And as much as his mind told him he was overreacting, his emotions stayed in upset mode. But now wasn’t the time for a confrontation. So he remained silent all the way back to the castle while Cinn stared out at the dark gulf waters.

By the time they headed through the great hall toward her greenhouse, he’d managed to build a wall around his anger. The nightly fantasies were in full swing, and he spotted Eric leaning against a far wall, watching the costumed castle employees spin fantasies for the customers.

As he wound his way toward the other vampire, Cinn finally spoke. “If you want to talk to Eric, why don’t I ask Holgarth to walk to the greenhouse with me?”

She couldn’t wait to be rid of him. “Sure. I’ll be there as soon as I’m done here.”

He watched her join Holgarth, who was standing by the door, probably intimidating every customer who dared enter the castle. He was that kind of guy.

Eric grinned at him, but Dacian could see the caution in his eyes. Even Eric was leery of his unpredictable rages. “What’s happening?”

“I think we need to talk about Stephan.”

Eric nodded.

Dacian appreciated that Eric didn’t waste time with useless talk. “I’m not the only one who should be worried about him. He’s gathering his army, and as soon as he feels secure in his power he’ll try to take out any other vampires who might stand in his way.”

“That would be the Mackenzies?”

“The Mackenzies are the dominant vampire clan. He’ll have to destroy you if he wants to rule the vampire world.”

“What’s your point?”

“I can’t destroy my maker, but someone will have to, and soon. My original plans were to grab Taurin and run, try to find a place to hide him where Stephan wouldn’t find him. My plans have changed.”

“Because of Cinn.” Eric didn’t make it a question.

“Yeah. A little. But if Stephan thinks Taurin is here, why hasn’t he already taken him?”

“Maybe he knows your brother isn’t in the castle right now.”

“And how would he know that?”

Eric nodded. “Yeah. Someone here would have to tell him.”

“If Stephan has a spy in the castle, then he knows I’m here.”

Eric looked thoughtful. “You think he just used Taurin to flush you out into the open, that he fed that info to your guy on purpose?”

“It worked once before.”

They were both silent, remembering the fire and its consequences.

“So what do you think will happen?” Eric’s eyes glittered with excitement.

“I’m not sure. If he just wanted me, he could have tried to take me as soon as I arrived. And I don’t know why he’d wait until Taurin comes home to strike.”