by Raven Stone
But I’d been alone during this time of year for years now. It had become a time for me to take a breath between holiday parties and New Year’s parties. To relax, read some romance novels, and prepare for the next semester.
Tonight I laced up my sneakers, stretched, and went for a run. It was almost three am, and it was quiet. Christmas lights blinked in the darkness, and the moon shone overhead. There was frost on the ground and it was cold, but my jacket and gloves kept me warm enough.
The campus was quiet and dark, and devoid of Christmas lights. But the frost glittered across the grass.
I slowed my pace down to a light jog and went into the woods. I was about ten feet in when I had the sensation that someone was following me. I stopped, turning in a small circle, and found Dakari’s salt-and-pepper wolf friend on the path.
“Hey boy.” I ran my hand down the fur of his back and rubbed his ears in the way that the wolves seemed to like. “You keep coming around and I’m going to have to come up with a name for you.”
I didn’t know if he was a werewolf, like Dakari and Marisol, or if he was a true wolf. I’d never asked Dakari about it. I figured if salt-and-pepper was a werewolf, and just preferred being a wolf, then so be it.
“You know, you do look a little bit like the moon coming through the forest. All darkness and light. How about Moonshine?”
He looked up at me, but he never gave me that wolfy grin like Dakari did. Maybe he was a real wolf.
I petted his throat and chest, and he stretched beneath my hand. “Yeah, you like that, don’t you?” I said, then rubbed his ears a some more and kissed his head. “Come on. I need to finish my run.”
We jogged down the trail together, keeping the pace light. We ran through the rest of the woods and looped back to the campus. I dropped back to a walk, taking my jacket off and tying the arms around me.
Then I noticed a man standing in the middle of the campus green, staring at me. It was strange, though, because I couldn’t hear his heartbeat.
I stopped walking, and heard, felt, that strange hum that I’d heard the night of the raid. Then it stopped. The source had to be the man in front of me.
“Go home, Moonshine,” I said softly. The wolf looked up at me, and whuffed. “No. I don’t know what this is. Go home. Now.”
He whuffed again, but trotted back into the woods.
I turned around, and the man had disappeared.
I crossed the grass to where he’d been. I couldn’t pick up a scent, or a footprint in the grass, or a heartbeat.
Nothing. He was just there and then he was gone.
Moonshine whuffed and butted my hand with his head.
“I don’t know, boy, I don’t know.”
Chapter 131
Gabriel
I was in the middle of listening to a vampire talk about his summer sailing trip when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I said a polite goodbye and stepped aside to check it.
It was a photo and a text from Julie. She was wearing a short little dress that showed off her cleavage, and she had her arm around Edgar. He was smiling and looked a little flushed.
Julie: Merry Christmas, hot stuff!
Me: Merry Christmas!
I smiled and put the phone back in my pocket. I was about to join the party again when the phone vibrated again.
Martin: Happy December! You’re probably in the middle of Dec festivities, but you’re cleared for another visit if you can get away. Cyrus will meet you at the loft on Jan 1.
Me: Happy December! And thanks!
This time I slipped my phone into my pocket and headed upstairs. I went straight for my desk, intent on clearing my calendar and making other arrangements so I could visit Fiona. I had just turned on my desk lamp when Orleande appeared out of the darkness of the meeting room.
“Orleande, why aren’t you at the party?” I asked.
She raised a glass of wine to her lips and took a sip before answering me. “Did you know that I can sense every vampire in this country? And that I can even get a sense of their power level?”
I went still.
“No,” I said carefully.
I’d known she was powerful, and I knew she was one of our oldest, but I hadn’t known that.
“It’s true. I saw your noven come into being. A sudden light across the darkness. And your light flared, right next to hers.” She took another sip. “Do you know how rare that is, King Gabriel? For a vampire to turn another, and actually grow in strength? Most vampires turn someone and lose some of their power. They have to fight damn hard to get it back. But not you. Your power jumped, and it’s been growing ever since.”
Small blue shards started appearing in her eyes, one at a time. I straightened, and did my best to keep my heart rate steady. Those shards were a bad sign. They only appeared in an old one’s eyes, and only when they wanted something from you.
“What’s this about Orleande?” I asked quietly.
“You, King Gabriel. You.”
I felt her vampire rising, her presence spreading through the room and calling to mine. I resisted her pull, putting a tight lid on my vampire.
“I have an agreement, Orleande,” I said.
“By Blood, by Body, or by Shade?” She asked in a soft, husky tone.
I should lie. I knew I should I lie and claim all three. But that would be wrong.
“By Blood and by Body.”
“Ah.” She took a sip from her glass on put it down on the desk, advancing on me. “Then I shall not break your bond.” Her Shade appeared and ran an invisible finger down my chest while calling to my vampire. “But your Shade can still come out and play.”
“No.”
Orleande put her real hand on my chest. “What are you afraid of?”
“You,” I said truthfully. She was ancient and powerful. Old ones could easily turn younger vampires like me into mere playthings.
She laughed softly. “I will not hurt you, King Gabriel. I need you, I want you, to be strong and healthy. I need you to be everything you are today and more. I give you my word that I will cause no harm to your Shade, and that I will stop everything the moment you ask. Let me show you every good thing that can be shared between two Shades.”
Her vampire pressed against me, stroking my skin, and I gasped from the sheer pleasure of it.
“Your word?” I asked, and she nodded. “Your bond that you won’t hurt me in any way?”
“Yes, I swear it,” she said huskily.
“Then yes to one thing. Not everything. Just one thing, to show me whether I can truly trust you or not.”
“One thing.” She agreed.
I let my vampire rise, and then my Shade, even as I inwardly cursed. This was an incredibly risky and stupid thing to do, especially without Cerone here to help me. But if I couldn’t trust Orleande, then I needed to know that now. And, there was a very stupid part of me that loved taking risks.
Orleande’s vampire had backed off a bit to give mine some room to rise. Now she came forward, tentatively touching the very edges of me. That soft, simple touch told me she was more powerful than I’d suspected.
“Gabriel.” She breathed. “Your Shade’s glowing with health and power.”
Her Shade ran a tendril along mine, the soft touch sending rivers of pleasure through me. In the real world I backed up and hit a wall. Orleande’s arms looped around my neck.
“Do you feel that?” she asked. Her Shade sent a ripple of bliss through me.
“Yes,” I said hoarsely.
“That whole, glowing line is where you’re growing. I was right. You’re becoming more powerful, bit by bit.”
I reached out with a tendril of my own, trying to see if I could mimic what she’d done. A small ripple went through her Shade, and she gasped.
“You’re a fast learner. Try again, only softer, and over here.”
I tried again, like she showed me, and a cry of pleasure escaped her.
“Good. Very good,” she said.
In the real world I wrapped my
arms around her. Orleande tipped her face up to mine.
“Now I’m going to show you that one thing,” she said huskily.
Her Shade curved around mine and touched my Shade in such a way that a spike of pleasure tore through me and almost sent me to my knees.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, my eyes closed and my hands gripping her waist.
She laughed softly.
“There’s more where that came from,” she whispered into my ear.
Then her Shade retreated, followed by her vampire, leaving the room a lot chillier than it had been. I opened my eyes and let my Shade and vampire descend, even as I tried to convince my semi-hard cock to do the same. Orleande’s gaze met mine with a small smile on her lips as the shards in her eyes disappeared.
One of the office doors opened.
“Gabriel, I–” Elodie walked in, already talking.
Orleande was still in my arms, and I just reacted. I lowered my head and kissed her, softly and deeply.
“Oh!” Elodie exclaimed. She left, closing the door behind her.
The kiss should have ended there, but it didn’t. We continued to kiss, and I forgot why I started it to begin with. Orleande pressed herself against me, and I plunged my hands into her hair. Our vampires and our Shades rose again. Orleande’s Shade reached out, touching mine and sending another wave of pleasure rippling through my body. I gasped, tearing my lips from hers and resting my head against the wall.
Orleande laughed softly and put her head on my chest. I stroked her back with my hands, even as I reached out with my Shade and gently ran a touch down the length of hers. She gasped, her hands clutching my shirt.
I smiled.
“Such a fast learner,” she breathed.
“I’m sorry about–”
“I’m not,” she interrupted, looking up at me, “I’m sorry I promised to show you just one thing.” She smiled wryly. “Thank you for trusting me. I know that’s difficult for one of Andryx’s line, but this was important. Now I know that you’re strong, and healthy, and growing. Your words are not just words. You truly have the power to back them up. That could be incredibly important over the next few decades. You are one of our shining lights, King Gabriel.”
She slipped out of my arms and picked up her glass. “And anytime you want to do that one thing – or even something more – just let me know.”
She winked, and left.
Chapter 132
Fiona
Cade and Lena came over for a movie night a few days after Christmas. Lena hugged me as soon as I opened the door.
“Everything okay?” I asked, patting her back.
“Of course. I’m just a hugger.” She let me go and took a few steps into the living room.
“I’m not.” Cade grinned and grabbed my butt. I slapped him lightly on the arm and smiled.
“Fiona, your place is beautiful,” Lena said. “Oh my!”
The two wolves, hearing voices, had wandered into the living room. Lena stood there with a hand on her chest and a surprised look on her face.
“Thanks. Lena, these are two of my friends, Dakari and Moonshine.” I pointed to each of them in turn.
“I just call them Jesus and Christ,” Cade said.
“They’re beautiful, Fiona, but they’re huge. Can I pet them?”
“Sure. They like to have their ears rubbed.”
Lena bent down and petted them, cooing over them at the same time.
Cade handed me a couple of DVDs. “We weren’t sure what you liked, so I brought over a variety.”
“Great! Thanks!” I put them on the coffee table and picked up the two gifts I’d left there. “I know it’s past Christmas, but I got you two a little something.”
“Fiona, you shouldn’t have!” Lena said. I smiled and gestured for them to open the presents.
Lena opened hers first and exclaimed over it. It was a small bracelet that glittered with white and purple crystals.
“Thank you!” she said, and hugged me again.
Then Cade opened his gift; an action movie from earlier in the year. “No way! I wanted to see this when it came out. We’re watching this first! Thanks, Fiona.”
Lena smiled and reached into her purse. “And we have something for you.”
She handed me a package, and I tore off the gift wrap in seconds. They’d given me a book about famous American photographers, including interviews and pictures of their best work.
“We know you’re a photography student, so we thought you might like that,” Cade said.
“Thank you. I love it.” I gave them each a hug.
Then Cade loaded his action movie in the player, and I made some popcorn. I handed a beer to Cade, and poured some red wine from Lena and me.
We sat down and watched the movie, with Cade in the middle and Lena and I on either side of him. The two wolves lay at our feet, and after a while Moonshine even put his head in Lena’s lap and let her rub his ears.
I sat there happily, watching the movie and thinking that just two months ago it would have been incredibly awkward to sit here with Cade and his wife. Instead it felt like we’d been friends for years.
Chapter 133
Gabriel
I was making last-minute preparations before leaving to see Fiona when Elodie walked into the office. She closed both doors firmly behind her.
“Gabriel,” she said.
“Elodie.” I tensed.
“I wanted to talk with you, if you have a few minutes?” Her tone was polite, and downright respectful.
I shot her a surprised look, then sat behind my desk. I gestured to the chair on the other side. “Of course.”
She sat down and looked up at me from under her eyelashes. My hopes sank. That look always meant she wanted something from me.
“So, you and Orleande?” she asked.
I kept myself from looking at the open door to the meeting room. Orleande sat in the next room, no doubt able to hear every word. If Elodie and I had still been together, I would have asked Orleande to leave. But since we weren’t – and since Elodie knew what the open door meant – I didn’t feel it necessary.
“What’s between Orleande and I is none of your concern,” I said.
She stiffened. “You always said you were afraid of her.”
“I was. I am. As any vampire with any sense should be.”
“Gabriel, you know risks aren’t good for you.” Elodie reached across the desk for my hand.
I sat back immediately, pulling my hands out of her reach and putting them on my lap instead. “No, Elodie, you always felt that risks weren’t good for me. I feel they’re part of my nature.”
She crossed her arms. “You take stupid risks. You should fight that part of your nature.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I listened to you for far too long. You held me back from what I could accomplish.”
“That’s your opinion.” She sniffed. “Don’t blame me if you wind up dead.”
“I won’t. Now why are you here?”
She relaxed her arms and looked up from under eyelashes again. “You said in your speech that changes are coming?”
“They are,” I said warily.
“I’d like to be a part of them.”
“Are you willing to do the work?” I asked.
“It’s always work with you, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I said, exasperated. “We’ve talked about this before. You’ve got to put the work in if you truly want to lead.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to lead. I want to be queen.”
I stood up. “You want the title, but you don’t want to be worthy of it. You want to go to a party and have people fawn all over you, but you don’t want to spend the hours it takes setting up the decorations and the tables, much less cleaning up afterwards.”
She rose to her feet. “Why should I? If I’m Queen then people should just want to do things for me.”
“That’s not how it works, Elodie.”
“Tha
t’s how it works in King Antoine’s Court. Queen Maxine doesn’t have to lift a finger.” She crossed her arms.
“Then go to his Court!”
“He’s already got a queen!” She retorted.
“Then find someone else. There’s no free ride here.” I pointed down with one finger.
“You are so hardheaded.” She sighed. “You’re already doing all of the work. It’s not like you would ever give up that kind of control anyway. Why not just name me your queen? You know you’d be safe with me. You know I wouldn’t try to take any control away from you,” she said softly, reaching out towards me with one hand.
I stepped deftly out of her reach. “Maybe you don’t know what I really want.”
Her eyes snapped to me. “Like Orleande? Do you really think you’re safe with her?”
“No, but she won’t hold me back like you did.”
She shot me a dirty look. “All I did was improve you, Gabriel.”
She turned sharply on one heel and headed for the exit. She stopped just shy of the door and faced me again. “Whatever changes you have in mind, Gabriel, don’t name a queen other than me. I’m warning you. Not Orleande, not anyone else. You got it?” Her eyes glittered.
“Are you threatening me?”
“Not you, Gabriel. Not you.” Then she opened the door and left, slamming it behind her.
I stood there with my fists by my sides, taking in deep breaths to get control of myself again.
“It’s worse than I thought,” Orleande said, leaning against the doorway to the meeting room.
“I’m sorry I put you at risk,” I said.
She shook her head. “She can’t hurt me. She’s too young. She just thinks she can.”
“I take it you heard everything?” I asked.
She nodded. “It explains a lot. The relationship between you two is toxic. I don’t know understand how it lasted as long as it did.”
“Sheer stupidity.” I replied and powered down my laptop. “I’ll be gone for about a week, but call or email me if something comes up. Especially with her.” I glanced pointedly at the office doors.
