What happened?
The hunger. You fed from me as you were supposed to. The first time you fed from me was the night I converted you. You remember that. The second time, was through those IVs a few days ago. Today, this was the way it should have been from the very beginning. The way it will be from now on between us. A man feeds and provides for his woman. Period.
Despite what she wants.
Do not be like that. Cormac frowned at her, and shook her slightly. Why did she have to prove so stubborn? Why couldn’t she see what was before them? She belonged with him, and always would. It was his goddess given duty to provide for her.
Get off me, vampire. She pushed against his chest and he backed away. His feet hit some of those confounded medical tomes she’d spread everywhere and the books slid off the bed.
I’m the one you’re calling vampire? Did you miss what just happened here?
Aberration, only. That, or Stockholm Syndrome!
You’ll deny what is between us, still? You are highly obstinate.
Get used to it! Cormac stood, and she scrambled off of the mattress and stood in front of him. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. It’s not like I want to be here!
Get used to it. I am a horrible monster for daring to want the woman I am destined to be with at my side! Horrible. I need to be taken into the gardens and shot! He wanted to grab her, to pull her against him and kiss that half-pout off of her face. Wanted to feel the blonde hair beneath his fingers, feel the press of his woman’s sweet curves against him. He was half-tempted to just do it, although he knew that would do nothing but piss her off.
Instead, he forced himself to step back. I will speak with my sister and Barlaam this evening about getting you the research material you are wanting.
I need an office, too. Preferably one with testing equipment.
Cormac closed his eyes briefly, then looked down at her. Did she realize what she was demanding? If he set her up an office to work in, she’d be in there long term. Research such as she wanted to do wouldn’t be a quick fly-by-night project. It would take time—weeks, months. Years. Did she realize that she was planning to stay?
He fought the urge to put a hand to his chest and hold his heart within his body. It took him a moment to recognize the emotion filling him.
Hope.
****
“No.”
Cormac’s sister crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him in that damnably calm way of hers. “I am going. We need this information.”
“Now? When we were just attacked by Lupoiux? Kinney…” Cormac freely let his frustration with his sister show. Why did the women in his life seek only to defy him?
“I don’t think you should go. Not yet.”
“The longer we wait the greater chance that we lose another woman. Another infant. How can I not go? The next one may be Josey, or one of her cousins. Are you willing to take that risk? I am not.” His sister’s eyes, the same gold as his, were frank and determined when they locked on his. He knew he would not change her mind; obstinate was only a mild word for his younger sibling. She was a true brick wall when she wanted to me.
Yet she looked so fragile standing before him. Her hair was a few shades darker than Jocelyn’s platinum, but she could still only be described as fair. Delicate. She was far too thin, especially for a Dardaptoan woman. She had no reserves of strength, save her strong will. She looked like a good wind would blow her to another realm.
She, her daughter, and now his Rajni were all he had left in this world to love. And she wanted him to let her go halfway across the state alone on some quest for a Witch’s medicine?
“You go, but you take someone with you. I don’t want you out there alone.” Belnus, perhaps. A distant cousin of theirs, Belnus was a strong warrior with healing talents. He also understood the science of medicine. If his Rajni would part with him for a few days, he could accompany Kindara on her quest. “Promise me.”
“I will take someone with me. Barlaam or Belnus.”
“Swear to me you will not go alone.”
“I swear.”
“In the meantime…” Cormac stood and rounded his desk. He towered over his sister, who was petite for their Kind. “Jocelyn has asked to see her grandfather’s research. For D-Palitren. She thinks she may be able to…I don’t know…reverse engineer some of the properties. Cause the drug to actually clot, I think. Apparently she’s worked with the drug before. Not knowing where it came from, of course.”
Kindara shivered, then stared up at him. “That research has been locked in my office for twenty-eight years. I don’t even know if it’s still…if the papers haven’t rotted by now.”
“I know. And I told her…that…”
“That her grandfather is a sick, murdering monster?” Venom coated Kindara’s words and Cormac could not blame her. He still despised the Taniss patriarch and all he had done. To Kindara. To Jierra. To the thousand or so other Dardaptoans who he had claimed and destroyed. Kindara approached the window that overlooked the gardens. She stared at the spot where Jocelyn had been attacked.
“I will give you the key. You can get the files out of the third drawer, brown metal cabinet. Everything is in there, including copies that Dahr Rydere also possesses. But Cormac, go through them first. There are several images that Josey does not need to see. Her grandfather was an active participant and is in the videos, the photos. No grandchild needs to see those things.”
Cormac nodded and he understood what else she was saying. He knew there was video of her being tortured by Leo Taniss. She didn’t want Jocelyn seeing those images either. And he would ensure that his Rajni was hurt as little as possible. Even if that meant keeping some of her precious research from her. “I will take care of it. And Kindara, I want you to phone me when you get there. And when you are preparing to leave.”
“Yes, daddy. I’ll make sure I’m home before curfew. It’s not like I’m over four hundred years old or anything like that!”
Why was it that all the women in his life got enjoyment out of mouthing off to him? Didn’t they know he just wanted them safe and happy? That that was his main purpose for still existing?
“Go. And be careful.”
Chapter Eighteen
Josey followed the vampire jerk down the long hallway that ran beneath the main lobby of the hotel. The blue walls were the same color as the trousers and tunics worn by the healers who had treated her just a week before.
Where are we going? Why?
To the Healers’ Hall. It’s where my sister’s office is located. And now yours. It runs beneath the lobby and starts here. He opened a nondescript door and led her through. I’ve had Barlaam set up a small office and lab for your private use. If there is anything else you need or want you are to tell him and he will gladly get it for you. No matter what the cost.
Seriously? So if I want a new mass spec, I tell Barlaam and he calls Mass-Spec-R-Us and they’ll deliver the same day? Not even her family’s company could manage that. She would have had to fill out six different forms, then have them approved by the accounting department. Who would then have to get them approved by the CFO of the company, Josey’s uncle Mitchell. Mal and Mickey’s father.
Something like that, smart ass. Here. I had them bring down this desk out of Jareth storage. It was my great grandfather’s. The first Cormac. He made it in a time long before humans even recognized the need for desks. It has been in our family for that long. It’s yours now. He led her to the third door from the end and placed the key in the lock. Kindara’s office is three doors down. Barlaam’s is down that hallway there. It’s the only door in that area. Barlaam likes his privacy, but he has agreed to help you get settled. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask him. He actually knows a bit of sign language, too.
So someone else I can actually talk with? How nice of you to let me know! She said it without thinking and without heat. A defensive reaction to hide what she felt. The desk was beautiful, with orna
te markings carved lovingly into the front. Markings she’d seen in the suite décor. Markings that had been echoed in some of the tattoos covering Cormac’s chest.
Family symbols? She ran her fingers over the wood, recognizing what appeared to be old English letters. A “c” was easily defined. Your name.
Yes. Irish in origin. As far as we can remember. It means ‘son of defilement’.
That fits. What does this mean, here? Josey traced what appeared to be a phrase or saying.
Love, protect, wield your sword well and with precision. Live, or die with all your heart. Cherish, for time in its infinity is in fact short. His eyes stared at hers. We’ve interpreted it as such. My great-grandfather was not the most of literate men. But he could see things. He was the one who named me.
Beautiful. Josey couldn’t help but be overwhelmed. Are you sure you want me working here? This is yours. You should be using it…not me.
I want my Rajni to use it. To know that what is mine is always hers. His hands covered hers on the wood. If you must spend your time down here instead of in our suite reading files and medical books, running your experiments, I want you surrounded by the items that are our family’s. Yours and mine.
But what if I spill something or something happens? And you went to so much trouble and I won’t even be here that long. My father will be coming for me. You know that; we both know my family will be coming eventually. Emily has already spoken with Rebecca, Mickey and Mal’s sister. My father, at least, will not be satisfied with that much longer. He will come for me specifically. Josey swallowed. What would happen after her father did come for her? Would she just go back to her life, as if this whole ordeal had never occurred. As if she had never met the damned vampire, never learned that other species of beings existed. Never learned of her grandfather’s psychopathic behavior toward those other Kinds? Could she just go back to living in completely ignorance once again?
She didn’t think so.
She couldn’t go back to that, but she couldn’t stay in this world either. Not as an extension of this man.
But did she have much choice? And what did she say to him? He had obviously gone to some serious trouble this afternoon to get her this office ready. It was beautifully furnished, a surprising blend of modern technology—complete with a tablet resting on the desk—and Old World antique. The curtains and upholstery were a mix of the healer blue and the green that Cormac somehow always wore. The color suited him, making his eyes appear even more golden, and his skin a richer tan. Someone had draped a sash made out of a healer blue and Jareth green plaid. It hung over the back wall, over a symbol carved out of what looked to be old ivory. The symbol was one she recognized from the suite and from Cormac’s chest.
She knew what every design on his skin looked like. She may not know their meanings, but she recognized them when she saw them.
This is your room. You are of my family now. It is yours.
She started to protest again, but the slight vulnerability in his expression had her simply thanking him. It is beautiful. And I should be able to work here, easily.
Good, then. The vulnerability extended to his eyes when he looked down at her. Do you think you will be ok down here? I have a meeting with Rydere in ten minutes. I cannot miss it. But if you aren’t ready to be alone down here, I can stay. Or get someone to stay with you. Bronwen is a few doors down.
I’ll be fine. I think I need some time alone. You said you had Grandfather’s research?
His face tightened. Yes. But I ask you one thing.
I’ll not violate anyone’s privacy, I promise. It’s for my eyes only.
That, but there’s more. Don’t look at it today. Just take your time to become accustomed to the office.
Why?
Because I don’t want your first day’s memories to be overshadowed by that evil. And because I don’t want you looking at all of it alone. The images she would see in those files were enough to make anyone shudder. Even him, and he’d been through several battles and wars over the last half millennia. Knowing it was a member of her family responsible for the carnage—it would affect her. And he needed to be there. Just, please wait.
She bit her lip and looked at the filing cabinet. The key hung from the lock. She could look at the research any time she wanted to. But his eyes were pleading, his body language clearly showing how tense he was.
What would one day hurt?
Chapter Nineteen
He finally left her alone, and Josey stared at the space surrounding her. It was a nice office. It had a small lab connected to it filled with state-of-the-art equipment. It was meticulously clean. And waiting for her.
Whose office had it once been? She explored the books that lined the shelves. Some were human texts, books she’d used in her own medical studies. Some were similar to the books Cormac had already given her. Still others had writing on them like she’d never seen before, followed by English translations. Her eyes widened as she read the titles listed on the spines. Lupoiux Medical Findings Throughout History, Physiology of The Druidic Races & Witches, Elhydran & Other Lesser Beasts—it would take her weeks just to read those books and learn what she could of those creatures.
She slipped the book on Lupoiux werewolves off the shelf. She shivered at the dark image on the cover. Those beasts had nearly ripped her to pieces and while she may play it tough in front of her vampire man, she knew she hadn’t dealt with the attack yet. How could she? It had only been a little over a week since it had happened.
The first page told of the creation of the Lupoiux. How the wolf god Eiophon had shed his fur and each strand had created a fully formed Lupoiux wolf in Eiophon’s image. The rational part of Josey’s brushed off such a tale as pure myth. Just another race of beings creation myth.
But these animals did exist. She had seen them. And this was a text book. A scientific journal, written in—she checked the copyright—1962. By Kindara Jareth Black and Barlaam Dardanos. Hardly likely that they would perpetuate myth if there wasn’t something to it. Josey set the book aside. That would be the last book she would look at.
She just wasn’t ready for them, yet. She pulled the Druid book free and took a look at the first several images recorded inside. A beautiful woman with dark hair and violet eyes represented the Witches. A dark man with a calm exterior was labeled God of the Druids.
Were all of the creatures that populated this strange world the results of gods and goddesses Josey knew nothing about?
It made her scientific mind extremely curious, especially when she considered where humans fit in to the equation. Where had all the gods come from? The humans?
She searched the shelves, but found nothing to explain where the gods themselves had originated. She’d have to make a note to ask vampire man.
His face filled her mind, and Josey sat down on the small settee. Her mind returned to what had occurred between them the morning before. The kiss. The blood. The fact that she had wanted both to continue.
Could she be like her cousins, and just let her world change so drastically? She’d been in that position twenty years before, and though she’d been very young when she’d gotten the infection that lead to her deafness, she remembered it so easily. How could she ever forget?
She had missed her father so much. He had been away on one of his infrequent business trips. It was usually her mother that was gone, traveling all the time. But Jade had only been a month or two old, and her mother had still been off work. Josey had gone to her mother, sick. But her mother had not wanted to be bothered with either of her children, and the nanny was busy with the baby all the time. Josey had been overlooked, until her fever had spiked. The nanny had called Josey’s mother—who had called Josey’s grandfather. He’d arrived with another man and they’d given Josey a shot of something.
It had not worked, and her fever had continued to rise. To this day, Josey didn’t understand why they hadn’t taken her to the hospital.
Thank God her father had come home a
few hours later and found her. He’d rushed her to the hospital, where they’d lowered her fever. But the damage had already been done.
The nanny had been fired that day. Her mother had left the house the next week, rarely to return. The divorce had been final a year later. Josey only saw her mother at board meetings—her grandfather had given her mother several shares in the company. An act no one fully understood.
Josey couldn’t say she’d missed her.
She had never forgotten how afraid she’d been, calling out for her daddy, for someone to make her stop hurting and no one caring enough to bother. She’d cried and screamed until she couldn’t hear the sound of her own voice. She’d never heard her own voice again.
The fear of being so vulnerable would stay with her the rest of her life.
Could she ever forgive Cormac for making experience that same type of vulnerability many times over since he’d shoved her beneath her bathwater?
She didn’t know.
She pushed thoughts of him out of her mind as she cataloged all the various books and collections of data. She would be busy for quite a while just getting familiar with the different physiologies of all the various Kinds. Then she could begin comparing them with the Dardaptoan and with the human.
It could potentially take years to complete.
That thought gave her a start. Did she have those kind of years to devote to it?
She thought of her cousins, now also a part of this strange new world.
Did she have any choice? The first paragraph of one of the textbooks Cormac had given her days ago had listed all the threats facing the Dardaptoan people. Blood loss, infections, infants dying within hours of birth—all of it now threatened her cousins. One in three Dardaptoan woman died during childbirth or the weeks immediately after.
One in three. And one in four babies died. To Josey’s doctor heart, that was just unacceptable. That her cousins might face such heartache? She couldn’t bear it. Mickey, especially, wanted children. And would be a wonderful mother.
In the Beginning... Page 18
