Mason plagued Danika for the next few days. Unable to get any real work accomplished she became increasingly more impatient for the next two weeks to end.
William entered her office. His new haircut and business suits had changed him. He stood taller, moved stronger, proud of who he was now. In time, he’d reach his full potential. He’d be self-assured, diplomatic, and a great confidant.
“Yes, William?”
“My lord, the appellate court starts in an hour. We need to leave.”
“Of course, thank you. Please call down for the car. And let Chase know.”
Danika gathered her things. William returned carrying a file, a concerned look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“This just came from Chase. It’s another case for tonight. It’s an emergency case that hasn’t gone to the underlords. It came straight here because it was in need of immediate attention.”
“What?” She crossed in front of her desk and snatched the file from William in a blink of an eye. He stepped back. She didn’t like being unprepared. There was a note attached to the top of the file. It was from Neeman. Her stomach lurched. She flipped through the file. “Crap!”
“Is something wrong?”
“It’s a rogue vamp caught by the Tracking Squad, and they need me to pronounce judgment.”
“But if they caught it, shouldn’t the judgment be clear?”
“Yes and no. It is complicated. We have to go. I’ll explain it in the car. Is Chase coming?” She couldn’t believe he’d just gotten this to her.
“He said he’d meet us there.”
“Fine.” Danika stalked to the elevator. William ran to catch up.
On the ride down, she read the file, flooded with visions of Xenock for the first time in weeks. She cleared her dry throat and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to rid herself of his face.
She hated pronouncing judgment on rogue vamps. More times than not, they were so far gone you could tell just by looking at them. However, there were cases, such as this one, where the vamp was trying to control it. They had periods of lucidity, followed by terrible rages in which they killed and drained everything.
The elevator opened to the lobby, and Danika strode past the receptionist who tried to give her a message. Her eyes narrowed and the receptionist shut her mouth and sat down. William took the message with a smile.
Danika slid inside her car and pulled the file open again, reading slowly from beginning to end. William sat in silence. When she finished, there was no question that the vamp had gone rogue. Danika rubbed her temples with her fingers.
“So this is how it’ll work. The parties will come in and give their side of things. I will then converse with the underlords about the facts and make a decision at that time. You will stand to my left. Try to observe as much as you can about the parties involved. I may ask you before I issue my ruling if you have anything you’d like to add. Do not speak, however, unless I speak to you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Lord Danika.”
“Okay.” Danika blew out a long breath. "Have you ever encountered a rogue vamp before?"
William shook his head. "No, but I've heard of them. It happens when they drink human blood right?"
“Yes. Human blood is toxic to them. It causes them to go insane with bloodlust. We aren’t sure why, but it is believed that it has something to do with the fact that they are not real Vampires, but mutated humans.”
"I thought rogues were usually killed on sight."
“Some are completely crazed and must be destroyed. They will turn on other vamps, and even Vampires when they can’t find human blood. However, there are a few that are not all far-gone. Those are bled, then set on a strict synthetic regime that breaks the addiction. It’s rare, but it has been accomplished. Of course, the vamp is then set as a slave or a minion so he can be monitored.”
“What do you think of this one?”
“There’s no doubt that she somehow ingested human blood. Where she got it is the question. And how far gone she is will be the other question. From Neeman’s notes, she’s taking to the new regime. Before this incident, she was a good college student. So there is hope she will be rehabilitated.”
“Is it rare for a vamp to drink human blood?”
“Extremely. Vamps don’t hunger for human blood. Unless they taste it, they have no more desire to drink from a human, as they would a dog. The only place to get human blood is inside a Vampire’s estate, or possibly a bar, but vamps aren’t served human blood. This girl was not in the employ of a Vampire, therefore how she got the blood is a mystery.” Danika’s thoughts traveled to Xenock again. They never had discovered where he’d gotten human blood, either. That was the thing Danika regretted most about having killed him so swiftly.
William nodded. “Why is court held at Coven House?”
“Because that’s where my father held it. He believed that our Coven House was open to all those in need, and that those who came seeking judgment needed him the most.”
Twenty minutes later, the driveway to the Coven House was full of cars stretching almost to the gate. Paul pulled up to the front and stopped where a spot had been left for them.
Inside the entrance hall were at least two dozen people. Danika passed them without a word. When she reached the staircase landing, she turned.
“I’ll return in fifteen minutes to begin. Please relax in the dining hall. William will call your name when it is your turn. Thank you.”
When she reached her room, she slipped off her shoes and skirt, William stood in the doorway.
“Please fetch Matthew for me.” She dropped her blouse and then turned to find something suitable, yet comfortable to wear.
“Yes, mistress,” William said in a strange, low voice as he left.
Searching the closet, she found a pair of black knit pants. Paired with her red blouse. Not too formal, not too casual, and comfortable as well. She laid the pants over a chair and stripped off her slip.
* * * *
Danika took her seat in the makeshift meeting hall in the downstairs atrium. The chair, which had been her father’s, had been pulled into the middle of the large room. Her mother’s sat beside it, empty. Danika swallowed at the sight of them. Two chairs, equal in height and stature just as her parents had been.
The sides of the atrium were lined with flowers, plants, and tropical trees. The smell of the fresh foliage permeated everything. The roof was made of glass, letting in the moonlight. The stars twinkled in the clear, cloudless sky. Candles lit the way down the length of the burgundy carpet, which ran from the entrance to her chair on the opposite end.
Her underlords, Oliver, Isaiah, and Victor sat awaiting the hearings in three chairs on her right, a head lower than her high-backed wooden chair on the pedestal.
The first case on the docket involved two vamps who owned rival grocery stores. “Coleman and Sustin, please, William.” She motioned him to the entrance.
“Yes, mistress.” He walked down the lit pathway to the entrance hall.
“He’s a nice, pliable minion,” said Isaiah.
“Yes, a good purchase, I must say. But quite a high price, isn’t he?” asked Victor.
“No, not nearly.” Danika avoided the point. She thought about Mason for a moment and her skin tingled.
“He’s still wearing his bracelet, I noticed,” said Oliver. “When do you plan to bond with him?”
“Not that it is any of your business, Oliver, but we are waiting till we are both comfortable. I prefer not to be tethered to someone with whom I am unfamiliar.” She continued staring straight ahead.
“You will have to let me know how that works out for you,” said Isaiah.
William returned with the two vamps a step behind him. Coleman was a short, pudgy vamp with spiky white hair and a pig face. Sustin, on the other hand, was tall and thin, with no hair at all.
The men stopped at the edge of the platform and bowed. William continued onto the platform and stopped next to Danika.
“I’ve read your file and I have just two questions. Is it true that you cannot work together, combine your assets and your knowledge to benefit the both of you, thereby increasing your enterprise, as well as your holdings?”
“Yes,” said Coleman. “I cannot work with this vamp. He is a cheat and a liar, and I deserve the store, since I was first to offer to buy it.”
Danika turned to Sustin and nodded for him to speak.
Sustin bowed to Danika before speaking. “Thank you for hearing us this evening, Lord Danika. I would be a better owner for this store, and I cannot work with this man. The partnership would undoubtedly fail.”
Danika nodded again. “I see,” she said. “Well, then, my second question is how much are each of you willing to pay the other, to relinquish his claim to the store?”
The two men met gazes and then turned to Danika again. When she didn’t move, Coleman squirmed.
“Nothing, I would never give that vamp any money! The store should be mine, and that is all there is to it. I would rather neither of us get it than to give any of my money to him,” Coleman spat.
Sustin watched Danika, a look of comprehension crossed his face. He calculated for a minute, and then said, “M’lord, I would pay whatever you deem fair value that I should pay this man to relinquish his claim.”
Danika nodded then turned to Coleman. “Sir, you have shown no willingness to be either fair or gracious to a fellow being. Whereas, Mr. Sustin has offered to compensate you for your time and your claim. Therefore I award the claim to Mr. Sustin and order him to pay you, Mr. Coleman, ten thousand dollars. The money will be exchanged within twenty-four hours, and then the contract will be drawn up for the purchase of the store.”
“How can you make such an unfair judgment?” Coleman yelled. “I offered first, then he came in and made a higher offer; he tried to steal the store from me. And now you are siding with him? I demand to see the three kings!”
Danika’s eyes blazed with anger. But instead of crossing and ripping his throat out, she spoke in a dangerously quiet manner. “How much do you want then, sir? This is about money, after all, is it not? So how much do you want to walk away?”
“A million dollars.” He didn’t hesitate.
Danika leaned back in her chair. “You are all witnesses. He has three times insulted me, here in my own house, by not addressing me with respect. Therefore he has forfeited his right to be heard here, or by any higher court. My ruling is now that the store goes to Mr. Sustin, and that is the end.”
“That is the end,” said all three underlords together.
Danika motioned for William to show them out.
“You can’t do this!” Coleman shouted. “You cannot give him that store. It is unfair! It is un-American! I won’t allow—”
“How dare you!” Danika bellowed, rising from her chair. “You have insulted me, in my own home. For that alone, I should have your throat ripped out! But for you to tell me what you will or will not allow? Whom do you think you are addressing? I’m not a common slave. I am a Vampire lord! Go now, and if I ever see you in my court again, you will be stripped of all possessions and sent to the slave auctions.”
Coleman had gone from his regular blue-gray color to almost an ash white. He backed away from Danika’s wrath. “Yes, my lord. I apologize, my lord,” he whispered. William took him by the arm and turned him around.
“Well decided, m’lord,” said Oliver.
There were murmurs of consent from the other underlords. William returned and Danika pulled out the next file.
“Bring in Smith and Mitchell please, William,” she said, her voice again impassive.
“Yes, my lord.”
* * * *
The next four cases went without incident. Danika chose to take a small break before the last case. Everyone stood and stretched. William asked to use the bathroom. In his absence, the underlords spoke about trivial matters while Danika steadied herself for what was coming. She closed her eyes in an effort to gather her thoughts, but when she did, all she saw was Xenock running at her from across her bedroom.
She took a deep breath, then motioned for William to bring in the group. Danika braced herself for whatever would come next. She rubbed her temples while she waited. How she wished she had a mate at times like this. Her thoughts traveled to Mason. His strong body, tall and warrior-like, popped into her head. With him at her side as a turned vampyr, no one would dare challenge her. As much as she hated to admit it, Vampire, vampyr and vamps alike, didn’t fear her like they did a male. But she didn’t have time to think about him now, the entourage entered the room.
Neeman and two trackers had a vamp between them. She was average-looking, about twenty-five human years. She had the classic gray-blue skin, and dirty blond hair below her shoulders. Her clothes were clean, and she smelled like she’d been washed down.
Danika would’ve thought she was a normal, everyday vamp, except for her eyes and hands. The eyes darted around the room, taking everything in. A look of both anger and terror etched her face as she stood under the scrutiny of the underlords and Danika and twitched. Deep scratches covered her arms. Even with flex cuffs on, the vamp clawed herself in nervousness. Neeman put his hand on her arm to stop her. She glanced up at him, and he shook his head. She wrung her hands instead.
“Lord Danika Chekov, this is Mandy Tenmore. She’s the vamp we sent word of.” Neeman prodded Mandy forward. She stumbled and shuffled forward a couple of steps. “Bow,” he said under his breath. Mandy managed a small bow.
“Mandy,” said Danika. “It’s obvious that you ingested human blood. Tell me how you came about that human from whom you fed.”
Mandy dropped her gaze to her feet, scratched at her neck, and then looked at Danika. Her eyes flickered to William, then to her feet. “I-I...don’t know. I mean, I think I do, but I’m not sure.”
“Well, why don’t we start with what happened the night you think you ingested human blood,” suggested Danika in a slow tone. Mandy wasn’t looking at Danika; she was staring at William. Her eyes dilated and contracted. She licked her lips as she watched him. “Mandy.” Danika snapped her fingers, causing the girl to whip her head toward Danika. “I believe you were about to tell me what happened that night.”
Mandy glanced at William again. “I... I went out with some friends. We’d been studying all week for our exams and wanted to have some fun. We went to our usual bar, Big Red’s. We stayed there for a while and had some drinks and got something to eat. Then we went to another bar called Mickey Mike’s. We’d decided to call it a night when some Vampires came in. I hadn’t seen them before. They were cute, even if they were kind of older than us.” She’d started scratching her arm again. Danika was afraid she was going to dig all the way through it.
“What happened next?” Danika prodded.
“They said that they knew of this great new place and asked if we wanted to come along. They had a big fancy car and took us in it to the other bar. It wasn’t anything like we were used to; it must have been a Vampire-only club. I didn’t know what was happening until it was too late. We had a few drinks, and the Vampires got a bit friendly. Two of them had paired up with my friends. The third, the older Vampire, talked to me. We excused ourselves and he started showing me around. It was like he owned the place or something.” She stopped talking and stared off in the distance. Danika let her think for a moment, but the instant her gaze focused on William, Danika pressed her.
“He seemed like he owned the place. Then what?” Danika tapped her fingers on the edge of her seat.
“He took me into a room, a private room. He had drinks brought in, and then told me that he thought I was pretty. He kissed me and asked if I wanted to add a little kick to the champagne. He said it was special, like me. He called for a bottle and poured something into our glasses. It tasted amazing.” Her eyes drifted to William again. “It was like nothing I’d ever tasted before. He gave me more and more. Then we—” Her voice dropped. She scratched more feverishly, and looked from William to Danika, then at the floor.
“When I woke up the next morning, I was in my apartment. My head hurt more than it ever had in my life. I tried to sit up, but I couldn’t. I spent the next day and night in my bed. By the following morning, my head was worse and I was so hungry for more of what he had given me. I wandered into the street to try and find more, but I couldn’t find the club again.”
Danika sat silently. A male Vampire had fed the girl human blood on purpose. But to what avail? He had to know what would happen to her. Why in the world would a Vampire do something like that? “Can you think of anything else about the club you went to? Anything about the Vampire who fed you the human blood?”
Mandy bit her nails and shifted her weight from foot to foot. Occasionally she looked up at William, and then down again.
“You need to tell me everything if you want mercy. I cannot trust you if you won’t be forthcoming.” Danika let the weight of her gaze fall on the girl.
Mandy whimpered and bit her nails harder.
“Tell me!” Danika pounded on the arm of her chair.
“I... I don’t know. I have this...this thing in my head. I don’t know what it is. After the Vampire and I...well...after we were intimate, I felt funny. I lay on the couch and someone came in. The Vampire said, ‘She’s done, and I need more. Go get a girl.’ Then the other person left. I passed out at that point, but when I woke up, he was bent over a human, feeding from her. He threw her on the floor when he’d drained her. I wanted to drink from her, too, but I was so out of it I couldn’t. Then the Vampire came to me and said, ‘Do your job well now, sweetie,’ kissed me, and...that’s all.”
Danika’s knuckles were almost white gripping her chair arms. “Are you saying a Vampire just called for a human girl and someone brought him one? Like room service?”
“It seemed that way.”
Danika turned to the underlords; they were as stunned as she. “What does this mean?”
“Possibly an underground slave market?” suggested Victor.
“That doesn’t sound like a slave market. No one drains slaves. It’s too expensive. And why would a Vampire give a vamp human blood on purpose?” She shook her head.
“This is something we need to look into,” said Oliver.
Danika turned to Mandy. “Is there anything you can tell me about the club? Anything that would help me find it?”
“Please.” Mandy began to shake. “Please, I have to feed.”
Danika frowned. Mandy hadn’t had human blood in a week. She should be a bit better by now. “Hasn’t Neeman been giving you Savor?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t taste right anymore. I need human, please! I promise I can control myself, I just need a little human.”
“Mandy, you can’t have human blood. It’ll make you worse. You need to drink Savor. And within a month or so, you should be better. You’ll need to stay in confinement for the next thirty days, and you’ll be tended to daily by a doctor who’ll monitor your progress. I’ll do this for you in return for your cooperation in helping us find the Vampire and the club. That is your judgment.” Danika waved her hand.
Mandy wailed. She started talking to herself in gibberish, pacing, alternating between chewing her nails and scratching her arms. Danika couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. Mandy kept glancing at William, becoming more and more agitated.
Danika’s senses were on overdrive, the need to protect William becoming increasingly more urgent. Rogues in the throes of bloodlust were as strong as Vampires. “William, why don’t you ask Siad to bring Mandy some water, please.” Danika motioned for William to leave. “I’ll come to your room when we’re done.”
“Yes, my lord,” he said, his voice strained. He moved down the platform, walked around the back of the chairs and tried to make a wide berth around Neeman. What occurred next happened so fast, no one had time to react.
William was to the right of Neeman. Mandy’s protests of “No” became louder, and Mandy lunged. Neeman managed to grab her within arm’s reach of William. Neeman and the other trackers fought to gain control of her. William stepped back, into the platform. Mandy went into an all-out rage. Breaking her flex cuffs, she grappled with Neeman and the other trackers, and Danika had a hard time following the situation. But suddenly the men let go of her and backed away.
Somehow, Mandy had gotten hold of Neeman’s gun, loaded with special ultraviolet rounds fatal to vamps and Vampires alike. Mandy paced, looking from Neeman to Danika, then William.
“Give him to me, or I’ll shoot everyone,” she shrieked.
Danika rose from her seat and William stepped next to her. “William is mine,” Danika commanded. “If you give the gun to Neeman now, I’ll allow you to live.”
“No! Give him to me and I’ll stop."
Mandy was crazed, but wavering. “Mandy, stop this now and give Neeman the gun.”
“No!” Mandy screamed again. “You Vampires are so selfish. You refuse to share with us. Except for the Vampire in the club, he was nice. He didn’t care that I was a vamp. He shared with me. I’ll never tell you who he is!”
Mandy pointed the gun at Danika and pulled the trigger. Hands pushed her out of the way. She hit the step, as the sound of the gunshot reverberated around the atrium. All three underlords, as well as Neeman and the other trackers, tackled the girl and ripped the gun away from her.
The smell hit Danika first, the sweet, wet smell of fresh blood. William lay on the floor, next to her, his eyes wide and staring. The hole in his chest spilled blood onto the floor. Danika’s teeth burst forth from her gums at the smell. She stared down at William, unsure what to do. She pressed a shaky hand over the wound. Not William. He blinked at her in slow motion, trying to form words but couldn’t. Danika continued to cover the hole in his chest with her hands. Her brain refused to work. There was something she should be doing.
She stared into his dimming eyes. She’d grown fond of him in the last weeks. Though she hadn’t put him under the slave bond, he was the closest thing she had to a friend. She scanned the room, trying to remember where she was when she saw Mandy. Danika’s rage took over.
In a flash, she jumped the distance from the platform to where Mandy thrashed. The three underlords stood aside as Neeman and another tracker restrained the girl by her arms.
With a swift movement, Danika was on the girl and ripped her throat out. Mandy’s eyes bulged, and then she gasped for air as the huge hole in her throat shot black blood, pouring onto the red carpet.
Danika turned. William’s face grew pale.
“You must make him yours,” said Oliver. “It is the only way to save him.”
She crossed to William and gathered him in her arms. “He isn’t ready.”
“He took a bullet for you, Danika,” said Neeman. “He’s ready.”
The smell of so much blood made her predatory instinct take over. All she wanted to do was feed. Her adrenaline pumped in huge waves from killing the rogue vamp. Focus. She had to focus.
William began losing consciousness. He needed her blood. The bullet had gone straight through him. There was no UV inside.
“Leave us,” she said in a quiet voice. She turned to William and brushed back his hair. “William, can you hear me?”
He nodded.
“William, it’s time now. I have to bond you to me, to make you stronger. Otherwise, I don’t think you’ll make it. I’m sorry it has to be this way.”
He didn’t make any motion of a reply. Taking a deep breath, she rolled up his sleeve; his skin was milky-white and smooth. Lifting his wrist to her mouth, she bit down. He cried out and grabbed at her blouse. Then she took her own wrist and bit into the flesh. Lifting William’s head into her lap, she dripped the blood from her wrist into his open mouth; she drank from his at the same time. As first, he sputtered and coughed. But after a minute he swallowed. Again and again he swallowed, until he lifted his hand and pulled her wrist down to his mouth. He sucked at it like a baby at his mother’s breast. Danika stopped drinking from him and sealed the wound. Stroking his hair she watched the edges of his wound cauterize. When it did, she pried his fingers off her wrist and pulled away from him. She licked her wound shut and continued to stroke his hair till he passed out.
Minutes later Doc hurried down the red carpet toward her.
“Is he dead? Let me get a drip started for him,” he said.
“The bullet passed through, and I’ve begun the process with him. In doing so, his wound has already stopped bleeding and is healing. He needs rest, and tomorrow he’ll need more of my blood. But I think he’ll be fine.”
“Well, if you know so much, what do you need me for?” Doc asked.
Doc was an old codger who was grumpy and wise beyond his three hundred years. She smiled at him. “You’re right, Doc. You’re the human fixer, you tell me what you think.”
Doc peered at her through thick spectacles, and then assessed the wound. After he finished bandaging William, he said, “The bullet went right through. Because of your blood, he should make it, but he’ll need more tomorrow. I’ll watch for signs of infection, but I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’ll give him a shot of antibiotics.” Danika had to turn away so he wouldn’t notice her smile.
“Let’s get him to his room,” she said. “He’ll be more comfortable there. Oh, and Doc, you can take his bracelet off now.”
“But he isn’t fully bonded to you yet,” Doc protested.
Danika gazed into William’s peaceful face. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, he is.” Her chest tightened. He’d taken too much from her. He’d needed it to heal, but doing so might cause a result she wasn’t prepared to deal with. But time would tell. In three days when the bonding was complete, she would see.
Two house guards carried William out of the atrium. Danika stayed behind, ordering the house slaves to scrub the floor. She didn’t want any stains on the white granite. Silly that she should hold court in the one white-floored room of the house. More blood was bound to spill in here than in any other.
The night had taken its toll, but her body was still filled with the adrenaline of the evening, and with William’s and Matthew’s blood. They swirled around inside her, healing and strengthening her.
Neeman waited for her in the front hall. His eyes were like blue glass, floating on a white sea. His body was rigid with tension; he was obviously in distress. The other trackers were nowhere to be seen.
“Are you all right?” He moved toward her in a quick, heavy step.
“I’m fine. It was stupid of me; I was careless.” She felt foolish for not having expected something to happen. She’d only overseen one other rogue trial before. And the girl’s body language should have told Danika what was brewing. But she’d been so concerned with the club that she hadn’t even cared that William’s presence was causing such distress.
“I never would have brought her in flex cuffs if I thought there was even an ounce of a chance she was dangerous.”
“I know.” Danika gave a warm smile. “This isn’t your fault. I don’t blame you. She’d been on synthetic for days. How could you have known?”
“Danika, you need to be careful—”
“I am being careful, Neeman, that’s why I sent Mason to you for training. To keep me safe.”
He reached out for her, his eyes softening. He stroked her hand. “I can protect you. I still want to. After all these years… When Mandy grabbed my gun and pointed it at you, I was frozen in terror. Paralyzed at the thought of losing you. But I promise you, Danika, I will never let that happen again.”
His sudden tenderness made Danika’s chest tighten. It was more than she’d seen from him in their years together.
“Neeman.” She stepped closer to him. “Rogues are unpredictable. That’s why we have the quarantine period and the cleansing. There was nothing you could’ve done. You were standing next to her, not watching at her as I was. I should have seen it. I did see it, I just didn’t pay attention. I wanted so much to know who gave her the blood and where the club was.”
There was nothing she wanted more at that moment than to feel comfort in a pair of big, strong arms. But it wasn’t Neeman she wanted. The scent of Mason was all around him. The sweet, strong scent of something so intoxicating that she thought she might burst if she didn’t taste it. Again, her gums ached. She needed Mason. It was crazy. She’d seen the male twice, but something about him had caused such a reaction in her, the likes of which she hadn’t had before.
Neeman smoothed the hair from her cheek and wiped at a spot of blood caked there. She stepped away from him, then turned so as not to face him. “How is Mason?”
Neeman was silent for a moment. Then his tone of voice changed. He was all business again. “I don’t know why but he holds back when we spar. He takes everything in, nothing escapes him. Almost like a vampyr, but...more. He still has a rage problem. He needs more time to control it.”
Danika nodded and turned to face him. “Unfortunately, tonight has proven that there’s no time. It can’t wait. Please bring him in two days. I need to finish bonding with William, and then I’ll bond Mason. I will not hide. Fear is a luxury I cannot afford.” Though afraid was exactly what she was. Now more than ever she was convinced someone was after her.
Neeman’s eyes widened. “Danika, he isn’t ready. If you bond with him at this point and he’s unable to control his rage, it could pour into you and cause you a problem, as well. Not to mention that if he doesn’t control it, his judgment will be compromised and—”
“I appreciate your concern. I know you still regret what happened with Georgus at the truce conference. But you were young, and new to guarding. No one blames you.”
Neeman said nothing. He’d been sent to guard a Vampire lord at a truce conference more than twenty years ago. But his pent-up anger issues, along with his turning, caused him to lash out. And in the end, his hotheaded temper had caused an incident. There’d been a death, and though he wasn’t blamed, everyone knew that if Neeman’s actions had been different, the incident could’ve been prevented.
“You need to forgive yourself and move on, Neeman. You need to learn to let the past go and get a life for yourself now.” She wasn’t talking about just the incident years before.
Chase flew into the entrance hall. He rushed to Danika’s side as Neeman moved away.
“Nika! Are you all right? What happened?” Chase boomed. Taking her by the arms, he looked her over from head to toe.
“I’m all right, Uncle. Nothing happened.” She brushed him off.
“I heard you oversaw a rogue vamp trial tonight. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know, or I’d have been here sooner.”
“But you gave the file to William,” Danika said.
“It was in an envelope on my desk, addressed to you. I didn’t open it. I’m so sorry.” Chase took a step closer to Neeman. “You. How could you have let this happen? You of all people, Neeman.”
“Chase, stop.” Danika stepped between them. “This is not Neeman’s fault. It’s mine.”
“No, Danika,” said Neeman. “Chase is right. I was in charge of the prisoner. It’s my fault. I apologize again.”
“Neeman, you don’t need to—”
“I’ll make sure Mason is delivered in two days. I’m glad that you were not hurt, my lord. Good evening to you.” Neeman bowed stiffly.
Danika wanted to go after him, but doing so would only encourage what could not be. She watched him leave and then rounded on Chase. “That was not necessary.”
“Nika. Someday you’ll learn. You’re a coven lord now, and people are held to a higher standard when it comes to your well-being.”
Danika scowled and headed for the stairs. Neeman never would’ve done something that would put her in danger. She hadn’t known till seeing the way he’d looked at her tonight. He still held out hope. But for them, there was no hope. He was not the one.