Phil stepped in front of her, and the vampires advancing on her halted uncertainly. One of them said, “Ella.”
The female vampire glanced round impatiently, her gaze glancing off Sera to Phil. She rose gracefully from the sofa saying, “You see how wonderful it could be for us? You’ll come?”
“Oh, I’ll come,” Blair murmured, but the vampire didn’t seem to hear him. Sera, listening to Blair in her mind and the others in her ears, began to think her brain would melt. Ella went on gazing at Blair, eyebrows raised in expectation. He inclined his head and stood up. Apparently satisfied, she called to the others that they were leaving. As one, they made for the window, but Blair moved unexpectedly, blocking the way. They stopped at once, clearly wary of him. With mocking politeness, he gestured them out of the room to the front door and herded them out like a sheepdog for Phil to oversee their departure.
Baffled, yet with slow-dawning understanding, Sera gazed after them. She felt betrayed; she felt stupid; and she knew she should feel far more afraid than she did. Not for the first time, sheer anger made her brave.
“What the hell was that all about?” she exploded as soon as the door was closed behind the vampires. “Have you done a deal with them?”
“Not yet,” Blair said. “Except for the one that they enter my house again uninvited and I kill them all.” He indicated the stairs, but Sera spun on her heel and stalked back into the bare sitting room.
For a moment, she thought her gesture had backfired, because no one followed her. She drew a breath of frustration, started back toward the door just as Blair strolled in with her shoes in one hand. Brought up short—and much too close—she glared at him and went on the attack.
“Did they kill Jason Bell?”
Blair dropped her shoes on the floor and inclined his head. “Ella did that. And turned him. An older, English vampire called Arthur met him when he woke and took him away to explain things to him. Then he was sent to work before it got light.”
“Then he’s one of them,” she said flatly, cramming her feet back into the shoes. Although she’d known it already, the confirmation hurt with unexpected sharpness.
“Undoubtedly. And I have to say they have an interesting plan. Why do you look so sad?” He brushed her cheek with the back of one finger, and she knocked his hand away.
“What plan?” she demanded.
“To take over the banks and siphon off unlimited wealth. In time, they can also control the Scottish Parliament and spread their influence into England. After that, who knows? World vampire domination via banking.”
“That’s stupid! How can they take over the banks? They only come out at night!”
“Yes, but they can stay in their offices all day. They don’t need to sleep all the time, and as they get older, they’ll need less. Plus, winter’s coming up—gives them longer hours. They already have three key staff at C & H, four at the Bank of Scotland, five at the Royal Bank, a scattering through building societies and insurance companies based in the city—”
“She told you all that?”
“Oh yes.”
Sera narrowed her eyes, ignoring the pain clawing at her stomach. “You like the idea. You’re going to join them.”
“Well, think about it. I could have a much more comfortable house, and easier meals, since discretion won’t matter for much longer.”
“And that’s all you care about?” she raged.
“I’m a vampire. What else is there?”
Her hand flew without permission, all her strength behind it in a forceful, ringing slap. She didn’t see him move, knew even then through her anger and disappointment and reasonless hurt that he allowed the blow but immediately trapped her stinging hand, holding it against his cheek.
“Why are you so angry? Isn’t that what you do with your fake séances and vampire hunts? Make money.”
“I don’t kill people!” Didn’t she? Wasn’t Jason at least her fault? And George and Mattie and my mother… Gasping, she tugged at her hand, and he lowered it from his face without releasing it.
“You’re not a vampire,” he observed, turning her palm upward and gazing at the veins in her wrist. His thumb brushed over them, sending shivers of fear up her arm to her spine. At least she called it fear, although behind it was the same insidious desire that had swamped her earlier in the evening.
“You can’t allow this!” She yanked her hand again, hard, and this time, he