Not to a cat-shifter who could only slink among the mighty.

His thoughts were a storm, the dark clouds of them rolling in quickly and threatening a downpour. And it was then Ty realized he was feeling something he hadn’t thought himself capable of anymore. Something that he’d longed to be rid of, that roiled and cut and stabbed: hurt. She had hurt him with her secrecy.

He very nearly stopped walking to turn and run for the hills instead. So quickly he had begun to let Lily in where he’d let no one for centuries. And if she could cut him so easily, he didn’t want to imagine what she might cause him later….

“I wasn’t sure how to describe it,” Lily said. “I’m still not quite sure it was real.”

He could see how oblivious she was to his turmoil, and that was best.

“You still should have told me,” Ty said flatly. “Every little thing could help us figure out what that mark means. And if there’s more you haven’t said, you’d better do it now. I won’t look like a fool in front of the Cait Sith.”

“Yeah,” she allowed with a nod. “There’s a little more you should probably know.”

Such a simple admission. And yet it floored him completely, taking the wind out of his sails. His anger dissolved as if it had been nothing, replaced by bewilderment. He wasn’t at all used to getting his way so quickly. And when he did, well, he had cause to be wary.

But the same something that was still prickling with unseen danger from an unknown source told him that Lily was being sincere.

She sighed, tipping her head back to look at the sky as she collected her thoughts, and Ty was reminded forcibly of the first night he’d seen her, standing in a moonlit garden. The innocence of her that was so much on display then was still there, but he also saw weariness that hadn’t been there before.

He had never had anyone so unspoiled, had never had a woman give herself to him without wanting something in return. And yet here was Lily, beautiful, slightly shy, yet with nerves of steel, still by his side after last night. She asked for nothing.

Something hit him then, welling up and then crashing over him like a wave, feelings that he had locked away for centuries because to allow them was to invite only pain. But he couldn’t stop it, couldn’t lock it down again. Ty stopped short on the sidewalk, giving in to the overwhelming impulse that gripped him. He saw Lily’s surprise as he grabbed her hand, as he pulled her into him.

“What?” she asked, eyes wide.

Then she was in his arms, fitting against him as if she were his other half, and he took her in a kiss that said everything he couldn’t express in words. Instantly, she melted into him, meeting his tongue stroke for stroke, gripping his shoulders as though he were the only thing anchoring her to this spot. He could feel the wild thing stir inside of her, and his own body responded accordingly.

It was a little taste of hell to have to pull away, but if he didn’t, he was going to put on a show he’d rather not do in public.

Lily’s eyes were pleasingly blurry when he pulled back, her lips full and swollen from the kiss, her skin flushed.

“What was that for?” she asked, sounding bemused.

He smiled to cover the new turmoil that he was grappling with just beneath the surface. “I have impulse-control problems. Didn’t I mention that?”

Her smile was slow blooming, and exquisite. She opened her mouth to respond, but Jaden’s voice cut off whatever she might have said.

“Hate to interrupt,” he called over his shoulder, “but I think someone’s expecting us.”

It was the story of her time with Ty: moments of bliss, hours of irritation, and the occasional life-threatening event.

This appeared to be yet another one of the latter.

Lily turned to look at where Jaden stood, stock-still in the middle of the sidewalk. He glanced back over his shoulder with a look that was unsurprised and maybe just slightly anticipatory. She wondered if that was a Cait Sith thing, a vampire thing, or if Jaden and Ty were both just a little off that way.

“Incoming,” he informed her and Ty, and then grinned.

It was telling, that this was the only thing he’d smiled about since she’d met him.

Up ahead, a trio of vampires peeled away from the wall they’d been leaning against and headed for them. Two were men, tall and broad-shouldered, and the other was a woman, small and sharp-featured. All wore black, more what Lily would have pictured as “traditional” vampire gear. Though she guessed that vampire society must have members who played up that angle of their existence.

These three looked like fighters, especially as evidenced by the bloodthirsty gleam in their glittering eyes. She didn’t shrink back. In fact, she’d spent the afternoon pondering how she might be able to help if this sort of thing kept happening to her, which seemed fairly certain. Her dream had been at the front of her mind, namely the things she had seen the red-haired vampiress’s people do. If it was more than a dream, an actual vision, Lily thought it might be possible to use what she had inside of her the way she had with Damien.

It was an experiment, and risky. But Lily figured that if it worked, it proved a few things about what she came from, as crazy as it might sound. If Lily could do it, then the woman who had led the “House of the Mother,” as the woman in green had called it, was directly tied to her.

She straightened her back, inhaling deeply.

“Stay behind me,” Ty instructed her as they headed up to join Jaden and wait. She shot him a sharp look, but he wasn’t paying any attention. All of that was focused on the three vampires who sauntered up and stopped right in front of them, their postures exuding both competence and confidence.

She placed herself at his side and could actually feel his disapproval. But there was nothing for it now.

“Evening, everyone,” said the tallest man. He had an olive complexion and a curly mop of hair the same color as his dark, expressive eyes. His accent was vaguely foreign, but Lily couldn’t place it. Nor could she place the intricate design of the tattoo that coiled from beneath his shirt to adorn the side of his neck. It looked a bit like a flower. Or a bat.

It was then she remembered what Ty had said about animal-shifters and who could do what. These were Dracul. And this was their territory.

“Something we can do for you? Or are you just out for an evening stroll?” asked Ty.

Lily was struck by how relaxed he seemed. Then again, he was probably used to people wanting to kill him. For her, it might take a while to get used to.

The man smiled, and his companions chuckled. “We’re as much on a stroll as you are. I’m sure you’re aware there are better parts of town this time of night. Unless, of course, you have more exotic plans for the night than most people.”

His eyes flicked to Lily for a brief instant, and Lily could feel his mind trying to slip inside hers. With Ty, it was just irritating. With this man, it felt like a violation. She shuddered and reflexively pushed back at the feeling, at him.

She saw the flash of triumph in his eyes and knew she’d done exactly what he’d wanted her to. It seemed the impenetrability of her thoughts was always going to be a dead giveaway. A fight was now inevitable, though she was fairly sure it had been from the beginning.

“What do you want, Ludo?” Jaden asked, sounding bored. “This is a great little reunion and all, but I’m sure you have better things to do. I know we do.”

“Actually, I’m doing exactly what I was sent to do,” Ludo replied. “Vlad caught wind you were in town a while back, Jaden. Too bad for you, because he would have left you alone if you hadn’t taken back up with MacGillivray, here. The Dracul have no interest in Ptolemy deserters. In fact, I would have said good move. But you’ve got shitty taste in friends.”

“Unlike yourself, of course,” Jaden replied blandly.

The woman bared her teeth at him.

“I’m honored to have generated such interest,” Ty said. “But I don’t see what Vlad would want with me. I may work for the Ptolemy, but I’m just a cat, after all.”

“A cat with something very interesting in his possession,” Ludo said, and this time he made sure to catch Lily’s eye. “Vlad has great interest in this woman. And in what she’s doing here, when one would think you’d deliver her right to Arsinöe. That’s what this is about, yes? Finding a human, a Seer, who can reveal the source of the Ptolemy’s woes?”

“We’ve got some pretty good ideas about that already,” Ty growled, and Ludo’s face darkened.

“Your ideas don’t interest me. They’re obviously wrong. But, of course, the exalted Arsinöe would like to think otherwise. We’re an affront to her. Animals. Like you.”

“We have nothing in common,” Ty snapped. The two men faced off, drawing closer to each other, and Lily felt her muscles tense. She was just waiting for someone to make the first move, because violence was thick in the air.

“We have more in common than you think,” Ludo said, his voice soft and deadly. “But it matters not. You’re blind. Why didn’t you go south, to the court of the queen? Why seek out Anura?”

“Why ask me questions you know I won’t answer?” Ty responded.

Ludo looked at Lily again, and this time, Ty and Jaden both hissed, ferocious sounds of warning. Something, however, made Lily want to hear him out. There was more going on here than she’d thought.

“What is it?” she asked Ludo. “What do you know?”

“He knows nothing!” Ty snarled.

But Ludo’s eyes stayed locked with hers. “Our leader, Vlad, has a keen interest in vampire history and lore. Did you know?” he asked, his voice silken.

“There seem to be a lot of things I don’t know,” Lily said. “I’m no vampire.”

“You’re no Seer either. According to Anura, that is.”

Jaden swore. “Damn you! What have you done to Anura?”

“She came to us of her own free will. Vlad respects her, even if her own people couldn’t be bothered with her,” the woman snapped. “This woman will be used as a weapon against our dynasty. Anura was right to come to us. And you’re going to give your prize up, unless you want to lose your heads.”