Together they crept toward the back of the house. It was too quiet. The glades at night should be loud with buzzing insects, croaking frogs, and gator calls, but all he could hear was Annika’s breathing. Even Pip hadn’t barked to announce their arrival.

A yell pierced the quiet. Mawmaw’s voice. He ran for the back porch, Annika behind him. No longer caring about being quiet, he sprinted up the steps and skidded to a stop.

The sliding door was open and half off its track. Just in front of it, like she’d almost gotten inside, Mawmaw sprawled on her stomach, one arm stretched toward the sawed-off pool cue his grandfather used to carry around in his pickup truck.

“Mawmaw, what happened?” He started forward, but the air above her smudged with smoke and feathers.

Yahla stepped out of the house, cocked her head at him, and frowned. “You are late.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

From what Tatiana could see, achtice’s Primoris Domus occupied a slightly smaller estate than Corvinestri’s but was no less grandly appointed. The center hall of the main building, the only one she and Daci would be allowed entrance to, dripped with crystal, artwork, and gilding just as the comarré estate in Corvinestri did. Obscene, really.

The woman in charge here, Madame Vilma or Velma or something, was just as uptight, just as militant about them not stepping a foot beyond the center hall. Apparently, Syler’s insistence that Daci be allowed to purchase a comar despite there being no prior appointment had flustered her. As if Tatiana and Daci would even want to see more of the place. Tatiana had been down the halls of the Corvinestri house. Those dull little cells held no attraction.

She snorted softly.

“What is it?” Daci asked.

“How these comarré live and the way they act considering how well they’re paid.” She shook her head. “Look at this luxury. And for what? A little blood? A little power?” She leaned into the brocade sofa and crossed her arms. “And they call us parasites.”

“Ladies.” The voice came from behind them. Daci twisted in her seat. Tatiana merely lifted enough to look over the back of the sofa. The comarré housemother stood waiting. Had she heard what Tatiana had said? Not that it mattered, except she might further inflate the comar’s blood rights. “My available comars will be out shortly. Is there anything else you need?”

“No, thank you,” Daci answered. “Just the comars.”

The woman nodded her blond head and disappeared down a hall. Daci leaned in. “How much do you think this is going to cost me?”

“As much as they can get out of you. Primoris Domus comarré are the most expensive and the best quality.”

“Which is why they’re the only house allowed within vampire city limits. I know that, but no one ever really talks about how much it takes to purchase blood rights.”

“That’s a requirement of the paperwork you’ll sign. You agree not to reveal what you’ve spent.” Tatiana rolled her eyes. “That’s part of their mystique.” She thought for a moment. “We could always go outside the city to one of the lesser houses, but I’m not sure we have that kind of time here in achtice. Maybe when we get home to Corvinestri?”

“No, no.” Daci shook her head. “I want a Primoris Domus comar and I want one now. I want to show him off at the ball. I am the House of Tepes Elder, after all. I just hope I pick the right one.”

“Ask the questions I told you to ask and you’ll be fine.” Not that she’d fared that well with Damian, but how was she to know he’d turn into such a problem? At the time, he’d been the cream of the comar available, and there had been no question of whether or not she’d purchase his blood rights, just the negotiation as to how much she’d pay.

The sudden rush of blood scent filled the room, causing both women to gasp softly.

“Here we are,” the headmistress announced as she walked into the hall’s open space. Behind her followed four comars. All blond, all blue eyed, all dressed in white, and tattooed in gold. Each one a perfect specimen of their breed.

Tatiana watched as Daci scrutinized the men standing before her, although calling two of them men was a fair stretch considering they probably weren’t more than seventeen. She sat back to see how Daci would do.

Daci strolled both sides of the row of comars with a practiced nonchalance, getting a good look at each one. Then, without the slightest indication of her feelings upon her face, she stopped in front of Madame Vilma. “Have any had their blood rights purchased before?”

Madame Vilma nodded at the last one, also the oldest by his looks. “Daniel has. Unfortunately, his patron passed on but Daniel’s returned to us, eager to serve another.”

“He’s dismissed.” Daci waved her hand like she was pushing him away.

Tatiana smiled. Her Elder was doing well.

As that comar left, Daci asked her second question. “Which one is the youngest?”

“Jonah,” Vilma commanded. “Step forward.”

“His age?” Daci asked.

“Sixteen.”

Daci went to stand before the boy. He was easily a head taller than her and his broad body eclipsed her slim build. She leaned in and inhaled. He stood motionless under her scrutiny. She shifted her face and dropped her fangs, opening her mouth to breathe in his scent. He didn’t flinch, but his cheeks flushed the deep red of strong blood. The sight made Tatiana’s gums ache. This was the one.