Well, except for the vampire thing.

Mallory squeezed my hand. "You ready?"

"No," I admitted. "But I need to do this."

We followed the sidewalk to a gap in the iron fence where two black-clad men stood, swords belted at their sides. Both were tall and lean, with long, straight dark hair, tied back tightly. They looked alike, the guards, their just-this-side-of-gaunt facial features fraternally similar.

The one on the left whispered something into his mouthpiece, then touched his earpiece, and finally nodded at me. "You can go in," he told me, then shifted his gaze to Mallory. "But she can't."

Easy decision. "She goes, or I don't."

He turned his back on us, and I heard faint whispering as he touched the headset again. When he turned back again, a nod was the only affirmation we got.

As we walked up the sidewalk, Mallory took my hand and squeezed it. "Chatty fellows. They had swords."

Not just swords, I thought, glancing back at the lean, slightly curved scabbards and long, straight handles.

"I think they're katanas." These were the swords of the samurai, a fact I'd learned while researching weaponry for my dissertation. Although I was interested in the romantic side of medieval literature - think Lancelot and Tristan - the genre was heavy on the war and weapons.

"Do you think you'll get a sword?"

"What the hell would I do with a sword?" We reached the front door, which was unguarded. The portico that covered it was arched, and four symbols, the lowest one a stylized "C," hung above the door.

"Hmm," I said. "Knock or just go in, do you think?"

We were saved the decision. The door was opened by a tall, exquisitely handsome man with caramel-colored skin. His hair was short, his eyes a pale green. He wore a black suit that was perfectly fitted to his frame, and a crisp white dress shirt beneath. He extended a hand. "Malik."

This was the second vampire. Not the one who turned me, but his colleague.

"Merit," I said, taking his hand. "And Mallory."

His nostrils flared as he looked at Mallory, and his brows lifted. "Magic?"

Mallory and I looked at each other. "I beg your pardon?" I asked. He didn't respond, but moved aside to let us enter.

The interior of the House was as impressive as the outside. Contrary to what I'd expected - black tulle, leather furniture, red candles, pentagrams - the House was very tastefully decorated. Actually, it looked like a five-star hotel. The floors were gleaming wood, the high ceilings girded by ancient beams of thick oak. The decor - lots of inlaid woods, urns of flowers, carefully selected lighting - was sophisticated and French- inspired. Malik escorted us past one parlor and into another.

"Stay here," he instructed in a tone that brooked no argument. We obeyed, Mallory and I standing shoulder to shoulder in the doorway so we could survey the room. Ten or so men and women, all dressed in trendy black suits, milled around, some with PDAs in hand, others on couches perusing laptop computers. I felt incredibly gauche in jeans and a T-shirt, especially when their gazes began to fall on Mallory and me.

"New girl," Mal whispered. "It's like your first day at school."

I nodded. "Feels like that."

"Do you think he's in here? Sullivan, I mean?"

I looked around, which was futile. "Maybe?" I offered. "I don't know what he looks like." I hadn't gotten a good look at his face when he bit me, and if he'd been there while I was recuperating, I had no memory of it. I had an inkling that he belonged to the distinctly green eyes I remembered, but that was only a hunch.

"Use your spidey sense."

I chuckled. "Even if I had a spidey sense, I wouldn't know how to use it."