sent them home in a car with money and a certificate to the Armani shop. The hosts seemed pleased with the attention and the gifts. It freed Lance to stay by my bedside.
I don’t know how I’m going to repay her kindness—or her discretion. If she didn’t know what I was before, there is no doubt she does now.
My thoughts and attention shift to Lance. I reach for his hand. “What made you think to call Frey?”
“He was the obvious choice,” Lance answers. “After what happened a few months ago in Mexico. Frey saved Culebra’s life. I never thought your life was in danger, but I didn’t know what to do to speed the healing process.” He raises his glass to Frey. “He not only knew but came here and took charge. I owe him.”
“ We owe him.” I raise my glass, too.
Frey gives a modest little smile, returns the toast.
He’s a handsome man, fortysomething, dark hair touched on the sides with gray, a terrific build. He’s also a shape-shifter and a friend. We were lovers once, it happened not long after I was turned, when he came to my aid in a different way.
He’s watching me and the smile broadens, as though he senses what I’m thinking.
Lance does pick up on it. He skewers me with a raised eyebrow. Should I be jealous?
Frey, who is privy to Lance’s thoughts but not mine, answers before I can. “No. That was a while ago. Anna was just learning what it meant to be vampire then. She’s come a long way.”
Nice that he said that out loud. Shape-shifters and vampires can read each other’s thoughts. Unless you do something stupid like I did. Months ago, I bit Frey in a pique of childish frustration and concern over what I perceived as a threat to my niece, Trish. Frey was helping her. At the time, I hadn’t been sure. Once a vampire feeds from a shape-shifter, the psychic link between them is broken. It’s a wonder Frey still thinks of me as a friend.
A wonder and my very good luck. Which calls to mind the second question. Frey doesn’t drive. Something about having feline sight as his other form is panther. Cats see on the blue side of the spectrum. Gives them great night vision, but makes it difficult to distinguish a broad range of colors. Red, yellow and green, for instance.
“How did you get here?”
Another tip of the glass to Lance. “He provided transportation. Sent a helicopter.”
I grin at Lance. Of course you did.
Lance grins back.
Frey leans toward me, his expression turns serious. “Lance filled me in on what happened. Anna, do you realize the implication of this? You went into a burning garage and came out unscathed.”
“Unscathed? Hardly. You saw what I looked like.”
He shakes his head. “Okay, not exactly unscathed . But you survived when you should have gone up like a Roman candle. Vampires don’t walk through flame and live. You know that. You saw what happened to—”
He stops, maybe because he sees my shoulders tense, maybe because he realizes that by saying it, I’ll have to face the truth.
“Ortiz,” I say it for him. “I saw what happened to Ortiz.” I rub my eyes with the heel of my palms, trying to shut out the image and push away the guilt. “So Williams was right when he said I could have saved Ortiz. But how could I have known? Williams certainly didn’t tell me, and the bastard had a thousand opportunities.”
Frey glances at Lance. “There’s something else we think you should know.”
The muscles across my shoulders grow even tighter. “What?”
“The garage fire.”
“What about it?”
Lance picks up the story. “My first thought was that it was an accident.” He reaches out a hand and places it on my arm. “But now, I’m not so sure.”
And I’m not sure I understand. I frown. “Then what?”
“I think it was deliberately set. A device rigged to go off ten seconds after the back door closed.”
“Wait a minute.” I’m remembering Saturday morning. How mad I was at Lance. How all I wanted to do was get away from
I don’t know how I’m going to repay her kindness—or her discretion. If she didn’t know what I was before, there is no doubt she does now.
My thoughts and attention shift to Lance. I reach for his hand. “What made you think to call Frey?”
“He was the obvious choice,” Lance answers. “After what happened a few months ago in Mexico. Frey saved Culebra’s life. I never thought your life was in danger, but I didn’t know what to do to speed the healing process.” He raises his glass to Frey. “He not only knew but came here and took charge. I owe him.”
“ We owe him.” I raise my glass, too.
Frey gives a modest little smile, returns the toast.
He’s a handsome man, fortysomething, dark hair touched on the sides with gray, a terrific build. He’s also a shape-shifter and a friend. We were lovers once, it happened not long after I was turned, when he came to my aid in a different way.
He’s watching me and the smile broadens, as though he senses what I’m thinking.
Lance does pick up on it. He skewers me with a raised eyebrow. Should I be jealous?
Frey, who is privy to Lance’s thoughts but not mine, answers before I can. “No. That was a while ago. Anna was just learning what it meant to be vampire then. She’s come a long way.”
Nice that he said that out loud. Shape-shifters and vampires can read each other’s thoughts. Unless you do something stupid like I did. Months ago, I bit Frey in a pique of childish frustration and concern over what I perceived as a threat to my niece, Trish. Frey was helping her. At the time, I hadn’t been sure. Once a vampire feeds from a shape-shifter, the psychic link between them is broken. It’s a wonder Frey still thinks of me as a friend.
A wonder and my very good luck. Which calls to mind the second question. Frey doesn’t drive. Something about having feline sight as his other form is panther. Cats see on the blue side of the spectrum. Gives them great night vision, but makes it difficult to distinguish a broad range of colors. Red, yellow and green, for instance.
“How did you get here?”
Another tip of the glass to Lance. “He provided transportation. Sent a helicopter.”
I grin at Lance. Of course you did.
Lance grins back.
Frey leans toward me, his expression turns serious. “Lance filled me in on what happened. Anna, do you realize the implication of this? You went into a burning garage and came out unscathed.”
“Unscathed? Hardly. You saw what I looked like.”
He shakes his head. “Okay, not exactly unscathed . But you survived when you should have gone up like a Roman candle. Vampires don’t walk through flame and live. You know that. You saw what happened to—”
He stops, maybe because he sees my shoulders tense, maybe because he realizes that by saying it, I’ll have to face the truth.
“Ortiz,” I say it for him. “I saw what happened to Ortiz.” I rub my eyes with the heel of my palms, trying to shut out the image and push away the guilt. “So Williams was right when he said I could have saved Ortiz. But how could I have known? Williams certainly didn’t tell me, and the bastard had a thousand opportunities.”
Frey glances at Lance. “There’s something else we think you should know.”
The muscles across my shoulders grow even tighter. “What?”
“The garage fire.”
“What about it?”
Lance picks up the story. “My first thought was that it was an accident.” He reaches out a hand and places it on my arm. “But now, I’m not so sure.”
And I’m not sure I understand. I frown. “Then what?”
“I think it was deliberately set. A device rigged to go off ten seconds after the back door closed.”
“Wait a minute.” I’m remembering Saturday morning. How mad I was at Lance. How all I wanted to do was get away from
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