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more than a source of blood for his feeding. Galling enough in itself, but to also add insult was the knowledge she was no closer to handing over the Medallion than when he had first discovered her a month before.
    And now, Gideon had arrived.
    He gave a low growl that sent a mincing dandy tumbling down the stairs in sudden fright.
    With a flowing movement he turned to make his way back down the stairs, ignoring the crowd that unthinkingly melted out of his path.
    He would not be thwarted. Not by an insignificant mortal or a vampire who had grown weak and content behind the Veil.
    It was unthinkable.
    And he intended both of them to know just how grave a mistake they had made in crossing his will.
    A smile that would have chilled the most hearty of souls touched his thin lips as he left the theater and turned into a nearby alley. Within moments a ragged man shambled forward. Tristan grimaced at the smell of unwashed body and gin. On the next occasion he Inscrolled a slave, he would ensure it was not such a pitiful specimen, he told himself.
    “Come,” he ordered as he moved toward the carriage he had left down the street. “Did you follow him?”
    Staggering behind, the slave gave a low grunt. “Yes.”
    “You remember how to find his lodgings?”
    “Yes.” The slave halted as if he would turn and show the way to Gideon’s lodging at that moment.
    “Not now, you twit,” Tristan gritted without ever slowing his pace. “It is time for pleasure.”
    “Ahhh. Hunting.” The one-time mortal gave an eerie chuckle.
    Tristan sucked in a deep breath, coldly controlling the rage that swept through him. Tonight would not be a blind savage feasting that would satisfy his hunger. He had a purpose to his hunt.
    Of course, that did not mean he could not enjoy the fruits of his labor.
    “Can you smell it?” he murmured as his fangs lengthened in anticipation of the kill.
    “Blood.”
    “How I have missed that arousing scent. And the power.” He allowed himself to briefly savor the addictive force that churned through his body. “Ah yes, the power that will be all the greater once I have dealt with Lady Gilbert.” A bleak, soulless sneer curved his lips. “A tasty morsel that I shall enjoy to the fullest. But for now ... a harlot to quench my thirst.”

Chapter 3
    “They say he is in line for a crown,” Mary Garrett breathed, her avid gaze hungrily regarding the powerful elegance of Mr. Ravel as he twirled a giddy Lady Woodson about the dance floor.
    Simone gave a small sniff as she waved her satin fan until her golden curls bounced in the breeze. She had not seen the aggravating gentleman for the past two days, and the realization that she had spent each day in an agony of nervous tension awaiting his arrival, made her long to break something.
    His arrogant neck preferably, she pettily acknowledged.
    “Every foreign gentleman claims to be in line for a crown,” she retorted, her own gaze fastened onto the male body attired in black as it moved with uncanny grace.
    Less than a week ago she thought that she knew all there was to know of men.
    They were as a rule easily managed. Allow them to believe that you found them fascinating, charming and desirable and they would readily be clay in her hands. Especially when they had hopes of seducing her.
    But Gideon ...
    He refused to follow the pattern she had come to expect. He did not treat her as a delicate flower he longed to pluck. Nor did he readily dance to her tune. Instead he had thrust his way into her life, seared her with his touch and then waltzed away as if she were thoroughly irrelevant.
    Her teeth suddenly gritted.
    No one was allowed to dismiss her with such disregard, she told herself. Not again.
    Unaware of her dark thoughts, Mary, a lovely widow with sable hair and curvaceous form, heaved a longing sigh.
    “Perhaps, but they do not all possess the means of purchasing a home in Mayfair. And certainly none other is blessed with such indecent beauty. I would