When he finally released her, Arra shivered. “Fine. If you put it like that, I guess I don’t have much choice.”

“Astute of you to notice.”

“Thank you.” She heaved herself up off the couch, pushing past Tony without really acknowledging him, and walked into the dining room alcove where two computers were set up on a long table. Both screens showed partially completed spider solitaire games. “I’m blocked here by the queen of spades.” Arra waved toward the laptop. “Caution and an older woman. Now that you two have arrived, it’s easy enough to interpret the problem as my refusal to become involved.” She reached down and closed off the game. “Not really relevant now that my choices have narrowed a bit. This one, though . . .” The big seventeen inch monitor showed a game with almost all the cards in play. “. . . here I’m blocked by red twos. Hearts for love, diamonds for outside influences, twos for those unable to make a decision.” She turned that game off as well. “Signs are hazy; ask again later.”

“You use computer games for divination?” Henry sounded fascinated by the concept.

“Why not? Three or four games puts me into a trance state anyway. I might as well make use of it.” Dropping into a chair, she reached for her mouse. “I’ll find an herbal encyclopedia on-line, then you two will have to go out and do some shopping.”

“Lee . . .” Tony began.

“Will return to the soundstage in . . .” Arra glanced at the lower right corner of the screen. “. . . a little more than four hours.”

“Yeah, but right now he’s out in the city controlled by shadow and acting weird! You’re a wizard; can’t you do a locator spell or something?”

“I could or I could create a potion that will hopefully keep him from spending the rest of his life eating soft foods while wearing an adult diaper. I can’t do both. Your choice.”

He looked at Henry who was clearly waiting for him to make the decision. Oh, that’s just fucking great; one minute I’m his and the next minute I’m in charge. That whole on and off again, “I’m over four hundred and fifty years old and a prince and a vampire so I know best,” possessive attitude had been one of the main reasons he’d walked. There were times, and this was one of them, when he just wanted to punch Henry Fitzroy right in the fangs. Not that I’m ever going to. And right now, I need to stop reacting and start thinking.

They didn’t know where Lee was now.

They knew where he was going to be in four hours.

They didn’t know what condition he’d be in when the shadow left.

“Fine. Make the stupid potion.”

Wonderful. He sounded like he was twelve and a petulant twelve at that.

Fortunately, Lee was an actor; acting weird was part of the off duty persona and, in an area overpopulated by actors, most people had stopped noticing.