That gave me a pretty good idea who was downstairs knocking on the door. Only one vampire I knew could cloak his power level to avoid detection and twirl hardened undead guards in the air like fireflies.

Vlad must have guessed also, judging from the flames slowly extinguishing from his clenched fists.

“Mencheres,” he muttered.

I froze in the hallway, wondering if the mega-Master vampire was alone—or accompanied.

The knock sounded again. Now it seemed even more ominous than when I thought it was enemy forces.

Vlad motioned for Shrapnel and Maximus to lower their weapons. “Stay here,” he said to me again, but with none of his prior vehemence. “I’ll find out what he wants.”

“Mencheres,” I heard Vlad say moments later, to the echo of a door flinging open. “You are welcome in my home and may enter. You”—and here my heart skipped a beat, because the venom in that one word confirmed my suspicions—“may not.”

A laugh responded to that rude greeting. Hearing Bones so close hit me like a physical blow.

“Tepesh, I’ve come a long damned way to get here, and pretty as your little dragon door knockers are, I don’t fancy spending more time outside admiring them.”

Mencheres, more tactful, addressed Vlad with the patience a parent used on an errant child.

“Vlad, you know I cannot allow you to forbid entry to the co-ruler of my line. To do so would insult me as well, and I know you don’t mean to do that.”

“Let my men down,” Vlad said with an edge to his voice.

“Of course.” Mencheres actually made it sound like he’d forgotten about elevating over thirty vampires in the air. There were multiple thumps a moment later.

In another mood, I would have found that funny.

“Very well, come in.” Vlad’s tone was far from gracious. “But you’ll abuse my hospitality if you venture even a foot up those stairs, and we both know who I’m talking to.”

Bones laughed again, only this time, it sounded closer. They must be inside.

“Really, mate, you’re like a hound fretting over his scraps. Careful you don’t unwittingly combust, or you’ll ruin this fetching imitation Persian rug.”

“And I have had enough of your comments about my home!” Vlad barked. I could practically smell the smoke coming from him. “What do you want, not that you stand a fuck-all chance of getting it, mate.”

Vlad’s exaggerated Cockney accent drained away my momentary shock and turned it into alarm. Bones had wasted no time in getting Vlad good and mad. What was he up to?

“I’m here for Cat,” Bones replied, all bantering gone.

Such a wave of emotion swept over me that I felt dizzy. Just as quickly, I slammed my mind shut, wishing I could do the same with my heart. This could be about business. I wouldn’t humiliate myself by letting Bones know how just the sound of his voice was affecting me. Bones had said how great my shields were at keeping him out. Here’s hoping I hadn’t lost my touch.

“If she doesn’t want to see you, then you’ve wasted your time,” Vlad said, each word a dare.

I was still making up my mind whether or not I did want to see Bones when he let out a rude snort.

“You misunderstand, Tepesh. I’m not here to see her. I’m taking her with me.”

My jaw dropped. Vlad let out something like a growl. “I’ll fry you where you stand.”

The unmistakable sound of knives scraping together had me out of the room, shoving Maximus aside with all my inhuman strength even as Bones replied, “Try it.”

“Stop!”

Three heads swiveled up toward me. Vlad’s hands were still in flames, and Bones had two silver knives in his grip. Mencheres stood a few feet off, watching them like a silent referee. I came down the stairs. Fabian floated after me, darting in and out of the wall.

A glance showed me what was different about Bones since I’d last seen him. His hair was shorter, cropped close to his head and curling at the tips. His eyes were hooded as they met mine. Devoid of any emotion at all. That was the hardest thing to see.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked him.

“Getting you,” he answered, arching a brow.

If he’d said it while holding out roses and apologizing, I might have been moved. But Bones said it like he was talking about a pair of shoes he’d misplaced. I narrowed my eyes.

“And what if I don’t want to be gotten?”

Bones looked at Vlad, at me, and gave a frightening smile.

“Then as his guest, Tepesh will feel honor-bound to defend you. That means he and I will have to fight, and he’s quite brassed off already. I reckon he’ll try to burn me to ashes straightaway. Of course, that’s if I don’t rip his heart open with silver first. So if you refuse to come with me, one of us will be dead in the next few minutes. Or, you can come along and we’ll both live.”

Vlad let out a foul curse even as I sputtered, “Are you serious? You left me, remember? Now you want to fight to the death over me? What kind of game is this?”

“No game, luv,” Bones replied. “Just retrieving what’s mine. You might want to decide soon. Vlad looks as though he’s about to explode.”

I cast a quick glance at Vlad, who did look like he was moments away from detonation.

“You come into my home to blackmail my friend?” Vlad snarled. Those flames climbed higher on his arms. “I’ll—”

“I’m leaving.”

Vlad swung his gaze to me. I reached out, ignoring the licking flames on his arm. “Don’t. I couldn’t…”

I hoped only Vlad heard the rest of that sentence. I couldn’t stand it if something happened to him. I might be pissed at Bones. Hell, I might want to roast him over a few flames myself, but I couldn’t risk his life by stubbornness. From the energy rolling off Vlad, he wouldn’t strike to wound.

Not to mention, I wasn’t about to risk my friend’s life; the glint in Bones’s eyes said he wouldn’t strike to wound, either.

Vlad tugged his beard and gave Bones a chilling glance. “I won’t forget this.”

Bones smiled in open taunt. “I certainly hope you don’t.”

Things would get violent any second. I swept past them. Forget my things; it was time to go.

“Are you coming or not?” I asked Bones as I went outside.

“Of course,” Bones replied. I didn’t wait, but took the arm Mencheres politely offered me and stomped over to what I assumed was their car, Fabian trailing behind me.

“Love your home,” Bones said to Vlad in parting.

The answer he received made me glad I’d chosen to leave. If the two of them fought, there was no doubt that only one would walk away from it.

I waited a full half hour after we pulled away before I spoke. Bones had handed me a pair of headphones as soon as we got into the car. I’d blasted them loud enough to be dangerous. Damned if I knew where we were going with all that noise. But finally, I took them off, keeping my eyes closed.

“What the hell do you think you were doing? Vlad might have burned you into nothing more than a smear on his floor if I hadn’t decided to go with you.”

Bones let out a snort. “I didn’t doubt your actions for a moment. You’ve never been able to turn down playing the hero to rescue me.”

Bastard, I thought, and hoped that got through loud and clear. Whatever Bones’s motivation in coming tonight, it wasn’t for romantic reasons to win me back, that was clear. Was it just vampire territorialism? Even though he didn’t want me, Bones didn’t want someone else to have me? That was probably it. Well, I wasn’t anyone’s property, as he and Gregor would learn.

“You’ll regret this,” I settled on saying.

Another snort. “I don’t doubt that either, Kitten.”

I didn’t reply, just put my headphones back on.