"you are an ill-mannered wench. we could have fun together, you and i. may i borrow her?" ursula swung her gaze to andreas, now standing less than two feet away.

before he could answer, ari stepped forward. "you need to ask me. he doesn't own me. that's not how things work on this side of the ocean."

"indeed? yes, i have heard of such quaint ideas, a revolutionary way of doing things." ursula's gaze started with ari but moved to include andreas and daron standing together. "the council of seven disapproves of all such heretical thoughts." ursula drew herself to her full height. "this is your official warning, gentlemen, to renounce such rebellion." she peered at ari again. "and, you, child, should learn to respect your elders."

with the flick of a sharp fingernail, ursula cut a scratch on ari's throat. ari retaliated with a handful of vamp dust. the green sparkles struck the surprised vampiress with a wallop, knocking her off her feet. ursula landed on her buttocks with an angry screech, but before she could strike back, andreas and daron stepped between them. mike and his werewolves trained their guns on her bodyguards.

"do not abuse my hospitality." daron rested his stern gaze on ursula. "i will not tolerate threats toward my guests."

she rose in a swift movement to face him, pushing through the sparkles of the dissolving spell. "you will regret this, daron. the o-seven will not appreciate how you have treated their representative." she snarled at him with her fangs bared, then almost as quickly, she recovered and composed her features. a smooth mask replaced the angry creases, and only the red edges to the black aura surrounding her revealed her smoldering rage. she craned her neck so she could look past the men at ari. "i have a long memory, witch. we shall meet again."

"i look forward to it." ari didn't feel nearly as brave as she sounded, but no way was she going to let the bitch know that.

"well, ursula, this has been an interesting evening," daron said, interrupting the tension arcing between the two women. "but it is time to put an end to our festivities. so tiring. i hope you enjoy the rest of your brief stay in my territory. since i will not have the honor of seeing you again before your departure, please take my regards to the council. and to my sire." he paused as the reminder of his ancestry sank in and his gaze narrowed. "i will give your warning due consideration, but i hope the elders understand that new places and times need new rules. that does not mean we fail to respect the old ways."

"i will convey your words, daron. with the same sincerity in which they were uttered."

daron sighed. "you wrong me. i can only hope you will reconsider before you reach home."

"unlikely." she smirked and offered her hand. "i fear our next meeting will not be so convivial."

daron brought her fingers to his lips but didn't bow. "regrettable."

"and you, andreas." ursula turned to him. "i would once again see you in my bed. perhaps next time. i foresee many more happy moments in our future." with a wicked smile at ari, ursula turned and swept from the room.

ari might have considered a swift kick to hurry the vampiress on her way, if her legs weren't threatening to collapse under her.

"let me see your injury," andreas said as the door banged closed.

"it's nothing but a scratch."

he must have heard the slight hitch in her voice, because he took her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. taking a handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped the blood away. "ursula has not changed in the last two centuries. still the temperamental diva."

"she's still beautiful," ari muttered. the thought of him in the vampiress's bed left her cold.

"only on the surface."

daron, who hadn't said anything since ursula left, cleared his throat. "i thought that went well."

stunned silence. ari and andreas turned to stare at the toronto prince for a long moment. finally one of the werewolves failed to suppress a snort, and all three leaders burst into laughter.

on the flight home an hour later, ari and andreas lay facing each other on the bed in the small stateroom, newly redecorated from the gaudy black and blood red that sebastian had favored, to warm autumn tones. the decor and polished wood now reminded ari of a well-appointed suite in an expensive hotel-understated class. ari had slipped back into her jeans and had one of the antique-gold throw pillows propped under her chin as they continued discussing the evening's events.

"did i make things worse?" she felt guilty about losing her temper. not guilty enough, however, to deny she'd enjoyed seeing ursula sprawled on the floor.

"no. you were you. daron wanted her to see the three of us together, and i wanted her to go home still ignorant of our abilities." his face held a look of satisfaction. "i think we accomplished both. as long as the elders do not understand what we can and cannot do, i hope they will keep their distance. we could not have said anything to please ursula or change the minds of the o-seven. when all is considered, it was the best outcome we could expect, except for the risk to you." his eyes went to her throat. "she could have done so much worse."

ari touched the already healing mark. the vampiress had been so quick.

"do not dwell on it. time for sleep." andreas grabbed her pillow, tossed it aside, and pulled her toward him, reversing her position so they were spooned. he dropped a kiss on the back of her neck. "it is late, and first thing in the morning, your lt. foster will expect you to worry about the murder of this treasure hunter."

"hmm." she snuggled against him and began to drift off. "and two of bella's kittens still need homes."

chapter five

ari woke in the chantilly suite very late the next morning, determined this would be the day to find hawkson and discover barron's mysterious treasure. refusing to let her life be ruled by fear of ursula and the o-seven, she concentrated her energy on solving the murder. while she completed a quick workout in the mansion's exercise room on the garage level, she reviewed alibis, motivations, and the obvious lies told by the crew. nothing added up to murder. not yet. call it a sixth sense, cop instinct, or just plain common sense, but the treasure had to be at the center of the case. learning what the treasure was should lead her straight to the killer.

after the workout, she was humming a catchy tune in the shower when she heard her phone ring. grabbing a towel to wrap around her, she snatched her cell before the call went to automation.

"hi, ryan," she said, in response to her caller id. "anything happen overnight? how's the cop shop?"

"crawling with press, as we expected. i had trouble finding a parking spot. guess reporters can't read 'reserved' signs." he let out an impatient breath. "i can hardly wait until they get a hold of this morning's call to dispatch. two kids saw a ghost inside the vampire caves."

"a ghost?" she gave a half laugh, watching water drip from her hair onto andreas's lush carpet. "andreas told me that kids sometimes play down there, but ghosts? good imaginations, i think."

"yeah, that's what i thought too. but with jase barron dying so close to there, i thought we'd better check it out. presuming you're up for it. it must have been pretty late when you got home. did things go ok with the uber vamp from europe?"

ari chuckled. uber vamp. ursula was that all right, and then some. "everyone's still in one piece. i guess that's how we measure success these days. i'm running a little late, but i'll meet you whenever."

"patrol officers are holding the kids and their parents near the cliff where barron went over. we already had the area sealed with crime tape, but it obviously didn't stop the kids. i'm posting an officer now. while we're there, i'll move the barricades to make everything in that general area off limits-the cliff path, the cliffs themselves, and the caves. the way reporters and paparazzi are swarming around here, they'd overrun the place, including the caves, and we'd have the vampires complaining. i don't need the added headache."

"i can help. the magic council will post someone, maybe a dwarf or two, to warn off trespassers, at least during the day when the vampires are asleep. i'll make the call right away." ari sighed. so much for her other plans for the day. finding hawkson and homes for the kittens would have to wait. "i'll meet you at the overlook in twenty minutes. i'm still dripping wet from the shower."

ryan chuckled. "nice visual. i'll bring the coffee."

ari pulled on jeans and topped them with a dark green sweater. partially drying her hair, she twirled it into a ponytail and ran out the door, waving to the weretiger behind the surveillance camera. despite her impatience with the change in plans, ari was excited too. the more she thought about it, this reported ghost sighting could be important. it was right next to their original crime scene. much too coincidental.

when ari arrived, ryan was talking with two boys, who looked about eleven, and three adults, who she assumed were parents. she nodded to the cop on duty and squeezed between the yellow barriers anchoring crime scene tape stretched around the trees and large boulders.

ryan introduced her to dark-haired ethan and his parents, then to toe-headed robbie and his mother. "these are the two young men who saw the ghost."

"an exaggeration, i'm sure," ethan's father offered. he stood stiffly behind his son with both hands on the child's shoulders. "but if ethan says he saw something, i know he did."

protective and defensive of his kid. as he should be.

"well, let's see if we can figure out what it was." ari smiled at each boy. although she and ryan both were unmarried and childless, he usually made her do all the kid talking. he seemed to believe she had some innate maternal touch. whatever. she liked kids. "why don't you tell me what it looked like?"