Eternal Kiss of Darkness

"Some people call dating a side project, too. You should try that instead," Lily cackled.

Kira almost flushed. If Lily only knew . . .

"Good night, see you tomorrow," was what she said with another wave.

It took about the same amount of time to get to the West Loop by car as it did by walking and taking the Green Line, as Kira found out. Still, it was infinitely nicer not to heft that heavy backpack around, or to tense at every shadowy patch along the streets she walked when she worked late. She'd just have to get a treadmil or a gym membership for her exercise from now on.

Once she pulled inside the garage of her apartment building, Kira couldn't help but look around. Was Mencheres nearby? The thought sent a thril of excitement through her.

Or had he mesmerized Frank at the office without anyone's noticing him? It was possible. Mencheres moved so quickly, he could have been in and out without Kira, or anyone else, seeing him.

And why did he do it? Whimsy? Boredom? Or as a hint that he wanted her to find him?

Mencheres knew she worked for a private investigator. He knew she'd had cases where clients spoke of strange happenings that she'd previously dismissed . . . but now realized might have been true. If mesmerizing her boss into giving her a car and cash was Mencheres's way of dropping bread crumbs to see if Kira followed them, it worked.

The chance to see him again, not as his captive, but as a woman, made more slivers of exhilaration course through her. She had a thousand good reasons why seeing him would be a mistake, but instinct overruled those whenever she thought of him. All right, Mencheres. I'm taking the bait.

Two trips from her car to her apartment later and she had all the boxes of files spread out in her living room. Each case contained some sort of occurrence that might be paranormal in nature, be it outrageous witness testimony, odd evidence left at the scene, or rumors of involvement in something freakier than the occult. Kira intended to go through all of them until she found a common denominator. Mencheres might have stayed in his house most of the time that she'd been with him, but she had a feeling being homebound wasn't his normal pattern - or the pattern of most vampires.

Time to follow those gut feelings. With luck, somewhere in these files, she'd find something that would lead her to Mencheres. If that didn't work, she'd search the Internet next.

Or she could always tape a bat image to her apartment window right above a Welcome sign, but Kira thought that might be pushing it.

She picked up the first folder. Follow the bread crumbs.

Gorgon appeared in the bedroom doorway, but Mencheres didn't bother to open his eyes. He knew who Gorgon had come to announce. He'd heard him arrive.

"Tell him I'll be down momentarily," Mencheres said.

"Yes, sire," Gorgon replied.

Mencheres opened his eyes once Gorgon shut the door. He stared at the ceiling for several long seconds, not seeing its pale patterns but trying to see into the future, hoping something had changed. Perhaps the new vigor for life Kira had somehow wrought in him would alter the vision of the future he'd seen before.

His power reached out, piercing the veil that separated now from later, but instead of images of people, places, or happenings, all Mencheres saw was a blanket of ebony as vast and fathomless as the universe.

The underworld of Duat, waiting for him. Just as before.

Mencheres got up from the bed. His fate was still death, but instead of the acceptance he'd felt when he first saw that looming endless void, now it angered him. Death had become a bitter defeat instead of a coolly logical way to thwart Radjedef while releasing the burdens he'd long carried, and it was all because of Kira.

He clenched his jaw. How cruel the gods were to send her into his life. She made him want to live when he had no time left.

And even less time for complaining about his fate, Mencheres reminded himself. He took the manila envelope from his nightstand before he swept out of the room. Some things he still had control over, even if his future wasn't one of them.

Mencheres went downstairs to the front hall. A vampire stood near the door, his dark curly hair cut close and his lean frame encased in casual black pants and a fitted pull over shirt. For a moment, Mencheres stared at him. My co-ruler. My heir.

And his wife's murderer.

"Bones," he said in greeting. "Thank you for coming."

Dark brown eyes met his with a coolness that still stung even though Mencheres knew he had earned it. "You said it was urgent," Bones replied, a British accent coloring his words even after centuries.

"I don't trust this to be passed even through members of our line," Mencheres said, not bothering with any formal pleasantries. Bones had always preferred getting right to business. He held out the manila folder that contained all of Kira's personal information.

"Put this with my other Legacy items."

Bones arched a brow as he took the folder that was meant to be opened only in the event of Mencheres's death. He didn't know it, but by taking it, Bones had just assumed responsibility for Kira once Mencheres was gone.

"still think you're soon to be shriveled, grandsire?" Bones asked with a hint of a scoff.

"Vision impotence doesn't necessarily mean impending death. It might only be a temporary loss."

Bones knew that Mencheres's visions of the future were gone, but Mencheres hadn't told his co-ruler that the one thing he did see ahead of him was darkness. He also hadn't told Bones that his cold war with Radjedef was heating up. Bones would feel obligated to act on both pieces of information, and Mencheres didn't want that. He'd settle his own affairs in the time he had left.

"It is foolish not to be prepared for any eventuality," Mencheres said with a shrug.

"Indeed. Speaking of preparing for any eventuality, we might have a problem with some ghouls. I've heard reports that Masterless vampires have gone missing in recent weeks, with ghoul gangs as the primary suspects."

Mencheres hid a grim smile as he thought back to the morning of the warehouse. "I've heard the same thing."

"Could be nothing more than a few sods needing to be taught a lesson," Bones went on. "But it also could be Apol yon stirring things up with more of his rot about my wife's being a threat to the ghoul nation. I'll be checking into it. Thought you'd want to know." Another reason why Mencheres was frustrated by his impending death. Bones would be left to handle this threat without him if he was right, and Apol yon was involved. His death meant he'd be leaving his co-ruler when Bones needed him the most. Once again, Mencheres cursed the looming darkness in his visions.

"How fares Cat?" he asked, forcing back his anger at his fate.