“What about the human guards?” Kathryn interjected.

Nicholas gave her a blank look, as if he wasn’t used to counting the humans as part of the threat. Which he probably wasn’t. Lucas’s earlier demonstration had stung—in more ways than one—but it had driven home very explicitly just how outclassed humans would be against even a small force of vampires.

“You said the mob guy would have his own guards?”

A look of comprehension crossed Nick’s face, and he nodded. “I expect no more than seven humans, including McKinney.”

Kathryn nodded. At least some of the human guards would probably remain outside to keep an eye on the gate, because they wouldn’t trust the vamps to do it for them. So, they’d be her first targets when Lucas gave the word. She frowned. What was the word anyway? She drew a breath to ask, but listened instead as Lucas began to detail the attack plan for the night.

“There are only two main entries,” he began, “so we’ll go in front and back. You’ll take out the gate guards first, Nick, but I don’t want them dead. I don’t want Klemens to know exactly what we’re doing until we hit the house. Once we’re through the gate, we’ll have a small roving force around the house, but most of you will concentrate on the two major points of entry. You take one, and let Zelma take the other. As soon as you’re set, I’ll start projecting, and you hit the doors. I’ll handle Klemens and whoever tries to block my path. The rest is up to you.”

“Sire,” Nicholas acknowledged with a sharp nod. “I’ll tell the others.”

Lucas nodded his permission, and Nicholas made his way down the aisle and began conferring with the rest of the vampire force.

“What did you mean, when you said you’d ‘start projecting’?” Kathryn asked.

Lucas had been studying the house schematic, but now he looked up at her with a smile that melted her heart. She wanted to resist him, but her face seemed to have a will of its own. She smiled back at him.

He took her hand, playing idly with her fingers as he answered her question. “Vampire lords have unusual talents, some of which are unique to the individual. One of my most useful talents is the ability to connect with other vampires on what I think of as a visceral level. It’s not telepathy—it’s both more and less than that. For example, in battle, I can share my far greater strength with my warriors, boosting them both physically and psychologically. But the other side of this particular talent is that I can also drain away the strength and courage of my enemies, can make them believe their worst nightmare is upon them.”

“Are there limits?” Kathryn asked, somewhat amazed by what she was hearing. “I mean, why do you need any warriors at all? Why not just zap Klemens and his troops from the get-go?”

“Because Klemens is also a vampire lord. And once he realizes what I’m doing, he’ll eventually be able to block me from affecting his people. That will take time—not much time, no more than a few minutes—but it will be enough to give us a head start, because Klemens won’t be able to block the initial assault, and the shock effect will be considerable. Especially for the newer or weaker among his vampires. They will be hit harder and recover more slowly, leaving them vulnerable when we crash the house.

“But, in the end, it will come down to a brutal, bloody war of vampire on vampire. At least until I destroy Klemens.”

Kathryn gave him a worried look. “But you can do that, right? I mean, you’re stronger than he is.”

Lucas shrugged. “Obviously, I believe I can. I’m not suicidal. Why? Are you worried about me?”

She was worried about him. But she wasn’t going to admit it. Wasn’t going to admit that he was important to her, that maybe she cared more about him than was healthy . . . for her anyway. Instead, she changed the subject by asking, “What about my brother?”

Lucas frowned, as if he knew she had feelings for him and was irritated that she wouldn’t admit it. But then he couldn’t possibly know that. So maybe it was just his considerable ego wanting to be stroked.

“I told you, Kathryn. I don’t think Klemens has your brother.”

“So you’ve said, but what if he does?”

Lucas sighed. “If he does, he’s probably locked up somewhere. Probably the basement, which is the safest place for him.”

“Make sure Nicholas tells—”

“Nick has already briefed everyone on the possibility. We’re not looking to kill any humans tonight, and certainly not anyone being held prisoner by Klemens.”

He stroked an absent hand over Kathryn’s tightly bound hair, tugging gently on her braid.

“The rifle meets your standards?” he asked.

Kathryn nodded. Nick had managed to round up the rifle and scope she wanted before they left Minneapolis. While Nick and Lucas had gone straight to the airport to confer with the various groups of vampires heading out for the battle, she’d gone to a gun range with the Minneapolis security chief to calibrate the weapon and adjust it to her specific requirements. But she didn’t think Lucas was asking the question because he doubted the weaponry. He was trying to gauge her mood. He was concerned about how she’d react once the killing started. He hadn’t come right out and said anything, but he’d hinted around on the subject all the way to the airport. She would have liked to reassure him, but she still wasn’t certain how she felt about it herself. Nothing about tonight’s engagement was legal, not according to human law. And her job was to represent that law, a job she took very seriously.

“The weapon’s fine,” she assured him. “Your guy had already calibrated it to a hundred yards. I just did some fine-tuning. When I look through that scope, it’ll be like I’m standing right next to you.”

“Well, don’t shoot me.”

Kathryn gave a breathy laugh and nudged his thigh next to hers. “I won’t. I’m very clear about my targets before I pull the trigger.”

“You’ll be warm enough?”

That made her turn her head and smile at him, erasing the somber note that had flavored their interaction since leaving Minneapolis. “I’m wearing two of your long-sleeved T-shirts over my own sweater, plus this nice, warm jacket Nick found for me. The leggings are mine, and they’re winter-weight so perfectly adequate. I’d rather have my tactical boots, but the running shoes and socks are warm enough, and at least they’re black. Do I pass inspection?”

Lucas tugged her braid again, harder this time. “Smart ass. I’m sending Mason with you to the neighbor’s.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he kept talking. “He’s not going to stay. He’ll just get you through the house and set up on the roof. The house is supposed to be empty, but there’s no sense taking chances.”

She nodded, businesslike.

“Try not to shoot any of my guys, okay?”

That was greeted with a sideways scowl. “I told you, the scope is good, and I’m very careful. Besides, according to you, my little gun won’t do much damage to a vampire anyway.”

“Hey, it hurts to get shot, even if it doesn’t kill you.”

“So I’ve heard. I’ll do my best.”

Kathryn started to say more, wanting reassurance in triplicate that her brother wouldn’t be hurt accidentally. But Nicholas rejoined them just as the plane angled left and entered a sweeping turn. She looked out the window and saw the lights of Chicago in the distance.

“Buckle up, Kathryn,” Lucas advised her. “This war is about to start.”

Chapter Eighteen

Chicago, Illinois

When they arrived, theirs was the only jet, hell, the only plane, moving at the small airport. Lucas did a quick survey of the area as he followed several of his warriors down the stairs, then waited as Kathryn descended more carefully, the long rifle case visible over her right shoulder. Mason had tried to carry it for her, but she’d declined firmly. Something about no one touching her weapon. So the big vampire had grabbed a couple of huge duffle bags, pointed out their vehicle and headed off to do his own equipment check.

With Lucas on the ground inside Klemens’s territory, everything was in play and moving fast. He had grabbed Kathryn for a final hard and fast kiss when she reached the tarmac. “You stay up on that roof, until I tell you it’s safe.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, already securing her various pieces of gear on her body. “I know the drill.” She stopped suddenly and grabbed the front of his black shirt, which was just like the ones she’d borrowed from him. “Take care, Lucas,” she said, meeting his gaze seriously. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

Lucas frowned. The superstitious Irish street tough he’d once been didn’t like the sound of those final words, even though he knew it had a different meaning in the modern context. He watched her run toward the waiting SUV, watched Mason slam the cargo hatch, then climb into the driver’s seat. Lucas tracked the taillights until they disappeared around the main terminal, then followed Nick to his own SUV and the many vampires waiting for his command.

The minute Lucas had landed in Chicago, Klemens had known he was here. He wouldn’t know Lucas’s precise location immediately, only that he’d violated Klemens’s territory. They were counting on the Chicago vampire lord’s reaction being stalled somewhat by the presence of his human guest. The mob boss was too egotistical and too important to Klemens’s operations to dismiss lightly, which meant Klemens would have to disengage diplomatically, and that would take time. Even if he sacrificed the mob boss and broke away quickly, it would still be a few minutes before he realized that Lucas was literally coming through his front gate.

As they raced down the midnight streets of Chicago, Nick kept up a steady murmur of conversation, checking in with the troops already in place around Klemens’s compound—close enough to keep watch on who came and went, but not so close that their presence would trigger any of Klemens’s own security. War craft was much easier in this technological age than it had been when Lucas first started out with Raphael. Not that they’d had to fight that many wars on this side of the Atlantic, not once the North American vampire community got a taste of what Raphael could do. There hadn’t been that many vampires on this continent then, and those were mostly concentrated along the Atlantic corridor. But early on, Raphael had made it clear that his interest lay in the far West. As long as the vampires whose lands they passed through left him alone, he left them alone, too.