I was arranging dried herbs in the plantation's kitchen when I felt it, a familiar magical signature brushing against the property's wards. Not threatening, but definitely not Lucien. My heart skipped as I reached out with my senses.
"Ivy?" I whispered, recognizing my cousin's energy pattern.
I rushed to the back door, peering through lace curtains that had seen better days. A slim figure darted between the old oak trees, her movements quick and furtive. Definitely Ivy. But why was she sneaking around instead of just knocking?
"Lucien," I called out, not needing to raise my voice. His vampire hearing would pick up my whisper from anywhere in the house.
He materialized beside me in that unsettling way vampires move, making me jump despite myself. "Someone's crossing the boundary," he sa
