Chapter One

Division Eight Headquarters, Albuquerque, NM

Saturday, July 25, 2009, 3:00 AM

Madeline Jacks stared at the body lying at her feet. She'd planned out the attack perfectly and was happy to see that it had been successful. Taking out a powerful first-generation vampire wasn't by any means an easy task. But then… why had it gone so smoothly?

A light flicked on inside the huge Victorian mansion.

She didn't have time to worry about why it was going well when even a single mistake could lead to it going straight to hell. She hooked her hands under the man's armpits and dragged him the short distance to her little Chevy pickup. With a bit more effort, she shoved his limp frame onto the open tailgate and rolled him under the bed cover.

A baby started crying somewhere in the house and another light came on.

She only needed just a few more seconds. She tied up his hands and feet. But paused before covering his head with the black sack. Quinn LaFontaine… He really was too good looking. She'd had the same thought when they'd met at her friend Bella's house. He had a strong manly jaw and piercing green eyes that were framed by long lashes. That wasn't even considering the fact that he looked like a man in his prime, thirty or thirty-five.

Of course, his looks were a lie. An eight-hundred-year-old mortal would be nothing but dust. Quinn Lafontaine was a vampire. He would continue to look exactly this hot right up until someone came along and staked him.

Which might be today, depending on his level of cooperation. She pulled off her wristband and sprayed it generously before placing it beside his face. Then she pulled the hood over him and slammed the tailgate closed.

Once behind the steering wheel, she started the engine and pulled out as quietly as possible. She felt a twinge of guilt about her plan but swallowed it down with a slug of extra sweet, iced tea. This situation was unavoidable. It was the only idea she had of finding her missing friend.

It was still early morning and the traffic in Albuquerque was almost non-existent. How many people in this quiet city knew they lived next to a den of werewolves led by an ancient vampire?

Years ago, she'd set up a safehouse nearby under the assumption that sooner or later she'd have to hunt down and kill the man. Yet, decades had passed, and he'd never given her a reason. Until maybe now.

Her little hidden property would be a reasonably good place to interrogate him. Or dispose of him if needed.

How long ago had it been? She'd met Bella nearly fifty years ago and lived with her for a little more than forty. And for all those years she'd listened to stories about Bella's brothers, Georgie and Quinn. At first, she'd taken the stories with more than a grain of salt. Never before had she met vampires like these three. And she'd spent most of her adult life hunting vampires. Until she met Bella, she'd never once doubted that they all deserved immediate execution.

The stories might have started a change in her but getting to know Bella personally had probably been what forced her to take a whole new look at her choices. It had calmed the anger and softened the hatred for the kind of people who had killed her family. She still hunted vampires who were known murderers. But until recently there hadn't been many of those in the whole southwest of the US. That was probably thanks to Quinn and his government sanctioned agency.

She'd researched him plenty over the last few decades. His group did great work and as far as she'd seen they were solidly classified as the good guys.

And she had their leader bound and incapacitated in the bed of her truck. Kidnapping the good guy wasn't going to look fantastic on her resume.

Killing him would look even worse. Her wolf spirit twisted anxiously within her. She didn't like the idea either.

Unfortunately, Quinn was her only lead.

Twenty-four hours ago, her best friend in the world had disappeared. Bella had been in a coma-like state for more than six months. Then after one visit from Quinn, she disappeared in the middle of the night. Had she woken up? Had she been kidnapped? Had something more mystical happened? She had no way of knowing.

But maybe he did.

She'd only spoken with the man briefly during his visit, but he hadn't been willing to even share his thoughts about Bella's condition. In fact, he'd been damn tight lipped the whole time. Just asking him wasn't going to be enough. She had to force him to take her questions seriously. She was done wasting time being polite.

With some luck she'd soon have some answers. She turned off the last dirt road that led back toward a private nature reserve. There wasn't much there for the tourists, but her little rental cabins did fairly decent business. And better yet, it offered her the perfect place to hide a secret lair.

She backed the truck up to the last cabin on the property. The most secluded one that was a little rundown and always under repair and unrentable. A quick trip through the tiny cabin showed no evidence of intruders. Then she pulled up the hidden trap door that led to the secret basement. Other than a measurable layer of dust, the place was just as she'd left it.

After settling her guest into his new, more secure location, then she'd do some cleaning until he woke up.

Hopefully, he would wake up quickly. She not only wasn't a fan of cleaning, but the spray she'd used on him was in a much heavier dose than usual. If he didn't wake up, she'd never get her answers.

* * *

Quinn woke up in a dark room filled with the scent of earth, ash and garlic. The dark might have been from the hood covering his eyes or from the room itself. He couldn"t be certain. He was seated and couldn"t move his limbs. The harsh, dungeon-like atmosphere was softened by quiet classical music. "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin. Ah... It was the Bernstein performance and an excellent quality recording of the masterpiece. He"d always loved classical music, especially ones focusing on the piano. Rhapsody had always affected him deeply, reminding him of the vitality of life in its many forms.

He relaxed for a moment and assessed his condition. He was a little groggy from what must have been some form of sedative. His limbs were restrained tightly, but with very little pain. Something around his neck kept him from leaning forward. The slight burn hinted at silver, but not so much as to cause injury if he didn"t fight it.

His conclusion...

Someone wanted him healthy enough to answer questions. Awake, mostly unharmed and completely contained.

Who was it?

Obviously, someone who was familiar with vampires and their usual weaknesses. Another vampire, or perhaps a vampire hunter?

His mind was slowly clearing. What he needed now was more answers. Who had captured him and why? First, he"d have to make contact with them. He"d have to let them know he was awake if they didn"t know already.

"Hello?" The single word echoed just a little which probably meant the room was soundproof at least to some extent. That could mean that the building location wasn"t completely secluded. Or maybe his captor just didn"t want to hear his complaints.

The air shifted around him paired with the soft click of a door opening. The sound was a little further away. Must be a fairly large room. And then the scent hit him. Seawater and sunlight. Both sources of pain and suffering.

And yet... what was the other fragrance... something blended in that made the combination appealing. Pine and…? Lavender. One of his favorite flowers. He had even planted it around the mansion. This time the scent was subtle, but still wonderful.

"Mr. Lafontaine. I"m glad you"ve safely woken up. Please don"t try to move or you may hurt yourself."

He recognized the woman"s soft silky voice. "Ah, Madaline."

"You may call me Maddie if you like."

This was all so polite despite his current entrapment. "Then please, call me Quinn."

"Thank you, Quinn, for being so reasonable."

"I assume you have a good reason for your actions."

Seconds ticked by before she answered. "I need you to answer some questions and I didn"t want you to underestimate my serious intentions to get the answers." Her voice and her scent moved with her as she circled around him.

"You do have my undivided attention."

"Good." She paused in front of him once more. This time she leaned closer, close enough to hear her heartbeat and feel the flutter of air from her breath. Then her fingers brushed his shoulder, and the black hood was removed in a smooth motion.

Her scent… she was the lavender. Or covered in it and something else. It was a subtle mixture that he found calming. And distracting.

"Before we begin, do you need anything? Have you fed recently?"

"If I said I haven"t would you provide a meal for me?"

"If by meal you mean a living person to feed from, then no. If you"re satisfied with chilled bagged blood, then I can provide it. Does that mean you are in need of a meal?"

"Although I appreciate your hospitality, I am not currently hungry." It wasn"t the complete truth. Since she"d entered the room, her smell had been teasing him quite delightfully. Even if he wasn"t hungry, if she was on the menu, he"d be happy to take a nip.

"How long ago did you feed?"

Had she seen a hint of his hunger? It wasn't at all surprising because even at his age, when the hunger awoke, his eyes tended to glow red. "Is this the questioning part of the program?"

"Perhaps it is."

Unless he was being suspected of draining humans, he couldn't see how it was relevant. "Could you tell me why you would need to know when I fed last?"

"Perhaps I should start at the beginning."

"Please do."

She stood in front of him, watching his expression. After a long moment of studying him, she asked, "Did you take Bella?"

The question was a shock on many levels. The last time he'd seen his dear friend she'd been asleep in her own bed. Deeply asleep to the point he hadn't even been able to wake her. He'd been worrying about her condition ever since but had found no solution during any of his research.

"Should I accept your silence as guilt?"

"Not at all. I have not seen Bella since the last time I saw you." If she was missing now, what exactly did that mean? His mind whirled trying to sort through the possible implications.

"I have no reason to believe you."

His irritation rose. "Then why bother asking?"

"Because surprisingly, I'm not looking forward to torturing you."

He almost laughed at her disappointed sounding voice. He should be focusing on Bella, but instead his mind was tuned into Maddie and unraveling her secrets. "If you're this good at containing a vampire and you're hunting for Bella… I might have some questions for you, too."

"I didn't hurt Bella. She's my best friend."

"I have no reason to believe you." He turned her words back on her. It was childish but he liked the idea of riling her up. Though perhaps this was not the right time for such antics. "If you don't have her, and I don't have her, then maybe she woke up and went out for a walk."

She bit her lip in a fleeting sign of nervousness.

"Is it possible? After being asleep for so long she would likely have needed to seek out a meal. She might not even be thinking clearly."

"It is one possibility."

"What do you know for certain. Starting from that point should lead to the correct answers."

"She"s missing." She dragged her fingers through her hair. "Beyond that, I have almost nothing to go on. If you didn't take her then she probably did leave on her own. And if she did… I believe she is probably hunting for the same vampire who you and your team have been targeting."

"I see." The implications were staggering. What would happen if Bella found her brother? Because he was all but certain that Father Time was in fact Georgie. And Bella had always adored her older brother and followed his lead in nearly everything.

"Why did that lead you to kidnap me?"

"You are among the suspects for the murdering vampire in question. Although perhaps the least likely one besides Bella, I couldn"t risk overlooking even the slimmest possibility. And if you can prove it isn"t you, then I can use the intel you"ve gathered to help find and protect Bella from the guilty vampire."

"I see." He repeated the answer, but he wasn"t entirely sure he did follow her logic.

"Stop looking at me like I"m crazy and just answer the damn questions."

He was pretty sure his expression hadn"t changed. But her accusation did make his mouth twitch. "Well then, let me get to answering your questions. First off, I did feed from bagged blood two days ago."

"When was the last time you fed directly from a human?"

"I do occasionally indulge. I believe the last time was late winter of this year, near the end of February."

"And when was the last time you killed while feeding? Will I find a suspicious death in February with your fang marks all over it?"

He was no angel, unlike Tessa, and had indeed killed while feeding but not in a very long time. For some reason he didn't want to expose that side of his life to her. Knowing he fed on and sometimes killed humans would surely change how she looked at him. And the thought of her gorgeous brown eyes filled with fear while looking at him. Okay, perhaps that wasn't something he should dwell on too long. Even imagining such a scenario awoke a prickle of dark interest from his more sinister side.

"I do expect you to answer."

"I"m considering how detailed you need me to be. I do have a remarkably good memory for my age."

"Just answer."

He kept his voice bland. "I did bite and kill a violent criminal during a case three years ago. Technically he was not chosen as a meal but in the end, it turned out that way. But to kill a human while feeding... it"s been nearly a hundred years since I"ve made such a mistake."

"The woman in New Orleans."

"How did you know?" Perhaps it had been pointless to try hiding any of his sins from her. If she knew about the incident in New Orleans, Bella must have been willing to share quite a bit with this woman.

"Bella told me the story. Although her story included a vampire wracked with despair over an accident. I'm not seeing much remorse in your expression right now."

"It has been a century." His voice went from bland to ice cold. There was little point in him trying to sugarcoat anything in his past. "I'm not sure what you're trying to decide with these questions."

"Since meeting Bella, I've been trying to learn how to judge vampires more fairly. Then I hear one of you talking so easily about killing humans and it seems like there is no point in going to the effort."

"Wait for a moment. I'm completely at your mercy right now and in no position to fabricate any lies." He held her gaze exerting just a little of his power to urge her to listen. "I'm no angel—"

"Obviously." She broke eye contact and slowly walked around him until she stood directly behind his chair. The cold chill of a knife blade pressed against his throat. "Don't do that again."

He froze. The knife was steady and firm, almost but not quite cutting his flesh. He'd suspected that she had training after meeting her the first time. And clearly, she had some abilities and knowledge. She'd managed to abduct and restrain a vampire of his age and strength. Who was she really? She had to be more than some random girl who Bella befriended.

"I've been friends with Bella for a long while. I know when one of you bastards is trying to steal my will."

His almost nonexistent heartbeat gave a painful thud. The reaction wasn't from fear. Instead, it was her warm breath caressing his ear like a feather. It was an indescribable thrill that set his nerve endings tingling.

"Allowing vampires to live among humans is the same as housing tigers with a herd of goats. Sure, you might sleep with them for a while, until you get hungry or how did you put it… have an accident."

There wasn't much reason to debate the topic. He felt much the same way over the centuries. He'd considered if his life had enough value to justify the deaths that he had caused. And in the course of his long life there had been more than a few. And yet, he didn't regret the family or values that he'd built within Division Eight.

"Should I kill you?"

"I'd rather you didn't." She'd asked the question so evenly. Coldly. "If I deserve to die for taking a life, what does that say about the one who kills me?"

"Are we going to compare our crimes?" The blade retreated and so did her warmth. "Bella once told me about her thoughts on the topic. She said that she didn't feel it was fair to judge a soul by its past crimes. That the present and future intentions were far more important than past mistakes."

He flexed his arm slightly against the restraint. It wasn't as if he intended to just wait for her to decide to kill him. The thin cord was strong, far stronger than it had any right to be. Braided from strong materials, it was also treated to resist magic. He tested it with a little power which was immediately reflected back at him. Was the cord salted and blessed?

She was silent. Did she notice he was testing his restraints? If so, was it confidence that kept her silent?

And he had another terrifying thought… A thought that encouraged him to consider his restraints a bit more seriously. And while he did, he asked, "Why was a vampire hunter living with Bella?"

"Why does that matter to you?"

He pushed his magic into the cord, focusing only on the one binding his left wrist. "Because Bella is my family. Of course, I don't like the idea of her being forced to live under a threat to her life."

"Our meeting was similar to what you're most likely imagining. But now Bella is my friend. Probably the best friend I've ever had. I would never put a knife to her throat."

"Aww, there you go making me feel special." He felt the give as the blessing on the cord finally degraded.

"From the way Bella talked about you, I know how much she cared for you."

"She is like a sister to me."

"Since she disappeared just days after your first visit in many years, the connection couldn't be overlooked."

"I didn't, wouldn't hurt her." He closed his eyes and focused on his other senses.

She was standing behind his left shoulder. The heat from her body offered an undeniable temptation. "If it wasn't you, who would want to hurt her?"

"There are damn few who even could."

"Then it should be a short list." She moved forward one step.

Just enough to reach. He snapped his arm out of the restraint and grabbed her waist, spinning her smoothly into his lap, wrapped tight within his embrace.

Her frame was tight and hot. Her breath blew at his throat. Her heart beat loudly but only at a slightly faster pace.

"Maddie…" Her name came out breathily, like some kind of damn prayer.

She didn't struggle. The initial motion had captured her completely. Except for where her knife had pierced his right arm and pinned it to the wooden chair. Slowly her face tilted upward, her gaze locking on his.

He didn't bother trying to enthrall her. She was too strong willed. And even if it worked, the victory would be hollow. He wanted… What was it that he wanted from her? Studying her heart-shaped face only one thought came to mind.

One ridiculous thought.

He wanted this beautiful, dangerous creature to choose him.