Morning light streamed in, glinting off the tools lined up on Jodi’s workbench. The walls in here were covered in beautiful pieces—little instances of people’s lives that would live on for as long as the ink and paper lasted. Memories that could not be erased.
Hope’s friend, roommate, and coworker ran her blade down the mat, making a perfect cut. “I call ’em like I see’em. No one’s going to want their picture taken by a woman who can’t even keep her eyes open. You should call it quits and take a nap.”
“I only have one more appointment today. I’ll manage.”
Jodi grinned, waggling her pale eyebrows. “So, where were you last night? Or should I say this morning?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me.”
Hope considered blurting out the truth. Sadly, she couldn’t think of a way to say it without using the word vampire, so she resisted the urge. “I met this guy and lost track of time.”
“Uh-huh,” said Jodi, her tone disbelieving. “One has a tendency to lose track of time when one is macking on some hot guy. He was hot, right?”
Logan’s face flashed in her mind, all perfect symmetry and stark angles. Just the thought had her fingers itching for her camera. She could take a great photo of him. Except she wasn’t sure vampires could even be photographed. Or that he was even real.
It had taken all morning, but she had convinced herself that last night’s events were nothing more than a bizarre dream. There was no horrible monster. No beautiful Logan. All those events were simply something her mind had constructed to combat her fear of going near the Tyler building where she’d been found a decade ago.
“Hello. Hope. Are you in there?” asked Jodi, waving her hand in front of Hope’s face. The large silver heart ring she wore caught the morning light and left little spots floating in Hope’s vision.
“Sorry. I’m just tired.”
Jodi took Hope by the arm and led her out of the workroom toward the stairway that led to their shared apartment upstairs. “Go to bed, girl. I’ll wake you up as soon as your one o’clock gets here.”
Maybe she was right. Maybe a nap would clear her head and rid her of the last remnants of a man who couldn’t possibly exist.
Madoc stepped into Joseph’s office unannounced. His black hair was a mess, as if he’d just gotten out of bed. “There’s a naked man at the front gate. He’s a Slayer.”
Shock raced through Joseph, silencing him for a moment. Why would their enemy be at the gate? Was it some kind of trick? Custom dictated that a party offering to negotiate would show up naked as proof they were unarmed, but after so many years of the stagnant war between them, why would the Slayers want to negotiate anything? “What does he want?”
“He asked to talk to you. Do I let him in or do I kill him?” Madoc’s blunt features were expressionless, as if he truly didn’t care which of those alternatives Joseph picked.
“Is he alone?”
“No. There are some men sitting in their vehicles at the main road. The only person at his side is one very pissed-off woman.”
A woman? If one of the Slayers had found a female Theronai, would they have stuck to the old laws and brought her here? It wasn’t likely, but it was possible, and with all the women popping up lately, Joseph refused to take any chances. “Let him and the woman in, but only them. Make them walk. No vehicles past the gate. Alert the men to be ready for trouble. Meet me at the front doors.”
Madoc nodded and left.
Joseph combed his fingers through his hair and straightened his clothes. It wouldn’t do his people any good to show up looking like the insomniac he was.
He hurried from his office, his mind spinning with possibilities. By the time he wound his way through the building, a dozen men were waiting for him at the front doors. They were all armed and their faces were grim.
He addressed them, looking each one in the eyes. “I don’t want any trouble. Keep your swords sheathed unless I order otherwise. If this is a trick, we’ll make sure it’s the last of its kind.”
Joseph was satisfied they’d listen. For now. He stepped forward and opened the wide double doors.
The man standing there was Andreas Phelan and he was, indeed, naked. He was nearly as tall as Joseph, with brown hair and tawny eyes. The tops of his ears were slightly pointed, proof that the Slayer blood in him was strong. His body had the sleek, high-performance muscles of an athlete. Joseph had met him once before when he’d had to sentence one of his own men to death. He truly hoped these circumstances were more cheerful.
Judging by the angry, thrashing woman over his shoulder, this visit would be interesting if nothing else.
Andreas set her down, holding her steady until she gained her balance. She had been wrapped tightly in a sheet and gagged with a strip of tape over her mouth. Her sunny blond hair was a tangled mess. Her face was red, and her eyes burned a pale golden yellow that promised retribution.
“Thank you for receiving us,” he said, inclining his head briefly at Joseph. “This is my sister, Lyka, who has promised to behave.”
The last part had clearly been said as a warning to his sister.
“Why are you here?”
Andreas lifted his hands away from his body and turned in a slow circle. “As you can see I’m unarmed. Lyka is as well, though I understand if you would like to remove the sheet and verify that for yourself.”
She glared at him and a furious yell filtered through her gag.
“I don’t dare arm her when she’s this angry at me,” said Andreas.
Joseph looked at Madoc. “Can you ask Nika to come down and check her for weapons?”
Madoc lifted his phone from his belt and made the call.
“I’ll do it,” offered Morgan Valens.
Joseph gave him a hard stare before he realized it was jealousy that had caused it. He didn’t want any of the men looking at her naked body, though he guessed it was simply a reaction to her vulnerability. “No. You won’t.”
“I request that we be allowed into your home so that we can talk,” said Andreas.