Page 52 of His Eternal Temptation

Rowan’s gaze swept over Lane, his deep brown eyes turning sad.

Wait. Was Lane what had changed? Surely not.

“I don’t know…” Rowan seemed to get lost in his thoughts. He opened the blood bag and had a sip. “I have seen something like this before. Not the curse. There were a few feral attacks when I was with Cris. He used the opportunity to remind me I was lucky he hadn’t turned me into a monster.”

Lane saw red. “He was the fucking monster.”

“Very much so,” Rowan agreed absently. “At the time, I’d wondered if Cris had created the ferals. They attacked one of his enemies. Seems this current vampire has the same idea.”

“Could there be a connection?”

“I don’t see how. Cris is long dead, and he wasn’t part of a coven. It was only the two of us. He didn’t have friends among our kind.”

“I’m not surprised, waste of space that he was.”

Rowan laughed, short and sharp. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

It seemed Rowan had had enough of letting his coven take care of things. After he finished his blood, he set out to find Cecile. Lane didn’t object. It wasn’t his place, and to Rowan’s credit, he seemed on much surer footing than he’d been earlier that morning, even if Cris was haunting his thoughts.

Lane wouldn’t let himself take credit for Rowan’s improved demeanor. Rowan was strong, no question there, and no matter what support he’d let Lane give him in private, Lane had no doubt Rowan would have picked himself up had he been alone.

Cecile, it turned out, wasn’t easy to find. She didn’t answer Rowan’s texts and wasn’t anywhere in the building. A coven member Lane didn’t know suggested they talk to Jack, who they found standing guard outside the third-floor casino, ready to open for the evening.

“Hey, boss, I was meaning to talk to you,” Jack said as they approached.

“Oh?”

“I was looking into the Sherwoods for Cecile. By all accounts, they haven’t been involved in West Coast politics since you sent them packing. They’re pretty firmly a Midwest coven now.” His gaze flicked to Lane, and Lane pretended not to notice. The Sherwoods had nothing to do with him.

“Great.” Rowan sounded distracted. “Do you know where Cecile is?”

“She went to track down Emile.”

“What do you mean track down?”

Jack side-eyed Lane. “Um…”

Rowan’s expression didn’t falter. “Don’t worry about Lane. He and I have resolved our differences. Tell me what’s happening with Emile.”

“I don’t know much other than Emile was following the lead Cecile found yesterday. You know, the black van that dumped Caden at the café. No one’s heard from him since.”

Rowan went very still. “For how long?”

“Over twenty-four hours now.”

Lane’s stomach dropped. This must be what Cecile came to see Rowan about earlier. Even half a day missing was concerning.

“Why did Emile go alone?” Rowan demanded.

“Felix is occupied, and I doubt Emile thought much of chasing down a vehicle. If anyone can take care of himself, it’s Emile. Why would he take backup?”

“You’re right. Shit. When did you last hear from Cecile? She didn’t chase after him on her own, did she?”

“No. She took Kai and Evangeline.”

That was a relief. Rowan seemed to agree, his vampire stillness relaxing into careful motion, as he asked a few more questions.

Lane’s relief ebbed as Jack explained how he hadn’t heard anything from Cecile since she left. It seemed no one had. Kai or Evangeline, either.