“Do I get a say in this matter?” he asked.

I closed my eyes and shook my head, disgusted with myself. I was making all these plans, but I had not bothered with the most important thing: asked him if he was willing to go. The hunter had done his part. He had faced not only the naturi with me, but the bori as well. I needed him to stay close if I was to escape Nick’s grasp for the time being, but he didn’t need me any longer. He had sworn that he wasn’t going to return to Themis. His life was his own now. He could go wherever and do whatever he wanted.

“Will you please go before the coven with me? It will be dangerous, and I will do everything within my power to protect you. I . . . I just want you there with me.” I felt as if I was dangling out on a thin limb, waiting for it to break under the weight of all my hopes and fears. After everything that had happened, I wasn’t ready to let him go.

Raising his hand, Danaus ran the back of curled fingers gently across my cheekbone in a caress so soft it nearly brought tears to my eyes again. “If I don’t, I miss out on the latest news regarding the naturi. Maybe even a chance to hunt the bastards. Besides, going would mean that I get the chance to thumb my nose at Jabari and the rest of the coven by being at your side. I’m willing to take a risk for that kind of opportunity.”

A surprised laugh escaped me before I turned my head and pressed a quick kiss to his knuckles before he could draw them away. “I think you’re spending too much time around me. You’re developing a seriously twisted sense of humor.”

Danaus leaned forward and pressed a light, lingering kiss to my forehead, causing my eyelids to slip shut. “I’m willing to take that risk, too.”

Venice was a haven and a hell for all nightwalkers. It was the seat of the coven—the ruling body of the nightwalker nation. It had been the home of the Elders for centuries, and I expected it to remain that way for many centuries more. It was a piece of the Old World, slowly decaying but still grasping to her faded charms and dusty manners like a shield and sword against the hectic pace of the modern world.

The island of San Clemente rose up around us as we stepped off the boat and onto the stone dock. I stood with my hands resting on my hips, staring at the wall of trees before me. Nightwalkers crowded the island, watching me, anxiously awaiting my arrival. It had been more than a century since a new Elder took a seat on the coven. Elizabeth had risen to power from out of nowhere, destroying Adam to take his open seat. The coup had been a shock to many, and the other Elders declined to challenge her ascent to power. I hadn’t been in the city at the time, but Jabari filled me in later with his own speculation.

Now, the Fire Starter was to take her place as an Elder on the coven. I would be the first in a very long time that wasn’t a true Ancient. I had yet to reach that critical thousand-year mark and the various powers that came with that age. There would be some willing to challenge me to take the seat, but they had to question whether they were willing to take on Jabari as well. Even though we were at odds, it was no secret that I belonged in some strange way to the Ancient Egyptian nightwalker.

Frowning, I dropped my right hand onto the handle of the short sword I wore at my waist. A second, longer blade hung across my back, while an assortment of knives was strapped to my body at various points. I would not use my unique gift unless I was backed into a corner. For now, I was content to rely on the fighting skills I had honed over the many centuries. I needed to beat them with a sword in my hand. It was more than the rush of power that came from taking a creature’s life with the edge of a knife. It was the assertion of my powers beyond my horrifying gift, which allowed me to burn any nightwalker to a crisp in a matter of seconds. They needed to fear me and all my skills.

“Are you ready?” Danaus asked as he came to stand beside me. The hunter wore a long, black leather duster that snapped in the growing bitter winter wind. He was also ready for battle. If things went poorly for me, he needed to at least have a fighting chance to get off the island.

I looked over at my companion, flashing him an evil grin. “Heavily armed and looking for love.”

“In all the wrong places,” Danaus added, with one of his rare grins.

We walked down the winding path through the wooded area to the massive building that housed the coven. It was a tall, dark stone building with a few slit windows. An imposing structure, with its wrought-iron banded doors and stark face. The exterior and surrounding grounds were not lit by any kind of lighting, helping to ward off any curious guests that might have wandered down the path from the nearby hotel. Danaus and I reached the home of the coven unmolested. All the nightwalkers were in the warmth of the hall, waiting for our arrival.

I paused with my hand on the door handle to the structure and let my powers flare out around us. After a while I simply stopped trying to count. More than one hundred nightwalkers waited inside for us. Danaus wouldn’t have a chance if I was killed. I was beginning to have second thoughts about bringing him inside. I had felt that I needed someone there at my back. He was the only one capable of freeing me from Jabari’s hold, should the nightwalker attempt to control me. He was the only one I could rely on to come to my side if I were injured. He was the only one I trusted.

“I’m not leaving,” Danaus announced as he came to stand beside me.

“And miss out on this bloodbath?” I forced myself to smile at him despite my gnawing concerns. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Jerking the heavy metal handle, the door slid open. The cold wind rushed in ahead of us, causing the candles to dance on their slender perches. I raised my hands and the candlelight stilled and grew brighter, beating back the heavy shadows to reveal that we were alone in the vestibule. Danaus followed me in, pulling the door closed behind him.

After only a couple steps the set of doors barring our way to the throne room of the coven soundlessly swung open. Danaus drew his blade from his back, ready to take on any that approached us, but no one came. They were waiting for us, though. The hall was brightly lit, and yet the floor remained a dark pool of shining black marble. Jabari, Macaire, and Elizabeth sat in their respective chairs on the raised dais at the far end of the room, watching my approach. To my surprise, Our Liege’s chair remained empty. I had been expecting him to make an appearance for this rather momentous occasion, unless he didn’t actually expect me to formally ascend to the position of Elder. That dark thought slowed my steps a bit as I reached the doors.

My gaze danced around the room to find the three walls before the dais lined with hundreds of nightwalkers. So many faces I didn’t recognize. None of them looked particularly friendly. I didn’t see Valerio, but I knew he was there. Unfortunately, my eyes did light on Stefan and my frown deepened. The Ancient nightwalker looked at me with a fresh, burning hatred. He had been waiting to officially hit the millennium mark before he finally ascended to the open seat on the coven. I imagined that I beat him to it by a matter of weeks at the most.

Don’t do it, I mentally said, pushing the words exclusively into Stefan’s brain. The nightwalker had survived two attacks on Machu Picchu. He had fought the naturi beside me, and even helped me stop Danaus when the hunter was temporarily possessed by the bori.

It’s my right to challenge you, Stefan snarled.

True, but I need you alive, and Jabari won’t allow me to lose. I could feel his instant rage, but the nightwalker said nothing. He had planned on challenging me for the seat on the coven, and I suspected that he would actually have a good shot at defeating me if he acted quickly enough. However, we both knew that Jabari liked his edge on the coven, and he wasn’t about to give it up if he could help it. For now, Stefan was willing to step aside, but I knew he would attack me the first chance he got away from the Main Hall.