Cian knelt before the stone altar in his tower. Despite living in the palace, he came here to pray. Only two others knew where to find him and how to get here. His head bowed, he kept his eyes closed, hands on his naked thighs. Something drove him here, a disquiet he couldn't pinpoint. Yet no matter how much he meditated, answers eluded him.

"What am I missing?" he whispered. "It's just beyond my reach."

A presence he knew like his own soul filled the room, and Cian sighed as he stood. "Don't worry about disturbing me. I can't focus anyway." He moved the armor off the bed, given Mael's rather deadly allergy to gold, and gestured his prince over.

"I take it something is bothering you, as well." Mael joined him beside the bed. "I had been enjoying an abnormally peaceful night until an hour ago."

"Dare I ask?"

"I was hoping you'd tell me what is bothering you first."

"I honestly wish I could explain it," Cian said. "Something stirs, something dark. But no amount of contemplation is helping." He lay down and pulled the prince onto the bed with him. At least in Mael's arms, the turmoil lessened--for the time being, anyway. "Even Michael can't put a name to it."

"When you did talk to Michael?" Mael loosened his tie, pulled it away from his neck, and dropped it nearby.

"Who do you think I pray to? What about you, though? What's going on?"

"I've been summoned to Rome, and also told to ask you to tell Michael that Selena would be needed. It's not unusual for Dio to request my presence, but Selena is something else. It makes me think your feeling is dead on."

The former first formula ruler of the UK and Mael's ex-nemesis, Selena, was no longer an official part of the Romanorum. For all intents and purposes, she was dead on earth since she resided in Heaven alongside Michael. Cian swallowed a groan. The woman rubbed him the wrong way on the best of days.

Cian sat up, half-leaning over Mael, propped on one arm. "Rome? Did Dio say anything else? If anyone has sensed something brewing, I imagine it would be him."

"No, it was just a request to see us both. Whatever is going on, Dio doesn't want any hint to leak out. The request for Selena wasn't even part of his official invitation. Something is wrong. No doubt about that."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't think Dio's summons and my concerns were related." Cian said, absently tracing a fingertip along the front of Mael's shirt. "This isn't a trivial issue. Something--or someone--is waking."

"Well, there's not much we can do until we speak to Dio. He wants us in his office tonight." Mael captured Cian's hand and brought it to his mouth.

Tracing the contours of Mael's lips with his fingertip, Cian bit back a groan. "Not one for advanced notice, is he?"

"The father of all vampires really doesn't have to worry about things like that."

Cian rolled his eyes. "Well, I haven't been to Rome in quite a while. Should be interesting, to say the least."

"The political intrigue is even worse than in my court. I spent more than a few centuries thriving in the atmosphere."

Cian traced a line down Mael's chin, over his throat. "Aside from all of this, what else is on your mind?"

"Like you, I'm not entirely certain. I've received a few reports of unusual activity among weres. We've had an odd influx during the last week. My court is having hissy fits every time I turn around. Tensions are already rising without whatever Dio is hiding."

"Lee said something about that today. He's been working alongside Sav to keep an eye on things. We both thought it might be some of Aldrich's followers still lurking about, but apparently there's just as much tension on the were side as there is here. So far, nothing noteworthy has happened, but Lee feels energy fluctuations like I do. You think they might be connected--the were troubles and whatever's going on in Rome?"

"I'm trying not to make too many assumptions until I talk to Dio." The prince tugged Cian down for a light kiss. "I think your little vacation might be at an end for the time being."

Cian chuckled softly. "You talk like I've been in the tower for days. It's only been a few hours." He threaded his fingers through Mael's hair.

"Time has a tendency to drag, my angel. Or have you never noticed?"

Cian nipped his lover's bottom lip. "I'm over three thousand years old, Mael. Time means little."