Danaus stared down at me, a look of surprise filling his blue eyes. “Let’s get out of here,” I whispered. “I’m running out of time.”

With a nod, he started the speedboat again and turned us back toward Cipriani. I pulled myself up into the seat and stared up at the pale gray sky. Dawn was close. The night was drawing in its last gasping breaths, its weight pressing down on me as it if were my job to support its lifeless frame.

“There’s a very specific reason why we chose Venice for the seat of the Coven,” I slowly began. “There are no naturi here. There never have been. Members of the water clan won’t even lurk in the canals. They call it the Dead City. I’m not sure why. I think one of their gods supposedly died here. They’ve never set foot in the city.”

“Until now,” Danaus interjected.

“Not only is a naturi deep in nightwalker territory, but it had to have been invited. All magically inclined creatures have to be invited onto the island.”

“How do you know it’s not a prisoner?”

“Because it wasn’t afraid or in pain,” I said. My bitterness left a nasty taste in the back of my throat. I didn’t know how I was sure of that fact. Something in me just knew it. When I sensed other creatures, I could get an emotional imprint. Something in me said I would have known if that naturi had been tortured or afraid for her life.

I’d suspected that my kind had been betrayed somehow. During my travels the past few days, the naturi remained one step ahead of us, always knowing exactly where to find me. The only way they could have managed such a feat was if someone were informing them. I’d suspected it, but I didn’t believe I would actually be proven correct.

Silence settled back between us as we entered Guidecca Canal and drew close to the hotel. The area was still empty of nightwalkers, and most humans nearby were sleeping. The only ones who were awake were members of the hotel staff—not that they couldn’t be servants of the Coven as well. I wasn’t worried. The Elders knew I had been out in the Lagoon, but they couldn’t know why.

By the time Danaus was tying up the boat, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I climbed onto the dock, lacking my usual grace. I was hanging onto consciousness by a thread. My body was sore, fighting every movement. Danaus tried to pick me up, but I growled at him, lurching away from his touch. I had enough strength left to drag myself into the hotel.

“Promise me you won’t go near San Clemente during the day,” I mumbled as I entered the elevator. I leaned heavily against the wall, fighting to keep my eyes open. “They’ll know. You’ll put us all in danger. Just wait until sunset.”

“But I—”

“Just promise,” I snapped. “We’re in their domain. We have to play by their rules.”

“I promise,” he grudgingly said, obviously less than thrilled with my request.

“Wait. Wait for me. We’ll get them,” I whispered.

The elevator doors slid open with a soft hiss and I lurched forward, hurrying into the suite. The sun was nearly up. I wasn’t going to be awake much longer, and if I wasn’t hidden, I’d be fried to a crisp. Throwing open the door to the master bedroom, I stumbled inside and slammed the door shut behind me. I didn’t bother to lock it. If Danaus or someone else wanted in while we slept, they would find a way in. The room was pitch-black, as the heavy curtains had been pulled across the windows. Sadira and Tristan lay stretched out on the bed, his arms wrapped around her. I tripped across the room and slid onto the king-size bed next to Tristan. Exhausted, I was drifting off to sleep when I felt Tristan roll over and wrap his arms around my waist. He snuggled close, his long body curving against mine. And then there was nothing.

FIVE

The fog lifted from my thoughts the next night and I returned to consciousness to find Tristan stretched out beside me on the bed. He was leaning on his elbow, his brown hair hanging down around his eyes as he watched me. A faint smile played on his pale pink lips, but his blue eyes were worried. He was afraid, and for good reason. We had survived the day but still had to face the Elders.

Tristan lifted his hand to touch my cheek, but I jerked away from his fingertips and frowned. “I thought you might enjoy some company,” he said gently. His open hand remained hovering in the air near my cheek, waiting for my permission to resume its descent. For a second I honestly wished I could accept his proposition. The curtains were still drawn and the room was quiet as a marble mausoleum in February. But a few stolen moments of bliss in his arms wouldn’t chase away our fears regarding the Coven.

“No,” I replied, though the word lay between us like a dead fish.

Lowering his hand, he wrapped his long fingers around my wrist when I sat up. “I wanted to thank you…for what you said yesterday.” His words were hesitant. I understood what it cost him to say them. I remembered what it was like to be young and weak. You never wanted to feel as if you owed anyone anything. It gave them power over you, a little bit of leverage saved up for a special occasion.

“I don’t want your thanks,” I grumbled. Rolling to my feet, I ran my fingers through my hair, pushing the long red locks from my face. I didn’t want his gratitude when we had yet to escape Venice. “Return to your mistress.”

“She said that I am to see to your needs,” he said, lounging across the bed. I turned to look at him, but what I saw only deepened my frown. He lay bare-chested, a smile haunting his handsome features. His lower half was in a pair of leather pants, while his feet remained bare. Tristan was an enticing mix, naughty with just a dash of nice. He extended one hand toward me, his gaze softening. He was hot, but I felt no real temptation. I was standing in Venice and was about to see the Coven, which had a naturi in their midst. There was no escape this time no matter how much I longed for it.

“Get out of here, Tristan,” I sighed. “Tell the others I will be out in a few minutes.”

I didn’t wait for him to rise, but grabbed my bag and stalked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. After a quick shower, I dug through my bag for some clean clothes, only to discover I was running low. I hadn’t thought to pack for more than a few days. I thought I would be handing this matter off to someone else not long after arriving in Egypt, not globe-hopping while I ran from the naturi.

With a grimace, I finally settled on a black halter top. I pulled the black leather pants I had worn the previous day back on, but chose the leather boots with the three-inch heels. They weren’t great for fighting in, but the height would add to my presence. I was hoping to do more bluffing than actual fighting tonight.

I brushed out my damp hair and piled it on the back of my head, holding it in place with a pair of silver clips. By pulling it back, it opened my peripheral vision and still gave me the appearance of sophistication and class. With one last look in the mirror, I stifled a sigh. I looked good, but I didn’t feel the confidence I needed to pull off this farce.

Leaning forward, I gripped the cold black marble sink with both hands. How the hell was I supposed to do this? A naturi was waltzing around the home of the Coven, Jabari could control me like some weapon sent from Hell, and somehow I was slowly building a contingent of creatures dependent upon me to save their collective hides. Not only had I promised a vampire hunter that I would get him out of Venice alive, but it was also becoming clear that both Sadira and Tristan were expecting the same.

I couldn’t beat the Coven. While I might be able to last a little bit, Jabari would pummel me into bloody paste eventually. My odds against Macaire or Elizabeth weren’t any better. How could I have been so careless as to promise to protect these poor creatures when I could barely protect myself?