One of the guards reached out as if to prevent her from entering, but she raised her hands and he inexplicably dropped his arm. A tremor of fear seemed to go through all the sentries. It was as tangible as a tidal wave crashing over my head. They were afraid of Dahlia.

She crossed the room slowly and waved a hand at the darkness.

“Illuminate,” she commanded, and light flooded the room.

I forced myself not to retreat as she advanced. “Nice trick. I prefer the clapper, but to each his own.”

“I can’t remember where I picked it up, but it’s handy,” she said casually. “Not as useful as my other ones.”

She walked in a wide circle around me. “So, you lived. I would have thought there was a lesson in that experience.”

I shrugged. “Maybe I’m a slow learner.”

“Really? Then perhaps you need a visual aide.” She waved her hand again and mumbled a long command in a language I didn’t recognize. Nathan’s lifeless body appeared on the floor, his blood in a dark pool around him.

The sight stole my breath. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came. But Nathan wasn’t dead. This is just a trick, I told myself. Don’t let it rattle you.

The vision evaporated as quickly as it had appeared.

Dahlia laughed like a child with a new toy. “You bought that? For a doctor, you’re not very bright.”

I rounded on her and felt the change come over me. For a moment, I thought I saw fear in her eyes, but she stood her ground and didn’t utter a noise when I tackled her to the floor. I wanted to rip her throat out, not to feed, just to kill. The thought of her harming the one person who’d bothered to help me made me insane with rage.

A series of loud claps interrupted me before I could deliver a killing blow. I looked up, and Dahlia kicked me away with more force than I would have expected.

Cyrus himself strode toward us. His blond hair seemed longer, falling almost to the floor. He wore an ancient-looking brocade robe the color of blood, and his bare feet peeked out below the hem.

This was the monster who’d made me a vampire. He didn’t look like the creature who’d attacked me. His face was young and handsome. Only his mismatched eyes hinted at his true nature. That, and his facial expression. He looked furious.

“If you don’t want to be the next meal on my table, you won’t harm her again,” he warned Dahlia in a deep, sophisticated voice.

But he didn’t spare her a glance as he approached me. His every step resonated with predatory grace. A tremor surged through my body as our gazes connected. A smirk of satisfaction twisted his lips as he reached out to pull me to my feet.

Dahlia sniffled pathetically. Cyrus turned and pointed one finger in her direction. The deadly sharp nail gleamed in the light, manicured to elegant perfection.