Page 25 of Midnight Enchantment

“Tell then I’ll bring Lily home in a few weeks. In the meantime, I’m going to check into these rumors and see if they’re true.”

“How are you going to do that?” Dominic queried as he stood.

“Don’t worry about it. Give Maddy my love.”

He nodded. “I imagine you’ll be getting a phone call from Dad right quick.”

Ava smiled serenely. “I imagine so. Good night, Dom.”

With a rueful shake of his head, he left the house.

As expected, the phone rang ten minutes later.

“Hello, Quill,” Ava said cheerfully. “How nice to hear from you.”

“This isn’t a social call,” he snapped. “I want my daughter home, and I want her here now. I knew it was a bad idea to send her to the States.”

“Calm down. She’s fine. Did you listen to anything Dominic said?”

“A lot of nonsense about Lily needing her freedom.”

“It’s not nonsense. She’s not a child any longer, she’s a grown woman, and you and Callie have to start treating her like one.”

Silence.

“You’ve got to let Lily make some decisions on her own,” Ava said quietly. “It won’t end well if you force her to come home. She’ll hate you for it if you do.”

“It’s dangerous for her there.”

“In one way or another, life is dangerous for everyone, Quill. Even you. With the old Elder Knight dead, the Brotherhood is no longer a threat in New Orleans. I can handle the Transylvanian vampires.”

Quill grunted, neither approval nor denial. “And the vampire-demon?”

“From the way she’s sobbing in her room, I’d say it’s over between them.”

“And what if you’re wrong?”

“Then I’ll call for help.”

“I’m trusting you with my daughter’s life,” Quill said flatly. “Don’t let me down.”

Chapter Twelve

Claret frowned when she entered her favorite club and found a strange vampire with blond hair, and eyes such a pale blue they seemed almost colorless, sitting in her booth. He looked her up and down as she approached, his gaze both appreciative and disdainful.

“So,” he said. “You’re the Master of the City.”

“And you’re in my booth. So move your ass.”

“Feisty, too. Let’s talk.”

She hesitated a moment, but curiosity won. “Who are you and what do you want?” she asked as she slid into the booth across from him.

“Information.”

“Why come to me?”

“I think you can help me.”

---