Simone’s head had cleared enough for her to comprehend what was going on in front of her. And when she heard Lilith’s name, memories came back as sharp and bright as the lightning Zurik created.
She remembered her conversation with Mike in the kitchen not long after her arrival. And the dreams she’d had while she was ill with fever in Julian’s bed. She knew the Goddess Lilith was somehow wound up in her own destiny, but at the moment her thoughts were too scattered to put those memories into any coherent pattern.
“Four minutes,” Zurik said, ignoring Julian’s suggestion. “Four minutes to get this show on the road. Will Simone have the opportunity to trade her life for her lover’s or not?” Zurik laughed his grating, evil laugh. “It’s time to find out.” Letting the necklace slide to the floor again, Zurik pointed his sword toward the back of the room.
“Sister of Simone, come forward.”
Simone managed to raise herself to her feet just as Dottie appeared a few feet to her left. Dottie wasn’t close enough for Simone to touch her, but she was close enough for Simone to determine it was really Dottie.
Simone held out her arms to the stepsister she had feared she would never see again.
Before she could take a step forward, Zurik suddenly appeared behind Dottie, his sword against her throat. Simone’s heart constricted painfully in her chest. Had she come this far only to see Dottie die at the hands of this monster?
“It is now three minutes before the clock strikes midnight,” Zurik reminded them. “Three minutes before the only time of the year when all the magic in the universe is waiting for those of us who know how to use it. Isn’t that right, Julian?”
“Damn you, Zurik, tonight you’ve exceeded your own record for theatrics. But I swear I shall have your black heart before this night is over,” Julian thundered.
Ignoring Julian, Zurik turned toward Simone. “Less than three minutes left for your lover to throw down his weapon and trade his life for the lives of you and your sister.”
JULIAN QUICKLY assessed the situation that Zurik had so adeptly created. As much as he hated to give his archenemy the credit for such brilliance, he had no choice but to acknowledge his adversary’s skill. Countless times in the past, Zurik had used tricks to overcome his victims. It was one of his hallmarks. He could only hope Simone would be able to keep her wits about her.
“I see you’re upholding the family tradition by falling back on the cowardly way to fight. Hiding behind two innocent females is just what I would have expected from you.” He was certain Simone’s stepsister was merely an illusion created by Zurik.
Zurik unleashed his anger with a snarl that sounded like it had come straight from the demon dogs guarding the gates of hell. “You dare try to trick me again with your insults and lies?” He looked up at the glowing clock, his entire body trembling with rage. “Well, I won’t be taken in by you. Your time is almost up.”
Julian knew he had to do something fast. In scarcely more than two minutes his chance for transformation would be over. He quickly calculated his limited options.
He could bargain with Zurik for Simone’s life by agreeing to a hand-to-hand battle only after Simone had been safely transported back to her apartment. He knew he had enough mental energy to accomplish that feat if Zurik agreed to let him do it. If he finished off Zurik quickly, he would still have enough time to make it back to Simone and begin the transformation. But if he didn’t win the fight, would Zurik or one of his minions go after her?
There were two other options. He could initiate a surprise attack on Zurik. Or, he could take Simone’s life himself. At least then he would know she had died a quick death, rather than risk leaving her to Zurik’s depravity should the monster be the victor in their impending conflict.
The options bounced around in his head, but he couldn’t decide what to do and he didn’t have the time to weigh each alternative. He also knew he wasn’t prepared for the painful, empty life of a world without Simone now that he’d found her.
Simone, can you hear me?
Yes.
Do you trust me?
Yes.
Had he detected a momentary pause before she answered? He had to convince her that, regardless of the outcome, he loved her and always would. He directed all his mental energy to the core of his love and willed it to the center of her heart.
Can you feel my love for you, Simone?
Yes, I feel it deep in my heart.
The anguish in Simone’s voice touched the withered core of him that yearned to live as a human again. He wanted with all of his heart and soul to tell her he would die for her, but he couldn’t do it. From the moment of his birth he had been charged with a greater responsibility. A responsibility that had always given him the will to fulfill his destiny, regardless of the cost to anyone. Until Simone entered his life.
But it was too late now to change his destiny. He could only hope Simone would understand and forgive whatever he had to do.
SIMONE’S HEARTBEAT thumped loud and strong in her ears. Ordinarily, blood rushing through her veins with such speed would make her impossibly dizzy. But instead she was energized. Her thoughts were becoming clearer and her instincts seemed keener than ever before.
She stole a quick glance at Dottie. Her stepsister hadn’t spoken a word or made a move since Zurik had summoned her. She seemed totally unaware of her surroundings or the fact that the edge of a two-foot blade was pressed to her throat.
Suddenly, it struck her that maybe this wasn’t Dottie. Maybe it was another of Zurik’s tricks. But no, that couldn’t be the case. She’d recognize Dottie anywhere. And Dottie was wearing one of her signature scarves. She was just in shock after being held hostage for so many weeks by this black-hearted beast.
Simone shifted her gaze and her thoughts to Julian. How crazy it had all seemed just two short weeks ago when she’d learned he was a vampire—someone who existed outside the consciousness of the ordinary human psyche. And, craziest of all, she had fallen in love with him.
Only it didn’t seem all that crazy now. The love he had sent her way just moments ago still filled her heart to bursting. And there was the certainty she had of being one with him, of their destinies being forever linked.
In the passing of one second, she suddenly knew everything there was to know about Julian that mattered. He was decent and honorable—destined to be a warrior who fought on the side of good. A slayer of evil vampires. The phrase came from somewhere deep inside, as if it had been there all along just waiting for the right moment to surface.
From that same deep place inside she thought of Dottie and Angela. Of Casey. What would happen to them? How could she make a decision that would leave them alone? How could she not?
The choice is yours.
The words were as clear now as they were when the Goddess Lilith had spoken to her during her illness.
The choice is yours.
She knew what had to be done.
JULIAN LUNGED AT Zurik, blocking out Simone’s scream as her stepsister vanished on impact. Zurik fought off the attack and leaped atop a stack of nearby packing crates.
Quickly following Zurik’s move, Julian leaped up and landed face-to-face with Zurik on his tenuous perch, toppling both vampires to the floor.
Julian rolled to his feet, but not before Zurik’s sword nicked his shoulder. It was a minor injury that healed instantly, thanks to the curative power of his ear studs.
He had to plan his next attack better, keeping in mind that the reach of Zurik’s sword was many inches longer than his own dagger. A strike to his heart by the sword’s diamond tip was the only injury his ear studs would not heal. Should that happen, he would be a forever dead vampire.
“Less than a minute,” Zurik shouted as he bounced to his feet, his satisfaction at having inflicted the first cut evident in his malicio
us grin.
The two vampires lifted their weapons again, readying them for the next attack.
Julian stepped to the side for a better angle at Zurik’s heart. The strike missed by an inch. Zurik spun around on one foot.
Julian never saw the crate that Zurik slid across the floor until it was too late.
AS JULIAN LEAPED to the side to avoid the crate, Simone saw the dagger fall from his hand. Zurik took advantage of Julian’s surprise and aimed the sword’s diamond tip at Julian’s heart.
“No!” Simone’s anguished scream ricocheted around the room, and after one last look at her beloved’s face, she threw herself into the path of the airborne sword.
“No!” Julian shouted, echoing Simone’s tormented cry as he leaped forward to take the thrust himself.
But he was too late.
The slam of Simone’s body into his, the hot stab of Zurik’s sword as it passed through her chest and into Julian’s heart, all happened in the space of one breath.
Chapter Twenty-two
FROM THE CENTER of a brilliant light, the Goddess Lilith appeared.
“You chose well,” the Goddess said with a smile as she whispered in Simone’s ear.
Placing her hand on Julian’s brow, Lilith whispered to him as well. “Do not let your decision haunt you. Your attempt to save Simone’s life rather than your own was not a breach of the Legacy, but its fulfillment.
“Heart to heart. Blood to blood. Her life for yours. She was, after all, the one sent to save you.”
Then the Goddess touched the place where the sword had pierced them both. “Your blood has healed each other’s wounds, and now your destinies are bound together until your final sleep.”
FOR THE FIRST time in more than a century, Julian felt the sun on his face. At first he thought it was a dream, a remembrance of the days of his youth when he lay out in the fields behind his father’s house.
Slowly he opened his eyes. Reality hit him like the first blaze of morning sun shining through the overhead skylight. His heart gave a hard, joyous leap. He was alive.
And then the last few minutes came back to him with the fury of the recent storm.
The moment he knew Simone was missing.
The way his heart split in two at the sight of Zurik holding her captive.
The ensuing battle between Zurik and himself.
The flash of Zurik’s sword in the air.
Simone’s body as it took the strike.
Simone’s lifeless body that now lay across his own, her arms locked behind his neck.
His heart felt as if it had been pierced a second time.
Then Simone stirred in his arms.
His heart nearly burst from joy. She had survived. His most dearly beloved had survived!
“I dreamed of Lilith,” Simone whispered.
For a long moment they were silent, the only sound that of their two hearts beating as one. Cautiously, Julian rolled them to their sides and levered them to a sitting position. He couldn’t bear not touching her so he took her in his arms and held her close.
“It wasn’t a dream, my love,” he breathed into her ear. “It was the transformation. Our new beginning.”
As if their thoughts had melded, they looked to the spot where Zurik had last stood. All that remained was his blood stained cape. Next to it lay Julian’s copper dagger, the metal as shiny as the day it was made and its jewels as bright as the new day.
With Simone’s hand in his, Julian stood, walked over to the dagger and picked it up. Viciously, he kicked Zurik’s bloody cape across the floor. “He got away, damn him. I injured him badly, but still the bastard got away.”
A sob escaped Simone’s lips. “What happened to Dottie?”
Julian put his arm around her shoulder. “She was never really here, my love. I’m sorry. It was just an illusion.”
She began to weep silently, and Julian put his other arm around her and held her close. “At least you’re alive,” she said, swallowing back the tears. “He could have killed you before he left.”
He pressed his lips to her forehead and kissed away the rest of her tears. “I’m alive because of you. Because of you, the fulfillment of the Legacy has begun. I have no doubt Zurik would have killed me if he had been able to. But once the Goddess made her entrance, he was powerless to harm either of us. Her power trumps all.”
She shuddered against him. “Zurick will be back though, won’t he?”
He tightened his embrace, the love between them so strong his chest constricted from the force of it. “Hopefully, not for a long time,” he said, in answer to her haunting question.
Smiling, Julian turned toward the partially open door he had entered in the dead of night. Morning sunlight dappled the worn, wooden floor. “I’ve waited a very long time for this day,” he said, lifting his face to the overhead skylight.
Taking her hand in his he led her to the door and threw it open to the new day. “Let’s go home. You need to rest. And I need to ready myself for whatever comes next. My real work hasn’t yet begun.”
Chapter Twenty-three
JULIAN SAT ON the edge of the antique claw foot bathtub with Simone on his lap. He turned on the water and tested the temperature with his hand until it was warm to the touch.
It had been two days since the transformation, two days of eating real food, of drinking whatever liquid he chose, and of having unrestrained sex with the woman he loved without fear of killing her.
Simone laid her head on his shoulder, her lips close enough to his neck for her to kiss it whenever she chose. “What happens now? I mean now that you’re no longer a . . . Now that you’re one of us.”
Julian chuckled and dipped his head to catch her lips on their way to his neck again. “I’ll never entirely be one of you. I’ll keep some of my vampire qualities. I’ll be less vulnerable than an ordinary mortal, fall ill less often, heal much faster.” He brushed his lips across hers and pulled back to look at her intently.” I’ll live longer than most mortals, and so will you as a result of the virus you contracted.” He stole another kiss, a deeper one this time. “So you’re stuck with me till death do us part.”
Simone grinned. “I think I can live with that.”
“Anything else I can put to rest for you?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. You said your real work is just beginning. And if I understood you correctly, there’s been a lot of ugly stuff going on in both the business and government sectors of New Orleans.”
Julian nodded.
Simone reiterated the gist of what Julian had recently told her, things the average New Orleanian knew nothing about. And was better off not knowing.
Julian turned off the faucets. “I’d say that’s a very concise version, but it does sum it up.”
“Then that television reporter the other night knew what he was talking about when he tried to get the doctor and the police captain to admit to strange, supernatural things going on in the city.”
“Pretty much, yes.”
Julian stepped into the tub and held his hands out to Simone. Together they lowered themselves into the perfumed water.
Julian situated Simone between his thighs. “It’s been to everyone’s advantage to keep the rumors down about a supernatural community alive in the city. Had we not, the public would have gone crazy every time someone was knifed or had a wound that by any stretch of the imagination could have come from a vampire’s bite. And just imagine what would happen every time someone thought they saw a vampire. Innocent people would be killing other innocent people out of an unreasonable fear.”
She settled back against Julian’s chest, shivering as he planted random kisses on her shoulder. Julian reached for the sponge, lathered it with her lilac scented soap and began sponging her breasts.
“So, the ba
d guys and the evil vamps worked together in that regard. Each covering their own hides so to speak.” She ran her fingers along Julian’s thighs, smiling when his erection nudged her bottom.
“Exactly,” Julian said, struggling to keep his focus on the conversation. “The corrupt were only too glad to turn a blind eye to murder in exchange for the mind control Zurik exerted on anyone who opposed their gaining power and wealth.”
Preferring other things to talking, Julian caught the lobe of Simone’s ear in his mouth and sucked at it while his hands did more than spread the soapy lather on her breasts. He tugged harder on the lobe as he teased the dark nubs to hard peaks.
Simone squirmed beneath his ministrations and tried to roll over and face him, but he stopped her with a firm grasp to her shoulder.
“Not yet, my sweet. I love taking it slow with you.” He scooped some water over her breasts to clear the soap away, then slid his hand down her midriff to her belly. He could feel the muscles in her loins tighten beneath his fingers and his already hard erection jerked against the crease of her buttocks.
“I’ve waited to get you in a position like this ever since that frantic time I spent with the ice all around us.” He kissed the spot on her neck where once he had injured her. “That day I thought I might lose you. Little did I know then that what I was fighting for was more than your life.”
Simone reached up behind her and laced her fingers around his neck. As her body arched up, he let his finger find the source of her heat. And he stroked her until she came for him without a sound, the thrumming of the blood in her veins passing through her flesh into his. He needed that little from her now to give in to his release and follow her into bliss.
Much later, when the water had cooled along with their passion, Julian said, “I really am sorry things didn’t turn out better for Dottie.”
Simone arched her neck back and looked up at him. “I know you are. But I still find it hard to believe that she was only an illusion, one of Zurik’s cruel hoaxes. It looked and sounded exactly like her.”
The Vampire Julian Page 19
