Duncan (43 page)

Lucas accepted Duncan’s statement for what it was—a polite way of acknowledging that he knew Raphael was waiting to meet with Lucas. Duncan had been Raphael’s lieutenant and confidante for almost a hundred and fifty years, and while his assumption of the Capital lordship took him away from Raphael’s day-to-day operations, it changed nothing about their friendship. Just as Duncan’s new lordship changed nothing about the friendship he shared with Lucas.

They walked out together, going their separate ways after shaking hands once more and promising to stay in touch. Duncan turned for the stairs, while Lucas started down the long hallway, heading for Raphael’s office in the other wing. He’d left his security downstairs, not wanting any more witnesses than necessary to this meeting. He trusted his people, for the most part, but he was in no danger from anyone within Raphael’s estate, so there was no reason to take a chance.

The black, carved doors opened upon his approach, and he considered putting the sunglasses back on. He discarded the idea almost immediately, however. They had business to discuss, and Raphael had never appreciated Lucas’s irreverent approach to serious matters.

Raphael looked up from behind his desk as Lucas strolled into the room. The doors closed right behind him with a whoosh of air, barely clearing his ass. Lucas grinned briefly, but approached the desk and gave a sincerely respectful bow from the waist.

“Sire,” he said. “Thank you for seeing me.”

Raphael studied him for a suspicious moment, then gestured at the two comfortable chairs in front of the desk. “Sit down, Lucas. Where are your sunglasses?”

Lucas laughed then. “Duncan told me not to wear them.”

Raphael permitted a smile to edge around his mouth. “Tell me what’s happening.”

“It’s Klemens,” Lucas said referring to the Midwestern Vampire Lord who’d been glaring at him across the table moments before. “He’s pecking away at my eastern border. I held off until Duncan was confirmed, because you asked me, too, and because it was something we both wanted. But I can’t put up with it any longer. My own people are starting to doubt that I have the will to hold on to my territory.”

“Son of a bitch,” Raphael swore. “What does he want?”

Lucas shrugged. “I suspect he wants my entire Plains territory to combine with his own. It’s always ground at him that yours is bigger than his.” He punctuated this statement with an irreverent wink, which Raphael ignored. “He’ll settle for anything he can chip off, though,” Lucas continued. “And I won’t let that happen.”

“No,” Raphael agreed. “So, what will you do?”

“Nothing until after next week.”

“Why next week?”

“The FBI’s coming to see me,” Lucas said, relaxing now that his real reason for the meeting was resolved.

“The FBI?” Raphael said. “What have you done now?”

“Sire!” Lucas said, placing a hand over his heart and pretending to be wounded by the accusation. Raphael gave him a look of disgust, so Lucas said, “I haven’t done anything that I know of. Some FBI chick has been calling. And not only us, either. She called the local sheriff, too. Claims she’s looking for a lost person and thinks he disappeared in our area. I’ve checked with my people and nobody’s heard of him. If he’s lost, it’s either the humans or the Badlands that’ve taken him, not us.”

“And once she’s gone?”

“Once she’s gone, Sire,” Lucas said seriously. “There will be war.”

To be continued

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, my thanks go to Linda Kichline for the knowledge and nonstop hard work that go into every book. And to the talented Patricia Lazarus for another gorgeous cover.

My unending gratitude and big hugs to my critique partners and fellow writers, the very talented Michelle Muto and Steve J. McHugh, for their willingness to read bits and pieces and parts and finally the whole damn thing. And for their constant support and willingness to listen. Not that I complain or anything.

Thank you to the wonderful and oh-so-talented Adrian Phoenix for hanging around with me at RT when I’m sure she had better stuff to do, and for helping me celebrate the big win! To Kelley Armstrong for creating the best writing group on the Internet, and to all the members of OWG 6 for commiserating and/or celebrating as the moment requires!  

Huge thanks to John Gorski, whose generosity in sharing his knowledge and experience shows up every time one of my characters picks up weapon. And to D. P. Lyle, M.D. (dplylemd.com) for once again answering my questions about dead bodies. Thanks also to Elizabeth from Rep. Henry A. Waxman’s office, and yes, I know there are
some
congresspeople who actually do work to make things better.

Thank you to all of my readers who make it possible for me to tell my stories, and especially to those who write to let me know how much they love my beautiful vampires (and their mates, too.) And thanks also to all of the reviewers and book bloggers who help me get the word out about my vamps.

Thanks once more to my large and loving family for their ever-present pride and support. And finally, endless love and gratitude to my darling husband who still wonders what the heck his wife is doing pecking away at the computer into the wee hours of the night.

You can find me on Facebook, D. B. Reynolds, and on Twitter, @dbreynoldswrite.

Or stop by my blog at http://dbreynolds.wordpress.com for the latest news, contests, and Vampire Vignettes!