“Then there is nothing for it. We shall both have to live, my Cyn.”
He placed a finger under her chin and raised her face to his, kissing her long and slowly, savoring the luscious, warm taste of her mouth, lingering to twine his tongue around hers until she softened against him at last, her arms snaking beneath his jacket and around his back.
“I love you, my Cyn,” he said, breaking away from the kiss and holding her close. “And I need you always. Never doubt that.”
“Ditto, fang boy,” she muttered against his chest.
Raphael laughed. “Put on your gun, then. We’ll have a visitor to question soon.
“Sophia can’t be here already.” She dashed back into the bathroom, checking her face in the mirror and splashing it with cool water to erase the signs of her tears.
He followed her, leaning against the door frame and watching her in the mirror.
“No, but Juro’s team won’t take long. Vampires drive fast.”
“While we wait, I want to clear up a few things with Wei Chen, and there are the reports from Juro’s team on the two crime scenes. They went out there the first night and secured the houses.”
She crossed to the table and snapped her gun into the shoulder rig, then slipped on her jacket, concealing the gun from casual inspection. A vampire wouldn’t need to see the weapon, of course. The scent alone would betray its presence. Cyn knew this, but she’d carried her gun in this fashion for years, she’d told him, and saw no reason to change. She looked over her shoulder, meeting his gaze with eyes filled with anticipation. “So, we meet this chick from Canada, and then we can start tracking these guys, right?”
“So eager, lubimaya. I approve.”
She blew out a dismissive breath and he grabbed her, swinging her around and claiming her mouth in a hard kiss. Then he raised his head and said, “Soon, my Cyn, very soon we hunt.”
Chapter Ten
Sophia surveyed the Seattle compound as the big gate rolled shut behind her, nearly silent despite its obvious heft. She was reluctantly impressed by the Western vampires’ security, from the careful scrutiny of the two who’d been dispatched to escort her, to the watchful gaze of the guards as she was passed through the gate and into the compound proper. Lucien had nothing like this in his territory, not even in his own lair, which she’d found almost alarmingly unguarded. Of course, that might be because Lucien himself was not in residence. Surely, if their lord had been present, his guards would have been more alert? On the other hand, if they’d been doing their job properly, he never would have gone missing in the first place.
Although, having read his letter, it now seemed more likely he was in hiding, rather than missing.
The truck—and regardless of what the makers called it, this behemoth vehicle could be considered nothing but a truck—drove into the compound, winding through more of the ever-present trees as they rounded the curved driveway and headed for a quite elegant concrete and steel structure. There was a surprisingly strong hum of power coming from the building, and Sophia wondered just how many vampires were inside. It had to be considerable to produce that strong a power signature.
The truck came to a halt and she remained still, waiting for some sort of signal from her escort. The big Asian vampire driving hadn’t said a word the entire journey, so she looked to the other, a dark-skinned male whose Caribbean accent flowed cheerfully over her ears. She could hear him murmuring from his seat in front and realized he was wearing a communication device on his wrist of the type used by high-level security personnel around the world. Even more impressive, she thought. If they observed this much caution for a visit to the local compound, imagine the gauntlet one would have to run for a visit with Raphael himself.
Two vampires emerged from the building and made their way down the stairs, clearly heading her way. Between the light cast from the building’s interior and the generously lit landscaping, she could see their faces clearly and at first glance didn’t recognize either of them. But that wasn’t a surprise. Vampires tended not to mingle, and especially not across territorial boundaries. Larissa had produced a file on the Seattle compound which had contained a few photographs, but beyond that, Sophia had little information on whom to expect here. Darren, who’d attended years of Council meetings with Lucien, would have been able to describe the Council members themselves, and perhaps their vampire lieutenants, but Sophia didn’t expect to run into any of them here in Seattle, so she hadn’t bothered to ask him.
She studied the two males as they approached the vehicle. The first was an eerily accurate match for her humongous driver. He was at least a brother, if not a twin, which was fascinating—she didn’t think she’d ever seen the like. The other Seattle vampire was a good-looking male, tall and well-built, with long blond hair tied back into a neat queue. He said something to the twin, who walked over to the truck and opened her door.
“Step out, please,” the giant said in a deep, rumbling voice that matched his impressive stature perfectly.
Sophia swung her legs through the open door and scooted forward. The male held out a huge paw, offering his assistance, and she took it gratefully, noting as she did so the deep hum of power beneath his skin. It wasn’t a deliberate show on his part. If he’d wanted to test her, he would have been far more blatant about it. This was simply the power that lived inside him, and it was considerable. Sophia knew he was receiving a similar trace of her own power, which was just as firmly banked. They were all being very carefully polite this evening.
She reached the ground and disengaged her hand, watching from the corner of her eye as the blond vampire approached.
“Sophia,” he said in a cool, uninflected tone. “Welcome to Seattle. I am Duncan.”
Sophia froze and fought not to show it. This was Duncan? When she’d spoken with him earlier, she’d assumed he was in Malibu. But, of course, her call could have been forwarded anywhere. Clearly it had been forwarded right here to Seattle. But if Duncan was in Seattle—
Suddenly everything made terrible sense. The security, the impossibly strong power signature. Aware of the knowing brown eyes watching her ever so closely, Sophia forced herself to take a step forward, to accept the hand Duncan was offering. Many of the older vampires didn’t shake hands, especially those who eschewed human contact. Sophia was not one of those. Her life in Rio was filled with far more humans than vampires.
“The inestimable Duncan,” she acknowledged. She shook his hand firmly, surprised that he, at least, hadn’t tested her power with that handshake. Many vampires in his position would have. But then, if what she’d heard about him was true, he probably didn’t feel the need to. But at the same time, she wondered how much they had discovered about her in the short time since that phone call. Not much, probably. She’d kept an intentionally low profile down in South America, and before that she’d been just one more of Lucien’s playmates, not worthy of any notice at all.
Duncan smiled slightly. “Just Duncan will do. And this is Juro,” he added, indicating the giant vampire next to him. “What brings you to Seattle, Sophia?”
Well, she thought, at least they didn’t waste any time on chitchat. “As we discussed on the phone, I’m here on behalf of my Sire,” she said smoothly. It was close enough to the truth that it would pass, and, besides, she had more than enough power of her own to conceal her thoughts. “I’m searching for someone, a vampire who has gone missing. The trail led me here, where I hoped to secure permission to continue my search and a safe haven for the duration.”
Duncan regarded her steadily, giving away nothing of his thoughts. “For whom do you search?”
Sophia met his cool stare, her expression calm despite her exquisite awareness of the building behind him, and far more importantly, of who she now knew had to be waiting inside that building. She sent out a thin thread of inquiry and snapped it back almost painfully, very nearly singed by the raw, unimaginable depth of power that could only be Raphael. A shiver of dread crept along her spine and she steeled herself against it. She could not afford to show weakness. Not anymore, not with Raphael here in Seattle and her own Sire mysteriously absent. Was it possible that Raphael had something to do with Lucien’s disappearance? Or, meu Deus, might her Sire be Raphael’s prisoner? Maybe right here in this compound?