Not too shabby.

After checking out the pale hue of my natural skin tone against the black of the dress, I'd decided against putting on even whiter makeup. Sometimes it came in handy to have a ghostly complexion. Right on time the doorbell sounded and I scoped out the peephole. I turned on the porch light and felt a ripple of dread fan through my body. It was dark. Standing on my porch was Draculastrolling the streets ofLondon , a la GaryOldman : top hat, long curls, blue glasses, and a silver-knobbed walking stick. There was no mistaking that charming smile.

I opened the door. "Alan! You look amazing!"

He strutted into the entryway, preened, and bowed.Adopting a thick Transylvanian accent, he said, "Mina, I mean, Kismet, Ivant to drink your blood. But I could be persuaded to do something else instead."

He stepped around behind me, lifted my hair away from my neck and ran his teeth over my skin. He sported the same kind of tiny, well-crafted fake fangs Midnight had worn. The touch sent goose bumps down my skin and I turned to face him.

"We'll never get out of here if you keep on doing that."

He slid his fingertips down my arms, still speaking in the thick accent. "It would be my pleasure to rip off this incred-ibly sexy dress and ravage you right here on the floor. Do you prefer to be on the bottom or the top?"

"Oh, Count, you take my breath away, but I fear we'll be late for the vampire staking if we dawdle."

He lifted my hand and kissed the palm.

"Then, I shall come to visit you in the night."

We both laughed.

"Aren't they adorable,Raleigh ?"

Alan and I both jerked our heads toward the voice.

Once again, my living room hosted unexpected visitors.

Bryce stood in thecenter of the room, his long, dark hair resplendent against a blood red, floor-length, velvet coat. White ruffles peeked out of the lapels and sleeves. Black leather pants hugged his well-proportioned lower body. It had to be some kind of cosmic injustice that such an evil being could be so devilishly handsome. Hecouldve been a candidate for Vampire Pin-Up of the Year if it hadn't been for the struggling human he held in an effortless headlock under his arm. I recognized Ronald's auburn hair immediately.

Bryce held Ronald in a choke-hold so tight that only grunts and moans emanated from the young man's lips. My stomach contracted, and I gasped. Could this day get any worse? As he'd done before,Raleigh laughed maniacally while performingmunchkin -like kicks and steps in circles around the room.

Instead of the sleeveless muscle shirt he'd worn last time, inhonor of the ball he was decked out in a miniature version of traditional movie vampire garb: slicked back burgundy hair, white shirt, and long, sweeping cape with a raised collar. He'd painted black circles around his icy blue-white eyes.

Creepy.

Alan dropped his walking stick, pulled a gun from some-where under his jacket and pointed it at Bryce.

"That's enough. Release him.Now."

"Well, well. Things just keep on getting better. I do love a good drama."

Bryce ignored the gun and, moving faster than we could see, planted himself directly in front of Alan, surprising him. He gazed into Alan's eyes, which fluttered then closed com-pletely, his chin nodding against his chest. Alan's arm fell to his side. The gun slipped from his hand onto the floor with a thump.

Bryce kicked the gun aside. "What a disappointment. Not a worthy adversary, after all.Just another squawking blood sack."

Bryce turned and moved toward me, dragging Ronald along like a crash-test dummy.

He cocked his head and gave hisfavorite evil smile.

"I see you're all ready for the festivities.Excellent. We have a special room reserved just for you."

He pointed to Ronald. "I'm afraid your little friend here had quite ahissy fit when I sucked most of the blood out of his girlfriend Midnight's body. He insisted on coming along to tell you all about it.

Unfortunately, he seems to be a little tongue-tied at the moment."

Bryce laughed robustly, tightening his grip on Ronald's neck with every chortle. Ronald gasped for air.

He wasn't going to make it if Bryce didn't release him soon.

I didn't know what to do, so I did something stupid. I took a step toward Bryce, got in his face and screamed. "Let him go, you bloodsucking coward.Showing off for idiots and children. We'll see how big and bad you are after Devereux gets through with you."

Bryce flinched. He didn't like that. His handsome fea-tures contorted into a ghastly mask, his eyes narrowed and grew darker. He growled, showing razor-point fangs. I figured mentioning Devereux's name would push his buttons, but I didn't think it through beyond hoping he'd turn his rage on me and drop Ronald.

So much for that.

Bryce simply appeared at my side, circled my waist with his free arm and yanked me against his body.

He raised his chin in unconscious Alan's direction and barked at Raleigh, "Bring Dracula."

Chapter 25.

Travelingby thought might be miraculous, but it certainly messed with my equilibrium. When Bryce suddenly released me, I stumbled backward, straining to catch my balance.

We'd materialized, or metamorphosed, or whatever we'd done, in thecenter of a lavish balcony. I shuffled a few steps toward the railing and my mouth fell open. We were definitely at high elevation. I reached that conclusion because mountain peaks were visible through high-placed windows, and from my van-tage point, the angels-with-fangs painted on the vast ceiling seemed close enough to touch.

I'd never imagined such a place. It reminded me of a photo of a European opera house I'd seen in a magazine, ex-cept much bigger. Was this the famous ghostly castle? The walls were lined with ornate balconies, one under-neath the other, each filled with people in costumes. The terrace we'd popped onto seemed to be the only one with limited occupancy. Stretching out below me was an extraordinary ballroom.

Everything was gold. Sparkling gold. From the designs in the antique wallpaper, to the water fountains strategically placed throughout the room, to the nude sculptures. Dazzling chandeliers burst down from the painted ceil-ing, dangling like mammoth crystal earrings. It wasn't an exaggeration to say there were thousands of people milling about in the main area. The costumes were incredible. Assuming they were cos-tumes.

An amplified voice floated through the airwaves, "Wel-come to the Vampires' Ball."

I raised my arms over my head,signaling , calling to the partiers across the stadium-size space. A commotion behind me caused me to turn my head in time to watch Bryce pull a screaming Ronald by his hair toward a door in the far wall.Raleigh followed, dragging the still-unconscious Alan, whose wig, glasses, and hat were missing in action.

I guess Bryce didn't care if I yelled or drew attention to myself by waving my arms madly. He left me standing against the railing, turning back only once to laugh at me be-fore disappearing through the doorway.

The noise level told me why he didn't care. Even if I set myself on fire and screamed, no one would've taken it seri-ously. I couldn't be heard over the ear-splitting music, or the hysterical frivolity, and if I'd been inclined to turn myself into a human torch, they'd probably think it was part of the night'sentertainment.

Jumping from the balcony wasn't an option. Even if I made it to the next balcony down, the distance was great enough that I'd not only kill myself, but the unlucky soul I landed on. After making a futile effort to communicate to anyone that I needed help, I gave up and followed them through the door. I felt numb. I didn't know if I was getting used to being terrified or if my adrenal system had simply gone into over-load and shut down.

Under any other circumstances, the beauty of the room on the other side of the doorway would've taken my breath away. As it was, words failed me. All the walls of the expansive room were mirrored. Sev-eral large chandeliers, like light-flowers in bloom, hung from the hand-painted ceiling and reflected the never-ending glow of the clusters of illumination.

Instead of angels with fangs, the painting overhead de-picted fanged Greek gods and goddesses playing musical instruments.I wondered if the original owner of the castle had been the one to order the vampire-inspired artwork or if it had been a more recent addition. There hadn't been anything like these fanged characters in Devereux's art gallery under The Crypt, but it wasn't out of the range of possibility that he'd painted these, too.

The exquisite music room contained several grand pianos, each a different style andcolor , forming a widely spaced square around the perimeter of the room. Harpsichords, antique harps, and other instruments filled the spaces between the pianos. Music stands holding what appeared to be hand-written notation sheets waited patiently for musicians who might never arrive.

In thecenter of the room, Midnight lay, deathly white. Bryce must've released Ronald when they'd entered, because he sat on the floor with Midnight, his legs underneath her head. He gently stroked her hair, murmuring softly. I rushed over to the couple, knelt and felt for a pulse in Midnight's neck, which was dotted with fang-sized holes. The beat was there. Faint, but present. Ronald and I shared a look that communicated relief, frustration, and fear.

Bryce swaggered into thecenter of the room, his crimson coat and dark hair reflected in every facet of the mirrors. Once again I was struck by evil's ability to be beautiful.

"Is she going to die?" I asked, standing.

Bryce walked a circle around Midnight, studying her as if she were a mildly interesting display, smiling.

"Perhaps.Perhaps not.It all depends on whether or not I choose to finish what I started."

He raised his eyes to mine. "Maybe I'll give her the im-mortality she always wanted."

I remembered what happened the last time Bryce pulled me into his eyes, so I didn't meet his gaze, but instead focused on a spot between his eyebrows. Even being in that close proximity to his dark green orbs caused me to have a fuzzy, tingling feeling in what Devereux had called my "third eye." For some odd reason,Cerridwyn's words floated through my mind: "Don't be afraid of your abilities. They will save you."

I still didn't understand what she meant, but the words seemed important.And comforting. I knew I had no chance of doing anything physical to get away from Bryce. And even if I managed to escape, I couldn't leave Ronald, Midnight, and Alan behind. My only hope was to use my mind. Maybe if I could get him talking, I could discover something helpful.

"Why have you brought us here? What do you want?"

"You, my dear Dr. Knight, are bait."

Bait?Was he trying to catch Brother Luther, too?

"Bait?For what?"

He hesitated. "Well, I guess since the curtain is about to rise on the first act, it's prudent to tell you.

Lucifer seems to want you for some reason, so I brought you here for him,then he'll get me what I want."

"What do you want?"

He smiled, licked his lips and ran one hand slowly down the zipper of his leather pants, cupping himself.

"I want Devereux."

What? Does he mean he wants Devereux sexually? Or was that gesture a show of power like in some street gangs?

Something about the way he said Devereux's name sent chills up my body. My pulse quickened, stomach contracted.

Where is Devereux, anyway?

"You aren't strong enough to do anything to Devereux."

He gave a Cheshire cat smile.

"Perhaps not.But Lucifer and I together.Well, let's just say we're an unbeatable team."

That's the second time he'd mentioned that name. Was he talking about the Devil?

"Who's Lucifer?"

He laughed and moved his hand. "You'll find out soon enough."

Suddenly the air was filled with the familiar popping sounds, and at least two dozen vampires materialized into the room. They carried bottles, carved boxes, enormous gem-stones, ancient-looking books, statues, and swords.A couple of the new arrivals resembled the old, bearded characters inLord of the Rings. I didn't think they were there to hold a renaissance faire. Bryce nodded, pleased. He grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him.

"We'll go and enjoy the party while the ritual is prepared."

"What ritual?"

"'The ritual of High Magic which will render Devereux helpless long enough for me to take control of him.Luci-fer already began the binding process in Devereux's dreams. Even now his power weakens."

Devereux had mentioned he'd been experiencing strange dreams. And he said something about being tricked into en-tering a "difficult reality," whatever that was. Until that moment, I hadn't seriously tried to contact Devereux telepathically. I didn't believe I could. But I put everything I had into sending a burst of thought to him, and for a second I could've sworn I heard him say my name.

I didn't know if that was good news or not. It certainly would be great for me if he turned up, but if he did, he'd be the guest ofhonor at the Ritual from Hell. And I didn't care for the sound of this Lucifer guy.

"What about Midnight and Ronald and Alan?"

Bryce spoke pleasantly, waving a hand in the air. "They're perfectly fine." He lowered his chin and whispered."For now."

"Can you save Midnight?"

Harsh laughter burst from his mouth."Silly human.

"Raleigh, drag the girl and hersavior over to the corner with the FBI agent. We need the space in thecenter of the room to cast the circle."

Raleighgave a dramatic bow and skipped over to Mid-night. He pulled her by the arm, her head slamming onto the floor as it fell off Ronald's lap.

"Please! Don't hurt her!" Ronald's eyes glistened with tears. It feels horrible to be helpless.

Raleighbarked at Ronald, "Get over here under your own steam or I'll be happy to drag you, too. Of course, your arm might accidentally be pulled out of its socket, but by that time you'll have passed out and won't notice."

He made a braying sound, which was probably laughter. Bryce smiled like a proud parent watching a precocious child. He seemed to be having a very good time. He turned to one of the bearded vampires who'd brought over ajar of something for him to inspect.

Movement in the mirror caught my eye. A man, dressed not in vampire regalia but in an old-fash-ioned waistcoat and breeches, stalked across the room and stood at the edge of the activity, watching. In his hands he carried a violin and bow. He began gesturing angrily with the bow, his face con-torted, his mouth forming soundless words.

None of the vampires in the middle of the room responded. Apparently, they couldn't hear him. Neither could I. I shifted my head so I could see the man directly instead of reflected in the mirror. He wasn't there. Turning back to the mirror I found him right where he'd been before.

I tried the experiment again with the same result.

What the hell? Am I the only one who sees this guy?

It was obvious from his body language that the violin-ist was becoming progressively more upset the longer he was ignored. He moved toward Raleigh, who was hefting a large black stone into place in the circle, and poked him with thebow .. .which passed right through his body.

Not getting the result he desired obviously enraged the man further and he stamped his foot, throwing his bow on the floor. When he bent over to pick it up, his eyes met mine in the mirror. Surprise flashed across his face and he disappeared.

No. I didn't just see that Bryce must've messed with my brain again. No more supernatural weirdness. I refuse to believe one more unbelievable thing.At that moment, Bryce dismissed the bearded vamp and turned to me. He closed his arm around my waist. I felt a feather's breath of air against my face,then we were down on the main floor, in the middle of the party.

I almost asked him how he managed to come and go with-out smashing into or landing on top of anyone, but caught the words before they left my mouth. I didn't want him to mistake my nervous chatter for actual interest in anything about him.