“He looked all messed up, like someone had torn him apart and then put him back together without bothering to make all the edges match.” She threw up her hands. “I know, rotten description.” She raked her fingers through her hair. “Sparkle looked as though she was in shock. She didn’t say anything until the man grabbed her. Then she just said one word—‘rabid.’ Mean anything to you?” She stared at Ganymede.

All the emergency lights in the stairwell shattered. But they weren’t in complete darkness. Ganymede’s amber eyes glowed, the promise of death in their depths. This was the badass Dacian had always suspected hid behind the easygoing fat-cat persona.

“Oh, I know him. And yeah, I did a piss-poor job of putting him back together again. I won’t even try this time.” In one leap, he cleared their heads and landed on the step below them. “We’re meeting in the greenhouse. I’ve sent out a call already. Only the people I trust. Go get some shoes on, vampire. I don’t want one of those assholes taking you out by stepping on your toes.”

Dacian opened his mouth to say, no, he wasn’t leaving Cinn. But Ganymede beat him to it.

“Take her with you. Taurin, Eric, and their wives have risen. They’re waiting at your door.” And then Ganymede was gone.

“The night feeders are in the castle, aren’t they? The…person who took Sparkle is controlled by Stephan, isn’t he?”

Cinn sounded calm, but her hand shook in his as they hurried to his room. He squeezed her hand to give her confidence, a confidence he wasn’t sure he felt himself. He’d planned to use the nonhumans in the castle to help him. Now Sparkle was gone. Had he made the right decision? Maybe he should’ve tried to lure Stephan somewhere else for their showdown. What showdown? You can’t kill your own maker, and Taurin isn’t strong enough.

His brother and Eric, along with Donna and Kristin, were already in his room. The two women sat on his couch, Eric paced, and Taurin leaned against the wall. At another time Dacian would’ve made a sarcastic comment about their coming in without an invite, but not now.

“You know everything?” Dacian glanced around.

“Yeah. Ganymede filled us in.” Taurin pushed away from the wall.

Cinn dropped onto one of his overstuffed chairs. “Ganymede seemed to know who took Sparkle. What does that mean?”

“It means that not only has the enemy breached the castle, but Stephan has pulled in a few helpers who aren’t night feeders.” Dacian knew his expression was as grim as his thoughts.

“No chance that Sparkle’s kidnapping isn’t related to Stephan, that it was just an unfortunate coincidence?” Donna watched Eric pace, her eyes troubled.

“Not likely.” Eric didn’t stop pacing.

Dacian yanked a sweater over his head and pulled on his boots. “We’d better get our butts moving. Ganymede will be waiting.”

No one spoke as they hurried to the greenhouse. Once inside, Dacian made sure Cinn was still at his side before glancing around.