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On the books, that wasmostof their job, although you’d never know it from where the department put the vast majority of their resources.

Still, Nick was a celebrity.

Nick was the kind of vamp they didn’twantto punish.

Certainly not without having a rock-solid case, and this was anything but that.

Worse, if it came out, these dumb cops’ actions would get too much publicity.

If there really were surveillance tapes like the lawyer said, it would be a nightmare for the NYPD. But the H.R.A., if they came out on Nick’s side in this, could be the heroes. They could use their pro-Nick stance as evidence that they treated everyone fairly. That they were a friend to all vampires who behaved legally.

Especially those whocontributed.

That didn’t mean the H.R.A.wouldn’tgo after Nick, of course.

If the evidence turned, if the NYPD did have a case, they’d go after him hard.

The H.R.A. would happily take the free PR in the event of Nick’s probable innocence.

But at the end of the day, there was nothing they liked more than making an example of an uppity vampire who forgot which race was in charge.

Thinking about that, Nick couldn’t help but wonder about the Earth where he’d been born.Gaos,was it like this there? Were vampires and seers living like this in that other world, too? Nick had a fleeting memory of seers he’d known telling him about the racial nightmare they’d left behind in the world where they’d been born.

Given enough time, did all versions of Earth where humans lived eventually devolve into some form of race-based dystopia?

It felt depressingly possible.

But maybe it wasn’t like that.

Maybe his world was better now.

Or maybe it never went this way in the first place.

Nick almost didn’t care.

He wanted to go back there.

It hit him again, just how badly he wanted to go back. He knew some of his friends here maybe wouldn’t want to go. Kit had a family here. Damon Jordan had a full life on this world, too. Mal was dating Kit and might not want to leave her.

Funnily enough, Nick could see Morley coming with him.

Tai would want to come, although she might not want to leave her brother, Mal.

Wynter would definitely want to go, likely as soon as possible.

They hadn’t spoken about it in so many words, but he could feel it on her. She yearned to go almost as much as he did. Then again, there was no way Nick would ever leave here without her. He would never go anywhere without her.

The thought brought another hard flush of sex-pain and hunger.

When his eyes refocused, he found Acharya staring at him.

“What do you think, Morley? Is it going to get me in more trouble if we put him on this? It’s your call… but know I’m making him entirely your responsibility if you decide to use him.”

Nick blinked.

He’d missed something, letting his mind wander.

He glanced at Morley, who studied Nick’s expression narrowly.