Page 58 of Shadows of Eternity

One hour turned into two. She was about to go out of her mind when Rohan materialized in the room.

Weak with relief, she sank down on the sofa. “What’s going on? Why did you send me home? Where have you been? Why didn’t you call me?”

He blew out a sigh that seemed to come from the very depths of his soul. “My sire was at the show tonight.”

She stared at him, eyes wide. The vampire who turned him had been there? The very thought sent an icy shiver down her spine. “What … what did he want?”

Rohan sat in the chair across from the sofa, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “He said he’d come to see how Iwas doing. He’s also looking for the vampire who killed those people in the city. Apparently, she’s one of his.”

“She?”

“Yeah.”

Strange, Leis mused, she had never considered that there might be female vampires. She couldn’t imagine living such a life.

“One good thing came of it,” Rohan muttered. “After three hundred years, I finally know his name.”

“Oh?”

‘Yeah. It’s Josiah.”

“Is he the reason you sent me home?”

Rohan nodded. “I don’t want you anywhere near him, although I guess there’s no way to prevent it. He’s got your scent.”

She shuddered at the thought.

“As long as you’re in your own home, he can’t hurt you.”

“Why not? What’s to stop him?”

“The threshold. Vampires can’t enter a residence without the owner’s permission.”

“Now you tell me,” she muttered.

“It works in reverse, too,” he said. “Anytime you want me to leave, all you have to do is revoke your invitation.”

“As simple as that? I don’t believe it.”

He nodded. “I don’t know why it works, but it does, every time.”

“Am I in danger from your sire?” She didn’t really want to hear the answer but she had to know.

“I don’t know.” He wondered if he should tell her that Josiah thought she was pretty and decided against it, figuring it would just worry her more.

“Does this mean I can’t go back to San Diego with you?”

Rohan dragged a hand across his jaw. He could protect her from people and most other vampires, but after tonight, he wasn’t sure he could beat Josiah in a fight. Vampires grew stronger with age, and while he had no idea how old Josiah was, he knew his sire had been around for a hell of a long time.

“Well?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I guess it’s up to you.” He grunted softly when Leia smothered a yawn behind her hand. “It’s late,” he said. “You should get some sleep. I need to go out for a few minutes.”

He needed to hunt, she thought, as she made her way into her bedroom. And wondered if she would ever get used to that part of his life.

Rohan drifted through the night like a shadow, all his senses alert. It was unsettling, knowing that his sire could be anywhere. He had sworn to kill Josiah. Now, having seen him again, having felt Josiah’s power first hand, he wasn’t sure he was strong enough to accomplish it, but should the opportunity arise, Rohan intended to take it.

He slowed as he approached a nightclub. He hadn’t fed much in the last few days. Slipping into the bar, he took the empty stool next to a middle-aged woman who sat alone. There were only three other people in the place—a man slumped over the bar, and a couple sitting at a back table, with their backs toward him. When the woman beside him turned and smiled at him, he captured her gaze with his, leaned closer, and quickly drank from her. A moment later, he released her from his spell and left the club. He would need all his strength while Josiahwas in the area. To that end, he intended to feed and feed well as long as his sire was a threat.

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