by L. M. Pruitt
“I know that even though you don’t like people, you’re shouldering the responsibility of a great number of them. You don’t like to see people in pain, and you’ll do almost anything to make it stop. You don’t like crowds or tequila, and you like your burgers with nothing but mayo and salt.”
Theo placed his right hand over my left, forming a circle with our arms on the table. “I know you wear your hair down because you don’t want the trouble of putting it up, but you don’t know what to do with it down, either. You raise your left eyebrow when you’re thinking about a problem, and you tuck your tongue in your cheek right before you say something very smart-ass.”
He brought our hands together, then raised mine to his face, eyes closing, inhaling deeply. “I know your skin feels like living silk, and you smell like roses and chocolate.” He placed my outstretched hand over his heart, opening those dark, intense eyes. “And I know that short of dying, there’s not a thing in this lifetime or any other that could make me not love you.”
My mouth went dry, and despite the physical impossibilities, my heart fell into my stomach. I had no idea whether I was secretly happy or scared to death. Maybe a little of both. Or a lot of one and a little of another.
“I can probably assume you’re freaking out more than a little. That’s okay. I was more than a little freaked out myself when the thought first hit me, which was sometime while you were eating dinner with the Council that first night.” He let go of my hands and I drew them slowly back across the table. They say when people are acting crazy you don’t make sudden movements around them. Or maybe the sentiment related to wild animals. Either way it seemed like good advice to follow.
“Theo, it’s impossible for you to fall in love with someone you don’t really know all too well in less time than it took God to create the earth. Whether you go the creation route or intelligent design.” I really, really needed to believe my own words. I took another long sip, noticing the plastic cup was almost empty. More alcohol. I really, really, needed more alcohol.
“A week ago you would have said it was impossible for you to throw lightning bolts or astral project.” Theo drained his drink, looking around for the bargirl. Since I needed at least one more round, I hoped he found her fast. “Time is relative. Hell, sometimes reality is relative, since our reality is different from the reality of probably every other person in this room. But what I know, with every ounce of being, is not relative. It’s absolute.”
How do you look in the face of utter certainty and entertain the beginnings of doubt? It’s also apparently impossible to entertain censoring your thoughts, because mine came spilling out of my mouth before I even knew they were there. “Theo, people like you don’t fall in love with people like me. You deserve some Garden District princess whose family wouldn’t even know kids lived on the streets.”
“And what about you, what do you deserve?”
“Nothing. I deserve nothing.” I realized even though I was saying it, I didn’t really want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe no one waited out there for me. I could accept it, but I didn’t want to believe it.
“I don’t believe that. Neither do you.” Theo’s smile lit up his entire face and made you see just how attractive he really was. “You’re just saying it because you’re scared.”
“Scared? Me?” I scoffed, even though I knew he spoke the truth. Screw scared, a step away from flat out terrified described me better. “I play with vampires now, mister. You underestimate me greatly if you believe that.”
“Alright, then. If you’re not scared, you won’t have a problem with me kissing you.” He slid around the table until he sat next to me. He kept his hands above the table, away from my legs, even though my dress rode high enough to expose a decent amount of thigh. Points for him.
“You’re daring me to kiss you? What, are we back in middle school or something?”
“Whatever gets the job done. Besides, think of it as playing spin-the-bottle without actually spinning the bottle and possibly landing on someone like that robust gentlemen over there.”
I glanced over my shoulder to see who Theo nodding toward and choked back laughter at the sight of a man who could have been Ms. Talanger’s brother, down to the overabundance of surgical enhancements. As I turned back to say something on the slick side, Theo slid his hands up my neck and cupped my face.
“Don’t worry, sugar. It’s only a kiss,” he murmured, his lips close enough I felt the words against mine. His eyes were almost black again, and I felt my breath hitch. He eased forward a teeny, tiny bit, pressing his lips more firmly against mine, and my eyes opened wide.
I’d expected Williams to be cold and he’d been warm. I expected Theo to be warm and he burned against me. Like all the emotion he felt concentrated in those amazing lips and he poured them into this kiss. Williams had skill, because he’s over two hundred years old, and he even had feeling, but Theo…. I’ve always thought the phrase, “make an angel weep” overused and overrated, but I’ll recant now. There were angels weeping in jealousy at not being able to experience what I did at the moment.
I’m betting a few of the other people in the bar were jealous, because at least one called out for us to get a room. Their reaction might have something to do with the fact that after my initial shock, I did my best to crawl into his lap. I wasn’t being too subtle about it either. My breath burned in my lungs when I pulled back and fell back into my chair. I scooted a few inches away, trying to put a little more distance between temptation and myself. I’m usually strong willed, but I didn’t trust myself at this point.
On the plus side, Theo didn’t look any better than me. We sat silent until I could draw a deep breath and let it out slowly. Finally, I felt calm enough to say something. I tried for something profound, but came up blank.
“Well.”
“Yeah, that’s all I had, too. Nice to know once in a while that smart mouth of yours is out of gas.”
I narrowed my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest again. “Oh, and you don’t have a smart mouth of your own, right?”
“Not at all. I’m just overly charming.” Theo laughed at the look of disbelief on my face. After a moment I broke down and laughed with him. The tiny bit of tension clinging to the air cleared and normalcy returned. As normal as it got around me lately anyway.
“Since you’re so overly charming and we’re on a date and all, I guess this means you’re picking up the tab here, too?”
“If that was your subtle way of hinting we should leave – you need to work on your subtlety. But to answer your question, of course. I’m many things, but I was raised to be a gentleman.” When the bargirl made her way back over to us, Theo handed her a bill and told her to keep the change. I bet he ranked as a favorite among the wait staff wherever he went.
Bourbon was still hopping when we headed back down it, with the drunks beginning to spill out of the bars. Some were heading back to their houses or hotels. Others were heading to the next bar. The neon lights made it almost impossible for there to be a dark corner, and the music blaring made it more than difficult to think. Theo’s hand warmed mine, his usual warm, not the crazy concentrated heat his kiss had been. The wind blew in from the river, thick and warm and tinged with the unique smell of the Mississippi.
“This is what we’re fighting for.” I didn’t realize I’d spoken aloud until Theo leaned closer to speak in my ear.
“We’re fighting for drunks, tourists, grifters, thieves, and other people of ill-repute?”
“Don’t be a wise-ass right now, I’m having a moment.” I punched him in the arm, a friendly buss, and he exaggerated a wince.
“I get what you mean, Jude. We’re fighting to be able to have the illusion of normalcy and for everybody who doesn’t have a clue there really are monsters waiting in the dark.” He took my hand again. By now the gesture held the hint of normalcy we were chasing. “We’re fighting for something bigger than the greater good. We’re fighting for the greater.”
“Sometimes the ends more than justify the means.” I felt him still next to me, and knew the normalcy we’d been pretending had come to an end. “Rian heard you the last time you psychically called for help.”
I didn’t turn to see whatever he saw, because I knew for his voice to go flat and empty it wasn’t something I wanted to see. “We’re seven blocks away. They’ll never make it in time.”
“All they have to do is have a circle ready to cast. When I run, you run.”
The jazz music spilled out of doorways like a distant dream, my heart pounding so loud it echoed in my head. Time slowed down until I could almost feel a moment, even one breath taking an eternity. I slid my eyes to my right, and at the very edge of my vision saw the blonde woman who kept company with Hart. The breath caught in my throat, almost choking me.
“Run.”
Chapter Nineteen
We didn’t run so much as move. I’ve done enough running in the past and try to avoid doing so as much as possible. There’s nothing like having people bound and determined to kill you nipping at your heels to make you shake the lead out.
Our movement was faster than running and yet so much easier. People cleared out of the way like we were invisible. I tried to look behind us, but Theo jerked harder on our linked hands and I faced forward.
I sent out a thought to Rian, then another, and a third, hoping at least one would reach him. I had no idea what Theo planned, but I knew if we got inside the house we’d be safe. No vampire could cross the threshold without the permission of someone who lived there, and only Williams and his followers had authorization to cross.
A block separated us from the Crossroads. A few people roamed the streets, looking in gallery and shop windows. None of them paid any attention to us, even though I knew we looked like something out of a movie: a man and woman, clothes and hair flying, running from a pack of almost monsters. If even one bystander bothered to lift a camera and snap a shot, they’d make the cover of a cheesy tabloid.
Half a block to go and I spotted Rian standing on the sidewalk, looking as if he waited on a taxi. I wanted to yell for him to get inside but between the run and sheer terror, I could barely draw an even breath. Almost every time Hart and I met, he tried to kill me. I had good reason to not want to sit down and have a little chat with him.
With a second to spare, Rian stepped off the sidewalk, stretching a hand out for Theo to grasp. At the same time, I heard Gillian’s voice in my head, telling me to think the circle into existence. With no choice but to trust someone who knew what they were doing more than me, I followed her instructions. Theo and Rian swung me around to face back down Royal, and I gasped as the circle snapped into place, power singing through every pore of my body.
Blondie and the great hulking mass of muscle running with her apparently hadn’t felt the power surge. They couldn’t see the transparent gold film I could, because they ran smack into it. Their impact made the circle shiver, and I had the crazy feeling of being inside a great big Jell-O mold, a somewhat true impression as the pair bounced back from the invisible shield and hit the sidewalk on their asses.
The blonde howled with rage. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and goose bumps popped up on my skin. Muscle boy didn’t say anything, but his burning red eyes got the point across.
“Enough, Evangeline. Theatrics are uncalled for, especially when for the benefit of such common people.” Hart had learned from Evangeline and stood a good ten feet away. He was closer to St. Germaine’s house than mine, but didn’t appear worried about his position. Always nice to know you’re scarier than a homicidal mad man.
Hart didn’t move closer. He waited for them to pick themselves up and move back to where he stood. A few men remained in a forward position, ready to hurl themselves into the wall of protection at a word from Hart. They were either: very loyal, very stupid, or very scared. I guessed all three.
“You win this time, Jude. You’ve made your point, if that was your purpose.” His smile dripped with malice. “We’ll leave the humans out of this, for now.”
“How good-natured of you.” My throat might have been painfully dry, but my voice held steady.
“I’m willing to compromise, Jude, as I’ve shown in the past. It never seems to work out in a way which would truly benefit both of us.” A scuffle sounded behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder, his smile tinged with joy. Whenever the bad guys look happy, you know something bad is about to happen.
“When we discovered your Alcatraz-like escape, we were in the middle of dinner. We decided to take our meal to-go.” Hart laughed at his own joke, and Blondie giggled. Bad guys don’t giggle. Cackle, yes, mwahahaha, yes, but giggle – the sound didn’t sit right with me.
“In the spirit of compromise, we’ll stop feeding from captive humans. We will need you to take care of this last bit of trash for us.” Hart stepped aside as someone behind him pushed a bundle forward so hard it flew past the front guard and rolled to a stop at the edge of the circle.
I’ll admit to being more than a little slow on the uptake. Rian took one look and turned away, dropping to his knees and vomiting viciously. Theo stood, his hand in mine, skin chilled slightly, as if whatever they saw and I didn’t sucked away some of his ever present heat. I looked and became more confused and disturbed because what I saw made no sense.
The bundle was a rolled carpet, and I thought maybe it contained some sort of disgusting vampire gift. A moan followed by movement, and the picture snapped into focus. Only a person can produce a sound so pitiful and horrible it raises the hair all over your body.
“She’s not dead. Yet. Such a light, sweet taste that, even though only a sip or two would have sufficed, we got quite carried away.” Hart sauntered forward, hands pulled from his pockets. He knelt and ran his fingers over her face, making her jump and moan at the unexpected contact.
She belonged on a date with the captain of the high school football team, picking out a prom dress, or hell, getting her nose pierced with a fake ID. Anywhere but where she’d landed. I made a sound in the back of my throat when Hart bent his head, eyes locked with mine. He should have looked submissive as hell, kneeling on the ground in front of me as I stood behind a powerful magic circle.
Instead, he resembled a nightmare brought to life.
He smiled at me in the second before he reared back and sank sharp fangs into her neck.
She screamed, or tried to. Hart used one hand to squeeze her throat, cutting off what little air she drew. Evangeline giggled again, and I made a vow – before Hart died, whatever it took, I’d make sure she never made the sound again.
It ended soon after, almost too soon. Hart finished bleeding her dry, dabbing at his lips with a handkerchief as he stood and brushed the wrinkles from his clothes. I was glad she didn’t suffer more and yet felt, if you were going to steal someone’s life and innocence, the action shouldn’t be rushed.
I stood and watched, rooted inactive by the display Hart put on for my benefit.
“Well, since that’s done, please do keep your end of the bargain up and take the trash out.” Hart nudged the body with his foot, careful not to get any blood on his shiny shoes. He smiled, and this time the expression reached his washed out eyes. “One wouldn’t want things to start to smell, would they?”
If a fate worse than death existed, I’d find it and make sure Hart received it before I left this earth.
“What could you possibly have done, Jude?” Gillian’s voice remained patient but thin at the edges. I’d used my patience up an hour ago.
“Anything other than stand and watch her die.” The skirt of my dress lifted briefly as I spun on my heel, floating back down as I stalked back the opposite direction. Pacing isn’t my favorite way to pass the time, but drinking or sex weren’t options at the moment. Without those two fallbacks,
I had two outlets left: pacing and complaining.
“Hart would have snapped your neck like a twig, and neither Rian nor Theo could have prevented the action.” I didn’t have to like Gillian being right. Nor did I need to hide the fact I didn’t like her being right.
“Every time the two of us meet, I back down and let him do whatever he came to do. How the blessed heck am I supposed to defeat the bastard if all I ever do is run and hide behind walls?”
Disgusted with the situation, and absolutely bored out of my mind with pacing, I flung myself onto the sofa next to Theo. Well, not quite next to him-just because I’d decided I wasn’t going to have sex with him didn’t mean I wouldn’t change my mind if too stressed or tempted. And I was definitely stressed.
“Gillian, perhaps it might be a good idea to tell Jude about the Rising.” Rian sat in one of the pair of wingback chairs flanking the sofa, fingers tapping out some internal rhythm on the arm. I hadn’t seen Elizabeth or Celia since our return, and assumed Elizabeth had finally gotten the little one back to sleep after our wild magic had woken her up. I didn’t envy her the job in the least. Rian smiled, but it seemed forced.
A real glutton for punishment. As if I didn’t have enough problems with my love life, I had to take an interest in somebody else’s.
“The Covenant. The Prophecy. The Rising. Do you guys have a little cheat sheet you hand out to help people keep the terms straight, or am I the only one who gets confused?” I pulled my legs up to sit cross-legged on the couch, only to have Gillian scowl at me and look pointedly at my un-ladylike position. Rolling my eyes, I shifted around until my knees twisted up underneath me, trying not to show too much leg. Something told me Gillian would consider the gesture un-ladylike as well.
“Some things aren’t spoken of, except by a very few. And no, they don’t need a cheat sheet to help keep things straight.” Gillian folded her arms over her chest, the crackling fireplace providing a dramatic backdrop. After a good five minutes, she sighed.
