by Caris Roane
“But far less powerful than a pure vampire.”
“Not necessarily.”
“That doesn’t make sense. We’d know about them. There would be reports throughout the entire history of the world.”
“Think about it, Lily. Most of the world still lives deep in superstition, but imagine just a few centuries ago when witches were burned at the stake. Do you honestly think a long-lived human would ever make his parentage known? He’d never have survived. The human population not so long ago wasn’t mobile like it is now. Nowhere to hide.”
“Then you’ve protected your half-breeds.”
“You could say that.”
“Why are you smiling?”
He sought about for a reason not to tell her about his parentage. On the other hand, it would be enjoyable to see her reaction. “You want the truth?”
“Yes. Of course.”
He’d give her that much. She stood up to things. “I’m a half-breed. My mother was human. She was a good woman.”
Her mouth fell agape. “You’re kidding.”
“Which part? That I have a few human genes kicking around in me?”
“That and how is it if you’re part human, you hate us so much?”
“Because we’re headed on a collision course with your world. It’s inevitable and human nature tends to exploit, to grab, to destroy an entire population to get at its wealth.”
“But vampires are more powerful, physically and you have so many other abilities that we don’t.”
He chuckled, but even to his own ears it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “Look at the numbers, Lily. We have under a million in our entire population, spread out over the globe, and no central government to speak of. You’re seven billion and growing. What are the odds of survival for us?”
She grew very quiet and very still. The chain was strangely silent against his neck.
He’d given her a lot to think about.
“Adrien, what happened to your mother?”
“She died when I was very young. Murdered.”
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”
He felt her swell of empathy but shook his head. “It was a very long time ago. Remember, I’m long-lived.”
“Four centuries then.” She frowned, and he could almost feel her thinking it all through. “Was she trafficked?”
“No. I mean, that’s a new word these days. She was kidnapped, stolen from her life in Paris, which is one reason I have a place here.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“There are worse things.”
“I don’t think so.”
He shrugged. “Maybe not.” The information was four hundred years old yet somehow, with Lily asking the questions, suddenly he was a little boy and his mother was put in a long wooden box and lowered into the ground.
This was not exactly useful given his current situation. He gave himself a shake. “All right, I’m going to shower now, then we’ll head north, at a snail’s pace for your sake.”
“Okay, that’s fine.”
He stepped aside and she dropped to the floor to wait, having already grown accustomed to their routine because of the chains.
He showered quickly, dried off, then passed by her to return to his bedroom. When he felt the chains tug, he called to her, but she was already moving and his chain grew slack.
He pulled a pair of black fighting leathers off a hanger, one with plenty of weapons sheaths so he could get better armed. One gun and a dagger wasn’t going to cut it.
The pants were specially designed with slots for battle chains and several daggers. He wore a snug black tee, tucked in, another harness for his Glock, and a black leather jacket, free of holes. Travel at night in black was the only way to go. “Have you got any dark clothes you can wear?”
She moved to the bed and searched in her satchel. She changed out of her clothes, all in black, now wearing a turtleneck, jeans, and loafers. She plucked at her shirt and turned to meet his gaze. “We almost look like a couple of ninjas.”
He smiled. He didn’t want to but he couldn’t help it. “Sorry, Lily, but the last thing you look like is a ninja.” Her hair flowed over her shoulders. She was so beautiful, with sudden unexpected laughter in her eyes.
He cleared his throat and inclined his head to the door. He spoke in a sharp voice. “I need to get some more weapons, ammo for the Glock in case you decide to use it again, then we’ll leave here.” He narrowed his gaze and asked, “What does your locating ability tell you right now?”
Lily focused on the weapon, and as before, he could sense her reaching out. The tendrils of her tracking skill headed in several directions at once, but were unable to connect to an end point. He felt the level of her concentration and saw the lines of tension around her eyes, but nothing happened.
Glancing at him, she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can feel the ability there; I know it exists. But it’s as though I just don’t have enough power to propel the search forward, if that makes sense.”
“It’s new to you. I’m sure in time it’ll come. For now we’ll just keep following our leads.”
As she set her jaw once more, he brushed past her, leading the way back to the office and his armory.
* * *
Lily buried her face in Adrien’s shoulder. She still didn’t understand how the process worked, how she, as a human, could pass through anything solid. Though she kept her eyes closed, she could feel the difference between air and a mass of any kind, but it felt more like the difference between dry air and fog, the solid parts a soft clinging to the skin.
Adrien flew slowly for her sake, and though her head pounded, no sharp stabbing pains threatened to split her brain apart. Even the nausea at such a slow speed remained a faint queasiness. Still, she took deep breaths and tried to relax.
They must have left Paris behind, because for several minutes she’d felt only the texture of air. Though retaining her tight hold on Adrien, and her left foot balanced on his right boot, she set her gaze across his broad chest to see what they passed by.
Not much since it was the middle of the night, but as she looked up through a now thin layer of clouds she caught the occasional star, more wisps of clouds, more stars.
At one point she relaxed against him and his hand shifted on her waist, circling her even more fully. She felt his need to keep her secure and maybe that’s why she let loose with a sigh and permitted her head to actually rest on his shoulder.
In this moment, the reality of her situation stunned her: that she flew in a state of mass that could pass through other masses, that a vampire built like a tank held her in his arms, that she watched clouds and stars pass like it was any other nighttime outing.
We’re almost there. And now his rumbling voice in her head. He had an interesting voice, very deep and resonant. Her husband’s voice had been like that. She missed him so much, the comfort of his arms around her, making love, even arguing with him about how to raise their children.
Now she was alone, trying to save her son if she possibly could, trying not to get killed in the process.
Don’t be sad, Lily …
What did you say? So he knew she was sad and didn’t want her to be.
Nothing. More gruffly this time, even in her head. I didn’t mean to say anything.
Fine.
Fine.
She felt the descent and as she looked down, her acquired vampire vision warmed up the country setting below: a small French town, a nearby river, trees, lots of trees, farm country in broad stretches surrounding the town.
Adrien shifted direction, and as buildings raced toward her she closed her eyes. She felt them pass through a few buildings. Finally his boots hit a solid spot and the warmth of the air told her she was indoors.
We’re in a home at the edge of town. Oh, my God.
She stepped off his foot and opened her eyes.
The house had been ransacked, papers strewn everywhere, furniture overturned. Adrien moved toward a doorway to the le
ft, and she followed behind quickly.
Once more, he spoke straight into her head. Someone got here before us.
No kidding.
For now, stick with telepathy.
I sort of figured.
Good. At least you don’t lack for brains. Then, Oh, God, no. He picked up his pace.
She saw the body lying in a twisted mass.
The Ancestral? she asked.
No. His servant, though, a half-breed who’s been with him a long time.
She stayed on Adrien’s heels as he put his feet in motion again. She ignored the body on the floor, holding her breath as she moved by. Surely death had an odor, and she didn’t want to smell any of it.
One hallway led to another room, another hall, a narrow staircase, a real rabbit warren.
Lily stuck close, resisting the urge to hold on to the bottom of his coat. Her back itched with the thought that someone could attack her from behind. She felt jumpy and as her chain vibrated, and she reached out to sense what he was feeling, she knew Adrien felt the same way.
When she stepped into what had to be an attic, she heard the sound of movement on the rooftop above, someone walking or sliding on tiles. Then a thump and a harsh cry.
Adrien caught her arm and met her gaze, his jaw tight. We have to go up there. When we flew in, no one was on the roof, but I think Sebastien is there now and he’s in trouble.
She nodded. Let’s go. She stepped onto his foot and slung her arms around his neck.
Hold on tight.
You got it.
She felt him dip down and heard the faintest sliding sound and knew he’d just armed himself. The next second he shot into the air, passing through the roof at a wide angle so that they went about thirty feet into the air off to the side.
Four men on the roof. When I land, roll away from my right foot, but catch hold of the tiles. You can do this.
Lily’s heartbeat went into overdrive as he flew down once more and landed. She rolled and caught at the tiles, but slipped, tried to catch, slipped some more but finally held fast. Her arms and hands were scraped up. She thought she’d be bruised—then she felt it, vampire healing because of the chains. But the tug of the chains told her she had to get closer to Adrien, especially since he battled three hooded, robed figures.
Fanatics.
She looked up and watched as another man, the Ancestral in striped pajamas and a dark silk robe, stood at the edge of the roof.
She turned and crawled in Adrien’s direction because the blood-chain still tugged hard.
Adrien whipped into the air, moving closer to her and faster than the other vampires. She watched him use his battle chain first, whipping it to his right and catching the forearm and therefore the dagger of one of the attackers. He jerked hard, which flipped the man in the air and brought him down on his back. He grunted but stayed there.
The other two rushed Adrien. She couldn’t make out all his moves because he was so fast, but by the time they reached him, he had a dagger in each hand. Then she saw it, how he separated and became two different men. The act alone gave him an advantage, since the remaining attackers paused, probably stunned by the maneuver, which gave Adrien the opportunity to move with swift jabs and quicker retreats.
The attackers took up more defensive positions, working the two Adriens farther apart.
Once more Lily felt the tug on the chains and began working her way back up the roof, scrambling each time, scraping up her hands all over again, but she didn’t care.
Adrien had to survive, and she had to do everything she could to help.
The Ancestral remained at a distance as Adrien battled the other men. She glanced in his direction. He appeared to be concentrating hard, his arms held wide—and that was when she noticed how the night air seemed wavy and strange all over the roof and several feet above.
The waves emanated from the Ancestral. She realized she was watching the creation of the single most important element vampires used to keep themselves hidden, the disguising ability of the Ancestrals.
A world of power, of violent factions, of fanatics and Ancestrals, and of certain gifted vampires who could split into two equal parts.
A cry sounded in the air. The Adrien to the right withdrew his blade from his attacker’s throat. Only one enemy remained and Lily wasn’t surprised when Adrien re-formed his body and, with unearthly speed, all but whirled around the final attacker. The man started to levitate and almost gained a quick takeoff speed, but Adrien launched above him, the chains tugging hard, cut his neck, and the vampire fell back to the roof. He would have slid off, but Adrien flew again, caught him, and finished what these men had started.
Lily rose up and gained her footing more easily than she thought she would. She glanced down and realized her feet were only partially touching the tiles: more siphoned power. She walked, or moved, or half flew in Adrien’s direction.
He breathed hard, hands on knees. He met her gaze. Sorry you had to see this.
She looked down at the dead vampire, blood pouring from his neck.
“I’ll get a cleanup crew.” The Ancestral had his phone out. It struck Lily as funny that these creatures, who could create disguising waves out of nothing, who could split into two parts and do battle, would use human technology to call for cleanup.
“You’re smiling?”
Lily glanced at Adrien. “I can’t believe you even need phones, with everything else you can do.” She put her hand to her cheek and shook her head. “I might be feeling a little hysterical right now.”
“They’ll be coming from the south, about two minutes out.” The Ancestral, who looked to be no more than thirty, wore his hair corporate-short. He had large brown eyes, visible in Lily’s continually improving sight.
He met her gaze, took in the chain, and dipped his chin once.
Adrien introduced her to Sebastien, and by the time she’d exchanged bizarre pleasantries on the roof of his home, a disposal crew had arrived.
Sebastien extended an arm, a graceful gesture in the direction of the home beneath his feet. “Shall we?”
Adrien quickly took Lily’s hand. “Which room?”
“They’d just started into my study when I escaped to the roof. I believe that chamber might still be intact.”
Sebastien disappeared first, sinking through the mass of the building. With his free hand, Adrien wiped sweat off his forehead. He called to the foreman of the crew, thanked him for his hard work, then the vibration began. Lily’s last view of the roof involved watching one of the disposal crew, a huge pack on his back, start power-spraying the blood away.
Maybe for that reason, or because she’d just witnessed more killings, or due to the action of moving through another solid mass, the moment Lily’s feet touched the soft carpet of Sebastien’s study she dropped to her knees. She worked hard not to hurl all over what she could see was a finely woven Persian carpet.
She felt a hand on the back of her head. Waves of energy pulsed through her, and the nausea passed. Her head didn’t even hurt. She sat back on her heels and looked up at Sebastien. “Thank you. I don’t know what you did, but I feel much better.”
“Good. I take it you’re finding our means of travel difficult to take.”
“Nearly impossible, unless I’m fully prepared and we take it really slow.”
He stepped away from her suddenly. In fact, he crossed to the opposite side of the room, but she wasn’t certain why.
When she rose to her feet, however, she turned to find Adrien in a state. He was growling again, his head low, his fangs bared. His flecked teal eyes had what was now becoming a familiar wild appearance.
Instinctively, Lily reached up and put her hand on his face. Is this because he touched me?
Adrien turned into her hand, kissed her palm, then hauled her into his arms. His thoughts came at her in a fragmented jumble: Kill Sebastien. Don’t. Lily, my God. Hurting. Fangs. Must stop. Lily. What’s happening? I could take her now. An entire string of expleti
ves followed.
Panicked, Lily threw her arms around his neck. I’m here, she said.
Lily?
I’m here.
I’m sorry.
What do you need?
He can’t touch you again.
He won’t. He didn’t understand. I’m sure he gets it now.
She felt him take a deep breath, then another. Because she was pressed up against him, she also felt his arousal and was stunned all over again. Was it possible she’d need to give it up for Adrien, again, in a stranger’s study?
She wasn’t sure she had a choice. Tell your friend to leave the room.
No. I’ll get through this. I can’t keep giving in to this terrible need I have for you.
He trembled as he pulled away from her, but they were alone. Sebastien had left the room anyway, which helped.
At first Lily opened her mouth to yell at Adrien, but what she sensed through the chain stopped her. The vampire was humiliated by what had just happened.
He moved to a large desk, planted his hands on the top, and worked at his breathing. She stared at him, uncertain what to do. Her chain began to vibrate heavily against her neck as powerful emotions worked in Adrien. Humiliation, yes, but something more, something that fueled his rage.
He shook from head to toe and without warning, he lifted his head and screamed into the air.
Lily jumped back several paces at first, then moved back to him. She put a hand on his arm, wanting to calm him, but he jerked away. He paced the room in a circle and shouted. More profanity followed, reams of it.
“Adrien, what’s wrong? Talk to me. Maybe I can help with this, whatever’s going on with you.”
“You want to help? You, a human. And what are you going to help with? Can you change my DNA or that this damn chain has my cock in an uproar? Or that when I catch even a whiff of you I want to bite down hard on your throat and never let go?”
She took a step away, one hand sliding up her neck. Her breath came in heaving gulps. She’d had sex with him twice and both experiences had overwhelmed her, made her crave more. Because of the chain, she could feel his need, that he meant what he said.
She stared at him, unwilling to admit just how much she responded to the call in his eyes, to the size and beauty of him, or to his primitive nature. And she hated herself for it, for desiring him like this, the feeling that not to have him would somehow destroy her life, even her soul.
