ve lived have made me incapable of

saying the pretty words you deserve to

hear, yet if I made you a vampire, you’d

feel my emotions as clearly as I hear your

thoughts now.”

Then he drew my hand to his chest,

placing it over his heart.

“I never turned any of my previous

lovers because I didn’t want them to feel

how little I cared. You I loved, yet you

left me because I wouldn’t verbalize my

emotions. That will probably happen

again, but if you could feel what you mean

to me, Leila”—his voice deepened

—“words wouldn’t matter.”

His heart was silent beneath my hand. It

had been that way for centuries, yet Vlad

was more alive than anyone I’d met. He

was also the most complex man I knew, so

the thought of peeling away his layers

through connection to his emotions filled

me with voracious longing. I wanted to

know his feelings, his secrets, and

everything else that made up the man I

loved. But as much as I wanted that, it

wasn’t enough to make me say yes.

I touched my own chest. The steady

beats beneath my hand kept me alive, yet

they weren’t the sum of living. My

abilities had taught me that. Instead,

heartbeats were only the sum of humanity.

Love and hate, passion and pain, strength

and stumbling, despair and forgiveness

— that was living, so the real question

was, how did I want to live? As a human

who needed to drink vampire blood? Or a

vampire who needed to drink human

blood? Both came with their share of

heartache and bliss, yet when I thought of

my future, only one seemed the right path.

I rolled on top of Vlad, brushing his

hair back so I could see every nuance of

his expression when I gave him my

answer.

“This word matters. Yes, Vlad. The

answer is yes.”

V lad was gone when I awoke, but it

wasn’t a surprise this time. Before I fell

asleep, he’d said he was meeting with

Mencheres this morning to begin

tightening the noose around the traitor.

Since Vlad already had all calls, texts,

and e-mails monitored, plus his staff

wasn’t allowed to leave, under the

pretense of continued wedding

celebrations, I couldn’t imagine how he’d

further clamp things down, but he must

have a plan. I’d find out what it was once

he was back.

Until then, I had some issues of my own

to take care of, like telling my family

about my decision. I wasn’t going to take

the undead plunge today, but I also saw no

reason to put it off for months or years.

Between my abilities plus living with two

different vampires, there was little I didn’t

know about what I was getting into. Hell,

compared to how my accident had

changed my life, turning into a vampire

wouldn’t even be the biggest transition I’d

ever undergone.

I got out of bed, my foot catching on

something soft as I headed toward the

bathroom. Vlad’s shirt. I caught it after an

upward kick and then began to pick up the

other clothes strewn around the room. He

might be used to having servants clean up

after him, but I wasn’t. When I got to my

turquoise skirt, however, the lumpiness in

its pocket made me pause.

My stolen stash was still there. When

Vlad ripped this off me, I thought its

contents would’ve scattered. Feeling the

items through the material filled me with

the same temptation Pandora must’ve

experienced when she stroked that box.

Was the traitor’s identity locked inside

one of these? Or were these items the

gateway to me losing my mortality sooner

than I’d intended?

The idea of eating the occasional meal

of “long pig” as a ghoul wasn’t appealing,

but how could I shy away from avenging

the deaths of everyone at the carnival plus

protecting those here? I hadn’t suffered

any ill effects from using my powers

yesterday. Maybe I still had so much of

Vlad’s blood in me that it countered the

damage my powers caused. For now,

anyway.

There was another reason I shouldn’t

wait. Changing into a vampire could wipe

out my psychic abilities altogether. At the

very least, it could put them out of

commission for a long time. This might be

the only chance I had to discover who’d

betrayed Vlad before anyone else got hurt

—or worse.

I can’t stop you from doing what you

feel you must, Vlad had said, while

warning me about what he’d do if he

found out. I drew in a long, slow breath

before taking off my right glove.

I must.

Then I plunged my bare hand into the

pocket. Images overtook me as I touched

all the items at once. Through the fastforward-

type reenactment of several staff

members, one person stuck out, and it was

the last person I expected to see.

What was Sandra doing in there?

Chapter 33

V lad gave me a look of such suspicion

that, had I been anyone else, I’d expect it

to be followed by interrogation.

“You want to go shopping? ” he

repeated.

“Yes, ” I said, and it was the absolute

truth. “Come on, nothing I’m wearing even

belongs to me—”

“They do, those clothes are new, ” he

cut me off.

“—and you did everything for our

wedding down to picking out your own

ring. Even if I didn’t want to buy a few

things for myself, which I do, I also want

to get you something. If you go with me, it

won’t be much of a surprise, will it? ”

That earned me another what-are-youreally-

up-to look, but my thoughts agreed

with my words and my expression

wouldn’t have been more innocent if I’d

borrowed it from an angel.

“Come on, you own the town we’re

going to, ” I added. “It’s not like I want to

borrow the jet for a quick jaunt to Paris.”

From his expression, he was weighing

his misgivings against the time-tested

truism that women liked to shop.

“Guards will accompany you, ” he said

at last.

“Of course. I’m bringing Gretchen and

Sandra, too.”

He waved a hand, humans not

concerning him. Inwardly I smiled, but

continued to think of nothing aside from

clothing, shoes, and sexy lingerie. From

the flare to his nostrils, that last one

pleased him.

“I’ll have your escort ready to leave in

twenty minutes.”

Then he leaned down, his stubble

grazing my cheek as he murmured, “Don’t

bother getting me anything. You’re all I

want.”

I didn’t hold back my smile this time.

And you say you’re not good with pretty

words.

“I won’t be long, ” I promised.

Twenty minutes later Sandra, Gretchen,

and I piled into the back of the limo.

Shrapnel drove, since with Maximus gone,

he’d moved into the position of Vlad’s

right-hand man. Oscar rode shotgun, and

four more guards followed us in another

vehicle.

“What’s with the entourage? ” Gretchen

asked. I shrugged as if I had no idea.

“As the voivode ’s wife, guards are

expected, ” Sandra said.

“What’s voya-voda mean? ” Gretchen

asked, sounding it out.

“Prince, basically, ” I replied. “ Voivode

was Vlad’s title back in the day.”

My sister slanted a grin at me. “So

you’re a princess now? ”

“No, ” I said at the same time that

Sandra said, “Yes.”

“No, ” I repeated more firmly. “I

already get bowed to. If anyone calls me

Your Highness, my head might explode.”

Sandra laughed, finger-combing her

strawberry blonde hair. “If I were a

princess, I would insist on it. And on a

crown.”

Would you? I thought coolly, but smiled

as if it were a joke. “Romanians are used

to royalty. Americans, not so much.”

The limo slanted as we began

descending the hill. I glanced out the

window in time to see the top of the

mansion disappear behind a wall of trees

and rock. We wouldn’t see much beyond

those two things for the next thirty minutes.

This was the only road leading to town,

and no one but Vlad’s people used it.

Gretchen continued to chatter on about

how if I was a princess, then that made her

famous, too. Like Kate Middleton’s sister,

Pippa. I didn’t bother telling her that no

one outside of really old Romanian

vampires or Vlad’s people considered

him a prince. Why spoil her daydreams

sooner than I had to?

I waited until we were midway

between Vlad’s house and the town before

I made my move. I hadn’t done anything

before in case Sandra had been in the

communications room because one of the

staff was hungry. If Vlad knew I had the

slightest suspicion about her, he’d employ

his methods for finding out the truth, and I

wouldn’t do that to a friend when I could

get the same results without emotional or

physical scars.

So once Vlad was too far away to read

my thoughts and Sandra couldn’t escape

with Shrapnel speeding around corners

with a vampire’s usual disregard for the

steep terrain, I smiled at Sandra, took off

my right glove, and laid my hand on her

arm.

The shriek she let out at the voltage

coursing into her was lost under the instant

swarm of images.

I’d just fallen asleep when the sound

of my door closing startled me into

wakefulness. A dark shadow contrasted

against the cotton candy–colored pink

walls, and when it came closer,

moonlight revealed a vampire I

recognized at once.

“What are you doing here? ” My voice

was thicker from drowsiness. “I’m not on

the feeding schedule tonight.”

He didn’t speak, but continued to

come toward me. For some reason, fear

threaded through my emotions. That

made no sense. Vlad wouldn’t stand for

us to be ill treated and I’d fed this

vampire many times before. Yet when he

reached the bed, I shrank back, a bonedeep

instinct overruling my logic.

Not again! I wanted to shriek, yet I still

didn’t know why. Then terror and guilt

rose, the sensations both sickeningly

familiar and overwhelming. Before I

could speak, an emerald glow blinded

me. At once, my concerns vanished. As

the vampire whispered his instructions, I

found myself nodding. Of course I would

relay his message, and I had a message

for him, too...

Gretchen’s scream yanked me back

before the last images faded. For a

moment, I hung suspended between

Sandra’s mentality and my own. That’s

why I didn’t react when the vampire in the

front seat held up the small device even

though I knew what it was. I’d seen one of

those before, and while it was no bigger

than a cell phone, its presence meant

death.

Then the final ties to Sandra’s memory

dropped. White light suffused my hand as I

snapped a current toward the front seat,

but it was too late. Shrapnel pushed the

button on the detonator the instant before

my whip cut through him.

The subsequent boom! shook the limo,

but we didn’t explode. The car behind us

did, and the sudden fireball claimed my

attention for a few costly seconds. Long

enough for Shrapnel to yank the steering

wheel to the left, aiming our speeding