“I have no intention of having them toe the line, as you say, but to get the fuck out of my way. This is my city.”
Okaay.
We sat silently for a while, just letting the sounds of the club wash over us. He may have given up on trying to avoid conflict, but I couldn't. I knew negotiating was out, but maybe reasoning with their survival instincts was still a viable option. Maybe I could convince them that if they didn't leave he would kill each and every one of them and probably their families as well. The desire to survive can be a powerful one, I prayed I could use that power.
“Will you give me the next 24 hours to try something?” I asked.
His eyes roamed over my body and then came back to rest on my neck, above his mark. “I gather you're not offering something that would entertain me?” His voice was low and husky, he didn't give a damn who heard him, or that they saw the way he looked at me. So, maybe not passed over yet. Damn.
I didn't let my body respond, just sat firm and still. Go me.
“Be serious, Gregor. I am.”
“Yes. You seem to be a tad more serious than you used to be, Lucinda. Where has your spontaneity gone? Did you leave it in Paris?”
I took a slow breath in, I did not need to be reminded of what happened between us in Paris.
“Throw me a bone here, Gregor. Can you hold off annihilating the humans until after I leave?”
He laughed, a full throaty laugh, that made every female in the room look at him and not be able to pull their gazes away.
“Oh, I have missed you, ma cherie. Very well, you may have 24 hours in my city to attempt whatever useless thing you wish to do and then I shall finish what they have started once and for all.”
I had no doubt he meant business. This was it, the deadline had been reached. If I couldn't round up the humans tonight or tomorrow, Gregor would simply make them cease to exist. Last chance time and I intended to make it work.
“Thank you,” I said rather stiffly and stood to leave. The others following suit, Jett already on his feet beginning to make a path for me toward the door. Amisi fell in behind him and Erika kept at my back. We were an obviously tight group, flanked by bodyguards the impression couldn't have been stronger.
Gregor raised his eyebrows at the scene.
“They protect you well, ma petite chasseuse. What are they afraid of? Me or you?”
I didn't care to answer that question. I wasn't quite sure what the correct reply would actually be.
I shook my head and started following behind Amisi, but Gregor leapt to his feet and held onto to my arm, spinning me back towards him.
“Lucinda.”
Erika was up in his face in an instant. Jett having stopped and turned to assess the scene. He didn't make a move, just trusted his girl to do the job needed.
Gregor ignored her completely, but removed his hold on my arm and slowly took Michel's dragon in his hand.
“Can we talk for a moment, privately?”
I shook my head. “She goes where I go.”
He smiled a little bitterly. “Michel's orders?”
“My desire.”
He nodded slowly. “Very well, I will say what I have to say right here.” His hand left the dragon and brushed up my chest to his mark on my neck, his thumb tracing it with a soft caress. I felt it, deep down inside, the effect he still had on me. It was warm and lovely and so, so nice. It was everything good about Gregor and nothing of the bad. It was the part of him I had fallen for, the part he hid from most of the world. I felt privileged to have been introduced to it, but it was not mine to keep. Nor did I want to.
My hand came up to hold his and still the motion, my eyes told him everything he needed to know.
He smiled sadly.
“So, you have made up your mind, ma cherie?”
“Yes. There was never any chance of it being any other way.” Not really, not now that I think about it.
“There is nothing I can do to change your mind?”
I shook my head. “I am sorry.”
He smiled, but this time it was his wicked one, his slightly sinful one. The one that told you he wasn't yet down and out for the count, he was rallying and would strike back with a vengeance at any moment. I stiffened slightly and his thumb began tracing his mark again.
“I told you once, Lucinda, that I do not give up a fight easily. I could continue to pursue you and I would make it my life's goal to win you back. I have never lost a battle yet.”
I didn't like the sound of this.
“But, you could offer me something in return, to let you go, without further... seduction on my part.”
Oh boy. I really didn't like the sound of this.
When I didn't say anything his eyebrows raised. “Will you not ask what would release you from my sights? Are you not in the slightest bit curious? Or do you think you could stand against my fervent desires?" He leaned in towards me and whispered against me ear, "Are you really that strong?” His fingers still stroking his mark on my neck.
Shit. “What could I offer you, Gregor?”
Oh he liked that. His smile returning with much delight.
“Amisi.” His voice was quiet, not raised. But somehow it managed to block out all other sound, as though the DJ had stopped the music and the dancers had stopped their motions and the people in the room had all held their breaths in fear.
“No,” came my reply and I pulled away and strode out the door past a shocked Jett and an even more shocked Amisi and the sneering eyes of Gregor's doormen.
I guess I wasn't the only one to have heard his words.
Chapter 38
Family Ties
I fumed out on the pavement. That no-good-son-of-bitch-vampire! What the hell did he think he was playing at? Amisi was not mine to trade and even if she was, stuff him! He's never getting his claws on her. Never!
Jett had taken up a position with his back to us, watching the shadows, keeping an alert eye on the surroundings. Erika was in front of me, trying to get my attention, Amisi was off to the side, a far away look in her eyes. I was still fuming. I could not believe the audacity of the man. He knew he didn't have a hold on me anymore, so he shifted his sights to Amisi.
It seemed that any Nosferatin would do, it didn't matter who. I always knew Gregor had a thing for Nosferatins. He'd told me once that their blood called to him. The way he had looked at Amisi I truly believed that. There was hunger there, but more, a kind of reverent desire, an almost worshipful look to his eyes. Sure, he no doubt saw how beautiful she was, how much the epitome of Nosferatin up-bringing she represented, but he was also just as attracted to her neck, specifically the vein on the side of it pulsing with her Nosferatin blood.
I would never let him drink from her. I would never let him near her again. We would do what we came here to do, then we would return to Auckland and I would send her home. The further she was away from Wellington, the better. Cairo was only just barely far enough away for my liking, but it would do. Surrounded by Nero's Nosferatins and Nafrini's vampires, Gregor would never be able to touch her. Never.
I would just have to battle his fervent desires for eternity and I would not cave, no matter how much he thinks he can tempt me. I would stand strong for all Nosferatin. I would keep him busy, so he never had the chance to find another again and if I had to, I would sacrifice myself to protect them all. He was a monster hidden behind the mask of a lamb. Beautiful and cruel and clever and determined, but I alone would be able to hold him off. If not from me, then from the rest of my kind.
I would not let him get her.
“Lucinda. It is not your decision to make.”
My head shot up and looked at Amisi. No fucking way! I had started shaking my head at her, but she broke in before I could open my mouth.
“You think you are the only Nosferatin in this world who has to battle a vampire like Gregor? There are hundreds of Gregors, Luce, just like him. And many of them run a city. Every city needs a Nosferatin, so you can imagine how man
y Nosferatins have to battle the likes of Gregor. I have known his type before. Even Nafrini has Gregors. I am well versed in how to act around them, I can hold my own. If I choose to come to this city it will not be because of him, or in spite of him, but it will be because I choose to. And if I choose to help free you from him, then that is my choice. My choice, no one else's.”
She held my gaze with a sense of conviction I don't think I could have argued with. She was so sure of herself, of her position in this world, of what she would face. There was no nineteen year old's naivety, she knew full well what would face her here in Wellington and it didn't scare her. And she didn't think she was immune to it, only that she would have to face it somewhere, either here or somewhere else, location was all the difference. It was the only difference. The situation could appear again anywhere throughout the world.
I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.
“I don't want you to have to deal with the likes of him. It's not fair, he doesn't play fair.”
“He is vampyre. He is no different from any other and he deserves to be offered the Light. The question I ask you, my sister, is can you give him up to me?”
Why is it that she suddenly sounded decades older than me? She still looked the same. Young and sweet and barely touched, but she held the knowledge of the ancients in her eyes, their strength and wisdom far beyond her years. In that moment she seemed more goddess than Nosferatin. In that moment she seemed more.
“Is this what you want, Amisi? Really what you want?”
“Yes. I do believe it is.”
I stood there in the centre of a busy pavement in downtown Wellington, a couple of vampires watching my back. Humans milling around waiting to enter the confines of a vampire cesspit, be trapped in the web they weaved and I looked at this strong and capable Nosferatin. I no longer saw the young and innocent girl, but the woman she wanted me to see.
I sighed.
“I have no idea how in hell you are going to convince Nero of this, but you have my blessing.” She smiled at me. “I don't have to warn you though, Amisi, but I will. Watch your back with him, he plays for keeps.”
Then she said something I hadn't expected to hear her say.
“That's what I'm counting on.” She turned away with a little wicked smile playing on her lips and I found myself looking at Erika in surprise. Erika shrugged her shoulders and said, “Each to their own, chica. Each to their own.”
I shook the last remnants of fear and uncertainty aside and fished out my cellphone, dialling up my cousin's number. Let's see if we could get that break we were so desperately in need of. Time to stop playing nice Nosferatin and get my hands a little dirty.
He answered on the first ring and was keen as punch to meet for a drink. We arranged to meet up at the Dockside Restaurant & Bar - the same one we had met at before - in half an hour. Enough time for us to wander down there and for him to drive there from wherever it was that he lived. It dawned on me then, that I didn't know a lot about him. His home address. His work address. Just his cellphone number. That was all.
As we approached the bar I decided it might be best to start out easy, not frighten him. I still wasn't sure if he would have the information I was after, but if he was involved I didn't want to scare him. I needed to work into this slowly and the sight of two vampires at my side might just be the totally wrong impression I needed to avoid. So, Erika and Jett agreed to watch from a distance, blending into the surroundings and using a little of Jett's masking abilities to hide them from any potential human-against-vampire-vigilante in the area. I don't know what it was, but I kept having a bad feeling about this evening, as though someone had walked over my grave, the shivers down my spine just wouldn't stop. I rolled my shoulders as we entered the bar in a vain attempt to dislodge that foreboding feeling, but to no avail. I felt really jumpy all of a sudden and nothing was going to shift it.
Amisi and I sat down at a table, well in view of the front doors after picking up a drink each from the bar. The more at home and relaxed in the environment the better it would seem to anyone taking an interest in a couple of Nosferatins in their city.
Tim was late, by about ten minutes, so both Amisi and I had finished our drinks when he sauntered in and were just playing with the melted ice at the bottom of our glasses. He was dressed to impress. I hadn't mentioned having anyone with me, so I only assumed he was trying to impress me or this was his usual Friday night club scene wear. Tight black jeans and a shiny black dress shirt, short sleeved, so it showed of his well toned and deeply tanned arms. His dark brown hair was spiked up, as though he had taken a lot of time and effort to get it looking just right. He looked cute, but kind of tough, he was definitely going for the bad boy image, but he'd thrown in the boy next door for good measure. It didn't surprise me that a few of the heads of women in the bar turned as he crossed the floor to our table.
His smile seemed genuine, his brown eyes sparkling in the lights and for a moment, again, I wondered if I had misjudged Tim. If in fact my friend Pete, who had warned me to be wary of him, had misjudged him too. He seemed so normal, so nice. I couldn't help the smile I returned, he just made you want to please him. His eyes flicked to Amisi and stalled. She seemed to have that effect on men, whether they were vampires or humans, they couldn't help but look twice. I don't think she realised the power over males that she possessed. She was disarming, natural, out of this world.
He recovered and came over to give me a hug, glancing at Amisi afterwards, probably no doubt wishing he could hug her too.
“Tim, this is my friend Amisi. Amisi, my cousin Tim.”
She nodded slowly, her beautiful long neck stretching as her head inclined and then she offered him her hand to shake. He hesitated - star struck I think - and then shook it keenly. Holding on a little too long. She delicately removed her hand from his grip and smiled up at him. I think he was well and truly lost.
He cleared his throat and said, “Hi.” Then blushed, I guess words were failing him right now, I'd better take pity on him.
“I was just going to get another drink for us, do you want one, Tim?”
He shook himself free of the Amisi spell and said, “No, I'll get them, you stay there. You're visitors in my city, it's the least I can do. Um, Bacardi and Coke right?” he asked me and when I nodded, he turned to Amisi. “And you Amisi, what can I get you?”
“I'll have the same thanks.”
He smiled broadly and hopped off to the bar, a nice little spring in his step. I started to laugh. Amisi just held my gaze steadily and cocked an eyebrow.
“You have no idea, girlfriend, the effect you have over members of the opposite sex.”
She humphed in reply, clearly not convinced. I just laughed harder.
Tim returned a moment later, laden down with drinks and settled into a seat at the table next to us, every now and then casting a glance at Amisi. I didn't want to jump right into the nitty gritty of my visit, so I opted for a more circuitous route instead.
“How's the apprenticeship going, Tim?”
“Oh, ah, yeah, it's great, thanks. Nearly completed it and I'll finally get paid full wages, can't wait.”
“What are you training to be?” Amisi asked politely.
She could have been declaring her undying love, from the look Tim flashed at her.
“Carpentry. I'm training to be a builder.”
“Great.” She smiled at him and I got the distinct impression she was actually well aware of the effect she had over him and was planning to use it to disarm him as much as possible. Maybe they teach more than Nosferatin fighting skills in that community of hers. Interrogation skills must come in handy from time to time in the course of our job, maybe she had been trained to use her best assets whenever needed.
From the looks of how she held him trapped in her gaze, I think she would given 007 a run for his money. Impressive.
I thought I'd drop the big bomb and see how he took it.
“Amisi is a Nosferatin from
Egypt, Tim. She's here to decide if she would like to take on the role in this city.”
That got a response other than the blank look of adoration he had been flashing.
“Here? In Wellington?” He looked momentarily frightened and then sad and then completely nothing. He could have been a vampire with the speed in which he reschooled his features. But, not fast enough for me to have not seen. I have been around a lot of vampires and honed my skills appropriately. When you only get a split second to assess a weakness in your enemy, you learn to use that split second well. He didn't like the idea of Amisi being here. Why?
Time to up the ante.
“You seem unhappy that your city will have a dedicated Nosferatin to hold the vampires accountable. I thought that was what you wanted, Tim. Or have things changed?”
“No. Nothing's changed. It's all good. It'll be great that she's here. I can sleep easy now.” He took a swig of his beer, straight from the bottle and leaned back, all relaxed ease. I didn't buy it for one minute.
I sighed, but kept it well hidden. “Is there something you want to tell, cousin?”
His eyes drifted over to mine and they were empty. Empty of him, empty of feeling, empty of life. Shit. Pete had been right. Ghouls never get it wrong.
“We've got a situation, Tim,” I said leaning forward and placing my drink on a paper coaster with care. I rested my elbows on the table in front of me, holding my hands out together where he could see them. “There's a group of humans who think they can run the vampires out of town.” I watched him closely for a response, he didn't give me one, which considering what I had just said, only made me believe even more that he was in this right up to his neck. Even a Norm would have baulked at that statement.
“They have killed quite a few of their number. Many of which were good vampires, Tim. They weren't filled with the Dark. And now, the humans have got a problem. Can you guess what that might be?”
He took a slow swig of beer and levelled his gaze at me.
“Are you telling me, that you no longer care that vampires hunt humans?” His whole persona had changed. His voice was lower than he normally spoke, his stature more menacing, his eyes not friendly. This was the real Tim. Bugger.
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