“Forgive me if I’m being slow,” Rose said. “But what plan?”

Alec lifted the silver lid from the large dish in front of him. “Have some stroganoff. It’s a specialty here.”

That was all the invitation Rose needed to reach for the potatoes. And some bread. The butter on the dish beside her plate was real and shaped like little flowers. Rose was hungry and everything smelled very expensive. Food was good. Food made sense. She could wrap her mind around the food. Unlike whatever it was Alec was circling around.

Ian also approached the food with enthusiasm. Mike looked as suspicious of the stroganoff as he was of the vampire. Nazeem took nothing.

Alec continued. “My employers need people to be their public face. To be negotiators, diplomats, and, when necessary, police.”

“Police?” Rose interrupted as she buttered one of the rolls. “What do you mean, police? What law would we be enforcing?”

“Peace,” Alec said through his Ken-doll smile. “The specifics of the definition and your approach would be yours to work out.”

Rose chewed that over, still unsure what he was getting at. But Alec wasn’t done. “All I’m asking for initially is a month’s commitment from all of you. We’ll cover your expenses, plus fifty thousand dollars up front. You can get to know the city, get to know each other, put together a plan. At the end of the month, if you don’t think this is possible, or we don’t think it’s possible, everyone walks away friends.”

Rose didn’t miss the sideways look Mike gave Nazeem at the last word. She, herself, was trying not to drool over the idea of that much money. More than she could make in a year! It would mean the end of student loans and credit card debt.

“And after a month,” Nazeem asked, “what then?”

“My employers are prepared to offer each of you a million dollars for a year’s contract.”

Rose stopped moving, a forkful of stroganoff only an inch from her mouth. Had she heard that correctly?

Nazeem broke the silence that had followed Alec’s remark. “I can’t help but wonder who these most generous employers of yours might be.”

“They would prefer to keep their identities anonymous for now. But I can tell you they’ve spent years researching—they hand-picked the four of you for your exceptional talents and expertise.”

A million dollars. This couldn’t be real. But Alec was sincere. Rose could see it on his face. “Why are we worth so much to them?”

“Business,” Alec answered simply. “To my employers, this is a small investment to create a safe haven to meet, to work, even to live.”

Mike had pulled back in his chair, arms crossed. It didn’t take a sensitive to see his dislike of all of this. “What gives your employer the authority to do this? What gives them the right to dictate people’s lives?”

“Money and power.” Rose had to respect Alec’s honesty. “We’re all part of the invisible war, one way or another, and no government on Earth has laws that apply. If there are organizations trying to regulate it”—Rose didn’t miss the way Alec’s eyes lit on Mike, Ian, and Nazeem in turn—“they’re flailing beneath the weight of their own secrecy and ignorance of each other. It’s time to try something new.”

“An interesting proposition.” Nazeem’s emotions were there, pulsing against Rose’s senses, but they didn’t resonate in any way she could understand. Yet.

“Is it?” Mike’s gravelly voice demanded. “What interest is this to a vampire?”

“As Alec said, the world is changing.” Nazeem’s tone was low and even and impossible to ignore. “Electronic databases, cooperation between governments, watch lists. Travel becomes complicated, especially with your American initiatives against people who look like me. The idea of a safe haven is most compelling.”

“The other vampires in the city—” Alec began.

“Other vampires?” Rose interrupted. “Are they dangerous? No offense,” she added quickly in Nazeem’s direction.

“Not all vampires are monsters.” Nazeem’s lips quirked, almost a smile. “No more than we were before we died.”

That earned another disdainful snort from Mike. “I suppose you couldn’t bear the sight of the cross before you died either?” Nazeem gave a mild shrug. “Exactly. Don’t try to tell me you people are no different than when you were alive. I know better.”

“Now, Mike,” Alec tried to mediate, “we won’t get anywhere if we can’t—”

“I need a cigarette.” Mike pushed his chair back. He circled wide around Nazeem as he stalked from the room.

Alec sighed. “Obviously, you’ll need some time to think about this.”

Rose still didn’t understand what they were supposed to be thinking about, but she knew she wanted it. The money was one thing. The challenge—the mystery—was too intriguing to walk away from. But most of all, this was her way in. This was her invitation to the world that had been hiding from her all her life. A way to understand who she was, and maybe why. To use the full range of her abilities before her ticking clock ran down.

And they wanted her.

She studied Ian and Nazeem, tried to figure out what was going on in their heads. Ian was agitated. Nervous and excited, and all at a pulsing, screaming volume that seemed more real than anything Rose had ever felt.

Nazeem eluded her. Even his face was inhumanly still. His gaze flickered to hers, caught her looking, and his lips curved to the barest hint of a smile.

“I beg everyone’s forgiveness,” he said, standing with an easy grace. Nothing like the haste Mike had shown. “As we seem to be finished with the meeting for now, I will leave you to your dinner.” He bowed his head to them, and left.

Ian only lasted a few minutes longer. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I could use some air.” And he was gone as well.

Rose wasn’t willing to let the meal go to waste. She spooned up more stroganoff. “I guess I’ve got one question for you, Alec.”

Alec was unsettled, wary. Rose saw it in the crinkle of his eyes. “Go ahead.”

“What’s for dessert?”