Book excerpt: The Maverick coven holds a meeting pointedly for its two youngest and strangest members. Twin vampires that are adults trapped inside boyish bodies. Tristen and Lukas are to be formally melded into the family frame by way of an induction ceremony, one such event that Maliki believes will harm the family and put him in the line of danger. Maliki plots with one of his lovers as to how to handle the problem without either of them being fingered as the culprit. Together the couple decide to trick a local band of nameless rouge vampires into attacking on the night of the party and kill the twins before they can upset the balance. Jaquelin knows about the induction and has spoken to Jak about the twins becoming more instrumental to the family. Jak tells her that such will not be the case and they will remain mostly hidden from the outside world as they have been for their entire lives within the clan. Thinking the treatment unfair for the two vampires, she disobeys Jak and takes the twins into the town of Harding so that at least once in their lives they may taste freedom. During the visit Tristen breaks away on the streets and meets another vampire that calls himself Vincent Summerset and tells Tristen that he, the small weak undead, is his master and he wishes to serve him again. Before he can explain the vampire flees as he hears Luke and Jaquelin returning only leaving Tristen with a brass pin.