Thomas hummed to himself, as if contemplating something. “That’s odd.” He paused and scrolled through the messages. “The older messages make no sense. I wonder—”

A sound at the door had Faye whip her head around. Maya stood there, opening the door wider.

“I’m sorry, Faye, but I need you.”

“We’re just checking out Cain’s old cell phone,” Faye said, wanting to hear what was startling Thomas.

“My two patients are scared. They’re getting ready to run. We’ve gotta convince them to stay here, or they’ll run right into the arms of their clansmen. You need to help me.”

“Shit!” Faye cursed. She had already stepped toward Maya when Thomas gripped her arm.

“I’m supposed to protect you.”

She shook her head and motioned to Maya. “I’m a vampire, Thomas. I can protect myself. Besides, Maya is with me. I’ll be fine.”

Thomas stared at her, but seemed clearly distracted by the cell phone in his hand. “Fine. Maya, make sure Faye stays safe, or Cain will have our hides for breakfast.”

Involuntarily, Faye had to smile at Thomas’s words. Cain had always been overly protective of her, and she had the feeling that now that they were blood-bonded, his need to protect her would reach new heights. A blood-bonded vampire protected his mate with his life.

“I heard congratulations are in order,” Maya said as they hurried along the corridor.

“Yes, thank you. Finally, I have Cain back.”

“I’m very happy for you both. A blood-bond is a wonderful thing.”

Faye smiled at the young woman who was so beautiful she could have had any man she wanted. Yet she’d chosen Gabriel, whose scarred face had repulsed Faye when she’d seen him the first time. Well, it was none of her business. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind and concentrated on the task ahead: to keep David and Kathryn safe.

When Maya wanted to turn toward the stairs leading up into the main foyer, Faye took her by the arm and motioned in the other direction. “We’ll take the service stairs. They’re closer to the kitchen.”

Quickly she led Maya toward the service stairs which seemed deserted, just like she’d expected. The majority of the staff and the guards would be in the front of the house, preparing for the arrival of the Mississippians.

“How did the operation go?”

Maya tossed her a sideways glance and smiled. “I think it went well. Their fangs haven’t fully grown in yet, but from what I could see when I examined them just after sunset, the roots are there, and in David’s case I can see a little bit of a tooth already. I think it’s working. Maybe another two or three sleep cycles and plenty of blood, and they’ll be healed.”

Faye sighed with relief. “I’m so glad. I’m really grateful to you for doing this. We don’t have any doctors here. Well, none who’re vampires anyway. And I couldn’t really bring them to a human doctor. It would have been complicated.”

“That’s quite all right. I was happy to do it. I’m still learning so much about our race. I look at it as research.”

“Research?” Faye asked curiously.

“I was a doctor when I was human. Urology. I did a lot of research at a university hospital before my turning.”

“And now?”

“Oh, I still do a lot of research, but I’ve switched my field to female reproductive medicine.”

“Vampire females?” Faye shook her head. “But vampire females are infertile. Everybody knows that.”

Maya winked at her. “It’s not quite as simple as that.”

“What are you saying?”

“That not everything is black and white. I’m close to developing a treatment that will allow vampire females to conceive from their blood-bonded mates.”

Faye stopped at the top of the stairs they’d just reached. “What?” Was this woman really saying that one day it could be possible for a vampire female to birth a child? Her thoughts immediately went to Cain. Could she and Cain one day become parents?

“Well, to put it in lay terms, it’s not impossible for a vampire female to conceive, but the problem has always been that the fetus can’t grow in the womb, because the vampire body rejects the fertilized egg as an injury and heals it during the vampire’s restorative sleep.”

“And how are you going to prevent that from happening?”

“The same way human doctors prevent a human from rejecting an organ that was transplanted into them. By lowering the body’s natural instinct to heal itself.”