by Isis Rushdan
She glanced at the clock. Three hours before she needed to get ready for the gala and around seven hours until she had to face Cyrus, alone, in the bedroom. But right now she was late meeting Cassian. With Talus hiding out in the city, she’d found a way to bond with him.
“What’s the movie?” she asked Cassian as she entered the luxurious theater room. A full screen took up one wall and there were enough reclining leather seats for twelve. “Please tell me it’s not black and white.”
“You have too many biases when it comes to cinema, no black and white, no sad and depressing love stories.” He hit a button and a panel of black glass slid into the wall, revealing an impressive array of equipment—Blu-ray, DVD, Xbox, the latest PlayStation, and stacks of movies plus games. “The most beautiful love stories are tragic, by the way. No eighties movies, which would rule out some great ones: Terminator, Empire Strikes Back—”
“Point taken,” Serenity interjected, holding up her hands.
Talus skulked into the room, motorcycle helmet under one arm, leather bag in her hand.
“It’s good that you’re back,” Serenity said in an effort to start on the right foot. “We all missed you, especially Cassian.”
Talus pinched her lips and lowered her head. “Please forgive my behavior. I have no excuse,” she said, clutching her helmet, “but the reason…I’ve been so horrible to you is…”
“You love and adore Cyrus. You’ve placed him on a pedestal,” Serenity said, “and it’s hard for you to see him with another female, especially one who acts human.”
Talus blinked, tightened her grip on her bag and nodded.
“My behavior hasn’t been above reproach. It’s unrealistic for me to expect us to become friends overnight, but I hope in time we can be more than housemates.”
Talus gulped. “Thank you. You could have made this a lot harder for me.”
“And I think you should have, if my vote counts,” Cassian said.
Talus smirked. “Glad to see you too.”
“Now that the gang is reunited, let’s get started, shall we?” Cassian said.
Talus set her stuff down as Cassian put on the film.
“Does Cyrus ever watch movies with you guys?” Serenity wondered.
“Every now and again,” Cassian said.
“What about Abbadon? I know he’s lurking around somewhere.”
Cassian and Talus exchanged a glance and laughed. “He watched Gremlins with us,” Cassian explained. “After that, he pleaded with Cyrus to ban movies and TV.”
Talus sighed. “He said the human ideas transmitted to us through mass media would only make us wayward by-products of their misguided culture.”
Sitting down, Serenity smiled. “I guess we’re a trio of wayward misfits then.”
Talus stared at her. The pistachio green gaze lingered, then she took a seat.
Cassian turned off the lights and plunked down in a plush recliner, sandwiching himself between them. Clouds drifted across the black and white screen. Serenity clenched her hand into a fist. Something about black and white movies always gave her the creeps. As the title appeared, she relaxed a bit. It was the Wizard of Oz. At the least the majority of it would be in color.
Cassian and Talus sang along to all the songs. She imagined what it would’ve been like to grow up with them. The unfulfilled longing for siblings rose up in her with such force she wanted to cry. Although she didn’t have a childhood with them, she now had more of a family than she’d ever thought possible.
Finally time to get ready for opening night at the Philharmonic, she took a long, luxurious bath in her own room, which now seemed too simple, lacking the decorative mosaic and jaw-dropping shower of Cyrus’s.
Her kabashem had returned. She could hear him in the other room, sense his energy stream just out of reach, but she wanted to dress in private so when he saw her it’d feel like a real date. And to avoid starting the evening with an unpleasant discussion she’d rather not have.
She wore her hair in a chignon, her birthmark now a symbol of love she was proud to display despite their issues.
“Serenity,” Cyrus called.
She walked out of the bathroom, knotting the belt of her silk robe. He stood next to the bed, looking so sexy in a black suit her lower belly quivered with longing.
As he strolled over, she licked her lips, but adjusted her robe to prevent any cleavage from tempting him. The way he moved—utterly masculine, splendidly sensual, divinely fluid—still threw her off balance. She rubbed noses with him before he engulfed her in his arms.
In his embrace, she felt delicate and sexy. She pressed her head against his chest. His heart thumped loud and steady as a drum. She reached out to him, with her spirit beyond their shared stream of energy, and drew his essence in as she would air into her lungs. A hot charge rippled down her spine and she shuddered.
He jerked away. “You’ve never done that before.”
“I didn’t know I could, unless we were kissing or making love.”
“No, that was different. Normally, I give energy and you willingly receive it, allowing it to flow through you, almost unconsciously. This time you took it,” he said, smiling.
“Is that okay?”
“It’s great. I’ve never known of any Kindred who can do that.”
She nuzzled his neck with her nose up to his ear where he was ticklish.
Cyrus chuckled, giving his mate’s body a tight squeeze. “I came to see if you’re ready.”
“I need a few more minutes.” She grazed his smooth, clean-shaven face with her cheek.
Heat churned inside of his body. He burned with need, having gone so long without being inside of her. “You are exquisite.”
“You’re sweet, but I think love has blinded you.” She turned to go back into the bathroom, but he reached out and brought her back close.
“Quite the opposite, love has opened my eyes to the truth in the world. You move me. Every time I look at you, whether you’re sleeping or eating or the face you make when you have an orgasm, it all moves me.”
She blushed as he folded his arms around her, pressing his body against hers. He ran one hand down her lower back and cupped a supple buttock. With the other, he peeled her robe over her shoulder. He bit the tender, fragrant flesh of her neck, wanting to devour her, to consume her body with the heat of his until they were both on fire.
“We’ll be late,” she said, pulling away and tugging her robe up.
Cyrus snagged her belt, keeping her sensuous body close. “I’ll be quick. I need to feel your warmth, to be inside you.”
Lowering her head, she stiffened. “You said yourself tonight is about us spending time together as a family. Abbadon has been looking forward to it and even Talus is excited to go. It wouldn’t be fair to everyone else if we were late.”
With a stifled groan, he released her belt. Not only was she right, but she was putting the best interest of the family above their own need. She made his life complete, gave his existence meaning. They should be one in every way possible.
“We should be sealed, officially, as mates,” he said, smiling. “When we return to House Herut, I don’t want you to be known as my consort. I want you to be my uxora, my wife.”
“Return to Herut?” She drew back. “For what? A visit?”
“No, to live. I’ll be called to serve soon.”
“Live in the Himalayas?” Her eyes grew wide as she inched away from him. “What about my tattoo studio?”
“To serve on the Council means I have to be with our people.”
“You never said anything about leaving New York. I’ve worked really hard to get my studio going. We’re finally at the top of the industry. I can’t walk away from it. And you expect me to trade in Manhattan for the Himalayas?” She gave a shaky chuckle, tightening her robe.
His breath faltered, heart stuttering for a moment. “I hoped you’d trade it all in for me. I’m asking you to marry me.”
Her cheeks sagged and
her mouth flattened. Barbed wire sliced through his gut, embedding in his intestines. He wondered if the feeling was hers or his.
“I could give it all up, and I would, if I could be sure.”
“Sure of what?” His whole world hung in the balance on that one question.
“You’re willing to die for the beliefs of Herut. Duty is always calling and always comes first. I can’t help but wonder if you’re proposing as a way to convince me to have a baby.”
A harsh laugh scraped past his lips. Her strange behavior the last few mornings at last made sense. “That’s the reason you pull away from my touch. The reason you make excuses not to lay with me, nothing to do with my well-being and your concern for me to get enough rest.”
“Cyrus, you started out trying to manipulate me and our relationship by becoming Evan’s client, following me to learn my likes and dislikes so you could ensure success in courting me. You’ve made it very clear how important this redeemer is to you and your House. I can’t help but wonder if this is another tactic.”
He shook his head in disbelief. She doubted his love. “I would never trick you into a binding covenant or to have a child.” He staggered back toward the door.
“You’d do anything for Herut.” She spat the words as if declaring him guilty of a crime.
“That’s not true, but I would do anything for you.” The gravity of his statement stole his breath, the profundity of the truth sinking in as he pressed into his heels, moving away.
She reached for him. “I love you, more than I thought possible to love another, but I need to be sure that you love me more than Herut.”
He’d put her happiness ahead of his, her dreams before his, her needs above his own. “I’d die for Herut and for what I believe in. But I’d also die for you.” Adjusting his suit jacket, he ran his hands down the lapels. “I’ll meet you downstairs,” he said, then closed the door.
His heart shrank and hardened as he straightened his posture. Offering to be sealed had been his way of proving his love. To show her how much he wanted her, needed her. Regardless of a child or redemption, he’d asked for her hand in a binding covenant until death.
He had sown the seeds of her misgivings. Now thistles had sprouted between them. Her doubt was his own fault and he’d have to find a way to weed it out.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Wearing a purple chiffon V-neck dress, Serenity entered the great room. The men looked dapper in their dark suits. Cassian had traded in his usual converse sneakers for boots. Talus wore a smoky-silver suit that had a subtle sheen. She even had a matching helmet.
Cyrus drove the Maserati sedan. Serenity sat beside him and Abbadon took a seat in the back. Talus rode a motorcycle that matched her outfit, the one she called the Indian, and let Cassian ride the red Ducati.
They rode out in front of the car, racing each other a little for fun. The Ducati could’ve easily blown the other away, but Cassian didn’t go more than a couple of feet ahead of her.
“It was nice of you to let Cassian ride a bike along with Talus,” she said to Cyrus. He didn’t respond. As she stroked his thigh, he met her gaze for a moment. His feelings receded somewhere in their stream, hiding from her in the current.
He took her hand, kissed it and put it back on his leg. She wasn’t sure if it meant he’d forgiven her for having doubts, but at least he wouldn’t deny her his affection.
A full, orange-red, blood moon glowed in the cloudless sky. The layers of color were spectacular.
She shifted in her seat from excitement. Lincoln Center was close to Central Park, where she used to live. After all of her years in the city, she’d done everything Manhattan had to offer, except the Met, the ballet or the symphony. Seeing a matinee Broadway show alone was one thing, but going to Lincoln Center was an event. Evan had always been too busy and she wanted to share the experience with someone. Now, she had a whole family to share it with.
She turned to Cyrus. “You didn’t know I was in New York until Neith told you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you build the house here?”
“Some of us are assigned different sectors of the world from which to operate a company or accomplish a mission. I was given the Northeastern United States and put in command of a Herut team of vadeletori, the warriors you’ve met. There are other Kindred from Herut dispersed throughout this region for different reasons. I thought about establishing a residency in Washington D.C., but I was drawn to New York. The landscape in Valhalla appealed to me for the house.”
“If they plan to call you to serve the Council, why did they send you here?”
He smiled. “The Triumvirate gave me this temporary position to appease me. The House of Herut can be…stifling. They wanted to keep me happy.”
“Must be nice to be so special.”
He glanced at her. “Not always.”
“You haven’t accepted the seat yet. We don’t have to go Herut. We can build a life here away from the House.”
Clothes rustled in the backseat, and she recalled Abbadon was in the car.
“We can’t stay here indefinitely. It wouldn’t be safe,” Cyrus said.
“Can someone leave their House whenever they like?” she asked.
Cyrus shook his head. “To live in a House takes discipline for there are rules and politics, but also rewards. The wealth of the House provides for all within it. Some are called to serve and given positions of honor within the House or sent out in the world to serve another purpose. If you’ve chosen to live within a House, you have to get permission to leave. But if someone has already accepted a call to serve, then they don’t ask for permission.”
“Why not?”
“Accepting the call binds you to the House by a blood oath,” Abbadon said from the back. She looked over her seat at him. “To even ask for permission would be an insult. To leave,”—he shook his head—“you forfeit your life.”
She faced forward, regretting her poor timing to question the way of Kindred.
They arrived early enough to have a glass of champagne before heading up to their box seats on the first tier. The bustling murmur of the well-dressed crowd, chatting and getting to their seats stimulated her senses.
“Are you familiar with Mahler’s sixth?” Abbadon asked her.
She sat in between him and Cyrus. “Not at all.”
“It’s quite moving. Mahler said his sixth would pose riddles that could only be solved by a generation that had received and digested his first five. I believe he was right. Pay close attention to the last movement when fate overcomes our hero. It’s nearly perfect. The shattering coda is terrifying. Mahler leaves you with no sense of hope,” he said with a sad smile.
The utility truck pulled up to the front gate of Cyrus’s estate. Evan slipped on the gloves he’d been given. Twelve guys in black gear seated in the vehicle checked their weapons.
“Cyrus must have a sophisticated security system.” Evan wondered how they’d crack it.
“We’ve tested the sensitivity of the system to figure out the right frequencies to get in.”
A loud beep resounded from up front. “Got it,” Jagger said.
The gates swung open and they pulled up the drive.
“How can we be sure how long they’ll be out?” Evan asked.
“This is the one night of the year we can be certain they’ll all be gone for hours. We’ll be in and out, and long gone before they get back.”
The back door of the van opened and everyone moved out. Artemis hooked her arm around his elbow and guided him to the front door. Jagger set up a machine next to the security keypad. A series of red lights flashed as he typed on a mini keyboard.
“Take the truck around back to the rendezvous point,” Artemis said to one of the men.
“What are we doing here?” Evan asked.
With a beep, the lights turned green and the front door opened.
Artemis smiled and shoved Evan inside. Jagger plugged into another security
panel and typed using two fingers on the hand with the cast. Evan spun in a circle, taking in the opulent foyer. He knew Cyrus was loaded, but this was a custom-built mansion with refined detailing.
“Why are we here?” Evan demanded, fed up with the secrecy. He’d proven he was committed. He’d even taken a leave of absence, after Rupert had suggested it. His string of sick days from the office already had the partners whispering, from what Sarah could gather from the rumor mill. And when he was at work, only one thing consumed his thoughts: Serenity with Cyrus, Serenity with an evil monster that had to be stopped.
During Rupert’s little talk, he hadn’t been able to pull it together, knowing the possibility of partner had been on the line. The offer to take a leave of absence had been a surprising relief.
Artemis clamped a gloved hand on the back of his neck and directed him to the stairs. “You are going to search each room until you find which one is hers. Scour through her belongings and show us which items are her favorites: handbags, shoes, jackets, clothing. Anything she wears often.”
Evan stopped on the landing in front of a stained glass window. “Why?”
She turned to Jagger. “Hurry up!”
“Almost got it. Almost, almost, done!”
“Good. Now go find the security room, you know what to do and be careful of secondary tripwires.” She looked at the man wearing a neck brace who always carried a sword. “Krieg, find the safe, check walls and fireplaces. And Stone,” she said to the guy in the blazer, “you’re with us. Make sure the others keep a sharp eye.”
With a hand, Artemis prodded Evan to go upstairs.
He stood rooted in place. “Why?”
“The less you know for now”—she tapped his nose with a finger—“the better. You said you were willing to do anything. Trust me when I say this part is easy.” She extended an arm, hand pointed up the stairs. “After you.”
