He was dragging a sword with his right hand.

"This?" he spat, looking Eleisha up and down. "This is your champion, Rose?"

His accent was British, not Russian.

Rose looked at his sword. "Robert, you don't need that."

Eleisha felt sick. She'd walked right into a trap. The contempt in the man's eyes was so thick she almost backed up.

From the moment Wade had fallen unconscious, the night had taken on a surreal quality, and she realized she was still dressed in his old sweatpants and her Hello Kitty tank top… with her hair a mess.

It didn't matter.

She'd had enough of this, and she let her gift seep out, slowly for a few seconds, and then in stronger and stronger waves, sinking it into both their minds.

She would have preferred a straight psychic invasion, as she had used on Julian, but she didn't know this man, and if he was telepathic, he could block her, and she'd lose any advantage. That was the drawback in fighting unknown members of her own kind. Anyone with telepathy could just block her entry-working with Wade had taught her that much. Instead, she called on reserves inside herself that she'd never sought before, twisting her gift with her newfound psychic ability, weaving subtle illusions inside their perceptions.

They saw her as helpless, frightened, in need of protection, only to a greater degree. She was someone to kill for. Someone to die for.

Rose turned around, her lips parted, her eyes wide.

But Eleisha ignored her and moved toward the man. What had Rose called him? Robert?

Pitching her voice to a near whisper, Eleisha murmured, "Swords frighten me. Please, put it down."

It fell from his hand instantly, clanging to the floor. She didn't know how to use it herself and wanted to kick it across the floor, but she feared breaking her connection to him. His eyes were locked on her face.

"I am so afraid," she whispered. "I need to run. You stay here and protect my way."

He shifted his weight to his right foot, wavered slightly, and repeated, "Protect your way."

But then… she felt something inside her mind, something pushing back. Robert stumbled forward, and he made a sound like a mortal trying to suck in breath. She could feel him pushing her out.

"Turn it off," he gasped.

She stepped closer, trying to hold on, wrapping her thoughts around his, making him see her as helpless, frightened, someone he must let run away.

I won't hurt you, he flashed into mind. Turn it off.

His verbal thoughts were so clear-even clearer than Wade's-that she felt truth behind them. Who was he?

Still doubting herself, beginning to doubt her own instincts, she shut off her gift.

Rose staggered a few feet back, nearing the staircase.

Robert dropped to one knee as if released from some physical hold, and he placed his palm against the floor. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," he said, looking up at Eleisha, the contempt on his face fading slightly. "Who taught you to do that?"

She just looked at him, studying his lean face and his nearly clear eyes.

"You're of the wild generation," he said, his tone growing more demanding. "Who taught you to do that?"

Wild generation? What did he mean?

Rose was gaining control of herself and hurried forward, holding her long green skirt in one hand. "Eleisha, this is Robert Brighton. Forgive me for not telling you anything before, but I swore I would not expose him. He has no reason to trust any of us… any more than we have to trust each other." She paused, standing close to Eleisha, "He agreed to see only you."

Eleisha looked at her, thoroughly confused now. Rose had not led her into a trap? Could it be that Rose was so determined, so desperate, to bring any vampires still in hiding together that she would do anything, go to any lengths just to manipulate meetings? Could Eleisha blame her? Isn't this what they both wanted? What they had planned and dreamed of in their letters? If that was the case, then perhaps Rose could be trusted-as long as Eleisha never forgot how single-minded she could be in this pursuit.

Without asking, Eleisha slipped inside Rose's mind.

You found him and drew him here? Through Seamus?

Rose's eyes widened again. Yes, and a brief exchange of letters.

Why?

If we are to build a community, we have to find the others. But I never thought to find one like him still in existence-

"That is impolite," Robert said. "And this is pointless. You have no knowledge and no manners. You plan for things of which you have no understanding."

Eleisha pulled out of Rose's mind and tilted her head to one side. In Philip's memories, she had seen detailed images of him living with Julian, John McCrugger, and his maker, Angelo Travare. Only after the beginning of Julian's killing spree did the vampires break up and travel alone. Had it been normal for them to exist together before? This Robert Brighton had been hiding-just like Rose-but he had come out of hiding and traveled all the way from Russia to San Francisco, so no matter how much he protested, he must be desperate to rejoin his own kind.

"Why did you come here?" Eleisha asked him. "Did Rose tell you about the church? Do you want to come home with us?"

He seemed taken back by her direct questions and paused. Then he shook his head. "Not if you keep company with Philip Brantй. He's feral. As blood brother to Julian, he was the only one with a chance to stop those horrors, and he did nothing, not that I should have expected more. Angelo had already ruined him, taught him nothing, let him run wild, let him kill whoever he pleased."

Eleisha was getting sick of these vampires constantly bashing Philip, but she froze, taking in Robert's words. If he knew Philip and Julian personally… then Julian must have known him, and he was clearly telepathic.

"How did you survive?" she asked.

Again, he seemed unsettled by her direct question, as if he thought her rude.

"I did not," he answered. "Julian believes he hacked my head off."

"What?"

"Eleisha," Rose interrupted, "this can all wait." She turned to Robert. "You can see the truth of my words." She pointed to Eleisha. "She fought Julian and won-sent him packing. Everything has changed. You must agree to meet Philip and Wade. There is strength in numbers."

His expression went still for a moment, as if he considered her offer, and then he took a step backward. "I'll not be in the same room with Philip Brantй. He's feral. And a coward."

Eleisha turned around and headed for the stairs. "I don't care who you are. I won't listen to this."

Rose ran after her, catching her arm, leaning close to whisper, "Wait. He is old, with knowledge of our kind we could never find anywhere else. Please, Eleisha, convince him. He may be the only one from… before."

Eleisha stopped. How old was he? She'd believed that any survivors would most likely be like herself or Edward or Rose-turned either right as the killing spree began or after, with no opportunity for telepathic training or somehow off Julian's radar.

But she could not help being disgusted by this Robert Brighton's arrogance and contempt. If he was going to join them, he would have to accept a few truths.

She turned to face him. "You call Philip a coward?" she asked. "When you've been hiding in Russia? Yes, Philip is terrified of Julian. We all are. But he kicked Julian out a twelve-story window. Do you know why? To protect me. Don't you ever call him a coward." She dropped her voice lower. "I don't believe Julian will ever come near us again, but I can't promise anything will or won't happen. If you want your freedom, if you want to live with your own kind again, then you have to be willing to expose yourself and fight."

He stared at her in surprise.

"If not," she added, "you can go back to Russia and hide out by yourself. I'm sure the high summers are lovely there."