I gaped at him. “How do you know about that?”

Bones also looked taken aback. “I didn’t mention it, Kitten.”

Mencheres ignored both of our questions. “What was in your dream? Be very specific.”

“They’re strange,” I began, seeing Bones’s eyebrows shoot up at the plural. “They’re all with the same vampire. During the dreams, I know who he is. I can even hear myself saying his name, but when I wake up, I don’t remember him.”

If I hadn’t known better, I’d have said Mencheres looked alarmed. Of course, I was no expert on him. Mencheres was over four thousand years old and a genius at hiding his emotions, but his mouth might have stiffened a fraction. Or maybe it was just a trick of the light.

“How many of these dreams have you had?” Bones asked. He wasn’t happy. The way his lips thinned was no accident of light.

“Four, and don’t start. You’d have set sail for the nearest fortress if I’d told you about them, then you would have hovered over me day and night. We were having a really nice trip, so I didn’t mention them. No big deal.”

He snorted. “No big deal, she says. Well, luv, let’s find out what the deal really is. With luck, it won’t result in your losing your reckless life.”

Then he turned to Mencheres. “You knew something was wrong. Why the hell didn’t you bring it to my attention at once?”

Mencheres leaned forward. “Cat’s life is in no danger. However, there is a…situation. I’d hoped this conversation would never become necessary.”

“Could you just spit it out without a buildup for once?” Mencheres was famous for taking his time beating around the bush. Guess being as old as he was, he’d learned an obscene amount of patience.

“Have you ever heard of a vampire named Gregor?”

Pain shot through my head for an instant, then it was gone so fast, I actually looked around to see if anyone else was affected. Mencheres stared at me like he was trying to scope out the back of my brain. Beside me, Bones ground out a curse.