"I understand."
"What now?"
"She should return to the estate with me. She needs regular feedings—I didn't exaggerate her malnourishment. Jabril Karim should be staked for what he's done. Unfortunately, few of the lords are as enlightened as Lord Raphael."
"What does Mirabelle want to do? Did you even ask—"
"Cynthia, when will you learn we are not the monsters you think us?"
Cyn drew in a deep breath. She was getting tired of apologizing. “I don't, you know."
Duncan raised a quizzical brow.
"Think you're monsters,” Cyn explained. “I don't trust humans either.” She grinned.
"I am reassured,” he said dryly.
"What's she doing in there now?"
"Changing clothes, I believe. She was quite excited when I showed her your purchases. It was kind of you."
"Yeah, well, I can be kind too, you know."
"Yes, actually, I do.
"Okay, now I'm worried. Why're you being so nice to me?” She was only half joking.
"He will want to see you."
Her good mood vanished. She didn't even have to ask who “he” was. “Why?"
Duncan sighed impatiently, rubbing thick fingers between his eyes, as if he had a headache ... or maybe two of them. “Jabril Karim may indeed be a creep, as you put it, but he is also a powerful vampire lord. He surely knew of your connection to Lord Raphael—” He held up an impatient hand to forestall her protest that no connection existed. “You took blood from him; you had sex with him, more than once."
Cyn felt a rush of embarrassment heat her face, but couldn't deny the truth of what he said.
"For a powerful vampire, the exchange of blood is a way of marking those important to him, particularly human lovers. Jabril Karim almost certainly sensed that connection the moment he saw you. He may even have called you specifically because he knew you were Raphael's lover. The lords are fiercely competitive. The opportunity to take one of Raphael's...” He shook his head. “When we couldn't reach you, we feared the worst."
She didn't know what to say. A part of her felt a little thrill at the idea that Raphael cared enough to worry about her. The more sober part resisted the idea that she was “marked” as anyone's property and resented being nothing more than a game piece between the two vampire lords, valuable only because the other wanted her. Or once had, anyway. “Well, I'm back now,” she said, letting some of her resentment show. “And I'm fine. You can tell him that. There's no need—"
"And then there's the matter of Mirabelle."
She looked at him, her mouth open in mid-sentence. “Mirabelle?"
"I have shielded her for now from Jabril Karim's attempts to draw her back to his side. She would go mad otherwise, but it will not last. This is Lord Raphael's territory, and Mirabelle is the child of another. She is, as you pointed out, over eighteen and free to make her own decisions, but far too young and inexperienced to actually survive on her own. She will need Lord Raphael's permission to remain, and, more importantly perhaps, his protection to survive."
"So?"
He gave her a flat look. “Mirabelle must appear before Lord Raphael and petition him for protection, and I can guarantee that he will refuse to see her unless you agree to stand at her side. You are, after all, responsible for her being here in the first place."
"If it's so important...” And if he's so worried, she thought privately. “...Why isn't he here now?"
"Lord Raphael is otherwise occupied this evening."
"Occupied how?” she asked quickly, ignoring an unreasonable and unwanted flash of jealousy.
Duncan shook his head with a look that was half amusement, half exasperation. He drew a breath and frowned. “He received a call earlier from the human police."
"The murders,” Cyn said almost breathlessly.