these rogue vampires once and for all." He turned to go.
"Umm, excuse me?" I said, trying to make my voice sound bold and commanding. Instead, I sounded like a scared kid. "I'm not really an official Templar or anything, so why send me?" Thomas's icy stare focused on me. I swallowed and continued. "Sure, Maximus hates me, but not enough to go out of his way to fall into a trap, if that's what you're planning."
Elyssa's father waited, the sort of learned patience on his face someone employs when hoping an annoying dog will stop barking. When he saw I was done yammering he said, "We'll discuss it at the compound. One hour." With that, he rejoined his wife Leia and headed for an SUV.
"Colombia." Michael grunted.
I turned to face Elyssa's big—actually huge—brother. I hadn't heard him approach, which I'd learned wasn't unusual despite his heavy muscular frame. "Are you going?" I asked, uncertain as to whether it would be a good thing or not. Michael didn't exactly like me, but seemed resigned to the fact I was supposed to date his sister for the good of the world, or so he said.
"Maybe."
"If Justin is going, so am I," Elyssa said, her raised eyebrow daring him to disagree.
I had a really bad feeling about going back to Colombia. I'd made new friends there, led them into ancient vaults beneath a cursed city, and nearly died half a dozen times thanks to a horde of mostly dead angels called husks, giant ley worms, and a half-insane demon spawn. And now Thomas Borathen wanted me to be bait for a crazy rogue vampire? Thanks, but no thanks. The Templars could take care of Maximus on their own. It was time for me to find Ivy, and—if she really was the one who'd contacted me—convince her I wasn't pure evil.
My cell phone rang. I groaned when I saw who it was.
"You need to answer it, Justin," Elyssa said. "You promised him."
I huffed and wrinkled my nose, but answered anyway. "Yeah?"
"Well, hello to you too, sweetheart," Harry Shelton said. "You never call. You never write. And you sure as hell didn't reply to my two texts and phone call."
I glanced at my text log and saw both attempts about an hour apart. I'd promised Shelton and Bella I'd let them teach me all about being an Arcane, a sorcerer, since I'd inherited some of those abilities from my mom's side of the family. I might have super strength, but considering the heavies I'd fought against and those who were likely to come after me in the future, having a few extra tricks in my arsenal couldn't hurt. I put the phone back to my ear. "No, I haven't gone by the Grotto to buy a new phone yet. The funeral just ended."
He snorted. "Damn, those Templar priests like to hear themselves talk."
"Tell me about it."
"Well, it's over now. Grab a new phone—I don't care if it's Orange or MagicSoft—just get it and meet me at Romulus for your magic lessons."
I could never keep the names and locations of his super-secret lairs straight. "Is that the one in Decatur Square, or the one near Centennial Park?"
He sighed. "Decatur."
"Okay, I'll—ah crap."
"Ah crap what?"
"Thomas Borathen called a meeting in an hour. He wants me to go back to Colombia."
Shelton snorted. "Tough titty. He ain't the boss of you."
I gave a dubious laugh. "And you are?"
"Damned right. You promised Bella and me could have our way with you. So unless you want to prove you're a scum-sucking—"
"Fine, fine, I get it. I'll see you later today."
"With a new phone."
"Yes."
"And don't let those salespeople talk you into magical accident insurance."
I didn't even want to think about what that might cover.
Elyssa offered a reassuring smile as I shoved my phone back into my pocket. It was a nom phone, but I really liked it, despite all the cracks and grime it had accumulated from my adventures. Unfortunately, it couldn't run magic code, so I had to go to Atlanta's super-secret place for all things magical, the Grotto, and snag one capable of running Arc OS—something like a magical version of Windows.
"I'll tell Dad we can't meet him in an hour," Elyssa said.
Thanks to his ghost-ninja skills I'd forgotten Michael, who was standing nearby until he said, "I'll tell him." He tossed Elyssa a key fob. "Take my car."
Her eyes went as wide as giant lollipops. "Are you serious?"
For the first time, I detected the barest sense of uncertainty flicker in