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the building itself with its formidable security. She and Duncan had joined forces in urging him not to make this trip, saying it was too dangerous. What if it was a trap? What if the humans were killing his vampires one by one to lure in the biggest prize of all—not just a vampire, but a vampire lord? He forced back a growl at the memory of their arguments, all of which he’d rejected. He had to be here. These were his vampires who were dying.
    “My lord.”
    Raphael was jerked out of his thoughts by Wei Chen’s soft voice. He speared the nest leader with a fierce gaze. “I want details, Wei Chen. Everything you’ve discovered about these murders and who’s behind them.”
    “Of course, my lord.” He gestured at a vampire sitting next to him. “Loren is our security—”
    “I am aware of who Loren is,” Raphael interrupted coldly.
    Wei Chen’s lips trembled slightly. “Forgive me, my lord. Would you prefer Loren to—”
    “I don’t care who gives the report, as long as someone starts talking.”
    The nest leader paled so badly that Raphael feared he would topple over where he sat. As a vampire, Wei Chen’s power was greater than any other vampire in the nest, although not nearly as strong as most of Raphael’s closest security staff. However, Wei Chen was not a fighter, which was why he lived here. The Seattle compound reflected its environs. This had never been a high risk area before the recent murders. The vampires here maintained a fairly low profile. They were mostly professionals, many of them computer experts of one sort or another—vampire geeks Cyn called them in private. Most worked exclusively via computer or phone, rarely if ever meeting in person with their clients and/or human counterparts. Wei Chen was a financial consultant, chosen to lead the compound because of his corporate mentality and a natural ability to manage others.
    “Loren, perhaps you could give us the specific details of what has happened thus far,” Duncan, ever the diplomat, said, easing the tension which had been sucking the air out of the room.
    Loren glanced at Duncan , then met Raphael’s gaze and gave a self-assured nod. He opened a folder on his lap and began speaking. “Sire, as you know there have been two previous attacks, three now, after this vicious assault on Jeremy’s mate. I think it probable that the target of this latest atrocity was, in fact, Jeremy himself, that—”
    “It was.” They all looked up as Jeremy walked slowly into the room, his exhaustion obvious, but his face full of determination. “They tortured Mariane, trying to force her to reveal my location. She refused.”
    “Jeremy,” Raphael acknowledged. “Your mate?”
    “She is well, my lord, thanks to you. I bless whatever chance of fate brought you here this evening. A human doctor from your retinue is examining her—”
    “Peter Saephan,” Raphael confirmed. “He is an excellent healer, and I have trusted him with the life of my own mate on more than one occasion.” He twisted his mouth in a wry smile, acknowledging to himself if to no one else, the reality that repeatedly drew Cyn into situations requiring Dr. Saephan’s skilled care.
    “I will tell Mariane. Thank you, my lord.”
    Raphael nodded a silent acknowledgment, but Jeremy lingered, his thin frame vibrating with the effort of maintaining his dignity in the face of tonight’s terrible trauma. He seemed to be warring with himself over some internal debate, until finally he approached Raphael and dropped to his knees.
    “I was with her, my lord,” Jeremy whispered. “I was there.” His eyes, when they met Raphael’s, were full of guilt. “But I couldn’t reach her. I tried,” he said desperately, more to convince himself, Raphael thought, than anyone else.
    Jeremy drew a deep breath and seemed to gather himself. His back stiffened and when he spoke next, his voice with firm with resolve, “I am not a soldier, my lord. I know this. But I wish to join you