Kindred (Kindred, Book 1)

by Nicola Claire

  OK, Pete didn't want to beat around the bush, so right to it then. “There's a war brewing, Pete and we need your help.”

  “Yeah. So you say. Give me something I can work with.”

  All right, so I had spent the entire trip over here in the taxi trying to formulate a plan, one that wouldn't put me in the centre of this scenario. But right now, I figured the truth was all Pete was going to go for. If I wanted him to trust me, and by extension the vamp that was feigning casual disinterest by glancing around the bar right now next to me, then I'd have to pull out the big guns. Unfortunately, the big guns were probably going to get me into more trouble than it was worth.

  “It's over me.”

  He stopped looking at Michel then and turned his undivided attention on me.

  “Why?”

  Michel casually moved his arm to rest behind my shoulders, he didn't touch me as such, just left his hand on the top of my stool's back. I'm not sure if he was encouraging me, discouraging me, or just letting the world know I was his, but I'd started this, so I might as well finish it now too.

  “A vamp named Maximilian wants me as his own and he's threatened to use ghouls against the city if I don't comply.”

  Michel's arm abruptly left my chair. Oh, so I guess it was discouraging me then. Oops.

  The thing is, I know Michel wanted that whole using the ghouls thing kept on the hush, so he could use the ghouls without their knowledge, but that was the reason for bringing him here. I did not want him to use the ghouls without their consent. I wanted to find a way to get them on board willingly, and Michel needed to be here to agree to it.

  “Why does he want you, Luce?”

  Now two can play at the bartering information thing, I certainly wasn't going to offer up anything else if I could help it, without first getting something to go on from Pete. I wasn't new to this game after all.

  “No. Your turn. What have you heard?”

  He smiled an appreciative smile. I think the ghouls don't like their informational sources to be push overs. Always do business with people you respect.

  “There's a bunch of ghouls in Sydney on the move. Unheard of really, that's why it got my man's attention. Couldn't find out what they were up to, but the intention seemed clear. They're on the hunt and it's not in their own backyard.”

  “How many?”

  He was obviously in a generous mood, or my information was worth more than I had thought, because he answered straight away, “One hundred, maybe more.”

  Shit. One hundred ghouls was practically a dozen legions of soldiers; SAS, Green Beret, Navy Seals, combined. This was not good news and I felt, rather than saw, Michel stiffen ever so slightly at it.

  “That's big. You think they're coming here?” I asked Pete.

  “What do you think, Luce? You tell me, would your Maximilian go for Aussie Jinn?”

  “He's not my Maximilian,” I answered automatically. “And yes, he would.”

  “Then, you've got a big problem, haven't you? And that observation was on the house. You want anything else, pay.”

  So, the moment of truth. I took a deep breath and jumped right in. “We want your help to fight them. We're asking for your help.” I hoped he got the inference, asking not commanding.

  He did. Nothing gets past Pete. His eyebrows raised and he returned his attention to Michel. “So, vamp. You asking?”

  Now, here's where I actually held my breath, because as much as I wanted Michel to understand the right thing to do here was to get permission, consent, whatever, I also knew he was a vampire and vampires by nature don't ask, they take.

  He smiled, a brilliant flash of teeth with a ever so small hint of fangs. God, typical. “It would seem my Lucinda is trying to tame me.” I didn't miss the my Lucinda part, but I still wasn't breathing, so I let it pass, for now. He turned and looked at me, blue swirls lighting up his face, I could so easily have melted into them. His hand reached out and stroked my cheek, the backs of his fingers gliding down my left side, sending tingles through my entire body and causing an involuntary shiver. I froze. Even if I hadn't already been holding my breath, I would have stopped right then and there. He inclined his head to me in a small nod of acquiescence, not breaking eye contact and said, “I ask for your help, ghoul.”

  I let my breath out, trying not to show the relief and joy at what he had said. This was more than just being on absolute best behaviour, this was Michel letting me know he could meet me halfway. In some things he could agree to do the right thing. When I asked, he might just move a little closer to the light.

  Pete was staring at us with his mouth slightly open, not blinking, I'm not even sure he was breathing. He pulled himself together when Michel returned his attention to him across the bar.

  “How can I trust you?”

  “You would have my word, however,” I cringed slightly, “ it would require a certain amount of my influence over you to be allowed, in order that you are not used by Maximilian against us. My influence would mean he could not sway you at all.”

  “No.” Emphatic, implacable, no.

  My heart felt crushed. To come so far and be halted now by the brick wall of mistrust was not going to happen. “What would it take, Pete, for you to trust him?”

  He swallowed, this was probably the one opportunity that he had never been presented with, but had always craved. The chance to negotiate with the vamps on equal footing. To have something worthy of negotiating at all. I could almost see the cogs turning in his mind.

  “We would want an accord. Permanently giving us freedom from your influence and those of vampires in your city, under your control.”

  I knew Pete was asking a lot, but I also knew with my whole heart that he wouldn't settle for anything less. The problem was, Michel didn't have to do this. He didn't have to show his nice side and then also give the ghouls a free run for as long as he remained master of this city. He could simply compel them to do his bidding now and save himself the grief of not having them when needed in the future. I had absolutely no idea how this would play out. I was asking a lot of him and I didn't know yet if I was worth that much to him to warrant it.

  Michel didn't hesitate for long, he simply raised his arm and a stainless steel knife, which had been sitting on the counter behind Pete, came sailing to his hand. He quickly sliced the centre of his palm. He wasn't threatening Pete, he was actually agreeing to his request. An accord in the supernatural world is made through sharing blood. A slice in one palm, another in the opposing accord member's palm, then a simple hand shake. There's just something binding about vamp's, shape shifter's and ghoul's blood, the accord can't be broken. I guess I can also count my blood in with that category now too.

  The knife didn't surprise me, I've seen Michel use his telekinesis before, but his relatively quick agreement to the accord sure did. He must have noticed the look on my face, because he leaned in and said so softly only I could hear, “You do not think I had not seen this coming, do you, ma douce?”

  He stood then and reached his hand across the counter top towards Pete. Pete hesitated, still baffled by the turn of events, then reached forward and took up the knife, sliced his own hand and clasped Michel's. Michel spoke his side of the accord, “I will ensure all ghouls who reside in my city shall be free from influence from me and mine, for as long as I am Master of this City.” Pete replied. “I will ensure all ghouls aid in this coming battle with the vampire Maximilian and allow influence from the Master of this City to prevent intrusion from any other vampire on our will.”

  It was done. I felt a wreck. The roller coaster of emotions from watching this unfold had exhausted me, but we were one step closer to meeting Max with what could be success.

  We left the bar not long after that. They may have just made an unprecedented accord, but Michel was still not welcome in the ghoul's bar without unease. I thanked Pete, paid for my beer - no way I was letting Michel jump on that one - and we walked out into the early morning darkness.

  It
was now 3 am and I was bone weary. I needed to get some sleep, because I had a plan for tomorrow and wanted to be at full function to carry it out. Michel hailed a cab and as one slid to a stop at the curb, he stiffened slightly and turned his head to the side. His eyes blazed purple and then he straightened.

  “Forgive me, my dear, but I have matters I must attend. I must part with you here, but it has been a most eventful evening. I thank you whole-heartedly.”

  His eyes sparkled and he reached for my hand, bending to place a kiss on the back. With that, he was gone. I didn't even see which direction he had flashed away to, it was as though he had evaporated into thin air.

  The spot he had kissed on the back of my hand however, glowed with warmth and the tingles it had sent through my arm and into my body didn't stop until I was tucked up in bed and had fallen fast asleep.

  Chapter 12

  Promises Kept

  I woke with a groan and rolled over into a spot of sunlight that was filtering through almost closed blinds onto my bed. Glancing at the bedside clock, I realised I'd had about six hours sleep, not enough, but there was no way I could have returned to my slumbering now.

  I lay there for a while trying to determine what it was I was feeling. Anxious? Uptight? Angry? All of the above, but underlining it was a sense of disappointment, Michel had not visited me in my dreams. I sighed and pushed that thought aside as I hauled myself out of bed and stumbled towards the bathroom.

  Half an hour later I was dressed and sitting at my kitchen bench hugging a hot cup of coffee. I couldn't stomach breakfast, only one more night until Max returned, but coffee I could never forgo. The usual Saturday morning noises were filtering through the walls and windows of my apartment. Mrs Cumberland, my next door neighbour, was calling to her four cats to come in for breakfast and Sally from upstairs was hanging out her washing on the clothesline in the back yard. I could see her through the kitchen window struggling with her sheets, as a soft winter wind kept whisking them around.

  I felt infinitely sad all of a sudden. These were people I barely new, just enough to say hello and share a word or two with, or in the case of Mrs Cumberland, occasionally feed her cats when she was away from home visiting her daughter in Whangarei. Yet all of them meant something to me and I could be about to bring down the wrath of a powerful vampire into their midst. The only thing I could think of doing was telling them to stay home on Sunday night, convincing them to stay indoors. Michel's protection on our building would hold, but only as long as he was alive.

  After washing out my mug and putting it away, I slipped into my grey leather boots. I sold my soul for these boots, I love them like they were my babies and grabbed my stake and knife. I slipped the knife into my short black skirt and the stake inside my faded denim jacket. I liked winter, Auckland can be a melting hot pot of humid air most of the year, but summer was most insufferable, meaning concealing a stake was damn near impossible. But in winter you could get away with a jacket, sometimes anyway and hide your weapon inside. It was a bit colder today, so I was wearing black tights under my mini skirt, but a short sleeved black tee on top. The thing is, even though I'm a kick-ass vampire hunter and all, wearing jeans or pants is just not my style. I far prefer skirts, it's just who I am, but they do have to be short and allow for movement, hence the tights. No one wants to be flashed by a 5'4” ball of fury.

  I knocked on Mrs Cumberland's ranch-slider and watched as she plopped Fluffy, or was it Snowball, down to shuffle over to me. Mrs Cumberland and I have a deal, I look after her cats when she goes off gallivanting around the country, almost twice a month I'll have you know and she lets me borrow her car. Borrowing someone's car is a big responsibility, they've got a lot invested in that one possession, but Mrs Cumberland is a sweetie and she's never once given me a speech about taking care not to scratch the Corolla.

  “Morning, Mrs Cumberland. How are you today?”

  “Fighting fit, Lucinda, fighting fit. What have you got planned today, dear, do you need the car to visit that young man of yours?” As sweet as Mrs Cumberland is, she refuses to acknowledge my denials that Rick is not my boyfriend. She took one look at his lithe body and muscular frame and fell in love. No one else would be good enough for me in her eyes. So, I gave up correcting her after about the twentieth time, it just wasn't worth the effort.

  “Yeah, I'm off visiting. Do you need the car today or is it OK if I borrow it?”

  “Not a problem, dear, I'll grab the keys.” When she returned with them in her arthritic old hands and handed them over she said, “You give that man of yours a big kiss. He's a keeper, Lucinda, a keeper.”

  I just laughed and thanked her and made my way to her dark blue car at the front of the building. There's just no reasoning with the old lady.

  I always like the drive out to the Hapū's land. The North-Western Motorway had started to get busy, lots of cars exiting at St Luke's, there's good shopping there. But once past that off-ramp it was free flowing and with the radio up it didn't feel like much time had passed until I was turning off on Brigham Creek Road and winding my way through Whenuapai to Rick's.

  The sun was higher in the sky when I pulled up in the clearing of the main group of houses. I couldn't see anyone, but that didn't mean they weren't around. I switched the engine off and listened to the tick, tick of the cooling motor for a moment, glancing around the area. I knew, even before I had shut the door to the car, that I was in trouble. There wasn't any sound, shape shifters can move silently if they wish, but I had just felt the prickle of hairs rising on the back of my neck when he pounced.

  I went flying through the air, but managed to twist my body so I landed in a half crouch and then I spun to meet my attacker. Josh was a blur of motion as he came at me in a low movement, wrapping his arms around me and rolling me over in the nearby grass. We tumbled for a couple of feet and then with a quick elbow to the ribs, I managed to jump out of his grasp and spin around to place a nice kick towards his torso. He was too fast and grabbed my foot pulling me towards him. I twisted my body and with the momentum that created, used my other leg to counter his grip. I heard him grunt as my foot found his chest and he let me go.

  See, the thing with Taniwhas is, they play fight when showing affection. I knew Josh wasn't trying to hurt me, he was showing how pleased he was to see me, but they do fight for the win. It might be love of a kind, but it's going to leave bruises.

  He was already standing and ready for attack, but I didn't give him time. My strength and speed had increased recently, with all the time spent with Michel, and Josh hadn't seen me for a while, so the look of surprise on his face was priceless when I sprang at him and pinned him to the ground. I held him down with my forearm across his throat and my legs pinning his arms to his sides. He tried to buck, but I was too strong for him. I grabbed his thick brown hair, securing his head to the ground and leaned my face down to his ear and whispered, “You're out of your league, sunshine.” Then growled. Not a vampire growl, but an intimidating sound nonetheless.

  His eyes bugged out a bit at that, his breathing rapid and a little uneven. We stared at each other for a full minute before we heard the slow clapping from a crowd that had come out to watch the action. The twins were hooting and shouting obscenities to Josh, all about his lack of masculine abilities and he reddened slightly.

  I thought that might be my cue to get off, so I jumped up in one swift motion and held my hand out to him as he lay in the dirt. He paused, a brief look of uncertainty crossing his face, one I was a little saddened to see and then grabbed my hand and came to stand in front of me. Awkwardly, he gave me a soft punch to the shoulder and said, “Good to see ya, Luce, long time no see.”

  Joe and Rocky came bounding over at that point and grabbed me in a bear hug, or is that Taniwha hug? They jumped up and down, shaking me in their grip like a rag doll. “Hey, quit it would you!” I shouted, but there was a smile on my face.

  Rick came running over from his house and clasped me too, it was one big hug-f
est. It's great to be loved. I glanced up over Rick's shoulder and spotted Jerome. He had a strange look on his face, contemplative, but when he noticed me looking at him, he just smiled and waved and went back to chopping some firewood by the shed.

  After everyone had calmed down and gone back to whatever they were doing before they heard my car and scampered into hiding, Rick and I sat on the swing seat over by Celeste's. She was out at the moment, but due back soon, he said. He got a wistful look in his face when he mentioned her, I grinned at that.

  I always thought that I wouldn't want to share Rick. He's my best friend, we do everything together, but my life has become so complicated lately, that I haven't wanted him to be pulled into the whirlpool that is devouring my world. Seeing him a little removed, in a bliss with Celeste, someone I had a lot of respect for, had me surprisingly relieved. Who would have thought I could be so magnanimous?

  We spent the next hour catching up, but my mind was elsewhere and he could tell. My stomach had started churning over what I was about to do and my concentration on the conversation had be waning.

  “Luce? Luce? Are you even listening?” He didn't say it angrily, but more with concern, his eyes crinkled in worry at the edges.

  I sighed. “Sorry, Rick, I'm just a bit wound up over everything right now and I really need to talk to, um, Jerome, OK?”

  He nodded, his eyebrows furrowed in query. For the first time ever, I didn't want to spill my guts to him. I needed to get this over with Jerome and talking about it with Rick was likely to get me sidetracked to the point of not completing the real reason why I came out here at all. I hugged him and stood up, brushing myself down, my usual calming move before facing a daunting prospect.

  It's not that I am afraid of Jerome, not really, he is a little rough around the edges, but he's only ever been a gentleman to me. Welcoming me on Hapū lands, greeting me with respect and open friendship, but what I was about to ask of him was a lot. And a big part of me so did not want this to happen, but I saw no alternative. People's lives were on the line. My city was threatened.