Chapter 10
Menolly
“YOU’VE GOT TO be kidding me,” I said, staring at the desk.
“I wish I was,” Roman said. “There’s no way I’ll make it back before next month, and maybe not even then. Things are so screwed up over here that it’s going to take us weeks to sort out what the hell Harriman was up to. I have no clue what he was thinking, but the accounts and ledgers are a total mess. It looks like he’s been embezzling money owed to my mother, and from what I can tell, he’s been encouraging vampires to go out hunting for humans, which means we have a nightmare on our hands.”
“This is not good,” I said, shaking my head. Harriman was lucky he got off with being staked. Although I had a feeling Roman had prolonged the end.
“That’s an understatement. Public relations for this thing is going to be insane, and I’ve asked Mother to fly me over the best handlers we can find to take charge of this situation. The humans in this country are ready to make vampire slaying a national sport. If we don’t find a way to make amends, all I can say is that our kind won’t be welcome here much longer.”
He stopped abruptly, as though he’d suddenly run out of steam.
I cleared my throat. “So, basically you’re doing major damage control.”
“That’s about the size of it.”
“What about Harriman himself?” I was pretty sure that I already knew the answer.
“Dust. First thing we did when we got here. Actually, I took care of it to make sure it was done right. Now, I wish I still had him alive, so I could make him realize just what a fuckup he was.” Roman’s voice darkened and I found myself thinking that I never wanted to get on his bad side.
“That’s about all you could do, I guess. There’s no bringing them back when they go over the line into their predator.” I had seen that myself, when I had to stake a good friend.
“What about you? How are things going?” Roman sounded lonely.
I didn’t want to worry him even more than he was already was, but he had to know. I glanced around my office, making sure nobody else was around to hear me.
“We’re gating Shadow Wing to Otherworld tomorrow night. I’ll be over there and so will Nerissa. It’s time to finish this war and be done with it.”
There was a silence on the other end, and then, his voice ever so slightly uncertain, Roman asked, “You’re actually going to do this?”
“We have to. He’s eating his way through a battalion, adding to his power with every kill. If we don’t do it now, we may never be strong enough. It’s only a matter of time before he’ll be able to gate himself through the worlds without anybody else’s help.” I paused before I added, “Roman, you knew this day was coming.”
“Yes, but I thought I’d be there to help. Or that you’d— Maybe somebody else would take care of matters.” A mournful note hung in his words.
“Did you ask somebody else to go clean up after Harriman?”
After a moment of silence, he said, “I understand. Truly. But Menolly, there’s so much danger there. Please be careful.”
“Of course we will, but you know there aren’t any guarantees in life. This is something we can’t just walk away from.” I glanced at the door as a rap on it caught my attention. “Somebody’s here. I have to go. Nerissa and I send our love.”
He paused, then softly said, “My love to both of you. Call me when it’s over. I need to know that you—and Nerissa—are all right.”
As I hung up, I thought that we’d be lucky to stagger out alive. But as long as we took down Shadow Wing, that was all that mattered.
WHEN I ANSWERED the door, it turned out to be a messenger. The youth was dressed in a black, sleek suit and dark sunglasses, Roman’s standard uniform for his servants.
“Message from the Queen, Your Majesty. She asks that you meet her in the observatory in half an hour. She bids you to dress appropriately.” His voice was smooth and unflinching, but I could feel the respect. He stood at attention, waiting for my reply.
When Blood Wyne asked for your presence, you showed.
I nodded. “All right. Follow me.” I headed down the hall, with my guide in tow, stopping at my suite. Turning, I motioned for him to wait in the hall. “I’ll be out in a moment.”
Blood Wyne wasn’t as locked into the past as her son was. Dressing for an audience with her meant wearing impeccably clean clothes, nicely tailored, with neatly brushed hair. I quickly changed into a pantsuit, dark blue linen with pressed creases down the front of the pants. Beneath the blazer, I wore a white sweater beaded with delicate sapphires. I added a gorgeous sapphire pendant that Roman had given me, pulled my braids back into a ponytail, and put on stiletto ankle boots. Then, satisfied that I was about as prepped as I was going to get, I followed the guard to the observatory.
The observatory was at the top of the mansion and was really just a room with a retractable roof from where we could watch the stars or have a rooftop party. The guide hurried up the stairs, glancing behind me to make sure I was following him as we approached the door.
“Are you ready, Your Majesty?”
I nodded. “As I’ll ever be. Go ahead and announce me.”
He tapped on the door, then opened it and stepped inside. I could hear him announce me, and that was my cue to greet Blood Wyne as he withdrew, shutting the door behind us.
“Greetings, my daughter,” Blood Wyne said.
The Queen of the Crimson Veil was standing by a picture window that looked over Roman’s estate. She was taller than I was, but then most people were, and her hair rose in a chignon, with a diadem of rubies and diamonds tucked in front of the elaborate coiffure. Her skin was as pale as cream, she had been alive so very long, and her eyes were the color of hoarfrost. She was regal, elegant, and oozed royalty with every movement. Blood Wyne’s features were refined, and her lips bore no color. She was wearing a Victorian dress in crimson brocade, and the train swept out behind her. But most noticeable was her power.
I knelt in front of her, bowing my head as was expected. “Your Majesty.”
“Come.” She motioned for me to follow her over to the leather sofa and chair that sat in front of the picture window.
I obeyed. Outside the window, the city lights sparkled in the cloud-laden night. Beyond the walls of the estate, traffic flew by, far sparser than in the day, but still—the comings and goings of people everywhere kept the city alive.
Blood Wyne walked over to the window and stared out into the night.
“I remember when the lights of a city were measured in torches, and candles lit the village houses. I’ve been alive for an incredibly long time, Menolly. I’ve walked the outskirts of the Crimson Veil many times, but I’ve never fully given myself over to it. Kesana, the mother of all vampires, may have created the Veil, but it has a life of its own now. It thrives, even as vampires thrive. The day none of us exist within this world is the day it will fade and vanish.”
I wasn’t sure what she was trying to say, but I had learned to wait and listen instead of jumping to conclusions.
She turned, pressing her back against the window as she stared at me. “When first we met a year and a half ago, you were repressing your nature. Running from it. You’ve come a long way since then. You still resist certain aspects of your life as a vampire, but you’ve opened up.” Pausing, she turned again to stare out of the window.
“I’ve learned a lot over the past eighteen months.” I hesitated, wondering whether I should tell her about Shadow Wing, but since Roman knew, his mother probably should. “I have news you should be aware of.”
“Well, it can’t be that you’re pregnant,” Blood Wyne said with a chuckle. “What is it?”
I licked my lips. She had promised not to interfere with our war against Shadow Wing, but I still didn’t trust that she would be on board with me putting my life on the line.
“Tomorrow night, my sisters and I are facing the Demon Lord. We’ve figured out how to fight him, and we’re taking
the war to Otherworld to finish it.”
Her gaze fastened on me, she remained silent.
“Nerissa and I will both be going. I hope we’ll both be coming back, but given the nature of our task, I can’t guarantee it.” It was my turn to wait.
She didn’t fidget, or shift, or look away. Instead, she just stood silent for what felt like an eternity, but in reality it was probably no more than a couple minutes.
Finally, she inclined her head. “And so you come to the end of this battle? Do you anticipate victory?”
Surprised by the question, I stopped to think. “Do I think we can win? Honestly? I think so, but I don’t know what costs we’ll incur. But if we don’t attack now, while we know what to do while he’s still vulnerable, then we pave the way for Shadow Wing to gate over here. He’s gaining power daily, eating the souls of his followers in the Sub-Realms. Soon, the spirit seals won’t be able to guard against him. Portal or not, he’ll find a way to rip through into this world. We can’t let that happen.”
Blood Wyne inclined her head again. “Do you know why I picked you to be my son’s wife?”
I nodded. “You wanted to cement my powers with the Vampire Nation, and you don’t trust your other children to take up the crown, should something happen to you and to Roman.”
She glided over to my side and sat down next to me. “True, but it was more than that. You are true to your causes, Menolly. You don’t back down and you don’t renege when you’ve given your word. You’re bound by your duties, and you take your oaths seriously. I knew that you would make an honest queen, one who was willing to put her life on the line for what needs to be done. And so, you prove me right yet again.”
I felt flattered, though it was daunting having the queen of vampires putting so much faith into me. “I thought you might be angry at me for chancing my life over this.”
At that, she laughed, and a rare smile spread over her face. “Oh, my dear, I am not my son. As much as I am proud of Roman, he carries too much of his hopes and dreams from his youth, from his days when he still breathed and walked in the sun. He hasn’t learned to put them aside, not enough to be an effective ruler. If something were to happen to me, I hope you will help him learn how to rule with his head, not his emotions.”
I didn’t want to argue with her, but I couldn’t help myself. “Don’t you think that carrying those emotions into his current life makes him stronger? It keeps him in touch with humanity, and that makes him more effective as a leader in this current day and age. With the Vampire Rights bill locked in the mire of hate groups versus our advocates, we need to show the people we’re not so far different than they are.”
Blood Wyne frowned, but she didn’t look angry. “On one level, I would agree with you, but we can’t allow them to view us as their equals. We’re predators, Menolly. We’re their superiors in so many ways.”
“Then, do you want to take over? Pretend to be their friends but actually become their rulers?” I shook my head. “We may be superior in strength and lifespan and powers, but we’re no better than they are intellectually, and we’re a little subpar when it comes to controlling our urges, I think. Our inner predators push us harder, which is why we must resist their power. It’s harder to resist the thought of being somebody’s overlord when your inner nature is urging you to drink their blood—and when you know you can do it.”
“Would you have us neuter ourselves? Do you truly believe vampires should have rights?” Blood Wyne’s eyes narrowed, but she sounded truly curious.
I let out a grunt. “I’m not certain what the answer is, to be honest. Yes, I think we should have rights—the right to be counted as individuals. The right to vote? Yes. And when a vampire is killed—one who hasn’t done any real harm—then I want the murderer to be brought up on charges if the authorities can prove it. Obviously, it’s harder to prove murder when we turn to dust and nobody knows if we’re actually still alive. But if we insist on lording it over the living, on rubbing their noses in the fact that we’re stronger than they are, then we’re setting ourselves up as demagogues. And that’s asking for trouble.”
Blood Wyne considered my words for a moment. “I told you there were reasons I chose you for my son’s wife. This is just another example. While I don’t feel comfortable with your analysis, I think I agree. You see, we’ve been asked to send a speaker to Washington, DC, to speak before Congress about the Vampire Rights bill at the end of the month. I want you to go.”
I fell back against the seat cushions. “Me?”
“Yes. You are good at making a case for our people. You understand both sides. You’re close enough to the days when you were alive to remember what it was like. You’ll be able to relate to the fears that the humans have.” Blood Wyne nodded. “It’s settled. Provided you come out of your battle alive, and I trust you will because we need you here, you’ll journey to Washington, DC, at the end of the month to put in an impassioned plea for the Vampire Rights Act. If we don’t win this year, we most certainly shall next year.”
I didn’t know what to say. The last thing I had expected was to become a politician, though I supposed that went along with being royalty. But preparing a speech for Congress in the next couple weeks? The very idea seemed insane. Then things got even more surreal.
“In fact,” Blood Wyne said, “I like the idea so much that I propose to send you and Nerissa around the country on a nationwide goodwill tour. Roman can join you at several major functions. We’ll stage vampire-hosted soirees for top community leaders in a number of major cities, and you and Nerissa will co-host. Seeing the pair of you—with her still alive, and you a vampire—will only reinforce the concept that vampires and the living can coexist in peace.”
She sounded so satisfied with her idea that I wasn’t sure what to say. Any protests would fall on deaf ears, that much I already knew.
“How long do you think this tour will last?” I finally asked.
She shrugged. “We won’t rush it—and this will give the two of you a chance to see the country. I have the feeling neither one of you would mind getting out and doing some traveling, am I right?”
I cleared my throat. This was a good time to bring up another subject.
“To be honest, I don’t think we would mind, but… Your Majesty, Nerissa and I haven’t been exactly happy here. It’s not because of Roman or you,” I hurried to add, “but we feel cooped up. We feel as though we’re prisoners in an ivory tower.”
Blood Wyne’s gaze settled back on my face. “Do you regret your choice to marry my son?”
That was a hard question, given she had given me no choice in the matter.
“I respect you as the queen of vampires. Therefore, when you required it, we married him. Don’t get me wrong. I do love Roman, but not the way he wishes. But Nerissa and I…we aren’t royalty at heart. We prefer a more private life. However, we gave our word, and we’ll stick to it.”
I stood, pacing over to the window. It was easier to talk when I wasn’t facing those ancient eyes. “I understand why you picked me for your son. I truly do. I just wish he had the chance to find someone who made him happy—who could give her all to him. Roman is exciting and he fits a part of my nature, but Nerissa won my heart, and her happiness is my highest priority.”
Then, Blood Wyne did something she almost never did. She rose, joined me at the window, and put her hand on my shoulder—about as close to a hug as I ever expected to get.
“Things have a way of working out. I think, perhaps, the national tour would be good for both of you. You’ll have to take guards, of course, but that can be worked out. It will give you time to yourselves.”
“Will Roman understand, though? I truly don’t want to hurt him.” I glanced up at the ancient queen.
“Oh, he will understand. I’m sure of it. But tell me this, if he does find someone who speaks to his heart and who loves him back, how will you feel? What would you think if he eventually takes a mistress?”
I thought about
her question for a moment. In a way, I supposed I might be hurt, but then again, I wanted him to have what Nerissa and I had. He deserved it, and I knew that I wasn’t the woman to give him that.
“I think, it might be hard in some ways, but I would bless them both and wish them the best of joy and happiness. Because if he can find someone who loves him the way I love Nerissa, then he’ll never feel alone again.”
Blood Wyne nodded, then turned as we went back to staring out into the night, two disparate women bound by similar fates, sharing so many commonalities.
BY THE TIME I returned to my office, Blood Wyne had given me the task of choosing one major city from each state that Nerissa and I would like to visit. I was about to call Nerissa in to tell her the news when my phone rang. It was Roman again.
“Hey,” I said, answering. “I just spent over an hour chatting with your mother.”
He sputtered. “Mother? Chat? Well, that’s a new one. Was she in a good mood or a bad mood?”
“Neither. More…a thoughtful one. She’s made some interesting decisions, but they can hold if you’re in a hurry.” I wasn’t sure what Roman would have to say about Blood Wyne’s decision, but I knew he wouldn’t fight it.
“Actually, I am in a hurry. I just wanted to ask you if you could have Ernie forward every email we got from Harriman in the past six months.” He sounded exasperated.
“More trouble?”
“Yeah, there is, but I really don’t have the time to go into it now. Thank gods I’ve got help over here. Harriman’s captain of the guard—her name is Valentina—is amazing. She disagreed with his policies and she kept an eye on him, suspecting this was going to happen. She’s walking me through all the fuckups the idiot made. And there were plenty of them.”
Blood Bonds Page 13
