by Lisa Olsen
“I was hoping you could get her out of here and hide her for a while, at least until I figure out what to do.”
“What about the soldier boy here?”
I looked to where Fisher sat, not entirely sure if he was following the conversation from the blank expression he wore. “He won’t say anything.”
“How do you suppose you managed a thing like that?”
“I have no idea. Bishop never mentioned vampires being able to compel other vampires. Have you ever heard of such a thing?”
Rob shook his head. “Can’t say as I have. Otherwise there’d be a lot more loyalty among them.”
“Maybe you’ve special powers?” Ellie asked, her imagination catching hold. “Maybe it’s you alone in all the world who has the power to compel other vampires. Like the chosen one?”
For a half a second I wanted to believe in it too, but in reality I knew I couldn’t be that lucky. “What are the odds of that? Maybe it has something to do with Ellri blood?” If anyone had answers on the subject, I was willing to bet Jakob would be the one.
“What’s Ellri? Is that a type of animal?” Ellie blinked and I let out a groan, suddenly understanding how Bishop felt half the time with my boneheaded questions. It was obvious there was plenty Luca hadn’t filled her in on before turning her, and that responsibility would fall to me.
“We can talk more about that stuff later. For now, I think you’d better get her out of here before someone else walks in and asks what’s going on. Can you please do that for me?” It was a lot to ask, but Rob took the request in stride.
“Sure, I know where to stash her.”
“She’ll need papers to start with, then maybe a chip,” I thought out loud, ignoring the unpleasant squish in my boots as I paced the length of the living room. “Is that something you know how to get?”
“Not tonight, but I know where to make polite inquiries. It’ll cost a pretty penny.”
“You do?” I swear, Rob knew how to fix anything. At least I hoped so. If he came back saying he couldn’t get her papers, I would have to ask Bishop, and that was a conversation I didn’t want to have. “I’ll find some way to pay you back, I promise.”
“I’ll put it on Jakob’s tab, he’ll never notice,” he smirked. “Come on then, girly.” Rob dug into his pocket for his keys, but Ellie hesitated, eye darting to me.
“It’s okay, go ahead with Rob. He’ll take you somewhere safe, and when I get a chance I’ll come see you and we can talk more about what to do next.”
“This is turning into a regular gig for you, yeah?” Rob chuckled.
“What’s that?”
“Helping damsels in distress. Won’t be a spot left for chaps like me, you keep at it.”
“I didn’t mean to,” I sighed miserably. Bishop was going to skin me alive when I told him how I’d interfered again. It wasn’t like I’d done it on purpose, not at first. I’d just ordered Fisher… just like Jasper… A sickening thought occurred to me.
“What’s the matter?” Rob frowned and Ellie chimed in, peering at me closely.
“You’ve gone all green.”
“Rob, what am I going to do?” I sank onto the nearest chair, the strength gone out of my legs.
“‘Bout what, luv?”
“Maybe I’ve been compelling vampires this whole time? Maybe that’s why Jasper let go of Maggie.”
“It stands to reason. Right handy trick that is, wisht I had it.”
“No, you don’t understand,” I sobbed miserably as the magnitude of it swept through me. “What if the only reason Bishop helped me from the beginning was because I unconsciously compelled him?”
And if that was possible, what if he’d never truly loved me at all?
Chapter Twenty-One
“Hey now,” Rob frowned, patting my shoulder awkwardly. “Don’t take on so. It can’t be all that bad.”
“Don’t you see what this means? Maybe it’s all a lie? He always seemed sorta surprised at his own actions when I first met him. First letting me live and then teaching me the ins and outs of being a vampire. Maybe it was all the compulsion right from the start? Maybe he never loved me, he just thinks he does because I wanted him to so badly.” The tears fell in earnest then, and Rob tucked my head into his chest, his arms wrapping around me while I wept.
“Is that all?” he asked, once the worst of it was over.
“Isn’t it enough?”
“It’s unlikely you’d be able to affect him so easily.”
“Why n-not?” I hiccupped through the tears.
“Because he’s older than you are. Ain’t nothing for you to compel these two, but someone of Bishop’s age?” He shook his head. “Why don’t you go and have a chat with your boy, see if you can’t clear this up. I guarantee you’ll feel better.”
I leaned back to look up at him. “You really think so?”
He gave me a rare smile. “I know so. Now dry your eyes or he’ll think the worst from the moment he sees you.”
“Thanks, Rob,” I sniffed, letting out a shaky breath as I tried to pull myself together.
“That’s what I’m here for,” he said, tugging his jacket straight. “Now then, we’d best be on our way. And don’t be thinking about stopping for a bite to eat, not until you’ve learned some proper impulse control.” Rob shook his finger at Ellie, who had remained silent through my weepy tears. God only knew what she thought about all of this. Suddenly I wasn’t sure it was such a good idea to send Rob off with a newbie vampire. What if her lack of “impulse control” landed him on the sharp end of those fangs?
“Are you sure you can handle this?”
“You mean her?” Rob jerked his head. “In my sleep. I’ll text you the address later. Please give Bishop my apologies, tell him I’ve been called away on business.”
“Right, okay. Thanks again.” It felt like I was thanking him a lot lately. His absence might be hard to explain, given his usual attentiveness to me, but with Fisher around, maybe a little easier.
Fisher.
The young vampire sat at the table, his expression still blank, but I had the feeling he’d heard every word of our conversation. “Hey there, how are you feeling?” I asked tentatively.
“Fine thanks,” he replied easily enough.
“Okay, it’s time to go now.” Watching Fisher carefully, I fell into step beside him, ready to… what, I had no idea. Either my compulsion would hold, or it wouldn’t. If he remembered any of it, I was dogmeat. But Fisher gave no sign that anything was amiss, turning to me with a grin when we were both in the car.
“See, that dinnae take any time at all. Ready to go collect Bridget?”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. So far, so good, but would it hold up against scrutiny? What if Angel questioned his report? What if… I gave myself a mental shake. There was no sense in driving myself bonkers over something that might or might not happen. Besides, I had bigger things to worry about.
Bishop.
*
My clothes were damp, but didn’t stand out too badly, and I wound my hair up in a bun so it wouldn’t look too scraggly from the impromptu shower. Bridget didn’t mention it if she thought I looked worse for wear. She was more ticked at me for not wanting to continue the shop fest/pub crawl she had in mind for the rest of the night, but I begged off, citing a killer headache. Not entirely a lie. Still, she came back to the house with us, wanting to see if Felix was free for a last minute romp before he packed up shop and left England.
Fisher was in good spirits for the drive back, chatting with Bridget about other hotspots for her to try out the next time she ventured into the city. I concentrated on my phone, having texted Bishop that I needed to talk to him and it was important.
We were almost there when I finally got a response from him. I have a few. Meet me in our parlor in ten. I knew exactly which parlor “our” parlor was, and I wondered if he thought I’d sent a bootie call. When I got there Bishop was already waiting, and immediately drew me into
an enthusiastic kiss, leaving no doubt in my mind what he thought I wanted.
“Hey, I need to talk, remember?” I pulled away before I got too caught up.
“Is this about Maggie? I found her parents and already gave her their address and number.” His hands didn’t stop trying to slip under my top and I took a step backwards.
“No, it’s not about Maggie. It’s about something else.”
“Can’t it wait for later? I don’t have too much time. I’m already late for a call.”
“Duty calls,” I said sadly.
“You know it does. Is everything okay?”
“No, not really, but I guess it can wait.” There was no way I could tell him about Ellie and everything in the space of a few minutes. I had to see if what I suspected was true though. “Bishop, I don’t want Fisher following me around wherever I go.”
“We talked about this. It’s for your own protection.”
I tried focusing, really focusing my will on him, but it was hard to catch hold of, much harder than it was with Fisher, and I wasn’t sure if I had him or not. “He has more important things to do besides babysit me, and I’d hate to have another vampire die because you don’t have the resources you need to catch him. If I need someone to go with me, I’ll take Rob.”
Bishop’s brows drew together into a single dark line for a few seconds, and then his forehead smoothed out. “Okay fine, no more Fisher.”
I should have been thrilled at the victory, but it tasted like ashes. The Bishop I knew would never give in so easily; I’d compelled him. He smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to my forehead. “Now, I really do have to go, but we’ll talk when I get back, I promise.”
I nodded, doing my best to keep the tears from falling until he’d left the room. I never thought I’d be so devastated to get everything I ever wanted. No, not everything I ever wanted. I’d never wanted to be a kickass vampire with unparalleled power. Not that it wasn’t cool as an abstract concept, but what good was it to have Bishop’s love if I wasn’t sure it was real? How could I be sure anything was real ever again?
There was only one person I could talk to who might have some answers for me, and I couldn’t do it in the mansion. “I need a car,” I asked at the front security station. Okay, so it wasn’t asking so much as ordering, but I wasn’t in the mood to dilly dally with the wolf patrol.
“What do you think this is, Sixt?” the guard snorted.
Time to find out if I could compel werewolves. “I need a car,” I repeated, focusing my will. “Have one brought around at once.”
“At once,” he repeated, picking up the phone to give the order. That time I did feel a thrill of accomplishment. For some reason it didn’t bother me at all to mess with their minds to get what I wanted. In a few minutes I had a car of my own. Nevermind the fact that everything was on the wrong side of the car, I had to get out of there before Bishop noticed I’d left without any sort of escort.
It was awkward to get the hang of it at first, but once I was on the main road, it was almost like driving a regular car. I had no idea what the rules of the road were governing cell phone use in the UK, but I risked it, dialing Jakob. There was no telling what time zone he was in, but he answered right away.
“How are you enjoying your taste of society, petal?” His voice slid over me like a warm glove, and I resisted the urge to exchange stupid pleasantries for the soothing balm it offered.
“I need to talk to you.”
“I suspected as much when you called,” he chuckled.
“It’s not a joke, Jakob. This is serious. This is seriously bad.”
“What has happened? Are you well?” he asked, all trace of humor gone, and I could picture the intense flash of blue in his eyes.
“No, I’m not well. This is the absolute worst thing that could possibly happen to me.”
“Has something befallen your paramour?”
“Yes, and it’s all my fault!” Hot tears threatened again, and I pulled to the side of the road, not wanting to risk losing control of the vehicle.
“Calm yourself, älskling. Tell me what you’ve done.”
In bits and pieces I glossed over the events of the night, pausing only briefly over the circumstance for needing to compel Fisher in the first place and ending with my ability to change Bishop’s mind so easily.
“That’s what has you all worked up?” he said finally when I stopped to draw in a shaky breath, and his lack of empathy pricked at my last nerve.
“Did you know about this? Did you know I’d be able to compel other vampires?”
“Yes. All draugen have the ability,” he replied matter of factly, as though it was like being left handed, not a pretty major power. That explained why Sylvius was able to get Bishop to play the piano the other night so easily. Was that why Corley was so antsy whenever he was around?
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t think to.”
“This is exactly what I’m talking about! You don’t make a vampire and then abandon her like this.” What else hadn’t he thought to tell me? How else was I different from other vampires?
“You chose another,” Jakob’s voice hardened.
“That’s not what I mean. Did you ever think I might have chosen you if you’d been there when I first opened my eyes?” I blurted out, a little shocked I’d said that out loud. I’d only articulated how differently my afterlife might have turned out if Jakob had been the one in the privacy of my own thoughts.
“Every day.”
So, I wasn’t the only one to have those thoughts. I couldn’t dwell on the past though, Jakob had made his choices and so had I. I had to figure out my future. “What am I supposed to do? Everything between us is a lie.”
“This upsets you.” There was puzzlement in his voice and I felt like I was going to have an aneurism.
“Isn’t that what I’ve been saying?”
“Come away with me, älskling.” His voice was soothing and it did things to me, even through the phone. “All will sort itself out and you can make your choice then.”
It was tempting, far too tempting, and that scared the heck out of me. “No… running away won’t solve anything. I have to talk to him about it, that’s all there is to it.”
“You’ll never truly know if he accepts you as you are or because you wish him to. You need never worry about that with me.”
“But you can compel me to do whatever you want.” I’d always suspected it, but his silence felt like a confirmation. “Can’t you?”
“Yes, but I choose not to.”
“How am I supposed to know that?” How could I know anything anymore?
“Because you are not by my side. Do you truly think this is how I wished for things to be? If I had compelled you it would be my bed you slept in each dawn, and my name on your lips each night.” There was a raw honesty to his words I couldn’t deny.
“Why didn’t you then?” Bishop had said as much about Jakob’s relationship with Carys in the past.
“I have heard that love freely given is all that much the sweeter. I am nothing if not patient, petal. You will come to me in your own time.”
I didn’t know what to say that. It tore at my heart to hear him say he’d heard about love freely given, not experienced it himself. Had he never found real love in all the thousands of years he’d lived?
*
I know it’s probably childish of me, but I ignored the first call I got from Bishop. I wasn’t ready to talk to him. Instead I kept driving aimlessly, not ready to go back to the house yet. I couldn’t face him. If I got him on the phone I knew I’d fall apart, so I ignored the next call, and the next. Not that I wanted him to worry, but I was trying to craft a text response to him that wouldn’t invite more questions when I got a text from Rob. Where are you?
Out driving, why?
My phone rang then and I picked it up once I saw it was from Rob, worried there might be a problem with Ellie. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Bishop’s texted me, asking where we are. I thought I’d check in to see what lie to give him.”
Super. “Don’t lie, tell him we’re out in the city. It’s true, just not together.”
“You’re in London and Fisher’s not with you?”
I could hear the censure in his voice. “No, I wanted some alone time.”
“That’s not what we agreed to.”
“It’s fine. No one knows where I am.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. I’m supposed to be watching over you.”
“Maybe I’m tired of being watched over,” I snapped. “I don’t belong to Jakob. Who says I have to cooperate with his stupid plan? I understand it’s your job, but you don’t have to worry about me.”
“Who says I’m only worried about you because he’s paying me to?”
“Whatever’s going to happen will happen. I don’t think you being here will make me any safer if someone’s truly bound and determined to kill me. Look what happened with Evan.”
“I’m going to text you the address. Come round and I’ll give you some alone time where I can make sure you’re safe.” Rob was silent for a few seconds. “If you don’t agree, I’ll have to leave bitty-vamp here and come find you.”
Shame swept over me. I didn’t mean to make things harder on Rob or Ellie in the midst of my self pity-a-thon. “How is Ellie? Is she alright?”
“Yeah, she’s watching the telly.”
I couldn’t let myself fall apart and make Rob chase me over half the city; I had a responsibility to keep Ellie safe. I knew first hand what it was like to be abandoned by my Sire, and I wanted to make sure she had all her questions answered, no matter how long it took. “Okay, text me the address.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
I found Rob’s address in the Mile End area of Tower Hamlets thanks to the GPS on my phone, though it got confused between Coborn Street and Coborn Road and had me doubling back to make another loop. It took me a few minutes to spot the entrance to the basement apartment, and I ended up in a hole in the wall pub the first door I tried to enter.
Rob must have either already invited me in or that rule didn’t apply to him because he wasn’t completely human, because I had no trouble crossing the threshold. Ellie was still watching TV, a big bowl of ice cream on her lap, dotted with jellybeans. She spared me a sunny smile before turning back to her show. I tried smiling back but my heart wasn’t in it and it came out more like a wince.
