"Don't play coy." She leaned across the table as he dropped into a chair. "Who's the man you and David were talking to?"

Shelton waved his hands palms out. "Hey, you want to get me hurt? You'll have to ask those two. I ain't stepping hip deep into that pile of trouble."

"The three of you were chatting away for quite a while before David came over. I want to know what's going on."

Shelton waved the waitress over and ordered another coffee. "You want anything?"

Elyssa shook her head. "No. And stop avoiding the questions."

After the waitress left, Shelton rested his arms on the table and grinned. "How 'bout you tell me what you and Rapunzel were talking about over here?"

Elyssa leaned back and crossed her arms. "It doesn't concern you."

Shelton's smile widened. "Well, how about that? You got your business, and I got mine. If David tells you, then it's his decision."

A dull ache rose in her temples and Elyssa realized she was clenching her teeth and her fists against the desire to leap across the table and hammer the truth out of Shelton. Justin had been right not to trust the man. She got up and walked across the room to the original table where Shelton had been sitting. David, Vallaena, and the other man occupied it now.

She pulled up a chair and sat down while the others watched her.

"I think it just as well she knows," Vallaena said to the mystery man. "She's just as instrumental as the others." The man turned and repeated what she'd said to David.

David's face was already red but he spoke to the man. "You don't even know the full truth of it. It's just a fairy tale."

Again, the mystery man repeated the words to Vallaena.

She shook her head. "It may well be, but if we don't find out more, we won't be prepared."

"What in the world is this about?" Elyssa said. "This has to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Are you not speaking to David because he's Castratae and you're Anae?"

Vallaena raised an eyebrow. "Perceptive, Templaras. I must use an intermediary lest I soil my honor."

Elyssa looked at the third man, looking for some hint as to what he might be. "Is he Daemos?"

"Yes, and a Denae. He is not of House Slade, however, and is not a person of interest to you or anybody else." Vallaena sighed. "Young curiosity is so troublesome. Tell him who you are, Denae."

"I am Daemos Denae-Nyles Kalamander. I am a ward of Daemas Anae-Vallaena Slade sent here by my father to strengthen the blood of our two houses and to do the bidding of all my ward commands me."

"I thought you told me he wasn't your man," Elyssa said, her tone accusing.

"You asked if he was with me, not if he was my man."

"And you interpreted the meaning of my words however you saw fit. Thanks for reminding me why people never trust spawn."

Nyles paled. "She has insulted you, Anae. Shall I-"

Vallaena held up a hand. "She is not of our kind, Denae, and not to be held to our standards." Her dimples appeared alongside a small grin. "Since I determined you would probably be unwilling to help bring Justin under my protection, I thought it wise to ask his father as well."

"And I told her no way in hell," David said, his eyes on Elyssa. "Knowing her, she's probably got a dozen other irons in the fire as well." He leaned back in his chair. "She also didn't tell you I met with Nyles because he claimed to have information about my wife Alice. Apparently it was a lure to draw me into this meeting."

Elyssa pshawed. "My father always told me to take the number of overt actions by a spawn, multiply it by a hundred, and the answer would be a closer estimate to the truth."

"Every action is a thread, Templaras," Vallaena said. "Every reaction and decision along the thread is another branch to be explored, another avenue to take. I know people who believe the direct path to a goal is the shortest, but my years of life have taught me a great deal. If the direct path is through stone, why not ask a mason to chip it away?"

"Or dynamite to annihilate it," David said, looking at Nyles.

"Why are you convinced Justin is in danger?" Elyssa asked. "Give me some reason besides the lines you were feeding me back at the table."

"It's nonsense," David said. "My dear sister believes there's a conspiracy-"

"Not a conspiracy, a foreseeance," Vallaena said, her eyes burning bright. "A possible interpretation of a future to come."

David gave her a shocked look which she returned while Nyles blanched.

Vallaena groaned and actually looked as if she might have just thrown up in her mouth. "I suppose I must do a cleansing after this conversation." She made a circular motion over her heart with her left hand and pressed the palm against her chest.

"Because you accidentally talked directly to your brother?" Elyssa wanted to slap them both silly. "Drop the stupid act and join this century, people." Before Vallaena could launch into another culture lesson, Elyssa spoke. "You said a 'foreseeance'. Do you really believe in those things?"

The other woman brushed a golden lock from her eyes and leaned forward. "No. Or at least not most of them. But this one may be coming true before our very eyes."

"Do you have a copy?"

"No. I don't even know the full text."

"You must be kidding me." Elyssa snorted. "All this fuss and you don't even know the full text?"

"Elements in the Conclave have kept this secret for nearly two decades. It was only by luck I learned of it."

Elyssa felt the urge to get up and walk away. This was a complete waste of time. Foreseeance was the official term for a prophecy, probably to make such a fantastical thing sound more realistic. In the old days, Templars had collected and researched prophecies, back before the Templar Scholars left the order because they abhorred the violent methods of the Templar Knights. It was all part of a plan to keep catastrophic disasters from happening. But according to history class, they hadn't stopped a thing because none of the prophecies came true.

And now, a very powerful spawn seemed convinced one of them was coming true. And that Elyssa's boyfriend was involved. Vallaena wasn't just some homeless guy with a cardboard placard warning everyone about the end of the world. She was someone who could make things happen. What if she decided to kidnap Justin since neither Elyssa nor David would give Vallaena permission to take him as a ward?

Instead of walking away, Elyssa needed to point this dangerous missile in another direction. Convince her someone else was involved.

"Tell me what you know."

Vallaena looked at David. He nodded.

"Very well. The foreseeance speaks of a half-damned who must defend against those acting in the name of a dead prophet. This youth will make unlikely alliances and tame the hearts of natural enemies. But others will try to kill him before the Unmaking or the Remaking."

Elyssa was certain more than ever this woman had gone over the edge. Nothing in those words pointed at Justin. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough in what Vallaena knew for Elyssa to twist and redirect to some other poor sap. "Are you saying half-damned means half-spawn?"

"It is a common misinterpretation of our nature," she said, preening a lock of golden hair, "though we Daemos do not consider ourselves damned. In fact, we consider ourselves to be rather blessed."

"How can you be so certain this points to Justin? Surely there are a million other interpretations."

"Daevadius-David is already marked for death. How long will it be before Justin is marked and dealt with?"

Elyssa shook her head. "David's death mark is probably due to his ticking off the Conroys."

"What about Justin's friends?" Vallaena said, her eyes alight with fervent belief. "He is friends with a sorcerer, a felycan, and you, his mate, are a dhampyr and a Templar. The foreseeance speaks of 'unlikely alliances'. Surely the 'half-damned' and 'unlikely alliances' identifiers are enough to at least point to Justin."

"Why do you care? Even if it is about Justin, why would someone as powerful as you give a damn?" Elyssa held a finger in the air. "Oh, I get it. You're afraid of losing your place in the world if this prophecy is right and the world is remade."

"My reasons are my own, Templaras, and I would not expect you to understand them."

"See?" David said. "It's nonsense. I think she wants Justin so she can control me, bring me kicking and screaming back into the family, much to the amusement of our father."

"Little brother," Vallaena said, the shame of addressing him directly turning her face red and giving her the look of one who has just eaten a very sour lemon. "You are a child straight from the loins of the Paetros and Maedras, as am I. This is a rare honor. Why would you shun your family so? Why would you ignore your duties as a Daemos?"

"Because I'm not one of you," he replied in a gruff voice. "And I never will be."

Nyles bowed his head to Vallaena. "May I speak, Anae?"

"Yes. Speak freely since I have already soiled myself by speaking to the lowest of the low."

"Thank you." Nyles looked at Elyssa. "Before I was sent as ward to House Slade, I also heard whispers of a foreseeance, though the rumors were quickly quashed by the Conclave's representatives in my country."

"You're from another country?" Elyssa furrowed her brow. The man had a strange accent of his own, but he didn't look overtly foreign.

"I am from Spain, although the Conclave does not divide itself by the same boundaries the mortal world does."

True, the Overworld Conclave didn't recognize geographical boundaries, only the different supernatural nations and species comprising it. It was up to each nation to arrange its representatives, confusing as it was. But each region still had its elite, House Slade being the most powerful spawn house in North America.

She steepled her fingers and peered over them. "You're saying the same exact foreseeance was given by a different individual in your part of the world and mysterious conspirators within the Conclave hushed it up."

"From the research I have done for Anae-Vallaena, this has happened in other parts of the world as well. At least two other times," he said, holding up the same number of fingers.

"And yet word still hasn't gotten out?"

"Whoever is preventing this from becoming public knowledge is very powerful."

That did it. Elyssa slapped her forehead and mumbled a couple of choice curse words under her breath. "I don't want to offend you, Vallaena, but this is crazy. Has it ever occurred to you maybe you guys have lived so long you're bored and are looking for shadows in the dark?"

Sadness or possibly regret filled Vallaena's eyes. "I had hoped we could come to some peaceful solution. Unfortunately there are others who wish to possess Justin or who will hope to possess him once they discover what he is."

The door to the bar burst open and a man with olive skin and black hair flashed to Vallaena's side. "We must go, Anae."

Worry flashed across her face. "Who is it, Ali?"

"Minions, Anae. Hellhounds."

"Are you the one who sent hellhounds after us?" David asked, face boiling with rage as he jerked to his feet and sent his chair skittering to the floor behind him.

Ali scowled and reached for a gun. Vallaena shook her head. "I have already soiled myself by speaking to him, Ali. I will cleanse myself later."

The man bowed. "As you say."

Vallaena turned to David. "I'm afraid it was not I who sent the hellhounds. Rather, it was yet another whose honor you soiled by your foolish actions."

David's face paled. "No, not her."

Vallaena nodded sadly. "Yes. Your betrothed."

Chapter 18.

Ryland cursed and hit the gas so hard, I heard the pedal thud into the floorboard. The Prius, not exactly a sports car to begin with, paused for a few seconds before deciding the driver really did want to destroy the environment by burning through the fuel it would take to accelerate at such a speed. In the meantime, a big male vampire with a leather trench coat and black shades zipped into the road in front of the car. Ryland slammed the brakes and my head thumped into the back of his seat.

"Just great," Smith said. "Looks like your almighty master is here to save you yet again."

"Let me go and I'll tell him not to hurt anyone," Felicia said, her sad voice turning triumphant.

The big vampire in the road smiled. Massive shoulders pressed against the large trench coat he wore and meaty pectorals strained the tight black shirt underneath it. His black hair was spiked six inches straight up and I had to admit he looked pretty badass. On the other hand, he was also the ass who'd ordered the kidnapping of my dad. Unfortunately, I could hardly fight my way out of a wet paper bag in my condition, much less take on a vampire of his age.

"How about you tell him to get out of the way and I won't hurt any of them," Smith said with a sarcastic smile.

Ryland looked through the rear-view mirror. "It'll be daylight in about five minutes and then your friends won't be much of a challenge."

Vampires didn't burn up in the sun, I'd learned, but it made them lethargic and gave them a nasty sunburn if they stayed out in it too long. I glanced over at the cloud bank to our left and wondered if it would nullify the sun issue.

Smith stuck his head out of the window. "What do you want?"

"Release my faithful from your bonds and I shall let you live," Maximus said in a deep booming voice.

He sounded really reasonable, I thought as his command echoed in my head. "Hey, that's a good idea," I said, trying to open the rear door. But it wouldn't open and I realized the child safety locks were on.

"Don't let his voice cloud your mind," Stacey said. "Bloody vampires and their mind games."

"A trick?" I asked, still trying to open the door by pressing my shoulder weakly against it.

Stacey leaned across Felicia and gripped my chin in her hand. Her amber eyes darkened, seeming to form a vortex sucking me into their depths. I felt myself falling, falling, falling into the bliss of her gaze. Reality faded in a warm fuzzy haze. Then she slapped me so hard I saw stars.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, my lamb, but it was the fastest way to snap you out of it."

I realized I no longer had the desire to let Felicia go. In fact, I was ready to get out and beat the snot out of Maximus-although extreme physical violence from my end was hardly in the cards right now since my arms had the strength of wet noodles.

"Get ready to gun it," Smith said to Ryland.

"It'd be faster if I pushed," the lycan grumbled.