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there?”
    The husky voice was both familiar and welcome, spurring Ariane into action. She moved quickly across the small room to answer it. She opened the door a crack and peered out, her face brightening as soon as she saw the petite brunette waiting at the threshold.
    “Elena! Come in!”
    Elena Santiago, the vampire who ran this safe house for some other vampire called Strickland, one of the more successful lowblood power brokers in the city, lounged against the door frame. Her exotic beauty—waist-length waves of rich chocolate hair, café au lait skin, and curves that could stop traffic—was a convenient cover for a woman who was as tough as the claws she could extendwithout warning. Ariane undid the heavy chain that provided a small—very small—barrier to anyone trying to barge in uninvited. Even as inexperienced as she was, she understood that the chain was more of a psychological reassurance than anything. It wouldn’t do a thing to slow a determined vampire. Elena’s eyes, a striking pale green and decidedly feline, widened as the door opened the rest of the way.
    “Something wrong?”
    Elena blinked and shook herself slightly. “No. No, it’s just… the hair. It caught me off guard. I guess I sort of forgot that the wig was a wig…” She trailed off for a moment, her eyes skimming over every pale wave. “Damn. For a bloodline that’s so big on keeping to itself, the Grigori have an awful lot of ‘look at me’ going on.”
    Ariane shrugged, uncomfortable with the scrutiny. “It’s not on purpose. Believe me.” She stepped aside to allow Elena entrance.
    Elena sauntered in, and Ariane watched her with a mixture of pleasure and trepidation. The Cait Sith with the sultry smile and the ferocious temper was already as close a female friend as she’d had in her life… not that that was saying much. Within days, she’d been simply “Ari” to Elena, who shared random tidbits of gossip gathered from the ever-changing residents of the safe house and was a veritable encyclopedia of tips to help Ariane avoid getting killed whenever she walked out the door.
    Ariane had a bad feeling this visit was going to involve more lecture than gossip. Sure enough, as soon as she’d shut the door, Elena spun on one heel to look at her with a stern expression.
    “Doesn’t matter what you look like anyway. Youshouldn’t be so friendly, Ari,” Elena said. “I told you not to unlock anything until after you’d gotten a look at who’s on the other side of the door. This building is full of sketchy vamps in hiding for one reason or another. See that window?” she asked, jerking her head in the direction of a single, small rectangle letting in the light and sound of the city beyond.
    Ariane nodded.
    “If one of them knocks on your door, use it.”
    Ariane fought back a smile despite her frustration. Gods, she must look helpless. It was something she could probably turn to her advantage, provided she could stop being so irritated by it.
    “I can take care of myself, Elena,” Ariane said.
    Elena raised an eyebrow. “If you say so. You don’t seem to know much about modern society. Or other vampires.”
    That rankled. “I know plenty about the other bloodlines! My not having been out much is a… separate issue.”
    To her surprise, Elena chuckled. “Touchy, touchy. Hey, look, I hope you are tougher than you look, Ari. The Grigori men are intimidating, but I’ve never seen one of their women before you. As for whatever knowledge you’ve got, what’s written down is great to know, yeah. But dealing with vamps in person is a different story. You’ll pick it up quickly enough… provided you stay alive.”
    That blunt assessment stunned Ariane into momentary silence as Elena surveyed the small, shabby room with those fabulous eyes of hers. Ariane looked around, unsure of what Elena was seeing or looking for. There was a single bed with threadbare linens, a battered dresser, and a nightstand that didn’t