“Right. So doesn’t it make more sense to capture Taurin and threaten to kill him if you don’t fight by Stephan’s side? That’s what I’d do.” Eric frowned. “And if he’s so hot to kill Taurin, why isn’t he here already? A smart vampire doesn’t take a chance on the enemy beating him to the prize.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then Dacian nodded. “You have a point. I don’t have a clue what Stephan’s thinking.”

Cinn put in her two cents. “Do you think he knew Taurin was away from the castle?”

Dacian shrugged. “Who knows? I’ll just have to make sure I’m ready for Stephan if he shows up.”

Eric nodded. “I’ll fill Ganymede in on what’s happening. He probably doesn’t know where Taurin is right now, but he can be ready to warn Taurin if he contacts anyone at the castle before he gets here.”

Dacian looked uncomfortable. “Thanks for coming, Eric. And double thanks for staying.” He didn’t wait for Eric’s response as he turned and strode toward the kitchen.

Cinn had to run to keep up. She drew even with him as they entered the kitchen. When they reached the greenhouse, he didn’t bother to knock, but simply used his key. As they entered, Cinn could see Bain standing at the open door leading into the courtyard. He was talking to a bunch of people.

“Thanks for dropping by, folks. Spread the word about Cinn Airmid’s amazing plants. We’re open for tours from ten till seven every day.”

Tours? Damn. Cinn had forgotten all about what Sparkle had said.

A woman in the back of the crowd shouted out, “You sure she’s not selling any of these plants? I could use that dieffenbachia in my bedroom. Perk up my old man’s sex drive.”

Sex drive? The first tendrils of suspicion touched Cinn.

Bain shook his head as he laughed. “Sorry. These are all experimental plants. Maybe sometime in the future.”

Bain watched the crowd wander away before closing the door and turning to face Cinn and Dacian. “Wow, that was pretty cool. I thought this plant-guarding would be boring, but the crowds kept me busy.”

“Crowds?” Why would crowds be coming to see her plants?

“Yeah.” He shrugged into his coat. “I told them all about your plants. How they give off pheromones that drive anyone near them into a fit of uncontrolled lust. And how being around them makes you skinny.”

“Skinny?” She was only capable of one-word questions.

“I explained how their magnetic energy absorbs a person’s fat. All you have to do is spend an hour a day with the plants and you’ll be thin in no time. No dieting.”

“You didn’t!”