“So, the seal has to be protected.”

“That’s only part of it. The naturi have other locations they can use to make the other two sacrifices. We have no idea where and when they will strike.”

“I might.”

Wiping off a drop of blood that was running down my cheek, I narrowed my eyes at Danaus. “How?”

“I am part of a large organization, spread around the globe. We will know if something is happening.” The hunter dropped his hands into the pockets of his leather duster, a faint smile tugging at the right corner of his mouth.

“Like you knew about Konark? Or the symbols on the trees?”

The would-be smile disappeared instantly. “We didn’t know we should be watching for something at the temple. We know there will be at least two more sacrifices and that they will likely happen around certain phases of the moon. We can watch for signs.”

“It’s more than the moon phases,” I grumbled, shoving my right hand through my hair, trying to ignore that it was now cold and sticky. “They could also use seasonal holidays or even any of the holidays from the dead religions. It’s hard to say when they will attempt the second sacrifice, or even where.”

“But vampires are limited to only night surveillance. My people are not.”

I frowned. I hated to admit it, but he did have an edge in that arena, and help in this matter was necessary. We couldn’t call in the lycanthropes for daytime assistance because they would be too easily enthralled by the naturi, their former masters. And working with witches and warlocks was always sketchy at best and never particularly reliable.

“You seem to be very well informed,” I said, cocking my head as I took a couple steps closer. Danaus removed his hands from his pockets and bent his frame as if preparing for an attack. “You knew of the naturi, you knew of the symbols in the trees, you knew where to find me and even some of my past.”

“The organization is very well informed. We have spent many years watching your kind.”

I shook my head, placing my hands on my hips. “Oh, this is more than just watching. Someone has been giving you information about nightwalkers and our world.”

“We are well informed, but not strong enough to directly take on the naturi. I was sent to find someone who defeated them at Machu Picchu.”

“Yes, I was at Machu Picchu, but the triad defeated the naturi.”

“Where is the triad?”

I just smiled in return. Did he honestly think I was going to tell a known hunter where to find three of our most important nightwalkers? But in truth, one was already dead and a second was missing, possibly dead. I didn’t have a lot of good news to offer on this front.

“I thought I had earned it. I gave you information on the symbols and the sacrifice. I also gave you Nerian,” he continued, taking a step closer.

“It’s a good start.”

“We’re also offering to watch the other sites for you.”

“Mmmm…yes, very altruistic of you.”

Danaus snorted, closing the distance between us. “I would love nothing more than to see both naturi and nightwalkers wiped from the earth. However, I realize that the naturi are the bigger threat, and we need your assistance. But you also need our help. I am offering a temporary truce. We eliminate the threat of the naturi and then we can get back to the natural order of things.”

“Back to killing each other?”

A smile danced in his eyes. “Exactly.”

I nodded once and took a step back from him. “I need to think about this. Meet me at Orleans Square at Hull Street and Jefferson tomorrow night at ten o’clock.” I turned to leave the basement, but paused as another thought occurred to me, my right foot resting on the first stair. “Before coming, drop that in the river,” I said, pointing to the naturi dagger against the opposite wall. “It will not help you.”

I headed up the stairs and outside without looking back. A breeze rushed from some secret hiding place, rubbing against my body. I suppressed a shiver as it chilled the blood still coating my skin. I was a mess, but no one noticed me as I walked down the street. It was a weak entrancement spell that all nightwalkers could perform from the moment they were reborn. It worked on most, though witches, warlocks, and psychics were somewhat problematic. At that moment I really didn’t care. I was covered in the blood of a naturi, something I never expected to happen again. With the exception of a few dozen left in hiding, the naturi had been wiped from the earth and sealed away.

Yet, on the silent street in the middle of my own domain, I wondered how many naturi were lurking nearby. Was there one hiding in the shadows, watching me, waiting for the opportunity to strike? Or worse, follow me back to my private lair, where he would stake me during the daylight hours? And who was this Rowe that Nerian had mentioned? Was he the one who sought to free the long-lost queen of the naturi? Too many questions…and there were no easy answers to be had.

But the path was clear. I had to discover who this Rowe was and stop him from making any more sacrifices. And the only way to do that was to locate the triad, or at the very least, what was left of it.

My plan for the rest of the night was simple. I would return home, shower, and then hunt. I could even hunt first, and then return home to shower. I was flexible. But those plans were pitched out the window. The acrid smell of smoke tainted the air a couple blocks away, along with a rising wave of fear. This was worse than a random house fire in the early morning hours that claims the lives of the unwary. Something had stirred up the natives in an ugly way.

I ran the last blocks to the fire, to find a trio of bright red fire trucks positioned outside the Docks. Firefighters were pouring water on the flames, which were still jumping out the front door. The hoard of people standing beyond the trucks was covered in smoke and soot and blood. Women were weeping hysterically, while more than a few men were pacing, pulling at their hair in a sort of impotent rage. And others stood still, eyes staring blindly forward in numb shock, their minds refusing any further information.

This was more than just a fire cause by a carelessly dropped cigarette. I dipped into one scarred mind after another to find that several people had been murdered. Someone had come among this hardened, jaded group, cutting down people at random before setting fire to the place.

Turning my attention to the fire, I closed my eyes and quickly extinguished the flames. In a matter of a couple minutes the last tongues of fire were completely gone. It would have looked a little odd to the experienced firefighters, but no one would question their sudden good luck. I needed to get in there to find out what happened, and the fire was destroying evidence.

Pulling aside one stunned man, I convinced him to give me his shirt. Without his eyes ever drifting from the blackened building, he pulled the T-shirt over his head and handed it to me. I wiped off the naturi blood that still covered me and scanned the crowd for a familiar face. Off to one side stood Jonathan, surrounded by a small contingent of friends. His black tights were torn and his plaid skirt and white button-up blouse blackened with soot and splashed with blood. His blond wig was missing and his face was streaked with mascara-tinged tears. He would have made an attractive woman if he weren’t built like a linebacker.

With the man’s shirt waded up in my left hand, I walked over to Jonathan, who had been attending the Docks for years and knew all the regulars. His friends stepped aside at my approach, their lost gaze seeming to hold me for only a moment before drifting back to the building.

“Hey, Little John,” I said when he looked up at me. “What happened here?”