It was Syndelle who woke first, the sound of the doorbell and Skye's psychic demand for entry pressing the last of the magic-induced sleep from her mind. She mumbled, sending a message to Skye that her summons had been heard, as she tried to disentangle herself from Rafe's arms.
He tightened his hold on her, only waking when she continued to try and move out of his arms, when his penis slid from her channel, already half-hardened. "Shit," he said, releasing her and rolling to his back, rubbing his chest as he slowly woke up, his wild mane of hair and lazy sprawl making Syndelle think of the wolf.
"Skye is at the gate," Syndelle said, scrambling from the bed and moving to Brann's closet, quickly dressing before hurrying to greet her sister.
With a thought she touched Brann's mind and knew that he'd anticipated Skye's need to ensure herself that Syndelle was well, and had adjusted the wards so that Skye would have no trouble entering or leaving the compound. She could also feel his determination that as soon as the sun set again, he would claim her completely-whether she fought him or not. He would make her his companion, as he'd intended to do the night before, had the magic not held him in its grip, freeing him with only enough time to shower and seek his daytime resting place.
The sun struck Syndelle's skin and she wanted to lift her face to it in the same way the wolf liked to lift its face to the moon. Even knowing what freeing the magic would ultimately mean to the humans, to those who hunted the rogue vampires, could she really deny Brann that which he desired more than anything else?
Not more than anything else, Syndelle. I would not exchange your life for a chance to walk in the sun's rays.
Her heart raced while her mind tried to measure the truth in his words. He was her mate, chosen for her by the magic and the wolf-but for all that, he was still an ancient vampire.
And yet...a small, feminine smile played over Syndelle's lips. It had not been a vampire commanding her home yesterday when she'd explored the human world. It had been an irate mate, a worried husband.
When the sun sets, I will return to the house and become your companion, she said.
Like a wave trying to knock down an unwary beachcomber, Brann's will washed over Syndelle, his command forceful. You will not leave the compound!
Alone, Syndelle modified, arriving at the gate and tapping the keys so that Skye could stride in and swallow her in a fierce hug.
"I think it's time for you to teach me that ward," Skye said, unable to keep herself from tightening her arms around Syndelle in a second hug before releasing her. "Gian is suddenly far too present in my head."
Rafe joined them a moment later, wearing nothing but jeans, his golden hair and tanned skin glowing in the afternoon light. "What happened after I left with Syndelle?" he asked, wrapping his arms around Syndelle and pulling her back against his front.
"Damage control. Gian and some of the other vampires from Fangs came over to help Detective Augustino handle the fallout." She cocked her head. "I take it vampires and werewolves don't always play very nicely together."
Rafe grinned. "Too true. Were they able to learn anything?"
"No. No ID on the dead men. I even went down to the biker bar near Big Daddy's house to see if anyone knew the guys who'd attacked us. Not a fun group of minds to look into, but none of the men last night were familiar to any of the guys who hang out at the bar."
Rafe rubbed his cheek against Syndelle's soft hair. "It may be coincidence-not that I believe in them when it comes to vampires-but the first night I went trolling for our killer, a guy I knew in LA showed up. His name's Frankie. He's a vampire's slave now. He knew about Syndelle. And he was with a strung-out human who knew about our visit to Yvonne's room. When he touched me, Brann saw it in his mind. But before he could see more, Frankie punched the guy and knocked him out."
"I also saw someone from your past, and Brann's," Syndelle said. "Yesterday when I was wandering in the casinos." She flashed the memory of Ishana and felt Brann's immediate suspicion that the vampire Lilith was behind the attack.
"Fucking vampire politics," Rafe growled, fury filling his face. He'd once thought that Lilith was driven by lust and spite, wanting to punish Brann for turning down her overtures-but in the last two years Rafe had come to see Lilith for what she was, an ancient with a greedy, insatiable desire for power.
"Then maybe I need to pay another visit to Yvonne," Skye said.
Rafael rubbed his cheek against Syndelle's hair. "And Toppers. The human with Frankie would be drawn to a place like that. As long as he isn't a slave, he's still fair game if we can find him." Rafe smirked at Skye. "Unless your mates have forbidden you to hunt at Toppers after your last visit."
Skye scowled in response. "Rico and Gian know better than to try that. I'll check out Toppers."
"We," Syndelle said, her fingers gracefully tracing a series of symbols in the air and blocking out the immediate protests of both vampire mates. "We will check it out together."
Skye grinned. "That is definitely one handy ward."
Syndelle smiled. "It won't last long, only long enough for our mates to gain control of their tempers and remember that they are dealing with Angelini and not with helpless sheep who wish to do nothing but donate blood and obey a master."
Skye's eyes widened before she started laughing. Rafe's arms tightened around Syndelle. "Let Skye and I go while you stay here."
She turned in his arms, her heart melting at the agony she saw in his eyes, at the fear for her safety that vibrated through his body. It will be okay. Even if Lilith was behind the attack, she will think her minions succeeded in killing me. She can't know for certain that I am anything other than human-a female that you and Brann have taken an interest in. I don't think anyone will be expecting us to retrace our steps. Especially so quickly.
Brann...
She pressed her lips to Rafael's, sliding her tongue into his mouth and drawing a groan from his body as his cock filled and pressed against her. I have promised Brann that I will yield to him at sunset. But I do not want my life to simply be a continuation of what it was when I was in the care of my parents and brothers. I do not want to be hidden behind walls, kept separate from the world around me. I will do nothing foolish, but I will not be left behind.
Fear and need and respect struggled inside Rafe as he deepened the kiss, wanting nothing more than to return to bed and cover her with his body, tempting and teasing and pleasuring her until she locked his cock deep inside her, until the only world that existed was captured in an endless moment of shared ecstasy.
He dared to touch Brann's mind through the companion bond and found the vampire bombarded with the same emotions-though he sensed Brann's fear was multilayered, a complex struggle whose roots stretched across centuries. Anytime you want to share the big secret about Syndelle with me, that would be great, Rafe mocked, receiving a snarl in response before Brann growled, Take her then. But she will be in my bed when the sun sets.
Yes, oh master, I hear and obey, Rafe said and heard the echoes of Gian's laughter along the blood-tie with both Brann and the Coronado Angelini. He pulled away from Syndelle. "Let me finish getting dressed, then we can go."
As Rafe disappeared into the house, Skye studied her sister, reliving the horrible moments when she'd thought Syndelle was dead. Searching her blood-given memories for an explanation as to what had happened to the two men who'd attacked Syndelle and died so violently, screaming in agony from wounds that looked like shallow scratches.
Skye had been so busy fighting the other men that she hadn't seen much of Syndelle's struggle. Do you have a weapon on you? she'd asked before the attack came. Only myself.
Skye shook her head. Had she really been disappointed when she first saw Syndelle, thinking that her sister was as weak as one of the humans who flocked to Fangs? It seemed so obvious now that Syndelle was so much more...and yet so different than what Skye had come to think of as Angelini.
She is different, a voice whispered through Skye, and the wolf she was still becoming accustomed to rose within her, opening its eyes and staring at Syndelle. She is The Masada. The foundation on which the old magic will return and build.
Masada. The word fluttered at the edge of Skye's consciousness, elusive, and yet familiar, though some instinct warned that to mention the word out loud would be the same as summoning danger to her sister.
Skye concentrated, trying to more fully separate herself from the wolf, guessing that the knowledge that she herself couldn't reach, would live in the spirit-animal that she'd inherited from Riesen. If I'm to keep her safe, I need to understand, she directed to the wolf.
It laughed, a disconcerting feeling that made Skye shiver and frown, uncertain whether she really liked this latest development. It was bad enough having Gian and Rico in her head sometimes, not to mention Brann when he was in a rage and used the link he had with Gian, but this...
And yet...through the memories she now possessed, Skye recognized Riesen in this wolf. Riesen who often laughed and teased, who loved deeply and fiercely, who would kill without remorse if necessary, but would nip at heels and jump crazily at falling leaves just to make his children and mate laugh.
You are right, the wolf said, brushing along the inside of Skye as though it was stretching and filling every part of her. If you are to help keep her safe then you must understand what she is, what it means to be The Masada, the one whose body is a chalice, whose blood is the elixir that can allow a vampire to walk in the sunlight. She is vampire myth made real, and though the myth varies depending on who is doing the telling, one part of it remains unchanged. The blood sacrifice of The Masada will bring an end to the days when all vampires are banished to the night.
Skye's heart thundered in her chest. Blood sacrifice? Did that mean that her sister was destined to die?
Only if we can't keep her safe.
* * * * *
Even without Rafael sharing the memory of Skye being shot at Toppers, Syndelle could see why her sister's mates might try and keep her from visiting the club. It was a rough, dangerous place full of unclean, substance-ridden bodies that vibrated with violence and lack of restraint.
The three of them made their way through the loud, smoke-filled room, staying together as they aimed for a place at the bar in the hopes they would be able to see more faces from that vantage point. It was a standing-room-only crowd, men and rough-looking women, many of them wearing leather and chains and patches on their jackets, claiming they were outlaws.
"What gives?" Rafe asked the bartender, flashing a smile in her direction and turning on the charm, the wolf in Syndelle growling at the sight of it.
"Mud-wrestling. Thousand-dollar pot tonight." A yell went up and the bartender nodded in the direction of the crowd just as it parted to allow a dark-haired woman with bare, watermelon-sized breasts and a black G-string to wade through and climb into a ring constructed of plywood. "That's Geila, she belongs to a biker club called the Outlaw Dogs." Another roar went up. This time a gaunt redhead with bruises on her arms and torso moved through the crowd. "That's Tanya. She's a regular. Turns tricks in the back room here when her old man kicks her out of the house."
A patron at the other end of the bar slammed his beer bottle against the counter and the bartender moved to get him another one. Excitement rippled through the crowd, along with the flash of money, the gap closing so that Syndelle and the others couldn't see the fight in the muddy arena.
As the action taking place inside the ring grew more intense, it spread across the room, ratcheting up the potential for violence so that it crawled across Syndelle's skin in warning. She gave an involuntary jerk at the feel of a hand around her arm, then an embarrassed laugh when she realized just as quickly that it was Skye's. "Look at that guy over there, the one with the black-eye who's standing next to the hooker with the tassels and the screaming-red lips," Skye said. "He looks like one of the guys who came into The Hole. But I didn't get close enough to him so I'd recognize him by smell."
Syndelle studied the man and the wolf snarled in recognition. "He's one of them," she said, checking along the link with Rafael to ensure that he'd seen the man also.
Rafe nodded. "I recognize him. I saw him take a punch to the face last night."
Skye shifted away from the bar, grinning. "I think we need to get better acquainted with him."
Stay back, Brann ordered as Syndelle followed her sister. Let Rafael and Skye deal with this.
I will not do anything foolish.
Your being there at all is foolish, as is your leaving the compound, he said, making no effort to blunt the sting of his disapproval.
I will not be held prisoner in my own home.
He pulled back, refraining from comment, though she felt his determination to control her, she sensed his belief that once she accepted the companion bond, he would command her.
He will not, she said, a pledge to herself.
He will not, the wolf echoed. A promise for both of them.
A fight broke out behind Syndelle, a crash of glass and a slap of flesh against flesh. The wolf tensed, its sense of smell picking out the presence of guns underneath the sweat and alcohol and drugs. Rafe's hand grabbed Syndelle's wrist, propelling her forward, so that his back protected hers.
Her heart melted at the gesture, though her stomach tightened at the thought of him being hurt. There was a flash of silver in Skye's right hand, a punch by her left, followed by a slurred "Bitch!" as a drunk reeled backward into a crowd of men.
The commotion caused their prey to spot them. Recognition flashed in his eyes, along with disbelief and confusion. Syndelle braced herself for his lunge, but rather than attack, he retreated, quickly leaving the bar with them in pursuit.
It was Rafe who got to him first. Almost immediately, another man in leather and chains emerged from the bar, but before he could aid his friend, Skye attacked, knocking him to the ground and pressing the blade of her knife against his throat a second before she trapped him in her eyes.
Rafael grunted, rolling and twisting with the first man, their breaths coming in heaving pants even after Rafael had successfully pinned his prey, using a length of chain to bind the man's wrists. Syndelle knelt down next to them, capturing the man and his violent thoughts.
Only to find that his mind did not contain the information they were seeking.
Nearby Skye echoed what Syndelle had found, saying, "There's nothing here. I can see his memories of walking into the bar and noticing Syndelle and me. I can see him starting the fight then escaping afterward. But it's like the idea to do it popped into his head out of nowhere. There's no motivation, no planning. No bragging or thoughts of it afterward. It almost feels like a dream."
Vampire, Rafe growled in Syndelle's mind.
A vampire's touch, Syndelle agreed, sharing the thought with her sister as she moved to kneel next to Skye. Whoever is behind the attack thinks to protect themselves by disappearing from human memory. But the truth of what both these men know is in their blood, and there is no hiding from that truth. Cut him, Skye, let his memories flow to me.
Skye gasped as Gian commanded her hand to freeze, using compulsion unlike any he'd ever tried on her before, Brann's voice and power roaring down the vampire blood-link she shared with her mate and with Syndelle. I forbid it! You will not take what he is into yourself, Syndelle! I will not allow it!
Syndelle stiffened her spine. There is too much at stake to pass up this chance to find out what is going on and who is behind it, Brann. Do you truly believe that all the memories that are held inside me are benign images of flowers and babies? Do not force me to challenge you directly on this matter.
Brann hissed, a flash of sharp fangs, as compulsion and fury surged down the shared link. But Syndelle's determination won out and he retreated with a dark warning. Do not think you can act without consequence, Syndelle. Do not think that I will let you continue to defy me once you have become my companion.
The wolf's lips pulled back in a show of its own teeth. Its thoughts echoing words it had taken from both Skye and Rafael's memories. We are not a pet to speak only when spoken to and behave only as ordered to behave.
Skye snickered and Syndelle's fingers gracefully traced a series of wards before she once again said, "Cut him."
When it was done, Syndelle leaned forward, touching her lips to the stream of blood flowing from the man's neck, the truth moving unstopped, unedited into the dark abyss, his life insignificant in a vastness that encompassed everything. His life meaningless, but no less horrifying to Syndelle.
She allowed herself a moment before kneeling next to Rafael. Gian's will combining with Skye's hypnotic ability so that the man her sister had subdued remained still even after Skye had moved to the second man, cutting him as she'd done the first, freeing his memories as well.
This time when Syndelle stood, she said, "Yvonne and the human that Rafe saw with the vampire slave Frankie paid a visit to these men and their friends, offering a payment of drugs if they could take me alive, or kill me. The vampire touched their minds through Yvonne as the slave brought them to orgasm-the power behind the compulsion wasn't strong, but it wouldn't need to be given the drugs and alcohol in their systems."
"Then I guess it's a good thing we were already planning to pay another visit to Yvonne," Skye said.
Rafe's smile was fierce. "And vampire law is in our favor. At sunset Brann can compel her to leave her room and answer for her actions." He looked down at the two men. "Better call Augustino and have these two put on ice. I'm sure Syndelle can come up with a crime or two that they've committed."
They stayed only long enough for a patrol car to pick up the two men-men whose faces appeared on a number of wanted posters.
* * * * *
Skye knew as soon as they entered the hallway leading to Yvonne's room that the girl was probably dead. "Smell that?"
"Piss, vomit, and shit?" Rafe said. "I'm trying my best not to."
Skye sent him a look. "There's something dead in here."
"Got to love those wolfie senses."
Skye shook her head and looked at Syndelle. "How do you and Brann put up with him?"
"He has his talents." A small smile played over Syndelle's lips, though Skye saw a growing sadness in her sister's eyes as they neared Yvonne's door and the scent of death grew stronger. "You should call Detective Augustino again," Syndelle said when they stopped outside of Yvonne's room.
Rafe's hand settled on the back of Syndelle's neck. "She's dead?"
"Yes."
Skye let the wolf dominate, its sense of smell well-developed and accurate. Blood. There was a lot of blood on the other side of the door. Yvonne's scent. Yvonne's blood. The taint of her master's magic washed away by her death. "If we call the cops, will it be safe for them to enter?"
Syndelle knelt down, her hand reaching out, only to be halted by Rafe's fingers around her wrist. "No foolish chances, remember?"
"There's nothing of the vampire here. Look."
Where the vampire's slave mark had been, now there was only a deeply burned place on the door.
"Shit," Rafe said, standing and pulling Syndelle to her feet as Skye brought out her cellular phone and called the police.
They retreated from the building, waiting next to Rafe's Boxster and Skye's Harley. Staying there even after Augustino had arrived with other policemen and the door to Yvonne's room was forced open.
"Looks like suicide," Augustino said a short time later. "She slit her wrists." His eyes studied Syndelle warily, but with all the humans around, he didn't speak about what happened at The Hole.
"You noticed the burn mark at the base of the door?" Rafe asked, glad he'd brought Augustino up to date on their visit to Yvonne's room when they'd met up to do the tattoo.
Augustino nodded slightly.
"What about the telescope?" Skye asked. "Was it pointed at Bangers?"
"Yes."
Rafe frowned. "Makes you wonder what other places might be watched."
Skye stiffened. "Like Fangs?"
"That would seem reasonable given all that's happened."
"Are we free to go?" Skye asked Augustino.
"Yes." His attention shifted to Rafael. "I'll see you tonight?"
"Later than usual. I need to be home at sunset. I'll call you when I'm ready to leave the house."
Augustino nodded, then turned to watch as Yvonne's shrouded body was wheeled out on a stretcher and loaded into a coroner's van.
Cleaning house, Gian whispered in Skye's mind. The vampire is making sure that no trail leads back to him...or her. But it will do no good. Brann will not let the attack on Syndelle go unpunished.
Nor will the Coronado Angelini. Syndelle said that they would come here before they returned to their compound.
Gian's amused pride stroked Skye like a warm caress. If my mate is an example of what the Coronado line produces, then I almost pity anyone who is found guilty of ordering Syndelle's kidnapping or death.
A tight knot formed in Skye's chest. Her desire to share her fears with Gian conflicting with the need to keep Syndelle's secret safe. He will learn soon enough, the wolf whispered in her mind, offering what comfort it could and Skye turned her thoughts back to the dead girl. Yvonne killed herself because her vampire master denied her blood?
Perhaps. Or perhaps the vampire tricked her, making her think that ridding herself of her human blood would enable her to rise as a vampire.
Why doesn't your council ban the making of slaves?
Because there are always those willing to sell their souls in exchange for a vampire's deadly kiss. She felt his shrug. Once we were human, Skye, some more honorable than others, but the long centuries often strip us of our humanity. That's why our laws are rigid and detailed, because sometimes they are the only thing that keep us from becoming soulless monsters. It is better for those who desire mindless slaves to make them from the willing rather than force such a life on one who wouldn't choose it.
I don't like it.
Nor do I. It is one of the things that has always set Brann's line apart. Speaking of which, my sire grows impatient to have his mate safely home.
Skye looked at the sun and frowned, saying to the others, "If we're going to check out the area around Fangs, we'd better get going."
"Try not to find any more bodies," Detective Augustino murmured.
It was a request they didn't honor.