“You’re afraid for Dad, aren’t you?” Kaitlyn asked. It had never occurred to her that anything could happen to her father. He was so tall and strong, always confident and in control, she had always thought him to be as indestructible as the mountain on which the Fortress was built.

Elena nodded. “If Rodin could be destroyed . . .”

Her mother didn’t finish the sentence, but Kaitlyn knew what she was thinking. If Drake’s father, who had lived for over a thousand years, could be destroyed, it could happen to any of them.

Lying in bed later that night, Kaitlyn pondered the conversation she’d had with her mother. She had had no idea things were so serious, or that her father’s life might be in danger. Having grown up in Wolfram instead of the Fortress, Kaitlyn suddenly realized that she was ignorant of much of the history of their people. Sure, her parents had taught her the basics, taken her to the Fortress to meet her relatives, explained what was expected of her when she was old enough to take a husband. She had attended weddings and other formal functions in the company of her parents, she knew she was expected to marry, and to produce children as long as she was able. It was something she had accepted without question. Until she met Zack.

Being with him, getting to know him, she had come to the realization that she didn’t want an arranged marriage, didn’t want to spend her life in the Fortress doing what was expected of her. She wanted to stay in Lake Tahoe with the man she loved.

Blinking back tears, she turned onto her side. She shouldn’t be thinking about herself, or missing Zack. She should be worrying about her father, about what might happen if he had to meet the Italian Master Vampire in battle to defend the Fortress.

A cold fear clutched her heart. She was her father’s heir. If there was a fight and her father lost, would she be expected to meet the victor in battle? Surely not! She had never held a sword in her life. Surely her uncle Andrei or uncle Stefan, or one of the other brothers, would step forward to meet the challenge.

Wouldn’t they?

With Stefan’s return, Elena decided they should have a party to welcome him home.

“A party?” Drake asked. “Now?”

“Why not now?” Elena asked.

“I can think of any number of reasons,” he replied dryly.

Elena heaved a sigh of exasperation. “I think we’ll be safe for a few hours. It’s not like Nadiya’s going to come here looking for Kaitlyn. And Stefan’s been gone such a long time.” Rising, she moved into her husband’s arms. “Please, Drake?”

“How big a party do you have in mind?”

“Just the Sherrad family.”

He grunted softly. “Very well.” There had never been any doubt that she would get her way, he thought ruefully. In all their married life, he had rarely denied Elena anything she wished. It had pleased him to spoil her, to grant her every wish whenever possible.

“Stefan looks good,” Elena remarked, “but the sadness is still there, in his eyes. Do you think he’ll ever get over her?”

Drake stroked her hair, loving the feel of it in his hands, the way the silky strands curled around his fingers. “I hope so.”

“If only he’d fall in love again.”

Lowering his head, Drake kissed her lightly. “Love heals all?”

“Most things. And speaking of love, you must know that Kaitlyn is in love with that man.”

He nuzzled the slender curve of her throat. “I do not wish to discuss that now, wife.”

“Drake . . .” Her eyelids fluttered down; whatever she had been about to say forgotten as his tongue slid seductively over her skin.

Claiming her lips with his, he swept her up in his arms and carried her into their bedroom. Some things in life changed, he thought as he lowered her onto the bed and stretched out beside her. Children grew up. Wars were fought. Dynasties rose and fell. But his love for Elena, his need for this woman above all else, remained constant now and forever.

Chapter 19

Once Zack’s frustration receded and his anger cooled, he gave serious thought as to how to get Kaitlyn back. He had no idea where her father had taken her, although the Fortress she had talked about seemed the most logical destination. But whether her father had taken her there or somewhere else, locating her wouldn’t be a problem. He had tasted her blood and she had tasted his. All he had to do was follow the blood bond that bound them together.

The following night, he informed Scherry he would be leaving town on Saturday for an extended vacation. Assuring her that he would keep in touch, he gave her the combination to the safe, as well as a list of bar supplies that needed to be ordered on Monday. Once he was satisfied she understood his instructions, he left the casino and drove to his favorite haunt in the city. Transporting from one country to another required a great deal of energy and concentration. Best to be wellfed before he attempted it.

After parking his car in the lot, he entered the nightclub and made his way to the bar. He stood there a moment, studying the customers, his mind touching first one and then another. Mortals all seemed to worry about the same things, he mused. The men were usually concerned with sex and how soon they could get it, or money, and how to make more of it. The women fretted over a wider variety of mundane things—their husbands, their children, their hair, their weight. He had yet to meet a mortal woman who was happy with her figure and wasn’t obsessed with losing five to ten pounds, or more.

He settled on a middle-aged redhead who was standing at the far end of the bar, alone. She was pretty, she was single, and she was happy to be so. As was her wont, she had stopped in for a drink on her way home from the hospital where she worked in the admitting department.

It took little effort to draw her attention. When she met his gaze, he mesmerized her with a look. Speaking to her mind, he told her to follow him outside, which she did.

Taking her by the hand, he led her into the alley that ran between the nightclub and the building next door.

There had been a time when he’d felt guilty for luring women into the shadows and taking their blood, but the guilt hadn’t lasted long. Not feeding regularly was far more dangerous for his prey. He had learned early that people died when he waited too long. It was impossible to stop feeding once discomfort turned to agony.

He spoke quietly to the woman, assuring her that he meant her no harm, and then he bent his head to her neck and drank. When he had taken all he dared, he escorted her back into the nightclub, then wiped the incident from her mind.

She blinked at him as he released her from his enchantment.

Zack smiled at her. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“What?” She looked confused for a moment.

“I asked if I could buy you a drink.”

“Do I know you?”

“Zack, remember?”

She frowned at him.

Zack grinned inwardly. He knew she was trying to figure out why she felt faint and disoriented and why she didn’t remember inviting him to sit with her. Since he had erased his memory from her mind, it was unlikely that she would ever recall being in an alley with a vampire. And even if the memory surfaced, no one would believe her.

“You should go home, Karen,” he said.

“Yes. Yes, I should.” She stared at him, her brow furrowed, and then she left the nightclub, her steps a little wobbly, due, no doubt, to the amount of blood she had lost.

Well, it had been for a good cause, Zack mused as he left the bar and drove back to the casino. Tomorrow night would find him on his way to Romania.

Zack rose with the setting sun. Time was of the essence. Being able to close his eyes and transport himself from one location to another was one of his favorite vampire perks. After he was first turned, it had taken a little getting used to, and even knowing he was nearly indestructible, it had scared the hell out of him the first few times he had tried it. And there was always the fear, at least in the beginning, that he might misjudge where he wanted to go and wind up inside a mountain or something. Thankfully, that had never happened.

At first, he had gone only short distances—from one city to another, then one state to another, then across the country. He had been a vampire for a year or so before he got the nerve to go hopping from country to country, and then he’d wondered why he had waited so long.

Of course, he had to time things just right. It wouldn’t do to arrive at his destination when the sun was up. A quick check on the computer and he figured if he left in the next few minutes, he would arrive in Romania with just enough time to find a suitable place to hole up until sundown.

He took a quick shower, dressed, and left his lair. Transporting himself to the woods near Kaitlyn’s cabin, he concentrated on the link between them, felt a growing surge of supernatural power stir the leaves on the trees as he opened his senses. The bond between them was like invisible strands binding them together, a sort of preternatural GPS that only he could see. All he had to do was follow it.

The sense of moving swiftly through time and space had once filled him with trepidation; now, it was a thrill like no other. A rush of cold wind, a sense of weightlessness, of being part of the very air that surrounded him.

When he came to himself again, he was standing outside a massive gray stone edifice located atop a high mountain. The structure was magnificent, with tall, narrow, leaded windows on the ground floor. Three wide stone steps led to a pair of iron-strapped doors that looked strong enough to withstand an army.

“The Fortress,” he mused. It could be nothing else.

He went to ground in the midst of a stand of timber located behind the Fortress. Mortals would undoubtedly consider spending the day buried in the ground utterly morbid. But, for his kind, it was quite refreshing. He had heard of old vampires who went to ground for a year or two when they grew weary of their long existence. Others who were bored with a particular century went to ground until it was over.

Zack had never done that, but he could see how awaking in a new century might add a certain zest to one’s existence. With the passage of a hundred years, there would be new inventions to explore, new dynasties, new fashions, perhaps a new language, new countries, new methods of communication and transportation.