“Damn you, Lucien,” she whispered again. The phone rang and she snatched it up, wanting to get this over with.
“Sophia,” a cool, male voice said. “I am Duncan. How may we help you?”
Sophia froze. Duncan? Why would Raphael’s formidable lieutenant be the one to take her call? She was nobody. Powerful, yes, but nobody knew about her. She’d never been to a Council meeting, had never even been seen at Lucien’s side outside of Canada, and that was decades ago.
So why would Duncan pick up the phone when she called out of the blue?
Maybe because Raphael already suspected what Lucien had done, and now Sophia was going to be the one to suffer for it.
Chapter Nine
North of Seattle, Washington
Raphael woke, filled with a cold and deadly intent. Yesterday had been for grieving. Tonight was for vengeance. Cyn stirred slightly beside him, and he looked down at her where she still slept, curled against him. His arm tightened over her hip. He’d exhausted her last night. More correctly, they’d exhausted each other in the ages-old remedy when confronted with the face of death. A reaffirmation of life, even if their joining would never produce anything but mutual joy.
He leaned over and kissed her softly awake. Her eyes flashed open, a smile lighting their mossy depths even as her expression firmed with purpose. “We have work to do,” she said.
Raphael grinned viciously. They were well matched, he and his mate.
“We do,” he said. “The shower is big enough for two.”
Cyn sat up, running her fingers through her tangled hair, causing her br**sts to push forward eagerly. He gave a low growl of appreciation. Her eyes, when she met his gaze, were filled with heat. “I’ve always been a big believer in multi-tasking,” she breathed.
* * * *
Raphael found Wei Chen and Loren waiting for him upstairs, deep in conversation with Duncan and Juro. Duncan crossed the room as soon as Raphael and Cyn entered.
“My lord. Cynthia,” he said in greeting. “We received an unusual request just moments ago. The call was forwarded from Malibu, and I do not believe the caller realizes you are here in Seattle.”
Raphael gave him an inquiring look.
“One of Lucien’s children, Sophia . . .” Duncan’s voice trailed off and he shook his head. “Her formal name is quite lengthy, one of those aristocratic, lineage-revealing titles from old Spain. I don’t know that you’ve met her before, my lord. I have not.”
Raphael frowned thoughtfully, paging back through the thousands of vampires he’d met over his long life, some only briefly, others he’d spent decades or more with. He shook his head. “I don’t cross paths with Lucien that often, other than our annual Council meetings. But his lieutenant is male, so this Sophia holds no formal position with him that I know of. What does she want?”
“She has requested permission to enter your territory from Vancouver. In point of fact, to journey here to the Seattle area and secure guest privileges at the compound.”
Duncan turned and beckoned to Juro.
“I don’t like it,” Cyn said flatly, as Juro joined them.
All three vampires looked at her with carefully blank faces.
“Oh, cut the inscrutable vampire crap, you guys. Someone’s killing vamps, and now suddenly this chick shows up from nowhere and wants to drop in for a visit? You don’t find that even slightly suspicious?”
“More than slightly, I would say,” Duncan agreed. “But knowing what she wants could be helpful, whether she means ill or not. She claims to be on an errand for Lucien, so perhaps they’ve had similar problems in Canada.”
“When would she like to arrive?” Raphael asked.
“This evening, my lord. She is already at the border. If we grant permission, she is prepared to cross immediately, which speaks to a certain urgency on her part.”
Cyn stirred unhappily, but Raphael said, “Let her come, Duncan. Juro, arrange for two of our people to meet her with transportation. I want her here as soon as possible, but she enters alone, on my terms, or not at all. I will guarantee her safety, but no one else’s.”
Juro nodded. “A team was dispatched as soon as she called, my lord, to save time in the event you granted her passage. I will advise them of your permission and arrange a rendezvous with Sophia.” He pulled out his cell phone and was already punching in a number as he walked away.
“How long before she arrives?” Raphael asked.
“I would think an hour or two, my lord. If Sophia crosses the border and meets our team partway . . .” He shrugged. “It’s only the mountain roads that will slow them somewhat.”