“Would you care for something to eat? I have the makings for sandwiches,” Reynaud said after he got a beer from the fridge and poured himself a glass of wine.
“You have food? I didn’t think vampires ate.”
“We rarely do, but I…” Reynaud paused, seeming both disconcerted and suddenly shy as well. “I’ll be honest. I planned on inviting you here tonight and so I went shopping right before I went to the club. It’s nothing special. Turkey, tomatoes, bread, mayonnaise.”
Even though he’d eaten a couple of hours ago, Burke didn’t have the heart to say no. “Since you went to all that trouble, I’d love a sandwich. I can make it.”
Reynaud showed him where everything was then sat at the table in front of the fireplace, watching him.
When Burke joined him, the sandwich on what he thought was probably an antique plate, he said, “I wouldn’t have expected this from a big, bad vampire.”
“My mother trained me well,” Reynaud replied with a laugh, although he looked embarrassed by Burke’s words.
“Way back it the dim reaches of the sixteen-hundreds?”
“Very much so.”
“Okay, stupid question,” Burke said after taking a bite of his sandwich. “Do you mind being a vampire?”
“It beats the alternative I suppose, which is being truly dead. At first it was scary and exciting. Then, it became boring until Antoine made me his second-in-command, which gave me something worthwhile to do.”
“Like tracking me down—or trying to.”
“I think it was worth it, and you’ll notice I succeeded.”
Burke snorted. “You were in the right place at the right time.”
“Still,” Reynaud retorted, pointing a finger at him, “I did, which is what counts.”
“If you say so.” Burke laughed, then finished his sandwich. “Now what? We watch TV?”
“With the whole city out there to explore? I don’t think so.”
“Like where?”
“I don’t know. Make a suggestion.”
“Jeez, Rey, you’re no help at all.”
“Rey?”
“With a name like yours, you need a nickname.”
Reynaud leaned back, looking at him. “What’s wrong with my name, pray tell?”
“It’s longer than one syllable, unlike mine.”
“I see.” Reynaud shook his head. “You didn’t answer the question. Where should we explore?”
“Probably nowhere, tonight. It’s getting late and—”
“It’s not that late. At least stay here a while longer and keep me company. We don’t have to watch TV. I have a thousand movies.”
“A thousand?”
Reynaud shrugged. “Maybe not that many. Come, I’ll show you.”
They went into a parlor down the hallway from the living room. There was a comfortable-looking sofa and a pair of armchairs. Opposite them was a large-screen TV flanked by two oak cabinets that looked as if they’d been there since the house was built. Reynaud opened the doors to one of them, revealing shelves filled with DVD cases.
“What did you do, buy out Blockbuster when it went out of business?” Burke asked as he ran his finger over the backs of the cases.
“I’ve been collecting since they first began making them. I like that they’ve transferred old movies to DVD so they won’t be lost. I also have a collection of movies on tape. Unfortunately my player died so they’re gathering dust, now.”
“Vampire movies?” Burke said when he came to a section of them.
“They can be amusing, at least from my standpoint.”
“A lot of these are older than I am.” Burke pulled one of the cases out. “Is this one any good?”
“I think so, but then I like gangster movies.” He grinned. “They take me back to the good old days.”
“Damn, Rey.” Burke handed it to him. “Bogart’s supposed to be a good actor, at least according to my dad.”
“He was.” Reynaud put the disc in the player after turning on the TV and they settled down to watch it.
“It’s in black and white.”
“It’s old. A classic,” Reynaud replied, smiling at him. “Like me.”
“Uh-huh.” Burke punched his arm. “To look at you, no one would think you were.”
Reynaud took his hand, shaking his head. “No hitting the host, even in jest.”
“Duly noted,” Burke replied. Impulsively, he intertwined their fingers as the movie started, glad when Reynaud didn’t pull away.
“He’s not really going to do that is he?” Burke asked a long while later as the film neared the end. “Let Mantee kill him?”
“He will, to give the girl what she needs. Her freedom.”
“That takes a special kind of person.”
“Indeed it does.”
Burke wondered if he’d ever be able to do that for someone. He hoped he’d never have to find out.
“You can let go of my hand now,” Reynaud said when the final credits rolled.
“Oh. Sorry. I got so involved…”
“I’m not complaining.” Reynaud smiled, giving his hand a squeeze before Burke pulled it away. “However, it really is time for you to head home.”
“I know.” Burke stood, stretching. “Maybe next Sunday we can do this at my place?”
“What happened to exploring the city?”
“I do that enough as it is. It’s nice to spend time with someone I like, without the real world getting in the way.”
“I quite understand, so yes, your place next Sunday.”
* * * *
The following Friday night put paid to Burke and Reynaud’s plans for Sunday evening, much to Reynaud’s dismay. He’d looked forward with anticipation to being with Burke. Perhaps he would hold him, not just his hand, as they talked about the past week, or watched a movie, or even read together. And at the end of the night, before I leave, I’ll kiss him. Only once, to thank him for his hospitality. He knew he was lying to himself. It wouldn’t be a ‘thank you’ kiss. It would signal that his interest in Burke was more than friendship.
It was not to be, however, as Reynaud had been summoned to Antoine’s plantation as soon as he’d awakened Friday evening.
“You’re certain he’s coming here?” Reynaud asked Antoine.
“From what I’ve been told, and my source is impeccable,” Antoine replied. “Silvan has managed to avoid detection in three other cities while leaving a swath of destruction along the way.” He glared at Reynaud, although Reynaud knew it wasn’t him he was seeing. “His victims were all members of teams like yours; working to keep the peace and stop those of us who dare to feed on a human.”
“Then I’d better warn my men to be doubly on the alert.”
Antoine nodded. “That would be the first step. The second will be to bring Burke in on this.”
Reynaud knew why, and said so. “Because Silvan won’t sense his presence as more than your average human until it’s too late.”
“Precisely. Whereas Burke, from what he said, can tell exactly how evil one of us is—and Silvan is very evil. You are to make it quite clear to him that if he finds Silvan he is not to engage with him. That will be our job. Yours and mine. If Burke were to miss his shot, or only wound him, Silvan would destroy him without a thought. Or worse yet, turn and then abandon him. He’s done that twice, with other humans. He’s toying with us, Reynaud, and he has the power to do it, given his age.”
“He’s Old?” When Antoine nodded, Reynaud asked, “Do we know why he’s gone rogue?”
“Yes. He wanted to become the King of one of the Kansas City territories. When that was denied him, because of his viciousness, he swore vengeance on all of us.” Antoine smiled dryly. “I suppose we should be relieved he’s only going after us, not humans. Can you imagine the damage he’d cause to our keeping our existence a secret if he did?”
“He may eventually realize that it would be the best way to get his revenge.”
“Let’s pray he
’s smart enough to know how the humans would react if that happened.”
“It would make World War One look like a child’s game.”
“Indeed. All right, talk with your team members and then with Burke.”
“Before I do, it would help to know what Silvan looks like.”
“Good point.” Antoine ruffled through a small pile of papers on his desk, handing a sketch to Reynaud.
“Not bad looking, if you like them short and haughty.”
“He was born in Byzantium in the early three-hundreds and turned when he was twenty-two. People back then were shorter than nowadays by several inches.”
“I am aware of that, Antoine,” Reynaud replied sourly. “Not to put too fine a point on it, but you’re hardly a giant.”
“Perhaps not in height, but in intellect…” Antoine rubbed his fingernails on his shirt then sobered. “Enough of this. Get out of here. You have work to do. And Reynaud, if Burke or anyone else locates Silvan they are to let you know immediately and you’ll let me know. We have to destroy him once and for all.”
* * * *
After thinking about it, Reynaud decided to keep his team safe rather than sending them on the hunt for Silvan, so he arranged with Antoine for them to stay at the plantation until everything was over. With that settled, and his team members informed they were to go to the plantation immediately, and why, Reynaud went in search of Burke. Some of his team were unhappy they wouldn’t be involved, but they knew better than to argue with him—or Antoine.
As it was a Friday night, he knew Burke would be in the Quarter. It was just a case of finding him—which he did, well after eleven, when he saw him surveying the crowds in Jackson Square.
“Planning on taking one of the vampire tours?” Reynaud asked, gesturing to a group of people on the plaza listening to one of the tour guides.
“Not hardly,” Burke replied, shaking his head. “What are you doing here?”
“We have to talk.”
“From your expression, I’d say it was serious.”
“Deadly serious,” Reynaud replied. “Let’s go to my house. It’s closer.”
As soon as they were there, seated in the parlor, Reynaud filled Burke in on everything he knew about Silvan.
“Damn it, Rey, that puts you right in his headlights if you’re planning on searching for him. He sounds like the type of guy who would revel in taking you out.”
“He is, but I’m not planning on putting myself in a position for him to try. That’s why I need your help.” Not quite the truth, but Reynaud wasn’t about to reveal his entire plan quite yet.
“You want me looking, and then telling you when I find him. How will I do that?”
“You have heard of cell phones,” Reynaud replied, smiling briefly.
“Yes, oh great and wise one. However, if I call you, he’ll…Okay, never mind. Texting will be me. How fast can you move to get to him?”
Reynaud snapped his fingers. “That fast, as long as I’m not halfway across the city, which I won’t be. I intend to be close to you from now until he’s found and Antoine and I can deal with him.”
“Antoine’s in on this? Yeah, I guess he would be, as the King. Where will your team be?”
“At Antoine’s plantation where they’ll be safe. They’re good. They’re very good. But none of them is close to me or Antoine in age and experience.”
“Three-hundred is Old?”
“Middle-aged, I told you that. The majority of my team are still Young Adults or in very early Middle-Age. They were chosen for their enhanced abilities, but there’s no way they can go up against Silvan and survive.”
“But you can.” Burke looked as if he wasn’t at all certain that was the case.
“My Sire was Old, close to being an Ancient. Because of that, I’m stronger, faster, and more powerful than most vampires of my age. He turned me to save my life, and kept me with him for the requisite year while I learned to handle what I’d become. Then, well, then he vanished. I’ve often wondered if it was because he didn’t want to be saddled with a Child who was younger than him by thousands of years. A love affair with a human was one thing. Being tied to me afterward…” Reynaud smiled sourly. “Love can only take you so far before it dies.”
“It’s a damned good thing I haven’t fallen in love with you, then,” Burke spat out, walking to the window, staring out into the dark.
“I’m only three-hundred, not even close to five-thousand,” Reynaud said under his breath.
Burke heard him anyway because he whirled around to look at him. “It still means you’re no spring chicken or close to it.”
“No, I’m not,” Reynaud agreed. “I’m also not in love with you, either, so you’re safe enough. Can we drop this now and get back to the problem of Silvan?”
“Yeah.” Burke sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blown off the handle the way I did. It’s just that I’d hate to see something deadly happen to you, now that I’ve gotten to know you.”
“I’d rather that didn’t happen, too—to either of us.”
“I’ll be perfectly safe. He won’t know that I know what he is, and anyway he’s not going after humans, you said.”
“So far as we know he hasn’t.”
Burke snorted. “That makes my night. Not.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it doesn’t.” Reynaud went to where he was standing, giving him a swift hug. “I’m going to make certain he doesn’t go after you.”
Burke nodded, not moving away from him. “When I do find him, I can shoot him, you know. That should end the problem right there.”
“No. Absolutely not. He’s old, fast, and wily. If you only wound him, the way you did with your first shot at Morra, he’ll shrug it off no matter how much it hurts and kill you before you can shoot again. Or, he’ll make you his prisoner to use against us. He’s smart enough to figure you might be bait to catch him. If that happened, he’d probably turn you as well, and then abandon you somewhere far from here to fend for yourself.”
“This gets better and better,” Burke said dryly.
Reynaud chuckled. “Not really, but you should know all the facts, right?”
“Yeah, right.” Burke put his arms around Reynaud’s waist. “So it’s going to be you, me, and Antoine against the big bad rogue vampire. Why not get all your team in on it, once I’ve found him, if I do?”
“I told you, they’re too young. He could control them and turn them against us.”
“The same holds true for you, I’d think, if he’s been around as long as you say.”
“He could try, but in doing so his attention would be split, giving Antoine the chance he needs to deal the fatal blow.”
“God damn it, Rey, you’re setting yourself up, aren’t you? How does Antoine feel about it?”
Reynaud looked away, saying, “He doesn’t know. He intends on being by my side, once we’ve located Silvan, but that’s it.”
“If you don’t tell him, I will.”
“How do you plan on doing that? You don’t know his phone number and if you’re thinking about going to the plantation, you won’t get past the gate without one of us with you.”
“Rey, please…” Burke pushed him away angrily, striding toward the parlor doorway. “Call me when it’s over, if you’re still alive.”
Reynaud was beside him before he could take another step. “All right. You win. Give me a minute to let Antoine know we have to talk.” He used his telepathic ability to ask Antoine to come to the house. “He’ll be here in five minutes,” he told Burke after breaking the connection. “Would you like a beer while we wait?”
“Now you decide to play the proper host,” Burke replied with a ghost of a smile. “Sure, why not.”
* * * *
Burke’s gaze followed Reynaud as he left the room. Would I sleep with him, if he offered? Probably. I bet the sex would be pretty fantastic. Afterward, then what? Just because we’re attracted to each other doesn’t mean a thing if we can’t
take it beyond sex, and he’s not going to let that happen. Hell, I’m not sure I would.
He was well aware, given the present situation, the last thing he should be thinking about was any sort of personal relationship with Reynaud beyond friendship. But damn it, he’s sexy when he’s in, well, fighting mode I guess. Or sexier. “Okay, stop,” he cautioned himself.
“Stop what?” Reynaud asked, returning with a bottle of beer and two glasses of wine.
“Stop worrying,” Burke quickly alibied. “I know you and Antoine can take care of yourselves.”
“You know nothing of the sort,” Antoine said, startling Burke as he strode into the room.
“Should I amend that to ‘you’d better be able to’?” Burke asked sarcastically.
Antoine nodded, taking the glass of wine Reynaud handed him. “Now, why the need for my company here, rather than you coming to the plantation?”
“It’s faster this way.” Reynaud began to pace, shooting a disgruntled look at Burke. “He thinks I should update you on our plans for Silvan.”
“Given that I’m involved, that might be a good idea,” Antoine replied acerbically.
“It’s not going to be an easy battle,” Reynaud said. “We may be, we are powerful, but Silvan is vicious and his rage will fuel that.” He paused, frowning. “He’s also clever. He might have an ulterior motive for coming here.”
“Which would be?”
“To draw you out, kill you, and then take over your territory.”
Antoine nodded. “That occurred to me as well. It won’t happen.”
“You’d better hope it doesn’t,” Burke murmured, earning dour looks from the two vampires.
“What is your new plan, Reynaud?” Antoine asked.
“You know he’ll try to control one of us if he can, and force the other one on the defensive against both him and…well, me because I’d be his obvious choice of a pawn. While he’s trying to do that, it will break his concentration, giving us the edge we might need.”
If Burke thought Antoine would immediately tell Reynaud he was crazy to even suggest putting himself in that position, he was wrong.
“You can’t do anything to tip him off that you expect him to try that,” Antoine replied. “Block against any attempt he’ll make to enter your mind, but not too strongly. It’s a given that he’ll know you’re not nearly as old as he and I are, which is why he’ll target you. What he doesn’t know, we hope, is who sired you, so he won’t be aware that your abilities are much stronger than he might believe.”
Burke and the Vampire Page 6
