"are you intending to hold me hostage, prince andreas? until i agree to your majesty's wishes?"

"tempting idea." his tone was dry. "i will take it under consideration, but i would much rather have your voluntary compliance."

she pulled her hand out of the empty hole and stood. "you're very serious about this, aren't you?"

"the hostage part? no. requiring your secrecy? positively. i do not understand the problem. you have kept otherworld secrets before."

"not like this. not from the magic council. at least let me tell the president. he could advise us. i get it that it would be offensive to have others invade your caverns."

"it would also violate the county treaty that gives use exclusive use and ownership," he reminded her.

ari looked at his firm jaw. he wasn't going to give in, but she couldn't afford to let it drop. while she understood his concerns, some things were more important than ownership. something as dangerous as a vortex, especially one of this magnitude, was that important.

"i think we could keep the intrusions to a minimum, but you obviously don't agree." she took a deep breath. "so here's the deal. i'll keep your secret for the next few days, just until we can think through all the issues, on two conditions."

he straightened from the wall. "name them."

"guards twenty-four hours a day on the caves. if the vortex becomes endangered in any way, or we discover someone is attempting to use it, we go to the council president together. we tell him everything."

andreas gave a slow nod. "i will agree to your terms. but there is one more fact you should know. " an edge of wry humor crept into his voice. "in the interests of full disclosure... ten days ago, an arrow was shot at two nestling vampires exploring in this area. no one was harmed, but we failed to locate the intruder. in light of your indian artifact story, it may be significant."

ari relaxed a little now that they were working on a compromise. "it's certainly bizarre. indians don't carry bows and arrows in the twenty-first century. this happened near the ley tunnel?"

"close enough. in the chamber of ages. many of our new vampires spend time down here during their first year. it removes them from temptation until they have their cravings under control."

really. she stored that piece of information for the future, but kept her focus on the arrow incident. she cocked her head to look up at him. "you think this was a warning to keep everyone away from spirit cave?"

he nodded. "it worked. vampires are as superstitious as anyone else. word spread quickly that the ancient indian spirits had been angered. our young people have avoided this section since then."

"indian spirits, treasure hunters, and a ghost. your caverns are bursting with activity."

"which i intend to stop." he narrowed his eyes. "no more unauthorized intrusions. i intend to hold you to your promise of secrecy."

"you have it, for now." she grinned and stepped toward him, eager to end their disagreement. "would you like to shake hands on it?"

he clasped her hand and pulled her toward him, his mouth catching hers in a rough kiss. she molded her body to his, and he softened the embrace. "on the night we met, i suggested the proper way to seal an agreement was with a kiss, but you refused. i think my mistake was in the asking."

chapter seven

"how big a dog is big?" ari maintained an outward calm. she and claris were in her friend's kitchen interviewing the latest applicant for one of the kittens. "has it ever been around cats?" when the answers were "doberman" and "never met a cat," ari looked at claris, and they suggested the woman think about getting a second dog instead.

"is that the last?" ari slumped back in her chair. until claris called at seven thirty this morning, ari had forgotten it was sunday and that she'd agreed to participate in meeting would-be adoptive owners. since claris only opened her plant shop from two to four o'clock on sunday, she had arranged morning interviews at the shop-in her kitchen, really-for the most promising candidates. ari secretively thought claris had gone a little overboard with these in-depth interrogations, but she was anxious to see each kitten had the right home. so, she'd boxed up the felines and knocked on claris's door by eight thirty. that was three hours and five interviews ago.

"all done, except for kyra. and then there's gabriel, who won't be over until evening. i don't think we need to put either of them through the same scrutiny."

ari looked at her in mild surprise. "kyra, i understand, but don't you have questions about sneaky living alone with a vampire?"

"you shouldn't call him sneaky. he's too sweet." claris frowned through the windows into the greenhouse, where the kittens were playing among her plants. "what's wrong with gabriel? he seems to like cats."

"he's moved out of andreas's house and into his own apartment. who would care for the kitten during the day? what about evenings and nights when gabriel's gone on court business? wouldn't sneaky be lonely?"

claris's faced scrunched. "i hadn't thought of that angle. i guess we'd better ask. if you're not here tonight, i'll make sure gabriel has plans for the kitten's care whenever he's away." she looked at the clock on the stove. "kyra should be here soon. i said we'd be done by noon. what did you think of our other candidates?"

ari frowned and shook her head.

"that's what i thought too. maybe the sign wasn't such a good idea. our best choices seem to be people we already know, but i can't think of anyone for re and dona."

when the shop bell tinkled, claris jumped up and head into the front room. ari looked after her thoughtfully. claris had changed the subject pretty quickly when it came to gabriel. perhaps ari would make a special effort to be here when gabriel came. she wasn't sure she liked the way he looked at claris. in fact, why had they arranged for him to pick up the kitten from here? why not andreas's house? an excuse to be together?

setting her suspicions aside, she schooled her face to look casual when claris returned with a four-foot-tall wood nymph woman. ari's face broke into a smile, and she and kyra exchanged a quick hug.

"it's good to see you," ari said.

"likewise." as kyra sat down, she smoothed strands of her pale hair into the swirled beehive hairdo that was characteristic of her clan. "i'm so excited about this." her gold-flecked eyes danced. "even granddad is excited. aunt yana was so fond of hernando, and now we'll have one of his children. it's another connection."

the mention of yana's name brought up bittersweet memories for ari and claris. before yana's retirement and her subsequent murder by a pack of rogue werewolves, she'd been the guardian assigned to riverdale, and ari had been one of her apprentices. yana had recommended ari for her current position. she'd also been a lifelong friend to both young women, and her death had been a hard blow.

"you can still have hernando, if you want," claris offered. "you're family."

"oh, no. you provided him a good home at a time we didn't even consider it. we wouldn't dream of taking him away."

"i admit i've grown very attached."

"of course you have, but a kitten is perfect for me. i've thought of a name." she looked at ari. "sorry, but wily just didn't seem feminine enough. i've decided to call her chloe. chlotilda was one of yana's spirit names."

ari gave her a thumbs up and swallowed the lump in her throat. even a year and a half later, yana's death was too fresh. maybe always would be.

"that's a lovely gesture. i know yana would be pleased." claris stood and walked into the greenhouse, snagging the gray kitten with the white markings. "i hope you'll bring her back for visits." she placed the inquisitive feline in kyra's arms.

the three women chatted while they watched the kitten's reaction to her adoptive mom.

"what have you been doing since i last saw you?" ari asked, while they waited for chloe to make a final decision.

"i'm a part-time nanny now. it's fun. i never realized how amusing children could be. almost makes me think about having some of my own." since wood nymphs lived to one hundred fifty years and beyond, they often tried out several careers before choosing one. at fifty-something, kyra'd had her share of temporary positions, including ten years as a potion mixer at the magic lab and another decade or two with sales in a magic shop. "on the other hand, i like going home to a peaceful house at night." she grinned as the kitten settled in her arms. "looks like i'll have chloe now. i can spoil her, and no diapers is a big plus."

when ari's phone rang, she excused herself and stepped into the greenhouse. an unfamiliar, strong male voice said he was returning her call.

hawkson got right to the point. "what's your interest in a mythical artifact?"

"it's a somewhat complicated story that i'd like to sit down and tell you. could we meet somewhere?"

his hesitation was obvious. "just who are you? your message said you were a guardian, but i'm not sure what that is."

"i'm a cop for the magic council."

"otherworld." he spoke without judgment in his voice. "all right, i'll meet with you, ms. calin. where?"

surprised by his quick agreement, she considered her options. from the way the conversation had started, she'd thought he would turn her down. she suggested the daily diner, an unpretentious cafe serving a typical american menu. "we can grab coffee while we talk."

it was neutral territory. her office at the cultural center, where he'd be surrounded by otherworlders, could be intimating to humans, and she often used the diner as an icebreaker. since she needed hawkson's help, she wanted to keep him comfortable.