“What?” Carwyn turned his attention back to the other vampire. “Of course they are. That’s what we need to find, isn’t it?”

He was waving a hand. “Forget the manuscript. This is far bigger than one book now. Far, far bigger. They’ve made copies. I know Livia. She’s made copies of copies if she thinks it’s valuable. Which means that it’s also been stolen by someone by now. If information is valuable, then it will be stolen. It’s practically part of natural law.”

“So this drug—”

“Finally!” Lucien threw up his hands. “Someone calls it what it is.”

“A drug?”

“It is a drug! Not the elixir of life. For some reason, that was annoying me. Give things their proper names. Elixir implies that it’s a cure of some kind. And it’s not. Well…” He frowned and shook his head. “It’s a kind of cure, in a way…”

Carwyn frowned as Lucien drifted off. It was odd. His manner. His way of speaking. Something about Lucien spoke of confusion, which was unheard of. Immortal minds were sharp. More than even the brightest humans, the increased electricity that their bodies generated spurred faster processing, better memories, and far better reflexes. All that Lucien seemed to be lacking.

“Pomegranates,” Lucien whispered as he stared into the cold fireplace. “Did I tell you she smelled of pomegranates? Like fruit ripe in the sun, Carwyn. Do you remember that smell? And the smell of sunshine? Even with the sickness, she still smelled so sweet. Tasted… She tasted like the sweetest honey.”

Was Lucien talking about his lover? The one he had drunk from? “What are you talking about?”

“Silly me,” he whispered. “It felt so good at first.”

Alarm was beginning to grow in Carwyn’s chest. “Are you talking about this drug? How it made you feel? I thought you felt unwell.”

“Now I do. But at first…” Lucien’s eyes glowed. “Drinking her blood made me feel like a god.”

Vatican City

June 2012

Arturo was running late. But then, this was a last-minute meeting that Carwyn had called, so he couldn’t really blame the human. He wasn’t dressed in his clerical uniform this time. He wore black jeans and a black T-shirt with sturdy boots. He hadn’t shaved in months, and the slow-growing stubble cast a dark shadow on his face. He knew he looked like one of Terry’s ruffians, but the grim colors reflected the mood he was in.

He’d be leaving Rome soon. Beatrice had come up with a plan that was going to plunge him into more danger than he’d ever faced in his long life. He and Giovanni would have to find two vampires who were supposed to have died hundreds of years before. The fiercest kings of the ancient world. It was so far from his quiet mountain home it was laughable. The plan was madness—sheer, utter madness.

But it was the only way to learn the absolute truth about the origins of this drug.

If he survived, he was grabbing hold of Brigid Connor and never letting go.

The Spaniard bustled into the room shortly after Carwyn sat down. He placed several files on his desk, shuffling them around as Carwyn watched.

“Now,” Arturo said, “as I expected, this has all been routine. There will be a few things to sign, but permission of the Holy Father has already been granted. Privately, I can say that you have his sincere blessing and thanks for your long service to the church. Some of the Cardinals are unhappy, but as you haven’t officially existed since the tenth century, they can’t say much, can they?”

“Wait!” His heart had begun pounding as soon as Arturo opened his mouth.

‘…routine… permission granted…’

It was an odd feeling. Carwyn felt lost and found all at once. “So, it’s official? I’m not a priest anymore?”

For better or worse, the Catholic Church had been his home for over a thousand years. It had given him purpose. Had offered an unchanging bedrock in a constantly changing world. Though release was what he wanted, a corner of his heart still grieved.

Arturo straightened his shoulders and lifted his chin proudly. “You will always be a priest in your heart. It is part of your soul. ‘You are a priest forever, like Melchizedek of old.’ The church is only releasing you from your vows. The only responsibility you have is to hear the penitence of the dying. That will always be your blessing and your burden.”

He took a deep breath. A priest forever… but released from his obligations to the church. Free to live as he chose. Free to devote himself to his family and friends. Free to love the woman who had become so precious to him.

Free.

“Thank you, Arturo.”

“Thank you. Now, what is this meeting really about? We were not scheduled to meet until next week. I was surprised when you called.”

“I will be leaving Rome shortly, and there are matters happening among my kind that I wish to speak to you about.”

“Is it this so-called ‘Elixir of Life?’”

Carwyn cocked his head and smiled. “One of these days, I’ll figure out where you get your information, human.”

Arturo shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. An enigmatic smile flickered on his lips. “Where do you think I get it? I’m sure you can make a decent guess.”

Carwyn narrowed his eyes and thought. How many immortal priests or nuns were scattered around the globe, intimately involved with their communities? Hundreds? Thousands? How many more vampires like him who retained strong ties to the church? How many did Arturo speak to on a regular basis?