A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

Page 192



Tracylooked up at Dominic, alarmed by the quiet menace in his tone.
Kitanaheard it, too.

Bryanshifted restlessly, obviously upset by all the talk of killing.Tracy didn't blame him. She was feeling more than a little unsettledherself .

Kitanasmiled reassuringly atBryan . "Do not let such talk bother you." She turned to Dominic once more. "Remember what I told you," she said, and glanced pointedly inTracy 's direction.

"I remember."

Kitanalaid her hand on Dominic's arm. "Take care of yourself."

Tracylooked up at Dominic as Kitana ledBryan away. "What did she mean? What did she tell you?" "Not now," Dominic said.

"All right, but we're going to talk about it later."

Dominic guidedTracy to a table and ordered her a drink, then moved through the room, speaking to each of the vampires. It reminded her of the way candidates running for public office shmoozed with the common folk, garnering votes and good will. Was Dominic asking for the support of the vampires in the coming battle with Petrina ? Would they give it to him? Was Petrina so strong he needed help to defeat her?

She tapped her fingernails on the table, took a sip of her drink. There was something in the air, something that made the hairraise along the back of her neck, something that made it impossible to sit still.

Frowning, she gazed around the room again. Was it her imagination, or were there fewer vampires than before? She hadn't seen any of them leave, but Marcus and his companion were gone. So wereMagdalena and Landau and Nicholas and some of the others she had seen earlier.

With a start, she realized there were only a handful of vampires left in the room, and that they were all standing with their backs to the bar.Five males and one female. She knew somehow that they had sided with Petrina . But why had the others gone and left Dominic alone? And even as she asked herself that question, she heard Dominic's voice in the back of her mind.This is my territory. If I am to hold it, I must be strong enough to do it alone . She knew then that he had sent the others away.

She looked at the vampires again. Was he strong enough to fight them all? A sudden stillness fell over the room. Power shimmered in the air, crawling over her skin like ants.
There was a faint sound, like static in the air, and Petrina materialized in the center of the room. Dominic turned away from the bar to face her. "So," he said quietly. "It begins."