Chapter 4

Grace walked away from the accident scene rubbing her arms in an attempt to ward off the chill that had nothing to do with the surrounding temperature. The ice cold dread in her chest weighed her down like a boulder. Nervous and shaken, she kept walking oblivious to the coming night around her. Not since the death of her parents had she felt so confused and vulnerable.

The near tragedy had done more than just scare Grace; it shook her confidence. If not for the handsome Sebastian Aziz, her life and Beth's would have been ended tonight; ironic considering they both had strong ties to the tribe. For the first time, Grace was acutely aware of her own mortality. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling. It was almost enough to make her give up and return home in defeat. Only her overwhelming desire to prove herself to her family kept her from doing just that. Small wonder she was feeling out of her element and in over her head.

Replaying the events in her mind, Grace tried to sort through all that had happened. While much of it was genuinely a blur, she'd had enough presence of mind not to reveal too much to Beth's police friend, Carl Davis. It probably wouldn't have hurt anything to tell him about their rescuer, but she'd pretended ignorance more out of pure ingrained reflex than a deliberate attempt at deception. Avoiding undue attention and keeping secrets was practically second nature when you had connections to vampires. The last thing any of them wanted was someone nosing around asking too many questions.

A short distance away, Sebastian leaned against his motorcycle and placed a call on his cellphone.

Josef picked up on the second ring. "Kostan."

"Hello, Moneybags! Sent anyone to the tar pits lately?"

The younger vampire's dark mood lifted substantially at the sound of the nickname he'd once despised. Now, it brought back memories. His sire hadn't sounded so upbeat in years. That alone was enough to make him curious.

"No, but the night is still young. You sound particularly chipper this evening."

"Maybe I have reason to." Sebastian quipped back. That made him even more curious.

"Do tell. To what do I owe the pleasure of your witty repartee this evening?"

"I need some information. What do you know about a blonde named Beth Turner? Hangs out with a vamp I smelled in your office last time I was there." Josef's temporary euphoria diminished considerably as he became concerned. Surely Fate couldn't play so cruel a trick as to let Blondie have caught Sebastian's eye! He swallowed thoughtfully as he framed his reply.

"Why the interest?"

"It's personal."

"Really? Beth's hardly your type." The dramatic pause on the other end had him almost crushing his office phone with nervous tension.

"True. But the friend she had with her this evening is."

Sebastian had to bite back a laugh at the near sigh of relief from his former fledgling. He couldn't resist needling Josef tonight. It was just like old times. He'd missed matching wits and trading insults with his dapper friend almost as much as he'd missed his company. Obviously, the connection to Beth Turner and her vampire was a strong one and very personal. It wouldn't have mattered otherwise.

"Don't tell me let me guess. A delectable little brunette with a Rubenesque figure..."

"If by that you mean she has curves in all the right places then you're right. Not everyone is interested in dating women who look like plague victims like you used to, my friend. It's a good thing you came to your senses when you met Sarah. You got damn lucky. I still say she's too good for you!"

"You'll get no argument from me there. So does this buxom vision of loveliness have a name?"

"Grace Hamilton."

"Ahh, Blondie's college roommate."

"Blondie, huh?"

"If the name fits…"

"So what do you know about Grace?"

"Only what I've heard from Mick. She's intelligent, high spirited, but good natured. Comes from a prominent family somewhere down South. Old money from the sound of it. I know she's one of the few friends of Beth's that he's actually liked and for him, that's saying something."

"Mick... He's that private detective that took out Lola, right?"

"Yes."

"Huh, well that makes me feel a lot better about what happened tonight."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed as a flash of blue crossed his field of vision down the street a dozen blocks in front of him. Lady Lucky was showing him favor for a second time that night.

"Sorry, Josef. Got to go."

"Wait, you haven't told me how you and Beth…!"

Click.

Ended the call abruptly, Sebastian started his motorcycle.

On the other end, Josef ground his teeth in frustration and slammed down the phone. His gut told him something had happened tonight between his sire and Beth Turner and he didn't know about it. That simply wouldn't do. He knew, however, calling Sebastian back was useless. But there were other ways for him to get his answers. Picking up the phone again, he dialed a familiar number.