For the most part, the mansion was still asleep. I got the distinct impression that this wasn’t an “early to bed, early to rise” kind of place. A few guards scurried around, preparing the common rooms for the occupants who’d soon fill them.
With a fearful glance at the study, I stepped furtively out the back door. A fresh blanket of snow covered the lawn. I tried not to think of how the hedge maze, frosted with shimmering crystals of ice, reminded me of The Shining. I was creeped out enough without the threat of Jack Nicholson jumping out at me.
I reached out to Cyrus with my thoughts, hoping that I sent off an innocent “just going for a walk” vibe. But it was like hitting a brick wall with my mind. Cyrus was ignoring me.
For a moment, his neglect stung me. Then I had the good sense to remember I didn’t want him to pay attention to what I was doing, anyway. I had enough to worry about without wondering if my sire would rip me to shreds for my betrayal when I returned.
Not to mention the fact I had no idea whether Nathan had even received my message, and if he had, whether or not he would actually show up. If I got caught, I was a goner. I couldn’t even lie my way out of a parking ticket. What if Clarence had sold me out after all? He didn’t like vampires, period. Why should I have expected him to help me?
I kept to the shadow of the wall. I was sure every step I took would be my last before I was finally discovered. My initial trepidation had mounted to full-blown fear by the time I reached the gate. My cover disappeared as the stone wall broke, and I gasped, startled.
On the other side of the weathered iron bars, Nathan jumped at the sound.
I hadn’t given much thought to what my reaction would be when I saw him. I guess I’d assumed I’d have to plead for my life or fight him, so I wasn’t prepared for the concern on his face or the way he gripped the bars like a man in a prison cell.
“Where is he? Is he okay?” he asked, peering past me up the lawn.
“He’s fine,” I assured him. “He’s just tired. He had a rough night.”
Nathan’s jaw set as he spoke through tight lips. “I swear, Carrie, if anything happened to him—”
“Hey!” I snapped. “Do you really think I’d hurt him?”
“Yes, I do.”
It stung too much to let it go. “You don’t know anything about me.”
I started to walk away, but then I remembered Ziggy and my reason for meeting with Nathan in the first place. Before I could turn back, Nathan called my name, and the anguish in his voice cut me to the quick.
“Please. I’ll do anything you want. Just get him out of there.” He reached through the bars as if to draw me back. “If anything happens to him…Carrie, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
I sighed wearily and went back to the gate. “Nothing is going to happen to him. I’ve made sure of that.”
Without my permission, my eyes flitted over the dark windows of Cyrus’s bedroom. I remembered my promise to be with him at dawn, and an unexpected shiver of desire raced up my spine. I turned back to Nathan, hoping he couldn’t sense my distress. “The problem is, this place is like Fort Knox. I don’t know how we’re going to get him out.”
Nathan stared up at the mansion, rubbing his hands as if he was trying to warm them.
“You’re dead. Aren’t they supposed to be cold?”
His gaze never moved from the looming edifice. “I’m thinking.”
“Tell me how that works out for you.” As I watched him study the house, I found myself wanting to touch him. Not from sexual attraction, although I knew at least one of us still felt it. This was an urge borne of homesickness. Seeing him made me feel as if I’d been on a long trip in a violent foreign country.
“Why did you kick him out?” I asked quietly, and his eyes darted sharply back to me.
“I didn’t kick him out. He left.”
“He said you kicked him out.”
“I reacted badly. There was some yelling. A lot of yelling. But I never told him to leave.” Nathan’s voice was thick with emotion. “And I damn sure wouldn’t have let him go if I knew he was coming here.”
“I’m sorry you had to find out that way. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.” But no matter what I said, it wouldn’t erase his regret. “He’s afraid you hate him.”
“That’s stupid of him!”
“Is it?” I planted my hands on my hips. “In case you didn’t notice, he was pretty embarrassed that you walked in on him like that. And all he got from you was judgment and the angry face!”
For a moment, it appeared my words had penetrated his thick skull. Then he shook his head, swore and took a step back. “Why am I even talking to you? I should be jabbing a stake through this fence right now, after you ran off like that.”
I’d almost forgotten my letter. “Ziggy gave you my message?”
“Yeah.” His voice was cold and impersonal.
“And?” I wrapped my fingers around the icy metal, hoping he’d touch my hand.
It was a foolish hope. “What the fuck do you want me to say, Carrie? You made your decision.”
“Then why are you talking to me?”
He clenched his fists around the bars and gave the gate a hard shove. Then he kicked it and swore again. I looked frantically toward the house, sure that at any moment I’d see guards streaming down the lawn. But Nathan continued to rage. With a final, violent kick to the stone wall, he spun away from me. I took that as my cue. “Are you finished?”
He limped back to the gate and nodded.
“Fine. Then why are you talking to me?” I phrased the question in a softer voice than I had before.
“Because you’re the only way I’m going to get Ziggy out of there alive.” When I didn’t respond, he reached into his back pocket. “Listen, I’ll cut you a deal—”
“I don’t need money,” I said quickly.
He gave me a melancholy smile. “Yeah, I see your boyfriend has a nice setup here.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” I reached for the folded paper that he passed through the bars. “What’s this?”
“Information. I’m paying you for Ziggy. Do whatever you want with them.”
I scanned the paper. “Nathan, these are battle plans.”
“Do whatever you want with them,” he repeated. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t be here on the thirtieth.”
I frowned at the page. “January thirtieth?”
Nathan snorted. “Hasn’t he told you anything?”
“No. There hasn’t really been time.”
He laughed humorlessly. “I’ll bet.”
“Not because of that.” I couldn’t meet his eyes. “We haven’t. Yet.”
He shrugged. “I really don’t care. Look over those plans. You can find out what you need to from your sire. In the meantime, start thinking of how you can get Ziggy safely out of there. How can I contact you if I need to?”
“I have no idea. Maybe through Clarence. He goes out every day. Food shopping.” I just hoped he’d relay the messages he received. He’d obviously helped me this time, since Nathan had shown up, but we hadn’t exactly become fast friends.
“The guy who delivered your message? The one who lives with and works for Cyrus?” Nathan looked