Sophia (49 page)

But if Raphael supported her, if it was known that he at least would not oppose her and would not make a move on the territory as long as she was its ruler . . . That would go a long way toward smoothing her takeover, to soothing doubts and damaged egos.

“What do you have in mind, Lord Raphael?” she asked, making her voice as cool and controlled as she ever had.

Raphael smiled, as if he knew the effort it cost her, the arrogant bastard.

“You rule your territory and I rule mine. But when certain matters come before the Council, matters which are to our mutual benefit—” His black eyes turned flat and cold. “—you agree to be guided by my greater experience.”

Sophia wasn’t fooled by the polite language. Nor was she fooled into thinking he would let her live if she didn’t agree . . . or if she tried to renege later on. But in the final analysis, it was still a good deal for her.

“I accept your offer,” she said, with a formal little tilt of her head.

“Excellent.” He paused for a polite few seconds. When he continued, his voice and manner were both inflexible. “Given the late hour, and
our newfound alliance
,” he added deliberately, “you have twenty-four hours to leave my territory. I assume Mister Murphy will accompany you back to
Vancouver
. Arrangements will be made by my people to act as agents in the disposition of his affairs within my territory.”

He didn’t wait for her agreement, but strode for the door, pausing just before he exited into the night. “Congratulations, Lady Sophia.”

And suddenly it was all over.

Lucien was a pile of ash on the carpet.

Raphael was gone.

And Sophia was Lord of the
Canadian
Territories
. She shuddered, a hard, full-body jerk that had Colin wrapping his arm around her in concern. She permitted herself a moment to relish the heat and comfort of his big body, and then she straightened and said, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

* * * *

Colin nodded as the two vampire guards followed him out onto the porch and locked the house door behind them. Raphael and Duncan were gone, so was Juro. They’d left right after the dustup and taken the Koepke woman with them. Justin and Aaron, the two vamps who’d followed Koepke home from work for Raphael, had stayed to clean up the house. They’d also disposed of what was left of Lucien after he fucking disintegrated—and
that
was something Colin could very happily do without ever seeing again.

 
The two vamps gave Sophie a wide berth as they circled around the yard and climbed into their vehicle. She was sitting on the passenger seat of the Suburban, turned around so she faced the open door. Which was right where Colin had left her after hustling her out of that house.

He waited in the yard, watching the vamps leave, and thinking about what to say to Sophie. Lucien had apparently passed his mojo—Colin refused to call it magic—to Sophie and then offed himself. Or maybe it was the transfer of mojo that killed him. Who the hell knew? It didn’t really matter. If the old guy hadn’t done himself in, Raphael sure as hell would have done it for him.

For a while back there, Colin had thought he was going to have to defend Sophie against that whole bunch of badass vampires. He’d figured he could take out a few before they got to him and had hoped it would be enough for Sophie to get away.

But it hadn’t been necessary because his Sophie turned out to be a badass vampire all her own. He grinned, liking the idea, and suddenly he knew what to say to her.

He waited until the vamps’ SUV made it down the drive and turned left onto the highway leading back to the compound before walking over to see what was up. Because something was definitely up.

“What’s goin’ on, darlin’?”

Colin took one look at Sophie’s face when she raised her head to glance at him and amended that thought. Not up, down. Definitely down.

He edged in closer, resting his hands along the outside of her thighs and rubbing them slightly. “Talk to me, Sophie.”

She didn’t say anything for a few minutes, long enough that Colin was about to nudge her again before she finally pressed her hands against his and sighed.

“When I arrived in
Vancouver
,” she said quietly, “and discovered Lucien was missing, my first desperate thought was that we had to find him. But my second thought was that if he was dead, I would do anything it took, fight and kill anyone who stood in my way, to seize his territory for myself.”

“Nothing wrong with ambition,” Colin said confidently.

“No, there’s not. But now that Lucien
is
dead and the territory really is mine, I can’t help wondering what the hell I was thinking.” She shook her head, laughing softly.

“But you took it without a fight. That’s gotta be good, right?”

“If only that were true. But the fight is just beginning.”

Her fingers curled into fists against his, and he shifted, taking her hands in his and smoothing her fingers gently.

“Most of Lucien’s people won’t care if I’m the one who succeeds him, as long as I don’t demand anything more from them than he did. But there are others who will only pretend to offer support while they wait for me to fail. They’ll watch for every mistake, for any shred of weakness. And until I have a chance to create vampires of my own, people I can trust, I’ll have to be on guard every moment, wondering whom I can trust and where the stake will come from. And then there are those who will point to every sign of anger, every tiny mood, every hint of indecision as proof that a woman simply doesn’t have what it takes to rule. It exhausts me just talking about it.”

“Well, then,” Colin said, raising each hand in turn and kissing her fingers. “I’ll tell you what, Sophie. Until you can make your own vamps, I’ll be the one who stands guard and watches for that stake so you won’t have to. And if you get angry, you can yell at me. If you get down or just need a sounding board, I’ll be there. And at the end of the night, when we’ve locked the door and it’s just you and me again, I’ll strip you naked and we’ll make love until sunrise, because I happen to love every womanly inch of you.”

Laughing, Sophie slid off the seat to stand in front of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

Colin tugged her closer, pulling her into his arms while resting one hand on the curve of her delicious butt. “Hold me anyway you want, darlin’. I’m easy.”

“Colin,” she said, pulling back to see his face. “You do understand that if you go with me to
Vancouver
, if you continue to take my blood . . .” She paused, searching his eyes. “We will live a very long time together. You need to be sure—”

He laughed with relief, squeezing her tightly. “Is that all?”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I, darlin’. And I
am
sure.” He bent his head and kissed her, drinking in the sweet warmth that was his Sophie, feeling her soften in his arms.

“I love you, Sophie,” he murmured against her mouth.

“Colin,” she said breathlessly, her eyes wide open and staring into his from only inches away. “You’d really leave your home here and go with me to Canada?”

“Just try to keep me away. I do have one question, though.”

“Just one?” she said, smiling.

“Just one. Who says we have to clear out on his high and mighty’s timetable? There’s plenty of hours left before sunrise and
Vancouver
’s not that far. I say we blow this place tonight and the hell with Raphael.”

Sophia fisted her fingers in his hair and pulled him in for a quick, hard kiss. “I like the way you think,
meu querido
. You drive.”

“Damn straight I’m gonna drive. Don’t let this vampire lord thing to go your head, woman.”

Sophie was still laughing as they drove out to the highway and turned right, heading for
Canada
.

Chapter Forty-Six

“You didn’t destroy Sophia,”
Duncan
observed quietly, as they sped back to the compound.

It wasn’t a question;
Duncan
would never have questioned him. But Raphael heard the curiosity in his lieutenant’s voice. He considered the statement for a few moments, then said, “In the end, she wasn’t really a part of this. Lucien played her just as he did the rest of us. But mostly, I want the Canadian territory stable, and she’s strong enough to hold it. She’s also indebted to me now. That will be far more useful in the coming days.”

Duncan
nodded thoughtfully. “The Koepke woman didn’t know Lucien was using her.”

“No,” Raphael agreed.

“Lucien knew her in
Vancouver
. He’d never bound her to him, but he’d used her. It was easy for him to find her and use her again.”

Raphael shook his head irritably. “Lucien might have pointed the killers at Marco and
Preston
, but they didn’t need him for the addresses. They’d both been here long enough that people knew where they lived. They may not have gotten out much, but they did go out, and Marco’s horses made it easier to identify his property.”

“Even so, my lord, if they’d only upgraded their sleeping arrangements, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Raphael nodded. “When the new compound was commissioned, I authorized whatever expenditure was necessary to bring everyone’s security up to modern standards. Loren was to have seen to it.”

A few more miles went by as Raphael thought about everything that had happened since they’d arrived, all the details that had slipped his mind in his worry over Cyn. His hand tightened into a fist as he fought the urge to punch something. Or someone. But Loren wasn’t here, and Lucien was no more.

“I want someone new brought in,” he said abruptly. “Someone from outside the
Seattle
nest. Wei Chen can remain the nominal leader, but I want a strong head of security, someone more powerful than Wei Chen.”

“I’ll compile a list, my lord. Do you want it before we leave?”

“No. We’re leaving first thing tomorrow night. Cyn will be able to travel by then and I want to take her home.”

They pulled through the compound’s gate, Juro guiding the SUV to a smooth stop below the stairs to the main building. One of Raphael’s security contingent was waiting. He pulled the door open and Raphael climbed out, giving the vampire a nod of greeting.

As he started up the stairs,
Duncan
joined him. “How
is
Cynthia, my lord?”

Raphael gave his lieutenant a small grin. “Well enough to fight with Doctor Saephan over his restrictions.”

Duncan
laughed. “I would expect nothing else. I will see you both tomorrow evening, then, my lord. I will make the arrangements.”

* * * *

The next night came none too soon for Raphael, nor for Cyn, although for all her professed eagerness to return to the comfort and security of their home, there was something troubling her.

He didn’t push her, though, knowing she’d eventually tell him what it was.

He glanced over to where she sat on the bed, resting after the exertion of her first shower since the shooting. She’d managed to pull on her underwear and a sweater, but her long legs were bare, and far too thin.

Doctor Saephan had finally permitted her to eat something this evening. Or rather to drink something. He’d arrived bearing a high protein liquid shake instead of the usual blood bags. He’d made it up for her himself, adding plenty of chocolate syrup, which testified to how well he knew his patient. Cyn hadn’t even whispered a protest.