Jack’s mouth lifted at the corner. “Very good luck, indeed.”

The meeting quickly wrapped up, and Deirdre walked Brigid home where one of her humans was waiting to take her back to Wicklow.

“I want you to watch your back, Brigid,” she said quietly. “There was something in that room that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I know that all those men are your friends, but they’re not family, so be careful.”

Her heart rebelled at the thought of any of her team members using knowledge of her weaknesses against her, but she knew Deirdre was right.

“I’ll be careful,” she said.

“Let’s keep the extent of your power under wraps for the moment. No need for everyone to know that your main weakness as a fire vampire isn’t truly a weakness.”

Brigid gave a rueful smile. “Who knew my natural prickliness would manifest in such a useful way?”

Deirdre barked out a laugh. “I’m going back to Wicklow tonight. I may go to Anne’s for a bit. Pick her brain about a few things.”

“Tell her I said hello.”

“I will. And give Father my greetings when he gets back to town.”

“Deirdre—”

“Which I have no doubt he’ll be doing as soon as possible,” her sire said with a grin. “And tell him I’ll expect the livestock within a month’s time or I’m withdrawing my offer.”

They had stopped at Brigid’s front door and Deirdre’s car was puffing out exhaust into the damp, winter air as it idled at the curb.

Brigid shook her head. “I don’t think Carwyn’s going to risk his sources through the church right now to… whatever it is he thinks he’s doing. Whatever we are—or were—it’s not more important than stopping this drug from spreading.”

Deirdre frowned for a moment before catching Brigid in a quick, one-armed hug that she’d become accustomed to from her sire. “Nothing’s more important than love,” she said.

“That’s not true. You’re the leader of a huge clan. You know that there are more important considerations than—”

“Ioan told me that, Brigid,” Deirdre said. For a moment, she caught the pink glow in Deirdre’s eyes. “Ioan told me that long ago. Before I was immortal, he told me that love was the bond that tied his family together. And together they could face any challenge the world throws at them. Love is the foundation of strength.” She cocked her eyebrow and smiled a little. “Wonder where he learned that?”

Then the tall redhead slipped into the dark sedan and it pulled away.

January 2013

Brigid scanned the list of names in front of her.

Dillon McCaffrey-114 years

Cristina Leon-65 years

Otto Smith-320 years

The list went on from there. Over twenty names. Some newly turned and others older. All who had been reported missing from Dublin or the surrounding areas. Vampires had the habit of moving from place to place—particularly the older ones—so some of these would be false alarms. Friends or clan members who would turn up in six months or six years on the other side of the globe. Others would have gone into hiding alone or with friends if their health seemed to be in peril.

And some might turn up as ashes, like newly turned Joseph Van Elsen, whose sire had discovered his remains in the garden at twilight when she came to check on her child. The sire had been worried about Joseph’s unusual behavior the previous months, but had never suspected that a drug could have caused it. Brigid only knew about the loss because Joseph’s sire was one of Murphy’s former lovers and had come to him for answers.

Panic was growing, which meant vampires and the humans who were under their aegis were growing more silent and secretive, not less. Which made looking for missing vampires even more difficult.

And Brigid had given up hope of ever finding the humans.

The human list was longer. Much longer. And she had given up on every name except for one.

Emily Neely.

Brigid took a sip of the warm pig’s blood in her travel mug and made a face as the phone rang. She glanced around, but there was no one in the office except her, so she ignored the gloves she usually slipped on to answer the phone and punched the speaker button with her pencil.

“This is Connor.”

There was a pause.

“Um… hello?” A timid voice filled the empty office.

“Yes?”

“Is this Emily’s friend, Brigid?”

She blinked and leaned closer to the phone, resisting the impulse to pick it up. “Yes. Is this… is this Mrs. Neely?”

“Yes, it is. I remember you called a few weeks ago. You’d left your card and asked me to call if there was any news.”

Brigid’s heart began to race. “Have you found her? Is she all right?”

There was a low sniff and a thread of steel filled the voice. “No. I mean—yes, we’ve found her. She’s… in the hospital, but she’s not all right. I know we’re under Murphy’s aegis, so we should call the main office, but you said that you worked for him, and she asked me to call you so—”

“It’s fine. Tell me where she is. I’ll come right now.” It was after three in the morning, but this was more important than the sorting and filing she’d been doing while Declan and Jack were out on patrol. Mrs. Neely gave her the address of the hospital in suburban Dublin and Brigid called for a car.

Half an hour later, she was pulling up to the emergency entrance and asking the driver to wait. Brigid walked in, her touch persuading the nurse in the Emergency department to escort her to the private room where Emily lay. She walked into the room and paused, shocked by the scene. Brigid’s mother and father sat on one side of the bed, staring with hollow eyes at the shell of their daughter in the bed.