Under the constant supervision of Giulio, Lavinia paced the corridor of Leone Rampante, back and forth, for several minutes until she could have recognized every grove and nick on the marble floor, blindfolded.

“Sweetheart, you need to calm yourself,” Giulio said.

Lavinia felt like snarling back, but it wasn’t the man’s fault that she was in that situation. “The detective is taking his sweet time to arrive, and my nerves are too frayed to try and calm myself,” she managed to say.

Giulio smiled and opened his hands in front of him in a peace offering. “I know, and I understand perfectly, but it’s close to the full moon—”

His words stopped her dead. Two days to the full moon, and Lavinia had completely forgotten. She couldn’t afford to forget that she would be in the throes of her monthly shift in less than forty-eight hours. And she hadn’t even remembered to check when the next full moon would rise.

“I’m going to keep it together. I promise.” All of a sudden, she felt cold. Caressing her arms to warm herself up, she finally walked back to the booth and sat opposite Giulio.

“You forgot,” he said.

She nodded.

“It’s understandable. You have a lot on your mind.” Giulio gave her a sympathetic smile. “And I’m sure you haven’t slept since the other night.”

She nodded again.

“If you’d like to sleep a full night tonight, I could help.” Giulio placed his hand palm up on the table.

A powerful warlock, Giulio didn’t usually offer his services. His gesture touched Lavinia deeply.

“I must look a fright for you to propose to cast a spell,” she said, but her attempt at humor backfired when Giulio’s expression became even more worried than before. “I could use some help, thank you.”

She placed her palm against his, and he closed his eyes, reciting an incantation. The arcane words echoed in the air between them, creating a strange echo, as if several persons were talking at once. Even the voices belonged to different people. When Giulio said the last word, he opened his eyes and looked at their united hands. A sudden warmth emanated from his skin and radiated forward, enveloping her hand, then her arm, and finally covering her entirely like a warm blanket. The sense of relief was immediate, and Lavinia finally relaxed.

“Thank you.” She sighed.

“It’s a delayed spell. It will make you sleep a full eight hours when you go to rest.” Giulio squeezed her hand once before releasing his hold and leaning his back against the booth’s bench. “Where are you going to sleep?”

“I haven’t thought that far ahead.” She only knew that she couldn’t go back to her apartment. The rest was a big unknown.

Giulio drummed his fingers on the scarred wooden surface of the table. “Duke Alberti, the owner of this pub, had safe rooms built underneath this building. They were meant for vampires, but all supers are welcome to use them.”

“I heard about them.” Lavinia shrugged one shoulder. She had also heard of the reclusive vampire, who was a billionaire and one of the few day-walkers in Rome. “Sure. It beats going back home,” she said at the same moment Detective Lane finally arrived.

The vampire looked shaken as he approached the booth and introduced himself to Giulio before nodding at Lavinia.

Giulio made to leave the booth but sat down again. “I need to tend to the masquerade’s preparations, but I can stay a minute or two longer if you want.” The Directive had hired Giulio to cater beverages to the White and Black Gala, its exclusive annual ball.

“Thank you, but there’s no need. I’ll be okay, and you don’t have time to waste.” Lavinia smiled at him and pointed at the scene behind him in the pub. “Go. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to you later.”

Giulio nodded at her, then saluted the detective with two fingers to the temple and slid out of the booth, vacating it for Lane.

Once the manager was gone, the vampire said, “I apologize I’m late.” A great deal of anguish showed on the man’s face, even though his voice was calm. “Are you okay?” he asked, taking Giulio’s spot.

“I am now,” she answered.

“What happened?”

“I felt a presence—”

“A presence?” Lane’s question didn’t sound mocking, but it raised her hackles nonetheless.

“I am a half-breed, but that doesn’t make me less wolf—” All her life, her mixed heritage had been the source of pain and ridicule at best, and persecution at worst. Her father’s clan had hunted them like mongrels for years. “For your information, I am still a werewolf, and close to the full moon my senses are keener,” she angrily finished. “So, if I say that I sensed a presence you better believe me.”

Lane raised his hands in the universal sign of peace. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I was genuinely asking about it.”

“Okay,” Lavinia said. “Sorry. I’m a bit strung up.”

“Understandable.” The vampire adjusted his long legs under the table. “So, what happened?”

“There was someone outside my complex building, and when I reached my apartment, the door was ajar, and there was a strange smell.” Lavinia frowned, trying to remember. Something more than a feeling, but not yet a fully developed memory, filled her mind. “I don’t know how to explain it, except that it was familiar, and at the same time it wasn’t. I’m sure that I’d never met anyone with that scent before, though.” The more she talked about the experience, the more details came into focus. “It was a man and a shifter.” She tapped her chin. “He walked around and touched things.” Her head heavy from the effort, she leaned against the booth’s leather back.

“And you are one hundred percent sure it was nobody you know.”

“Positive. Carolina’s family came earlier today to pick up her things for the funeral, but it wasn’t them. It was a shifter signature—”

“You think it was a shifter.” Lane caressed his well-groomed goatee. “Can you tell me what kind?”

Lavinia leaned her head back, her nostrils flaring as her mind supplied her with the memory she was trying to bring forth. “It was similar to my scent—” She frowned. “But not quite.”

The detective cocked his head to the side, his eyebrow arched. “What do you mean?”

“I’d say that it was a wolf,” she answered, feeling the truth of her statement deep inside.

“That’s good. Any new clue is good news at this point.”

“Do you think it was the assassin—” Lavinia couldn’t finish her thought.

Horror struck her at the mere idea that the person who had killed Carolina had entered their apartment and touched their things. She felt nauseous.

The vampire clenched and unclenched his fists. “I don’t know, but I’ll place you under surveillance,” he said. “And I think it would be better if you don’t go back to your apartment for a few days.”

She snorted. “I had no intention to.”

“Good.” He splayed his palms against the table. “Where are you going to stay?”

If the situation hadn’t been dire, Lavinia would have found it nice that people were so worried about her whereabouts.

“The safe chambers underneath the pub. Leone Rampante’s owner lets supernaturals use them.”

A fleeting emotion passed through the vampire’s face. It had looked a lot like fear, but he was fast in smoothing his expression to neutral. “I know of the chambers, but tonight they might not be safe. There’s a better solution for you.”