Dominique turned from the bond, just slowly enough to reveal that she was not satisfied with the single blow.

At that moment, however, Heather tossed her head. "You want me to talk? I could tell you things to give you nightmares. Worse, maybe I could give you happy happy dreams. Would you like to know what it's like when one of them takes you? When you're in their arms and they bare your throat and drink?" dreams. Would you like to know what it's like when one of them takes you? When you're in their arms and they bare your throat and drink?"

Zachary stood very still and fought to keep his mind blank. Blank Blank. Not filled with the images the bloodbond's words evoked. Yet she continued.

"I've been told that Kendra's line is the best at it, though naturally I've never experienced anything else. All I know is that nothing nothing you can do to me here matters for more than a moment. I've had three hundred years, and even if you kill me today, I will always have something you will you can do to me here matters for more than a moment. I've had three hundred years, and even if you kill me today, I will always have something you will never never have: peace. You call me a victim, but I think maybe I am the only one in this room who isn't. Look in my head if you want to," she said, challenging Jay. "I have seen hundreds of humans pa.s.s through, willing to die, willing to give up everything, just to experience that bliss. And not just humans. The Vida line isn't immune, is it?" have: peace. You call me a victim, but I think maybe I am the only one in this room who isn't. Look in my head if you want to," she said, challenging Jay. "I have seen hundreds of humans pa.s.s through, willing to die, willing to give up everything, just to experience that bliss. And not just humans. The Vida line isn't immune, is it?"

Zachary had been staring, hypnotized, so it took him by surprise when Dominique hit the bloodbond again, this time hard enough to rock her head back and unfocus her eyes.

Heather spat blood onto the floor before saying, "Sarah liked it enough to die for it."

Michael was apparently the only sensible person left in the room. He tore off another strip of duct tape and slapped it over Heather's bruised mouth.

"I'm going out," Dominique announced.

No one questioned her as she left. Dominique's self-control and composure might be perfect, but even she had to be disturbed by such an accusation regarding one of her blood. Of course she would want to get away.

"Sarah's dead?" Robert asked in the silence that followed. No one had told him why why he had been called to Dominique's house. And apparently, no one was in the mood to answer him now. he had been called to Dominique's house. And apparently, no one was in the mood to answer him now.

Zachary looked around, trying to focus on his surroundings and not on his thoughts. He found Jay sitting in the corner, not quite out of the room but as far from Heather as he could get without truly fleeing. Whatever he had seen in Heather's mind in those moments had shut him down.

"We should just get rid of her," Michael said. "As long as we are guarding her, we are not out hunting Nikolas and Kristopher, and any secure locations she knows about will be empty long before we pry the information out of her."

"I thought this was a trap for Kaleo," Robert said weakly. "Sarah can't be dead. Heather was messing with us, wasn't she?"

"This being a trap a.s.sumes the ma.s.s-murdering s.a.d.i.s.t cares enough about this particular human to risk his hide," Michael said, ignoring the human, as they all were. "We have more important prey to track."

"She absolutely believes that he will come," Jay said softly as he pushed himself to his feet. "Whether or not she is right, I do not know." absolutely believes that he will come," Jay said softly as he pushed himself to his feet. "Whether or not she is right, I do not know."

"Like it or not, she's one of our only leads," Zachary said. "I do do believe Kaleo will come for her, and even if he doesn't lead us to our targets, removing him will make hunting them easier. We also need her in case Adia's trip to the bookstore doesn't pan out. After she gets home, she can decide what we do with this one." believe Kaleo will come for her, and even if he doesn't lead us to our targets, removing him will make hunting them easier. We also need her in case Adia's trip to the bookstore doesn't pan out. After she gets home, she can decide what we do with this one."

"'This one'?" Jay echoed. "You're trying so hard to distance yourself from her mentally, you can't even stand to see her as human, can you?"

"She barely is is human," Michael replied. "After a couple hundred years, a bloodbond gets to be a lot more like a vampire. They get strong, and fast, and some of them even feel the bloodl.u.s.t. If we give her a chance, she will kill us all." human," Michael replied. "After a couple hundred years, a bloodbond gets to be a lot more like a vampire. They get strong, and fast, and some of them even feel the bloodl.u.s.t. If we give her a chance, she will kill us all."

"Not all bloodbonds-"

"Shut up up, Robert," Zachary snapped.

"Did Nikolas kill Sarah?" Robert asked, gaze level and nearly empty.

Zachary nodded.

"He's got my sister," Robert said. "I thought...I thought she was safe with him."

"The situation isn't quite as clear-cut as it seems," Jay said.

"Shut up, Marinitch," Michael advised. "We don't need you playing shrink with us."

"I'm just trying to-"

Michael stood abruptly, his chair clattering to the floor behind him as he grabbed Jay by the shirtfront and shoved him back against the wall. "Trying to what what?" the Arun said, challenging him. "Make us realize how hard this is? Trust me, we've got that covered. Zachary and I have known Sarah all her life. We trained with her and fought with her. We have watched each other's backs in fights none of us would have survived on our own. You and Sarah have barely even been introduced. You think this is hard? You have no idea."

He slammed a fist into the wall only inches from Jay's head, as if his self-control was sufficient to keep him from hitting the other witch, but not enough to keep him from needing to lash out. Jay shut his eyes as plaster shattered, and then Michael dropped him, the argument abruptly forgotten as his attention shifted. It took Zachary a moment longer, but then he, too, sensed what had silenced Michael.

The power was faint, even with the wards around the house acting like an antenna. The vampire was lingering at least a block away, not coming closer at that moment, but near enough that they could all feel her there.

Her. Not Kaleo. The power Zachary could sense was not nearly enough for the ancient Roman to be approaching.

Was it Sarah? Could things be so convenient?

It had to be a trap. He stretched his awareness, trying to find more of her kind but knowing it was pointless, since they could appear at any time with no warning. Did she think she could trick them into trusting her and letting down their guard?

Had she come to turn herself in?

He squashed the thought. The vampiric animal always sought survival. He had to brace himself, because he knew that the vampire outside would look like Sarah, and sound like Sarah. But it wouldn't be be Sarah; it would be the thing that had killed her. Sarah; it would be the thing that had killed her.

Maybe, it occurred to him, Kaleo had threatened her. Zachary hadn't considered that obvious possibility before, that the other vampires might have turned on her. The twins were very protective of their sister, and the hunters had threatened her. Kaleo was incredibly possessive of the individuals he considered his his. Maybe they had sent their newest fledgling here as a sacrifice to appease the hunters.

Or it could be a trap.

CHAPTER 8

SAt.u.r.dAY, 7:29 A.M. A.M.

GIVEN THE HOUR at which Heather had received her phone call, Adia was not entirely surprised to find that the Makeshift bookstore was connected to a twenty-four-hour coffee shop. The bookstore itself was closed, but the cafe had its own door to the street. at which Heather had received her phone call, Adia was not entirely surprised to find that the Makeshift bookstore was connected to a twenty-four-hour coffee shop. The bookstore itself was closed, but the cafe had its own door to the street.

Adia damped down her witch aura as she stepped out of the car, and as she crossed the threshold, she mentally donned a mask. Who should she be today? A college student, probably, on the way home from an all-night study session at a friend's house, and not quite ready to go back to her roommate. She was social and friendly, confident, but possibly a little naive about the real world.

In theory, the Vida line was the most famous line of vampire hunters in history and should therefore be the most recognizable. In reality, especially in this generation, there were a lot of blond girls with blue eyes in the world. It meant she could be anyone she needed to be, and while she was lost in that role, she didn't need to think about anything more than the immediate objective. The person she chose to be didn't need to have a sister, or a grim duty to fulfill.

She knew her cheeks would be pink from having driven the last mile with the window down. She let herself shiver as she came in from the cold.

At seven-thirty in the morning on a Sat.u.r.day, the atmosphere was subdued. The two young girls seated at a back-corner booth, eating sweet sticky pastries, both felt like bloodbonds, but there was also an older woman, reading the Boston Globe Boston Globe and sipping coffee, who probably had no idea that the man behind the counter was a vampire. and sipping coffee, who probably had no idea that the man behind the counter was a vampire.

That bloodsucker smiled at Adia, his expression tired but friendly.

"I'm sorry, but if you're looking for a place to stay, you're out of luck."

The way he had tossed out that information to a complete stranger suggested that enough people had been bothering him for help that he was getting fed up with it. That was only likely to be the case if individuals hiding from the Rights of Kin were coming to him, which would only happen if he was connected to Nikolas and Kristopher.

She flashed her own best long-day smile and said, "Actually, I was looking for a cup of coffee. Am I in the wrong place?"

His expression shifted as he focused his attention, seeming to draw himself together. "Sorry," he said. "Yes, of course, coffee right away. How do you take it?"

She glanced at the menu behind the counter, trying to determine what kind of place she was in. Keeping to her pretense, she said, "I don't care. Something sweet, with a lot of caffeine and a lot lot of sugar." of sugar."

"Starting the day with a kick, I see," the vampire joked with her as he turned to the espresso machine.

"I'm normally more of a night person," she answered. "I got up early to drive a friend to work, and have to hide from my roommate so she won't drag me to Zumba."

He chuckled. She could almost see the gears turning in his head. It was past dawn, the hour when decent vampires normally wanted to sleep, and she could tell he hadn't had a chance to feed the night before. Here was a cute girl who no one expected home soon, who was willing to chat with strangers...and who, therefore, could probably be persuaded to go somewhere more private. He handed her the coffee, and the smile he turned on her was considerably warmer than the first one had been.

"I know what you mean," he said. "My roommates have guests over at all sorts of crazy hours. Here's your coffee, on the house. My shift's pretty much-" He cut off, a moment after Adia sensed the aura of the bloodbond who had just walked up behind her. "Matt, it isn't often you darken my door. Is something wrong?"

Adia turned, trying to make it look casual. She wasn't sure whose bloodbond she was facing, but knew that the olive-skinned "young" man was decades older than he appeared. Bloodbonded humans, like vampires, didn't age.

Matt lifted a hand to brush sandy brown hair back from his face, and the cuff of his long sleeve pulled back just enough for Adia to see the edge of a scar. Nikolas's marks Nikolas's marks-a rose, a strand of ivy and Nikolas's name. She was sure of it. Pure vanity made the vampire carve his symbols into the flesh of his victims. It also made them easy to identify.

Cold affected bloodbonds less than pure humans, so most of Nikolas's bloodbonds wore their arms bare in any weather, no matter how much hara.s.sment it earned them from normal humans. Someone must have warned this one to cover up.

"Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

The vampire looked from Adia to the bloodbond who had just walked in, probably torn between some sense of obligation and the prospect of a free meal. Adia debated interrupting to offer her name or phone number, but decided that would be too blatant.

She took the coffee and sought a quiet table in the back of the room, where she pulled out a science fiction novel she kept in her purse for when she needed an excuse. It would have been nice to eavesdrop on the two at the counter, but the vampire brought Matt into the back room, leaving a BE RIGHT BACK BE RIGHT BACK sign by the register. Adia supposed he didn't care what customers he might miss. sign by the register. Adia supposed he didn't care what customers he might miss.

Adia took the opportunity to scan the coffee shop over the pages of her book. This time of year, long sleeves weren't exactly noteworthy, so there was no way to know if the other bonds in the room belonged to Nikolas. The real question was, why had someone called Heather from here? The phone was behind the counter, but customers might be allowed to use it. Anyone could have called; the phone itself wouldn't give her anything more. Fortunately, every hunter knew that the friend of her enemy made a useful friend, and it looked like the local vampire might be a very good friend.

After about two minutes secluded in the back room with Matt, he returned to the cafe, nodded to a sleepy-looking human to man the counter and then slid into the seat across from Adia.

"What I was about to say was my shift is up," he said. "I would ask if you'd like to get a cup of coffee, but I seem to have already provided that." When she chuckled, he added, "My name's Jerome."

"Anna," she replied. "Was that one of your friends looking for a place to stay?"

"More like a friend of a vague acquaintance, who only shows up when he needs a favor," Jerome answered.

"Oh?" She wasn't expecting him to tell the truth to the human he thought she was, but most people included nuggets of reality in their lies. She could sift for those.

Before Jerome could answer, someone else-a girl this time, with no hint of a bloodbond that Adia could make out-tapped him on the shoulder.

Jerome sighed. "I think it's going to be one of those mornings," he said as he glanced up at the girl trying to get his attention and gave her a halfhearted glare. Jerome jotted down a couple of words on a napkin-an address, Adia was almost certain-and pa.s.sed it off. Adia watched out of the corner of her eye as the human read the address, presumably memorized it, and tucked the napkin into a not-quite-empty coffee cup before she tossed them both into the trash. The liquid would destroy the writing, which kept people like Adia from stealing the napkin to get the address.

"You're popular," Adia observed.

"I'm more like an information center," he answered with a self-deprecating chuckle.

Adia glanced at the clock behind the counter and sighed dramatically. "I hate to caffeinate and run, but you seem pretty busy, and I should probably get home sometime."

Walking away was a gamble. She was betting on the reaction the person he was pretending to be would have to the person she was pretending to be. She couldn't take him on in a place this public, and she couldn't wander into the back room with him and become dinner. That meant she needed to leave but give him a reason to keep in touch after she left so she didn't lose her only contact.

"Anna." He said her name as she started to turn away.

She felt a brief moment of triumph, and then her cell phone rang. A wave of dread pa.s.sed through her before she even saw Zachary's number on the screen.

"Sorry," she said to Jerome before she answered the phone. "Hey, Bill." To Jerome, she added, "My brother," just loudly enough that Zachary would hear it. He would know she was with someone with sensitive enough hearing to eavesdrop on anything he said on the phone. Someone who didn't know who or what she was.

Zachary's voice was light and perfectly cheerful as he said, "Good, I caught you. I never know what kind of hours you keep." He chuckled. "Mom wanted me to ask if you think you're going to be able to make it for Thanksgiving this year. It looks like Liz is planning to come home, and it would be great to have the whole family."

It was a struggle to keep herself composed in front of Jerome. Were his vampiric senses enough for him to hear the twist in her guts or feel the cold pit that developed in her stomach? Zachary was telling her that Sarah was there...or was possibly on her way.

"I'm not sure I can get off work in time to make it," she said. She was nearly an hour away from home, and she didn't have a vampire's ability to instantly transport from place to place. Even if she drove as fast as she very well knew her car could handle, it was likely to be over before she got home. "How definite is Liz?"

"She's going to hang out a little while, but I don't know yet if she'll actually be at dinner," he answered.

Sarah had to be near enough that Zachary could sense her, but she hadn't declared her intention. She could just be lurking, observing, looking at her once family or trying to see what kind of guard they had on Heather. She could be intending to turn herself over, and hadn't yet found the courage, or she could have come to try to fight.

"I want to be there," Adia said. "I'll do my best."

"I'll let her know," Zachary answered. "Take care of yourself. Get some sleep."

"You too," she answered.

They were all such liars.

"You don't look happy at the idea of going home," Jerome observed when Adia ended the call and tucked the phone into her pocket.

She hadn't expected him not to notice her obvious reaction to the news, so she had an answer ready. "I have a difficult relationship with my family."

"Don't we all?" Jerome answered with a laugh. "If you end up wanting turkey without the complications, the Makeshift hosts Thanksgiving for anyone who wants to show up." He went behind the counter for a few minutes, looked around and came back with a small flyer. "I just got these printed, and wasn't planning to put them out until this weekend, but you're welcome to one."

Vampire Thanksgiving.

That was sure to be a hoot.

"Thanks," she said. Strangely, her smile felt genuine. Thanksgiving at home normally meant pizza. Now, if she was looking for an easy kill and some pumpkin pie, she would have somewhere to go. "You know, I should get going, but how about you give me your number, and I'll give you a call sometime?" she asked. If Sarah was turning herself in, they probably wouldn't need the lead, but it would be stupid to break the connection before determining how useful it might be.

Jerome obliged, giving her a different number than the one that went directly to the shop. It looked like a cell phone exchange, but there were so many these days that it was always hard to tell.

"Call anytime," he said. "I tend to stay up late."

"Me too."

She managed to keep her heartbeat from ringing in her ears until she made it back to her car. While she had been inside, dawn had transformed into full day-one of those bitter mornings when the sky was so perfectly blue it was hard to believe that the wind could have such a bite to it. At least that meant there wouldn't be any morning joggers or bikers to get in her way as she pushed as much speed into the car as it could handle. She trusted her reflexes to keep her from a collision. Worst-case scenario, she could sweet-talk any cop, add a push of power and make a possible ticket disappear. There were more important things at stake.

Absently, she wondered why she felt such a need to hurry. Did she really want want to get there in time? Was it selfish to hope in some ways that Zachary would do what she hadn't been able to and end all this before she even stepped through the door? to get there in time? Was it selfish to hope in some ways that Zachary would do what she hadn't been able to and end all this before she even stepped through the door?

CHAPTER 9