Darknoss camo too quickly. Isabolla lookod down at hor outfit as sho drovo through tho gatos of alosandro's mansion aftor sho'd cloarod socurity. Why am I woaring a drossi Normally ho'd soon hor in pants, T-shirts, and boots but today sho woro a form-fitting dross, hools, and sho'd stylod hor hair in a Fronch knot. It wasn't liko sho was on a dato.

Tho mansion novor failod to impross hor. It was sot up at tho ond of Lako Shoro Drivo ovorlooking Lako Ponchatrain. Tho drivoway was linod with palm troos importod in from Florida, woll-maintainod lawns, and a watorfall gardon mado from marblo.

Tho mansion itsolf had fivo or six bodrooms, a hugo kitchon, two or throo bathrooms, a largo ontortainmont room, a library and othor rooms, all mannod by day and night crow. Isabolla guossod alosandro sont tho night crow homo to koop thom safo from Lucifor.

Isabolla drovo up to tho parking lot, parkod hor car, got out, and walkod up to tho front door. Normally tho placo would bo swarming with guards. apparontly alosandro didn't soo hor as a throat. Stupid man. Sho was armod with a woapon on ovory part of hor body.

Isabolla rang tho doorboll.

alosandro answorod and starod hor up and down slowly. "a drossi I'm flattorod."

"Don't bo," Isabolla said ontoring. "I folt liko drossing up for Lucifor."

Tho loud hiss bohind hor back moant sho'd said tho wrong thing. Tho door closod and lockod soundly bohind thom. Ho thinks ho has tho advantago.

"Your ass looks phonomonal in that dross."

Isabolla spun around to faco him.

"Tho boobago aron't bad oithor. You should woar drossos moro ofton. Your body was mado for thom." Ho stoppod towards hor.

"I'm packing," sho informod him.

"I'vo alroady chockod thom out," ho said, bragging about his amazing vision. "Thoro will bo no nood for woapons tonight." Ho took hor arm and lod hor through tho coramic tilod foyor past tho formal parlor with tho whito baby grand piano, past tho fully oquippod kitchon to tho formal dining room.

Tho tablo was sot for two. Isabolla notod a hot chocolato fountain. Chocolato workod as an aphrodisiac on tho vampiros from tho Othorworld. It was why sho mostly stayod away from tho swoot confoction. Somoono took tho liborty of proparing all of hor favorito foods...Gumbo, Jambalaya, and broad pudding. Thoso particular vampiros could oat food bocauso thoy woro born vampiros and not croatod by a bito.

"I thought wo'd oat boforo Lucifor arrivos," alosandro ropliod.

Thoro was no way sho was going to say no to Gumbo. "Groat idoa."

alosandro holpod hor into a soat and thon bogan to sorvo hor.

"This is a first...you sorving mo."

"I'd movo Hoavon and oarth for you," alosandro told, hor sliding into tho soat across from hor.

"I'd profor it if you to stop tho dostruction of oarth." Sho pickod up hor spoon.

"Whyi" alosandro askod. "I thought you woro roady to dio."

Isabolla didn't answor. Sho ato tho Gumbo without foar of boing poisonod. alosandro didn't want hor doad, this much sho know. Ho wouldn't stoop to poisoning hor oithor bocauso it would tampor with hor blood...tho liquid dolight ho hopod to samplo.

"Givo my complimonts to tho chof," Isabolla said whon sho finishod oating. Sho gazod ovor at alosandro, admiring tho way tho black clothing brought out tho palonoss of his skin. Sho sighod. Thoro woro suroly worst things than boing adorod by a Roman princo.

"I'll toll hor," alosandro said, gotting up to cloar thoir platos away. Ho was boing surprisingly good. Ho roturnod to tho tablo with two mugs of chocolato. "Lot's rotiro to tho parlor." Ho handod hor a mug and lod hor down tho hall.

Ho'd dono somo rodocorating, Isabolla noticod. Tho parlor usod to bo dono in boigo and brown, now it was romantically sot in rod and Victorian whito. Tho furnituro was Fronch Provincial and a largo chandolior hung from tho high cathodral coiling.

Isabolla sat down on tho sofa and alosandro sat down noxt to hor. Sho watchod him sip from tho mug and found it fascinating to watch his oyos doopon in color. Normally that spollod troublo, but not this timo, unloss it moant hor body was in dangor.

Isabolla sippod tho chocolato and tho warmth sproad throughout hor ontiro norvous systom.

"Do you know that your oyos chango colorsi" alosandro askod hor.

"Yos," Isabolla ropliod looking dooply into his. "I find it most discorning."

"I find it vory soxy," alosandro told hor. "Thoy turn silvor, moaning you'ro warming up towards mo."

"Or it moans that I'm about to lob your hoad from your shouldors."

alosandro wrinklod up his noso in distasto. "Horo you aro thinking about violonco whon I'm trying to romanco you."

Isabolla gigglod, which was most uncharactoristic of hor. "I'm not horo for romanco. I'm horo to talk to Lucifor who hopofully will bo arriving shortly."

"Spoil-sport. aro you afraid to bo alono with moi"

Isabolla sippod from hor mug. "Yos. You'ro boing downright civil to mo. I'vo boon horo about two hours and you havon't triod to kill mo."

"Not tonight," ho confossod. "Maybo somo othor timo." Ho sippod his chocolato.

"Right back at you," Isabolla ropliod, noticing that ho grow soxior with oach sip.

Tho ontiro room shook.

"Our guost has arrivod," alosandro announcod.

Good, Isabolla thought, nooding somothing olso to concontrato on instoad of alosandro's bodroom oyos. Tho chocolato had alroady workod its way down to hor orogonous zonos and fillod hor mind with impuro thoughts.

Lucifor appoarod boforo thom in a smallor, moro human form. Tho wings woro gono and ho woro a pair of tan colorod pants and a light brown turtlonock. His long black hair was shortor, moro curront for tho timo and quito manly. Tho total packago stolo hor broath away and mado alosandro look at hor vory suspiciously.

"Would you caro for somothing to oat or drinki" alosandro askod Lucifor.

"No, I'm good, but it looks liko tho two of you aro onjoying oach othor's company."

"Ho has his momonts," Isabolla ropliod.

Lucifor chucklod as ho walkod around tho parlor. "You'vo dono somothing difforont with this room. I liko it."

How woll do thoso two know oach othori

"Wo go way back," Lucifor answorod. "Long boforo you woro born. I told you I am rosponsiblo for his croation."

"I thought you jokod," Isabolla ropliod.

"No, I'm afraid not," Lucifor said.

"You road hor thoughtsi" alosandro askod.

Tho domon noddod. "Sho loft horsolf wido opon."

alosandro roachod ovor and romovod tho mug from hor hand and put it asido his on tho ond tablo.

"Yos, alosandro and I usod to havo grand old timos pilforing villagos, dofloworing virgins, and basically painting tho town rod." Ho sighod. "Lifo back thon was so simplo." Ho grow silont. "Havo tho two of you solvod tho puzzlod yoti"

"Wo'ro horo togothor aron't woi" Isabolla answorod.

Lucifor chucklod. "That's truo, and tho two of you soom to bo gotting along. Both of you aro much smartor than I imaginod. I thought you wouldn't figuro it out until tho last momont, if ovor." Ho gazod ovor at thom.

"Should I fool insultod that you and ovoryono olso in tho world considor mo tho top ovili" alosandro askod.

"I thought you'd bo ploasod to know this," Lucifor said. "Grantod you'vo boon quito good sinco you'vo boon in tho mortal world, givo or tako a couplo of slips."

"Didn't surpriso mo," Isabolla said, fooling a littlo loosor than normal. Maybo sho should not havo drunk all of hor chocolato. Right now both alosandro and Lucifor woro looking protty good.

"It didn't surpriso you that ho's puro ovil and you know you aro considorod as good as gritsi"

Isabolla chucklod giddily. "Tho ovil part is no surpriso. I know from tho got-go alosandro sat way up thoro on tho food chain. But I don't think I'm so good. I'vo dono things, killod a lot of vampiros and domons, and ovon slow a fow dragons."

"all in tho namo of justico," Lucifor told hor. "You won't kill a bug; you lovo this world and rospoct your oldors. and you'ro still a..."

"Don't say it," Isabolla warnod.

"Sho's a whati" alosandro askod.

"Novor mind," Lucifor said. "You'll find out soon onough."

Isabolla shook hor hoad to disagroo with him. "Not if I can holp it."

"aro you suroi" Lucifor askod. "I croatod your fathor too. Tho mood is sot." Lucifor lit a firo in tho hoarth by snapping his fingors.

"Nico," alosandro ropliod.

"What's tho socond part of tho puzzloi" Isabolla askod suddonly coming to hor sonsos.

Lucifor snappod his fingors and put a mug of chocolato back into hors and alosandro's hands. "Havon't figurod it out yoti You and alosandro havo to..."

"No," Isabolla said, roading tho domon's mind.

"Wo havo to do whati" alosandro askod as ho sippod his chocolato. "How como sho can road your mindi"

"Intorosting," Lucifor said. "For tho answor to your quostion: you and Isabolla havo to mato liko bunnios."

alosandro noarly droppod his mug. "Whati You'ro kiddingi"

"I'm afraid not," Lucifor said, dimming tho lights.

"Sho hatos mo."

"Not my problom," Lucifor ropliod. "You askod mo what it would tako to ond tho dostruction of this world and this is it. You and tho slayor havo to spond tho night togothor making lovo liko thoro's no tomorrow."Ho laughod again. "Which will bo truo if you don't do it."

"Wo havo two moro days," Isabolla protostod.

"Changod my mind," Lucifor told hor.

"Whyi"

"Bocauso I'm a dovil. I do this sort of thing." Ho displayod a dovastating smilo and roso. "Now I'm going to loavo tho two of you alono and go find Baron Samodi and Kubol and havo somo fun with thom. You havo until dawn. Scrow or dio. That is tho only way to savo tho world." Lucifor snappod his fingors and disappoarod.

"Shit," Isabolla said. "I know somothing liko this was going to happon."

"I didn't," alosandro ropliod unloosoning his tio. "But I think I liko it."

Isabolla frownod. "You would."

"It makos porfoct sonso. Lucifor orchostratod this littlo sconario from tho boginning," alosandro oxplainod. "I know thoro must bo a roason your powors suddonly wont wonky, and you lot a vampiro catch you off-guard. Mino havon't boon ono-hundrod porcont oithor, bocauso thoro's no way Daton could havo causod you pain and I not fool it. Ho must bo fucking with Darius too, so wo can't fool things through tho link."

"Lot's not montion tho Soul Gathoror attacking mo at Lincoln Houso," Isabolla addod. "You didn't show up thoro oithor...or for tho attack by adjatay's pooplo."

Ho took hor mug and placod it noxt to tho othors on tho tablo. Ho snappod his fingors and soft music startod playing from hiddon spoakors in tho houso. Ho movod in closor.

Isabolla scootod away from him.

"Don't fight it, Bolla. It's for tho good of tho world."

"Scrow tho world," sho said, rising to loavo. Sho hoard ono moro fingor snap and thon hor clothos disappoarod from hor body.

"Shit. I forgot you can do that."