Note: Please see Prologue for warning, copyright and disclaimer information.

Investigating

I turned to go into my own bedroom, but a noise from the hall caught my attention. When I looked toward the door, I saw a shadow fall across the light from the hallway. It paused, then two envelopes were pushed under the door and the shadow moved away.

I walked over and picked them up. On one was written "Female," and on the other "Male." I held the second one up to the light, but I couldn't see through the thick hotel envelope.

When I didn't hear anything else from the hall, I opened the door very quietly, holding a stake at the ready, but the hall was empty. I closed and locked the door, then opened the envelope and read the note inside.

Your daughter will learn the truth at some point. Don't blame yourself for the separation – you have all the time in the world

Believe

Believe what? That some fucking vamp knew more about me than I'd ever admitted to anyone? I'd never discussed that night with anyone but Mac, and I sure as hell hadn't told him I thought it was my fault. If I had stopped him from joining us, if I hadn't agreed to date him to begin with, if I'd killed Kate when she showed up in town, if I'd been faster, stronger when they attacked us, he would still be alive.

And just what in hell did whoever wrote that know about my daughter? I would have thought Salem was the safest place for her to be, under the watchful eye of the contract's guarantor. After all, if Ford didn't keep her safe it was his undead ass that would pay for it.

I forced myself to stop thinking about things I couldn't do anything about at the moment and put the letter back into the envelope, shoving them both into the inner pocket of my jacket. I tossed the other envelope onto the table and went into the bedroom to change. I had just laid the jacket on the bed when I heard Mac moving around in the other room.

"Luv?"

"Mac?" I called back as I pulled a tank top from the top drawer of the dresser, "did you find the envelope?"

"Yes, where—"

"It was stuck under the door," I said without waiting for him to finish. I stripped off the tube top and slipped the shirt over my head.

"Did you see by whom?"

"No, there was no one in the hallway." I went back into the sitting room to see him meditating over the envelope.

After a moment he reached down and pulled a knife from his boot, then used it to open the envelope. He pulled out the letter and stared down at it for so long that I started to get concerned.

"What is it?" When he didn't answer, I walked over to him. "Mac?" I snapped my fingers close to his ear hoping to get his attention.

"What did your letter say?" he asked without looking up.

I stepped back a little. "Who said I got one?"

"I believe they know a lot about me," he said, looking up without raising his head. "I believe they know a lot about you as well."

Knowing it was useless to argue with him I went back into the bedroom for my letter. I took it from the envelope as I walked back into the sitting room. "Trade?" I suggested, holding the letter out toward Mac. He agreed and we swapped letters.

While you may think not remembering her is bad, there is a greater sin you carry. All that innocent blood on your hands was probably messy.

Interested?

I didn't understand, what innocent blood was on Mac's hands? I would have thought that of the two of us, I was the one responsible for more innocent deaths. Was I wrong? Just how many innocents had Cormac killed since his embrace? "What is this talking about?"

"I'm not sure," he told me. "Did you see which way our mysterious guest went?"

When I shook my head, he folded the letter carefully before setting it down and putting the knife away. He went to the chair and dug a little until he found his guns. He put on the holster and picked up his jacket.

"Planning on going somewhere?" I asked him.

"Yes." Without another word, he turned and walked out the door.

I hurried into the bedroom for my jacket and made sure I still had my stakes and knife as I followed him into the hallway. He was pounding on the door we'd seen the other Kindred go into. Jax opened his door and looked at him, puzzled.

Mac gave up when no one answered and walked into Jax's room with a murmured apology as he passed him. I closed the door to our suite and followed him inside. Jax closed the door behind us and I watched Mac go into the bathroom. I heard him open the window and followed him to see him leaning out, looking toward the Kindred's room.

"Mac, what are you doing?" I demanded.

He ignored me and climbed on the windowsill.

"Mac?" I repeated as he moved outside. "What are you doing?"

He leaned to his left, then straightened and kicked out. I heard glass break and looked at Jax. "What the hell is he doing?"

Jax shrugged. Mac kicked out again and I heard glass falling. He reached over and grabbed the other window, then pulled himself over to it. I leaned outside in time to watch him almost lose his grip.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hissed at him.

"Investigating," he told me.

"Are you trying to fall?" I had visions of watching him plunge five stories to the pavement below. Of course, he probably would have stood up and walked away from it, but that didn't make me any less afraid.

"I'm trying not to," he replied as he swooped into the window.

Damn, he was going to get himself killed going in there by himself. I climbed onto the windowsill and looked out. I reached over and grabbed the other window frame and heard feminine giggling coming from the other room. She was obviously feeling pretty good if the sound of her laughter was any indication.

The boots didn't give very good traction on the sill and I almost fell myself getting across. I followed Mac into the room, balancing lightly on my feet in spite of the four-inch heels. Mac stood in the doorway to the bedroom and I pulled a stake as I walked over to his side, ready to back him up if he needed it.

The room seemed to be a mirror of Jax's room, and the girl lay on the bed on the wall opposite from the bathroom. She was looking confused at Mac. I could see a low dresser under the windows to our left, and a television to our right. Next to the door to the hall was a small desk.

"Where is your companion?" Mac demanded.

She looked around the room, dazed. "He was just here. What do you want?"

"What do you know about me?"

The girl seemed very confused. "What are you talking about?" At that point she must have realized that she was naked with a strange man in her room. She pulled a corner of the blanket over her body and backed against the headboard.

I reached out with my spider-sense, but the only vamp I could feel was Mac. "He's not here," I whispered.

He stepped into the room and walked to the light switch by the door, turning it on. The room was filled with light. Underneath the windows to my left was a low dresser. A television stood between the bathroom and closet doors to my right. The bed lay on the opposite wall, and a desk stood near the door. I put the stake away, knowing I wouldn't need it.

"What are you doing in here?" the girl asked, still very confused. "How did you get in here?" She spoke English, and her accent made her American.

Mac opened the closet door to reveal women's clothes hanging inside. He turned to look at her. "You were dreaming, what were you dreaming of?"

She shook her head. "I was sleeping? This guy that I met in a café down by the Seine, I thought it was real. I don't remember coming back here." She lowered her head into her hands, disoriented.

"What was your companion's name?" Mac demanded.

"I don't know," she told him, shaking her head. "I don't remember."

"He's not here," I repeated firmly, "and she's just a happy meal." I didn't want to hang around for hotel security to show up and take us away.

She looked at me, bewildered. "What are you talking about?

Mac walked between us and into her line of sight. "Forget," he said firmly, I assumed looking into her eyes.

"Look, I really don't want to spend time in a French prison," I told him. "So, can we get out of here?"

He didn't turn around. "Sleep." When he turned toward the door, I saw that the girl was indeed sleeping.

Damn, never thought of that one before. I could see where it would come in handy.

We went out into the hall and looked down it both ways. To the right we could see the elevator doors, and the fact that one was being held open. Immediately Mac sprinted for them. I followed a little slower; it's hard to run in four-inch spiked heels when you're used to sneakers.

Mac came to a stop in front of the open elevator doors and aimed his gun inside at someone I couldn't see. As the man spoke I realized that Mac's hand was shaking.

"The blood of those shed is not necessarily your fault." As I reached the elevator, I saw that the man inside was the vamp the girl had been with earlier. "This sin should be put behind you," he added in a calm voice as he lowered his hand from the side of the door.

"Who are you?" Mac asked in a low voice. I heard the elevator ding.

"My blood line is unknown to you, young man."

"That's not what I asked." To my amazement, Mac looked terrified. His hand was shaking so badly that I thought he'd drop the gun. It was obvious that the other vampire was doing something to his mind. That pissed me off and I looked inside the elevator.

The bastard glanced at me and though I made sure I didn't meet his eyes, I felt something shift inside of me. Suddenly I realized how strong he seemed, how much in control of the situation. And this monster knew I had a daughter? Fear started to override my anger, one of the few times it had ever done so in my life.

The doors started to close. "There was nothing you could do. Let their souls rest," he said as the doors closed on Mac's arm, and then opened again. The vamp reached out and lowered Mac's arm, brining it out of the way of the door.

"You still haven't answered my question," Mac replied in a shaking voice.

The fiend laughed. "My kind walked this earth long before your blood ever existed," he said harshly. "That is who I am. My kind has lingered in the shadows of existence while your blood seeks to—"

"What is your name?" Mac asked again as the doors began to close. Looking at the terror on his face, I was surprised he could even speak.

"My name is of no importance just as I am not of importance," the stranger replied. "Forget your sin and help her with hers."

As the doors closed, I wondered what the fuck he was talking about. Mac started shaking even harder, and he stumbled backwards toward the opposite wall. I caught his arm and tried to steady him on his feet, but he was quickly loosing control of his body. He was scaring me worse than the other vamp had.

"Mac," I asked, searching his terrified face, "are you okay? Who was that?"

"I don't know," he whispered.

I took the gun from his shaking hand and put it back in the holster. Down the hall, Jax came out of his room, spotted us, and walked toward us.

"What are you guys doing out here?" he asked. When he got close, he saw the look on Mac's face and grabbed his other arm.

"Apparently trying to get arrested," I told him, draping Mac's arm around my shoulders. Jax did the same and together we led him back toward our suite. It took some doing, because he was almost limp in our grasp. Once we got him inside, we sat him down on the couch.

"Are you okay?" I asked urgently. "Come on, Mac, talk to me." When he didn't respond, I looked at Jax. "I don't suppose a brandy would do any good."

He shook his head. "Maybe for you."

I only thought about it for a second. "If he's out of it I don't think I need to be." Would slapping him help?

Jax must have read my mind. He leaned down and tapped Mac's cheek lightly. "Mr. Brennan, are you all right?" When Mac blinked slowly and his eyes seemed to focus, the ghoul added, "Mr. Brennan, are you okay?"

"No," he replied calmly.

"Do you need me to get something?"

I was surprised at his answer. "Scotch on the rocks."

Jax glanced at me, but I gestured toward the bar against the wall and sat down on the couch next to Mac. "Are you okay?"

He didn't answer, just watched Jax move across the room. When Jax came back, he held the glass out to Mac.

"No," he said firmly, "you drink that."

Jax seemed confused. "I don't want this."

Mac looked up at him fiercely. "Don't make me Dominate you."

Jax looked down at Mac for a long moment, then tossed back the glass and drained it.

I was glad to see that Mac seemed more with it, but I still didn't understand. "What the hell happened?"

"I'm not sure yet," he replied. He bent to pull the knife from his boot and looked up to see that Jax was already holding out his hand. A quick movement of the knife against Jax's wrist and the smell of blood filled the air. I could feel my heart pounding as Cormac put his mouth to the wound and drank.

A month ago I would have told you that there was no way I could be that close to a hungry vamp without killing it. A week ago I would have staked any Kindred I saw feeding on general principle alone. A few nights ago I would have been disgusted by Cormac's hunger. Now all I could do was look away and wonder what it would be like to feel Mac's lips on my skin, his teeth in my flesh.

I would have fled from the room and my desire if I could have, but Jax was standing in front of me, blocking me on the couch. The only way out would have been to scramble over the arm, and I didn't want either of them to think I was running from the sight of blood. I took slow carefully breaths and tried to control my racing heart until they were done.

From the corner of my eye I saw Mac first lick the wound closed, then lick the blood from the blade. "Thank you," he told Jax.

"Of course," the ghoul replied, as if giving blood meant nothing to him. Maybe it didn't.

Jax moved back a little as Mac rose unsteadily to his feet. He took off his leather jacket and laid it on the chair, then followed it with his figure-eight. He found his cigarettes and sat down by the fireplace before lighting one up.

"I'm just going to go finish changing," I whispered, feeling the need to be elsewhere, anywhere. I had to get control my emotions out of sight from anyone else. How could I feel this way? The last time I'd seen sex and teeth together in the same room I'd been on the receiving end of some serious pain. How could I have forgotten Luther's punishment so easily?

"Are you all right, Mr. Brennan?" I heard Jax ask as I walked toward the bedroom. "Do you need me anymore?"

"No, thank you Jax," he replied. "You've been more than helpful."

"Of course, sir."

I left the room and closed the door softly behind me before sitting down on the bed and covering my face with my hands. I tried to make myself remember what had happened just before I'd left Burlington with Luther and his 'punishment,' but it seemed like that horror had happened to someone else.

I'd fallen a long way from slayer to blood-doll wannabe in the last few days. How was I supposed to go back to St. Stephen's and kill vampires now? Somehow most of my righteous anger was gone. Once I took care of Kate, would I have any rage left to kill with? I shook my head and told myself I'd deal with that problem when I came to it.