Yet despite the opulence, we saw no one but the servant that was leading us. There were no sounds in the home but the echo of our footsteps across the marble and hardwood floors and the crackle of fire eating at logs in the fireplaces. I scanned the house to find that there were a small collection of nightwalkers in the direction we were headed, while nearly two dozen humans were hidden around the house. I was willing to bet that the humans represented a collection of servants and pets for Veyron. I inwardly cringed, dreading how Danaus was going to react should he be faced with the humans.

As we entered what appeared to be a garden room with large windows that reflected back the lamplight, a nightwalker with copper-colored hair pushed to his feet. He placed one hand on his waist and bent low toward me and Macaire as he smiled broadly at us.

“The great Fire Starter, Mira,” he announced in a thick Hungarian accent. I noticed that he spoke in neither Hungarian nor Italian, but English. It was a neutral stance for him. He bowed to me, but he wasn’t using Italian and he simply referred to me as the Fire Starter.

“Thank you, Veyron, for welcoming me and my companions into your home,” I said. Turning sideways, I waved toward Danaus and the others. “This is my consort, Danaus, and these are Valerio and Stefan. And I’m sure you’re already acquainted with coven Elder Macaire.”

“Welcome, sire,” Veyron said, bowing a second time. “We have not formally met since my appearances before the coven have always been very brief.”

“Truly?” I said. “I assumed that you knew each other since Macaire said he had been contacted directly about the naturi problem in Budapest.”

“I have heard from various emissaries of the city, through my pets, that there was trouble in Budapest,” Macaire said. “This is the first chance I have had to officially meet Veyron,” he added, making me want to choke. I had no doubt that those two knew each other and knew each other well. This was a bunch of lies in an effort to get me to lower my guard.

“No matter,” I said with a flippant shrug of my shoulders as I forced a smile onto my lips. “The important thing is that we are here now to fix this poor city.”

“And it is an honor to have two Elders and their companions in my humble home. Please, everyone come in and rest yourselves. Let me summon some refreshments for us,” Veyron said as he returned to his seat. I personally could have gagged at all the pleasantries and silly formalities, but I knew it was expected. Of course, the great irony was that I was seated with the vampire most likely hired to kill me along with the man that had hired him, and we were expected to play nice just because it was expected of us. I would not be accused of not playing by the rules.

As Veyron sat down, I noticed that Sofia had stepped out of the shadows and taken a seat on a little cushioned stool next to his chair. I claimed the seat across from Veyron, my eyes drifting over to the woman. Meanwhile, Macaire, Valerio, and Stefan sat near me, while Danaus remained standing just behind my shoulder, his arms folded over his chest as he glared at Veyron. I counted myself lucky that he was playing this nicely with the powerful nightwalker.

Veyron ran his hand over Sofia’s head as if petting an obedient dog. “And this is my little pearl, Sofia.”

“Yes, we’ve met.” I forced a smile on my lips as I dragged my gaze back up to Veyron. “She’s quite lovely.”

“Thank you,” Veyron said, positively beaming at me as if he were a proud owner.

We had only a moment before eight humans walked single-file into the garden room and came to stand next to me and Veyron. There were four men and four women, all appearing to be under the age of thirty. There were blondes, brunettes, and even a redhead, with varying body types, appearances, and, from what I could tell, different blood types—all for the discerning palette.

“Please,” Veyron said, motioning toward the eight appetizers arrayed before me.

I let my eyes sweep over them as if I were weighing the selection. Yet in truth I was stalling. I was trying to figure some way out of this, but I knew there wasn’t as Macaire rose and chose a healthy-looking young man with blond hair.

I’m going to feed. It’s good etiquette, I warned Danaus, trying to keep the conversation between the two of us.

I guessed as much, he replied. Anger rolled off of him in waves, brushing against my side as I pushed languidly to my feet.

No one is going to get hurt, I continued, trying to make sure he wasn’t going to do something that would get us in deeper trouble than we were already in.

Are they here of their own free will?

I don’t know, but I know that they won’t remember anything of what happens here tonight.

With that, Danaus became completely silent, blocking me as much as he possibly could from his thoughts. I stepped over to a tall man with dark brown hair and brown eyes. I ran my left hand over his chest and smiled as his heart picked up its steady pace at my touch. I dipped into his mind to find that his name was Frank and that he was a college student studying physics. And while it shouldn’t have been necessary to check, I found him to be wholly human. It took only a slight push on my behalf to put him in a trancelike state. He was no longer aware of the room or its occupants. For a brief moment in time there was only me and the pleasure that I promised to give him. A lopsided smile lifted his lips as he looked down at me.

Just before I lifted my mouth to Frank’s neck, I looked over my shoulder at Danaus to find the hunter glaring at us. His whole body was stiff and his hands were balled into fists. I smiled at him then turned my face into Frank’s neck, burying my fangs deep into the vein there. His body jerked once before he let out a soft sigh of pleasure.

My mind was deep in his, sending through him waves of exquisite pleasure, losing him in a mind-numbing bliss. At the same time I nearly became lost in that same wave. It had been too long since my last meal, too many long, cold nights of fighting and nearly dying. I had needed this more than I was willing to admit. The blood and the young man’s embrace washed away the cold and the fear. It wrapped me up in a safe world that didn’t include the naturi and the bori. The only thing that could have made this better was a different set of strong arms.

Feeling better, if not a little evil, I reached out to Danaus’s mind, sending to him the same warmth and pleasure I was basking in. It was a weak, filtered version of what he had encountered at the First Communion just a week ago, but it was enough to earn me a low growl that undoubtedly caught the attention of my other companions.

Stop it, Mira, Danaus snapped silently.

Leave off. You’re enjoying it and you know it .

I don’t want to. The surprising admission was enough for me to close the connection between us. I finished my meal alone after a couple more minutes. As I closed the young man’s wound, I thought about grabbing another, but I didn’t need to gorge myself. I would have the chance to feed again later.

After guiding Frank to a chair near the doorway into the garden room, I resumed my seat, barely resisting the urge to run my tongue over my teeth. “Thank you. That was a welcome snack,” I said with a nod of my head to my host.

“Are you sure you won’t take more? If they are not to your liking, I can summon others for you. Older perhaps? Or younger?” Veyron offered like any attentive host. I waved off his comments and turned my attention to Valerio and Stefan.

Both nightwalkers silently chose from the remaining humans that filled the room, using the same care I had shown, to my great relief. Valerio wavered at times between putting his meal in a trance and leaving them conscious so he could enjoy the fear that pumped through their veins. Leaving them conscious would only anger Danaus, and everyone knew it. I was simply grateful that neither Valerio nor Stefan took the opportunity to start a fight with the hunter.