All three vampires looked at her with carefully blank faces.

“Oh, cut the inscrutable vampire crap, you guys. Someone’s killing vamps, and now suddenly this chick shows up from nowhere and wants to drop in for a visit? You don’t find that even slightly suspicious?”

“More than slightly, I would say,” Duncan agreed. “But knowing what she wants could be helpful, whether she means ill or not. She claims to be on an errand for Lucien, so perhaps they’ve had similar problems in Canada.”

“When would she like to arrive?” Raphael asked.

“This evening, my lord. She is already at the border. If we grant permission, she is prepared to cross immediately, which speaks to a certain urgency on her part.”

Cyn stirred unhappily, but Raphael said, “Let her come, Duncan. Juro, arrange for two of our people to meet her with transportation. I want her here as soon as possible, but she enters alone, on my terms, or not at all. I will guarantee her safety, but no one else’s.”

Juro nodded. “A team was dispatched as soon as she called, my lord, to save time in the event you granted her passage. I will advise them of your permission and arrange a rendezvous with Sophia.” He pulled out his cell phone and was already punching in a number as he walked away.

“How long before she arrives?” Raphael asked.

“I would think an hour or two, my lord. If Sophia crosses the border and meets our team partway . . .” He shrugged. “It’s only the mountain roads that will slow them somewhat.”

Raphael considered this. Vampires had superior reflexes and far better night sight than humans. The roads wouldn’t slow them much.

“Very well. When she arrives, I will speak with her myself—”

Cyn spoke up immediately. “Raphael, what if—”

He raised a hand to stop the predictable objection. “We will take all necessary precautions, my Cyn.”

She flushed, but her eyes were full of rebellion when they met his. “Is there coffee around somewhere, Duncan?” she asked, not bothering to hide her irritation.

Duncan glanced at Raphael before saying, “There is a dining room across the way. Wei Chen houses a full shift of daylight guards on the compound, and there are one or two vampire mates who live here as well.”

“Thanks,” she said to Duncan, then shifted her attention to Raphael. “Since I’m not needed here, I’m going to get some caffeine. And then I’d like to ask Wei Chen and others a few questions . . . if that’s all right with you, my lord,” she added sarcastically. And with that, she spun on her heel and left.

Raphael watched her go, enjoying the sway of her hips, even though she was irritated with him. He turned back to Duncan with a wry twist of his mouth. “I think she worries even more than you do, Duncan.”

Duncan grinned. “Impossible, my lord,” he commented, adding, “She loves you deeply.”

“She wants to protect me.”

“Speaking of which, if you permit this Sophia to meet with you—”

Raphael blinked slowly and gave his lieutenant a patient look.

“Ah, that is, when you meet with her, my lord, I believe you should permit Juro and myself to greet her first. I’d like a better sense of her purpose before we admit her to the building, at least, and certainly before she is permitted into your presence.”

“You’re as bad as Cyn.”

“No doubt. And for somewhat the same reasons.”

Raphael arched an eyebrow at him.

“I did say somewhat,” Duncan said dryly.

Raphael flashed a quick grin, sobering almost immediately.

“Very well.” Raphael heard Cyn’s footsteps and looked over his shoulder to see her heading for their private quarters. “I think I’ll have a word with my mate.”

* * * *

Cyn was coming out the large bathroom when Raphael entered their suite. She had a towel in her hands and her face was still damp from a recent wash. She didn’t say anything, just tossed the towel onto a rack, then walked over to the side table and began refastening her shoulder holster, her back to him once more.

Raphael crossed the room silently, taking selfish pleasure from her gasp of surprise as his hand snatched the gun from her fingers before she could slide it into the holster. Sliding the weapon across the table out of her reach, he spun her around to face him. Not that she was cowed by his show of strength. The look she gave him all but dared him to try anything.

“Sweet, sweet Cyn,” he said silkily. He felt her grow perfectly still, saw her eyes flare in alarm as she recognized the danger simmering beneath his quiet voice. The stubbornness fled, replaced by a wary watchfulness. He growled soft and low in his chest. “You are angry because I value your life too much to hide behind you? You are human, my Cyn, and I am Vampire. Which of us do you think more likely to survive an attack by my enemies?”

“Well, thank you very much, oh great one. I won’t trouble you with my useless human efforts on your behalf any longer.”

Raphael tightened his grip, pulling her closer, forcing her up onto her toes. “I don’t need you to protect me,” he insisted, only inches away from her face. “I have hundreds of vampires specifically trained to do that. You know this.”

“And what about all the others?” she snapped back at him, raising her hands between them and pushing ineffectively at his chest. “The thousands of vampires who depend on you for their lives, the thousands who will die if anything happens to you. What about me? How would I live without you?” Her voice cracked with emotion as she fisted one hand and punched his shoulder. “You’re irreplaceable, damn you!”

He stared at her, loosening his hold until he could run gentle hands up and down her arms. “And do you think you’re not?” he asked, his impatience replaced by stunned disbelief. “Do you think I could go on if something happened to you? Do you think I would want to?”

Cyn looked away, a flush of embarrassment staining her lovely cheeks.

“Sweet Cyn,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms. “Lubimaya,” he whispered against her fragrant hair. “I would sooner die at your side than live without you.”

“Me, too” she whispered, tears filling her voice.

“Then there is nothing for it. We shall both have to live, my Cyn.”

He placed a finger under her chin and raised her face to his, kissing her long and slowly, savoring the luscious, warm taste of her mouth, lingering to twine his tongue around hers until she softened against him at last, her arms snaking beneath his jacket and around his back.

“I love you, my Cyn,” he said, breaking away from the kiss and holding her close. “And I need you always. Never doubt that.”

“Ditto, fang boy,” she muttered against his chest.

Raphael laughed. “Put on your gun, then. We’ll have a visitor to question soon.

“Sophia can’t be here already.” She dashed back into the bathroom, checking her face in the mirror and splashing it with cool water to erase the signs of her tears.

He followed her, leaning against the door frame and watching her in the mirror.

“No, but Juro’s team won’t take long. Vampires drive fast.”

“While we wait, I want to clear up a few things with Wei Chen, and there are the reports from Juro’s team on the two crime scenes. They went out there the first night and secured the houses.”

She crossed to the table and snapped her gun into the shoulder rig, then slipped on her jacket, concealing the gun from casual inspection. A vampire wouldn’t need to see the weapon, of course. The scent alone would betray its presence. Cyn knew this, but she’d carried her gun in this fashion for years, she’d told him, and saw no reason to change. She looked over her shoulder, meeting his gaze with eyes filled with anticipation. “So, we meet this chick from Canada, and then we can start tracking these guys, right?”

“So eager, lubimaya. I approve.”

She blew out a dismissive breath and he grabbed her, swinging her around and claiming her mouth in a hard kiss. Then he raised his head and said, “Soon, my Cyn, very soon we hunt.”

Chapter Ten

Sophia surveyed the Seattle compound as the big gate rolled shut behind her, nearly silent despite its obvious heft. She was reluctantly impressed by the Western vampires’ security, from the careful scrutiny of the two who’d been dispatched to escort her, to the watchful gaze of the guards as she was passed through the gate and into the compound proper. Lucien had nothing like this in his territory, not even in his own lair, which she’d found almost alarmingly unguarded. Of course, that might be because Lucien himself was not in residence. Surely, if their lord had been present, his guards would have been more alert? On the other hand, if they’d been doing their job properly, he never would have gone missing in the first place.

Although, having read his letter, it now seemed more likely he was in hiding, rather than missing.

The truck—and regardless of what the makers called it, this behemoth vehicle could be considered nothing but a truck—drove into the compound, winding through more of the ever-present trees as they rounded the curved driveway and headed for a quite elegant concrete and steel structure. There was a surprisingly strong hum of power coming from the building, and Sophia wondered just how many vampires were inside. It had to be considerable to produce that strong a power signature.

The truck came to a halt and she remained still, waiting for some sort of signal from her escort. The big Asian vampire driving hadn’t said a word the entire journey, so she looked to the other, a dark-skinned male whose Caribbean accent flowed cheerfully over her ears. She could hear him murmuring from his seat in front and realized he was wearing a communication device on his wrist of the type used by high-level security personnel around the world. Even more impressive, she thought. If they observed this much caution for a visit to the local compound, imagine the gauntlet one would have to run for a visit with Raphael himself.