Stacey handed Felicia a tissue. "That's no reason to nick somebody's father, dear."

Felicia blew her nose loudly into the tissue. "I know, I know. I didn't want to do it, but Maximus told us how evil spawn are and how we'd be doing everyone a big favor by keeping one prisoner."

I narrowed my eyes. "Did Maximus put the bounty on my dad or me?"

She shook her head. "No. He didn't even know about you two until Mortimer found the bounty online and showed it to him. Maximus was certain about spawn blood being the answer to his issues."

Her answer brought up another thought which promptly kicked me in the guts. "Those vamplings…my god, they were people. He killed those people trying to turn them and you and the others helped him. How can you live with yourself?"

Her eyes widened to the point where I thought they'd fall out. "What do you mean he killed them? He didn't kill anyone! He said they died because they were too weak to undergo the change. He gave them a choice."

"Don't give me that crap. You said he knew about his problem with turning people. His attempts to make them into vampires killed them and created those zombie things. That makes it his responsibility."

"But they all went willingly! Maximus is the one who turned me and Mortimer and several others. He said he needed your dad's blood to be more potent so the weak people could survive as well. He wants immortality available to everyone, not just the privileged few."

I shook my head unable to make sense of it. It wasn't like I knew a damned thing about vampires or how turning worked. Either Maximus was lying to them, or Felicia was willing to protect him at all costs. Probably both.

"Ain't no way Maximus turned you if he made vamplings," Ryland said. "You either can or you can't, and it sounds like he can't."

"How would you know?"

"I'm a Templar."

Felicia's round eyes grew wider though her face couldn't get any paler, being a vampire and all. "Are you going to kill me?" Her voice was a small frightened whisper.

Ryland showed her his teeth. His silvery eyes gleamed with the promise of things worse than death.

"Ooh," Stacey murmured, her face full of something like awe. She shook her head when she noticed what she was doing and blushed like a school girl.

Either the werewolf didn't notice, or he pretended not to. "Vampire, I know all about vampiric turning. Only one of potent blood and focus can enable the virus to make the change happen. Anyone lacking either will unleash a vampling infected with a contagion the likes of which you've never seen."

"Then how did he change me?"

"Give me your finger, girl."

"Are you going to bite it off?"

He grimaced and shook his head. "You kidding me? Vampires taste as bad as hellhounds."

Her lower lip quivered but she held out a pale finger to him. He pricked it with a silver dagger, pulled from under his ninja camo. She shrieked at the unexpected blade, but he held her finger fast and touched a bit of parchment paper to the dark black blood welling on the tip. Felicia sucked on her finger when he let go.

"Why does silver hurt so bad?"

Ryland ignored her as he mumbled something, pulled a lighter from his pocket and set the paper ablaze. It burst into a white flame, the paper vanishing instantly and leaving strange symbols hovering in the air which faded to nothing within a few seconds.

"What was that about?" I asked, clearing the afterimage of the brilliant flash from my eyes by squeezing them shut.

He tucked the lighter away. "It's a blood test. Her blood is clean of infection and points to a vampire of just over two centuries old as her blood master."

"Nobody in the uprising is that old," she said. "Maximus is just over a hundred and fifty."

"And that's way too young to be a blood master." Ryland wrinkled his forehead. "Hell, two-hundred is too young, so whoever did it must have some special blood, or been turned by one of the ancient masters."

Felicia knitted her eyebrows. "Maximus claims he was turned by an ancient master."

Ryland snorted. "Yeah, well he claims a lot of stuff, this Maximus idiot. And he's obviously lying. I'll bet he has someone there who's turning people for him. People he wants to live through the process anyway."

"When you say blood master, does it mean that vampire can control you?" I asked.

"It depends. From what they taught us at the Academy, the old masters have a lot of control over their brood. How much control is anyone's guess."

The passenger door opened and Smith climbed in. He saw Felicia's red-rimmed eyes. "Don't fall for the teary-eyed act. God knows I gave her enough money before figuring out that little game of hers."

Felicia gasped. "I'm your sister. Why would you say such mean things about me, especially to strangers?"

Smith laughed. "Considering your reputation and what you did to them, I don't see how their opinion of you could be any lower."

Ryland pulled into traffic and headed for Shelton's. He sniffed the air through his open window, his eyes casting about, ever watchful. The sun just barely lit the sky on the horizon, but gray clouds threatened to make it a gloomier day.

That's when they came from the shadows. A lot of them.

Vampires.

Chapter 17

Elyssa

Elyssa had been expecting a fight. Maybe even a couple of deaths resulting from the fight. After all, David had looked ready to tear off Vallaena's head. Instead, the man he and Shelton had been speaking with came over and threw himself between them, speaking urgently in a language Elyssa didn't understand. David's coiled muscles relaxed ever so slightly, but the look on his face betrayed the violence lurking behind his thin façade. He nodded and followed the man back to the other table.

"If you will excuse me," Vallaena said, and followed him.

Elyssa allowed her breathing to return to normal. If a fight had broken out, she wasn't sure what she would have done. David was Justin's father, but as a Templar she couldn't go around cutting up other spawn because of a family feud. She also desperately wanted to find out who the mystery man was.

"Well, lookie who's here," Shelton said, coming over a few minutes after Vallaena left her sitting there pondering her thoughts and wondering what to do next.

"Have a seat, Shelton," Elyssa said, gesturing to a chair across from her. "I think we need to have a little conversation."

"Oh, is the weather really nice?"

"Don't play coy." She leaned across the table as he dropped into a chair. "Who's the man you and David were talking to?"

Shelton waved his hands palms out. "Hey, you want to get me hurt? You'll have to ask those two. I ain't stepping hip deep into that pile of trouble."

"The three of you were chatting away for quite a while before David came over. I want to know what's going on."

Shelton waved the waitress over and ordered another coffee. "You want anything?"

Elyssa shook her head. "No. And stop avoiding the questions."

After the waitress left, Shelton rested his arms on the table and grinned. "How 'bout you tell me what you and Rapunzel were talking about over here?"

Elyssa leaned back and crossed her arms. "It doesn't concern you."

Shelton's smile widened. "Well, how about that? You got your business, and I got mine. If David tells you, then it's his decision."

A dull ache rose in her temples and Elyssa realized she was clenching her teeth and her fists against the desire to leap across the table and hammer the truth out of Shelton. Justin had been right not to trust the man. She got up and walked across the room to the original table where Shelton had been sitting. David, Vallaena, and the other man occupied it now.

She pulled up a chair and sat down while the others watched her.

"I think it just as well she knows," Vallaena said to the mystery man. "She's just as instrumental as the others." The man turned and repeated what she'd said to David.

David's face was already red but he spoke to the man. "You don't even know the full truth of it. It's just a fairy tale."

Again, the mystery man repeated the words to Vallaena.

She shook her head. "It may well be, but if we don't find out more, we won't be prepared."

"What in the world is this about?" Elyssa said. "This has to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Are you not speaking to David because he's Castratae and you're Anae?"

Vallaena raised an eyebrow. "Perceptive, Templaras. I must use an intermediary lest I soil my honor."

Elyssa looked at the third man, looking for some hint as to what he might be. "Is he Daemos?"

"Yes, and a Denae. He is not of House Slade, however, and is not a person of interest to you or anybody else." Vallaena sighed. "Young curiosity is so troublesome. Tell him who you are, Denae."

"I am Daemos Denae-Nyles Kalamander. I am a ward of Daemas Anae-Vallaena Slade sent here by my father to strengthen the blood of our two houses and to do the bidding of all my ward commands me."

"I thought you told me he wasn't your man," Elyssa said, her tone accusing.

"You asked if he was with me, not if he was my man."

"And you interpreted the meaning of my words however you saw fit. Thanks for reminding me why people never trust spawn."

Nyles paled. "She has insulted you, Anae. Shall I—"

Vallaena held up a hand. "She is not of our kind, Denae, and not to be held to our standards." Her dimples appeared alongside a small grin. "Since I determined you would probably be unwilling to help bring Justin under my protection, I thought it wise to ask his father as well."

"And I told her no way in hell," David said, his eyes on Elyssa. "Knowing her, she's probably got a dozen other irons in the fire as well." He leaned back in his chair. "She also didn't tell you I met with Nyles because he claimed to have information about my wife Alice. Apparently it was a lure to draw me into this meeting."