“We’ll be fine,” I said, then looked over at Stefan. “Find anything interesting with Ferko?”

“Just where they will be hunting tomorrow night,” Stefan replied with a cold grin.

“Tomorrow night?”

“Full moon,” Danaus said, leaving me cursing my absentmindedness. I had completely forgotten about the full moon. The local pack would meet tomorrow night, since they would all be forced to shift. The urge to hunt would be overwhelming, and they would need the strength of the alpha to keep the group under control.

“I’m guessing that I’ll find out tonight at Veyron’s what has dragged you to this city,” I said, arching one eyebrow at Stefan. The nightwalker had not come because he had any real desire to protect me. He didn’t care about whatever Macaire had planned for me. His main concern was a seat on the coven. However, I was willing to bet that something important had happened in his life surrounding the creatures of Budapest and he had tagged along to take care of a personal matter. I knew that he would have to tell me soon, or it was going to interfere with my own investigation. I was already on edge with Rowe in the city, and it didn’t help that I was faced with a tag-team ruling party. I needed to know that Stefan wasn’t going to run off and take care of his own agenda.

Stefan gave a little snort as one corner of his mouth quirked in a grudging smile. He had underestimated me. “I imagine you will.”

“Fine. We’re out of here. Be on guard while you’re in the city. Rowe is in town and he’s not happy,” I announced as I grabbed my heavy coat from where I had laid it across an open chair.

“The one-eyed naturi from Machu Picchu?” Stefan inquired. “The one that wants your head? When is he ever happy?”

I pressed my lips into a firm line as I turned back toward the bedroom so I could pull on a pair of socks and boots before we left. Rowe was only happy when I was hurt and bleeding. Rowe would only be happy when I was dead.

I paused near the center of the room, every muscle in my body freezing as I extended my powers beyond the confines of the hotel room. Something powerful was coming.

“Danaus! Blade!” I ordered. I was completely unarmed, but the hunter tossed me a knife from across the room. I caught it with my right hand and turned it toward the growing source of energy. Valerio and Stefan didn’t question me as I could feel their own powers begin to fill the air.

To our combined surprise, Macaire appeared in the room, standing so the point of my knife was just centimeters from his heart. He took one look at the blade and raised an eyebrow at me. “I take it things are not going well.”

I hesitated in withdrawing the blade, but finally forced myself to lower it to my side. “I’ve never been one to welcome unexpected visitors.”

“I came to offer my assistance since I am the one that directed you to Budapest.”

“While unnecessary, your presence is most appreciated,” I lied through my clenched teeth. “I take it that everything went well in Spain.”

“All is quiet in Sadira’s former domain. Some of her children still reside in her old castle. Otherwise, the naturi threat has been removed from the area.”

He made the comment about Sadira’s former domain and her poor children as if I was supposed to feel some kind of twisted remorse about her death at Machu Picchu. The only regret I felt was that I had not been the one to actually kill my maker. The old bloodsucking witch got what she deserved, and now it was time for her precious children to learn to stand on their own two feet.

In the meantime, I truly doubted that Macaire had accomplished much on the naturi front. Danaus had been there weeks earlier and cleared out the region. I couldn’t imagine that there was much for Macaire to do. Besides, the Elder was far more interested in seeing me get killed off one way or another.

“We had our first encounter with the naturi last night,” I said. “Rowe is in town and appears eager to have his hands on me again to hand over to Aurora.” I suppressed a barrage of nasty thoughts about Macaire. The nightwalker liked to tread through the minds of others, and I had no desire to have him listening in on my thoughts of him. “I’m confident that we’ll succeed in eliminating him at long last when we remove the naturi threat from the region.”

“Really? I’m surprised, considering that he’s been giving your problems for so long. Why do you think you have an edge this time?” Macaire inquired with a wicked grin.

“He doesn’t have the same kind of support of his people as he has had in the past. He’s an outcast; a traitor. They are going to be unwilling to help him, making the naturi an easier target to hit.”

“Will you be hunting him down tonight?”

I shook my head. “Not tonight.”

“We’ve been invited to a private gathering,” Valerio volunteered.

I turned Danaus’s knife over in my hand, watching the silver blade reflect the light. “It seems that Budapest is far more interesting that we initially thought. We all came to town assuming that we were dealing with naturi, but I’m afraid there has been a serious breakdown in the ruling system that we have set up.”

“What’s going on?” Macaire demanded.

“That’s exactly what we’re trying to figure out. The Ancients are dead. None of the younger nightwalkers are going before the coven. And this Odelia that I met last night claims there is no keeper of Budapest. It’s chaos, and it cannot be allowed to continue.”

“Really? I had no idea the situation was so dire.”

“I’m surprised. I thought you knew. I assumed it was the reason you chose me to come to Budapest—to clean up this mess.”

“My concern was the naturi, that is all.”

“You said that you were familiar with Budapest, correct?” Danaus interjected, where Stefan and Valerio were not bold enough to tread. “You should accompany us tonight to Veyron’s. Perhaps the two of you could shed some light on what has happened to this poor city.”

Macaire stiffened at being addressed directly by Danaus, but was forced to nod at the invitation. “I have heard of this Veyron and I would be happy to accompany you.”

I chuckled as I turned my back on Macaire and walked over to Danaus to return his blade. “Two Elders gracing a single nightwalker’s doorstep. What a rare honor!”

I’m sure that’s exactly how Veyron will see it, Valerio said sarcastically in my mind. He was still cautious enough not to directly cross Macaire. I had recently killed the Elder’s companion, making him a walking powder keg. The littlest thing could set him off, and no one was particularly happy to discover that he was now in town.

“You can get the location from Stefan or Valerio,” I called over my shoulder as I walked toward the bedroom with Danaus following behind me. “We’ll meet you there in approximately thirty minutes.” My final words were punctuated by Danaus slamming the door shut behind us. Let them figure it out on their own. I didn’t want Macaire traveling with Danaus and me. He wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place, and I didn’t like it. I was beginning to feel even more trapped, surrounded by Nick, Rowe, and now Macaire. I was quickly running out of options and people to help me.

Nick had been right. Time was running out for me.