Sacrifice (Book 2)

Chapter 12.1 - Acetabula et Calculi

Only twice in his life had Ethan been caught off-guard. The first time was on Christmas Eve when the demon slaughtered his family. He swore he'd never find himself in that situation again and for the last hundred years he'd lived in a constant state of awareness, perpetually vigilant in his efforts to stay one step ahead of any threat. The second time it happened was right now. Here in the square, a vampire stood next to him. Somehow, the vamp had managed to sneak up on him, in spite of his relentless attention. Ethan slipped a hand inside the wide sleeve of his robe and reached for the long, wooden rod attached to his forearm.

"You must be Ethan Ross," the vampire said. Nodding his head, he added, "And you must be Terra Nash."

Ethan hesitated for a moment, stunned. It was best not to act too hastily. Before he did anything, he needed to find out why and how this vampire knew the two of them by name.

Ethan sized up the man in less than a minute. Six-foot-two, about 220 pounds. The guy was big. Jacket was expensive. Possibly wealthy. Eye color, impossible to tell behind the mask in the shadows of the breezeway. Probably Caucasian, judging by the voice and heavy Italian accent. As for hair color or length, he couldn't begin to guess what was under the feathered lion's mane.

Ethan ran through the scenarios in his head of how to play this. Out of the thousands in the crowd, the vamp had managed to find and identify him, then maneuver through the masses without Terra's or his detection. Ethan needed to be careful he didn't underestimate the vamp. To deny who they were would be an insult and waste of time.

The vampire continued, "Forgive me. I should introduce myself. My name is Tobia Nazario."

It was best to be blunt, Ethan decided. "Why do you think you know us?"

"Simple deduction. This is my domain. I see everything that happens in my piazza," the vampire said. "Cameras are a wonderful invention, no? I saw the two of you enter before sunset. There are only four known daywalkers at this time-the two of you, your sister, and the Queen. That you were Terra was only a guess," he said with his hand out. Ethan couldn't see the vampire's face behind the mask, but he could tell by his voice he was smiling.

"You couldn't have known we were vampires just by seeing us on camera," Ethan said. As the words came out of his mouth, he realized that wasn't actually true. If the cameras had infrared capabilities, he might have been able to tell.

"True. But my home is on the other side of this wall. I could feel you."

The vampire and she-vamp from the gondola were less than fifteen feet from the three of them. The man and woman turned to face them. Tobia tipped his head in their direction and they continued their stroll uneventfully. Ethan didn't trust the Italian, but he was grateful he hadn't exposed Terra and him.

"I understand your mother will be here this evening. I've not had the pleasure of meeting her. I had hoped for an introduction."

What are we going to do? Terra asked in Ethan's mind. He's distracting us. We need him to leave.

Ethan continued to scan the square while he spoke to Tobia. Maybe not. If we attract the attention of other vampires and they see him here with us, they're less likely to become suspicious.

"With a little luck, maybe we can make that happen," Ethan said to Tobia. I'm going to let him think he's going to get that introduction. That way he'll stick around until we need to go.

"Curious, isn't it, that a vampire can always smell one of their own vein?" Tobia said.

Terra looked at the two men. Why did he say that?