Unwittingly, her fingers rose to her lips. They still tingled from the fierce, possessive kiss he had bestowed upon her before leaving. A kiss that promised that the intimacy of their joining was far from complete. And that he would very soon tutor her in the pleasures of a more physical nature.

"Amelia."

The soft call of Nefri's voice had Amelia abruptly wrenching her eyes open. An absurd blush stole to her cheeks as she wondered if the wise old vampire was capable of reading her wicked thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Move into the carriage."

Any hint of embarrassment faded as a chill inched down her spine. "Is something the matter?"

The seemingly frail woman lifted her face toward the moon, closing her eyes as if concentrating upon the shadows that surrounded them.

"I feel... a strangeness in the air."

Amelia frowned. With great reluctance she turned her thoughts from the wondrous thoughts of Sebastian and concentrated on the velvet darkness that surrounded them. For long moments she could feel nothing but the tingling presence of Nefri. It was a growingly familiar prickle that she knew belonged solely to vampires. But determinedly searching with her thoughts, she at last managed to catch the faint hint of wrongness that had alerted Nefri.

"What is it?" she breathed in puzzlement.

Nefri slowly lowered her head, turning to regard Amelia with a closed expression. "Something approaches."

"Drake?"

"No. This is a force that is much more powerful. And it nears." The wrinkled countenance hardened. "Join your brother in the carriage, Amelia."

With stumbling steps, Amelia rushed to obey the urgent command. The air was beginning to thicken with a bleak dread that was making her skin crawl and her throat tighten. Whatever was nearing, she was quite certain she did not wish to face it.

She had barely managed to wrench open the door and trip up the stairs when what felt like striking lightning hit her in the back and knocked her forward. Gasping, Amelia awkwardly turned to peer out the still-open door.

"Nefri," she breathed in horror, watching the fragile old woman struggling back to her feet as a layer of black shadows shifted and hardened to form a tall, gaunt-faced gentleman.

Valkier regarded the elderly vampire as she scrambled back to her feet. A rare, chilling smile touched his lips. After centuries of plotting and scheming, it was all about to come to fruition.

Soon he would be done with this noble, self-sacrificing, aggravating woman. At last she would be destroyed and along with her, the power that she wielded. He alone would be in control of the vampires. And the world.

"Good evening, Nefri," he murmured with an elegant bow.

"Valkier." Her expression hardened as she deliberately allowed the facade of the harmless Gypsy to fade. With a shimmer she was once again a tall, strikingly beautiful vampire with thick, ebony hair that flowed well past her slender waist. The porcelain features were perfect and unmarred by age, although there was no way to disguise the ancient wisdom that filled the ebony-black eyes. "I have been expecting you."

Valkier briefly felt his empty heart flare with the bittersweet emotions that he had once harbored toward this female. An eternity before, he had allowed himself to be held captive by Nefri's beauty. He had offered his very soul to possess her, but the treacherous vampire had denied his attempts at binding. She claimed that her life would be devoted to all vampires. And that she would willingly waste her superior powers in an effort to lure his brothers from their rightful place in the world to imprison them within a Veil.

Now he ruthlessly crushed the unwelcome weakness. Nefri had chosen to oppose him. She would be destroyed for her foolishness.

"How very pleasant to realize that you have not lost your wits entirely, Nefri," he mocked as he stepped toward the beautiful vampire. "I was beginning to fear that you would never realize that I was playing you for a fool."

"No, not a fool. However, I will admit that I hoped that I was mistaken, Valkier." The dark eyes held an annoying hint of sadness. "Despite our differences I have never considered you my enemy. Indeed, I continued to hold the belief that you would overcome your conceit and realize that our powers are not meant to compel others to our will."

"My conceit?" Valkier gave a sharp, unamused laugh. "You have bullied, cajoled, and castrated vampires until they are no more than pathetic shadows of themselves. And for what? To cower behind the Veil and pretend that we do not long to return to our rightful inheritance? It is your conceit that has led us to near-destruction."

"What is it you desire?" she demanded.

"I?" He ran a contented hand down the soft satin of his black jacket. "What is mine by right.

Dominion."

"Over humans?"

He grimaced. "I do not seek to rule mere fodder. What are mortals to me? No. My dominion will be over vampires. As is only proper."

Nefri narrowed her dark gaze. "The Great Council will stop you. You cannot overcome them all."

Valkier offered a soft laugh. "A bothersome problem that you have at last allowed me to overcome, my dear Nefri."

"The Medallion is beyond your reach," she warned.

"Ah yes, the precious Medallion." He folded his arms over his chest, fully enjoying this moment of superiority over the woman who had spurned him. She would learn that he was not a vampire to accept defeat. Not ever. "I had hoped that my ruse would prove an adequate distraction for you and the Great Council."

"Distraction?"

"But of course." His smile was edged with a smug satisfaction. "I realized that if I were to accomplish my goals I must do something that would command the complete attention of all vampires. What better means than to threaten the precious Veil?" His smile widened in a chilling fashion. "It was a simple matter to seduce the three fools into believing they would soon possess the power of the Medallion. And even simpler to persuade the Great Council to choose to send in defense those vampires who were so noble and filled with righteous self-worth that they would not merely dispose of the traitors, but actually attempt to save them from their own lusts. They provided all the diversion I required."

Oddly, the sadness about Nefri only seemed to deepen. The knowledge sent a surge of anger through Valkier. He wanted her frightened and begging for mercy, not regarding him with pity.

"And what did you hope to gain, Valkier?" she asked softly.

His hands curled as he battled the need to strike the flawless countenance. He would be respected. And feared.

"Unlike my brethren, I have not forgotten that the Medallion was only one of a pair," he retorted in smooth tones. "As with all ancient artifacts, it was made to provide a balance to the one who wielded the power. The eternal Yin and Yang. Darkness and light. Love and hatred.

Creation and destruction." He slowly reached beneath his jacket to reveal the Medallion he had so recently stolen from Nefri's hidden lair. "You have quite foolishly chosen to divide the Medallion of Creation, lessening it to mere baubles. While I now possess the Medallion of Destruction."

The smooth expression never altered. "And what do you intend to do with it, Valkier?"

"It is quite simple. I intend to destroy the Veil and anyone who stands in my way."

There was a long silence before she stepped toward him, a slender hand outstretched.

"Do not do this, Valkier. You will only harm yourself."

His nose flared in fury. Why did she remain so calm? Why did she not plead for his mercy?

"Nothing can harm me now, Nefri. I am invincible."

"No, not invincible. The Medallion is a danger in itself."

"Do not speak." Valkier held up the Medallion, the wondrous glory he had expected to experience ruined by this woman who had plagued him for centuries. "You could have ruled at my side, Nefri. You could have been the Queen to my King. But instead you have chosen to oppose my will. For that you will be the first to feel my retribution. I fear I must say goodbye to you now. My destiny awaits."

Holding the Medallion high, Valkier felt the power cascade through his body with an intoxicating flood of pleasure. Soon, he moaned in painful arousal. Soon it would all be his.

Amelia was frozen in horror as she watched the two powerful vampires confront each other.

Deep within her, a tiny voice whispered that she should do something. Surely she should at least run in search of Sebastian, or call out in warning?

But despite the frantic urge to help, she was bound by a paralyzing fear.

Instead she helplessly watched as Nefri squarely faced her assailant, her shabby disguise falling away to reveal a tall, proudly beautiful woman. She could sense no fear in the ancient vampire. Not even when Valkier revealed his evil intentions. Instead, there was an unmistakable pity that frightened Amelia even more.

It was obvious that Nefri had some feelings for the horrid intruder. Would such emotions keep her from protecting herself? Would she allow herself to be destroyed rather than strike out against this vampire who had clearly loved her at one time?

Struggling to find some means past the panic that clutched at her, Amelia was abruptly distracted when the distinct sound of Sebastian's voice echoed in her mind.