by Janet Jones
Talisen shrugged out of Ellory's arms and stepped closer to the Alchemist so she could look him in the eye. “Do you have to put her through hell in the meantime?"
He gave her a harsh smile and lowered his voice to a confidante's purr. “But she isn't crying because of what I've done to her. It's because of what I haven't done."
He pivoted, waved them forward and left Talisen staring at his retreating back.
* * * *
Ellory stood in the middle of the torch-lit, cavernous room provided by the Alchemist for his family. He looked it over from its cement floor to its dirt and rock ceiling. The walls contained fissures that were long and deep enough to furnish each of them with a place of rest.
Just like a tomb. The thought made him shudder. The very air whispered of deception. He exchanged a glance with Talisen, who shook her head adamantly. She felt it, too.
But what choice did they have?
When Ellory turned to regard their host, he managed to keep his tone civil. “This will do for us, of course—"
The fledglings began a chorus of “No way” and “Ohhhh, come on, Ellory,” and he silenced them with a stern glance. He turned to the Alchemist again. “But I'm not putting Talisen and Shelby in this ... room."
The Alchemist nodded. “I have other accommodations for them."
They all followed him back into the corridor and up a narrow wooden stairway to a sort of loft. In the corner of the clean, plank floor, there was a twin-sized bed. One blanket. One pillow. There was a washstand, a lantern hanging from the beamed ceiling, a small table with two chairs, and a little wardrobe. Through another door, there was a rudimentary bathroom.
Ellory scowled. When a vampire wanted to placate and tease, play and lure, he brought his quarry to a room like this. He knew what this room was usually used for, but Talisen and Shelby wouldn't. He strode to the bed and glowered at it. The sheets had better be clean. When he jerked the blanket aside, nothing but sun-sweetened freshness met his nose. No blood stains. Either the room hadn't been in use recently, or the Alchemist was more fastidious than he gave him credit for.
He folded his arms across his chest and sighed. At least Talisen and Shelby would be warm up here. He glanced over his shoulder at Talisen, who was plainly confused over his obsession with the bedding.
He shrugged and cleared his throat. “Just want to be sure you'll be comfortable."
"I think a lumpy mattress is the least of our worries, don't you?” She turned to the Alchemist. “This is fine."
The Alchemist nodded without looking at her. Ellory followed his gaze and felt his canines rupture from his gums. The fiend was watching Shelby again. The child stirred in Sean's arms and wiggled for him to put her down. When he did, she looked around her with a yawn.
Her gaze settled on Ellory, and she smiled sleepily and went to him with her arms held out. He picked her up and held her close. Shelby returned the Alchemist's gaze like the innocent she was, all big-eyed and wondering.
"Go and play, sweet,” Ellory said to her.
He put her down, and she went to the bed, dug her toys out of her pack, and settled down at the wash cabinet to turn it into a house for her dolls. The Alchemist followed her with his gaze from one end of the room to the other.
Talisen took the blanket from the mattress and wrapped it around Shelby. Ellory watched his mate look over her shoulder at the Alchemist. She had that contemplative look on her face, the sort she got when she figured something out that everyone else had missed completely. To his horror, she whispered something to Shelby, helped the little girl up, and led her to the Alchemist.
Ellory moved in to flank them. Sean murmured something acidic under his breath and followed suit. Meical hovered nearer. The rest of the fledglings gravitated in a half-circle around Talisen and their tiny human sister.
Shelby shifted Fiona to the other arm, stood on one foot, propped the other on her red Ked, and treated the Alchemist to her perfect, guileless smile.
Talisen smiled, too. “This is Shelby. I don't think you two have been introduced. She's four. Isn't she beautiful?"
The Alchemist's nostrils flared, as though he were taking in the child's scent. As though she were prey. Ellory moved even closer, but Talisen stopped him by putting her hand on his chest. Trust me.
He seethed. What are you doing?
I said trust me. Either you do, or you don't.
He backed off but kept his gaze fixed on the Alchemist.
The ancient vampire's jaw twitched, but when he spoke, his voice could have charmed a wild animal from its den, though it seemed it was Shelby who was doing the charming. “Very nice to meet you, Miss Shelby. I am Benemerut Neshi."
Shelby, being Shelby, laughed. “I can't say that."
"Ben will do.” He eyed Fiona. “I see you like dolls. My little girl did, too. That was long ago. I had to leave her and her mother before she grew much older than you are now."
Ellory blinked. Was this a ploy to garner sympathy? Or was it the truth? It didn't matter. Vampires concealed truth or divulged it as it suited their purposes.
Shelby squeezed her rabbit. “How come?"
"I used to be a doctor. One night, I was working late in my clinic, and a person came in to see me who was ... very sick.” The Alchemist's jaw twitched again. “He made me sick also, and I couldn't go home anymore, for fear I'd give my wife and daughter the same sickness. So I left my home and went far away from them."
Ellory ran a hand over his chin. Centuries had come and gone, and the Alchemist had remained a closed book. Yet it had taken Talisen five minutes to unlock the mystery, and she'd done it with a simple act of kindness and a child's trust.
Priceless things. Costly things. Did she actually expect her gesture to be requited with equal generosity?
Shelby frowned in concentration while she thought it over. “Are you still sick?"
Ellory snorted.
The vampire nodded slowly. “Yes, but.... “His gaze rose to Ellory's, burning with resolve that Ellory would've thought quite convincing if he didn't know the beast was a lunatic. “...you needn't be afraid. You won't catch it."
"Don't worry,” said Shelby. “I got all my boosters."
The Alchemist's face gentled. “My daughter knew a little magic. She taught me a trick. Shall I show it to you?"
"Okay. Sure."
He pointed at the wardrobe. “When you want something to eat or drink, knock on that."
Shelby put a hand on her hip. “No way."
He smiled. “Go see for yourself. Think of something you want to eat or drink, knock once, and open the doors."
Ellory rolled his eyes. Child's play. He could do that.
Shelby marched to the wardrobe and gave it a sound knock with her little fist and opened it just a bit. She squeaked with laughter, threw the doors wide and reached in with one hand for a double-dip hot fudge sundae in a silver server, complete with a sparkling silver spoon. And a cherry on top, of course.
She turned with a broad smile. “Can it do roni cheese?"
The Alchemist lifted a finger and twirled it in the air. “The kind with the noodles that look like seashells?"
Did the leech have to be so charming? It made Ellory's heart ache to see Shelby's eyes light up at him like that.
Shelby laughed again. “How about roni shaped like bunnies and teddy bears?"
The Alchemist nodded. “Don't forget something to drink."
"Will it work all the time?"
"No. Around the middle of the day, the magic sleeps. It works best in the evening, at night and early in the morning."
Shelby returned to the washstand to play and eat her ice cream. When Ellory turned to regard the Alchemist again, the creature was looking at Talisen. And she wasn't exactly showing signs of disdain. Had she actually been touched by that flamboyant display? Ellory's heart twisted a quarter-turn inside. Enough.
He stepped between them. “Thank you for your hospitality."
The Alchemist grinned,
bowed and excused himself. The door had barely closed when Ellory was bombarded on all sides by his children's questions.
He held up his hands to quiet them. “We have no choice. Tomorrow night, Meical and I will appeal to the Enclave for help against Dylan. We won't have to rely on the Alchemist's hospitality for long."
Sullen nods. Reluctant agreement. Ellory gave them all a remorseful look and waved them closer for a hug. “We will get through this together."
Talisen came to his side and wrapped her arms around him. He held her close and rested his chin atop her head. He felt her fear of the unknown beating at her. It was so unlike her to be afraid.
Her voice wasn't altogether steady. “You'll leave a little time for us before you sleep?"
He nodded and bent to kiss her, then smiled, letting her see how her closeness coaxed his canines to unsheathe. “Let me get everyone settled, and I'll be back up in a minute."
She smiled and nodded.
Ellory led his silent brood down to the torch-lit sleeping chamber, with Meical trailing along behind. He watched the fledglings fan out and pick their spots. He'd tried so hard to provide them with comforts that would give normalcy to their existence. This crypt represented the very darkest things in their world, all the things he had tried to protect them from. Heavyhearted, he went around to each of them to be certain they were comfortable.
He returned to Talisen and Shelby to find them curled up on the bed telling stories. The sight warmed his heart, but at the same time reminded him of how tenuous their time together was. Truth was, he had little hope that any of his neighbors would join him. But he would face Dylan tomorrow night, with or without help.
Talisen was wearing a red flannel nightgown that made her look like a beguiling child. When she looked up at him, though, the glimmer in her eyes stirred him in a way that was most unchildlike.
He smiled at her, overwhelmed with his need to be alone with her. “Time for bed, Shelby."
"I'm not tired,” the little girl protested. “And Sean hasn't kissed me goodnight yet."
Ellory fixed his gaze on hers and deepened his tone to a lulling reverberation. “Tomorrow night he will. I promise."
Shelby yawned and nestled into the pillow. Ellory held her gaze a moment longer, letting his enthrallment slip over her gently. When her eyes fluttered closed, Talisen covered her with the blanket.
His mate looked up at him with a smile that sent his heart into a cartwheel. He kept his voice low. “Do you know how much I want you right now?"
She rose and kissed him. “Seems like we're lacking in privacy at the moment, Captain."
They lay down in the floor. Ellory wrapped his leg over Talisen and drew her closer. For awhile they lay silently, alone at last. No words were needed.
He knew by the sudden tension in her body that she had come upon an unpleasant thought. He sighed. “What is it, sweet?"
"Will the Enclave help you?"
He should be honest. He owed her that. “It's doubtful."
"I'll bet the Alchemist could squash Dylan with a snap of his fingers. You've trusted him this much. Why don't you ask for his help?"
Ellory swept his hand through her hair. “Because of what he would demand in return. The children."
"Do you know that for sure? How can you fight Dylan alone?"
"I can't. But ... I can take him down with me."
Shock made her face go white. Her tears made her eyes look so big and beautiful. Like jewels. “What are your saying? If you ... what will we do ... how will I live?"
He drew her into his embrace and held her tight. “You will go on with your life, you and whoever survives with you. And you and I have the hope that in another lifetime, we'll be together again, as we have been before."
Talisen's shoulders shook as she buried her face in his shirt. “No, Ellory. You can't. I can barely get through the day without you."
"You won't be troubled by our bond if I'm destroyed."
She drew back and gaped at him. “You don't get it, do you? We're one person. We've always been, and we always will be, and that would be true no matter if you were a vampire, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, or Santa Claus."
He smiled and brushed the tears from her cheeks. “Then nothing can separate us."
She lay her head down again, crying. “Please, Ellory, ask Neshi to help you."
"Not for all I'm worth."
She looked up at him, desperate. “Either you ask Neshi to help you or I will. I won't let you get yourself killed."
He didn't dare relent. She had to understand. They lived in his world, not hers. And things went on in his world that she couldn't begin to comprehend. She was too tempting to his kind for her to barter on their behalf. The thought of how her willing blood would placate that bilge rat's merciless appetite woke the beast in Ellory.
"As much as I hate to leave you with less than congenial thoughts of me this morning,” he warned, “if I sense you straying in that direction, I will prevent you."
Disbelief, shock, and then torment glittered in her eyes. She said nothing, just stared up at him in misery. He'd hurt her, after trying so hard to ease the pain she'd suffered.
His heart shriveled inside of him, and he bounded up from the floor with a growl of frustration and dematerialized, leaving her crying.
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Chapter Sixteen
He glided up the steps to the room where Benedikt's mate and child slept. Dissolving into a mist, he streamed under the door and materialized. He went no closer, but contented himself for the moment just watching Shelby sleep.
He'd seen his fill of wonders. None could compare with this tiny feather from Horus's wing, borne back to him by the winds of life and death. After centuries of waiting, in his eleventh hour, when he'd almost lost hope, she was with him again. His beautiful Mehtah, his heart's song, the most wonderful woman a man could wish for. He'd been the happiest of husbands.
When Shelby grew up, she would be the one soul who could prevent him from destroying everything in his path, the one salve for his hunger. She must survive.
Benemerut Neshi pushed aside every sound but her heartbeat. One night, you will remember me. You will know me. You will know who I was to you, long ago. But for now, I wish only that you know what I am and what I have become. There will come a time when you will have to find me, Shelby. And save me.
She murmured in her sleep and curled into the covers, but beneath the veil of slumber and childhood, her wakened soul watched him. Blood of jackals, what fearless curiosity she had. He'd almost forgotten.
He neared her bedside, mouthing the spell that would keep her ever and always safe—and safely his. No one, human or vampire, would harm her. With another silent chant, he plucked a plaything from the air and set it on Shelby's pillow. The ruby eyes of the ebony teakwood cat winked at him in the darkness. Bast, the great goddess of the home, had once been her protector. But now he must do.
He'd keep his distance from her, but he would never be far away. Backing away, he dissolved into mist and left her.
* * * *
Talisen woke up feeling chilled all over. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked at her watch. Two in the afternoon. They'd slept the day away.
Shelby was sitting up in bed with her elbows on her knees and her chin propped on her fists. Yawning, Talisen sat up and wrapped her arms around her. The little girl looked up with solemn eyes. It didn't take much to see that she was now completely awake from Ellory's enthrallment.
Talisen tousled Shelby's hair. “Let's see if we can get any breakfast out of that magic wardrobe."
"It won't work yet. We have to wait until he wakes up."
The concentration in Shelby's voice made Talisen's nerves quiver. “He?"
"Benemerut."
"Ha. And you thought you couldn't say his name."
"I want to see him when he wakes up. I have to thank him."
"Thank him? For what?"
Shelby held up a
wooden cat. “He gave me this last night. I thought it was a dream, but when I woke up, here she was."
Talisen's mouth went dry. How could the Alchemist get that close to Shelby without Ellory knowing it? The answer swept over her, rending her heart. There was no blood bond between Ellory and Shelby. Ellory had said himself that it left Shelby defenseless against other vampires. And the Alchemist was the most powerful of them all. He could do as he pleased.
Was this how he had repaid her goodwill? She burned with rage until all she could feel was her hands wrapping around a wooden stake the size of her arm. If he had hurt Shelby....
Talisen put her arms around the little girl and tried to keep her voice steady. “What did you name your kitty?"
"She already has a name. Bast. She's a goddess."
* * * *
Ellory? No answer. Sundown was only minutes away. She should be able to talk to him by now. Ellory?
Talisen paced, watching Shelby play with Bast. The little girl made a throne for the cat, using her empty ice-cream bowl, and set her other toys around it so they could pay homage to her new friend.
A wave of heat and power set the door rattling on its hinges an instant before it splintered. The two of them squealed. Ellory strode into the room, his eyes blazing. He stared at Shelby until she whimpered and ran to Talisen.
Talisen waved a hand at him. “You're scaring her."
He turned his back to them and ran a hand over his face. His shoulders rose and fell with heaving breaths. A moment later, he turned to face them, composed.
He regarded Talisen with the sick look of regret on his face. “I called you. You couldn't hear me."
So he'd tried to speak to her and couldn't? What had the Alchemist done? Mindful of Shelby's listening ears, she said, “Me too. There must be a reason we couldn't hear each other."
"I'm afraid so.” His teeth grated for a moment, and he indicated Shelby with a nod of his head. “We all noticed the difference the moment we woke."
Sean came into the room, white-faced. “Shelby?"
The little girl ran to her brother. He knelt and looked her over as though searching for bruises. “Are you okay?"
"You didn't kiss me goodnight last night. But it's okay. I understand. Bast told me all about it."
