is behind us. We should leave it there.” She smiled and withdrew her hand. “Now tell me about this meeting with Andreas. That is most unusual. And hardly a coincidence, I think.”
Ari was taken aback. Not only by the abrupt shift in the conversation but by the certainty of Yana’s conclusion. “You think he planned it? I accused him of tracking one of us. But why would he follow me? It must have been the wolf. Of course he denied it. Claimed he’d come to help.”
“I didn’t mean to imply he was stalking you. But I do think it was more than just being in the area. He had some kind of hidden agenda.” Yana pursed her lips. “Talaitha wouldn’t like this.”
“What’s Great-Gran got to do with it? Did she know him? He mentioned her name.”
Yana shook her head. “She never told me. Only mentioned him once, a warning. There was something about his life before he became a vampire that worried her.”
Before? That was weird. Interesting even, but Ari was more concerned about this hidden agenda. Had she missed some obvious clue? As if she hadn’t already replayed the meeting with Andreas in her head a hundred times. “So, back to the park, are you thinking he was blood hunting?”
“No, no. Goodness, I would never suggest that.” Yana fluttered her hands in protest. “Andreas is much more in control of his actions. He simply wouldn’t do it. And if he did, he wouldn’t reveal himself to you.”
“Now you’re talking like you know him.” Ari’s face made it a question.
“Met him,” Yana corrected. “But I know quite a bit about him. Made it my business after your Great-Gran warned me off.” For an instant Yana’s face glowed with younger defiance, then she turned serious again. “You shouldn’t underestimate him. He is more dangerous than most of the vampires you’ve met. Maybe than any you’ve met.” Yana peered at her. “I don’t like that he sought you out. Make no mistake, he did just that by revealing himself. Even if he was in the park for unrelated reasons, introducing himself to you seems quite deliberate.” Yana tapped her chin with one finger as if sorting through some mental puzzle.
“I don’t understand. Why are you so worried?”
“Because I don’t understand his behavior. That’s what worries me. He contacted me once in the seven years he was in Riverdale.” She raised an eyebrow. “And you’ve met him in less than three months on the job. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Yana gave her a sly look. “I assume you noticed his charm. It’s hard not to notice. But there’s more to Andreas than a handsome face. How old do you think he is?” Yana leaned forward to make her point and didn’t wait for an answer. “Born to an Italian aristocrat in the late 1700s. Educated in Regency England.”
Ari stared at her, realized her mouth was hanging open, and closed it.
“That’s not all. Have you felt his energy? His power is advanced beyond his years. While rare vampires have inborn abilities, vampiric power is usually acquired through horrific acts of violence. I’m not saying that is Andreas’s history, but the suspicion is there. We see the charismatic facade. I suspect he is more, and possibly less, than he seems. Did you know he was a favorite of the vampire court? Arrived in Riverdale with the current prince nearly seven years ago.”
“I can’t believe this,” Ari protested. She was still stuck back on the age thing. “That makes him over 200 years old! Where’s the cold, creepy look? Instead, he’s got the laughter, the sexy eyes…” Ari stopped before she said too much.
“Proves my point. As long as I’ve known him, Andreas has moved among the human community. Perhaps he took care from the beginning to retain his human likeness. Or at some point he learned to mimic the behaviors of the living. In any case, it takes unusual ability that you cannot discount. He has all the cunning of two centuries of vampirism behind him.”
Ari struggled to take it in. Andreas acted so alive. Her instincts had tried to tell her the animation and the power were contradictions—but 200 years! No wonder she felt the almost irresistible pull of his magic.
“A favorite of the local vampire court,” Ari said, repeating Yana’s earlier words. “What does that mean? Is it a political position? Is he a guard? An heir to the throne?”
“Maybe all of those or none. He’s acted as a liaison to the