by Roh Morgon
“Apparently she heard about you and is here to attempt to destroy whatever happiness she perceives I might find. I fear you are in much greater danger than you realize.” His eyes flash red and he pauses.
“As to what else she can do? She generally wreaks havoc among the human population wherever she goes and has enough money to smooth over her . . . indiscretions, should she choose to do so. Katarina could make my life in this city very difficult, and I have no wish to relocate.
“She also will tamper with The Chosen of my lineage, which is why I must get back upstairs to ensure that Johan is still completely mine. And why you must not be alone with either Katarina or her companion. I fear she will attempt to take you into her lineage.”
He looks at me imploringly. “So will you please reconsider going home?”
“No, my place is by your side.” And as I say this, I realize it’s true, no matter what has happened or what will happen.
I take the bottle of bloodwine from him and wait.
Nicolas draws a deep breath and nods. “Very well. Then that is exactly where you will stay. Do not leave it. I do not know what I would do if anything happens to you.”
He kisses my forehead, then takes my other hand and we start to head back upstairs.
But as we reach the bottom step, Nicolas inhales sharply, and then we are running up the stairs.
CHAPTER 45
As we enter the kitchen, the first thing I see is the massive back of a huge, pale-haired Chosen at the rear of the room. The second is Johan’s face, frozen in fear, as he peers anxiously out from behind the six-foot-nine figure towering over him. The servant is pressed back against the counter with nowhere to go, trapped by the menacing Chosen.
Johan’s face fills with relief as he sees us. The giant’s back stiffens and he looses a growl of frustration.
“Johan, come here,” Nicolas says quietly. Johan sidles away from the counter and hurriedly crosses the room.
The other Chosen starts to turn in our direction, and faster than I can even grasp, Nicolas leaps across the room and slams the giant back up against the pantry. The wooden doors splinter and burst inward, and as their bodies crash down to the floor, Nicolas lands in a crouch and grabs the pale hair with one hand. He cocks back his other arm, fingers spread and nails fully extended, and aiming directly for the throat of the massive Chosen.
Fear ignites in the Chosen’s face, and he radiates absolute terror as Nicolas roars at him, fangs and red eyes flashing in rage.
The Chosen goes completely limp in submission, and Nicolas drags him out of the pantry wreckage and across the room. Johan and I glance at each other and follow them to the library.
As we get to the door, Nicolas throws the giant across the room where he lands in a crumpled pile at Katarina’s feet.
“Ah,” she says without batting an eye. “I see you’ve met Lars. Apparently he was not minding his manners, and obviously you handled him with your customary Magyar grace. Well done, Nicky,” she says scathingly.
“Tell him next time I will take his head. I will not tolerate any aggression from him or from you,” Nicolas snarls, the fury dripping from his voice.
“Now. I will once again ask . . .” He takes a deep breath. “Why . . . are . . . you . . . here?”
Lars pushes himself up from the floor, and Katarina glances at him before speaking.
“Gilles wanted me to deliver a message, but it is impolite for you to abuse my associate and expect to discuss business without refreshments,” Katarina says firmly.
Nicolas sighs, then glances at Johan. I give him the bottle that’s still in my hand and he leaves the room.
“Sooo, my dear,” Katarina says, looking at me. “Where are you from? And who are you from? You have a most unusual aura, and I can’t quite place it. You feel rather . . . odd.” She watches me speculatively, her copper eyes narrowed, and a sudden wave of disorientation leaves me a bit unsteady.
I feel like prey trapped in the fiery gaze of the predator.
Not a nice feeling.
“She is from the West Coast,” Nicolas replies before I can.
“Well, she is obviously not of your lineage, which raises other questions.” She turns to Nicolas. “What are you up to, Nicky? Forming a new alliance? We’ve noticed that you seem to be building an army, and that makes us very uncomfortable.”
Her flame-colored glare could melt steel, but Nicolas only tips his head and allows her a slight smile. His eyes are not smiling.
The silence lengthens, and I watch, fascinated with the stakes of this Game being played before me.
Johan comes back into the room carrying a tray with a carafe and five glasses, and sets it on the table.
“Finally.” Katarina signals Lars, who’s regained his feet and somewhat recovered his dignity, and he walks across the room to the table.
Johan visibly braces himself, and I wonder how long Lars was harassing him before we showed up.
Lars picks up one of the glasses and sets it to the side. Johan pours a small amount of bloodwine into it, then picks it up and takes several swallows. Everyone watches for a minute, then Katarina nods and Johan proceeds to fill the remaining glasses.
This looks similar to the procedure that was followed when the bloodwine was served to the Council members. I realize there must be a poison to which they are susceptible, and wonder what and just how lethal it is.
Nicolas walks over to the table and Lars quickly backs several steps. With a black look directed at the large Chosen, Nicolas chooses a glass and takes a sip himself.
“Very good. Thank you, Johan. You may go.” Nicolas speaks in a surprisingly gentle tone to the young Chosen as compared to his treatment of the servant at the Council meeting. I suspect it’s in response to Johan’s trauma at the hands of Lars.
Nicolas then picks up a second glass and walks over and hands it to me. I catch something flicker in Katarina’s expression. Surprise, and jealousy, perhaps. She has obviously never gotten over Nicolas.
Huh. First Éva, and now Katarina. Interesting.
Lars picks up the remaining two glasses and walks over to Katarina. He hands her a glass and she reaches up and caresses his cheek. He catches her fingertips and kisses them, then looks back at Nicolas. His expression is almost gloating, like he is saying, “see what I have that you gave up.”
Nicolas snorts. He actually snorts. I hold my face as still as possible.
Katarina rolls her eyes and, raising the glass to Nicolas, takes a sip. Her eyes close as she savors the red liquid, and she takes another swallow without opening them
I take one as well. The spiced bloodwine coats my tongue, and I swish it around in my mouth and swallow. Every drop leaves a path of sweet fire as it spreads into my system. I am struck by how powerful this is compared to what I had the other night. It really is just like drinking blood from a hot vein, and as a wave of pleasure washes over me, I look at Nicolas. He smiles and lifts his glass to his lips.
“My God, Nicky, how do you make this? This is absolutely exquisite!” She swallows another mouthful and softly moans. I glance at Lars, and see red flicker through his eyes as he takes a drink and watches her.
Hmm. Her boy toy appears to be quite in love with her. But from what Nicolas said, she is bonded to someone else, someone of Nicolas’s status. This Chosen seems to be rather young and nowhere near as powerful as Nicolas. I almost laugh out loud at how effortlessly Nicolas dragged and threw the giant around.
The gleam in Nicolas’s eyes tells me his thoughts are running along the same lines. I suspect he will know exactly how to use this little piece of information.
“Well, business does not seem to be quite so pressing now. Perhaps we can wait and have another carafe of this fabulous bloodwine. It is well worth traveling around the world for.” Katarina smiles, the copper of her eyes pink hued.
She really is quite beautiful. It’s understandable how Nicolas might have been attracted to her, at least until she opened her mouth.
>
“No, we need to discuss whatever it is that brought you here.” He curls his lip. “Now.”
Katarina narrows her eyes, then smiles.
Nicolas looks pointedly at her. “I’m sure you have a flight to catch.”
“Nicky, you really can be quite rude sometimes. I am in no hurry to leave.” She languidly waves her hand and takes another drink.
Nicolas sets his glass on the reading table next to the bookshelves. He’s barely drunk any.
Good idea—it’s pretty potent.
I watch Katarina and Lars finish, their eyes slightly glazed as though on a blood high.
As Lars walks back to refill their glasses, Nicolas asks, “What does Gilles want?”
“Why, your head, of course. Vacuum-sealed in a jar of blood. What else?” she says, smiling nonchalantly.
In a jar of blood so the tissues don’t dry out? Conscious? Oh, that’s . . . ghastly.
“You say this to me in my own house?” His words ooze with disgust. “You really are quite a witch, Katarina, and Gilles deserves you.”
Katarina laughs. “Well, you asked me what he wants. I am just being honest.”
“You do not know how to be honest. However, this once, I do believe you.” He sighs. “What did he really send you here to say?”
“Now, you see? A different question. A more precise question. Really, Nicky, I think you have fallen out of practice.”
Lars hands her back a full glass. She takes a long drink, closing her eyes as she swallows.
Nicolas takes a deep breath and waits.
Katarina opens her eyes and looks at Nicolas. “Explain why you are increasing your ranks. It seems obvious to us, but we would like to hear what you have to say about it.”
“How I manage my lineage is really none of your business. In fact, I might ask you the same question.” He watches, but her face reveals nothing.
She takes another drink, then walks across the room toward us. Nicolas steps closer to me, and I set my glass down on the reading table next to his.
“But what I really want to know is . . .” Katarina stops about six feet from us. “Who is she? What role does she play in this? You have not bonded, yet you have named her your queen. Who are you aligning with? The Egyptians? The Chinese?” Her look grows dark.
“You appear to be preparing to move against us, Nicolas. And I am here to tell you that we are aware of it, and we are making preparations ourselves. So if it is full-out war you want, we will gladly take you up on your offer, and take your head and your lineage in the process.”
Nicolas clenches his jaw and takes a breath. “There is nothing I can say to dispel your unfounded paranoia. But what I can say is, if any of you step foot in this hemisphere, it will be war. The heads will roll, and yours will be the first should you be foolish enough to come here again.”
“You would take my head, Nicolao? You who once loved me? Who once desired me? But wait, I forget. There have been so many others.” She looks at me and continues.
“Has he told you how many times he has fallen in love? How many times he has seduced wealthy young women into loving him, and then just disappears and leaves them heartbroken . . . forever? How many young women he has Changed, only to abandon them once they became Chosen—”
Shock races through me at her words. The doubts I constantly fight to keep buried explode forth with renewed energy.
And I’m shocked again as the slap that cracks across her face echoes throughout the room.
I don’t know if I’m more surprised at the slap itself or the fact that Nicolas would actually strike a female.
Lars, growling, leaps to her side to defend her.
But she is an Elder, and very strong, and though she staggers, she manages to stay on her feet. She places a hand on Lars to restrain him, and he complies.
Smart boy.
Massaging her jaw, she smiles. “You will regret that, Nicky.”
“Probably,” he says, but beneath his frustration and anger there is a hint of satisfaction in his tone.
“Well then, I think we are done here. I’m famished. Where are you taking me to dinner, Nicky?”
Weird. She’s so mercurial—like a bipolar on steroids.
He stands silent. I suspect he is wondering how long before Éva and the others show up.
“Come, come, Nicky. This is one Game you don’t want to play with me. Either take me to dinner, or I will go out and find my own. And I know how much you hate it when I do that. Lars and I are especially hungry tonight, and you can thank yourself for that. You and I both know how physical abuse whets the appetite.” She grins seductively, then looks at me.
I keep my face still as I try to suppress my imagination.
Nicolas purses his lips and nods. “Very well,” he says quietly.
And I realize with a chill that some of Nicolas’s donors will likely die tonight.
CHAPTER 46
“You should stay here or go home. You do not want to come to the club tonight.” Nicolas says as he paces the cellar floor.
We came down here to talk privately. Apparently the wine cellar’s second purpose is to serve as a soundproof room against sharp Chosen ears.
“As I told you before, I’m not leaving you alone with them.” No matter what Katarina said, I still feel very strongly about this.
“Do you doubt my ability to handle them?” He laughs quietly and brushes my hair back from my face.
“Then why did you call the others if it wasn’t for reinforcements?” I’m a bit puzzled, as Nicolas does seem to be physically superior to both of them.
“I need them to escort Katarina and her friend out of the country. Robert and Alina are both pilots and will fly my plane. Éva and Lorenzo will keep Katarina company and out of the pilot compartment.” He looks at his watch before continuing.
“Alina and Robert’s flights have already landed in Denver and they are on their way here. Lorenzo should be touching down momentarily and Éva is about twenty minutes behind him.”
“Then can’t we just wait here and not go to the club?” I hate the thought of those two predators prowling among the club’s trusting donors.
“Unfortunately not. If I do not take them to the club soon, Katarina will go hunt on her own. She is rather sadistic, and delights in taking the lives of innocents.” He tightens his jaw. “And she has been known to take children.”
I look at Nicolas in horror. Children?
“As she knows this is especially offensive to me, I can almost guarantee that is who she will hunt if she is loose in my city. And she would take special pleasure in leaving evidence pointing toward me or any of mine.” His dark eyes flash in frustration.
“Well, can’t you . . . force her to stay here?” My desperation increases as I try to come up with some kind of alternative.
“It would be a very ugly fight. And I am afraid once things get physical, I would not stop. If I kill her, Gilles would unleash his whole lineage on this country, and it would jeopardize the very survival of our kind.” He takes a breath and frowns.
“Sunny, please. I understand what you are feeling, which is why you should go home. I will be doing everything I can to minimize her impact at the club. I will have no time to protect you from some of the aspects of Chosen life you find disturbing.”
Like killing people.
“I need to get back to the library now. You make your choice. But remember, you will have to live with it, so make it with no regrets.”
In other words, I better not whine about it if I don’t like what I see.
I nod and we head back upstairs together.
The limo pulls out through the gates, speeding toward the downtown area. Sitting across from us, Katarina leans against Lars, playing with his hair and laughing at their quiet private jokes.
I sit close to Nicolas and hold tightly onto his arm. My anxiety is mounting, and he glances at me and takes a breath.
Right. I forget he’s so tuned in to what I’m feeling. This w
ill definitely make things more difficult for him at the club. I try to calm myself down.
“You need to relax, Nicky. Perhaps find a new partner. One who does not make you so tense.” Katarina laughs. “Oh, but as I recall, you always were too tightly wound and never had any concept of real fun.”
Katarina laughs again as Lars nibbles on her ear. He then bites through it with one of his fangs and she gasps, her face lit with pleasure.
Great. A live Chosen porn show in our own back seat. Well, maybe not exactly “live.”
Too soon, we pull into the club parking lot, drive around to the back of the building, and park. Johan gets out and opens the rear passenger door. Katarina steps out first, lightly dragging a nail across his throat as she passes him. Lars follows and growls menacingly at the servant.
Faster than I can track, Nicolas is out the other side and two inches from Katarina’s face.
“Behave yourself and keep your goddamn dog on a leash,” he snarls.
“Nicky, Nicky. Open the door, or we go for a walk. Your choice.” She smiles that sickly not-so-sweet smile she favors.
Nicolas grimaces, then quickly keys in the access code for an entrance I’ve not been through before, and we enter a hallway lined with several doors on one side. I realize this is similar to the hallway leading to the private rooms, but on the other side of the building.
We walk down the hall, past the lounge and the office, to the door leading to the dance area. Nicolas opens the thick door and stands back as they go through.
But before I can follow, he closes it and takes me by the hand. He leads me into the office.
“Please do this for me. Please stay here. You will not want to see this.” He brushes the hair back from my face. “I had the club closed to all but our long-time donors. They understand the risks of being here tonight. But many of them enjoy the danger, and some of them come here hoping that they will not leave alive. I know that may sound harsh to your ears, but that is the reality of it.”
I start to argue, but then realize he is right. I don’t want to see.
