When the meeting came to a close, Ptah turned to Annette, who stood waiting for him. “I would like you to go and enjoy the dance in my absence tonight, my pet.” He kissed the inside of her wrist. “Leisha and I need to sit and talk privately for a while.”
“Of course, my loving master,” Annette said, shooting a sharp look at Leisha with the corner of her eye, “I will make sure everyone is celebrating accordingly.” She turned and walked to the ballroom, her head held high.
“Come with me, sweet.” Ptah grabbed Leisha’s upper arm and hoisted her out of her seat. She tried to get her thoughts in order as he led her down the hallways into his apartment. His anteroom was large enough to fit a few elephants with a long table in the middle. He walked through the room and into his private chambers that housed a king-size bed on a dais.
Ptah pushed her into a chair, pulling up another and sat directly across from her, their knees almost touching. He looked at her and waited.
Leisha barely contained the fury that had been pounding in her ears. “You had no right,” she spat.
“I had every right,” Ptah countered. “You belong to me, Leisha, whether you like it or not. You are a vampire, and it is your duty to serve me and my kind. What I command of you is a simple service to help keep us alive.”
“Lies! You know I can’t do this. I don’t even know how to find Tafari in the first place. He could smell a trap long before I could snag him.” The words tasted bitter on her tongue. She had already betrayed Tafari enough by becoming what she was, and now Ptah demanded she drive that betrayal much deeper.
Ptah took her hand in his. “My beauty, do you not see that this is the best way we could win? I know you probably think the idea of going to war again is fruitless, and I agree. That is why I have decided this will be the best course of action. Besides, I already have all the details worked out. I know Tafari sought you out while you were in Nevada.”
A jolt of surprise shot straight down to her toes.
“I know a lot more than you’d like me to. But that is inconsequential. I believe Tafari may be confused over how he feels about you. There is a possibility that love still lingers somewhere deep within his psyche.”
The very idea was too much for Leisha to try to contemplate. “No, he doesn’t. He believes as the other immortals do. That I am devoid of a soul. He thinks I’m not the woman he married.” She kept her voice neutral, though she knew Ptah would still hear the pain coming through anyway.
Ptah reached up and stroked her hair. “Poor Leisha,” he cooed. “Trying so hard to be strong. It has not worked for you very well, has it?” His hand moved to her jaw line, his thumb caressing her cheek. “I have a solution to your problems, sweet. You must trust me. If you do as I say, then you will finally be free of Tafari and all that he did to you.”
“He didn’t do anything to me,” she protested.
Ptah’s tone harshened. “He betrayed you, you imbecile. You keep thinking of yourself as the martyr who protected your poor little baby. I have a new concept for your cognizance, and it is time you listen to me.” He cupped the other side of her face and forced her to look at him. “Tafari never bothered to question why you became a vampire. He accepted it as fact and then damned you for it. You have him on some kind of pedestal, and it is high time you abase him.
“I am the one who has stayed with you for better and for worse. I am the one who let you go when you needed reprieve. I will always be here for you, and I will always be the one standing at your side. If you do what the vampires need you to do, then you will see for yourself what I say is true. Tafari is undeserving of your affection for him. It is entirely wasted.”
His eyes looked fierce, and Leisha felt as if she were falling into a volcano of black lava. She could barely think past what he was telling her. She knew she needed to clear her head before she responded. Otherwise, Ptah would bully his way into her mind and take what he wanted from her.
She stood and he let his hands drop. Leisha walked the length of the room to the foot of his bed, her mind whirling at the possibilities of Ptah’s words. Had she put Tafari on a pedestal? Her memories of her and Tafari together were magical—she could not imagine their relationship not lasting if she weren’t a vampire. Had Ptah not come into their lives, she and Tafari would have been happy growing old together, playing with their grandchildren, laughing together. Tafari had made her laugh so much when they were married.
But was all that just in her head? Would he have grown tired of her if they had grown old together? The thought of it was too painful to fathom. Ptah was trying to manipulate her, and it almost worked. She needed to think of some way to turn this situation to her own advantage.
She whirled to Ptah, her voice trembling slightly. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
Ptah’s grin was vainglorious. “It’s quite simple. I will deduce where he was last seen from our online spy network, and then you can pursue him from there. We will stay a good distance from you so he will not suspect a trap. Once he discovers you are looking for him, he will come to you.”
Ptah had not realized his own inconsistency—how could Tafari judge her without any hesitation, and yet at the same time be willing to come to her without hesitation because he still had feelings for her. The very contradiction gave her a sense of possibility that she could outwit the master vampire.
“Once he finds you,” Ptah continued, “we will be able to capture him and bring him here. We will then torture him to get all the information about the immortals we need, especially their progress in finding the prophecy child. Then Tafari shall leave this earth.” Approaching her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in for an embrace. “You will then be able to conquer your inner conflict and stay with me. You have a much deeper strength than Annette now. Temporary enfranchisement has been good for you. I can see the fire in your eyes has once again come to life. We will be wonderful together. Absolutely invincible.”
Leisha suppressed a shiver. “Your plan is too short-sighted,” she said. “I think there is room for improvement.”
He pulled her back and raised his eyebrows. “Such as?”
“You said you want information out of Tafari about the immortals, but I think you are underestimating how tenacious Tafari can be. You are right about his unyielding sense of duty. He would rather die than to betray his people.”
“I think you’ve underestimated my methods.”
Laughing bitterly, Leisha answered, “No, Ptah. I don’t doubt your methods are the best, especially with the help of Annette, but I still think you are underestimating your enemy. And that is something you must never do. You must still remember all too clearly what happened during the last war.”
She had said exactly the thing that would enrage and yet enrapture him. Ptah might have been a master manipulator, but Leisha knew him better than he realized, and was turning the tables now.
His expression turned wary. “What do you suggest, instead?”
She gave him a seductive smile. “I suggest something that will give you an even better edge. I suggest that I seek out Tafari and convince him to take me in. He’ll do it if what you say about him is true. Even if he is really confused, he’ll still take me in out of sheer curiosity. Then, I will be in the midst of the immortals, knowing every move they make. You would be three steps ahead of them.”
His expression took on a mixture of lust and pride. “I like the boldness of your plan, but I fear it is too obvious. Also, there is always the risk of the immortals killing you while you are among them. Even if Tafari has a soft heart toward you, the others may not.”
“I know the risks involved, but I am willing to bet that Tafari will make sure they don’t harm me.”
“You are willing to bet your life?”
“Yes.” She paused. “Plus, with Samantha along, Tafari and the others should soften up a little. At least, toward her.”
He seemed doubtful. “I did not say anything about your human servant going with
you.”
Leisha swallowed. If nothing else, she had to get Samantha out of there. “She will be an important part of the plan. She can pretend to be some human on whom I have taken compassion in her time of need. It will be the biggest asset to ensure Tafari’s confusion about me.”
Ptah smirked. “So, you truly intend to make her your human servant. I was wondering if it was all a lie.” He stroked her hair again. “Shall I set up a formal ceremony, or would you prefer just a small, informal one?”
She knew this was going to be the tricky part, and still had not come up with a good lie to put off making Samantha her human servant. “I would like to wait for a little while before I mark her as my own.” Ptah tensed ever so slightly, and she rushed on. “She is only sixteen, and while I know she is perfect for me, I would prefer her to be just a couple of years older before she is officially my human servant.”
Ptah chuckled at that. “I did not realize you were self-conscious of how your possessions were viewed by the others.”
Walking back over to the chairs, Leisha sat. “I’m not ashamed to admit I am partially self-conscious; I would like her to be more mentally mature as well. You know better than anyone how vampire politics are these days. I need her exposed to all kinds of situations before I mark her. That way, I can be absolutely sure she can handle belonging to me.”
“I agree with your caution.” Ptah joined her in his own chair. “You understand, if she is not to be your human servant, you’ll only have two options.”
“Options?”
Ptah shrugged as if it were obvious. “She knows too much about us to go about on her own. She will either have to become a vampire, or we will need to dispose of her. Knowledge about who we are and how we live is too dangerous a threat to take lightly.”
The muscles in her stomach clenched. “I am fairly certain she will become my human servant. However, if for some unforeseen reason she does not, I will make sure she is taken care of,” she lied.
“Good,” Ptah said, appeased with her explanation. “Once you have finished with spying on the immortals, you can assist us in following the signs to the prophecy child. Any information on the child will be a great asset to us. I want to know everything.”
Leisha studied Ptah’s face, but it was as unreadable as her own. “What do you plan to do with this prophecy child?”
“Kill him, naturally.”
“But, why?”
“Because,” Ptah explained as though she were a half-wit, “no one knows what this prophecy child will do. We only know we will be connected to him in some way. The immortals think if they can find him first, they will be able to exploit and manipulate him into giving them the upper hand in our little power struggle between our two races. If that is the case, then it will obviously be most advantageous for us to kill him off before he becomes a threat to us all.”
“And what if he is actually being sent to help the vampires become more powerful?”
Ptah looked away. “I am fairly certain he is not on either side.”
Leisha raised an eyebrow. “You’re certain because?”
“Because he will be coming from my world, of course. That is, the world from which my spirit originated.”
Leisha was stunned into momentary silence. Ptah had never mentioned anything about the world he came from, and he wouldn’t answer any more of her questions regarding it now. What would it mean for humanity—or vampire kind—if two beings from Ptah’s world existed here?
CHAPTER 12
Leisha shut the door to her apartment and sagged against it. The night had been long and trying on her nerves. She never needed to keep up such a façade in front of Ptah and the other vampires before, and it proved to be truly exhausting. She was a good liar, of course, but it was different having to put on an act for vampires who knew just as much as she did about reading body language and detecting lies.
She pulled herself up and went into the bedroom. Samantha was sound asleep in bed. Peeling off her dress and changing into a pair of sweats, Leisha thought of going to sleep as well, but her brain was swirling with all the things she was about to face.
She already had more than she could handle. She knew spying on Tafari and the immortals was a terrible idea; but it was the best excuse to get Samantha out of there. Facing Tafari was going to be hell. The odds of convincing him to take her in were pretty slim, but she hoped he would at least give Samantha his protection.
Leisha knew the immortals were willing to kill humans if they had to, but she had no choice but to believe Samantha would be safer there. Leisha cringed at the thought of making Samantha a human servant. She had never wanted one and felt it cruel to bind a human to herself in that way. But the ways of the vampires were set deep in their traditions, and breaking from it could prove fatal.
She heard Samantha stirring. Leisha grasped the distraction so she would not have to face any more thoughts of Tafari, and headed back into the bedroom. Samantha was still asleep, but was writhing on the bed, making whimpering sounds.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Leisha gently shook the girl awake. After three tries, Samantha bolted upright and screamed in an anguished voice, “Mom!” It took her a few seconds of scanning her surroundings, and then Leisha, before realizing it had been a dream.
When Samantha met Leisha’s sympathetic gaze, tears sprang into her eyes and Leisha caught her in an embrace.
“It was all my fault,” Samantha sobbed. “I stayed late and it was all my fault.”
“What was your fault?” Leisha asked.
Samantha choked out the words, “That she died.” She sat back and wiped hastily at her eyes. “I was at ballet practice and my mom was supposed to pick me up. Ashleigh, my instructor, wanted to work on some choreography with me for an upcoming competition and I called my mom on her cell.” She sniffed and again wiped at the tears that continued to stream down her face. “She was already waiting outside for me, but I really wanted to stay and work, so she went to get takeout and was going to come back in an hour.”
She slumped forward, back into Leisha’s arms. “If I had gone with her when I was supposed to, the carjacker wouldn’t have been there to shoot her.” Gasping for air in between sobs, she continued, “She was already dead when I found her. There was blood everywhere!” Samantha continued to mumble incoherently.
Leisha placed her hand on Samantha’s back, massaging it lightly to hopefully soothe the girl. She doubted anything she said would make the girl feel better, but she tried anyway. “You know that there was no way you could have known how one innocent choice would change the course of your life. It happens to someone every day. In your case, what happened to your mother was out of your control. It was the carjacker, not you, who should be blamed. You didn’t know.”
Samantha laughed bitterly. “But I did.” She wiped the back of her hand across her nose and continued crying.
Leisha held her until Samantha toned down to small sniffles. “What do you mean by that?”
“I guess you could say I’m psychic.” She paused, the corner of her mouth lifted. “I’ve never said it out loud before. It’s strange. That’s why I tried to rescue you from my father. I had a vision about it.”
“Really?” Leisha wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Did your mom know of your ability?”
Samantha nodded. “I always told her about my visions and we discussed them, and she would help me figure out what I could do about them.” She closed her eyes. “When I dreamed of her death, I almost didn’t tell her. But my mom knows me too well—knew me too well.” She opened her eyes and looked into the distance. “So, when she asked, I told her what I saw—that she was going to be shot and would die on the pavement.”
Samantha shuddered. “I wanted to figure out some way to stop it from happening, but I didn’t know when or where it would happen. My mom was shaken up about it, but she slowly accepted it after a couple of days. She told me not to worry, and that she was grateful to know so she could make sure I was tak
en care of after she was gone.” She looked at Leisha, blue eyes bloodshot. “I should have known, should have guessed when I had to stay late. I should never have left her alone.”
Leisha took Samantha by the hand. “Have you ever been able to change what happens in your visions?” She already knew the answer, and Samantha didn’t bother replying, but looked away.
“You see,” Leisha said, “you gave your mother a gift—a glimpse into the future—so she could be ready for it when her time came. There is no reason to feel guilty. Nothing that happened was within your control.”
Samantha nodded, but kept her lips pressed in a thin line.
Leisha pulled the girl to her feet and led her to the bathroom. Once there, she proceeded to fill the tub with warm water.
“I want you to take a bath. I will go and find some food for you when you get out.”
Samantha complied, still looking miserable. Leisha wished there was a way to take the girl’s pain away.
When Leisha finally returned with a plate full of cheese, crackers, and cookies, Samantha was sitting on the couch in the front room, her wet hair combed out to the tops of her shoulders. She seemed to be feeling better, but Leisha decided the girl might need more time before they discussed the loss of her mother again.
Samantha ate all the cookies and half of the crackers with cheese. After she drained her glass of water, she sighed and looked at Leisha. “Thanks.” A flush blossomed on her cheeks. “I . . . uh . . . haven’t talked to anyone about the incident before. It just kind of came out.”
Leisha reached out and softly squeezed Samantha’s shoulder. “Any time, sweetheart. After all, I did tell you all about my tragic past, didn’t I? And did I tell you that you are the only one who knows my story? I never told anyone before you.”
Dissension Page 11
