He couldn’t leave Josep’s territory. Not because Josep wouldn’t permit it, though he wouldn’t, but because by entering a rival vampire lord’s territory without permission, he would be subject to immediate execution. No questions asked.”
“Josep would kill him?”
“No, Layla, the rival vampire lord would. You don’t fully comprehend the power a vampire lord wields over those who live within his authority. I know every vampire in Spain. Not personally, that’s impossible, though I have met a good number of them. But I know their . . . ” He fought for the right word. “Their taste in my mind, the sense of them. Now, someone as weak as Sakal could slip beneath the radar, as we say now, for some period of time. But eventually, he would be discovered. Not by me, but by one of those loyal to me. I have master vampires in every city, keeping track of who lives there and keeping them in line. Every other vampire lord has the same.”
“Sounds feudal, which wasn’t a great thing for the serfs.”
“It is. Vampires have been around a long time, and they live a long time, too. There’s been very little change in the rules that govern vampire society in thousands of years.”
“Fuck me.”
He shot her a grin.
“That was an expression,” she snapped, as heat spread over her face.
“Don’t worry, cariño. When I fuck you, it will be because you want it.”
She snorted. “Like that’s going to happen.”
“Oh, it is. But not tonight.”
And what the hell was with that pang of regret she was feeling? Damn it. “So what happened?” she asked grumpily.
“My Sire, Josep, ignored Sakal for months while he considered the situation. It was common for a sorcerer to travel in those days. They were scholars as much as magic-users, and Sakal was convinced he could find a way to restore his full magical talents. Josep liked that possibility, because he would have been left with a strong sorcerer who had an unbreakable bond to him, as his Sire. The Sire-child bond is one of the strongest there is among vampires. Only the mate bond is stronger.”
Layla found that bit of truth interesting and maybe something more. But it was something she wasn’t ready to think about yet, so she said, “But if Sakal left, and managed to avoid getting killed, could Josep somehow call him back?”
“It was a possibility, but in the end, it wasn’t necessary. A second sorcerer, one more powerful than Sakal, happened to wander through Barcelona. He met with Josep, which was not unusual since many, if not most, sorcerers at the time were always looking for patrons to support them while they conducted their research. And with a vampire lord, there was no need to pretend that magic didn’t exist.
“But it wasn’t long before this sorcerer learned of Sakal’s predicament, probably from Sakal himself. They approached Josep soon after, asking for a chance to allow the new sorcerer to restore the full measure of Sakal’s magical power.” He sighed in regret. “And Josep agreed.”
“But something went wrong.”
“Yes, it did. If I’d been there, I would have reminded Josep how well his meddling in magic had turned out the first time. As it was, the spell did work, after a fashion. Sakal recovered virtually all of his sorcerous power. Unfortunately, what he lost was his sanity.”
“He’s not crazy,” Layla insisted. “No nutjob could have orchestrated this campaign, these guerilla-style tactics. They don’t even care if they inflict casualties on our side. It’s enough that they keep us on edge, wondering when the next attack is going to come. And then there’s the disappearing act with his troops that he pulls off every time.”
“They’re not disappearing,” he corrected mildly.
“I know that, but anything else sounds too much like, “Beam me up, Scotty.”
He studied her as if worried she’d lost her mind.
“Star Trek, dude. It’s a TV show, where they teleport people”—she shrugged—“using some electronic, computer thing. I’m not sure how it worked, but it was definitely not magic. And we’re getting off the point. Today’s kidnapping is a clear escalation, even if it didn’t work out for them. We need to figure out his next step, before it happens.”
“I agree. But first . . . ”
Without warning, he rolled in her direction, reaching out as he did to wrap her in one arm and pull her under his body. It all happened so fast that the next thing she knew, he was kissing her, his lips firm but soft, his mouth