Page 33 of Enchant the Dawn

“That’s up to you, Dom.”

“I can’t let her go.”

Ava leaned forward and laid her hand on his arm, her bright blue eyes filled with understanding. “Then I guess that’s your answer.”

* * *

Philip 51 arrived in New Orleans at three a.m. His task weighed heavily on his mind. Not surprising, he supposed, because he had seen what happened to those who failed. He had never really wanted to be a Knight—he had joined the Brotherhood on a dare. It had seemed exciting in the beginning, learning how to track vampires, having a mystical invisibility cloak, a shiny medallion that told him when vampires were near, carrying weapons. The whole sworn-to-secrecy thing reminded him of a club he had joined as a child. But there was nothing childish about these guys. They played rough and they played for keeps. Until tonight, he had managed to stay under the Elder Knight’s radar.

But he was in the thick of it now, tasked with finding a vampire from a powerful family. Destroying the vamp didn’t worry him. But taking him alive? That was something else entirely. The Brotherhood kept detailed records of their history and he had studied them all. Quill Falconer and his witch-wife had been a formidable combination. They had already killed an Elder Knight and brought the Brotherhood to its knees.

Philip swallowed hard as he ran his fingers around the inside of his shirt collar.

His own neck was on the line now.

* * *

Claret glanced at the half-dozen vampires seated at the large booth in the back of her favorite vampire nightclub, the Crimson Rose. The place was shielded from mortal eyes by a bit of vampire magic.

All the vampires in the city resided here on her say-so. All had sworn their allegiance to the Queen of New Orleans.

“I’m looking for a Hungarian vampire,” she said. “His name is Dominic. And I want him alive.”

Chapter 15

Covered by his invisibility cloak, Philip 51 made his way along the crowded sidewalks of New Orleans. Up and down, dodging between tourists and citizens alike, one hand resting lightly on the medallion that would alert him to the presence of any vampire in the city, and hopefully to the one he was seeking.

He was about to call it a night when the medallion began to hum.

Philip turned and saw his quarry. A tall, dark-haired Hungarian vampire walking beside a woman. He drew closer as they turned the corner at the end of the block. The sidewalk ahead was deserted.

Philip cursed softly. It was forbidden to attack in the presence of humans, but if the vampire suddenly willed himself elsewhere, he might never find him again. He checked his pockets, his fingers brushing a noose coated with silver and a pair of silver manacles, both of which would drain the vampire’s powers until Philip could render him unconscious and call for help, if needed.

He had not yet decided what to do when the vampire came to an abrupt halt and whirled around.

Overcome by a sudden, irrational panic, Philip yanked a stake from his pocket, lunged forward, and drove it into the vampire’s chest, then bolted down the street.

Maddy let out a shriek as Dominic suddenly dropped to his knees, his fingers folding around the stake protruding from the center of his chest. Eyes wide, she glanced around, then fell to her knees beside him, only to watch in horror as he jerked the stake free and tossed it aside.

Dark red blood leaked from the hideous wound and stained his shirtfront.

She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. “Dominic. . .”

“I’ll be all right. It’s not as bad as it looks.”

“You need a doctor.”

He shook his head. “No.” He stood and offered her his hand. “Let’s go.”

Maddy hesitated a moment before taking it. Trying to make sense of what she had just seen, she walked beside him to where they had left his car. “I think I’d better drive.”

He started to protest, then thought better of it. How could he tell her that he didn’t need a doctor, that his wounds would heal on their own?

Maddy waited until he was seated before going around to the driver’s side and sliding behind the wheel. She drove slowly, her mind replaying what had just happened. They had been on their way to the parking lot when suddenly, out of nowhere, a wooden stake had appeared in Dominic’s chest. Then, as if it was nothing at all, he had pulled it out and tossed it aside. Had she imagined the whole thing? But no, the proof was in the blood drying on his shirtfront.

Dominic checked behind them constantly, all his senses alert, but he detected no one following them.

“If you won’t go to the hospital, at least let me drive you home,” she said, casting a worried glance in his direction.

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