Page 111 of Eternal Devotion

“Oh, does it? Care to enlighten me?”

Cristofer’s tone changed to a seductive purr. “So, Mordecai. How’s your delectable human? Did he take well to your bite? Is he begging for more?”

My skin prickled, but I said nothing. My silence was answer enough.

“Ah. You finally caved, didn’t you? I knew you would.”

“No thanks to you putting ideas in his head,” I snapped.

Another chuckle. “You needed a push. Tell me, how glorious was the experience? I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Can we focus on the problem at hand?”

“I am, duck. Like I said. It’s rather simple. What you need is a human companion.” Cristofer dramatically gasped. “Well, I’ll be. It just so happens that you’re sleeping with one.”

“No. I will never—”

“Oh, Morty boy—”

“Never call me that.” With a spike of anger, my voice rose to unsafe levels. I glanced around to be sure I hadn’t called attention to myself. The streets were as bare as they’d been when I arrived.

“You’re too defensive.”

Lowering my voice, I hissed, “I won’t put a human in danger.”

“You won’t put your human in danger, you mean. Aww. Is the ancient ticker trying to restart after all these years? I knew a day would come.”

“I need a better solution.”

“Where are you?”

I glanced at the high windows above the closed comic book store. The soft morning glow that grew steadily brighter reflected off their dark surfaces, obscuring the flat beyond. I didn’t sense Ensley’s presence, but his alarm usually went off before the sun fully crested the horizon, and based on the diffusion of light, we weren’t far off.

“At Ensley’s.”

“Ask him.”

“I can’t.”

“You mean you won’t.” Cristofer sighed. “Shall I come? With two of us, we might be able to manipulate them into removing the wards and allowing us access, but…”

He let the suggestion hang. We both knew it would never be that simple. Valerius would have considered that. His guards would all be under his influence. He would have commanded that they go to their grave protecting the wards. Under no circumstances should they remove them, and overriding another vampire’s compulsion was impossible. It wouldn’t have mattered if a thousand of us combined our minds and power. Valerius’s suggestion wouldn’t break.

“It’s possible. He’s made a lot of mistakes.” I didn’t mention the mansion, but it was a perfect example of oversight. “We can hope he made this one too.”

“And if we’re wrong, you need to consider the alternative.”

The sound of a door opening drew my attention to Ensley’s building. He emerged from the lower entrance with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, wearing nothing but undergarments and a T-shirt. Sleep-rumpled and with his hair skating his shoulders, he peered questioningly across the street to where I huddled in the alley.

“I have to go.”

“Am I coming?”

“Please. We need to try before I consider other options.”

Cristofer sighed wearily. “You owe me.”

“And Cristofer?” I said before he hung up. “The soil is compromised.”