How do you kill a vampire? How do you escape the drug of a vampire bite, a blinding delight so potent no mortal flesh can withstand it? On the quest for his missing lover Maurice Fitzpons, Seth Keane becomes a pawn in a proxy war between Ravenshaw and Lord Meath. The lives of two men--Seth and Maurice--now hang in the balance as the vampires head for their final showdown.
Excerpt:
"You're dead."
My patient gave a polite, humorous smile. "But obviously alive. Do you have an explanation? A conjecture? A wild guess?"
Maurice Fitzpons wanted an answer. He'd hunted me down to find one. "What do you know about your condition? What happened to you? How did you become a vampire?"
"I don't remember." The vampire smiled slightly, obviously enjoying the perturbation this caused.
"Nothing at all?" I exclaimed. I could not hide my disappointment.
"I was dead at the time," he replied with a touch of mockery.
"But did anything happen before you--died--that you can recall?"
"I tried to kill your uncle. Wasn't certain if it worked, either. Seen him around lately?"
Now the bright-eyed mockery was on full display. I could not imagine how Keane had been able to bear him as a flatmate. "I have not seen my uncle," I replied with fraying patience, "in two years."
"It must have worked, then."
I struggled to control my temper. "Do you remember the fire at Lichburg? You were there?"
"Yes. Woke up on the lawn. I might have burned the manor down, but I'm not certain. You just can't remember all these little details when you're insane. Sorry for the hit to your inheritance, old boy."
I reddened with a fury I could not suppress.
"I say my mind returned," continued the vampire, "except for one little difference. I'm far more--," he leaned towards me with an alarming smile, "--predatory and ruthless."
