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she'd had no intention of ever doing that since
    she still wasn't convinced he hadn't intended to kill her the night he'd given her his sleeping
    potion.
    "Then why am I here?"
    Andrei took a deep breath before he answered. "Because of Stephen Corwin."
    She was baffled by the name. How in the world could he fit into this madness? "The
    investment broker?"
    "Among other things," Francesca said. "Remember when I told you I had a weird feeling
    about him?"
    "You have weird feelings all the time. Nine times out of ten, they're attributable to either pizza
    or spoiled beer."
    Francesca gave her an unamused stare. "Yeah, right. Remember when I told you that his
     
    scent bothered me? That I couldn't place it? Well, I did some checking and it turns out he's a
    member of the Order of the Dragon. Sound familiar?"
    Retta rolled her eyes. Both her father and grandfather had been members. Their epitaphs of
    Dracul and Dracula had stemmed from their membership. "That order ceased to exist not
    long after Velkan killed my father."
    Raluca shook her head. "No, Princess, it didn't. They merely went underground and wanted
    the rest of the world to think that. It was a cousin to Mathhias Corvinus who lost his wife to a
    Daimon . Horrified by the demon who claimed her life and soul, he reestablished the order to
    purge the world of the undead. They went on a killing spree of Daimons , and he called for
    his brethren to help him. But they didn't stop there. They killed our people and countless
    Dark-Hunters as well. They don't distinguish between us. To them, one preternatural being is
    the same as the other and all of us should be exterminated. Even now, centuries later, they
    hunt us without discrimination, brutally slaughtering all they find."
    Retta felt terrible about that, but it still didn't explain why they wanted her to stay here. "What
    has this to do with me?"
    Francesca took a deep breath before she answered. "I think Stephen was sent to kill you."
    Retta scowled at her friend. "Are you insane? There's no way."
    "Remember the tattoo on his arm you told me about? The one of a dragon coiled around the
    cross? It's their emblem. He's one of them, Ret, trust me."
    "Trust you? After all these centuries when you were lying to me? Think again. Stephen
    wouldn't hurt me. He's had ample time to try."
    Francesca gave her a deep, meaningful stare. "Are you sure?"
    Retta hesitated, then hated herself for it. Stephen had never once given her an indication
    that he was anything more than an acquaintance who wanted to be more significant in her
    life. But since she was still technically married and an immortal, she'd kept him at bay. "Of
    course I'm sure."
    "Then why has he been sniffing around you?" Francesca asked coldly.
    "Because maybe he likes me?"
    "Or he was trying to use you to get to Prince Velkan ," Raluca said. "That has been my
    theory. It is why the prince made sure that all mentions of you and your mother were purged
    from historical records. He didn't want anyone to learn that Vlad Dracula had a daughter,
    and most especially he didn't want them to know that you had married him. He knew that the
    order would pursue you to the ends of the earth if they ever learned of your existence."
    "It makes sense," Andrei added. "The Corvinuses and the Danestis have a long history of
    bad blood between them."
    Still Retta discounted their argument. "This is not the Middle Ages, people. In case you
    haven't noticed, the wars are over."
    "No," Andrei said, glancing past her, toward the door. "I think the war is only beginning."
    Frowning at his dire tone, she turned her head to see what had his attention.
    Her heart stopped beating as she saw the tall figure dressed in black armor, complete with
    helm and heraldry.
    It was Velkan's .
    And he was heading straight for her.
    Chapter Three
    Retta couldn't so much as draw a breath as Raluca opened the door and Velkan swaggered
    in. At six foot four, he'd seemed like a giant to her when she'd been human.