“Raphael—” Alexandra whined, but Pascal once again growled at her to shut up.
“I wanted to talk to you” Violet said coyly. “And I didn’t think you’d come otherwise.”
Raphael blinked lazily. “So talk.”
A flash of something lit Violet’s eyes for a second, but it was there and gone before Cyn could identify the emotion behind it. The female vamp’s mouth stretched into a small smile, and something filled the air, an energy that made the small hairs on the back of Cyn’s neck stand up and take notice. She tensed, putting both hands on her gun and half-raising it, searching the dark church for a target.
Violet chuckled softly and murmured, “Pascal.”
And then Jared began to laugh.
Chapter Six
PASCAL STARED AT Jared in shock, straining to find the worm of control he’d left curled in the other vampire’s brain. Jared’s gaze shifted in his direction, and a jolt of energy slammed into him. Pascal staggered, nearly knocked off his feet, while Raphael’s lieutenant stood perfectly relaxed, his mouth curled into a sneer.
Raphael’s dry voice cut into the silence. “As I said, Violet, you clearly do not remember me if you think my lieutenant could be manipulated by the parlor tricks of a second rate magician.”
Pascal sucked in a breath of outrage at the insult and reached for the mind of Raphael’s guard instead. Maybe Jared was beyond his control, but the other vampire was a lesser power. Surely he . . .
The bald vampire barely glanced at him as he flicked off Pascal’s attempt to control him.
“Stop this, Violet—” Raphael cautioned. “Before it’s too late.”
“Arrogant,” Violet snapped, her power gathering around her in a nimbus of energy. “I remember you well, Raphael. Always thinking you were better than the rest of us.” She gave a silent command, alerting Pascal and the other vampires she’d brought with her, every one of them a power in his own right. The energy swirling around Violet quadrupled as they offered their strength to her, supporting her as she faced Raphael, a look of supreme confidence on her face.
“It is not only I that you face, Raphael,” she sneered, “but many.”
One of Violet’s minions leapt without warning, a bundle of lethal intent aimed not at Raphael, but at his human mate, an action meant to distract the vampire lord, to make him vulnerable for that one moment, which was all Violet would need. But Raphael didn’t fall for it, didn’t even move. His mate did, however, reacting nearly as quickly as a vampire could have, raising her weapon and firing at the vampire who was attacking her. His shriek of agony was still echoing through the empty church when the dust of his body settled to the floor.
Pascal stared in stunned silence. A gun. She’d killed a vampire with a bullet. Impossible.
Raphael gave a low chuckle. “My Cyn is extraordinary, don’t you think?”
In an instant his expression hardened, and he attacked, his power lashing out faster than Pascal could follow. One by one the vampire minions surrounding Violet began to fall to Raphael’s invisible assault, their death cries no more than soft exhalations of disbelief as they became dust at her feet.
Pascal reached out, his fingers closing over Alexandra’s arm as he dragged her in front of him, thinking to use her as a shield, but he soon realized his mistake. Raphael’s black gaze shifted, falling directly on Pascal for the first time. “I believe you were warned, Pascal, about what happens to those who betray my trust.”
Pascal tightened his grip on Alexandra, his mouth open to defend himself, to argue that he’d had no choice, that he was nothing but a tool following the orders of his mistress. But there was suddenly no air in the building as he struggled to form the words, as his lungs turned to dried husks of flesh, and his heart . . . Pascal’s mouth opened in a wordless scream of denial as his heart burst into flame. His pleading gaze turned upon Violet, his final sight the look of utter horror on her face as she stood alone against what Pascal now knew to be the most powerful vampire on earth.
“RAPHAEL!”
Cyn stared in mingled contempt and disbelief as Alexandra staggered in typical melodramatic fashion to lean weakly against one of the wooden pews, as if it was the only thing keeping her on her feet.
“Thank God you came,” Alexandra gasped.
Cyn raised her weapon at the traitorous little bitch, but Raphael touched her hand and gently pushed the weapon down.
“Go back to your masters, Violet,” he said, ignoring his sister’s dramatics, “and carry this message to them. It is not only I that you face on this continent. I am one among many, and we are powerful, determined, and united. You will not succeed if you try to force yourselves upon us.”
Violet raised a trembling hand to brush away a dark streak of dust from her pale face, her eyes dull as she stared at Raphael, although Cyn wouldn’t have sworn the female was seeing anything at all.
“Raphael, I’m exhausted,” Alexandra complained, totally unaware of the tableau being played out around her.
Raphael’s gaze finally shifted to his sister. “I release you, Alexandra,” he said, his deep voice filled with such sorrow that Cyn reached out automatically, her hand soothing over his shoulder in comfort.
Across the church, Alexandra jerked abruptly as if someone had poked her with a stick. “Raphael,” she whispered, “what . . .”
“This,” he said, indicating the pile of clothes that had been Pascal, “is how I reward those who betray me. And yet I forgave your treachery, Alexandra, because of the blood we share, because I loved you.”
“Forgave?” Alexandra snarled, her entire demeanor changing in an instant as the camouflage fell away and the real Alexandra was revealed. “You locked me in a cage, when all I did was try to save you from that one.” She jabbed a finger in Cyn’s direction. “I never had anything but your best interests at heart,” she continued, her voice rising shrilly. “I wasted centuries waiting for you to give me what I deserved. I am your sister! I should have been the one sitting at your right hand, not some stupid farmer you found with his guts spilling onto a muddy battlefield. What did Duncan ever offer you that I could not? I told myself you were a man of your times, that you would never allow a woman to be at your side, that I was first in your heart at least, always that. But then your human bitch came along and I didn’t even have that anymore.
“You betrayed me long ago, brother dear. When you left me in the ruins of our father’s home, left me at the mercy of an evil thing that ripped out my throat and stole my humanity. Did you think I could forgive that? Did you think your money and gifts could make up for the centuries I spent whoring for that monster?”
Raphael nodded. “You wish to be free of me. And now you are.” He started to turn away.
“Wait!” Alexandra cried. “Where will I go?”
“Your new ally seems in need of a minion,” he said, indicating Violet who was standing completely alone. “Perhaps the two of you can reach an agreement.”
Then he turned away from her, his vampires shifting to surround him as he reached out for Cyn’s hand. She slid the Sig back into her shoulder holster then threaded her fingers with his, his grip almost painful as he pulled her against his side.
He walked out of the church, giving Violet his back, showing her with that simple act that she was no threat to him. He left behind Alexandra, too. Left behind, at last, the guilt that he’d permitted to control him for too long, the centuries he’d spent striving to earn a forgiveness that she didn’t have to give, for a wrong that he’d never committed.
Chapter Seven
SILENCE DESCENDED as Raphael and his flunkies departed to the sound of roaring engines and spinning dirt. Alexandra cast a distasteful look around the musty church, her gaze falling at last on the dark-haired female who was apparently going to be her new mistress. Or perhaps the trail of power should go the other way. After all, Alexandra was older, and she had Raphael’s connections to offer. He was angry now, but he wouldn�
�t abandon her completely. If she reached out, he would be there for her, just as he had been since the day she was born.
“Well,” she said, becoming impatient with Violet’s inaction. The female seemed to be still in shock after Raphael’s display of power. “It’s a bit damp in here, perhaps—” Her voice trailed away as Violet finally stirred, turning slowly to regard Alexandra.
“Given a choice, I’d kill you right here,” Violet said, her voice low and scratchy with exhaustion. “But I have a master, too, and he’ll want to meet you if nothing else. Do you know how to drive?”
Alexandra shook her head. “Raphael always—”
“I really don’t want to hear about the marvels of Raphael anymore. Come, my car is nearby, and lucky for us both, I do know how to drive.”
Mexico City—two days later
ALEXANDRA FOLLOWED Violet into the elegant drawing room, the tiled floor cool beneath the thin soles of the designer flats she’d been wearing when Pascal had spirited her away from Raphael’s prison. That was only a few days ago, less than a week, but it felt like so much longer. The last two days had been a hellish journey, with Violet driving all night, and the two of them holing up during the days in whatever cheap motel they could find on short notice. If there was anything good to be said at all, it was only that they were fortunate it was still late winter, that the nights were still long enough that it had taken them only two nights, instead of three, to reach their destination. Which was apparently this lovely and rather expansive hacienda outside Mexico City. Alexandra knew that Mexico was Enrique’s territory, that Mexico City was his headquarters. But that wasn’t Enrique sitting in the big chair, watching Alexandra and Violet approach like a man who expected them to kneel in his presence. Enrique was handsome enough, but he was a fussy man and favored a more formal appearance. She’d seen him several times over the years when it was Raphael’s turn to host the annual Council meeting, and Enrique was always dressed to perfection, most recently in a full three-piece suit and tie. He’d never have dressed as this vampire did, in black slacks and gleaming cowboy boots, his blond hair slicked back and his well-muscled figure evident beneath a cashmere sweater.
“Sire,” Violet said, doing just as Alexandra had predicted, sinking gracefully to her knees, head bent.
“You failed, Violet.”
“I beg your forgiveness, my lord. Raphael was stronger than we . . . than I expected. And the magician was useless. Raphael’s people only pretended to be swayed by his tricks.”
The good-looking vampire raised his eyes, taking in Alexandra where she stood several feet behind the kneeling Violet, his scrutiny shockingly intrusive as he scanned her from head to toe.
“This is all you’ve brought me?” he asked, dismissing Alexandra with a sneer and addressing Violet once more. “I have bedmates, Violet. I don’t need another.”
Alexandra blushed hotly, but for once remained silent. She was beginning to wish she’d remained in her cell under Raphael’s garage. At least it had been safe, which was not what she was feeling right now.
“This is Raphael’s sister, my lord,” Violet said eagerly. “It was she whom Raphael rushed down to Mexico to save. We were not successful, but she may still have some value.”
The master turned his dark gaze on Alexandra. “You’re Raphael’s sister? Born or turned?” he asked, when Alexandra nodded mutely.
“Born, my lord,” she responded. “We share the same mother and father. We were turned on the same night, although by different masters.”
The vampire pursed his lips, staring at her thoughtfully. “Why are you here?”
Alexandra frowned, not understanding the question. “My lord?”
“If your dear brother raced all this way to save you, why are you here with me instead of safe in his comforting embrace?”
She drew a breath, still not quite believing what had happened. “He gave me a choice. I could go back with him, or come to you. I chose to leave him.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Raphael is increasingly under the sway of his pet human. He is not the man he used to be.”
The vampire cocked his head, regarding her quizzically. “Is this true, Violet?” he asked, without taking his eyes off Alexandra.
“It was not my impression, my lord. We attacked the woman directly in the opening moments of our assault, intending to distract Raphael, to force him to defend her instead of himself.”
“And?” he said impatiently.
“And he didn’t so much as glance in her direction, much less try to defend her.”
“Is she dead?”
“Ah, no, my lord. She had a gun.”
“A gun. She killed one of my master vampires with a gun?” The words were disbelieving, his voice tight with anger.
“Yes, my lord,” Violet whispered.
The dark-haired vampire closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, though whether for strength or patience, Alexandra didn’t know. But when he opened his eyes, he was staring directly at her.
“What do you know of your brother’s dealings?”
Alexandra blinked in confusion. “My lord?”
“His business,” the vampire clarified sharply. “His finances. Private holdings, account numbers, passwords? When you wanted money, how did you get it?”
Alexandra frowned. “I didn’t handle any money. I had credit cards, and the last year—”
He didn’t let her finish. “What about the code to his private sanctuary, the place where he sleeps—do you know that?”
“No,” Alexandra said, shocked he would even ask. “No one but Raphael knows that. And his bitch, of course.”
“Then what good are you to me? You have no power, no knowledge . . . and you irritate my Violet.”
Alexandra jerked a glance at Violet who had turned her head and was glaring daggers in Alexandra’s direction.
But—” she protested, then gasped as an overwhelming pain seized her chest, as her lungs contracted and her muscles spasmed. She spun back toward the male vampire in disbelief and felt the crushing weight of his power, the burning hatred of his gaze.
With her dying breath, she formed a final plea. “Raphael.”
Malibu, California
THEY MET IN Raphael’s office once again. Jared was sitting in one of the two chairs in front of Raphael’s desk, Juro standing to one side, his arms crossed behind his back like a soldier standing at ease. Cyn was half sitting on Raphael’s desk, angled so as not to give Jared her back, but mostly facing Raphael and Juro.
“So, there’s no doubt,” Raphael was saying. “They drove to Mexico City.”
“And met with a master I’ve never seen before,” Juro confirmed. “But he’s making no secret of his presence. Enrique would have to be blind and dumb not to know about it.”
“Enrique was in on it, my lord,” Jared insisted. “He made a deal to secure his own territory, and to hell with the rest of us.”
Cyn didn’t say anything, but for once she agreed with Jared. Enrique had sold out to the enemy.
Raphael was silent a moment, his elegant hands steepled in front of him. He raised his black eyes to meet Cyn’s and leaned forward, as if about to say something. But then, he suddenly jerked upright, as if he’d been dealt a great blow. His eyes closed in obvious pain, and his head fell forward, his chin hitting his chest.
Cyn slid from the desk in alarm and crouched by his side. “Raphael?” she said, her hand cradling the back of his neck as she leaned close enough to rest her cheek against his. “What is it, baby? What happened?”
The searing heat of his tears wet her face and she felt her own eyes filling in sympathy, although for what she didn’t know. “Raphael? Talk to me,” she pleaded softly, confused when the other two vampires slipped out of the room. Juro closed the door, leaving her alone with Raphael.
Raphael looked up then, his eyes still leaking bloody tears as he met her gaze. “Alexandra is gone,” he
whispered, and Cyn’s heart contracted in pain, not for herself, but for him.
“Oh, baby,” she whispered, wanting to take away the hurt, thinking privately that Alexandra didn’t deserve to be mourned like this, didn’t deserve one second of Raphael’s pain.
“How can I help?” she murmured. “What do you need?”
“This,” Raphael said, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her onto his lap. “Just this.”
And so Cyn held him as the night moved on, as he quietly grieved a loss that Cyn knew she would never understand.
Epilogue
IT WAS A WEEK before Raphael finally raised the subject of the unfinished business left over from Acuña. Cyn knew he was hurting and she blamed Alexandra for that. The selfish bitch hadn’t even managed to die without spreading her misery around. But after that single moment of shock in Raphael’s office—when his grief had been so strong that it had leaked over to Juro and Jared and they’d known before Raphael had spoken it aloud that Alexandra was dead—he’d kept his feelings carefully concealed. He had centuries of practice at that, at keeping his emotions hidden, but it didn’t work with her.
They were getting ready to go out for the evening, to attend some fundraiser or other that Raphael had to make an appearance at for political purposes. He might be master of the universe among vampires, but he had a lot of business interests in the human world and that meant schmoozing with politicians and corporate leaders who would be making and influencing the decisions that affected the bottom line of Raphael Enterprises. As for Cyn, she was an old hand at that sort of thing. She’d been showing up for command performances at her father’s and grandparents’ various functions for as long as she could remember. She’d put a stop to most of it once she’d gotten old enough to voice an opinion that anyone listened to, but somehow she didn’t mind doing it for Raphael.
Love made people do all sorts of things.
The Cyn & Raphael Novellas Page 25
