Chapter 18 AURORA

Two days later—days during which I did everything I could to keep the twins out of the way of the wolves from the Blue Ridge Pack—Trajan and I were on our way to dinner with vampires.

Since Dane was my partner, I hesitantly agreed to contact him about it the morning of the dinner. His Bela, Archer Fox, informed me that Dane was out of town.

The Mannerings were an old vampire family who had lived on the edge of Atlanta for years in an old, crumbling mansion that dated back to the Civil War.

Trajan and I pulled up the long drive just after sunset. The vampire home wasn’t as isolated as the pack houses wolves preferred, but it was still on its own deep in the woods.

We went to the door. Before we could knock, it opened. A voice drifted out—it was breathy and old, and I couldn’t tell if it belonged to a man or a woman.

“Please, come in…”

I moved to step inside, but Trajan put a hand on my arm and met my eyes. "Let me go first."

I nodded, suddenly tense as he went in.

I’d had a few dealings with vampires before. They weren’t nearly as common as wolves, and they didn’t care as much for the modern world.

But what they did have was ancient knowledge.

If you ever needed information about a treasure, a curse, or anything like that, vampires would know. If you dared enter their lairs and risk being killed, you could learn many things.

That was why I was here—because my grandmother had gotten word from some of her own vampire contacts that this family might know more about the power we were after.

All we knew was that it was ancient and buried beneath the Appalachian Mountains. That it was supposed to bring magic back to the world—which would make already magical creatures even more powerful.

Trajan glanced back and nodded to me, and I slowly followed him in.

There’s a certain feel to vampire homes: opulent wealth that’s decayed, ancient knowledge, and the feeling that something is going to swoop out of the shadows and kill you any second.

I rubbed the raised scar on my forearm—a habit of mine when I was anxious. Then I forced my hands to my sides.

Our host appeared in front of us.

Violet Mannering was a tall, middle-aged woman with perfect curls in her shining brown hair. Though she was beautiful, her skin was the white of new paper. She had her eyes on the floor as she bowed her head to us.

“Violet Mannering?” I asked. “My grandmother said you have some information for us.”

Shadows gathered around us on all sides, surrounding us.

Suddenly, it was so dark I couldn’t even tell which direction the door was in.

Then Violet raised her eyes, and I realized something was very, very wrong.

Vampires can easily pass for humans, except for the graying, death-like tones of their skin. They don’t usually have strange eyes.

But the whites of Violet’s eyes were black with red irises that glowed like burning coals.

I realized, also, that she wasn’t standing like a normal person. Instead, she and the shadows of the vampires around us hung like puppets on strings.

She smiled, showing long, needle-like fangs. “Welcome. I have great need of your blood.”

DANE

“There it is. The heartbeat,” said the doctor.

I stared at the ultrasound screen.

Evelyn really was pregnant.

She smiled hugely at me, then at the doctor. We were in Atlanta, at the best OBGYN in the city. The clean white lines of the office blurred in the background as I stared at that screen.

I did want children. I wanted to be happy about this.

But it felt wrong, like my life had gotten out of joint somehow.

I shook off the feeling and thanked the doctor. Evelyn put her arm through mine as we walked out a back entrance. She pouted and wanted to leave through the front. That would give paparazzi chances to take pictures of us as a happy couple.

I’d had enough paparazzi in my life for now, which was why I’d paid the doctor to meet us at night. Besides, her eagerness only deepened my suspicions about who sold the story of Aurora being a homewrecker to the tabloids in the first place.

Evelyn had always put more importance on public opinion than other wolves. I wouldn’t care at all, if scandal didn’t affect business. And the only reason the businesses mattered were because they supported the pack.

We walked to the car. She talked more about names and shopping and baby clothes. I checked the messages on my phone. I had one from Archer.

“Alpha, Aurora DeVere called. She said she has a meeting with Violet Mannering about the relic you’re looking for together at nine pm. I told her you’d call when you can.”

I stopped dead in my tracks, which jerked Evelyn to a stop, as well.

“Dane?”

My chest filled with ice. Violet Mannering? The Mannerings were dead. They’d been wiped out two years ago by a couple of hunters that I’d eventually had to deal with when they started terrorizing wolves.

Whatever Aurora was meeting with, it wasn’t vampires.

I shook Evelyn’s arm from mine. “Call a car,” I said. “Get a ride back to the penthouse. I have to go.”

I got in the car and peeled out before she could do more than squeak.

It was just past nine pm now. The doctor’s office was on the edge of the city, not too far from the Mannering mansion. I could be there in ten minutes.

I tried to call Aurora. If she was running even just a few minutes late, I could warn her.

She didn’t pick up the phone.