it.
“So it’s definitely an Ancient, and it’s definitely Luk?”
“We think so.”
“And Dante?”
“Entered the country under his Grayson passport four weeks ago.”
“Shit.” Elizabeth swept her hand through her hair, tugging half of it loose from the elastic that bound it behind her head. “So all that effort in Budapest was for nothing.”
István shrugged. “We postponed it. And we saved Josh Alexander. The world must be grateful for that.”
True. After they’d rescued him from Dante and his vampire allies, Josh had bounced very quickly back into his movie-star life. Psychics 2 , which he’d just finished filming when Elizabeth first met him, was hailed as another resounding success.
Elizabeth answered István’s hint of humor with a distracted smile. “ Psychics 3 is now inevitable. Do we know whether Luk has killed Dante?”
“He’s left no body behind,” István replied, unlocking a grubby and unfamiliar car. “On the other hand, there are other vampire readings around the Ancient from time to time. The local vampires are clearly gathering around Luk. Whether or not one of those readings is Dante remains to be seen.”
After they’d gotten into the car and fastened their seat belts, István paused. “I don’t think Dante is our main problem anymore. Luk is. Revolt against Saloman has been simmering here for a while now, and Luk is the precise focus it needs to explode into the sort of war we really don’t want. He’s been awake three nights, and he’s fed a lot. How strong is he right now?” He looked directly at Elizabeth. “How strong was Saloman in that time?”
“You saw him. Strong enough to face down Zoltán and his cohorts in the farmhouse incident. Strong enough to kill other vampires with one hand.”
She didn’t bring up the bedroom scene, when István and Konrad had broken in to discover her naked in Saloman’s arms about to be seduced and bitten. The “seduced” part had been more than half accomplished, and even now the memory of it made her body flush hot. It might have been embarrassment. “But Saloman had drunk some of his killers’ blood,” she said hastily. “Luk can’t possibly. Which makes me think it can’t even be Luk! How the hell could Dante have awakened him? It would have to be Saloman, wouldn’t it?”
István started the car. “According to every source we have, Saloman killed him. It should have taken Saloman to revive him.” Pulling out of the car park, he glanced at her. “Only, why would he do that?”
“He didn’t,” Elizabeth said positively. “He’s in Peru.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Elizabeth stared at his profile. He was, she reflected, a handsome as well as a kind man. But it didn’t seem kind to churn her up like this. Although she’d been sure enough to try to buy a plane ticket to Peru, did she really know? Saloman hadn’t answered her messages, telepathic or otherwise. He’d certainly been in Peru before the earthquake, but according to last night’s news report, no one knew where he was now.
“Why would he waken Luk?” István repeated.
Because he never got over the guilt or the loneliness.
“He wouldn’t,” she said, pressing the back of her head into the seat. “Luk was insane and jealous of him. He wouldn’t waken an enemy.”
You want a keepsake of your enemy? she’d said to him about the sword that Luk had given him aeons ago.
I want the keepsake of my friend.
István sighed. “No, we couldn’t make sense of that either. Do you know of any other way to awaken an Ancient? Apart from his drinking the blood of his killer?”
Elizabeth blinked. “ You ’re asking me ?”
István’s smile was twisted. “We’ve got the books. You’ve got the horse’s mouth.”
For a second longer she continued to stare at him blindly. Just like Dmitriu . . . I’m just an informant to them now.
Live with it, Elizabeth. You chose it.
It was dark by the time they caught up with the
“So it’s definitely an Ancient, and it’s definitely Luk?”
“We think so.”
“And Dante?”
“Entered the country under his Grayson passport four weeks ago.”
“Shit.” Elizabeth swept her hand through her hair, tugging half of it loose from the elastic that bound it behind her head. “So all that effort in Budapest was for nothing.”
István shrugged. “We postponed it. And we saved Josh Alexander. The world must be grateful for that.”
True. After they’d rescued him from Dante and his vampire allies, Josh had bounced very quickly back into his movie-star life. Psychics 2 , which he’d just finished filming when Elizabeth first met him, was hailed as another resounding success.
Elizabeth answered István’s hint of humor with a distracted smile. “ Psychics 3 is now inevitable. Do we know whether Luk has killed Dante?”
“He’s left no body behind,” István replied, unlocking a grubby and unfamiliar car. “On the other hand, there are other vampire readings around the Ancient from time to time. The local vampires are clearly gathering around Luk. Whether or not one of those readings is Dante remains to be seen.”
After they’d gotten into the car and fastened their seat belts, István paused. “I don’t think Dante is our main problem anymore. Luk is. Revolt against Saloman has been simmering here for a while now, and Luk is the precise focus it needs to explode into the sort of war we really don’t want. He’s been awake three nights, and he’s fed a lot. How strong is he right now?” He looked directly at Elizabeth. “How strong was Saloman in that time?”
“You saw him. Strong enough to face down Zoltán and his cohorts in the farmhouse incident. Strong enough to kill other vampires with one hand.”
She didn’t bring up the bedroom scene, when István and Konrad had broken in to discover her naked in Saloman’s arms about to be seduced and bitten. The “seduced” part had been more than half accomplished, and even now the memory of it made her body flush hot. It might have been embarrassment. “But Saloman had drunk some of his killers’ blood,” she said hastily. “Luk can’t possibly. Which makes me think it can’t even be Luk! How the hell could Dante have awakened him? It would have to be Saloman, wouldn’t it?”
István started the car. “According to every source we have, Saloman killed him. It should have taken Saloman to revive him.” Pulling out of the car park, he glanced at her. “Only, why would he do that?”
“He didn’t,” Elizabeth said positively. “He’s in Peru.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Elizabeth stared at his profile. He was, she reflected, a handsome as well as a kind man. But it didn’t seem kind to churn her up like this. Although she’d been sure enough to try to buy a plane ticket to Peru, did she really know? Saloman hadn’t answered her messages, telepathic or otherwise. He’d certainly been in Peru before the earthquake, but according to last night’s news report, no one knew where he was now.
“Why would he waken Luk?” István repeated.
Because he never got over the guilt or the loneliness.
“He wouldn’t,” she said, pressing the back of her head into the seat. “Luk was insane and jealous of him. He wouldn’t waken an enemy.”
You want a keepsake of your enemy? she’d said to him about the sword that Luk had given him aeons ago.
I want the keepsake of my friend.
István sighed. “No, we couldn’t make sense of that either. Do you know of any other way to awaken an Ancient? Apart from his drinking the blood of his killer?”
Elizabeth blinked. “ You ’re asking me ?”
István’s smile was twisted. “We’ve got the books. You’ve got the horse’s mouth.”
For a second longer she continued to stare at him blindly. Just like Dmitriu . . . I’m just an informant to them now.
Live with it, Elizabeth. You chose it.
It was dark by the time they caught up with the
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