Chapter One
The sun had set over the skyline of San Valencez an hour earlier. Relaxing in the one leather armchair not covered in a layer of books, manuscripts, and scrolls, Donovan DeChance had dimmed the lights in most of his home, leaving the fireplace flickering merrily. Cleo, his Egyptian Mau, lay curled on the arm of the couch, her tail flipping absently over the leather cover of a seventeenth century treatise on alchemy. At the top of the ornate mantle, the old crow Asmodeus watched over the entire scene placidly. It was as close to relaxation as Donovan had felt in years, and so, he didn't trust it.
When the lamp on his table emitted a soft purple glow, he was almost relieved. The lamp was one of his most cherished possessions, a bonus payment for services rendered many years in the past. It was a very old piece, handmade and beautiful. The base was the trunk of a bronze tree with ten arms. From each of those arms dangled an ancient coin. There was a heavy rod running up the center and this was topped with a spiked finial that connected the slag-glass shade to the base.
The shade had twenty-two slats, running through a subtle range of violets and purples. The end of each was embossed with a single letter from the Hebrew alphabet. As was true of most of the furnishings in his home, the lamp was more than it seemed. When someone approached his door, or tried in some other way to breach the defenses and wards he'd set, it illuminated. The brighter the light, the more imminent the danger. The light this evening was deep and pure. He didn't know who was approaching, but they were not approaching in anger, and – as he was familiar with how the lamp reacted to those he was closest to – its warning was doubly interesting. There was something else, as well, something more subtle and less familiar, but not threatening.
"So, Cleo," Donovan said. "Shall I meet our guest, or wait for them to announce their arrival?"
Cleo glanced up and gave a soft meow, then laid her head back on her front paws and watched him. The cat, also his familiar, was another warning system that never failed him. He glanced up at Asmodeus, who glared back at him balefully. No reaction.
With a shrug, he set aside the scroll he'd been translating, balancing it precariously atop a pile of large tomes filled with images, plates, and hieroglyphics from an ancient temple. He was preparing to scan them into his archive, and so, they'd worked their way to the top of the pile. Then, seeing that they were broad, stacked carefully, and sturdy, he'd begun using them as another horizontal workspace, and the scanning had been shelved, for the moment. A lot of other things needed to be shelved as well. He glanced around, shook his head, and turned toward the door.
The warning system also gave him the opportunity to unbind the wards on the door. He did so slowly, letting his senses seep out through the cracks and up through the vents. His home had been invaded exactly once, and he had no intention of letting it happen again – particularly not when he knew someone was coming. He felt nothing dangerous. In fact, the tug that he felt warmed his veins slightly, and brought a flush to his cheeks. He rested his hand on the doorframe, just for a second, getting his senses under control.
"Vanessa," he said, as he opened the door. "This is truly an unexpected pleasure."
She stood in the hallway, watching him. She was nearly as tall as he with long, golden blonde hair. She was slender and shapely with the grace and beauty of a supermodel, and that was only the beginning of her allure. When she smiled, he caught just the hint of a glimmer from the perfect ivory of her fangs. He also felt her blood. He felt it actually pressing out against the inside of his veins and arteries, felt a subtle shift in the rhythm of his heart.
It was the first time he'd stood in her presence since saving her from becoming the final and most important ingredient in a wizard's bid for immortality. As a show of gratitude, she'd shared a few drops of her blood, in a small bottle of cognac, with Donovan and his lover, Amethyst.
