I didn’t know where she was taking me, but I had the sinking feeling that it wasn’t anyplace I wanted to go.

I had made a mental map of this place by this time, and it was basically a maze—four central hubs, each with spoke hallways filled with doors. Nothing was labeled, and there were no signs, but if you stare at identical things long enough, you can start to pick out little differences. The hub where we made our first turn was the one I’d nicknamed Scratchy, because in all the moving of furniture someone had nicked the far wall in three places, at about knee level. The hallway we took had a slightly lighter strip of paint at one corner, where some old damage had been repaired and not precisely color-matched. At the next hub there was a particularly memorable portrait of some crusty old dude in a curly wig who’d been painted with his fangs showing. Charming.

There were more guards here. Amelie’s guards.

Naomi walked up to them and got blocked—bodies in the way, palms outstretched.

“I wish to see my sister,” she said. “Surely you will allow me to pass.” It was one step short of Don’t you know who I am?—but not quite over the line.

“Sorry, my lady. Orders from Lord Oliver,” he said. Oh, God, it was Lord Oliver now? Better and better. “I’ll pass the information on to him, if you wish ….” His voice trailed off. He was looking at someone behind us who was approaching, I guessed, and when I turned my head I saw Theo Goldman coming down the hallway into the hub. He had his black leather bag in one hand, and he smiled and nodded politely when he saw us.

For a vampire, he was one of the nicest I’d ever met. Or at least, he had the best manners. I never had the feeling he looked at humans any differently from vamps; we were all just potential patients to him. “Hello,” he said pleasantly, and then nodded again to the guards. “If you’ll excuse me.”

They stepped aside for him immediately.

Naomi quickly seized the opportunity. “Theo,” she said, “may I visit my sister? I only wish to give her my love before—” She looked so sweet and pretty and vulnerable it made my stomach turn. “Please?”

He shook his head. “I think it would not be wise,” he said. “She’s not … herself just now. It’s dangerous enough for me …. And you, my dear, with your history together—no. I’m afraid that would be very dangerous to you.”

He started to turn away, but Naomi put a hand on his shoulder, and Theo turned toward her. And something weirdly extraordinary happened. She leaned forward, put her lips close to his ear, standing on tiptoe to do it. I didn’t hear what she whispered, but I saw the expression smooth out on Theo’s face.

It turned … oddly blank.

“Yes,” he said. “Yes, perhaps you’re right. It would be good for her to see family.”