“Nice to meet you,” Lisa said, her smile instant.

“I apologize for my tardiness,” Max called out as he came up the hallway flanked by four of his sentries. “I was on the phone with the council.”

“We just got here,” Bennett said as he approached. “And Angelique has been playing hostess.”

“Good.” Max gave Bennett a quick hug and then held her at arm’s length. “You look tired. You need to feed.”

“I know. Lisa’s the only one who’s fed properly. All Ruby and I have had came out of my refrigerator, and it was a long night.”

“Well, I’m sure we can take care of that.” Max looked around and waved Victor over. “Victor, we’ll require a few guardians for a feed later on. Could you please arrange it?”

“Um…yes, sir. I’ll see what I can do.”

The joy Max felt as he walked over to Lisa added depth to his already handsome features. “You, on the other hand, look astonishingly well for all that’s happened. Any problems? Any issues?”

“No, Bennett and Ruby have been showing me the ropes. I’m doing okay.”

“That’s marvelous, and after things settle down, I fully expect you to tell me exactly how you stopped yourself on your first feed. I’m utterly stupefied by how you could have possibly achieved such a thing.” Max turned to Ruby and scowled. “And as for you, utterly stupefied is putting it mildly.”

***

Since the night before, Max’s people were on high alert. The windows were shuttered, security cameras were being monitored, and vampires sat at the ready in front of switches controlling the UV lighting surrounding the house's perimeter. And while four of Max’s Elite Sentries remained by his side, he’d assigned the other four to protect his guests at all costs.

Leaving everyone else in the main hall, Max and the women went to Max’s office. As soon as the door was closed and his sentries took their position, Max called upon Ruby to fill in the blanks. Condensing as much as she could, Ruby repeated what she’d told Bennett, and by the time she’d finished, Max’s teeth were clenched. “I suppose telling you how foolish you were not to come to the council with all of this rather than trying to take it upon yourself would be repeating what Bennett, undoubtedly, has already said to you.”

“Yeah, but I was…I just…I just wanted to pay him back.”

“Revenge is rarely as sweet as you think.”

“I know that now. It was stupid, and I was stupid, and…and whatever you and the council decide about my fate, I’ll accept.”