Killed.

The word propelled me back half a step. “Wha—what? Who?”

He reeled me back in. “Ivan Murrad.”

Ivan Murrad, wasn’t he—

“One of the suitors?” I hissed.

He nodded, his face grave.

“What happened?”

He ignored me and flagged down a passing man in a suit. It took me a moment to realize it was Matthias.

Matthias approached, stopping at my side to take a quick bow. “My Lord? Is there anything I can do to assist you?”

“You live in the Poseidon building, don’t you?” my father asked.

“Uh, yes?” he replied, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

“Good.” My father released my arm and sharply nudged me in the middle of my back. “I need you to accompany Lacey back to your residence and keep her there. She’ll be safe with you. The Poseidon has top notch security.”

“My Lord?” Matthias said, his brows furrowed.

“There’s been a murder. The manor isn’t safe,” my father snapped.

“Father!” I protested. “I don’t need to go anywhere. Nothing is going to happen to me here! There are guards everywhere.”

He silenced me with a sharp glare. “Ivan was found dead in your chambers, Lacey. His body sprawled across your bed, his head on the floor.”

My stomach rolled. “My … bed?”

He ignored my terror and looked back to Matthias. “Until we know what happened here tonight, she will stay with you. I will send guards to accompany you.”

“Ivan?” Matthias said, his face drained of all color. He swore under his breath as he spun around to look at the thinning crowd. “I saw him leaving earlier. He was with Jupiter Reed. Is she all right?”

My father shook his head, “I don’t know about the girl. He was found alone.”

“We have to find Jupiter!” Panic bubbled up and my body went ice cold. For the second time that night, I teetered on the edge of losing consciousness. Sheer will pushed me through and I dragged in a deep breath. For Jupiter’s sake, I had to keep it together.

I looked at Matthias. “You saw her after the announcement?”

He gave a quick nod. “When we went to the bar, I saw them leave the dance floor together.”

“If she was with Ivan and now he’s dead, that means she could be in danger too!” I looked to my father, pleading for him to swoop in and fix it. If there was one thing he was good at, it was crisis management. He wouldn’t have a fraction of his empire if not for his cool head and quick thinking in situations like this one. I’d inherited part of the coolness but also tended to run on a shorter fuse. That was the portion winning out as I thought about my friend and the horrors she might have seen … or, possibly experienced.

My father ignored me and turned to speak with two additional guards who’d materialized at his side.

Fury ripped through me and I clawed at his arm. “If Jupiter is missing, we have to find her! Right now!” I heard my voice pitching into hysterics but couldn’t reign it back in again.

“Control yourself, Lacey. Hysteria is not becoming,” he snapped at me.

Yes, because that’s what I was worried about.

He dismissed me with a flap of his hand. “Go with Matthias. His building is secure.”

“But, you—”

He looked over my head, to Matthias, and lifted his brows. “Lord Hartford. I trust you can take it from here?”

Matthias nodded and pulled at my arm. “Come on, Lacey. There’s nothing we can do to help right now. Let them handle this.”

My father followed his guards out of the ballroom, quickly getting lost in the crowd of vampires streaming away from the party.

“Lacey—”

I rounded on Matthias, my rage pivoting to its new target just as quickly. I hiked up onto my tiptoes to get as close to in his face as I could manage. Through clenched teeth, I spat, “Don’t touch me. I’m not going anywhere until I know Jupiter is safe!”

“She’s my friend too, Lacey. I want her found just as much as you do,” he said, keeping his voice soft and even. For some reason, his calmness only spiked my irritation.

“All the more reason for us to stay!” I fired back. “You can help me look for her.”

“No,” he said firmly, his grip tightening. “Your father is right—we need to get you out of here. It’s not safe.”

“I’m not the one in danger!”

Matthias tilted his head. “A vampire was just killed in your bedroom. On your bed. You don’t think that maybe there’s a chance he wasn’t the intended target?”

The words obliterated my readied argument and a thick layer of ice encased my spine. He was right. My bedroom was locked when Jupiter and I left. It was standard security procedure on nights like this one. All of the rooms not open to the public were locked, and guards were set to regular patrols through the west wing of the house for the duration of the event. If anyone caught a whiff of something out of the ordinary, the full weight of the Vaughn House security force would bear down on them. And no one really wants a horde of vamps on their tail, especially when they’d been trained to kill first and ask questions later.

For someone to go through all that trouble, the payoff would have to be worth it.

I didn’t know much about Ivan, other than that he was in the running to try to marry me. For all I knew, he could have a dozen people gunning for him. However, it wasn’t likely. And it was even more unlikely that someone seeking to kill him would attempt it in my bedroom.

Had they broken down the door? Or did they have a key? It could be anyone.

I imagined the scene in my head and an eerie feeling made my skin crawl.

I met Matthias’s eyes and bobbed my head. “Fine. We’ll go.”

* * *

The Poseidon was a mid-rise building in the heart of the New York Haven, the supernaturally concealed community that stood only a magical wink away from Manhattan. Throughout the Big Apple, there were half a dozen entrances into the haven. The Vaughn mansion was located in nearby Tarrytown, which, along with large swaths of Sleepy Hollow, had been annexed into the New York Haven. The commute into the city was made a lot less painful thanks to a series of underground tunnels that my father had commissioned shortly after joining the haven. We took Matthias’s SUV through the tunnels and reached the center of the haven in forty minutes. He pulled up to the curb and we climbed out. He passed the keys to an eager valet and we proceeded to the front doors.

A large and intimidating man stood before them, his mountain-esque form encased in a well-cut navy suit and a pair of shiny loafers. Black leather gloves concealed his folded hands. He was a doorman, but something about him told me he was also at least part security watchdog and that I wouldn’t want to know what those hands were capable of when the gloves came off, so to speak. Matthias greeted him with a polite nod as he held the door open for us.

The expansive lobby was tastefully decorated with muted colors and high-end finishes. We passed a large aquarium on the way to the elevators, and I paused to watch the swirls of colorful fins gliding through the water.

“Lacey?” Matthias said gently, he took my elbow and inclined his head at the elevator doors that stood open and waiting.

With a shake of my head, I hurried forward. “Right.”

Inside, Matthias pressed the button for the penthouse and I raised my brows. Well I guess now I know how he managed to make it onto my father’s radar for his merry band of potential son-in-laws.

Even though House Vaughn would never want for money, there was no such thing as enough when it came to my father. He ran the entire East Coast and yet would happily gobble up more territories if he found a way. In his Napoleonic march, money was the real goal. Money was how he’d come to power, and it was how he would keep it.

As with the car ride, Matthias remained quiet during our ascension to the uppermost levels of the luxury building. I didn’t want to talk to him, but somehow his silence only made me despise him more. He was only doing what my father asked … make that commanded, of him.

He had as much of a choice to refuse my father as I did. Which, to be clear, was zilch. Still, I couldn’t stop the swelling anger I felt toward him. The tournament was a disgusting idea and I was repulsed by anyone who wanted any part of it — the so-called suitors most of all. And Matthias’s nice-guy mask wasn’t enough to hide the truth. He was as power-hungry as he was blood thirsty, and I wanted nothing to do with him.

The elevator doors slid open to reveal a short hallway. Fancy sconces illuminated three sets of impressive double doors, a pair to the left and right, the third set dead ahead. The landing echoed the same design elements I’d noted in the lobby: taupe walls, tasteful art, a large ceramic pot with an array of colorful plants spilling from the sides. Matthias moved ahead of me as I stopped to admire an abstract painting. A soft click sounded, and I turned to find him holding open one of the doors on the right.

Such a gentleman. I fought back a snarl and stalked inside.

The condo stood in stark contrast to the lobby and hallway; everything was modern lines, clean but cold. There were no pieces of art or knick-knacks. It looked like a poorly executed corporate rental in a generic hotel room. Granted, it was still high-end. The open kitchen boasted quartz countertops, glass backsplash, and gleaming stainless-steel appliances in the open kitchen. The commercial kitchen stovetop was impressive—if not overkill, as vampires had no real need for a stove.

“Did you just move in?” I asked, though I immediately wished I hadn’t said anything. I didn’t want a conversation with the man and I didn’t really care whether he’d lived there for five days or five years.

“I’ve been here for a few months now,” he replied, crossing to the living room to flick on a lamp beside the sprawling leather couch. The light bounced off the solid wood floors and provided a little warmth to the mood of the room. Next, he went to the fireplace and with the flick of a switch, had a roaring fire behind the glass. The fireplace soared all the way up to the tall ceilings, at least twenty feet. There was a staircase off the main entrance and I assumed the bedrooms were tucked away on the second level of the swanky condo.

“Do you want anything to drink?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I have my own food in my—”

I stopped short and squeezed my eyes closed.

“In your …?” Matthias prompted.

“None of my things are here,” I growled. “All of my clothes are back at the manor.”

“I’m sure we can make a call and have them brought here,” he replied.

“Wouldn’t want to disturb the crime scene,” I snarled, a grim image of blood-spattered luggage crossed my mind and made me wince.

I frowned at the row of floor-to-ceiling windows. The inky black was dotted with lights from the city below. The city that never sleeps was buzzing and humming as if nothing had happened. I wanted to run into the night and lose myself among the living.

Sighing, I raked my fingers through the roots of my hair that were stiff with the hairspray Jupiter had applied. If I couldn’t leave the condo, my next best bet was a long, hot shower. But, without anything to change into or even the most basic of beauty products, that was off the table as well. I supposed I could call the concierge. They’d likely have someone available to run out and get me anything I desired. After all, wasn’t that the point of living in a building like this? Everything at your fingertips?

“Here,” Matthias said, moving into the kitchen. “Let’s get you something to drink. You’ve had quite a shock.”

“I don’t want anything,” I said.

Ignoring me, he opened the fridge. My lips parted in protest, but I stopped myself and realized the illuminated shelves were packed with neat lines of the same brand of bottled blood I’d brought with me. “You don’t drink pure?” I asked, surprised.

Matthias froze, as though realizing in hindsight his mistake. His eyes slid closed for a moment and a flicker of tension showed at his temples.

“I don’t either!” I rushed to say.

His eyes snapped open and flew to mine. “You don’t?”

I shook my head and let out of a puff of relieved laughter. “That’s why I didn’t drink at the party.”

Matthias’s shoulders released as he retrieved a bottle. “Well, you’re welcome to as much as you’d like. I have another case being delivered tomorrow.”

He handed the chilled bottle to me and I started to protest.

“Lacey, please,” he said, shoving the bottle toward me. “You need to eat. You’re pale.”

“Kinda goes with the whole being dead thing,” I deadpanned.

“Touché.” He barked out a laugh. “You’re not quite the way I imagined you would be. You’re not like the other vamps around here.”

For a moment, I returned his easy smile, only to have it fade as I remembered the wave of anger I’d felt for him on the way to the condo. Frowning, I focused on reviving those flames. “Unfortunately, you are exactly like every other vampire I’ve met. All you want is more, more, more. It’s all about the Court and finding your way to the top.”

I shook my head, replaying the scene. It still felt surreal. Then again, the entire night had that fuzzy, not-quite-there quality.

Matthias took a step back, his stern mask sliding back into place. “Aha. So you’ve got me all figured out then? Based on what? The ten minutes of conversation we’ve had since meeting each other?”

I scoffed. “You said you don’t like the idea of this revolting tournament my father has cooked up, but you know, I don’t remember seeing someone holding a blade against your neck when you stepped to the front of the room tonight to announce your participation. No one is forcing you to risk your life in this barbaric circus. Anyone willing to subject themselves to it for a shot at is not someone I need to waste my time getting to know.”

The sparks in his eyes turned to dark granite. Hard and cold. “Fine with me. I learned a long time ago that proving myself to anyone in the Court was a waste of time. And that includes you, your majesty.”

The mock title rankled, but I refused to show it. I crossed my arms tightly and glared at him. “As pleasant as this conversation is, I think I’ll eat alone. You can show me to my room now.”

His eyes blazed but after a moment, he relented and threw his hands up. “Upstairs, second door on the left. Guest room’s all yours.”

I blinked, about to object to his flippant reply, but decided against it. Clutching the bottle of faux blood, I started from the kitchen, only to freeze three steps—stalks—away.

The doorbell rang and a quick exchange of glances told me we both knew who was waiting on the other side.