“No, this isn’t about Knox,” Valerio admitted with a shake of his head, sending a soft lock of hair down across his forehead. The nightwalker released a heavy sigh and stared at Danaus, who was frowning at him, looking distinctly uncomfortable. The last time he’d met Valerio, it had not been under the best circumstances. Both the naturi and the coven were trying to decide how to kill us, and Valerio was struggling to choose a side.

“I think it would be best if we discussed this in private,” Valerio finally admitted, tearing his eyes away from the hunter to pin me with his dark gaze.

“If this is about the coven, he can stay,” I grumbled as I slid into a sitting position. I gently placed my feet on the floor, feeling to see if my knee and leg were fully healed. Strength was returning to my battered frame and I felt that a lot of my aches and pains could be washed away with a hot shower. “Danaus has met the coven. He’s been through hell with me. He can stay to hear this.”

At this, Valerio finally frowned at me. “Are you saying that you’ve finally taken a pet?”

“No!” Danaus said, instantly lurching to his feet.

“No,” I seconded in a softer, yet firm voice.

“Then what, Mira? Are you saying he’s your equal? You, a member of the coven, are equal with a vampire hunter?” Valerio demanded, twisting the knife that he had plunged into my chest when he started this conversation.

I didn’t know how best to explain it. Danaus had walked through the fires of Hell with me, survived attacks from both naturi and bori. If this creature was going to continue to watch my back, I couldn’t keep secrets from him.

“It’s complicated, Valerio. Let’s leave it at that.” Valerio gave me a skeptical look that implied far too much. Leave it. It’s not what you think, I told him again, in thought, which only earned me a slight grin. The nightwalker positively reveled in being a complete pain in the neck.

Motioning for Danaus to return to his seat, I ran one hand roughly through my hair, pushing it out of my face. “Can we just get down to business?” I said to Valerio. “What does the coven want?” While Valerio had never mentioned it, I knew the coven was one of the few things that would drive the nightwalker out of the splendid comfort of the Old World into my domain.

“They want you,” he stated, shoving his hands into his pockets as he leaned one shoulder against the mantel of the fireplace.

“For what?” Danaus inquired.

“They’re convening, aren’t they?” I asked, trying not to sound like I was whining, but I wasn’t succeeding too well.

“Yes, and your presence has been ‘requested,’ ” Valerio said with an amused little sneer.

Requested, my ass. The coven wanted to meet and have me officially inducted as a member. I had skipped some of the formalities when I joined the coven during the summer due to a desperate moment of need—if we were to have any chance at stopping the naturi. Jabari, one of the coven Elders, had been there to verify my petition, but I never received the official approval of the other two members of the coven. I had never given other nightwalkers a chance to challenge me. Hell, Our Liege could simply stop my ascent to the open seat by ripping my head off.

I swallowed a half-dozen snide comments as I rubbed my temples with one hand. I needed to rest and to talk to Danaus. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t have the chance to do either until I got rid of Valerio. “Am I the only reason the coven is meeting?”

“I don’t think so,” the nightwalker said with a small sigh. “Keepers from domains all around Europe have been complaining about the recent naturi infestation. There’s a chance that the coven might take some action at last, but it’s unlikely it will happen unless you’re there.”

“I guess it’s too much to ask that the keepers take care of their own domains like they’re supposed to.” I slouched on the sofa, dropping my head into my left hand while resting my elbow on the arm of the sofa. “It’s not like it’s the job of the coven to police the world for the naturi.”

“It may be, now that they are running loose again,” Valerio pointed out grimly.

“At least until Aurora has been taken care of,” Danaus added.

That was doubtful. I had mortally wounded Aurora, but I wouldn’t believe that the queen of the naturi was dead until I saw her cold corpse rotting before me. Besides, there was still Cynnia and Rowe. The naturi nation had too many would-be leaders waiting in the wings that could easily take up the cause once Aurora was killed. Unfortunately, with our penchant for infighting and betrayal, the nightwalkers were nowhere near as organized. Right now we needed a united coven to take on the naturi threat, and the ongoing war between Jabari and Macaire would keep us from ever being at our peak strength. To make matters worse, my presence on the coven would not help mend the gaping fissure that tore through the nightwalker ruling body.

“What were your orders?” I demanded, pushing my concerns regarding the naturi aside. I would have to deal with the coven first and survive that ordeal before I turned my attention to the naturi.

“Fetch you.”

“Good dog.” My wry grin succeeded in wiping any lingering smile from his face.

“Watch your step, Mira,” Valerio warned. “My orders are to bring you to Venice immediately. I could grab you now and take you. In your current condition, I don’t see how you would last too long.”

Danaus shot to his feet and came to stand directly between Valerio and me. The hunter slid his hand up to the knife strapped to his side, while his own energy surged from his body to beat against me.

“It’s okay, Danaus,” I said, laying a hand on his arm. I gave it a gentle squeeze, trying to reassure him. It was touching that he was ready to kill my friend to protect me. “If Valerio planned to do that, he wouldn’t have wasted time telling me.”

Danaus stood in front of me, staring down Valerio for several more seconds before the hunter finally backed off, returning to his seat beside me.

“Tell them that I will board a plane just before sunrise today and be in Venice tomorrow night in time for a meeting of the coven,” I said, lifting my head from my hand to look at the nightwalker directly.

“It’s not what they want,” he warned.

“But it’s what I want, and as a member of the coven you have to obey my wishes. If Jabari wants me there tonight, he’ll have to fetch me himself.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him.” Danaus growled, shifting in his seat as if expecting to see the Elder suddenly appear before him.

“If you must, tell the coven members that I am tidying up some of my own naturi matters,” I said to Valerio with an absent wave of my hand.

“Don’t you mean bori?”

“No, I don’t,” I said sharply. “And after you relay the message, you may want to reconsider being present when I arrive. I’ll be bringing Danaus.”

“Really?” Valerio said, cocking his head to the side as he took a step closer to me.

“As my consort.”

“Oh . . . really?” he asked with a deep chuckle. “That hasn’t been done in . . .”

“Centuries, I know.”

“And never with one of his kind.”

“True.”

A wide grin spread across Valerio’s handsome face as he shook his head at me. “I wouldn’t miss this meeting for anything in the world. I’ll see you in Venice.” With that, he disappeared in a small surge of energy, leaving me with Danaus and the mess that I was about to make.