They were reverent and joyful in their bearing. No shadow of Elixir lived here. No fear stained Laskaris’s happy island kingdom.

Saba curled her lip in disgust.

“What did you want to see?” Ziri asked.

“I don’t know.”

“They all reside in the temple, you know. Even Sofia does now.”

Sofia. How Saba had once loved the woman and envied her joy in Laskaris as a mate. Was this Saba’s fault? Had she been too lenient? Given all of them too much freedom?

The vision of her daughter’s ashes flashed across her mind.

This is what comes of freedom.

Death.

Ruin.

Extinction.

“Have you decided?” Ziri asked.

“Not yet.”

He lounged against a pillar, his black robes fluttering in the ocean breeze. “You’ll have to decide soon.”

“He has time.”

“Not much.”

CHAPTER NINE

Lucien watched Makeda as she leaned over the edge of the small boat carrying them to the island. For as long as any human on Lake Tana could remember, Tana Genet, the island where his home was located, was simply one of the many monasteries dotting the water. It wasn’t a monastery—though it was isolated—but the humans who lived on the sister island spread the monastery rumor until it was the only truth anyone remembered. The fishermen gave the island a wide berth, and no boats landed except his own and those of his brother, Gedeyon, who lived on the neighboring island.

“Are there hippos near your island?” Makeda asked over the buzz of the off-board engine.

She was still wearing scrubs. There had been no clothes waiting at the airport, only an old van driven by one of Gedeyon’s vampire children. It was the same young vampire who escorted them through Bahir Dar and piloted the boat that took them to the island. Lucien had sent a message to Gedeyon before they left the United States, informing him that no humans could be around the newborn, though she wasn’t as uncontrolled as some. His brother, as always, listened to him and had arranged everything.

Now with the moon high in the sky and the quiet of the lake broken only by the small motor, Lucien felt his soul relax on the deepest level. He was home. Makeda was home. He watched her with new eyes, seeing everything through her childlike fascination. He didn’t think she’d blinked since the plane landed.

“Hippos?” he asked. “Not many. If there are, they’ll flee when you set foot in the water. They’re remarkably perceptive, and they recognize our kind as predators.”

“Crocodiles?”

“Not here. You’ll be able to swim as much as you like, though I’ll have to accompany you.”

“Why?”

“The islands are far out in the lake, but we’re still among humans. They know to keep their distance, but there are fishermen. Tourists. Pilgrims who are ignorant of our true identity. It’s my responsibility to keep you—and the humans around you—safe from your bloodlust.”

He saw Gedeyon’s arm lift as they approached.

“Who is he?”

Lucien couldn’t stop the smile. “My brother.”

Makeda frowned.

“I suppose he’s a cousin, in the vampire sense. His sire was one of Saba’s older children. Lake Tana is his home.”

Gedeyon was dressed in the white robe typical to monks on the islands, but his head was uncovered and his bright smile shone under the half-moon. He wasn’t a monk, but those on his island thought of him as such. He had no mate, and most of his children were independent except for one daughter who also lived on Tana Beza, the sister island to Lucien’s own.

“My brother!” Gedeyon called as they approached. “Welcome home.”

“Salam.” Lucien hopped out of the boat and onto the dock, bowing his head before he grasped Gedeyon’s hand and embraced him. “How are you? How is your family? Is your daughter well?”

“They are all in very good health. Hirut has prepared a meal for us.” He looked to Makeda. “Sister, welcome to Tana Genet.”

“Gedeyon,” Lucien said. “This is Makeda. Sired to water by my good friend in America, but under my aegis by choice.”

The young vampire who’d been piloting the boat was helping Makeda onto the dock, careful with the American vampire in the strange clothes.

“Thank you.” Makeda spoke in Amharic, delighting Gedeyon from the expression on his face. “I am sorry. I did not travel with fresh clothes.”

“My daughter will find something to suit you,” Gedeyon said, bowing to Makeda and holding her hand in his. “I am Gedeyon, and I am honored to be your host during your stay here. If you have need of anything, you must tell me, and my people will see to it. We both know Lucien would rather be in a book than making conversation.”

He took the ribbing from Gedeyon because… his brother was right. And also because for nearly six hundred years, Gedeyon had been one of his closest friends. Lucien didn’t like all of his immortal family. In a clan as vast as Saba’s, it would have been impossible. But he liked Gedeyon and he’d liked Gedeyon’s sire, who had come from the land across the Red Sea.

Gedeyon asked, “Have you fed this evening?”

“We had preserved blood on the plane.” He put his hand on the small of Makeda’s back, ushering her up the dock and knowing Gedeyon would notice the gesture. “But if you have fresh, it would be appreciated. Makeda will need to feed before dawn.”