“It’s a trident,” Brooke mumbled weakly, “an archaic weapon that—”
Tiffany leveled a spiteful glare at her friend. “The guy who spit out a toothpick on Napolean’s floor, the one who smashed his enemy’s head into smithereens by bashing it against the side of a cave wall?” She winked at her friend sardonically. “That’s just… lovely.” She nodded her head in quick, short bursts. “Remember, Brooke—it’s me—the one you tell all your secrets to.” Her eyes glazed over with tears, and her voice hitched in her throat. “Just give me your keys, Brookie. I’m begging you.”
Brooke turned the color of stale, curdled milk. “Tiffany, listen.”
“No.”
“Please, just listen. Let’s you and I go somewhere together, anywhere you’d like. I’ll tell Carlotta that I’m going out, so she can look after Phoenix; and then I’ll get my car and come around the back. You can meet me by the trellis. We’ll go to a hotel or a cabin—hell, we can go to another town—and I won’t call Napolean until you tell me you’re ready. At least this way, someone will be with you.”
Tiffany pursed her lips and nodded her head derisively. “Yeah, because Napolean Mondragon can’t just reach into your mind, or follow the trail of your blood, or just beam himself into any room you’re standing in like Captain Kirk, right? Because his queen can just walk away undetected… ” Her voice trailed off. There was no point in exploring this angle any further.
Tiffany was out of time.
She wiped a single tear from her eye and reached for her jacket, a soft, form-fitting cloak hanging on a polished bronze hook beside the portico door, and she quickly shrugged into the garment.
“What are you doing?” Brooke asked, her face an ashen mask.
“I’m leaving.”
“On foot?”
“Can’t fly. I’m human.”
Brooke lunged forward, and in that terrifying moment, her unnatural vampiric speed as well as her supernatural agility completely caught Tiffany off guard.
“Don’t!” Tiffany shouted, raising her hands to ward off her friend as if she were about to tear out her throat with her fangs.
Brooke drew back in surprise and gasped.
And all the tears Tiffany had been holding at bay began to stream down her cheeks in desperate rivers. Her voice caught on a sob. “You’re stronger than me, Brooke, and you’re faster. You could stop me, but it would kill me. Do you understand what I’m saying? This is a line you can’t cross.” She swiped at her tears with the heels of her hands and sniffled. “I’m not asking you to break an oath, to help me get away, just turn your back and—”
“Brooke!” Napolean’s deep voice rose in a thunderous crescendo as the ancient king began to make his way down the hall. Undoubtedly, he had sensed his mate’s distress and was on his way to investigate the cause.
Shit, shit, and more shit! Tiffany thought, glancing at the door. She had to get the hell out of Dodge… and now.
As Brooke turned around to answer the king—her lethal, vampiric husband—Tiffany dashed for the door. She wrenched open the handle in a fevered rush and flew out onto the patio, frantic to make an escape, flinching as the door slammed shut behind her. She immediately eyed the trellis and gave it less than a moment’s thought before leaping over the rail and dashing down the steep hill toward the open meadow below.
Oh, thank the gods of horses and war!
She breathed a sigh of relief as she eyed the majestic Percheron still searching for patches of grass in the snow-covered meadow at the base of the hill. Nearly eighteen hands of muscle, strength, and speed awaited her devotion, and she couldn’t help but marvel at her sudden good fortune: Prince Phoenix had wanted to see da pwetty pony earlier that day, if that’s what one could call the magnificent, intelligent beast, and the king’s gift to his son was still saddled and neatly tied beneath a temporary shelter, awaiting Napolean’s private trainer to return him to the stables.
Tiffany was not much of a rider—okay, so she could barely sit straight in the saddle—but what the hell: Desperate times called for desperate measures. She eyed the Percheron cautiously, approached with gentle ease, and slowly raised an outstretched hand, careful not to frighten the horse away: “Here, horsy. Here, horsy! Come, please. Just… come.”
The horse looked up at her with luminous, haunting eyes. He tossed back his head and pranced in place, as if showing off his power and pride.
And then he went back to eating.
Tiffany’s heart sank into her stomach. Not now, Mr. Horse. Please… not now. She held out her hand, palm side up, as if she had a delectable piece of sugar resting in the center, and she tried again. “Here, beautiful prince”—maybe he preferred an appeal to his ego—“here, you gorgeous, magnificent gladiator. Come see Auntie Tiff… please.”
She waited with bated breath.
And to her utter surprise, the horse trotted over in her direction. Truth be told, he probably came out of pity.
She waited until he was within an arm’s length before slowly reaching up to stroke his neck, just beneath his mane. “That’s a good horsy,” she murmured, feeling more than a little foolish. She sauntered up to his left side and eyed the dangling stirrup, marveling at the barely leashed power emanating from the horse’s breast, and praying all the while that he wouldn’t trample her, or worse, take off running while she tried to mount. She reached for the reins and softly slid a foot into the stirrup. Okay, so she had to jack her knee up to her chest just to reach the perilous leather hoop, but she did it as gracefully as she could. “Okay, Mr. Horse, I’m counting on you to save me,” she whispered.
The stallion snorted in reply, and she took it as a yes.
With that, she grabbed the shoehorn, pulled herself into the saddle, and kicked him in the flanks.
*
Napolean Mondragon burst into the parlor in a maelstrom, his glorious long hair whipping behind him as if stirred by a mystical wind. His eyes were narrowed in concentration; his face was a mask of concern; and his no-nonsense tone made it abundantly clear: He wasn’t playing around.
Brooke opened her mouth to speak, but she didn’t have a chance.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded, staring at her with unconcealed concern. He reached out, took her hands in his, and then quickly released them. He ran his palms up and down her arms, while perusing her body from head to toe with a dark, penetrating gaze, his eyes scanning for gods-knew-what. “Are you hurt, my love?”
“No,” Brooke answered. She tried to speak in a calming voice. “I’m… I… It’s just—”
“Where’s Phoenix?” He immediately strode toward the back of the parlor.
“He’s in his room. He’s in his crib. He’s fine.”
Napolean turned back around and visibly eased up. “Then why are you so distressed?”
Brooke took a deep breath and answered bluntly, “It’s Tiffany.”
“Tiffany?” Napolean furrowed his brow. “Has something happened to your friend?”
Brooke shook her head in denial. “Have you seen the moon, milord?”
“Milord?” Napolean frowned, and then he reached out to gently stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. “That’s rather ominous, rather formal, coming from you.”
“Have you seen the moon?” she repeated.
“Of course,” he answered sternly. “A Gemini Blood Moon. It belongs to Ramsey Olaru, but his destiny is yet unknown. I was with the sentinel just moments ago in the living room, trying to figure it out. We were about to search for Carlotta when I felt your distress… ”
“It’s not Carlotta,” Brooke whispered cautiously.
Napolean’s dark eyes lit up with instant understanding. “Tiffany?”
Brooke bit her bottom lip and nodded in a barely perceptible gesture.
Napolean drew back in surprise. “Where is she?”
Brooke took a deep breath and shook her head. “Gone.”
“What do you mean, gone?”
Brooke turned to face the ba
ck of the parlor and pointed toward the still-open door. “I mean, she’s gone. She ran off. I couldn’t make her stay.”
“And why is that?” Ramsey Olaru’s deep, husky tenor reverberated through the room as the huge, fearsome male sauntered into the parlor. “Forgive my bad manners, milord, but I felt the circumstances warranted the intrusion.”
Napolean nodded. “Ramsey,” he said by way of greeting. “Then you heard?”
Ramsey inclined his head. “I heard.”
Brooke shuddered, recognizing the precarious situation for what it was: Not only had Tiffany taken off into the valley like some kind of escaped convict, but Ramsey Olaru was a Master Warrior, a dangerous and hard-nosed sentinel of Dark Moon Vale; and he was standing on the precipice of a perilous cliff, where his life hung in the balance beneath a centuries-awaited Blood Moon. The male was not only hyped up on adrenaline—if not downright feral—he was more dangerous than ever before, and his eerily calm exterior only emphasized that point.
Brooke sought to diffuse the situation as tactfully as possible. “I’m sorry, Ramsey,” she whispered. “Tiffany was terrified, and I tried—”
Ramsey held up a large, rugged hand to silence her as he turned to face the king. “Milord, have you taken Tiffany’s blood?”
A low growl of warning rumbled in Napolean’s throat, and the king’s nostrils flared in disapproval. “What the hell was that?”
Ramsey lowered his gaze, as respectfully as he could. He glanced up at Brooke and declined his head in apology. “Forgive me, milady. I meant you no disrespect.” Then he set his jaw and turned to Napolean. “Milord, by all rights, I should not even be standing here right now. A Blood Moon trumps all other protocol. So please, just tell me: Have you taken Tiffany’s blood?”
Oh gods, he really sounds… upset, Brooke whispered to Napolean telepathically. She didn’t want to aggravate the situation, but she was growing increasingly concerned for her friend.
It’s okay, angel, Napolean replied in a gentle but confident psychic tone. He is dealing with an overwhelming sense of urgency. It is to be expected.
Of course, Brooke said. I understand. I just… are you sure he’s okay?
Napolean nodded, and then he cleared his throat. “Miss Matthews is under the protection of the house of Jadon,” he said to Ramsey. “She has been initiated as a human loyalist. Of course I’ve taken her blood.”
Ramsey shifted his weight from foot to foot and slowly stretched his back. “And?”
Napolean shut his eyes, as if trying to maintain his cool. His hand twitched almost imperceptibly, and his face grew taut—but his expression remained composed. “And she’s about three-quarters of a mile into the northern forest… on a horse. She’s heading due east.”
“On a horse?” Brooke cut in, immediately regretting the irrelevant outburst.
Ramsey’s top lip twitched several times in a row, and the tips of his fangs began to extend from his gums before he quickly caught the involuntary reaction and reined it in. His eyes deepened to a darker hue, the hazel tones expanding to amber; but otherwise, he showed little reaction. “Phoenix’s Percheron?” he asked, incredulous.
“Yes, on Viking,” Napolean confirmed.
Ramsey nodded solemnly, and then his entire body stiffened; his spine grew straighter; and he appeared to grow two inches taller. “If that is all, milord.”
Napolean inclined his head, and Brooke nearly swayed where she stood.
Oh gods, Napolean; will she be okay? For the first time that night, she truly feared for her friend, and not because of the Dark Ones or any other supernatural creatures that went bump in the night. Brooke was afraid of Ramsey.
She will, Napolean replied in her mind. He will find her and retrieve her…
Faster than she can say his name, Brooke uttered, swallowing her fear. A blind man could see Ramsey’s determination. The sentinel would not be denied.
Indeed, Napolean replied. And then he turned to face the powerful vampire before them. “Warrior, do you want—”
Ramsey clenched his fists at his side and then slowly released them, but he held his tongue out of respect… and waited.
“Julien… our tracker?” Napolean persisted.
Ramsey sucked his teeth and exhaled. “Nope.”
“Your brothers, Saxson or Santos?”
He rolled his shoulders and popped his neck. “Nope.”
When Napolean held out both hands, palms facing down, parallel to the floor, and then gently splayed his fingers as if to calm a wild beast, Brooke’s heart nearly skipped a beat.
“You are one of only three valley sentinels,” Napolean said ceremoniously, “a member of my private guard, a warrior entrusted to protect this vale. So I need not express to you the many dangers that could arise.”
Brooke clung to Napolean’s hand and shuddered. By all that was holy, Ramsey’s eyes were like hot, focused lasers as he locked them unerringly with the king’s. He didn’t interrupt him and he didn’t cut him off, yet his silence spoke volumes: He was itching to get on with the search.
“Very well,” Napolean said. “Then you also know I can only give you so much time before I interfere. Until we see you both home safely.”
Brooke’s stomach did a tiny flip. See them both home safely? Oh gods, the reality was truly sinking in, and she didn’t like the implications: Both Ramsey and Tiffany could be in very real danger. Perhaps she should have tried harder to stop her friend…
Ramsey cleared his throat with a raspy inflection. “If that is all, milord.”
Once again, Napolean declined his head in a regal gesture of formal dismissal. “That is all, warrior.”
“That’s it?” Brooke squawked out loud, forgetting to hold her tongue. No please be gentle? Try not to frighten her out of her wits or yank her arm out of its socket? Maybe you should take another vampire along, like Braden or Nachari?
“Milady?” Ramsey inquired solicitously, although his voice was as hard as stone.
“Nothing,” Brooke said quickly. “I was just thinking out loud.” When Ramsey didn’t reply, Brooke ducked beneath the safety of Napolean’s arm, nestling closer to his chest.
Perhaps she was just imagining things.
Perhaps Ramsey was just on edge.
Or perhaps the warrior was truly miffed by the fact that Tiffany Matthews was supposed to be one of them: While human, she understood the Curse and the consequences of failing to fulfill it. She worked in Dark Moon Vale for the royal family, and she also knew Ramsey personally, if only through passing interactions; yet and still, she had chosen to run away, to risk the sentinel’s life.
She made no such conscious choice, Napolean said telepathically. She simply reacted in fear. He knows this. Having revealed the fact that he was reading her thoughts, he tightened his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “This male will not hurt his destiny, my love.” He spoke aloud for Ramsey’s benefit, and then he turned back to regard the keyed-up vampire. “Fifteen minutes to find her; thirty to retrieve her; and then… your brethren will step in.”
Ramsey nodded in obeisance. “As you will, milord.”
Brooke watched in angst-filled suspense as the ruthless sentinel stalked to the back door of the parlor; threw open the panel, using only his mind to do so; and drew some sort of crude weapon from a sheath at his belt. “And just what the hell is that for?” she whispered beneath her breath.
“We have many enemies, my love,” Napolean answered calmly, shifting his hand to the small of her back, where he could rub it softly. “And Ramsey is a sentinel. He hunts Dark Ones. He protects the people. He dispatches enemies, of all types, at my command. He is not an ordinary member of the house of Jadon. He must take extraordinary precautions.”
Despite her mate’s explanation, Brooke Adams-Mondragon cringed.
It had only been fourteen months since she and Tiffany had first come to Dark Moon Vale to attend a routine conference. It had only been fourteen months since the two of them had been hurtled
into a world beyond comprehension, into the realm of the Vampyr, against their will. And as she thought about it, she had to admit: Napolean had been rather intense when she had met him as well. For heaven’s sake, he had stopped a cab with the palm of his hand, ripped the door off the hinges, and ordered Brooke to get out of the backseat, while Ramsey had driven the “getaway” car. Well, no wonder she still feared the male like the grim reaper… with fangs.
She drew in a deep breath of air and tried to calm her racing heart.
In the end, it had all worked out, and Brooke had found happiness beyond her wildest dreams. She had been gifted with peace, security, and love—surely, Tiffany would find the same.
But with Ramsey Olaru?
As she stared at the open door, shivering from the cool, ominous breeze that wafted through in Ramsey’s wake, she marshaled her courage and summoned her hope. And then she said a prayer to the celestial god Gemini: Please let Tiffany be okay, and please don’t let Ramsey… harm her sensitive soul.
She knew her best friend well, just as she also knew the vampire…
And this was not going to be an easy Blood Moon.
one
Ramsey Olaru shimmered into view beneath the narrow, spindly branches of a Ponderosa pine. He plucked a thin pine needle from a low-hanging branch, stuffed it between his teeth, and slowly turned around in a circle.
He was scenting, once again, for the presence of Dark Ones. He was tuning into Nachari and Keitaro’s recently placed lycan-wards, making sure the supernatural wolf-detectors were functioning. He was checking for the presence of vampire hunters, human miscreants, or general threats of any kind: bears, cougars, wolves, anything that could threaten his destiny.
His destiny.
Tiffany Matthews.
What in the hell had just happened?
He looped his familiar spiked bola into a thong at his waist—the last thing he needed to do was frighten the blond graphic artist any further—and tried to determine his next move: Tiffany was riding up a steep, rocky grade about fifty yards away, and by the harried look on her face, she was barely keeping her seat. Somehow, she had found an old riding trail, one that wound its way through the steep Rocky Mountains, and unbeknownst to her, she was heading for an imminent bluff, one with an abrupt seventy-foot drop-off.