Eva, a close friend from her college days, and her partner, Jimmy, had accepted Tatya's offer and moved to Orleton a year ago to help with getting the clinic up and running. "Isn't that what friends are for? And Jimmy and I aren't losing out, financially or any other way. It wasn't till you offered us the opportunity to do something new that we realized how stuck we'd become. We needed the challenge. Now just shut-up with the sentimental stuff and eat your dinner like a good girl."
"Is everything ready? We must have forgotten something"
"Yep, and no, we haven’t. How did it go today?"
"Perhaps it's because most of them are from the old countries and brought up in different eras, but I've never met such a stuffy lot. They're unbearably formal. You'd imagine vampires would be, I don't know, less refined and proper. You have to wonder. Does Vanse give people some kind of etiquette exam before he turns them?"
"Well, I guess now they get a legal blood allowance, they can afford to be polite."
Tatya finished her tea, walked over to the sink, and washed her plate and cup. "Thanks, Eva." She hugged her friend.
"Back atcha kiddo."
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway drew their attention, and they turned to see the security lights illuminate Vanse's sleek black chevy vampmobile.
"I wonder what Fabio wants this late in the day?" Jimmy asked. "Eva and I will head upstairs."
"Can you let him in on your way, while I get a brew going?" Tatya had a supply of Hawaiian Kona coffee beans she'd bought to satisfy the vampire's addiction to the beverage.
Eva hugged her tight. "See you in the morning."
While Fabio sat at the table, a large mug of steaming coffee in his hand, Tatya sipped another cup of sage tea. This was their ritual. Small talk until he finished his first cup, and then he broached whatever subject he wanted to discuss. He said the habit relaxed him and allowed him to gauge the mood of the other person before he got down to business.
"I have had a phone call." He placed his mug carefully on the coaster.
Tatya looked at him. He was immaculately dressed in a gray designer suit, his leather shoes buffed to a mirror shine, and, as always, she envied how his smooth black glossy hair remained in a ponytail—hers never stayed put no matter how much gloop she poured on it. He reminded her of Vanse, with his high cheekbones and full sensual lips, but Vanse had emitted an impression of steely strength, of dominance, whereas Fabio was a gentler soul. Since last year’s traumatic events, he'd been determined to prove himself worthy of the responsibility she had given him of caring for his family of vampires.
"Okay, Fabio. It's getting late, it's been a big day, and I have another tomorrow. Spit it out."
At first, Fabio had been hard pressed not to take offense when Tatya addressed him in such a casual manner. His experience of modern living was limited to conducting the family's banking and business affairs, and he often hadn’t a clue what she meant. "A master vampire named Serkan called me. He's arriving in Orleton late tonight and requested you and I meet with him at his hotel at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay, the opening should be pretty much over by then. What does he want?"
"The twins are researching his history, and recent activities, vampire and otherwise. But I'm worried. Vampire legal matters are handled via video conferencing these days, and other issues, such as territorial conflicts are referred to the High Council in New York. Since the Revelation Treaty, nobody wants to upset the apple cart by starting a war. I have no idea why he's come in person." The lines on his forehead deepened as he turned his brown eyes on her. "Except I can't help thinking this could be a take-over."
"A take-over of one of your corporations? Like a merger or something? That's not above your abilities, is it? Judging by what I have seen of your business skills, you'll have no problem."
"No, Tatya. A take-over of Vanse’s family."
Chapter Two: An Omen
Tatya studied her reflection. Aunt Lil, Sean, and even Vanse might not recognize the svelte young woman gazing out at her from the mirror. Sometimes she felt as if she was a stranger in her own body. Where had the crop-haired enthusiastic young graduate, fresh out of college and full of ideas, disappeared to? She straightened the jacket of the jade green pantsuit, a gift from Fabio, liking how it accentuated the pale gold of her complexion, and complemented her eyes. Eva had done her make-up, hence the brick-red lipstick. As a result she looked like a professional business woman, not a herb growing hands-on psychic healer. She smoothed the wayward curls behind her ears.
If truth be told, she didn't need the bathroom, she just wanted a few minutes’ break. Eva and Jimmy’s contribution had been invaluable, and the opening had gone without a hitch. Fabio and the twins, Forked Lightning, Daniel, and a good number of the werewolves she'd treated over the past year, several tribal elders who'd supported their shaman, Changing Sky, taking her on as a pupil when others objected, all came to give their blessings. She saw the men, women and children she'd treated and a generous sprinkling—more than she expected—of those who turned up because of curiosity. She had cut the ribbon, and led the small crowd inside to the buffet. For the next hour, she nodded, smiled, and reminded herself this was the beginning of a new stage in her life.
The second she emerged from the bathroom, Forked Lightning bore down on her.
“You’ve done a brilliant job here, Tat. Changing Sky must be smiling down on you right now.”
“He’ll be smiling even more when he sees you giving classes on shamanism. Did I tell you your class is full?"
Forked Lightning swallowed. "I'm doing it 'cause people should know shamanism isn’t mumbo jumbo, but I'm not looking forward to standing in front of a class."
"Hey, I've seen you dominate a pack of werewolves at the full moon. A class of students who are there because they want to learn—they'll be a bunch of pussy cats."
"Cats?" He arched an eyebrow at her in mock horror.
"You know what I mean."
“Got a favor to ask. Do you think you could come and give Leyla a quick once-over? She says the baby is restless and hearing you say everything's fine means more than hearing the same from Doc Patel. I've been doing some research. Do you know that barrier of yours has been in place for too long already? We need to set a date for its removal before you end up causing psychic damage to yourself."
A year ago, Forked Lightning had broken into her shop in town when he realized she wasn't answering his or Corwin's calls and hadn't opened for three days. He discovered her upstairs, sprawled unconscious in bed, writhing and twisting as her power leaked in uncontrolled bursts from her body. She had collapsed under the burden of guilt at having to save the man she loved by killing him.
Using the link created between them by their mentor, Changing Sky, Forked Lightning erected a temporary barrier to cut her off from most of her power. She had lain in bed, physically weak and emotionally demoralized for a week before she recovered. Forked Lightning suggested keeping the barrier intact while she came to terms with what she'd done. She agreed—far too promptly in his opinion, but she needed to function. Since then, he'd asked her on at least half a dozen occasions about removing the block, but each time she had insisted that keeping her powers dampened was the right thing to do. Besides, she told him with a smug look on her face, she still had access to her healing abilities, and could teach him everything she’d learned from Changing Sky. So, their weekly sessions continued without disruption.
To herself, she admitted her reluctance was due to the fact she preferred being in control of her feelings rather than the other way around, and a side effect of the barrier had been to reduce the most devastating of her emotions to a manageable level. “You’ve become such an old worry wart these days,” she said patting his arm. “I promise to set a date soon. Listen, the opening’s pretty much over, but I have an appointment with Fabio at three. I’ll let Eva know what’s happening, and if we leave now, I won’t have to keep him waiting.”
&nb
sp; At the reservation, Tatya parked outside Forked Lightning’s gray single-story bungalow. She followed him through the living room and into the bedroom where Leyla sat propped up by a small hill of pillows.
Forked Lightning's wife, Leyla, was six months pregnant. Her gynecologist insisted on bed rest after three near miscarriages in her first trimester, reducing the powerful alpha of the local werewolf pack and tribal shaman to a palpitating nervous wreck whenever she gave the slightest cough.
The minute they entered, the young woman closed the book she was reading and reached out to Tatya. "It’s good of you to come out and see me when you've got so much going on. I wish I could have been at the opening. How did everything go?”
Tatya grinned as she gave her big hug. "Fantastic, and exactly according to plan, thanks to the dynamic duo. I know I’ll sleep well tonight. But how are you and baby?"
Leyla had come into Tatya's shop one day attracted by the dreamcatchers in the window just as Forked Lightning walked in with a delivery of sage bracelets. The second Forked Lightning saw her flame-colored hair, large blue eyes, and full lips, he fell in love. Two months later he married his soulmate.
"I had a dream last night, Tatya. He said he'd ask you for an interpretation. Dreams aren't his thing."
Tatya’s guilt muscle twinged. Teaching Forked Lightning how to read dreams was one of the few lessons she’d not yet taught him. She needed access to her power to show him how to distinguish the different strands between what the mind regurgitated from the day, the jumble of hopes and fears the subconscious released at night, and an augury or premonition. This was another argument in Forked Lightning's arsenal of reasons to remove the block. Let alone the constant nagging that he should learn more of the attack and defense moves Changing Sky and Otakay, her spirit guide, had taught her.
Tatya opened her shields and checked Leyla's aura. Her normal deep blue was brighter, and the section next to her skin thicker, as was usual in pregnancy. "Your aura's fine. Can you lie down, and I'll give you a quick scry. Just to confirm everything's as it should be."
While Leyla uncrossed her legs and shuffled herself further down the bed, Forked Lightning removed the half a dozen pillows from behind her back, taking care not to jolt her.
Tatya watched the way he regarded his wife. She was glad he’d found someone. The Forked Lightning she first met as co-disciple of Changing Sky had been a brash and obnoxious young man. Now he loved someone who cared as deeply for him as he did for her, and had put aside the front he'd needed while growing up on the streets of Chicago.
"This baby will grow up to be a drop dead gorgeous—"
"Don't say it." Forked Lightning glared at her. "Any child of ours will be beautiful, but I want to wait. We’ll love it the same whether it’s a boy or a girl, a werewolf or not."
Tatya laughed, as she settled herself cross-legged on the bed next to Leyla. "You rise to the bait far too easily. I couldn't resist."
Her statement was true, though. With his glossy waist-length crow-black hair, handsome looks, and muscular frame, Forked Lightning possessed a powerful animal magnetism. All werewolves were stronger than the average human, healed quicker, and stood out in any crowd, but combined with Leyla's genes, this child would be outstanding.
"Do your thing, woman." Forked Lightning crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow at her.
Tatya held her hands open, palms facing each other, and pulled on her power. Almost instantly a band of glowing white appeared. She moved her hands apart, stretching the luminous substance, positioned them on either side of Leyla's stomach, and moved the light down over her body.
The baby shifted when the band of light passed over Leyla's stomach, and Tatya smiled to herself. She had the sense of an old wise soul taking birth here, but no one would know till puberty whether the child had inherited his father’s werewolf genes or not.
"The bed rest is working, and as far as my skills go, everything's fine with both of you." She relaxed, and shot a glance at Forked Lightning, whose face cleared at her words. "Tell me about your dream."
"Oh, yes. The dream." Leyla closed her eyes as she remembered. "I was alone on a ledge on a high cliff. On one side the rock rose really high, and I couldn't see the top, and on the other dropped into a chasm where the bottom disappeared in darkness. I was cold, there was ice and snow everywhere and a freezing wind. I was shivering like mad, and someone was coming. You know that fearful feeling in dreams, and I didn't know who it was, but I was afraid. I mean terrified. That’s when Forked Lightning woke me."
Tatya spotted the shadowy gray spikes of fear flickering in Leyla's aura as she recounted the dream. But the description sent shivers down her spine because it sounded spookily similar to a place she'd been taken to once by the demon, Angelus. The place where she and Otakay had defeated him, sending him back to Hell. She’d done that twice now.
"What is it, Tat?" Forked Lighting drew his eyebrows together.
"Nothing," she answered abruptly.
"Your face says it's something. Spill."
"I can't swear it’s nothing, I'd have to do a spirit journey to say that. It triggered a memory, that's all."
"If you’ll do a quest I'll drum for you." Forked Lightning said.
"Sure. If that's okay with you?" She checked with Leyla for confirmation.
"If it stops his nagging, it's fine with me. Now if you two don't mind, I’m going to take my afternoon nap."
Forked Lightning pulled the blanket up over his wife, and she snuggled underneath, her eyelids closing, and a soft smile on her lips.
As they reached the front door, the shaman grabbed Tatya’s arm and hustled her outside. “Thanks, for soothing my fears about the baby, but what did you see when she told you her dream?”
Tatya was too caught off guard by his action to respond. Of course he would have picked up on her reaction, no matter how swiftly she’d hidden it. He was squeezing her arm with a bit too much force. “Let go! You’re hurting me.”
He released his grip at once, “Sorry, Tat. I’m a bag of nerves during this pregnancy. Despite your ability to spirit quest, we both know you won’t be able to help with the dream till I remove that barrier, and I don’t want to hear any more excuses now the center’s open. I need you to do this for me. Besides, you’ve been hiding from yourself for too long.”
Before he left this world, Changing Sky had charged her with passing the lessons he’d not had time to teach him on to Forked Lightning, and their friendship had deepened as he grew into his new role of tribal shaman. She sighed, accepting the truth of what he said. “I know it sounds as if I’m making excuses, but I wouldn’t have gotten Aunt Lil’s place rebuilt or the project off the ground if you hadn’t put those barriers in place.” She put a hand on his arm. “I'm all too aware you’re anxious about Leyla and the baby, and I’m not doing this to be awkward, but I need to prepare myself. Will you allow me that?”
“Tat, it’s not just about me, or Leyla. I’m telling you, it’s dangerous for you to keep that barrier in place. I’m knocking on your door lunch time tomorrow. You’ve got till then to prepare. Okay?”
Tatya focused on Forked Lightning’s words as she drove back to town, and ignored the pangs of longing she felt whenever she saw Leyla. I’m getting old and broody, she thought. The prospect of never experiencing the joys of a loving relationship, children, and family was something she didn’t dwell on or share with anyone, certainly not Forked Lightning. She had many blessings to be grateful for, but the knowledge she’d as good as killed the one person she felt destined to be with was a crushing weight to carry. She was more than apprehensive about dealing with the full brunt of emotions that almost destroyed her a year ago.
Chapter Three: Serkan
As if opening a center that had been the focus of her life for the last year wasn’t enough for one day, she was heading for the meeting Fabio had scheduled with a strange vampire master who wanted goodness knew what.
If spring had displayed her
best aspects during the opening earlier in the day, she was exhibiting her worst by mid-afternoon. The windscreen wipers swished from side to side, working overtime as heavy leaden clouds replaced the morning sunshine, and the light rain increased to a steady downpour. Tatya plugged her phone into the dashboard and called Fabio as she approached the outskirts of Orleton.
"Good afternoon, Tatya. Congratulations on this morning’s success."
"Morning, Fabio. Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without your help. I'm almost at St. Raphael’s. Is the meeting in the conference room?" She heard his quick intake of breath.
"No, that isn't advisable till we know more about what he wants."
"Did the girls dig up any relevant information?"
"Yes, and nothing that will help us. He arrived in the Great Lakes' area six months ago, and has already removed and replaced one master. He has a reputation for ruthless expansion."
"He’s not a real threat to us, is he? He can't just take over the family, can he?" She pictured Vanse lying helpless in his coffin; the men and women of all ages and races who'd sworn their allegiance to him, whom he'd always protected and who were now suddenly vulnerable.
"Without Vanse to protect us, the answer is, yes, he can. I'm only in charge because of Vanse's will, and your request, whereas most masters reach that position because they defeat other vampires. I fear he could defeat and replace me with ease."
Tatya picked up on the panic in his voice. "Relax, Fabio. Nothing's happened yet. Let's take this meeting, be composed. Whatever he wants, we tell him we need to think it over and we don't give him an answer right away. After all, I am Vanse's consort with special privileges. Right?"
Fabio made a sound of agreement.
"And he doesn't have the same authority over me that he can wield over you. Don’t worry, Fabio. Together we are strong."
He gave a soft sigh of relief.
"So, where's the meeting?"
"You know Prairie Views Motel? Take the first turning on the right after you enter Main Street, it’s after the hardware shop."
The Kala Trilogy: An Urban Fantasy Box Set Page 46
