“They’ve already given their approval for the day’s rest. If they refuse, I can still send him back to London after the sun sets. No harm done.”

“I’ll relay your request,” Roberto said stiffly, his lean face twisting with his displeasure.

“Grazie,” I said, smiling at him wide enough to expose my fangs. It wasn’t a threat; more of a friendly nudge not to cross me. Coven toady or not, I’d ripped apart stronger vampires than him for less, and he knew it. Besides, the noose was already around my neck, so what did I have to lose?

We climbed out of the boat and walked up to the hotel. I paused and watched Roberto pull from the dock and drive out into the Lagoon. He was headed for the Coven. The other nightwalkers remained around the hotel, watching. They’d hold for a little while longer but would have to find a suitable resting spot as the night crumbled around us. As I turned to continue into the luxurious hotel, I found Tristan standing before me, a look of gratitude on his face.

“Why?” he whispered, his voice seeming to catch on something in his throat.

“You wouldn’t survive the night,” I grumbled, stepping around him and striding toward the hotel. The look on his face, a sickening combination of gratitude and awe, was making me uncomfortable. It was the same look I had seen on his face when we first met in London at that punk bar. To Tristan, I was a legend and a beacon of hope—I had “escaped” our maker and gone on to live my own life away from her. And when he saw me for the first time, he assumed that I would help him do the same. Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t the type to come rushing to the aid of a weaker nightwalker. In fact, I was frequently an exterminator of fledglings when they endangered our secret.

“Sadira won’t let anything happen to me,” Tristan argued, following on my heels.

“I will try to get Danaus to smuggle you back onto the jet before sunset tonight,” I said, ignoring his comment. “You can be back in London or in the States before they awaken.”

He grabbed my arm, stopping me. “What if they summon me and I’m not in Venice?”

“I’ll tell them I shipped you away without your knowledge.” It was a considerable risk. I had never defied the Coven before, but then I’d never had a reason to try.

“No,” he firmly said with a shake of his head. “I’m staying.” He repositioned our bags on his shoulders, completely at ease with their awkward weight. My brow furrowed as I stared at him. Earlier that evening he had wanted to run, to flee the Coven.

“I thought you wanted to be free of Sadira,” I snapped. Exhaustion and fear ate away at the last of my patience. There wasn’t time for this discussion.

“We both know shipping me to another country or continent won’t free me from Sadira’s grasp.” Tristan stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. He leaned in and our cheeks nearly brushed as we spoke. “Sending me away will only antagonize the Coven and Sadira. And while you may be the great Fire Starter, I don’t think you are strong enough to take them both on and succeed.”

My own words come back to haunt me. And he was right.

I stepped back so I could look him in the eye. “Very well.” He was young, but determined. For now, he would stand by his mistress and endure the gaze of the Coven. If he were lucky, they would be so preoccupied with Danaus and me that he would be overlooked.

With a nod, I led my two companions into the opulent Hotel Cipriani. When I’d scanned the area upon our landing, I sensed Sadira on one of the upper floors waiting for us. Neither Tristan nor I had any desire to see the manipulative old nightmare again, but we were running out of time and I had something to accomplish before the night drew its final breath. As we neared the private suite, Sadira threw open the white double doors, smiling at her young ward.

“At last,” she said, sounding deeply relieved. There was a slight flush to her pale cheeks, revealing that she had fed recently. She was wearing a pale pink shirt and long black skirt. The night’s battle had been erased from her appearance, except for the lines of nervous worry that still clawed at the corners of her eyes. Stepping around the two nightwalkers as they held each other, I rolled my eyes in disgust. I knew Tristan was obediently relaying the night’s events to his mistress through his thoughts. I didn’t care to review what had happened since we parted ways. For now, I turned my attention to our accommodations. I’d deal with Sadira later.

The main sitting area was coldly elegant, decorated in smoky gray and black marble with creamy white walls. The furniture was covered in an interesting black and gray fabric and perfectly coordinated with the large area rug in the center of the room. The area oozed luxury, offering an enticing mix of beauty and comfort. Yet, the windows troubled me. The far wall was comprised of a massive bank of windows looking out at the canal. Frowning, I quickly peeked into both bedrooms to find large windows spanning the far walls. Even the bathroom looked out onto the canal. At night the view was stunning. By day it would be a death trap as the sun slowly crept through the room, searching us out.

“How are we supposed to meet them tomorrow if we burn up during the day?” My voice exploded in the suite as I stalked back out into the living room.

“The curtains are thick in the master bedroom,” Sadira said. “It will be enough to block the sun.” Her seemingly eternal calm was unshaken by my lack of emotional restraint. The night had been too long already, with bitter revelations nagging at me from both my beloved Jabari and my enemy Rowe. There had been no time to sit alone and think over what I’d learned, to formulate my next plan for survival. Always moving forward, toward the next destination, closer to the next creature that wanted to control me or kill me.

I wanted my metal box with its double locks on the interior. I wanted my one sanctuary in this world that was unraveling faster than love after betrayal. Traveling without the box was insane. I hadn’t taken any trips outside of my domain without it in centuries. It had saved me on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, I currently needed to travel light and fast. I had to find other options. Hell, for half a second I actually thought about sleeping in the Lagoon, but quickly pushed the idea aside. The Elders were having a little fun. If they wanted to kill us, they would have done something far more creative and painful. This was just a joke; a death trap draped in exquisite luxury.

The panic ebbed and I redirected my thoughts toward my primary concern as I felt the nightwalkers move away from the hotel. It was less than an hour from dawn, and they were seeking their own resting place. They assumed I wouldn’t be up to any trouble this close to sunrise. Furthermore, their human guardians wouldn’t be in place to keep an eye on Danaus for another hour or two. They would have to be sure their vampire masters were safely stowed for the day before leaving. It was a window of opportunity, albeit a very small one, and I wouldn’t have a second chance.

“Come with me,” I commanded, pointing at Danaus as I headed for the doors.

“You’re leaving?” Sadira gasped, horrified that I was heading outside when dawn was already beginning to lighten the sky.

I threw open the doors and stepped back to let Danaus precede me. “I have a question that needs answering before tomorrow’s meeting.”

“But the sun—”

“Don’t wait up,” I said, and laughed, following Danaus out of the room.

We jogged down the hall and through the hotel as silent as the wind. I might have been laughing, but I could feel the night struggling as it entered the final throes of death. No matter how hard I clenched my fist, the sand was slipping through my fingers. I was going to cut this one close, but I had to know. Rushing back outside, I hurried down to the dock, the rubber soles of my boots silent along the worn stone sidewalk. I untied one of the speedboats resting there, fighting the urge to glance up at the sky.