Rafael nodded, taking a sip of his vodka. “That’s right.”
Matt leaned back in his chair and regarded the vampire. “So, how old are you—if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I was born in 1792, just over two hundred fifty years ago.”
Matt grinned at him. “That’s a long time to be on a liquid diet. Why haven’t you taken the Grace already? Isn’t that the whole point of the Armistice?”
Rafael fixed him with a level gaze. “The Grace is hardly a benign power, Matt. Even when the Nightwalker is willing, it still destroys those whom it finds unworthy. The Redeemer once estimated the mortality rate at around thirty percent if the candidate is willing to accept the Light. If the Grace is applied when the candidate is unwilling or unprepared, the mortality rate approaches one hundred percent.” Rafael swirled his drink a little before taking another sip, lost in thought. When he finally spoke again, his voice was subdued. “Everyone has a past. I don’t have a soul, so I can’t really judge the burden of my sins. Perhaps I’m too afraid to find out whether my actions in the present make up for the things I’ve done.”
“Okay,” said Andrea. “Changing the subject now.” She looked at Noah. “How long have you guys known Toby?”
Noah laughed. “We’ve been friends since we were kids. At first, we thought he was just being cocky when he took up the violin, but he managed to make it sing eventually. We’ve been playing as a group, on and off, since we were teenagers.”
“Then it must be good to work together again,” said Andrea. She toyed with her napkin while she considered her words. “Does this whole business with the AIs put a damper on your relationship?”
Matt looked at her with a sober expression. “It kind of shocked me when I heard that Toby became their spokesman.”
Noah’s expression turned grim. “The things they say these machines were about to do are chilling. Still, after everything we’ve been through, we decided to let Toby prove he was still the man we remembered him to be. We owed him that.”
Rafael watched Ethan with his senses open, but caught only a tightly restricted burst of anger, just for a moment, before it faded. Rafael was impressed. He hadn’t met a mortal before with such rigid control. Is he deliberately hiding something, or is he just disciplined?
“We take care of our own, Andrea,” Ethan said finally. “Toby’s one of us, no matter what else he is.”
“Thank you, guys,” Toby said, his eyes bright. “It means a lot to me.”
“Like glue, brother,” Matt said with a smile. “Now if only you’d stop yakking about your woman all the time, it would be just like it was before.”
“Hey, now wait a minute,” Toby said in mock anger. “Don’t hate me because you’re jealous. Maybe you just need to find someone nice and settle down yourself.”
Matt laughed. “Not on your life, blondie.”
Noah shook his head. “Kids.” He smiled at Andrea. “Don’t mind them, my dear. Matt’s just annoyed that Toby won’t join him in catting around ‘til all hours of the night anymore.”
Toby snorted. “Hey, you can’t stay single forever. Life’s too short.” He looked at Ethan. “What about you, Eth? What happened to that girl you were seeing? Sarah? The two of you seemed pretty serious before I dropped out of the band.”
Rafael was shocked at the explosion of white-hot rage that boiled off Ethan’s mind. He tensed, ready to protect Toby if the other musician attacked. Ethan simply stared at Toby for a few moments, holding himself perfectly still.
“You were gone for quite a while, Toby,” Ethan said, betraying nothing of his emotions. “Things change. I haven’t spoken to Sarah in months.”
“It’s too bad.” Noah turned his head to look at Ethan. “You guys were tight. What happened? You never talk about it.”
“And I don’t plan to start now,” Ethan said. He checked his watch. “It’s late, and I want to get some sleep before my flight tomorrow.” He stood from his chair. “I’ll see you guys next week at rehearsal.”
Matt stood, as well. “I’m going to head out, too. There’s a couple of clubs down here that I want to check out, and my flight’s not until the afternoon.”
“See you guys later,” said Noah. He cocked his head and regarded Andrea intently. “Can I interest you in a movie, perhaps?”
Andrea smiled slightly. “Sure. What’s playing?”
Noah shrugged. “No idea. Give me a sec, and I’ll snag the listings from the maître d’ while I settle the tab.” He stood and walked toward the reception desk, leaving Rafael, Toby, and Andrea sitting alone.
Rafael felt Andrea’s psychic probe against his shields and linked with her. “What did you find out?” he asked.
“Noah is more bothered by Toby’s association with the Nexus than he lets on, but it’s based more on principle than because of any deep-seated antipathy. Matt really doesn’t care. He’s just happy to have the band together again.” She looked at Toby. “You’ve got some good friends there, Toby.”
Toby smiled. “See. I told you. None of them would try to hurt me.”
“Don’t be so sure, Tobias,” thought Rafael.
Both Sentinels turned their full attention on him at once. “What are you talking about?” Toby demanded.
“When you mentioned Ethan’s girlfriend, Sarah, he became so angry that I thought he was going to punch you out.” Rafael gave Toby an apologetic look. “There’s something he’s keeping bottled up inside, and I don’t know what it is. All I can say is that he blames you for it.”
“So he had a bad breakup. What does that have to do with me?”
“I don’t know. But the woman is the key.”
Andrea leaned forward intently. “What’s her full name, Toby? I can have Armistice Security check her out. Maybe she can tell us what Ethan is hiding.”
“I don’t remember,” thought Toby. He glanced back and forth between them. “Do you honestly think he’d try and hurt me? The OU wants me dead. Ethan wouldn’t go along with that.”
“You haven’t dealt with this kind of anger, Toby,” Rafael thought. “I have. I live with it every day. It consumes you, drives out your reason and beliefs, until all that’s left is rage.”
Toby stared at him and then got up out of his chair. “I’m going home. I’ll see you two later.” Then he disappeared in a haze of white light.
Noah came back to the table. “Hey, where did Toby go? I just saw him teleport out.”
“He went home,” said Andrea. She looked at Noah. “Do you want to get out of here?”
Noah’s smiled in delight. “Sure. I’ll have the car meet us outside.” He pulled out his sat-phone and offered a hand to Andrea.
Andrea allowed him to help her to her feet and then extended her hand to Rafael. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Rafael.”
Rafael nodded to her as he shook her hand. “Likewise.”
He watched Noah and Andrea walk out of the restaurant. Then he stood and ordered his AI to teleport him home. The restaurant faded away, replaced by the master teleport gateway at the heart of the Citadel. Making his way to the internal gateways, Rafael jumped himself back to his building. He walked purposefully to his apartment and let himself inside before turning to face the single heartbeat he could hear.
Nick turned away from the window and its view of the stars. “Well?”
Rafael gazed at him silently and then took a deep breath. “Ethan is your man.”
Nick snarled. “Tell me everything.”
THE SPACER
CHAPTER 30
Anchorpoint City, Colorado; One week later
Andrea Daniels placed her hand over the security sensor and allowed the AI to recognize her. After a moment, the door chimed, and she let herself in.
Layla looked up from her workstation. “Good morning, Ms. Daniels. What brings you to Anchorpoint today?”
Andrea sat in one of the chairs drawn up to the other side of the desk. “Speaker Layla, I thought perhaps we should talk, given our mutua
l ties to Toby.”
Layla folded her hands on the desk and looked at her with a calculating expression. “That seems appropriate. We have not spoken more than a few words to each other since the two of you became linked.”
“Yes, well, I hope the three of us will have a long time to get acquainted, but I thought I’d start the ball rolling.”
Layla considered the Sentinel with a hint of a smile. “Were you afraid I might be jealous of you?”
“Possibly. The link is a powerful connection, and it wouldn’t be the first time that an outsider might mistake the motives of a bondmate.”
Layla chuckled. “No, it wouldn’t.” Her expression grew more somber. “I have studied Sentinels for millennia, first as enemies, then as allies. I have no illusions that I could separate the two of you, nor do I feel threatened by the closeness that you share through the link. However, it is not uncommon for that closeness to develop into something more, if firm boundaries are not enforced on both sides.”
“Even if I felt that way about him, I’d never try to take him from you, Layla. No matter what our relationship evolves into, he’ll still put you first.”
“I believe you. In any case—” She broke off with a grimace.
Andrea raised an eyebrow. “Is something wrong?”
Layla took a deep breath. “If I had to guess, I believe that was a contraction.”
Andrea’s eyes widened. “Right now?”
Layla stared at her with a dazed expression. “So it would seem.”
Andrea seemed totally at a loss. “How can I help?”
Layla laughed. “I think, if you could ask Tobias to collect his sister and meet me at the main hospital here in Anchorpoint, that would be sufficient.” She struggled to stand.
Andrea jumped to her feet and went around the desk to help the Daywalker up. “I can do that,” she said. “Is there anyone else you want me to call?”
“I think Nicholas and the rest of the Triumvirate should know, in case they need to cover my duties. They can decide whom else to tell.” She staggered slightly. “On second thought, perhaps, could you help me to the gateway? I do not wish to attempt a teleport in my state of mind.”
Andrea slipped her arm around her. “If you like I can jump you there directly.”
Layla sighed. “I do not ask for favors easily, Ms. Daniels.”
“It’s no trouble, Layla, and my name is Andrea. Feel free to use it.” Andrea grasped the vampire more tightly and then jumped them both away.
San Francisco, California
Toby was playing a short melody on his violin when he heard Andrea’s voice in his head. “Toby, you need to get to the main hospital in Anchorpoint right now.”
Toby broke off his tune with a screech. The other members of his band looked at him as if he was demented. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Congratulations.”
Toby turned white. “Now? It’s happening now?”
“Yes. She wants you to grab your sister and meet us at the hospital.”
“Right. I’ll be there in a minute.” Toby laid his instrument back in its case before turning to his bandmates. “Guys, I have to go.”
Matt grinned at his obvious nervousness. “Shall we break out the cigars, Toby?”
Toby nodded, speechless.
Noah slapped him on the back. “Go, then. Congratulations.”
“Do you want us to come with you?” Ethan asked in a soft voice.
Toby stared at him, trying to see if there was a hidden meaning in the offer, but he suddenly didn’t care. “Oh, God, yes.”
The others immediately put their instruments aside and stood next to him. “Then we’re there,” said Noah.
Toby gave him a look of gratitude, then enfolded them in a teleport matrix and jumped them all away.
Anchorpoint City, Colorado; Four hours later
Ethan watched the people in the waiting room. He had known Nick for years, but had never seen him this restless, pacing back and forth in the open space. Andrea slept, leaning against Noah, who had casually wrapped his arm around her. Matt was deeply involved in a conversation with Rory about drum theory, while Takeshi played chess with Jeremy. Ana had gone off to get food for all of them, since the hospital’s internal teleport functions were temporarily offline. Scott was the only one missing, staying home to take care of his own newborn, but he checked in every so often with Nick over their link. It all appeared charmingly domestic, and if he hadn’t known that most of the occupants of the room weren’t human, he might even have been comforted by the illusion of normalcy. As it was though, the entire tableau struck him as strangely creepy.
He got up from his chair and followed the signs to the restroom. When he was done, he stared into the mirror while he washed his hands, seeing the creases on his face that hadn’t been there a year ago. How did I get so old? Briefly, he thought of Sarah and her talk of “laugh lines,” which brought a smile to his lips for just a moment. Then he pushed the memory away. He couldn’t think about her, not in this place. This was enemy territory, and nothing would change that. Nothing at all.
The door clicked and then opened. I locked that, he thought, schooling his expression. It wouldn’t do to let his feelings show. Not here. He felt a brief spasm of fear when Nick walked inside the room, then he deliberately smiled at the Daywalker.
“Hi, Nick. I’m done. The room’s all yours.”
Nick closed the door behind him. Then he laid his palm on the center of the door. “Let no one enter. The way is barred.” A faint green glow spread out from his hand to cover the door, then faded. Nick turned his attention back to Ethan, and his eyes turned red. “It’s time we had a little chat.”
Ethan controlled his panic, affecting innocence. “What about?”
“Sarah Harrison,” Nick said in a rumbling whisper, his voice dropping into a lower register.
Ethan’s composure crumbled, and he snarled in rage. “Don’t say her name, you freak.”
Nick smiled, allowing his fangs to show. “Ethan, I am truly sorry, but it doesn’t change anything.” He stalked forward, closing the distance between them. “You can lie, scheme, and plot all you want against the Nexus. Be my guest. But if you ever endanger Toby or his family again, I will see you dead.”
Ethan laughed harshly. “You can’t just kill me, Daywalker. Don’t you have laws about that sort of thing? Honor can be such a bitch.”
Nick grabbed Ethan around the throat, jerking him forward. Ethan struggled to breathe, feeling Nick’s claws press sharply against the skin of his neck.
“Don’t question my honor, human,” Nick said in a soft, menacing tone. “You tried to set up a member of my House to be killed for the sake of your revenge. I’m perfectly within my rights to stomp on your bones.”
“So why don’t you?” Ethan asked defiantly, though his words came out as little more than a croak.
“Because it would hurt Toby,” said Nick. He let go abruptly, and Ethan overbalanced and fell backward to the floor. “Make no mistake, Ethan. The second my brother stops caring about your life, then you will beg me to end it.”
“So kill me,” Ethan said, staring up at him. “Because otherwise I won’t stop until those monsters pay.”
Nick held out his right hand, and suddenly, Ethan was looking down a flaming length of black steel, the embedded runes glowing brightly within the blade. “I’ll do more than kill you, Ethan. I’ll cut your soul from your body, and you will never see her again, in this life or the next.”
Ethan swallowed his retort in fear and said nothing.
Nick nodded in satisfaction. “I’m glad we understand each other.” Then he turned his back, and the black sword faded from sight.
Ethan watched while the vampire laid his hand on the door. “The way is opened,” said Nick. He looked back as the red faded from his eyes. “Take care, Ethan.”
Ethan lay where he was for almost a minute after Nick left, then shook himself and got to his feet. He looked i
n the mirror again, thinking about her face. Don’t worry, baby. They won’t hurt anyone else, ever again. I’ll make sure of it.
Then he gathered his resolve and walked calmly back to the waiting room to join the others.
The next morning
Nick watched his brother in conversation with their mother, while Toby rocked in his chair with the infant in his hands, the soft strands of Antonio’s white hair showing above the line of the blanket. He turned away from the window to look at Layla, who stood next to him.
“What have they been able to tell you about the baby?” Nick asked her.
Layla didn’t take her eyes off Toby and Antonio. “Nothing, really. His hair appears to be naturally white, his eyes shift color with his mood, and the severed umbilical cord healed in just a few minutes. The preliminary laboratory tests indicate that his blood shows a mixture of Sentinel and vampire signatures. Otherwise, he is completely normal.” She smiled slightly. “And when he wants something, he just projects his needs into our minds instead of crying. It was somewhat disconcerting the first time, but we’re growing used to his moods.”
Nick looked at her expression as she gazed affectionately at Toby. “You seem to have recuperated well enough.”
“It was painful, but not unbearably so. I have already healed the damage. Physically, I am completely recovered.”
Nick smiled. “And emotionally?”
She finally looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “The White Wind told you that Daywalkers and Sentinels could create life from life, if they met as equals. I have never acknowledged any man my equal.” She turned back to look at Toby. “Tobias once said that I didn’t need an equal, but an opposite, to complete me. He may even have been right.”
Nick nodded and faced the window again. “Can you relieve Toby? I’d like to speak to him alone.”
She growled in a low rumble. “You will not compromise his happiness this day, Nicholas.”
Nick shook his head. “I won’t. It’s time we cleared the air about a few things between us.”
“I will hold you to that answer, Magister Luscian.” She turned her head so he could see her eyes turn red in challenge. “If you tarnish his memories of this moment, then you will answer to me.”
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