“A tip came in a few days ago from someone who said he worked for you. He claimed that you’d paid him to keep an eye on Taurin. He swore he was telling me this because it was the right thing to do, that he wanted to reunite you guys. Figured he was playing me, but I decided to check things out anyway. He said you’d holed up in Alaska. Couldn’t give me an address, but I’m an awesome tracker. I found where you’d been, but you weren’t there anymore. Trailed you to Big Bend National Park.” He paused to study Dacian. “Remember anything about what happened there?”

“Nothing.” How had Ganymede tracked him over all those miles between Alaska and Texas? And why had Jim contacted him? Jim hadn’t seemed like a sentimental kind of guy.

“Good, uh, I mean, that’s tough.” His cat eyes gleamed. “You’d dug yourself a nice cozy grave and put up some halfass puny ward. I took my human form and used my amazing power to blow you right out of that grave. You were out of your head crazy, but with my preternatural strength, I slung you over my shoulder and lugged you back to the castle.”

Sparkle did some serious eye-rolling. “Last year I would’ve let that lie scoot right past me, but since I’m trying to build character this year, I have to be honest. My sweetie had to dig you up with a shovel and then fight you every inch of the way back here. He never could get you into the nice new coffin I sent along.”

Ganymede hissed at her. “I liked you a lot better when you had zero character.”

“And you did all this out of the goodness of your hearts?” Call him cynical, but Dacian figured most people had an angle.

“Taurin will owe me. Besides, Sparkle wanted you, and I always give my evil lady what she wants.”

Okay, that was Ganymede’s angle. Now for Sparkle.

“I’m trying to be less shallow, so I guess my quest for personal depth starts with you.” She offered Dacian a smile that should’ve melted the chains right off the wall.

It didn’t. He wondered what Cinn’s smile looked like. His thoughts turned sour. She probably only smiled when she was planting seeds. “Why’d you chain me to the wall?”

Ganymede’s tail whipped back and forth. “You’re kidding, right? No way could we turn a berserk bloodsucker loose in the castle.”