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    “I’ve already talked to T imothy. He’ll take over your usual duties. There is a situation in Tennessee that I need Lilith to look into and I don’t want to send her that far away into something possibly dangerous alone. I can trust you implicitly and that’s not something I can say about many people. I trust Timothy to help me with business but I don’t trust him to look after Lily. I made promises to her mother before she passed away and I won’t neglect them, so I need you to protect her. I know you, of all people, will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.” There was an oddly significantly look that passed between them before he turned that significant look on Lilith. “She can brief you as she sees fit.” He held Lilith’s gaze with the last sentence and there was an unspoken novel there.
    Any arguments died out quickly. Chance dutifully nodded and Lilith couldn’t really say anything since Gregor used his ultimate trump card. Her mother, Rosaline, passed away 11 years ago. She was attacked in Central Park, a robbery gone wrong. She’d lost a tremendous amount of blood which she might have recovered from, but too much time had passed before she made it to the clinic. They tried blood transfusions, even tried some of their experimental medications. In the end she was just too old to deal with the trauma.
    We aren’t impervious to harm and vampires do not get stronger as they get older. That tidbit of lore never made sense to her. How is it consistent in movies that bullets can’t penetrate vampire skin, but a nudge from a stake is like a hot knife through butter, well unless you happen to be really, really old?  Years eventually weigh heavy on a vampire and they can’t cope with injuries as well as they could in their youth, much like Humans.
    Even their minds could become fragile. Yes, they had years, decades of experience, but they also had to be able to adapt to changes in technology, social structure, and to the world in general. In the past two centuries alone, there were earth shattering advances for someone who grew up when swords were the weapon of choice. Just as some humans have trouble handling change, some vampires just couldn’t take it either.
    It sounded like Duncan might be failing in that department. He was drawing away from his research and pulling away to hide in his country house, losing himself in books. When they start losing the ability to cope, they start to isolate themselves.
    Lilith shook off her thoughts and slipped the envelope into her case. “So I’m guessing there is no time for dinner then?” She actually succeeded in sounding light and humorous which almost surprised even her.
    Gregor slid off the desk and held out a hand to her with his warm, casual smile. “I’m sorry, Lily.” She took his hand and stood up as he pulled her into a hug. “Be careful. Be sure to call me, I’ll worry. I don’t like sending you, but I have no one else. If anything happens to you…”
    He released her and stepped back, turning toward Chance as his smile faded and that cold, commanding look took its place. “I’m trusting you with a lot, Chance. Do not disappoint me.” There was a severity in his voice that gave her chills as well as something else, something unspoken between Chance and Gregor yet again that she didn’t understand. If she didn’t know better, she’d get the impression her dad was sending Chance as a spy, but she knew that Gregor was being honest saying that she was the only one he could trust. You don’t spy on people you trust. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. It was probably just male posturing of some sort.
    There was a quick moment of mutual understanding before Chance cracked his usual casual smile. “Yeah, I’ll be careful too.” His sarcastic tone would have been dangerous coming from anyone else. Gregor merely shook his head and smiled.
    “The flight leaves in a couple hours. You two should go pack. I’ll have a car pick you