Rowan understood what it meant to have someone else in control of every aspect of one’s life. Understood the brutal reality of Vampiric society. He’d been little more than a child when he’d been Made—illegally—at barely sixteen.

  “Those three decades are no longer a weight on my chest. I can defend myself. I’ve trained and hardened. Learned. I see trouble. I see imbalance and it feels like I need to be right here to do something about it,” he told her.

  Still not quite saying what Rowan needed to hear. There was something just right there. Just outside her vision, a whisper she couldn’t quite understand.

  She allowed her vision to blur a moment, reaching out, touching the papers in front of where she sat. Waiting for something to pop.

  Aron watched her carefully before speaking. “What’s bothering you?”

  “That’s a very long story.” She laughed, rueful. “There’s something at the back of my mind. Telling me I need to pay attention to something about you. Not you. It’s not about you. But connected somehow.”

  He cocked his head. One of those Vampiric movements. Humans did something similar, but this was something very much other. He moved like a predator, though to his credit, not like she was prey. Smart.

  “Is there something I can do to help?” he asked at last.

  Rowan looked down at the papers, wondering about his neighborhood, but the moment she thought it, she knew that wasn’t it. She asked him about his clients but that wasn’t it either.

  “Your Maker. Tell me about him,” Rowan said and relief, nearly painful, shot through her.

  That was a good direction.

  Though she and Clive had discussed Elmer just before sunrise and Clive had said Aron’s Maker was old and well connected, there was nothing in the data she’d culled about Aron’s Maker to indicate he’d been the subject of Hunter Corp.’s official attention.

  “As I explained, he was abusive. It’s not an unusual story really. I think I stayed hoping things would change, or that I would maybe? I left after I finally worked up the courage to do so. I haven’t had direct contact with him since I left, understand. But especially once he ended up here in Vegas, I’d be a fool not to keep an eye on him. Make sure he stayed out of my way.”

  Rowan had kept tabs on Theo after she’d escaped the Keep, too. It paid to know where anyone who had the reason or the ability to curtail your freedom was at any given time. Another point in the pro column of hiring him.

  “Smart,” she said. “That way he can’t sneak up on you from behind.”

  Aron pointed at her. “Exactly. He arrived here back in 1984. I knew the moment he stepped foot on the pavement. I sent an official communication reminding him I wanted nothing to do with him and to leave me alone. I wasn’t that worried. Not by that point. I had established a life here. Connections and roots. Las Vegas is my city in a way it won’t ever be his.” Aron waved a hand. “Backing up a little. At first, I had concerns. He had been possessive of me and I wasn’t convinced he hadn’t shown up to attempt to win me back. Or take me back.”

  Rowan blew out a quiet breath. She knew that fear.

  “The truth is mundane really,” Aron continued. “In the time I was with him, I wasn’t the first, or the last young human he Made. Certainly, after I left, he continued the practice. Some look a lot like me, others totally different. So, what I believe is that it’s not about me. He wanted my youth and my beauty and what wasn’t given he took by force and manipulation. When I left, he found more youth and beauty. There’s always more.”

  The wider world was a buffet for powerful beings like Vampires. Truth was, yes, there would always be more youth and beauty lining up to be abused. Some because they don’t know any different. Some because they craved it. Some because they had no other options and being Made created a family. A place to belong.

  Aron paused as he thought his words over. Sadly, the story he told wasn’t that unique. Most older Vampires had bullshit power trip behavior as their daily exercise.

  “You asked why I want to be a Hunter. Since I left Elmer’s line, I’ve helped dozens of Vampires escape bad situations. Here in Vegas, I’ve helped two of Elmer’s Made with cash and contacts to start over far away. I’d like to continue that work. I think as a Hunter I could do even more.”

  It was a violation of the Treaty for Vampires to hold any of their line against their will. They could file an official complaint to be freed from their line or petition their Maker to be severed and freed. Sometimes Vampires had to pay to buy their freedom. It was a better system than it was before the Treaty, but it was rife with manipulation and abuse. Vampires considered their Made as much theirs as the rugs on the floor and the cars in the garage.

  Rowan didn’t trust easily. But as she heard Aron speak about the things that mattered to him, she accepted that he would be part of her life—an important part—from then on. He’d be as solid as David or Genevieve. Friendship would grow from it.

  The knowing had been about more than one thing. She’d thought it had nothing to do with Aron, but she’d been wrong. She’d been meant to hear these details for multiple reasons. Not just as a warning, but this glimpse into the heart of what drove him as an individual.

  “There will be people who say I’m hiring Vampires to tweak the noses of the Vampire Nation. And I do love to tweak noses, don’t get me wrong. But my aim is to do a better job protecting those within our mandate. Be the shield between them and beings like your Maker. You know the world of rogues and those Affiliated Vampires whose voices go unheard. I think maybe they’re long overdue to be included in that mandate.”

  “He’s got influential friends,” Aron said, returning to the subject of his Maker. “Old Nation family-type influence. Someone or more than one person has protected him over the centuries. It’s why the last Vampire of his I helped leave refused to file an official complaint. If they stay quiet, he lets them go and that’s all they want. So many of them have stunted development. The ones who get Made so young by predators like Elmer end up ensnared in an imbalanced system. They have little power or influence. They don’t continue an education. They freeze, emotionally and mentally.”

  This Elmer was a sleazebag. But Clive and Aron both had said he was influential so he was good at being a dick. He definitely needed some looking at.

  “These illegal Makings happened here? In North America?” she asked.

  “Yes. But Scion Stewart wasn’t in charge at that time. Jacques was, and he was close to my Maker.”

  Friends with that douchelord Jacques? Well, that only underlined how terrible this Elmer was. “You have no reason to believe this, given your history with the Vampire Nation, but Scion Stewart doesn’t tolerate such lawbreaking,” she murmured, offhandedly as her gut burned with rightness. “When I find Vampires in breach of the Treaty, I usually touch base with the Scion’s office. I don’t do that in all cases and I’m sure you can imagine the scenarios I mean. But unless I need to execute a motherfucker on the spot, I try to work with the Nation. Yes, we enforce the Treaty. And part of that is making Vampires uphold their own rules. We have enough asses to kick as it is. Let them break a toe.”

  He nodded. “All right.”

  “The first two weeks is training and testing. You’ll be screened by a witch and read by an ancient Vampire. There’s a great deal of paperwork you’ll need to fill out. David has a packet for you and he’ll walk you through everything should you decide to accept our offer,” she said, needing to move forward.

  His wary expression shifted into pleasure. “I do. I accept. I can start right now. I mean, if you need me to.”

  Yes. She needed him to. That much seemed to ring through her veins. He’d be valuable on the investigation of his Maker and that was starting as soon as possible and it behooved her to get him hired and cleared to work as immediately as safely possible.

  But it wasn’t going to happen on that schedule. Safely as possible took time. That was the first thing. But also, putting Elmer on her to-do list had to wait until she returned from the Joint Tribunal.

  “Let’s get you completely cleared security clearance wise first. Then you train. And learn about Hunter Corp.’s processes. There’s a regular workgroup meeting between all the bodies governed by the Treaty. It’s taking place next week. It’s an endless schedule of meeting after meeting with annoying formal shit thrown in so I have to get dressed up and stop getting things done to slink around being clever and obeying hierarchical rules. Also work, if I’m being honest, but annoying. All that is to say I’ve got too much to manage between now and then. By the time I return, you’ll have finished the preliminaries and be ready to start in the field.”

  He nodded. “All right, then. I’m still happy to accept.”

  Rowan called David in to start the process before she headed off to track Vanessa down.

  Vanessa had been hired to deal with their tech stuff after Carey had been killed. She’d proved to be efficient and clever from day one and Rowan had thrown off enough grief—though it was always there, lurking, ready to jump out at any moment—to begin to like the other woman.

  “You created this background on Elmer Marsc. He’s Aron’s Maker. It was helpful but I want to know everything you can find out about him.”

  Vanessa, whose hair was currently yellow and orange, began to clack away at her keyboard. “Gotcha. I assume this is an as-soon-as-possible type situation?”

  “Do what you can as you can. We’ve got other priorities that are more pressing. Does that work?”

  Vanessa nodded. “Yep.”

  “Appreciate it,” Rowan called out as she left.

  She went to her office, called, and made an offer of employment to Katya, who would begin training once Rowan returned from Prague. She’d be read at some point before Genevieve and Clive, along with Rowan, left.

  Then she sent a text to Clive so he’d see it when he got out of the call he’d gone into with Nadir.

  I need an ancient to read my new Vampire employees. One of them tonight if possible. I could find such a Vampire quickly, but you’ll be shirty if I don’t ask you. Plus you’re very handsome and obviously the best at such things. Let me know.

  It would be better if she hired someone outside the Scion’s office. Politically better for Clive and far less annoying for Rowan. But he would absolutely get in a snit if she didn’t ask him. She was a rug too. Or a car. He loved her, which made her worth more than that to him, obviously, but Rowan had known he was an old-school, Scion-level Vampire when she’d gone and married him so it seemed rather unfair to expect him to act like anyone else.

  The witch read was way simpler. She headed across the bright and open common workspace in the center of their floor to Genevieve’s office.

  The witch turned from her screen to smile up at her.

  “Do you have some time?” Rowan asked.

  * * *

  Ten minutes later they’d settled in a corner booth at a nearby dessert shop where everything smelled like cotton candy and cherries. Genevieve had cast whatever spell it was that enabled them to chat without being overheard.

  They’d had breakfast earlier but that had been in a conference room doing some work. Also, she and Genevieve had the same tendency to burn through calories through their jobs and needed to refuel or be useless.

  And who didn’t like ice cream? Or pancakes. Or Mexican food. Whatever. It had become a little ritual in their friendship that Rowan liked a lot.

  Once they’d ordered, Rowan didn’t waste time. She caught Genevieve up on the salient points that she’d hired Aron and needed him to be read as soon as feasible. Katya would come in to handle all her paperwork and when she did that David would be sure to schedule the rest.

  Rowan wouldn’t share everything at all times with Genevieve. After all, they each had their own loyalties to balance. Still, they had trust between them, and Rowan knew her friend shared with the same sort of freedom.

  Genevieve would do the working when they returned after their sundaes. David would be finishing up right around then anyway.

  Her phone buzzed with a call from Alice so she picked up quickly.

  “Clive got your text. He’s still in a meeting so he wanted me to contact you to say he’ll do the job and not to have anyone else do it first. He can accommodate you in an hour at your offices.”

  Neither of them said exactly what it was he’d agreed to, and Rowan didn’t want that to change. “I’ll see him there. Thank you.”

  “Vampire screen has been handled.” Their treats came and Rowan dug into the strawberry cheesecake ice cream that was her current favorite. “Will it be too hard on Aron to be read by you and Clive in one night?” She had no idea, but she didn’t want to go injuring the guy before he’d even been an employee twelve hours.

  “It’s fine. I assume you have questions, and you want me to watch as he answers?”

  “Is that your usual process? I’ve had a few people read magically but it was different each time. A few of those times were during or after a battle so it got bloody. I assume that’s not the case this time.”

  Genevieve’s pretty laugh seemed to dance in the air between them. “What do you want from the read? That’s the first question. I can examine him for any sort of spells or geas.”

  A geas was a magical chain that kept an individual from speaking or communicating regarding a certain subject. Theo had a geas on him for centuries regarding one of his old side pieces who then tried—and very nearly succeeded—to kill Rowan. He’d been big mad and lots of blood had been spilled. In the end, Rowan killed Enyo and now that the bitch was dead, dead, dead, the world was better off.

  “Yes. I don’t think he does, but you’re a far better judge of such things and I can’t take the risk without being sure. Can you read intent? Like is he for real or hiding something?”

  “If he opens to me, I’ll know if he’s genuine or not. If I have to fight him, it’s harder to tell. Especially with good liars and true believers. Vampires are quite often one or the other. If I’m fighting to get past whatever blocks and it’s muddied, I’m trying to figure out if they’re being evasive or just trying to keep me out because they don’t like being examined that closely,” Genevieve said and then really truly clapped her hands with delight after a huge bite of her birthday cake sundae.

  “How do you manage to still be so delicate and pretty and Frenchly perfect when you do stuff like that?” Rowan muttered.

  Genevieve laughed. “The answer is that I am seven centuries old. I’ve been all sorts of people over that time. Being Genevieve is my most attractive trait. My favorite outfit. I feel comfortable in it, yes?”

  Rowan did understand that and hoped to have that level of self-acceptance someday. Not as hard as it might seem when one looked like Genevieve and had the sort of power she had. But still.

  “So. I’m going to ask about Darius. You can not answer if that’s what you want. I’m dying to know, though,” Rowan added.

  “We’re taking it slow. On one hand, I feel safe saying we’re both attracted to the other. Deep, sensual attraction,” Genevieve added like Rowan couldn’t have figured that part out when Darius and Genevieve seemed to eye-fuck one another every time they were together.

  “And you’re good with that?” Not a judgment at all, just a question. Rowan would support her friend in any case.

  “It’s been a very long time since someone has moved me the way he does. It’s a lot to process. Perhaps if I wasn’t so sure we were...together, which I am, I’d be less okay with this part. He’s got a full-time guard on me. He came to the Senate meeting to protect me.”

  “Where is your guard today? I didn’t see anyone in the office.”

  “Marco’s out there somewhere. He’s my main guard. Though Darius quite often shows up to relieve him. In other words, take over.” Genevieve waved a hand. “I’ve invited him to come into the building. He can work in my office or one of the conference rooms. Or I can let him know when I need to leave. But they all ignore me when I say things like that, so I say it anyway for politeness’ sake, but know they’ll do whatever they want in the end. Or whatever Darius tells them to do.”

  “When I came to your house when you first moved in, that was the first time I’d seen a Dust Devil in shorts. I’m dying to learn more about what they’re all like,” Rowan admitted.

  “They’re everything I assumed and nothing like I thought they’d be all at the same time,” Genevieve said.

  “What does the Senate think of your ascension to priestess to a Trick of chaos demigods?”

  “There’s talk, of course. We do love gossip so much.” She laughed. “Most of the reception I’ve received has been positive. They see it as an alliance with a great power. It raises my profile in that way. Others, well, there’s always mutterings about purity and the like. But of late, those mutterings are louder and more pronounced. They see me serving as a priestess as being robbed of something. Of me being sullied by it and since I’m highly ranked it bears on their reputation as well. I don’t care at all what they think. But there’s an element of bigotry to it I will not abide.”

  “Nor should you. I get it from the other side of the situation. Clive is the Genevieve in my story. He’s a golden boy. Powerful. From a very highly ranked, extraordinarily connected family. A Scion who would have been expected to marry someone of his rank. But they got a human who ran away from their leader’s Keep and then made a career out of killing Vampires.”

  “They got a unique power in the world. A Vessel to a goddess. A full partner in Hunter Corp. A foster daughter of their king. You have brought Clive’s position up, not down. We both know how they are. He’s collected a priceless treasure. They may not like that you kill Vampires for a living. But they certainly like a power like yourself being connected to one of their powers,” Genevieve said.