Adia shook her head. "Zachary-"

"No," he interrupted. "Just...no. You know perfectly well I couldn't tell you. I certainly couldn't tell Dominique. I couldn't tell anyone except-" He swallowed thickly.

Adia saw Jay's eyes widen as if he knew something Adia didn't know and had just made the connection.

"Believe it or not," Zachary said slowly, "vampires will pick out their favorite hunters. And other vampires know about it. My 'patron,' as she puts it, made it clear to me that she wouldn't reveal me to others of her kind, but that if I got in trouble, I could say her name and she or one of her a.s.sociates would come get me. I swore up and down I'd never use it, and I never have, but she and her friends frequent a lot of the rougher circuits, so sometimes I don't need to. I'll be in a fight, and then suddenly it'll be over and..."

When it became clear that he wasn't going to say more, Jay asked, "The guy who helped Nikolas pull Sarah off you was one of your friend's friends?"

"What guy?" Adia asked, startled...and yet not. Jerome had said he had warned the twins, and that had been when they had found the first photograph, which she realized now hadn't been left accidentally. It had been a message, though not to her.

"I didn't see him, since I was locked in the closet at the time with a broken arm," Jay answered. "I just heard his voice."

"Jerome," Adia said.

Zachary flinched and nodded. "I'm sorry, Adia."

"Why didn't you ever talk to me?" she asked. "I'm not Dominique, Zachary. You could have told me what was going on, and we could have worked it out. We could have gone after them together, or just-"

"Because you needed to be better than I was!" he shouted. "Adia, I know I'm weak. My entire side of the line is. My mother went mad after my sister's death. She went out, and never came back. My little brother followed her, and we never saw him again. The only reason I've survived is because Dominique looked out for me, and you know what kind of perfection she demands. I couldn't spread my weakness to you and Sarah."

"There is no such thing as perfection, Zachary," Adia said, aware she was quoting Jerome. The vampire had been right.

Jay collapsed dramatically to the couch. "I knew your line was weird, but I never even imagined how profoundly messed up you all are. It's no wonder Sarah had a fling with a serial killer, or that Zachary unwinds with the undead. You're all so obsessed with being perfect, you end up hating yourselves."

Zachary tried to glare at him again, but in Adia's view, the expression seemed halfhearted.

No one was perfect.

Maybe that was true-obviously it was true. Adia had known for a long time that she was far from perfect, but she had always managed to fake it by looking to Zachary, and Dominique, and Sarah as examples of what she could be. But it had been a house of cards, and now it had all come tumbling down.

Adia jumped as her phone buzzed, announcing that she had a text message. She read it and felt her blood go cold.

No one was perfect.

But someone needed to try to be.

CHAPTER 20

SAt.u.r.dAY, 5:05 P.M. P.M.

SARAH FROZE. NIKOLAS had to recognize the witch in front of him. He would not have forgotten the face of the hunter who had nearly killed his brother. But Nikolas glanced at her, as if waiting for her response before he decided how to proceed. had to recognize the witch in front of him. He would not have forgotten the face of the hunter who had nearly killed his brother. But Nikolas glanced at her, as if waiting for her response before he decided how to proceed.

Suddenly, the lights and music around them were surreal. Michael wouldn't attack somewhere so public, so what was he doing? He didn't even look nervous-and the Arun didn't normally bother to conceal his emotions. He looked like he should be calmly taking a stroll through the park.

"h.e.l.lo, Michael," she said, trying to keep her voice even.

"Hi, Sarah," he answered. "Is this the new boyfriend?" Sarah shook her head. Michael looked at Nikolas. "I would offer to shake hands, but I don't think you would trust me that far."

"And you would trust me, would you?" Nikolas asked in the cool, controlled tone Sarah remembered well from the first time they had fought.

"I don't need to trust you," Michael answered. "I know Kendra's rules. As long as I don't attack you, if you kill me here, she'll take your head off. Do you think I would have walked up and outed myself to one of the most infamous vampires in recent history if I didn't know I had some kind of protection?"

"Nikolas?" Sarah asked.

He nodded absently and gave Michael a critical look. "You're a witch. Since when do you have any faith in our rules?"

"I'm an Arun, Arun," Michael answered. "Ask any Vida. We're not to be trusted, right, Sarah?"

"I always trusted you."

"Then trust me now, now," he said, earnest sincerity in his lightning-kissed eyes. "You know I think most Vida law is bull. I've got Jay Marinitch on my side, but his family is saying we have to stick to the Rights, and the Smoke witches believe refusing Vida law now will end up endangering SingleEarth. So I'm risking my a.s.s to tell you that I'm trying to find a way out of this mess, and to ask you to help me out. You know those laws back and front. What should I do about the Rights?"

If anyone was brazen enough to flaunt their laws this way, it was Michael. He was just wild enough to gamble everything-and with a little vampiric blood in his own veins from his family, maybe he really could believe that blood alone could not turn someone into a monster.

Nikolas seemed to take his cue from Sarah's thoughts. "We are going to the theater tonight," he said to the hunter.

"Nikolas," she whispered in warning, wondering both why Nikolas was apparently inviting himself along and why he was sharing with Michael. I would like to believe he is on our side, but he I would like to believe he is on our side, but he is is still a witch still a witch.

He ignored her, continuing to speak to Michael. "Perhaps we could all meet afterward, to discuss a way out of this tangle?"

If we do not give him an opportunity to double-cross us, we will never know if we can trust him, will we? he replied silently. he replied silently. I think the potential of an ally among the witches is worth a bit of risk I think the potential of an ally among the witches is worth a bit of risk.

"Sounds good," Michael said. "Sarah, I didn't know you liked theater. What are you seeing?"

She shrugged, not about to give him any more information than Nikolas already had.

"We haven't yet picked a show," Nikolas answered for her.

"Well, give me a call when you get out. I'll be around. Sarah..." Michael hesitated, his gaze lingering on her. "Well, I'll see you."

He walked out, turning his back to them as if perfectly certain they would respect the rules of this place and not hurt him. Or maybe he just trusted Sarah. She couldn't forget the expression on his face at the house. He hadn't wanted to hurt her.

Of course, that had been before the fight.

"You handled that very calmly," Sarah commented to Nikolas after Michael was out of earshot.

"He defended himself," Nikolas answered. "If Kristopher had not recovered, I would have hunted him down, but as it is, we need allies. I will not hold against him the fact that he fought back when attacked." He paused, then added, "At least, I will not hold it against him much much. Besides, if he knows Kendra's rules, then he knows what her wrath is like for hunters who kill without permission in her territory. I do not believe he would willingly try to fight us on the island."

"I'm not sure you fully understand how little respect Michael tends to have for authority figures," Sarah muttered. "Besides, he never mentioned anything about Kendra when we used to hunt here."

"Kendra has an arrangement with some hunters, with regards to whom and when and where they may hunt in her city. Would you have tolerated knowing of such a situation when you were still a witch?" No. Of course not. It didn't even need to be said. She wanted to believe that Michael had set up the arrangement only after after Sarah had left the city, but looking back, she wondered if he had instead subtly steered her toward safe hunts. Sarah had left the city, but looking back, she wondered if he had instead subtly steered her toward safe hunts.

In other words, he had lied to her.

Though it wasn't like he'd had any other choice when she had been a Vida.

Nikolas said, "I will ask Kendra if he has such a deal with her. In the meantime, should I even ask if you have anything suitable to wear to a theater?"

She glared at him. "Jeans and a T-shirt aren't fine, I'm guessing?"

His expression held an almost amusing mixture of horror and sorrow. "For a modern American, perhaps," he answered.

But not, she was sure, when one sat in box seats with two nineteenth-century gentlemen of Kendra's line.

"If you want to return home, I'll make arrangements," Nikolas said, judging rightly that Sarah wasn't about to say, Oh, goody, let's go dress shopping! Oh, goody, let's go dress shopping!

"Thanks," Sarah said. "Are you also planning to be the one to tell Kristopher you invited yourself and a vampire hunter on our date?"

Nikolas looked startled by the question. "I thought you would prefer it," he said ambiguously before he disappeared, presumably to talk to Kendra. Sarah left immediately after, not wanting to linger in a place where she had already unexpectedly run into one hunter.

She realized she was nervous, not about spending time "off" in the middle of the dangerous chaos in her wake, or about the potentially b.l.o.o.d.y confrontation with Michael that might follow, but about this essentially being the first real date she and Kristopher had gone on, and she was suddenly sharing it with his brother. The dance Kristopher had invited her to once had been a disaster even before it was cut short by the appearance of Sarah's sister, and Sarah's plea for Kristopher to leave her alone. Somehow she couldn't picture this one going any better, even if Nikolas hadn't suggested their location to people who might want to kill them.

Sarah tried to give some thought to Michael's question, but the Rights of Kin were in many ways very simple. Only the one who called them could declare them satisfied. If, G.o.ddess forbid, Dominique were killed, the decision would fall to Adia, but she would be honor-bound to fulfill her mother's wishes. Sarah couldn't think of any power on Earth that would convince Dominique to change her mind.

She checked in on Christine, who was sleeping soundly with a much-loved-looking stuffed animal in her arms. Was she still going to want to learn to fight? Heather had comforted her about her future, to an extent, but Sarah would rather encourage Christine to be a more active agent of her own future, not as dependent as Heather.

Sarah was a half page into some notes about how she could set up an introduction to self-defense when she realized she was planning her own future. She was only writing about fighting moves and breathing techniques, but in those words was a commitment to Christine that implied Sarah would be around for a while.

She hadn't come to terms with eternity and wasn't sure she would anytime soon, but step by baby step maybe she was learning to accept that there would be a tomorrow.

She put aside the notes, which were just busywork until she could talk to Christine more, and examined the bookcase in the back of the living room, wondering if something there might help her pa.s.s the time without dwelling too much.

It had been years since she had read a book for pleasure. She didn't even know what kind of book she liked. That some of the t.i.tles weren't in English didn't help. She abandoned the bookcase and looked at the CDs instead. Here some of the non-English t.i.tles seemed familiar, like a long-ago memory she couldn't quite place.

Jake's influence.

She had just reached for one when Nikolas appeared behind her. Sarah s.n.a.t.c.hed her hand back guiltily, as if expecting Dominique to chastise her for seeking such a frivolous waste of time. She had listened to music at home, but it had always been whatever happened to be on the popular-music station on the radio; she had never bothered to consider what her tastes tastes might be. might be.

"Well, I have news you're going to like, and news I think you're going to like a lot less," Nikolas announced with a rueful expression. "Which do you want to hear first?"

"Good news, I guess," she said. He didn't look upset upset, so she imagined that the less-good news was probably one of those vampire-related things she just didn't like talking about, and not any kind of disaster.

"Kendra confirmed she does does know Michael, and that though they do not have an explicit arrangement, he has always been careful not to break her rules. Also, she has four box tickets to know Michael, and that though they do not have an explicit arrangement, he has always been careful not to break her rules. Also, she has four box tickets to Wicked Wicked. She thinks you will appreciate some of the themes in it."

"Uh-huh," Sarah said. She had never heard of it, so she could only hope that wasn't the bad news. On the other hand..."Why do we need four tickets?"

"Because she wants to meet you, and has suggested the four of us should attend together."

So much for Kristopher's idea of a light, low-pressure evening.

"I a.s.sume that's the news you figured I wouldn't like as much?" Sarah asked.

Nikolas shook his head. "I may have accidentally mentioned your other other problem. Kendra is a woman of great cla.s.s and style." problem. Kendra is a woman of great cla.s.s and style."

He didn't say it; he didn't need need to say it. Like some kind of ancient, bloodthirsty mother-in-law, Kendra wanted to get to know the newest member of her line. What better way to do so than a shopping trip? to say it. Like some kind of ancient, bloodthirsty mother-in-law, Kendra wanted to get to know the newest member of her line. What better way to do so than a shopping trip?

G.o.ddess help her. She would rather face the hunters.

CHAPTER 21

SAt.u.r.dAY, 5:31 P.M. P.M.

ZACHARY STORMED UP the familiar weathered steps, his fingertips trembling and his breath coming quickly in what anyone who knew him would call a shockingly uncharacteristic loss of control. A streetlamp nearby flickered, and he realized he was throwing off so much wild energy he was disrupting the electrical currents. the familiar weathered steps, his fingertips trembling and his breath coming quickly in what anyone who knew him would call a shockingly uncharacteristic loss of control. A streetlamp nearby flickered, and he realized he was throwing off so much wild energy he was disrupting the electrical currents.

Before putting his hand on the k.n.o.b of the front door, he took a moment to pause, close his eyes and hold his breath until he stopped shaking and his heartbeat calmed. Above him, the lamp flickered once more and then died, leaving his side of the street dark.

Then, eyes cold as steel, he pulled open the door-it wasn't locked; it was never locked-and moved into the front parlor of the small apartment.

The familiar room made his throat tighten with emotions he preferred not to a.n.a.lyze too closely. From the worn suede love seat and ottoman and the soft velvet curtains to the throw rug and a Tiffany lamp that cast muted light the color of roses and gold about the room and into the small kitchenette, everything was warm and welcoming. Embracing.

There were three doors from the living room entrance; now one of those doors opened and Olivia padded out, clothed in pajama pants and a camisole top of creamy silk.

Through the doorway he could see the human she had left behind on the bed. His name was Vick, and he was a hard-core blood junkie who had been living with Olivia for months. He and Zachary had met and even talked some-enough for Zachary to know he did not want to talk to him more. Vick had no family, no past he was willing to talk about and probably no future at all. His wasn't bloodbonded to anyone, but that was only because no one had claimed him so permanently. His entire existence consisted of being pa.s.sed from one vampire to the next, with no desires of his own except to bleed for them.

Vick didn't even twitch when the door opened. Olivia took one look at Zachary and sighed heavily. "This again?" she asked him. She drifted closer, pausing only to close the door behind her. "After we had such a nice visit earlier."

"You took pictures pictures?"

She smiled, just slightly. "Not me. But Jerome does love that camera of his."

"Adianna saw them."

"So that's the reason for today's tantrum."

She had moved close enough that now she could lay her palm against his cheek.

"Darling," she whispered, "if you intend to try to kill me, it would help if you drew a knife."

He jumped at the reminder, his hand going to the knife handle at the back of his neck. The movement was slower than usual as he fought learned reflexes.

Olivia moved her hand from his cheek and across the back of his reaching arm until her palm lay over his hand, at the back of his neck. The motion he had attempted stalled as muscles reacted to a more familiar position, relaxing and arching his throat back.

"Or," Olivia suggested, "we could do something more enjoyable."

"No."