by Brooklyn Ann
The vampire obeyed and sat in a chair across from her throne. “Silas McNaught has Marked four more mortals. Teenagers!” he finished.
“How very odd.” Her brow creased in a frown. Most vampires only Marked one mortal at a time. What could Silas have been thinking? And more importantly, how could she use that against him?
“One of the females is not human,” Charles added as an afterthought.
Selena jerked upright and narrowed her gaze on the vampire as if he were a fascinating insect. “What do you mean? Is she a vampire then?” Could one even Mark another vampire?
Charles shook his head. “No. I don’t know what she is, but the creature radiates power, the likes of which I’ve never felt before.” He shuddered.
Licking her lips, Selena leaned forward. Now this was something useful. Perhaps she could claim that Silas was using this creature to build up his power base and overthrow the Elders. It was a far-fetched idea for those who knew McNaught, but entirely believable to those who did not.
But what was this being? She tugged on a lock of her hair as she mused. Then her eyes widened. This must be why Delgarias has paid a visit to Silas. The creature must be the key to the Prophecy! She pulled her hair harder, relishing in the pain. I must get this inhuman female. Perhaps she could demand it as her forfeit.
Struggling to keep her patience, Selena forced Charles to recount everything he was able to glean about Silas and the mortals he marked. After the spy departed, she knelt before her altar and lit a candle to honor Mephistopheles as she prayed for guidance.
Searching for the right words, she composed a letter to Marcus, Lord of Rome and the Second Elder. Marcus had shared a few passionate evenings with her and she hoped his fondness for her remained.
A few weeks later, she received her reply. The Elders would send a representative to investigate. A gasp tore from her throat at the name of the representative. It was none other than Razvan Nicolae. A bubble of laughter escaped her lips at the thought of Silas being under investigation by his own maker. And since Silas had failed him before, likely he would not be merciful.
Selena frowned, remembering that she had also failed to find Razvan’s missing twin. She grasped another lock of her hair and pulled. The pain forced the disturbing thought away. It was not her powers that failed, she reasoned, it was just that she cared not for his desire.
***
Christmas came and Akasha got her Roadrunner. She hugged Silas then, disregarding her intimacy issues for once. She tried not to dwell on how good his embrace felt, or how bereft she felt when it ended.
“Will you tell me about Max? The man who taught you to work miracles on vehicles?” The gentle plea coupled with his generosity compelled her to give him at least a few words.
“I’d run away from an abusive foster home and he took me in…” Akasha looked away, unwilling to admit Max had caught her eating out of his garbage. “Anyway, in return for room and board, he had me help him in his shop.”
Silas frowned. “Why aren’t you with him now? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No!” Outrage made her shout. Sobering with shame, she explained. “He…well, apparently he had a chop shop or something on the side. The cops came and…I guess he’s probably still in prison.”
Akasha closed her eyes at the memory.
“Listen!” Max had roared. “If those cops see you they might report you to whoever killed your folks! They’re probably still lookin’ for ya! Now scat while I distract em’!”
He ruffled her curls one last time and strode back to the house. Akasha heard cars pulling up the driveway. She dashed to the rear door of the shop, opening it carefully. No officers in sight so far. She sprinted to a huge spruce tree and climbed up. She couldn’t leave without finding out what happened to Max.
From her new vantage point, she could see him on the front porch. His hands were up and he was speaking calmly to four officers that held their guns trained on him. Max sank to his knees and laced his hands behind his head. Two cops came over and cuffed him. He was escorted to the car.
Soon after, more police arrived and they inspected the garage. Akasha’s limbs cramped and screamed from being up in the tree so long. Finally, after the sun had long since set, they departed. She wasn’t fooled, though. They would return soon to retrieve the stolen cars and gather up evidence.
She leapt out of the tree and stretched gratefully before rushing to the house. In minutes, she stuffed a backpack full of food, cigarettes, and clothes. She slung her prized leather jacket over her shoulder and chugged a beer on the way out.
On the streets again. She thought with resignation and a touch of remorse. But she was used to this life. Akasha walked a few miles, ate an apple, smoked a cigarette, and fell asleep behind a billboard.
“Where did you go then?” Silas interrupted her thoughts.
A wave of terror and revulsion made the garage swim before her vision. “I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”
His brows drew together in a stern frown and he opened his mouth to argue. But then his shoulders slumped and he sighed. “Very well, Akasha. Though I hope someday you can trust me enough to tell me what happened.”
Trust…Akasha swallowed a lump in her throat. What an alien concept it was.
As if he sensed her turmoil, Silas leaned down and caressed her cheek, eyes gleaming with sweet compassion. “I will leave you alone and let you return to your project now. But you must promise that if you need anything…”
“I will.” She turned away and grabbed her ratchet before he could see the brimming moisture in her eyes.
After two days of working on the Roadrunner almost without pause, Silas suggested she take a break. His worry was obvious, but the real motivation for Akasha to comply was the opportunity to give her friends their presents.
When Rage of Angels opened their gifts tears filled their eyes. Sylvis cradled her Fender Stratocaster like she never wanted to let it go. When Xochitl opened her Dave Mustaine series Jackson King V guitar, her shriek of joy seemed to shake the house. Akasha and Silas were nearly crushed in all the hugs. Isis, Xochitl’s blue-point Siamese kitten wanted nothing to do with Silas, however, and bolted up the stairs as soon as she had the chance.
“You got your ‘Isis,’ I see.” Akasha smiled at the retreating kitten.
Xochitl grinned. “And you got your car, I heard. Come on, let’s see it!”
Silas gave them one last smile before he headed off on one of his walks that Akasha now knew were hunts for fresh blood. Would he bite another woman tonight? She forced the disturbing thought from her mind and led her friends to the garage.
Aurora and Beau looked doubtful at the now gutted Roadrunner, but Xochitl immediately saw its promise of being a hot rod.
“You should call it the ‘Pretty Hate Machine.’” Xochitl thought everyone should name their cars. She’d already named Silas’s ‘Cuda, “Black Sunshine.” Akasha didn’t mind. Xochitl picked good names.
Beau and Aurora nodded disinterestedly. Akasha grinned, knowing that Aurora was practically salivating to set up the ten piece Tama drum kit and Beau would have a fit if he didn’t get to strum his Lakland bass. She sighed. It looked like her new car would have to wait until tomorrow.
Chapter Seventeen
Silas felt the other vampire before he heard his footsteps approaching in the tavern parking lot. The sinister aura made goosebumps tremble on his flesh and ancient power made his bones ache.
“What do you want, Razvan?” McNaught struggled to keep his voice casual.
“What makes you think that I want anything, Silas?” A deep, heavily accented voice replied before Razvan appeared in front of Silas. “Do I need a reason to pay a visit to my favorite prodigy?” The vampire was shorter than Silas by a few inches, but his dark hair and villainous features would make the devil weep with envy.
Silas’s gaze remained fixed upon his maker. “Everything you do, no matter how small, Razvan Nicolae, has a means to an end.”
<
br /> For the longest time, ebony and emerald eyes remained locked on one another as if in combat. Then Razvan’s face broke into a wide fanged grin, and he spread his hands in surrender. “All right. I can never fool you, Silas McNaught.”
“So…?” Silas prodded, his voice hushed in the falling snow.
Razvan’s grin increased. “So, the first reason I am here is so you can congratulate me on becoming Lord of a city.”
McNaught’s brow rose. “You’ve ceased your wandering search for your brother? And decided to take on a city?”
Razvan nodded, still smiling. Silas couldn’t help but grin back. Razvan had been obsessed with nothing but finding his missing twin brother, also a vampire, for centuries. Perhaps there was hope for happiness for his maker after all.
“Somehow I think your ulterior motive for that will be a very long story. What is your new city?” Silas asked.
Razvan withdrew his pipe from his coat pocket. “Spokane, Washington.”
Silas gaped. “That puts you practically in my backyard! Why Spokane?”
“Why did you take Coeur d’Alene?” Razvan fired back, undaunted.
“It is beautiful, quiet, and there aren’t many other vampires around to bother me.” He ran a hand through his hair, shaking out a few snowflakes.
A wicked gleam returned to Razvan’s eyes as he loaded the pipe. “It is also far from your homeland.”
“That is true.” Silas stated calmly, unwilling to rise to the jab.
“And you don’t think I’d choose this area for similar reasons?” the vampire asked with an arched brow.
Silas sighed. “Perhaps. But it seems more likely a place like this would bore you. Why didn’t you answer my message when I entered your territory?”
“I had not moved in yet. And how could I be bored with all these beautiful lakes and mountains? Not to mention the delectable tourists,” Razvan’s voice was vexingly saccharine.
Silas threw up his hands in exasperation. “All right. What is your other reason for coming here?”
Razvan’s expression sobered as he lit his pipe. “The Elders sent me.”
An arrow of panic pierced McNaught’s heart. “Oh?”
“They have heard some disturbing rumors about you, Silas.” His maker’s voice was dire with unspoken implications.
Silas kept his face carefully blank. “Have they?”
Razvan nodded and drew deep on his pipe. Cherry scented tobacco smoke filled the night. “Yes, according to Selena’s report you have Marked five mortals… children, even. I know Selena is insane, but the rumors had to have come from somewhere. What have you been doing to merit this kind of talk?”
Silas sighed in defeat. He’d long suspected that Selena would retaliate his leaving her and her cult, but he’d hoped she’d forgotten him over the years. “Actually the rumors are true.” Why didn’t Delgarias explain the situation? The thought struck him suddenly. “The first one I Marked is a young woman I took guardianship over. She belongs to me, so it is within my rights to Mark her. The other four are her friends, which I was instructed by Delgarias himself to guard. There are special circumstances surrounding one of them that cause concern for all their safety. I Marked all of them just to err on the side of caution.”
Razvan’s jaw gaped. His expression would have made Silas laugh if the situation weren’t so grave. “You… you… became a legal guardian? Have you gone mad? We’re vampires, not fathers.”
“It was not my intention to be her father.” Silas protested vehemently.
“Then why did you take her? Do not tell me some of the speculations are correct.” Razvan’s voice grew harsh with scorn and loathing. “Have you acquired a taste for young flesh?”
Silas shook his head, his mouth filling with a bitter taste at the accusation. “No, nothing like that!”
Razvan nodded, chewing on his pipe stem. “Good. Because I would then feel obligated to warn you that pederasty could bring about your execution, just as it did for the former Lord of Spokane.”
“Is that what happened to him?” Silas’s stomach roiled with disgust. “I am now glad I did not know him well.”
“Never mind that,” Razvan said with a dismissive wave. “Now why did you become this girl’s legal guardian?”
“Because I have had visions of her for centuries. Somehow, our fates are entwined.” The minute the words came out of his mouth he wished he could take them back. He sounded like a fool. “Besides,” Silas added quickly. “She’s nearly twenty, hardly a child. And she has no one. The poor woman was dressed practically in rags. I have plenty of money and I might as well put it to use.”
Razvan stared dumbfounded. “This is insane. I still don’t understand. How can you possibly be legally in charge of a nineteen year old woman? I thought people were considered adults at the age of eighteen in this country. As for the other four, what exactly are the ‘special circumstances’ surrounding one of them that would motivate you to mark all four?” He took a deep breath and blew out a cloud of smoke. “And I have heard nothing of Delgarias being involved.”
Silas regarded him with a humorless smile. “I assume the Elders sent you to see for yourself. Am I correct?”
“You are.” Razvan inclined his head in a parody of a bow.
Silas resumed walking and beckoned for him to follow. “Then come along, old friend, I do not have all night.”
As they walked back to the house, Silas’s mind raced with a thousand questions. Why didn’t Delgarias tell the others of his orders? Had he forgotten? A disturbing thought struck him and he stopped so suddenly that his foot skidded in the ice and he nearly fell face first into the slushy mess on the road. What if it was a set up?
***
As Razvan followed Silas down the arctic wasteland that passed for a road, he pondered his fledgling’s explanations. Had Delgarias really pressed McNaught to guard a group of silly mortal adolescents? It did not at all sound like something the ancient would do. But then Silas wasn’t the type to lie. A former Scottish warrior, McNaught was still hung up on foolish things like “honor.” Razvan sneered. At the least, this investigation should provide him with an amusing diversion.
They turned right and headed up a torturously steep hill. But when the small castle came into view, he decided the trek was worth the walk.
Razvan whistled his appreciation of Silas’s home as they plodded up the driveway. “An American castle...I like it.”
Silas bowed. “Thank you. I designed it myself, for Akasha.” A strange smile played across his face. “She is not as impressed with it as I had hoped.”
As they entered the garage, stomping the clinging snow from their boots, Razvan was startled by a flurry of curses uttered in a feminine voice. The sounds came from a vintage muscle car that was jacked up, hood open on the far side of the garage. Multiple clangs and obscenities came from underneath. Razvan threw Silas a questioning glance. Silas merely grinned and beckoned him to the vehicle.
A pair of dainty feet and shapely denim-encased legs were visible under the car. Silas coughed pointedly.
“Just a minute,” a growl echoed through the metal.
More clinking followed. Just when Razvan was about to tap his foot in impatience, a tiny woman who looked like a filthy porcelain doll rolled out from underneath the car.
“I think I got it!” she squealed ecstatically.
“You got what?” Silas asked with a sickening tender smile.
The female’s teeth clenched. “That fucking motor mount. Damn, that thing was a bitch!”
The adoration in McNaught’s gaze was plain. “That is good. Akasha, I would like for you to meet my friend and associate, Razvan Nicolae.”
“Hi. I’d shake your hand, but mine are covered in gunk.” The young lady regarded him curiously with startling amethyst eyes.
Razvan blinked at the suspicion in her gaze. She knows what I am.
“That is quite all right, Akasha. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Razvan struggled to keep a
straight face. The Mark on her beat powerfully upon him, informing him that she definitely belonged to Silas. He never guessed that his fledgling had that much power.
Another shocking realization came when he looked into Akasha’s eyes. He couldn’t read her mind! Unthinkable! But here it was. It wasn’t that her mind was completely shut off to him; her thoughts were just moving in such a rapid buzz that he was unable to discern a single word or image. It made him quite dizzy. Silas had some explaining to do.
“Are your friends still here?” Silas asked her.
“Yeah, they’re in the basement practicing.” Akasha returned her tools to her royal purple toolbox, her hands shaking nervously. “I think they’re staying the night.”
Silas nodded and shot Razvan a worried glance. “All right. Why don’t you wash up and meet Razvan and me downstairs.”
As soon as McNaught’s pet mortal departed, Razvan smiled wickedly. Silas should be worried. Nonchalantly, he asked what he already suspected. “Does she know what you are?”
McNaught stiffened in apparent unease. “She does, but the others do not. Delgarias forbade it.”
“And you trust her not to tell them?” Trust was an alien concept to Razvan.
“Yes,” Silas said confidently. “Akasha can keep secrets better than anyone I have met.” His lips curved in a humorless smile. “She is keeping plenty from me as it is.”
Razvan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Why would you tolerate such a thing? You could feed from her and find out, you know. Or have you forgotten what you are?”
“I will not violate her in any way,” Silas said firmly.
They remained in the garage for a few more moments as Razvan pondered the great hunk of metal Silas’s pet mortal was operating on. “Why do you not buy her a new car?”
McNaught shook his head. “I tried. She wouldn’t let me. She wanted this one because it is her ‘dream car,’ and she’s always wanted to restore one from the ground up.” Pride infused his voice. “And at least it keeps her from tinkering with mine so much.”
“It appears that you have a prodigy on your hands.” Razvan couldn’t hide his surprise, not only from the woman’s unique talent but also from the warmth in Silas’s voice when he spoke of her. To feel that deeply for another was surely dangerous to one’s health.
