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10:00 p.m.

Corin stood by the fireplace, holding a vintage rotary phone to his ear. His shoulders slumped in resignation. “Very well. We’ll stop by the station tomorrow evening. Bonne nuit, Détective Apostolou.” He placed the phone back in its cradle on the fireplace mantel and gazed out a window at the neo-Gothic cityscape.

Corin had returned to Eidolon City the night before. When Angela called to tell him about her dream, he flew back from New England on the first evening flight available. His concern over the vision proved correct, but the situation was far more serious than he had expected. Angela had crossed paths with another of Corin’s ilk, and it was common practice for other vampires to kill humans who learned of their existence.

What if he comes for Angela? Corin thought. Why didn’t he kill her tonight? What happened in that subway? He removed his heliotrope-gray suit jacket and tossed it over a chair, then paced the room. Even with his cane, his left leg throbbed with each step, but he was too pensive to care. Corin broke his knee when he was human, and the pain had afflicted him for over five centuries, but he moved with no hint of a limp because of his vampiric strength.

Shade napped on her dog bed in the corner, her pelt almost blending with the cushion’s black faux fur. She lifted her head when the bathroom door opened. Angela came out clean and wearing a fresh sweater and jeans. Shade trotted over to her, and Angela petted the dog. She forced a halfhearted smile, but Corin could tell by the slight quiver of her hands that she was still unsettled from her ordeal.

Corin stopped pacing and faced his niece. “Angela, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to read your memories.”

Angela looked up at Corin in surprise. “My memories?”

“I know mind reading is intrusive, but I need to see what happened tonight.”

“Um, okay.” She fiddled with her sleeve and closed the distance between them.

Corin pointed to a brown armchair, and Angela took a seat. Corin knelt in front of her and set his cane aside. He took Angela’s hands, giving them a comforting squeeze. “Relax and visualize everything that happened to you. Take it slowly, step by step.”

Angela took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Corin projected his awareness into her mind, observing Angela’s thoughts as she recollected her experience in the subway—the mugger grabbing her, his sleeve catching fire, the gun pointed at her face, and a vampire tossing her attacker to his death. Corin saw through Angela’s eyes as the creature approached her and offered his hand.

“Let me help you up.”

“Get away!” Angela’s scream reverberated through Corin’s mind. He couldn’t sense other people’s emotions like Angela, but he could hear the sheer terror in her voice. He leaned his forehead against her knuckles.

The vampire leaped back just in time to avoid the fire that sprung up around Angela. The flames were so close, Corin could almost imagine the heat beating against Angela’s skin. She covered her head and cried out in fear. No, please, I don’t want to burn! she’d thought.

It tore Corin up to know how terrified Angela was, a knot forming in his throat.

Then the fire was extinguished. The vampire held his palm toward the floor, which was now coated in—

“Ice!” Corin exclaimed. “He can summon ice!”

“What does that mean?” Angela asked, keeping her eyes closed.

“It means he’s more powerful than me. I don’t have the magic to work ice.” Corin read Angela’s memories a moment longer, right up to the moment the vampire urged Angela to call someone for assistance and departed. Corin released Angela’s hands. “Was there anything you sensed with your empathic ability that might shed some light on this vampire’s motives?”

Angela opened her eyes and nodded. “I did sense … I think I sensed compassion. I didn’t notice at first because I was so scared, but after he put out the fire, I felt … he was concerned for me. I think he just wanted to help.”

Corin rose and stepped away, disregarding his cane. “Compassion?” He touched his chin in contemplation and paced the room again, ignoring the pain in his knee.

“Maybe he’s like you. You’ve met other … peaceful vampires, haven’t you?”

“Few.” Corin stopped pacing and crossed his leather-gloved hands behind his back. “It’s possible he felt compassion for you because he wishes to turn you into a vampire.”

The color drained from Angela’s face, and she rose from the chair. “Jesus.”

Corin grimaced at Angela’s unintentional invocation of Christ’s name, which sent a painful tremor through his undead body. Angela knew what that name did to him, but she was so used to saying it, she often slipped. Dear Gana, why did I let Fiona take Angela to church?

Angela winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say the J-word.”

“It’s fine.” Corin walked over to Angela and drew her close. He touched her cheek. “Let me heal this for you.” He peeled the dressing away, exposing the scrape underneath and catching the rich fragrance of Angela’s blood, a scent both succulent and sweet, like a savory broth mixed with honey. The smell of innocent blood was irresistible to most vampires, but Corin had honed his willpower over the centuries, and he fixed his attention on his niece’s wellbeing. “Oh, my child, look at what that swine did to you.”

Angela gently pulled his hand from her cheek and pressed the bandage back into place. “The police might question me again. They’ll notice if my face heals overnight.”

Corin slapped his forehead. “Zut! I forgot about the police.” Then realization dawned on him. “You were bleeding.”

Angela shrugged. “Well, yeah. So what?”

Corin took her hands. “Most vampires can’t resist blood as innocent as yours. Yet this newcomer didn’t hurt you. He withstood the lure of your blood. Perhaps he is peaceful, as you say. But until I know for sure, remain by my side when the sun is down.”

“What about the police?”

“Detective Apostolou called earlier and asked that you come in to give a full statement. As counterintuitive as it feels, I believe cooperation is our best course of action. We’d only bring suspicion to ourselves if we tried to avoid the police. So tomorrow evening, we’ll go to the station and reaffirm your original story.” Corin brushed Angela’s hair behind her ear, away from her injured cheek. “I’m sorry this happened to you, but I promise everything will be all right.”

Angela hugged Corin, and he returned her embrace. She patted his back, rubbing the satin of his waistcoat. “About the dream, thanks for not saying ‘I told you so.’”

“Truthfully, I think you were right about the dream. I thought your vision was a warning, but this stranger helped you.” Corin recited a line from Matthias Claudius’s poem. “‘I am a friend and come not to punish.’”

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