by Lisa Olsen
“Stay down here with me and I’ll buy you something pretty,” Bishop replied, and I couldn’t tell if he was trying to handle her, or if he was honestly trained to respond that way when she fixed those doe eyes at him.
“Lee’s going to sit with him, he should be fine,” I put out there, letting Bishop off the hook if he didn’t want to sit around and babysit Rob. “But you guys don’t have to come up if you don’t want to either. I wouldn’t mind getting a few words in with Jakob by myself.”
The thought of pretty baubles fled as Carys turned an unflattering shade of green. “I’ll be the one to speak to Jakob. If there’s anything to be found out about the curse, I’ll be the one to do it.”
“Right then, after you,” I gestured politely to the elevator, stifling the urge to jam my boot into her hiney once her back was turned.
“Did you have a nice time out, älskling?” Jakob called out as soon as Bishop unlocked the door. I won’t lie, it hit me harder than I’d thought it would to hear him call her älskling. It made my tone sharper than I’d intended as I called out my answer.
“Yeah, it was shiny,” I snarked, enjoying the surprise that came over his face as I stepped into view. “Imagine my surprise, running into my new sister. Thanks for the heads up, by the way, guys.” That one was aimed at Jakob and Bishop both. I didn’t rate a simple text that they’d found Carys?
“Anja,” Jakob beamed, not bothered in the least by my tone. “Ah, to see the two of you together does my heart good.”
I couldn’t for the life of me guess why, but I hoped like heck it didn’t mean he wanted us to spend any quality time together in the future. From the look on Carys’ face, I could see she shared my opinion of the idea and for once, we were in perfect agreement.
It took everything I had inside me to keep from railing at him about the curse when he stood there with that stupid grin, like he’d done something to be proud of. The colossal size of his ego… he honestly didn’t give a damn what he’d done to Rob and Bishop or Carys and me, in his eyes it was one big happy family reunion. I had to bite back the urge to scream – how could you do this to me?
“Why didn’t you tell me I had a sister?” Carys’ tone was lightly chastising as she insinuated herself onto his lap like a kitten demanding a pet. “My poor darling, forced to create a substitute when you thought I was dead.”
“A thousand apologies, my angel. I was so overjoyed to find you, I neglected to mention it. But of course, no one could ever replace you,” he cooed, kissing her temple as she shot me a triumphant smirk.
So, I was cause for apologies, was I? It was getting harder and harder to keep that rage in check, but then I felt Bishop’s hand on the small of my back. He gave me a wink so brief I almost thought I’d imagined it, but his thumb stroked a slow circle over my back before he stepped away to stand by Carys.
I cleared my throat, rapidly growing tired of the way everyone fawned over my sister. “Ah, family reunions aside, I came to talk to you about breaking this curse,” I said as diplomatically as I could manage.
Jakob sobered, looking uncomfortable – good. “I know of no way to break the curse.”
Typical. “Can you point me in the direction of someone who could?”
“The gypsy witch I engaged is long gone from this world.”
Then she definitely was a gypsy. I filed that away for later, but I’d been hoping for more. One thing didn’t add up though. “But… who cursed me then? You barely turned me a year ago.”
Jakob’s face fell. “I missed your birthday.”
I ignored that sentiment, snapping my fingers to get his attention when he stared off into space. “Jakob… please try to focus. Who cursed me?”
“It was done centuries ago, I told you,” he shrugged.
“Then there’s only one curse, not a separate one for each of your progeny?”
“No, only the one curse.” He almost sounded sorry about it, but he didn’t offer an apology. Carys took the opportunity to try and get in good with him though.
“It’s alright, minn hjärta,” she purred. “We all do atrocious things in the name of love.”
“No, we really don’t,” I frowned. Maybe that was the life they’d lived together, but I wanted no part of it. All I wanted was… My eyes lit upon Bishop, who was watching me rather than the spectacle Carys put on for Jakob. God, if only I knew. “Look, anything you can tell me about the curse, anything at all. What did the witch use in the spell?”
“I hardly remember,” Jakob shrugged.
“Was it on the full moon? Did she ask for a piece of your hair or some of your blood to tie it to you? Anything at all.” I was grasping at straws, but what else could I do? Jakob seemed genuinely at a loss.
“She asked no token of me, though I did share my blood as part of the sacrament.” That sounded familiar. “It’s tied to the rings you wear and the compulsion I set when I made you. It can’t be undone as far as I know.”
Which meant he’d made the conscious choice to bind me to that curse when he turned me, not been stuck with a decision made centuries ago. I closed my eyes until I could look at him without picturing myself going for his jugular.
“And if I remove the ring?”
“You won’t be able to, because of the compulsion.”
“Then take the compulsion off,” I demanded. “You’ve done it before.”
“I can’t, it’s part of the curse built into the ring.”
“I’m thinking a sharp knife and a hammer could take care of that for me. I could get used to wearing gloves.” Maybe I could even get a cybernetic finger with all of those ill gotten gains I’d inherited.
“It cannot be done,” Jakob insisted.
“You can’t, or you won’t?”
“It’s the same thing,” he scowled.
“No, it isn’t.”
“You’ve no right to question anything he does,” Carys interrupted with a haughty tilt of her head. “We live at his pleasure alone.”
“No, we died at his pleasure,” I retorted. “This part I’m taking for my own.”
“Be at peace, Anja. What’s done is done. There’s no sense in raking up the past.” Jakob’s tone was mild but I did my best to wrangle my anger under control. The last thing I wanted him to do was compel me to calm down. The anger was mine and I had every right to feel it. I owed it to Rob not to let him sweep it all under the table.
As usual, Jakob lived in his own world, free from the consequences of his actions. But I intended to make him pay, one way or another. As my eyes lit upon the desk behind him, I saw my chance.
“You’re right,” I agreed, letting my shoulders droop in submission. “What’s done is done.”
“All is forgiven, petal,” Jakob smiled, holding his arm out to me and it took all my strength not to launch myself at his face. He was forgiving me? With a gentle shove, he set Carys to pout on her own two feet, calling me forward with a wiggle of his fingers. Pasting on my most insipid expression, I went to him, perching on his knee as I threw my arms around his shoulders. The hmmph of frustration from Carys was just gravy as I wrapped my fingers around the pencil lying on the desk behind him.
I could see Bishop’s face out of the corner of my eye, and I knew he’d seen what I intended. Holding my breath to see if he said anything, I let out a sigh of relief when Bishop gathered Carys by the elbow, hustling her over to the bar to pour her a drink.
It was now or never.
If Jakob couldn’t be bothered to help us any more than he had, then I had to do something to keep him from ever ruining someone’s life like this again. It was a public service, really. The Ellri’s time had passed. No one should wield as much power as they did, not even if they were completely selfless.
I knew the pencil wouldn’t kill him, it wouldn’t kill a regular vampire. But I was counting on it sending him into a torpor if I could manage the angle right and pierce his heart. From Bishop’s sanctioning my actions, I had to think he had access to other weapons
to finish the job off.
“There now, älskling. Isn’t this better?” Jakob crooned into my hair and I shifted my hold on him, pressing closer to change my position to a more advantageous angle. I had to count on Bishop keeping Carys busy, or it’d be over before it began.
You can do this, Anja… it’s for the best. My little voice cheered me on, but still, my hand didn’t move, clenching the pencil so tightly, I was afraid it’d snap. Maybe I didn’t even have to kill him? All we’d have to do was drain him so he was too weak to pull the pencil free and then tuck him out of the way somewhere. That sat better with me than coldblooded murder, and I shifted my hold on the pencil, about to make my move – when Nelleke strolled in. Frak!
Our eyes locked, and I knew she knew exactly what I had in mind, even while Jakob murmured endearments into my hair, blissfully unaware of the danger he was in. I froze, expecting her to denounce me, or alert him to the threat at least, but she went very still, studying me carefully. I dropped the pencil, glad the carpet muffled the sound as it rolled under the desk.
In that instant, Nell stepped forward, her expression resolute. “There is something I must say…”
Frakety frak!!! “She’s your daughter!” I blurted out, desperate to deflect whatever she’d been about to reveal.
Jakob leaned back to look at me and then Nell. “Whose daughter?” he asked in confusion even as her eyes flew wide in alarm and dismay, but it was too late to take it back now.
“Yours. You’re her biological father. She’s your daughter.”
“I have no natural born children.”
“Yes, you do. Remember that whole thing with Maeja and why you were too chicken to go get the Spear of Odin yourself? She’s Maeja’s daughter and you’re her father.”
Jakob stared at Nell, and I took the opportunity to scramble off of his lap and onto the other side of the room, in case she felt like retaliation for my outing her to Jakob.
“What are these lies you’re spreading?” Carys scowled, looking not at all pleased with this new development. Poor thing, she was rapidly descending the ranks of being Jakob’s favorite.
“It’s not a lie,” I retorted, not bothering to hide my dislike for her in that instant. “She’s definitely Jakob’s daughter. She’s over a couple hundred years old and she’s not a vampire.”
Jakob only had eyes for Nelleke, searching her features for some sign of the truth. “But why would Maeja never tell me? All those years…”
“You truly did not know?” Nell’s lips mashed together, as if she was afraid to say anything more.
“No, of course not,” he balked. “She never let on. I… I have a daughter.” He stared at her, blue eyes blazing with an intensity that started to make me uncomfortable, I could only imagine what Nell must be feeling.
“Yes,” she said simply, blinking rapidly as her eyes grew shiny with emotion. I didn’t know if she was going to cry with happiness or suddenly bolt from the room and I held my breath, waiting to see which way the tide turned. “I am understanding if you wish me to leave,” she finally said, her head bowing in apology. “I came here under false pretenses.”
“I have a daughter,” he repeated, a touch of wonder coming into his voice. “And she is fine and strong. Do you hear this, Ulrik? I have a daughter!” Jakob laughed, his entire being lit from within with joy. Launching himself out of the chair, he caught Nelleke up in a big hug, swinging her around and around. At first I wasn’t sure how Nell would take to being manhandled like that, but after a moment, her laughter floated around them, slightly muffled by his chest.
“I heard,” Bishop grinned. “Congratulations.”
I had to admit, despite my anger at Jakob, it was heartening to see him so profoundly moved by the idea of meeting his daughter, and I blinked back my own tears to see them reunited. They fell into a rapid fire conversation in a Scandinavian language I couldn’t hope to follow, and I joined Bishop and Carys by the drinks.
“How long have you known Nell was his daughter?” Bishop asked, handing me a glass of aquavit to toast with.
“Ah, since that night we burnt Lodinn. I sort of promised her I wouldn’t tell, but…”
“No, I get it,” he said before I went into more detail. “It was a good save before things got messy.”
“And to think she’s been out there all this time,” Carys murmured, watching the pair carefully. Something about the way she said it made me nervous. She couldn’t be jealous of Nell’s position, could she?
“She’s been with her mother in the vale. Seeing as how Jakob’s been avoiding it for the past couple of centuries, it’s easy to see how they haven’t crossed paths before.”
“Let’s hope she returns to where she belongs before she gets in over her head.”
Bishop’s brows drew together in confusion. “Why would she be in over her head? No one would be stupid enough to challenge Jakob’s daughter.”
Carys took a deep drink before she spoke. “Not openly, but it’s easy to stumble from such a high pedestal. Believe me, I know.”
“I feel pretty good about Nell’s chances of holding her own,” I said. “A shieldmaiden’s no pushover, after all.” I tossed back the rest of my drink and set down the glass. “I should get back to Rob, he’s got to be climbing the walls by now.”
“The curse has been in place for centuries, I hardly think another night will matter one way or another,” Carys said with a wry twist of the lips, and I shot her an unfriendly scowl.
“Easy for you to say, you’re not the cursed one.”
“Do you think any of what Jakob told you will be of help?” Bishop asked, his own drink forgotten.
“I don’t know, I hope so. I’m hoping it’s a good sign that there’s just one curse to break, not a separate one on Carys and on me.”
“I still think you’ll on a fool’s errand if you ask me,” Carys sniffed haughtily.
I bit back the obvious retort that I hadn’t asked her, and gave her a bland smile. “Still, it’s all I have to work with, Jakob being such a dumbhole about this.”
“A dumbhole?” Carys’ lips turned down in disapproval. “I must say, I find your lack of deference to your Sire shocking, dear sister. Why he tolerates your tone is a mystery to me.”
“Oh, come on,” Bishop snorted. “I’ve seen you get under his skin on purpose plenty of times for no reason other than being bored at the time. It’s not like you treat him with particular reverence either. ”
“I shouldn’t have to, I’ve earned a place by his side,” she insisted, her eyes narrowing at me again. “You’re little more than a newborn, aren’t you? I can tell by looking at you.”
I didn’t feel like I owed her any part of my personal history. Ignoring that slight, I asked a question of my own. “Is that where you want to be, by Jakob’s side?”
Her chin came up a notch in a challenging tilt. “You think you deserve it more than I?”
“No,” I replied with an honest smile. “I think it’s exactly what you deserve.” Let her have all the honor and glory of being Jakob’s favorite, the price was too high for me.
Her face fell, trying to decide if I’d slighted her in some way. “It is a place of great honor and power,” she insisted.
“Enjoy it then, I hope you’re happy. I have my own power that isn’t dependent on his moods.”
“I find that hard to believe,” she said frostily, but Bishop came to my defense.
“Actually, she’s got quite a lot of influence,” he smiled. “Anja’s the Elder of the Western Lands.”
Carys’ head spun so fast her curls jiggled against her forehead. “They let a female become Elder?”
“Why not? We’re not living in the dark ages anymore,” I laughed. “I think you’ll find there have been a lot of changes since Lodinn snatched you. Women can do anything men can, and sometimes better.”
“Well, of course they can,” Carys snapped. “I simply didn’t expect men to ever realize it.” She looked so discombobulated by
the notion, I almost felt sorry for her. Almost – until she opened her big fat mouth again. “The West… I don’t recall that House, Ulrik.”
“The colonies were split into the Houses of the East and the West,” Bishop replied, explaining in terms she could understand. “Anja rules over half, and actually, another woman rules over the East.”
“Oh, the colonies,” she sniffed, but I couldn’t care less if she was impressed by my title or not. “And is Vetis still the coveted seat of power in the civilized world?”
“That depends on your definition of power,” I shrugged. “There have been quite a few changes since they lost Sylvius and the Order was banished.”
“What happened to Sylvius?” Carys frowned.
“He died earlier this year,” Bishop said gently, and there was genuine grief in her expression when she turned to him in dismay.
“How sad. I was always a favorite of his.”
“Yes, he was a sweet old man,” I agreed. “He didn’t deserve what Aubrey did to him.”
“Aubrey?” A furrow appeared on her smooth brow. “I’d forgotten about him. What did he do to Sylvius?”
“He murdered him,” I said coldly. One of the reasons I’d never found it in my heart to forgive Aubrey entirely for what he’d done.
“Ah, I never thought he had it in him,” she replied with what might’ve been admiration, I didn’t know her well enough to tell. “Then he’s Warden to Simon Corley?”
“No, Aubrey is Elder of Vetis now,” Bishop explained. “Simon was banished after an assassination plot against Anja.”
Carys turned her cool blue eyes on me. “My, you’ve been busy, haven’t you?”
“Don’t look at me, it wasn’t my idea,” I shrugged. “I would’ve preferred to get through the Gathering without an arrow sticking through my chest, but Corley had other plans.” I couldn’t think of that night without remembering that last fight with Bishop. How I’d begged him to admit his feelings for me! That had been the final nail in the coffin, so to speak, for our relationship. Glancing up at him now, I wondered if he was thinking about the same night from the grim look on his face.
