his words were cut short as jagr lifted his hands and with one smooth motion wrenched open his robe to reveal the deep scars that crisscrossed his chest and down his flat stomach.

cezar hissed at the sight. for a vampire to carry such visible wounds meant that he had first been tortured and then starved for months, maybe even years, so he couldn't regenerate.

it was the worst punishment a vampire could endure.

worse than death itself.

"save your tragic sob story for someone who cares, cezar," the vampire growled, pushing himself from the shelf as cezar released his powers. "finish what you came for swiftly. my patience is limited."

cezar frowned as he watched the vampire stalk through the rows of books to the door at the back of the room.

maybe he should have a little talk with styx.

jagr seemed just a shade too close to hannibal lecter territory for his peace of mind.

when anna had dreamed of her future it had always been simple. in her early years it had included a husband and family and a house that could offer her security. a place to truly belong.

as the years passed she had given up the idea of husband and family. she'd even given up on a true home. it was impossible to remain in one place when she didn't age.

instead she had become increasingly focused on the injustices in the world.

if she couldn't have security then she could at least have purpose. if she could make some small difference then surely her life would be worthwhile?

in all of her various visions, however, not one of them had included sitting cross-legged on a bed that was owned by a vampire and a goddess, while a miniature gargoyle tried to teach her how to shield her mind from morgana le fay.

life was funny.

no, actually life was a freaking nuthouse.

trying to ignore the small, leathery hands that were pressed to her face, anna desperately attempted to concentrate on the lesson he was teaching her. not an easy task when she could hear the flap of gossamer wings and the scent of granite was thick in the air.

there wasn't anything that wasn't weird about this whole situation.

"what's that?" levet at last demanded.

"you said to think of a fence."

levet clicked his tongue. "not a white picket fence that couldn't keep out a bunny. you must concentrate."

anna's eyes opened so she could glare at the ugly, bumpy face so close to hers.

"i am."

sitting back, levet crossed his arms over his chest, his expression one of disdain.

"no, you're thinking about mr. tall, dark and dead. your mushy brain is so filled with him it's making me nauseous."

anna's cheeks flooded with color. she wasn't accustomed to having someone in her head, rooting around through her thoughts. it was...embarrassing.

"i'm worried about him," she muttered, not entirely lying. she was worried. but, the truth of the matter was that cezar would've been filling her thoughts regardless of whether or not he was in danger.

when he was near it was easy to thrust away everything but the power of his presence. when he was gone, however, it was much easier to allow all her doubts and fears to come rushing back.

fears that he would disappear as swiftly and completely as he had two hundred years ago. fears that he was merely toying with her. fears that he was using her for some mysterious reason.

"he's a vampire," levet said with a roll of his eyes. "he'll be fine. they always are. trust me, i know."

anna tilted her head to the side. for all his sardonic wit, she liked this tiny gargoyle. and more than that, she trusted him.

he was perhaps the only one she could truly talk to about this crazy world she had been thrown into.

"you know a lot of vampires?"

"more than i want," he said wryly.

"you don't like them?"

"they're arrogant bastards."

anna laughed at the blunt words. "so i noticed."

"and what's up with them always getting the girl?" levet groused. "oh sure, they're tall and they have those cool fangs. and i suppose a few aren't entirely repulsive, but look at me." his wings gave a delicate flutter. "what woman in her right mind wouldn't think that i'm three feet of delicious goodness?"

"umm..."

blithely ignoring her hedging, levet ran a loving hand over one stunted horn.

"not to mention the fact i also happen to be a powerful sorcerer."

anna hid her smile. "yes, i can see where you would be quite a catch."

levet sniffed in annoyance. "and yet a vampire has only to enter a room and suddenly i'm minced eggplant."

"minced...?" anna gave a shake of her head. levet's english was nothing if not creative. "never mind. do vampires do a lot of...dating?"

"that depends on what vampire you're talking about. if they're mated then they are completely monogamous. of course, they have no choice. but before they are mated..."

"before they're mated they're what?"

"hounds." the gargoyle shook his head. "complete, utter hounds."

she bit her bottom lip. cezar had claimed that he hadn't wanted another woman since they had first met all those years ago. and certainly he made her feel as if she were some sort of cherished treasure. still, a true womanizer was skilled in making a woman believe she was special, wasn't he?

at least until the moment came for him to move on to his next victim.

"oh," she breathed softly.

"anna?" levet leaned forward with a frown. "is something wrong?"

she gave a shake of her head. what did it matter if cezar was bound to disappear from her life again? it wasn't as if...

with a flare of panic she refused to allow the rest of the thought to form.

she had enough troubles on her plate for the moment.

good god, did she have enough troubles.

"nothing," she said firmly.

levet frowned, but obviously realizing she had no intention of baring her heart, he nodded. "then let's try to shield again."

anna grimaced. so far all she'd managed to accomplish was one big, throbbing headache. "not fences."

"fine. close your eyes and picture yourself walking down a long corridor."

closing her eyes, anna sternly forced her wayward thoughts to picture a long, narrow hallway. when she was certain it wasn't about to fade into oblivion, she sucked in a deep breath. "there."

levet's hands cupped her face. "bon. now with every few steps imagine that you are closing a door behind you. no, a steel door. oui, oui. very good."

tossing herself completely into the illusion she was creating, anna walked down the brightly lit hallway, forcing herself to create a new door every few steps.

it seemed so very real. almost tangible.

so real, in fact, that it took a moment of listening to the strange knocking on the door behind her before panic actually set in.

"levet?"

"what?"

"is there supposed to be someone knocking on the door?"

there was a flurry of french curses as levet's fingers tightened on her face. "concentrate, ma petite. do not let them in." without warning levet's hands fell from her face and he was sucking in a sharp breath. "oops."

"oops?" anna kept her eyes scrunched shut, her head throbbing as she frantically pictured the steel door. "the door is shut tight. what's oops?"

"that."

not at all sure it was a good idea, anna slowly opened her eyes, her head turning to follow levet's wide gaze.

oh no. it most certainly wasn't a good idea.

what the hell was that strange shimmer floating in the air near the window? it looked almost like a mirror that wasn't entirely formed. or maybe it was a wavering tunnel of light.

"holy crap," she breathed, her heart lodged in her throat. "what is it?"

levet hopped off the bed, his tail twitching in agitation. "a portal."

"portal?"

"a door between time and space."

oh, of course.

shaking her head, anna forced herself to simply accept levet's explanation. she'd seen too much over the past few days to be shocked by a bit of warp-speed travel.

"why is it here?"

"obviously your visitor decided if they couldn't reach your mind they would call in person."

she slid off the bed, her body knotted with tension. there was only one person who would be trying to force their way into her mind.

"this isn't good."

"it's rude, is what it is. you do not just make a portal in the middle of someone's bedroom without permission. what if we were...you know." levet lifted his brows at anna's sharp, disbelieving glare. "don't look me like that, it's entirely possible."

she blew out a sigh. "levet, let's just concentrate on what's coming."