Soul Mates: Sacrifice

by Jourdan Lane

  "Lead the way, baby."

  * * *

  I leaned against a workbench, watching as Lucien studied the painting. He seemed so intrigued by it that I didn't want to interrupt whatever thoughts were running through his head. Finally, he shook his head and sighed, but didn't look away from the painting.

  "Were there any other paintings?"

  "No," I said. "Just this one in what I think was their bedroom. Why?"

  "With talent like this…" He looked up at me. "I never knew that Paul was such a talented artist."

  "Lucien, honey, you can't know every single thing about the members of this coven."

  "I should."

  "And I might agree if there were less than a hundred. But with werewolves and donors included there are nearly five hundred. No matter how much you'd like to know everything, I don't see how it's possible."

  "You mentioned putting files together on coven members a few weeks back. Would you still be interested in doing that? Or hiring someone trustworthy to do it?"

  "Of course, Lucien. I think it'd be an invaluable tool for us."

  He nodded, but I could tell he was holding something back.

  "What else is bothering you?"

  "I want to know them, Peter. Or at least know about them." He gestured to the painting sadly. "I should have known about this."

  I wasn't going to tell him that it still wasn't possible to know each and every little detail about the members of our coven. What he wanted was to be able to connect.

  "I tell you what. Once I round up some help for the files and start getting things down? I'll set up a calendar on your computer. Maybe set up an alert for things happening during the week, people that you should see."

  "Will you include things like birthdays and anniversaries, too?"

  "If you want."

  "Yeah." He considered it for a moment longer, then smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that."

  "Just be patient with me, okay?" I walked over and slid an arm around his waist. "It may take me a while and I'll have to get you to give me names of the vampires and donors I don't know and those who don't frequent the club."

  "I'm hoping that, by being there, by showing people that I really do care for them…" Lucien trailed his fingers along the edge of the painting. "I know it won't take the hurt away that I've caused in the past year, but maybe it's a start."

  "I think that acknowledging that you hurt people and admitting you've made mistakes would go a lot further. Most people know and accept that you can't take that pain away. What they're going to want is a promise of things being different."

  "I want things to be different."

  "I know you do, baby. And you know what? I respect the hell out of a man that can admit when he's wrong. I have a feeling everyone else will, too."

  "Respect is earned, not given. I think one of my biggest mistakes has been not remembering that when trying to lead. Maybe things would've been different now…"

  "Meaning?"

  "If I were well and truly respected, perhaps Caleb—"

  "No." I cut him off and turned him to face me. "You will not blame yourself for what happened with him. What Caleb did was wrong. He knew that it was wrong, yet he did it anyway. I don't think there's anything you could have done short of getting rid of me. And even then? He'd have been jealous of each and every person he felt was a threat to his position."

  "Where did I go wrong with him? What could I have done to make him this way?"

  "I don't think you made him this way, Lucien. I think the thing with Caleb is that you were his friend before you were his master."

  "What could that have to do with anything? It's not so unusual."

  "Have you ever considered that maybe Caleb wanted more from you than just friendship?"

  "That's… No. He'd have—"

  "Said anything as long as it meant he wouldn't lose you. And he might have even believed it himself, after a while." I hadn't considered it much before, but now, Caleb's actions made a little more sense. "When I came along, it might have been fun and new for a while. Once he realized I wasn't going anywhere, maybe that knowledge was too much to handle."

  "And Cyril offered to give him what I wouldn't."

  "'A mighty pain to love it is, and 'tis a pain that pain to miss; but of all pains, the greatest pain is to love, but love in vain.'"

  "Anacreon?"

  "Or at least Cowley's interpretation and paraphrasing," I said with a shrug. "You have to admit, it does ring pretty true."

  "Didn't that have something to do with gold and curses?"

  "I don't have a clue, Lucien. I got confused halfway through that one, but that first part stuck in my head."

  "You've been spending entirely too much time in the library, lover."

  "The point is that unrequited love can lead to jealousy and jealousy can lead to some pretty stupid shit."

  Lucien sighed. "So where do we go from here?"

  We hadn't talked about what had happened, for the most part. There was the acknowledgement that it had happened and talk of his healing and recovery, but the mere mention of Caleb's name made him snap every time.

  "How about with how you feel right now?"

  Lucien shook his head. "I want to scream and rage until I physically just can't anymore—and, as stupid as it sounds, I want to hold him in my arms and not let him go."

  "That's not stupid. I think it's the normal course of loving and losing."

  "I wish he could have accepted it for what it was, but I did love him."

  "I don't think either of us will ever stop, no matter what he's done. Or how much pain he's caused."

  "What are we going to do with him?"

  "Well, since he was so full of Cyril's blood and power, I gave the order to have him bled." Lucien tensed, but didn't say anything. "If nothing with him changes once Cyril's blood and influence is gone? Then I think my order for his punishment would have to be death."

  "Death?"

  "If we can't bring him under control, he's a danger to you and the coven. No matter how much he's loved, that's not a risk I'm willing to take."

  "I had no idea he was that bad."

  "You can see it all in my memories, Lucien. I think that'd be the best way for me to show you what's been going on."

  I didn't think he'd do it, but only seconds later, I felt him in my head. It always amazed me how he could pick out bits and pieces of information so quickly, and this time was no different. All he could do, however, was shake his head.

  "Tell me I did the right thing."

  "You did just as I would have," he said. "As I should have. I shouldn't have pushed it all off on you."

  "Oh, no, it—"

  "I have not handled this well." His fingers covered my lips. "And Logan was right. If we give Caleb special treatment, we leave ourselves open to anyone else who gets the notion they can do what they will and not have to pay the consequences."

  I smiled, pushing his hand away. "What do you think about Logan?"

  "I like him. It's been a long time since I've met someone of his age and power who wasn't looking for a seat of his own. But, that said? Don't be bringing any more stray vampires home from the club."

  "It irritated Xander that I brought Logan home."

  "I saw that in your memories. You were fighting about it when the accident happened."

  I snorted. "Accident?"

  "Well. The very convenient accident. Either way, I saw that Xander wasn't happy."

  "I would never admit it to him, but he was probably right. I just… I wanted to treat Logan better than other covens might have. I wanted to give him a chance to prove to me he was as genuine as he seemed."

  "You read people very well, lover."

  "Probably from years of listening and watching from the other side of the bar." I took Lucien's hand, attempting to tug him toward the door. "You done looking at the painting?"

  "I'm actually waiting on someone." At my raised eyebrow, he laughed and pulled me in close. "Someone who can fi
x it and put it in a frame as it should be. You did want to give this to Reid, correct?"

  "If it won't throw him into nine kinds of depression, yeah."

  "I think he will be fine."

  There was a knock at the door, but whoever was on the other side made no attempt to come inside. I looked at Lucien, confused. Anyone we knew generally knocked as they were already opening the door.

  "Come in," Lucien called out. "It's not locked."

  "Oh," a familiar voice said as the door swung open.

  Gino.

  "Wait up, baby!"

  Eric.

  I groaned. I liked Eric well enough, but there were times when his nonstop chatter and going on was just too much for me to take. And Gino? Well, wherever he went, Eric was normally right beside him. Or in this case—behind him.

  "Hello, Gino. Eric."

  "Master," they responded in unison, both of them nodding courteously.

  Gino glanced up at Lucien, but refrained from meeting his eyes. "You needed me?"

  "I did." Lucien let go of my hand and turned, walking over to the bench where the painting rested. "I would like for you to look at this and tell me if you can save it. And if you can, I want it framed."

  Gino followed Lucien and Eric followed them both. I hung off to the side, just watching. Gino studied the painting for a moment, then shook his head.

  "This is Paul's work." He glanced at Lucien. "Where did this come from?"

  Lucien looked to me, urging me to answer.

  "Xander and I found it when we went to gather Reid's belongings."

  Gino turned and looked at me, seeming disturbed. "Was there anything else there?"

  "No… Why? Should there have been?"

  Eric and Gino shared a look. Eric was the one who spoke.

  "When Paul died, the apartment was full of paintings. Beautiful, haunting pieces. Some of them were commissioned works, but others were for a show in a gallery. Paul had been offered a big spot and the potential returns for that show were astronomical. But… They were all Reid had left of Paul and he was very, very protective of them. He didn't want them in the show because he was afraid he wouldn't get them back."

  "A few weeks after Paul's death, someone broke in and stole a number of the paintings. And a lot of them were destroyed," Gino added. "It nearly killed Reid to walk in and see that."

  "I think Reid's had a hard go of it for a long time," I said. "So why ask me if there were more?"

  "Reid saw one of Paul's paintings in another gallery one night during a show. I guess I just thought that maybe you'd found some of the pieces that had been stolen. Paul's paintings were worth a considerable sum of money."

  Lucien's eyes met mine and I knew that it hurt for Eric and Gino to know things like this, but for him to be so in the dark about it. But Lucien played it off well. "I'll look into the missing paintings if you want to give me the details later on. But for the moment, Gino? What do you think of this one that we do have?"

  Gino turned back around, head bowed. "I'm sorry, sir. I don't think it'll be a problem to get this one cleaned and framed. How soon do you need it finished?"

  "As soon as you can possibly get it done," Lucien replied. "The sooner the better."

  Gino looked at Eric, shrugging. "A day or so?"

  Eric nodded in agreement.

  "Good." Lucien smiled. "As I said, I want this kept quiet. If you run into any problems or you need something, please come to Peter or me."

  "Yes, sir," Gino and Eric both answered.

  "Peter?" Lucien started toward me. "You ready?"

  I started to ask him what for, but decided a simple nod was more than enough. As Lucien and I walked out, he caught the door and poked his head back into the room.

  "Be sure to lock up when you leave here."

  Lucien and I walked across the garage in silence. Before we walked out the main door leading to the house, I stopped. "You really going to look into the missing paintings?"

  He nodded. "If they were stolen, I would like to get them back to Reid. Whether he chooses to keep them or sell them legitimately, it will at least be his decision on what's done with them."

  "How in the hell are you going to find paintings that went missing two years ago?"

  "I think that you and I will have to make some public appearances," Lucien said with a grin. "How do you feel about art galleries?"

  I groaned. "I feel loathing, Lucien."

  He tsked. "I'm sure I could make the experiences worthwhile."

  "Yeah. About like I'd enjoy needles shoved under my fingernails."

  He leaned in and kissed me, swatting me on the ass in the process. "You are so fucking hard to please sometimes."

  "Keeps you on your toes."

  Lucien tensed, cocking his head to the side. I knew that look; we weren't alone. He straightened and scented the air, frowning as he pushed open the door. I followed after him as he walked out. Ahead, just outside the private entrance, were two of our team members. They were in their tactical gear and armed, as was usual when they were on team assignments.

  For the life of me I couldn't remember their names.

  "What's going on?" Lucien asked.

  One of them looked from Lucien to me, and then back to Lucien. He didn't seem to know how to answer. "We've been ordered to guard this entrance."

  "By whom?"

  "Xander, sir."

  "Do you know why?"

  "Yes, sir. It seems there was a fire at Master Peter's old residence. From what I understand, this is just a precaution."

  My stomach twisted into knots. We'd kept my apartment in case anyone in the coven needed emergency temporary shelter. Lucien had bought the building itself, but allowed the residents at the time to remain. All of them did, except for old Mrs. Taylor who lived across the hall from me. The idea of paying a vampire rent was just too much for her to handle.

  "I see," Lucien said. "Let us pass."

  The guards moved aside, opening the doors for us, keeping their heads bowed as we walked inside. As soon as the doors closed, Lucien took me by the shoulders. "Call Xander. See if you can get in touch with him."

  "Where are you going?"

  "I need to make some calls and check on the tenants of the building." He kissed me on the forehead. "I'll be right back."

  I went to the bedroom and scanned myself in. It took me a minute or two to find my phone and when I did, it was just starting to ring. The display showed Xander's name and a number of missed calls.

  "Xander? What's going on?"

  "Finally! I've been calling you for an hour now. Listen. There was a fire at your old building."

  "I know. Lucien and I just met up with the guards outside our private entrance. Was anyone hurt?"

  "No. No one was hurt…"

  "But?"

  "The fire originated in your old apartment."

  "How is that possible? No one's been there for months."

  "The fire department is looking into it. So far, they say it looks electrical."

  I sat down on the bed, somewhat relieved. "What do you think?"

  "I think it happens all the time and this time's probably no different. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

  "Are you there?"

  "Yeah, but they won't let me in. I'm waiting for the inspector to leave so I can take a look around. In the meantime, I did order the team to be on guard at the mansion. Better to be prepared than not."

  "True." I yawned suddenly and started kicking my boots off. "Call me if you find out anything, okay? I'll have my phone close."

  "Will do. You okay?"

  I nodded, then realized he couldn't see me. "Yep. Just had a big dinner and I think I need a nap. Be careful, Xander."

  "Always."

  I started at the phone in my hand for a moment before setting it on the bedside table. The bed felt so good beneath me that I couldn't help but lay back. Sinking into the cool, comforting softness, I closed my eyes.

  Just for a second.

  Chapter F
ive

  When I opened my eyes, the curtains around the bed were drawn and I could hear the clicking sound of someone typing on a keyboard.