Inanely, Sarah said, "I had actually started to look forward to seeing the show."
"Then go," Kaleo replied. "Watch the play. I would simply advise not idling long on the streets."
He made it sound so simple. But maybe something good could come of this. She had promised Nikolas and Kristopher, and more importantly herself, that she would not give up her life, but in a public area owned by such a powerful figure, surely she would have some room to negotiate. Perhaps she could find an opportunity to plead her case. There had to be a way to convince those who had been her friends and family that she was still who she had been only days before.
"What"s wrong?" were Kristopher"s first words as he walked into the room where Sarah had not too long before been primping, and where she was now sitting on the bed, no longer worried about wrinkling the beautiful dress before Kristopher came to pick her up. She just looked at him. She knew he had been angry when he had left.
Since then, she had fed for the first time. She had experienced something wonderful. Then she had seen an old friend, briefly experienced the hope for forgiveness and acceptance, only to have that crushed. After Kaleo had left, she had spent nearly half an hour helping Christine calm down while trying to fight the yawning void in her own gut.
He hadn"t been there for any of that, and she couldn"t blame him. Nikolas had said Kristopher wasn"t hard enough to force her to feed, and he was probably right. He thought that if he could only convince her this life was worth worth living, the rest would take care of itself. He didn"t understand that the first steps of survival were too much to take on her own, no matter what she wanted. living, the rest would take care of itself. He didn"t understand that the first steps of survival were too much to take on her own, no matter what she wanted.
He and Nikolas had left their world behind when they had become vampires. They had even changed their names to mark the transition. It wasn"t as easy for her to stop being Sarah Vida, even if the Rights of Kin hadn"t been in play.
"Nikolas and Kendra are going to join us for the show. I"ll explain everything once your brother gets back." She didn"t want to have to describe Michael"s betrayal twice. Nikolas was going to meet them at home, but Kendra had said she would catch up with them at the theater, so there would be time for them to talk.
"Okay." She could still sense Kristopher"s concern, but he was willing to let it drop if she wanted it to. "Where is Nikolas?"
"Talking to some contact," Sarah said, vague because he had been vague with her. "He has a plan, but hasn"t explained it to me. He promised he would be back in time for the show, though."
Kristopher didn"t object to Nikolas"s joining them, or even ask when that had been decided, and there wasn"t as much as a tendril of annoyance in response to his brother"s having invited himself along on their date. Sarah realized, quite suddenly, that she was irritated by that-not that Kendra and Nikolas had invited themselves, but that Kristopher just accepted it as a matter of course, even without knowing that Kendra had been involved in the decision.
"You look good," she said, the compliment lame, but she couldn"t get more eloquent words past her throat.
Of course he looked good. Kristopher Ravena in a tux was a sight to see. She was glad Nikolas and Kendra had insisted that Sarah find something "appropriate," or she would have been devastatingly underdressed. The beautiful man in front of her was like something out of a black-and-white magazine. He was standing before her, but impossible to touch.
He took the words as further invitation to change the subject and pretend everything was fine again. Holding out a hand to her, he said, "You look incredible yourself."
She ducked her head, oddly shy, and admitted, "I kid you not, Kendra took me shopping."
His eyes widened. "How on Earth did that happen?"
"Nikolas asked her to," Sarah replied. "I gather he figured I would be hopeless to prepare myself adequately on my own."
At that, there was a stab of something from him...not jealousy, but...guilt? "It"s okay," she blurted out. "This whole thing has been hard on you, too. I can understand needing to get away for a bit."
She said the words before she even fully processed the thoughts she had picked up from him. Nikolas had exaggerated the amount of help Nissa had needed, but Kristopher had stalled nevertheless, needing time to go over some of the same thoughts Sarah had found slashing through her brain.
She accepted his hand.
As he drew her closer, he observed, "You"ve hunted."
Something made her hesitate to say Nikolas"s name again, but she knew that it was implied when she said, "I went to Phaethon."
"Oh." He reached up as if to run his fingers through his hair, and then seemed to remember that it was tied back tightly. When she had met him, Kristopher"s hair had been chopped short, but it had been long when he was changed. Since he had rejoined his brother, his vampiric body had swiftly returned to its original state, and now he and Nikolas were again close enough that they were like reflections of each other. Even their auras were nearly identical, in the way they twined together.
And yet they were very different.
She had comforted him, because the feeling of his guilt had hit her so powerfully, but Kristopher was coming to the same realization she had already reached. Kristopher had changed her to save her life. Before that, at most he had intended to bloodbond her-and that only because his brother had intervened. If it hadn"t been for Nikolas"s struggles to get his brother to return to him, Sarah would have driven Kristopher away, and that would have been the end of their relationship instead of the beginning.
"Kristopher-" she said at the same moment that Kristopher said, "I"m sorry, Sarah."
"I should have..." His voice trailed off as he thought that he should have been the one to show her how to hunt, but he still hadn"t reconnected with all his contacts after his fifty years away. He wouldn"t have been confident enough to bring Sarah somewhere like Phaethon at a time like this. He had left to try to get his thoughts straight, at a time when he knew perfectly well that she needed him. She was new to this world, former Vida or not.
"Kristopher," Sarah said firmly. She waited until he had pulled himself from his thoughts and was really looking at her before she continued. "We both made mistakes, which caused us to end up here, but that doesn"t mean you"re responsible for me from here to eternity. Going to one school dance together for a date that didn"t even work out doesn"t mean we"re destined to be together forever. I know that."
Kristopher said softly, "I was thinking earlier about what would have happened if Romeo and Juliet had woken up."
"Me too," Sarah admitted. Maybe she had picked the thought up from him. "I don"t need a boyfriend, Kristopher." She started off strong, but her voice faded as she added, "But I could really use some family tonight."
This time, when Kristopher pulled her into his arms, there were no anxious doubts about responsibility and romance and failures. Kristopher knew what it meant to be family and how it felt to lose family.
I"m not losing anyone else, they both thought.
"We"ll get through this," Sarah said. "I don"t know how yet, but we will."
CHAPTER 23
SAt.u.r.dAY, 8:01 P.M. P.M.
ADIA KNEW IT was impossible to get to New York City before the show began. Dominique had access to a private jet, but trying to scramble it, get a flight plan approved and fly into New York would take even longer than driving. was impossible to get to New York City before the show began. Dominique had access to a private jet, but trying to scramble it, get a flight plan approved and fly into New York would take even longer than driving.
After days of anxiety riding her so tightly she thought she might explode, Adia felt strangely calm. Even with the sporadic traffic she hit, she was pretty sure she made it to New York City in record time.
Like most hunters, she tended to avoid Broadway and the general theater area of Manhattan. It was too bright, too shiny, with too many people and rarely a worthwhile hit. Being there made her nervous.
She knew what she had to do-the only thing she could could do if she wanted her line to survive. They were flawed; she had accepted that. But she could salvage what was left of her line, if only she could find the nerve to fulfill her vow and end this hunt. do if she wanted her line to survive. They were flawed; she had accepted that. But she could salvage what was left of her line, if only she could find the nerve to fulfill her vow and end this hunt.
Michael had called shortly before she reached the city, to give her the address of a Mexican restaurant not far from the theater. He had found them. Michael used a little money and a little magic to reserve the restaurant"s back room for their meeting. When Adia arrived, he was eating chips and freshly made guacamole.
Zachary arrived behind Adia by less than ten minutes. He was avoiding looking at her, which was fine, since she still wasn"t sure what he would see in her face. Once Jay joined them, even Michael noticed that something was up. Adia saw Jay meet the Arun"s gaze and shake his head. She had never been so grateful for the telepath"s interference. Now was not the time.
Adia began. "Michael, fill everyone in so we can decide what to do next."
"I was scoping spots where I thought I might hear news about Nikolas, and was lucky enough to see Sarah herself," Michael explained. "For the record, she fed, but didn"t kill. Does anyone in this room really think that she would?"
Jay was the first to say no. Zachary sighed and leaned back against the counter.
Michael said, "Jay and I agree that Sarah came to the house the other day to turn herself in." He looked over at Jay, who nodded without adding anything. "We"re also agreed that the most surprising part of all this is that Sarah is is still alive. She hasn"t come to us again, and she hasn"t fallen on the knife. When I saw her at the club, she barely spoke. Nikolas did all the talking. I don"t want her dead, you all know I don"t, but I know Sarah. I want some kind of a.s.surance that if she"s living this life, it"s by her own choice." still alive. She hasn"t come to us again, and she hasn"t fallen on the knife. When I saw her at the club, she barely spoke. Nikolas did all the talking. I don"t want her dead, you all know I don"t, but I know Sarah. I want some kind of a.s.surance that if she"s living this life, it"s by her own choice."
"What"s your plan?" Zachary asked.
"By now, I figure they"ll know we"re here, but Kendra"s line is arrogant enough, and takes their theater seriously enough, that they won"t-"
"Wait," Zachary interrupted. "They know we"re here, why? why?"
"I cleared it with Kendra," Michael replied, utterly blase. "She has given us a green light. If Sarah or the twins present us with an opportunity, we have carte blanche to take them down. Sarah knows the way we work. If she wants to make it through the night, we won"t have a clear shot. If she is being held against her will, though, we"ll have a chance."
As plans went, it wasn"t much, but Adia enjoyed improvisation. She was a little uncomfortable with the bit about having the approval of a two-thousand-year-old vampire, however. Granted, Michael was an Arun, but seriously-how many of her crew were in bed with the vamps, figuratively speaking?
"Could you clarify the part about your having permission permission from Kendra?" she asked. Michael had vaguely referred to that part on the phone, but she wanted to be very clear on the details before jumping into a fight. from Kendra?" she asked. Michael had vaguely referred to that part on the phone, but she wanted to be very clear on the details before jumping into a fight.
"She doesn"t want a war," Michael said. The words were an eerie echo of what Jerome had said earlier. "No one does. So we have one night to end it, however it goes, and a promise of no future retaliation from Kendra or her a.s.sociates. She is somewhat unsure how Kaleo will react should the twins die, but she owns the theater we"re going to hit, so she mostly gets to decide what can be done to people and vampires inside it."
"I believe Adia was looking for an explanation of the fact that you seem to be able to predict movements and contact vampires in a surprisingly friendly manner," Zachary said.
A bit hypocritical, aren"t we? Adia thought cynically. Zachary was the one who had vampiric friends showing up and pulling him out of fights, after all. On the other hand, it was one thing for Zachary to have some kind of low-level patron who liked to play with him. It was quite another for Michael to be making deals with the head of the line. Adia thought cynically. Zachary was the one who had vampiric friends showing up and pulling him out of fights, after all. On the other hand, it was one thing for Zachary to have some kind of low-level patron who liked to play with him. It was quite another for Michael to be making deals with the head of the line.
"I know New York," Michael replied, not bothering to get defensive. "If you want to hunt here, you have to know the territory. Be grateful."
Jay said, "Okay, let"s not start bickering. If Sarah wants to turn herself in, she"ll get a message to us tonight, and we"ll...do what needs to be done, what she asks of us. But what if she doesn"t?"
"Then we"ll deal with that tomorrow night," Zachary said.
Jay shook his head. "We need some kind of decision tonight. Dominique won"t drop her claim just because we decide Sarah has a right to live. We need to know if we"re planning to try to fight the law. We"re representing three lines here. Is there some kind of plan to-"
"I"ve got it covered," Adia interrupted. "I"ll make sure Dominique accepts however things come out tonight."
"Care to tell us this plan?" Zachary asked, but this time Adia didn"t want to share. He probably wouldn"t approve, and given what she had learned recently, he certainly wouldn"t have the guts to do what needed to be done even if he agreed.
Jay gave her a long, even look. She didn"t know what he could hear in her mind. After a moment, he said, "If you"re sure."
"Whatever," Michael said. "As long as the Vida line gets rid of the hooks it"s using to play with the rest of us, I"m fine with it."
"By sunrise," Adia a.s.sured him, "the Rights won"t be a factor. But for now..." She let out a long breath as she focused herself. Where should the pieces go? "Jay, you wait with Michael on the street outside the theater. That"ll put you close enough that you can try to pick up a sense of how Sarah"s feeling. See if she seems scared or hopeful or angry or...whatever you and your line do with your mojo."
Jay nodded, so apparently the instruction was sufficient for him.
"Zachary, you wait here until we know Sarah is coming out of the theater. We don"t want them to see you too early."
"What about you?"
"I"m going to scope inside the theater," Adia said. "Sarah will sense me there. Maybe she will come right to me."
"And the twins?" Michael asked. "It seems pretty certain they won"t let Sarah go without a fight. Do you really want to be alone on the front line?"
"Have we confirmed whether or not we took one out in the fight?" Zachary asked. "Michael, you say you saw Nikolas. But has anyone heard anything about Kristopher?"
"Nikolas is considered pretty unstable," Michael said. "If I had successfully killed his brother, there"s no way he would have looked me in the eye and played nice when I saw him."
"So it"s safe to a.s.sume we"ll be dealing with both of them," Jay said.
"My source implied pretty much the same thing," Adia answered. "That"s why the three of you are going to be close. I want to try to see Sarah alone, but if I get into a fight, I will will call for backup. Jay, you"ll be able to sense if I"m fighting angry vampires, right? I doubt I"ll have time to grab my cell phone at that point." call for backup. Jay, you"ll be able to sense if I"m fighting angry vampires, right? I doubt I"ll have time to grab my cell phone at that point."
He nodded.
"Good. Then that"s that."
She didn"t have any more. Her plan was concise and specific. If anything, she was relying on Michael"s a.s.surance that Kendra had given her blessing to this, and on the ability of certain individuals to talk fast.
""The play"s the thing,"" Zachary murmured.
"What?" Adia asked.
Zachary looked embarra.s.sed as he explained, "It"s from Hamlet Hamlet. You know, Shakespeare?"
Adia knew of the play, but she hadn"t read that one in cla.s.s. "I don"t read a lot of Shakespeare."
Zachary seemed like he had to gather his nerve to reply, but nevertheless he did so. "Neither did I," he said. "But I have a friend who likes it. We"ve seen a couple shows together."
Adia didn"t know what to say to that, or why Zachary said it almost like it was a confession.
"Well, good for you," Jay replied after a long hesitation. "Someday, Zachary, I think it would be interesting to meet your friend."
"Okay, everyone," Adia said slowly, thinking over the very few details they had. She absently patted the knife sheathed on her wrist. "Operation Seat of Our Pants is a go."
They all moved toward their places. As Adia had predicted, it was a few minutes before intermission. Broadway shows were always too long for Adia"s taste. She never understood how people could tolerate just sitting, watching people walk and sing on a stage.
Was Sarah enjoying it?
Adia flipped through one of the souvenir programs, concealing her anxiety and even her presence from those around her. She had her aura masked so the vampires would not sense it, but Sarah had more than a vampire"s abilities; Adia was sure she would have enough of a witch"s magic left to be able to sense such familiar power near to her.
If Sarah really was still Sarah, and not just a monster, then if she knew that Adia was alone, she would come alone to talk.
Please don"t disappoint me, Little Sis, Adia thought desperately. Please Please.
CHAPTER 24
SAt.u.r.dAY, 8:05 P.M. P.M.
THE CROWD WITHIN the theater was made up of individuals of all ages, in all types of casual or formal wear. Sarah saw more than a few double takes from other men and women as the vampires presented their tickets and were escorted to their seats, and she was acutely aware of the image she, Kristopher, Nikolas and Kendra made as they cut through the crowd. the theater was made up of individuals of all ages, in all types of casual or formal wear. Sarah saw more than a few double takes from other men and women as the vampires presented their tickets and were escorted to their seats, and she was acutely aware of the image she, Kristopher, Nikolas and Kendra made as they cut through the crowd.
Sarah had never lacked confidence. She knew she was attractive, in a trendy blond kind of way. But no fine clothes or fancy hairstyle would ever ever make her match Kendra, who radiated poise and power and beauty from her golden hair-truly make her match Kendra, who radiated poise and power and beauty from her golden hair-truly gold gold, like beaten metal-styled in loose curls, to the tips of her five-hundred-dollar shoes, or Nikolas and Kristopher, identical seraphim who bore no resemblance whatsoever to the poor country farmhands Nikolas had recently described them as.
Sarah knew she looked good enough on Kristopher"s arm to merit envy. The four of them together, however, turned heads in awe. Kendra, Nikolas and Kristopher were obviously used to the attention, but to Sarah it was a new and somewhat unsettling response. She had spent most of her life blending in and knowing that too much attention would get her killed.
Of course, too much attention here that night might still still be the end. Had the hunters figured out where they were? Nikolas hadn"t told Michael what they were seeing, but Sarah tried not to underestimate her once kin. be the end. Had the hunters figured out where they were? Nikolas hadn"t told Michael what they were seeing, but Sarah tried not to underestimate her once kin.