It was a six-hour trip. Patrick tried to sleep, but couldn't. The captured vampiress sat perfectly still, her shoulders squared and her head facing forward. He couldn't guess the thoughts swirling inside her. Was she scared? Angry? Resigned to her fate?

Their destination was another mansion, though this one was made of red brick and had the air of an old plantation house. Like Claudius', there was a large metal gate that stood open, and a curving gravel drive.

Oren ...