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security, but easier than dealing with the hotel kitchen. Russell and Lilith had utilized room service. The greasy smell of their cheeseburgers and fries was tempting, but Ari was too keyed up to eat. Her stomach growled; she ignored it. Her outfit wouldn’t look good with telltale grease spots on the front.
    At Andreas’s urging, Lilith and Ari were in feminine attire, considered proper for a court appearance. Lilith had dressed in dark blue: short skirt, boots, silk blouse. Ari chose a long, loose black skirt, with concealed pockets, and matching boots, white low-necked top and a black ribbon around her throat. Regular party girls, except for the weapons and magic potions. Ari had concealed most of her normal arsenal—derringer with two silver bullets, knife, potions, magic dust—in her pockets but left the charm bracelet with its protective trinkets on conspicuous display. Lilith’s weapons were in plain sight by design. Sebastian would expect them to be accompanied by armed bodyguards.
    Strung too tightly to sit for long, Ari wandered restlessly around the room, looking at the pictures on the walls, watching her companions, thinking about the night ahead. An hour ago, Andreas had changed into elegant, black leather with a black silk T-shirt under his jacket, no doubt custom-made by his favorite designer. Oliver and Marcus sported jeans with brown leather jackets; Russell had favored all denim. Like Lilith, Russell displayed his weapons: an eight-inch knife in a sheath and a sawed-off shotgun slung over his shoulder.
    Ari shot a quick peek at Andreas’s still form. He had been standing at the window at least twenty minutes, staring out over the darkened city. The man had nerves of steel. What did he see? Even though the moon was almost full, a dense cloud cover blocked its glow, and only the city lights provided any illumination in the darkness. Ari was glad she had viewed their destination earlier in the day.
    “Will you please sit down?” Andreas said quietly without turning around.
    Ari came to a halt, realizing she’d been pacing the hotel room like a caged animal. It probably wasn’t helping anyone else. She plopped in a chair, picked up a magazine and began leafing through it. The turning of pages was the only sound in the room.
    She looked up in time to see Andreas turn to look at her. His eyes widened, and he threw back his head with a laugh. “ Today’s Bride ?”
    Ari looked at the magazine she held but was obviously not reading. Sure enough, Today’s Bride . She blushed, dropping it on the coffee table. “Isn’t it time to go?”
    “Patience, madam witch. I intend to be late. They will expect it, and they will be late as well. The trick is to time it so everyone arrives together and no one gains an advantage or loses face.”
    “Wouldn’t it be simpler if both sides stuck to the original time?” she said.
    “Yes, but that is not the point.” He returned to staring out the window.
    So what was the point? Ari didn’t know whether this was a guy thing or a vampire thing. She looked at Lilith, and the lioness shook her head. No one else seemed bothered by this waiting game, not even Russell. Must be a guy thing. Testosterone based.
    “So-o, when do we go?” Ari ventured. “I mean, how do we decide when it’s time?”
    When no one else spoke, Oliver, the older of the two vamp guards, said, “Andreas will sense when Sebastian is ready to move.”
    “Um, I don’t understand. Are we talking telepathy?” Was it the same thing she and Andreas shared?
    “Not exactly.” Andreas spoke this time. “Master level vampires can read other vampires, pick up on impressions and feelings. It requires constant blocking to prevent readable leaks, even in the oldest vampires. Sebastian is so arrogant, he is careless in guarding his thoughts.”
    “How will he read you? You wouldn’t be that sloppy.”
    “He is more powerful.” Showing no discomfort with this admission, Andreas turned his attention