bedroom.
The vampire was there, as I had suspected, though I was not expecting to see him seated
on the edge of the futon with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. His
voice, when it came, startled me.
“I don’t think I have had so many of my plans go awry in centuries. Why is it that
whatever you involve yourself in always takes so many unexpected turns?”
I bit my lip, hesitating in the doorway before settling down next to him. He lifted
his head and folded his arms against his knees, glancing at me.
“One of the others has arranged to give you a cell phone to use to stay in touch with
me while you are with Clyde. He would not have been my first choice, but there’s little
help for it now. If anything goes wrong, call me immediately.”
I swallowed around the growing lump in my throat. “You expect things to go wrong?
Why are you sending us to stay with him if you don’t trust him?”
“He is one of the most powerful allies I have who was amenable to the idea of harboring
you two while I make other arrangements,” he replied. “It isn’t ideal, but his debts
to me are significant enough that he should make an effort to keep you safe.”
That wasn’t terribly reassuring. It wasn’t until Royce ran his thumb under one of
my eyes that I realized I was crying again. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do any
more of that, but so many things were going to hell just when I’d thought I was getting
a handle on life again that I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to leave New York. I
didn’t want to leave my friends and family behind.
More than that, I didn’t want to leave Royce. Not after all I had been through. Not
after last night. Not after finally owning up to just how much I desired him.
“Try not to worry. You’ll be able to stay in touch with the phone—though you should
take some care not to call too often. Authorities are looking for you, which means
we’ll need to keep contact to a minimum until I can arrange for your return.”
That was a hell of a blow. Logical as the statement was, my heart still ached at the
thought of our impending separation. Only the knowledge that I wouldn’t just be putting
myself in a bad position, but that I might endanger Sara or his household, kept me
from arguing to stay.
“You had a point, earlier. It’s unfair of me to keep so many things from you.”
And the hits just kept on coming. I frowned at him, having to clear my throat a couple
of times before the raspy quality faded enough for my voice to be understandable.
“Is that a roundabout way of telling me there’s more bad news you were going to hold
off on sharing?”
His wry smile didn’t match the look in his eyes. “To a degree, yes. There are two
things that may be of some interest to you. Firstly, I am sure you must have given
some thought to what your family must have been doing in your absence.”
Actually, I hadn’t, and I was more than a little ashamed to realize this was the first
time I’d given them more than a passing thought in quite awhile. Royce must have mistaken
my stricken look, because he was quick to reassure me. “Your father had a mild heart
attack, but he is out of the hospital and at home with your mother again. Your brothers
have been paying them regular visits, and all four of them have been staying away
from the press. Some of my people have been assigned to guard them at all hours, so
you don’t have any reason to be concerned about their well-being.”
That was good to know. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, though
my relief was short-lived.
“As for the other . . . I thought about keeping it to myself as I felt no need to
alarm you or make you worry about yet another thing you have no control over. However,
considering your current condition, it may be best for you to know that whatever this
infection is, it may be a sign that you will find yourself drawn
The vampire was there, as I had suspected, though I was not expecting to see him seated
on the edge of the futon with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. His
voice, when it came, startled me.
“I don’t think I have had so many of my plans go awry in centuries. Why is it that
whatever you involve yourself in always takes so many unexpected turns?”
I bit my lip, hesitating in the doorway before settling down next to him. He lifted
his head and folded his arms against his knees, glancing at me.
“One of the others has arranged to give you a cell phone to use to stay in touch with
me while you are with Clyde. He would not have been my first choice, but there’s little
help for it now. If anything goes wrong, call me immediately.”
I swallowed around the growing lump in my throat. “You expect things to go wrong?
Why are you sending us to stay with him if you don’t trust him?”
“He is one of the most powerful allies I have who was amenable to the idea of harboring
you two while I make other arrangements,” he replied. “It isn’t ideal, but his debts
to me are significant enough that he should make an effort to keep you safe.”
That wasn’t terribly reassuring. It wasn’t until Royce ran his thumb under one of
my eyes that I realized I was crying again. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t do any
more of that, but so many things were going to hell just when I’d thought I was getting
a handle on life again that I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want to leave New York. I
didn’t want to leave my friends and family behind.
More than that, I didn’t want to leave Royce. Not after all I had been through. Not
after last night. Not after finally owning up to just how much I desired him.
“Try not to worry. You’ll be able to stay in touch with the phone—though you should
take some care not to call too often. Authorities are looking for you, which means
we’ll need to keep contact to a minimum until I can arrange for your return.”
That was a hell of a blow. Logical as the statement was, my heart still ached at the
thought of our impending separation. Only the knowledge that I wouldn’t just be putting
myself in a bad position, but that I might endanger Sara or his household, kept me
from arguing to stay.
“You had a point, earlier. It’s unfair of me to keep so many things from you.”
And the hits just kept on coming. I frowned at him, having to clear my throat a couple
of times before the raspy quality faded enough for my voice to be understandable.
“Is that a roundabout way of telling me there’s more bad news you were going to hold
off on sharing?”
His wry smile didn’t match the look in his eyes. “To a degree, yes. There are two
things that may be of some interest to you. Firstly, I am sure you must have given
some thought to what your family must have been doing in your absence.”
Actually, I hadn’t, and I was more than a little ashamed to realize this was the first
time I’d given them more than a passing thought in quite awhile. Royce must have mistaken
my stricken look, because he was quick to reassure me. “Your father had a mild heart
attack, but he is out of the hospital and at home with your mother again. Your brothers
have been paying them regular visits, and all four of them have been staying away
from the press. Some of my people have been assigned to guard them at all hours, so
you don’t have any reason to be concerned about their well-being.”
That was good to know. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, though
my relief was short-lived.
“As for the other . . . I thought about keeping it to myself as I felt no need to
alarm you or make you worry about yet another thing you have no control over. However,
considering your current condition, it may be best for you to know that whatever this
infection is, it may be a sign that you will find yourself drawn
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