Unfortunately, Macaire was taking advantage of the situation to try and provoke the hunter. He not only fed on three separate humans, but made sure they were fully conscious during the entire affair so their terror could be felt and heard in the room. When the first male failed to elicit a response from Danaus, Macaire switched to a pair of thin, weak females who were far more vocal in their fear. The Elder drained them within an inch of death, and they crumpled to the floor with an ugly thud. They had to be carried out by some of Veyron’s other servants.

Throughout it all, Danaus didn’t even flinch. I knew the hunter had seen far worse in his days of battle and through his exceedingly long existence, but Macaire was only succeeding in proving to Danaus that he had been right all along. Vampires were simply bloodsucking monsters without a care for the human race beyond a source of food. Macaire proved that we were soulless creatures that weren’t worth saving. In that flicker of a moment, I didn’t blame Danaus for all the nightwalker deaths he had caused. If any of them were like Macaire, they deserved what they got.

When the trio of nightwalkers returned to their seats and the humans filed back out of the room, Veyron’s eyes drifted to Danaus and a grin slowly crossed his features.

“I am loath to ask such a favor,” he began, his gaze still locked on the hunter. “But I am wondering if you would permit me to try him. I have never heard of the famed Fire Starter keeping a pet. I am interested to know what makes him so unique.”

“No!” I snapped, lurching to my feet. “No one touches him. Danaus is not a pet. As I said earlier, he is my consort .” Around us, candlelight flickered and flared brighter and higher on their wicks as I unconsciously tapped into powers that had been a part of me since birth. Something important to me was being threatened, and I was going to defend it with everything that I was. Veyron would not touch Danaus.

Stefan and Valerio also rose to their feet as if to protect me, while Danaus remained standing as still as a statue beside me. Macaire lounged in his chair, watching the proceedings with a smirk on his thin lips.

Veyron was wise and remained seated, offering both of his open hands to me as he immediately backed away from his request. “I meant no harm in my request,” he backpedaled. “I never meant to offend you or your consort.”

I nodded stiffly, returning to my chair, followed by Valerio and Stefan. “Danaus is not to be touched by another creature.” I left the unspoken threat hanging heavy in the air. If I were to never feed from the hunter, then I would never allow another nightwalker to touch him. I didn’t want him to be tainted in such a fashion. He was not like any other human I had met, and it wasn’t just that he was part bori. He was different, and I wanted to preserve and protect that difference from the rest of my kind.

“Forgive me. I understand his importance to you. In truth, I don’t think I could ever allow anyone to touch my dearest Sofia here,” Veyron said as he once again stroked the back of her head. I half expected her to start panting or purring as she turned her wide blue eyes up at him and a delicate smile lifted the corners of her bow-shaped mouth.

“Perhaps he would like for me to get him something to eat or drink,” Sofia suggested in a soft, almost hypnotic voice.

“Yes, of course. How thoughtless of me! I am not accustomed to entertaining humans,” Veyron said with a laugh.

Sofia rose to her feet as if supported by air and started to glide out of the room when Danaus shocked everyone by finally speaking. “I can accompany her,” he volunteered.

“There is no need to trouble yourself.” Sofia smiled sweetly up at him, while I fought the urge to chew on my bottom lip in troubled thought. I had not expected this from Danaus. I had thought he would want to remain close while we were in talks with Veyron, but now he seemed anxious to slip away with Sofia. I wasn’t sure what he was up to, but a part of me knew that I wouldn’t like it.

“I don’t mind,” Danaus said. “It would give me a chance to see more of this exquisite house.”

“Yes, take him with you, Sofia,” Veyron said with a wave of his hand. “Get him something to eat and show him my home while I speak with the Elders.” I bit my tongue and forced a smile on my lips as I relaxed in the chair across from my all too gracious host. He thought he was doing Danaus some great favor, but I knew that the hunter had some devious scheme up his sleeve.

Stay out of mischief and be wary of the other nightwalkers in the house, I warned as he left the room with Sofia.

As soon as the door closed, I turned my full attention back to Veyron. I was more than ready to get down to business and complete this little dance we had started. “I’m surprised that Odelia is not here to join us.”

“I didn’t know that you were expecting her to be present,” Veyron replied.

“She seems to hold some power within the city. And so do you.” I was curious if there was any lingering animosity between the two that I could irritate. It could prove useful later. “I will admit that I’m a bit confused when it comes to understanding who the keeper of Budapest is. It is unknown to myself and the other Elders of the coven who truly rules this city.”

Veyron settled his right ankle on his left knee as he sat back in his chair with a smile. “There is no single keeper of Budapest. There’s no need.”

“Who keeps the peace?” Valerio inquired.

“There’s no need for anyone to enforce the peace in the city,” Veyron replied. “There are no struggles for power, no fights over territory here. All the nightwalkers here are somewhat younger in age and are content to go their own way.”

“It’s not all peace and love in this city,” Stefan declared in an ominous voice that dragged everyone’s eyes over to him. The nightwalker sat stiffly in his chair with his hands gripping the arms. It was one of the rare moments when I’d seen him express any kind of emotion, and it was obvious to everyone that he was more than a little angry.

“What has happened?” Veyron’s smile lost some of its earlier wattage, confronted now with open hostility from a nightwalker that was older than him. Should this encounter rise to blows, there was no promise that either Elder would step forward to stop Stefan.

Lifting his chin, Stefan unclenched his jaw enough so he could speak. “A month ago I sent my assistant here to pick up a package for me. She arrived by private jet. She came to the city and checked into a hotel, but that was the last that was heard of her. The package was never picked up and nothing has been seen of my assistant.”

“If you need help acquiring your package, I’m sure I can assist you. I am familiar with many of the shopkeepers throughout the city,” Veyron said with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

The arm of the chair that Stefan was sitting in creaked as the nightwalker’s grip tightened. “I am not concerned with the package,” Stefan bit back in a deadly soft voice. “I want to know where my assistant is. She is to be returned to me.”

Veyron gave a sad shake of his head that left even me wanting to rip it off. “I’m afraid this is the first I have heard of the matter. I’ll do what I can to help you find her.”

“I believe it will be in your best interest to help me because I plan to dismantle this city until I do find her,” Stefan snapped.

“What’s her name?” Macaire inquired politely.

“Michelle,” Stefan replied, his voice losing some of its edge. “She is just over five feet tall, with brown hair that hangs down to her waist. Her eyes are brown and there is a sparse sprinkling of freckles across her nose.”

“How old was she?” Valerio asked.

“She is 221 years old,” Stefan said, surprising me. I had not expected his assistant to be a nightwalker. But then, by the detailed description he gave and his refusal to face the fact that she was most likely dead, I was willing to bet that Michelle was more than just an assistant to him. I hadn’t expected Stefan to actually have any kind of emotions for anyone beside himself. Of course, it made sense. Nothing would force Stefan to volunteer to come on a mission with me unless it was very important to him. And by his tone of voice, Michelle was very important to him. For a brief second I wondered if it was Michelle that had truly brought Stefan to Budapest and not some elaborate plot cooked up between him and Macaire.