Once Burned

It was annoying and touching at the same time, adding further chaos to my already tumultuous emotions. If Vlad was the heartless creature he made himself out to be, he'd utilize me to his best advantage by throwing me into the most perilous situations. But he didn't. Which was the real Vlad? The one whose heart was forever out of reach, or the man who seemed to prize my safety more than the quickest path to vengeance?

I pondered that as the black SUV I was in came to a stop outside a set of tall iron gates. Maximus drove, Shrapnel rode shotgun, and I was alone in the backseat. Another SUV filled with six additional guards followed closely behind us. We were fifteen minutes from Oradea, Romania, but to look around, you wouldn't guess that a bustling city was nearby. This gate was tucked inside thick woods, the long gravel road leading to it nearly invisible from the turnoff-assuming you found the secluded road leading to that. The owner of this property either liked his privacy or he hated having unexpected visitors, which was exactly what the three of us were.

Maximus rolled down his window and pressed a button on the metal console that jutted out a few feet from the ground. I couldn't hear a camera zooming in on his rugged features, but I had no doubt that his image was being transmitted.

"Vlad Tepesh kuldottei Gabriel Tolvai-hoz jottek," he stated.

I only recognized the name. Gabriel Tolvai, an ally of Vlad's that, as per usual, he didn't suspect of being in league with Szilagyi. Still, it was one more name to cross off a list, even if Tolvai lived in a secluded area where the closest neighbors seemed to be of the animal variety.

The tall gates slid open and we drove through them. After we traveled the length of a football field, Maximus pulled up to a stately, two-story white house with ochre-colored trim. The old world architecture looked like an aesthetic choice rather than the home's actual age, and while the house was large, it was still less than a fourth the size of Vlad's home.

Two bearded guards carrying automatic weapons stood by what looked like the main entrance. Since this was a vampire residence, I guessed the big guns were filled with silver bullets instead of lead. Maximus and Shrapnel didn't seem concerned. When we got out of the car, they didn't even look at the guards who held open the double doors for us, so I mimicked their aloof demeanor. Our other armed escort got out but stayed by the vehicles, their presence as threatening as it was silent. In my usual pattern, once I crossed the threshold into Tolvai's house, I began to recite the worst songs the eighties had to offer. No way would I risk running into another mind reader unprepared.

A slender boy with russet-colored hair walked down the hall toward us. He wore jeans, sneakers, and a black jacket slung over an Ed Hardy T-shirt. He didn't even look old enough to drink in the States, so I was surprised when Maximus and Shrapnel inclined their heads at him.

"Greetings from our sire, Tolvai," Maximus said formally.

Tolvai responded with a burst of dialog that I didn't understand a word of. It wasn't Romanian-I'd gotten better at recognizing certain words in that language-but my confusion was cut short when Shrapnel held up a hand.

"Vlad requests that you speak English in front of his guest so she understands everything that is being said."

"Is that right?" Tolvai replied, the words richly accented.

Amber eyes swept over me. Once I stared into them, I didn't know how I'd ever mistaken Tolvai for someone younger than me. The weight of centuries reflected in those jewel-colored eyes, and the way his gaze raked me from facial scar to shoes said that a human was less than worthless to him.

"If Vlad wishes, I shall repeat myself," Tolvai said, smiling at me the way a great white shark would at a plump seal. "What has happened that Vlad sent his most senior guards to my house without even a phone call to inform me of their coming?"

"Recently, four vampires set fire to one of Vlad's businesses in southern Suceava," Maximus stated. "Three of the perpetrators were killed, but one escaped. Vlad is asking all of his allies to assist him in finding this last arsonist."

The barest smile touched Tolvai's lips. "Of course I will offer my assistance. Any attack on a vampire's territory must be swiftly avenged lest his enemies take it as a sign of weakness."

I was surprised by the veiled taunt. Tolvai hadn't been on Vlad's suspect list, but maybe he should reconsider. Shrapnel also didn't seem to appreciate the subtext. His glare could have burned holes into Tolvai's deceptively young-looking features, but the vampire didn't show the slightest amount of concern. In fact, when his gaze dipped dismissively to me again, either he was loyal-albeit sarcastic-or word of what I could do hadn't spread to him yet.

Both were put to the test when Shrapnel said in a mild tone, "Then you won't mind if Leila touches a few things in your home."

Tolvai's expression registered confusion, but not alarm. "Miert? But why?" he amended in English.

"Because Vlad asks you to," was Maximus's reply.

Anyone could discern the challenge wrapped in the large vampire's silky tone. Tolvai's lips tightened, and if it weren't for those ancient eyes, he'd have resembled a teenager about to have a full-on temper tantrum. For several tense moments, I wondered if he'd refuse. But then he swept out his hand.

"If Vlad wishes, then she may do so. But to quote the American saying, if she breaks anything, she buys it."

I glanced at Maximus and Shrapnel as I took off my right glove. "I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Anything like what?" Tolvai asked sharply. "Do you suggest that I am involved with this arsonist?"

"Of course not." Butter wouldn't have melted in Shrapnel's cool reply. "But wouldn't you want to know if one of your people went behind your back and broke truce with Vlad?"

I walked farther down the hall, letting the vampires handle this power contest themselves. After a tense silence, Tolvai bit out, "Vlad and I will have words about this." Then he swept past me in a blur, disappearing up the staircase. If I were a vampire, I imagined the scent of his anger at having his home searched would have clogged my nostrils.

I glanced back at Maximus and Shrapnel, shrugged, and then continued on my way. They knew by now that I concentrated better if they didn't hover over me. Tolvai's entrance hall wasn't nearly as impressive as Vlad's, but I liked the pastel palette more than Vlad's tendency toward darker, gothic colors. I detoured at the first room, an elegant lounge with a white marble fireplace and ceilings three times as high as I was tall.

Once inside, I ignored the fancy figurines or other objets d'art. Years of training myself on what not to touch made it easy to choose the most essence-heavy objects. Despite their high traffic level, light switches and lamps were out of the question, but that left doorknobs, handles of any kind, drawers, armrests, pens, glasses, and the like. After I handled various objects that showed images of feeding, sex, and some harsh discipline of Tolvai's staff, I moved on to the next room. Then the next one. Maximus and Shrapnel stayed in the hallway, allowing me my space while the constant collision of memories versus reality made me feel like I was on a vivid acid trip.