"Sure," Kieran said, because he did believe Ishmael - Ishmael was too old and too clever to be tied to something this messy. This was, if anything, the move of a younger vampire. "I understand it better now," he admitted, a little wryness in his tone. "Slipping up, I mean. Or the threat of it - I've never..."

It was easier to lie about Topaz Urquart; Ishmael shouldn't know.

---