Breathless, I pulled back. “No, no, no, this cannot be,” I whispered. Shocked by the wave of lust that had swept over me, I wondered if I had fallen under his spell. Had he mesmerized me? But when I looked at him, I saw the same expression of wonder mirrored on his face.
The sky overhead rumbled.
“They were wrong to seek to end the vampiric gift. We were created as opposites to rule this world, witch and vampire together, two halves that complete a whole. Their foolishness undid us all. We can no longer make new vampires through the exchange of blood. Witches can no longer bare witches. You and I are the end, the last full-blooded witch and the oldest vampire. If we wish to heal Nazar, we must give in to the forces between us, not deny or mangle them. From the moment I saw you, fierce with your evil eye glowing like witches of old, I knew the answer was in front of me.” Erlik stared at me, longing in his eyes.
“Are you mad? What you speak of cannot be. It was this very thing that destroyed the world,” I whispered.
“No. Love did not end the world. Seeking to destroy my kind, the quest to vanquish the vampiric gift, doomed us all.”
Was he right? All the lore said it was the love of a witch and vampire that had destroyed everything. But what if that was wrong? What if it had been the spell itself?
“Pelin, we can heal Nazar together,” Erlik said.
A terrible longing filled my heart, but behind it came a crashing wave of guilt. What business did I have with this vampire? It was against everything I knew to be law. And then there was Aydin. I tried to focus.
“What of your consort, Nadjla?” I asked.
He sneered, revealing a row of sharp teeth. “Gone.”
“Gone? Why? How?”
“You asked me to discover the reason my children have been disobeying the law. She is the answer.”
I frowned. Something more was at play here, but I could not yet see what.
“I’m sorry,” Erlik said, pulling back. “I was wrong to presume. I…I felt something I could not explain, something I had not felt in many years. Your illusion, the star shower, it was special.”
I reached out and pushed a lock of his dark hair away from his forehead. “Has it been so long since someone was kind to you?”
He stared at me. “Yes.”
It was my turn to stare.
Erlik lay back down. Reaching out, he took my hand and pulled me down beside him. “Lie here beside me and let the earth below and the sky above speak. They are the only constants in this world.”
I smiled then linked my fingers with his. “You speak like a poet.”
“I have never become less from dying.
At the next charge I will die to human nature,
So that I may lift up my head and soar among the angels,” Erlik said. “Do you know the poems of Rumi?”
“No.”
“At the next charge I will die to human nature, so that I may lift up my head and soar among the angels,” Erlik repeated once more.
“Rumi…did this human know about your kind?”
“Perhaps.”
“If he did, he saw you as angels.” I turned and looked at the vampire. “You, Erlik of the Berkano, are not what I expected.”
“Nor are you, Pelin, last pure-blooded witch in Nazar.”
“So you want us to save Nazar.”
“Yes.”
“And how do you suppose we go about that?”
“First, we must stop the war that is coming. And then, we must repair the barrier.”
“War?” My heart beat faster.
“The order has cast an eye over the city, and as a result, became blind. Listen to me now, and this old vampire will whisper things you wish you had not heard,” he said then leaned in close, pulling my naked body against his as he whispered of the unspeakable horrors that had been lurking just beyond our sight.
Chapter 18
As we made our way back to the streets of Istanbul, Erlik was silent. I could tell he was lost in thought. It was odd how well I understood his mood. How was that possible? The energy radiating off him was unlike anything I had ever felt before. He was powerful and wise, and so sexy that it had taken everything I had not to climb on top of him and feel every inch of his body.
Despite the lingering want that I could not deny, there were his words. We walked to the water’s surface at the edge of the Gold Horn and looked out across the water.
“There,” he said. “Watch.”
I followed the line of his hand then cast out my senses. I touched the evil eye pendant on my chest, amplifying my reach. The glass eye sparkled. I exhaled deeply then looked.
A few moments later, I saw a light shimmer briefly. It was as if someone had passed with a lamp then disappeared.
“Taksim,” Erlik whispered.
I stared across the dark water. The light did not shine again. I could not see anything, but I felt them there, vampires and humans alike, in the old Taksim district.
“How many Berkano went with her?” I asked.
“Most are loyal to me. We are two dozen. She has five.”
“And Rift-cursed?”
At first, Erlik did not reply.
I looked up at him. His dark eyes shimmered silver in the moonlight. “Many,” he said. “And she is trying to making more.”
“How?”
Erlik was silent for a moment.
“How?”
“The Order of Tengri lied to you. There were survivors across the Golden Horn. For many years, they have been kept to ensure our survival.”
“Kept? What do you mean? Enslaved?”
“Yes.”
“By whom? By you?”
Erlik frowned. “No, but I am complicit. Nadjla made the arrangements many years ago. Only the elders in your order would know anything about it now. Nadjla and the others turned many of the humans, and the rest are used as blood cattle.”
I gasped. There was no way Emine knew about this. She never would have permitted it. But then I remembered how she had sought to see into Taksim, and how Baran denied seeing anything. That bastard. He did know. “And those at Yedikule? They don’t know?”
Erlik shook his head. “No. Nadjla’s dealings in Taksim are separate from the peaceful world we strive for on this side of the water. I have made my own arrangements with Mehmet the Wise, always within the law. The rules worked well because no one got greedy. Until now.”
“But the abductions. I saw two vampires try to take a woman and baby into the Dark Bazaar,” I said, suddenly doubting his word. After all, what reason did this vampire have to trust me with so great a secret? Why was he telling me all of this?
“Nadjla’s followers are growing in number. Her kind are recruiting mine. I am losing my hold. Soon, Nadjla will seek to take over. She will use her minions to oust or kill me, destroy Yedikule, and the Order of Tengri will enslave you when Emine dies. You will serve in chains.”
“How is this possible? How does Emine not know?” I whispered, staring across the dark waters.
Erlik shook his head. “I don’t know. Perhaps she never had a reason to suspect. The Order of Tengri is secretive. They always have been. It’s only now that Nadjla is growing bolder, even seeking to disrupt the peace with Yedikule, that we begin to see all the chess pieces on the board.”
“She has someone inside Yedikule working for her,” I whispered, realization washing over me.
“I believe so. They’ve a hand in the abductions you’ve seen.”
“Why would they betray their own kind?”
“I can only guess. Desperation. Or coercion. You do not realize the extent of the power we have over humans. It is simple to overwhelm the human mind.”
“One might suspect you were trying to use such a charm on me,” I said, casting a sidelong glance at him. He was staring out at the water. A soft breeze ruffled his dark hair.
He smiled softly. “Given you could make me crumple to my knees with a word, I don’t think it wise to try.”
I strongly
suspected he overestimated my power, but I didn’t dare say so. I sighed heavily and looked back out at the water. “What are they waiting for?”
“I can only guess, but I believe they are waiting for Emine to pass, as grotesque as that sounds. I have no contact with Nadjla. My people are gathering what information they can. We must make ready. I must make a request. I need your help. I must speak to Mehmet the Wise.”
“The humans will never let a vampire into the safe zone.”
“Indeed. I must be invited. Can you arrange it?”
I exhaled deeply. Tomorrow night I had planned to meet Aydin. I could convince him to take me to Mehmet again. If the human leader knew the danger he faced, surely he would agree to meet Erlik.
“I will try.”
Erlik reached out then and took my hand. “I remember when the witches of the order used to feed off humans’ energy. Do they still do so?”
Did he sense the weakness in my magic? I hoped not. My need for psychic energy embarrassed me. Under Emine’s guidance, we had learned to curb our need for such life force and sought to take it from the earth instead. I’d rarely taken from humans, and only when offered. The effect on me was odd. Even now I could still feel a bit of Aydin’s spirit in me. Thinking of him deepened my shame. What in the hell was I doing out at night with a vampire, thinking the things I was thinking, feeling the things I was feeling? It didn’t make any sense.
“Rarely,” I replied.
Erlik looked closely at me then took my hand. “I always wondered…”
I stared at him. “You don’t mean…from you?”
“What harm could it do to try? I am certain you are questioning my motives. Perhaps a taste of me might quell any worries.”
“Or it might kill you. Or me.”
“Then go slowly.”
I met his eyes. Something about this man made me want to challenge my boundaries, my courage. I did not want him to see me as weak or less than him. I wanted him to see me as his equal. It felt desperately important to me that I did not seem like a fool in front of such an ancient creature, but more, in front of the man.
Moving carefully, I reached out and touched his face then leaned toward him. He bent his head until our foreheads touched.
Then, moving carefully, I inhaled and slowly let the energy inside me reach out for him.
What I found inside felt like an illusion. If the human spirit was a well, the life-force inside it was water. That was how I’d always felt the energy within humans, like a deep well. What I felt inside Erlik was different. The well of the soul was there, but the life-force was…gone. I touched deeply beyond the surface that was him, feeling for that living spark. Erlik shifted uncomfortably. I moved to pull back, afraid I’d hurt him, but he held my arms.
“I’m fine,” he whispered.
I dipped within him once more. There was life inside him, but it was like nothing I had ever felt before. Trying to catch it was like playing games with smoke. I pressed deep within him and began to feel his true self. It was not the glimmering water of life; it was something airy and almost intangible. I pressed further. I felt his terrible loneliness, longing, and despair. It filled me with such sadness that tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I pressed further, feeling light hiding deep within the reaches of his soul. Somewhere inside him, like a kernel of sunlight, was his humanity. It was not gone. He was not dead as many described the vampires. He was very much alive, just changed. His essence lay deep within, under the well itself. From the deep void, I found the recesses of his spirit, I found laughter, light, and I felt the sun. I heard the sound of blood pumping in my ears and felt life. I dipped my energy toward that light. Underneath the vampiric seed, there was still a living being. I pushed hard, reaching out toward the glimmering seed.
Erlik shuddered, and a strange strangled cry escaped him.
Gasping, I stopped and pulled back, careful to retract my own life-force from his with gentle ease.
Dizzy, I stepped back.
Erlik dropped to his knees.
A moment later, I slid to the ground in front of him.
Overheard, the sky crackled in protest and there was a strange groan from the dome as a massive magic storm struck the barrier.
Erlik stared wide-eyed at me. “Did you feel that?”
“Feel…feel what?” I had felt so many things. I realized then I was breathing hard. My whole body was filled with the very essence of him. As I had waded through the darkness for the light, I had breathed in his energy, his vampiric energy. My head buzzed oddly and strange images flashed before my eyes, images of automobiles and airplanes and move theaters and laughing women and the taste of blood.
Erlik reached out and pulled me into his lap, cradling me in his arms. “I saw…I remembered…who I was before. So clearly.”
“There is life deep within you, something of the man you once were remains. It was just within my reach.”
I pressed my head against his chest. To my surprise, I could hear his heart beating. “I thought vampires were undead,” I whispered.
“No,” he replied. “We are changed but not dead. We need blood to survive. That is the curse the witches sought to end.”
I frowned hard. Something about that felt wrong. It did not make sense with what I had felt, what I had seen.
I looked up at Erlik who was staring off into the distance. Feeling my eyes on him, he looked down at me.
“Do you believe one night can change the course of a person’s life?” he whispered.
I nodded.
He leaned in and set his lips on mine. I relaxed into the kiss. He met me eagerly. His lips were warm and his mouth held the lingering taste of port wine. The scent of the oils from the bath perfumed both our skin. He lay me on the ground and kissed me hungrily, his hungry mouth roving over my neck.
“Don’t…don’t forget. My blood is poison to you,” I whispered.
“I don’t want your blood,” he whispered, kissing me on the mouth once more. “I want you, Pelin.”
“We cannot. It is forbidden,” I whispered between kisses, fully aware that my hands were unbuttoning his shirt.
“Is it?” he replied as he unbelted my robe, pushing it aside.
My naked flesh lay exposed to him.
He ripped off his shirt as he slowly kissed me from the neck down, pausing to kiss me again and again on my nipples, licking and sucking them hard. His lips roved down my chest and stomach as his hand reached for my most intimate parts.
I groaned, reaching out to feel the ground below me, to pull energy from it. I looked up at the sky. The aurora above the barrier twirled with a rainbow of colors.
What was I doing?
What was I thinking?
I wanted him, that was certain, but at what cost?
“No,” I whispered. “We must stop. Erlik, we must stop.”
Breathing hard, he leaned back over me, looking down at my face. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No. No, you were perfect, but we cannot. Don’t you see? What if the stories are true? I…I know you are unhappy. I felt your despair. But this is not the way. You must care a little if you came to me to tell me of Nadjla’s plans. Or did you hope that by making love to me that you would…” I began, but did not end. As old as he was, there was almost nothing in Nazar that could kill him, nothing that could take his pain away, except the Rift.
“No,” he breathed. “No. It was not that. I…you’re right about the emptiness. But what I told you earlier is true. The feelings you evoked in me…I am alive again for the first time in many years.”
Gently, he folded my robes closed once more and lay down on the ground beside me.
I stroked his hair, kissing him gently. “I want you, but we must do what is right for Nazar. We cannot risk the people here because fate has put us in front of one another and filled us with desire.”
Erlik laughed. “I should thank you.”
I smiled. “For what?”
“For giving me a reason.
”
I sighed, understanding his meaning. A reason to care. A reason to live.
We lay together in the grass, watching the moon move across the sky. In the distance, I could feel the vampires moving through the city, but no one came near where we were. It was late in the night when I started to doze off. Gently, Erlik lifted me and carried me to the palace. I closed my eyes and rested my head against his chest. Being so close to him felt good in a way I had never experienced before. I had been intimate with Aydin, and I had thought that I was growing to love him, but now I knew that whatever I had felt for Aydin, it had been little more than friendship. Perhaps I was the one who’d been acting out of desperation, clinging to something that felt like life.
When we reached the wall near the third courtyard, Erlik gently set me down.
He bent his head toward me, our lips meeting once more.
When he finally pulled back, I smiled at him. “Tomorrow I will meet with the humans. I’ll find you after.”
He nodded then stepped back.
The protective spell around our wall had already been called to life. I steadied myself and tapped into the energy inside me. My entire senses were filled with Erlik’s energy. I created a barrier around myself, matching it in rhythm to the wall, then stepped within.
Once more, I passed without consequence.
I turned and looked back at Erlik.
He smiled gently, bowed to me, then stepped back into the shadows, disappearing into the night.
Grabbing the stones, I heaved myself up and over the wall. The inside courtyard was silent. Everyone was sleeping. Moving quickly and quietly, I headed down the path toward my haremlik. The tall trees cast long shadows on the walkway, their branches looking like skeletal hands, deformed shadows in the moonlight. Lost in my thoughts, I touched my lips, remembering Erlik’s kisses.
How had this happened?
What had I almost done?
My steps slowed to a stop.
Sweet Mother Umay, what had I almost done?
I squinted my eyes, feeling like I was coming out of a strange fog. As I did so, I swore I heard someone talking nearby.
The Dark Bazaar: Division 8 (The Berkano Vampire Collection) Page 10
