by P. C. Cast
The cowboy had been burning sage. Actually, Lenobia was pretty sure from the scent that it had been white sage. Excellent for cleansing a space. But why would an Oklahoma cowboy have been doing that?
Human behavior? What did she know of it? She’d had only the most perfunctory contact with them for … Lenobia considered twisting the slim gold band that held the heart-shaped emerald around and around the ring finger of her left hand. She knew exactly how long it had been since she’d been close to a human, specifically a human man—two hundred and twenty-three years.
Lenobia looked down at her ring finger. There wasn’t much light. Dawn was just beginning to turn the sky from black to blue-gray, and she could almost see the pure green of the emerald. In this light its beauty was illusive, shadowy—like memories of faces from her past.
Lenobia didn’t like to think of those faces. She’d learned long ago to live in the here and now. Today was struggle enough. She looked to the east and squinted against the growing light. “Today is also happiness enough. Horses and happiness. Horses and happiness.” Lenobia repeated the three words that had been her mantra for more than two hundred years. “Horses and happiness…”
“The two have always gone together for me.”
Even as Lenobia’s brain processed that it was the human cowboy who had spoken, and not some dire threat, her body was whirling around and crouching defensively—and there came the shrill scream of a mare’s battle cry from within the stable.
“Whoa, easy there,” Travis said as he held his hands up, showing they were empty and took a step back from her. “I didn’t mean to—”
Lenobia ignored him, bowed her head, drew a deep breath, and said, “There is no danger. I am well. Sleep, my beauty.” Then she lifted her head and her gray eyes skewered the man. “Remember this: do not sneak up on me. Ever.”
“Yes, ma’am. Lesson learned, though I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. Didn’t think that there’d be a vampyre out here at this time a day.”
“We don’t burn up in the sunlight. That’s a myth.” Lenobia was thinking about whether he needed to know that red vampyres and fledglings did, but his response made her lose her train of thought.
“Yes, ma’am. I know that. I also know that sunlight is uncomfortable for you, which is why I thought I’d be alone if I came out here and, well, smoked this,” Travis paused and took the slim cigar from the front pocket of his fringed leather coat, “by myself and watched the sunrise. I didn’t even see you sittin’ there ’til you spoke.” His smile was charming and it warmed his eyes, gave them a sparkle which changed their ordinary brown to a lighter hazel color—something Lenobia hadn’t noticed happening before. Seeing it now made her stomach tighten. She looked away from his eyes quickly, and had to mentally shake herself to focus on his words. “You sayin’ horses and happiness made me speak without thinkin’. Next time I’ll clear my throat or cough or somethin’ before.”
Feeling strangely disconcerted by him, Lenobia asked the first question that came to mind. “Why do you know things about vampyres? Have you been the mate of a vampyre?”
His smile grew. “No, nothin’ like that. I know a little ’bout you because my momma liked you.”
“Me? Your mother knows me?”
He shook his head. “No, ma’am. I didn’t mean you. I meant vampyres in general. See, my momma had a friend who’d been Marked when they were kids. They stayed in touch—used to write letters—lots of letters. They kept writing up until the day my momma died.”
“I’m sorry about your mother,” Lenobia said, feeling awkward. Humans lived such short lives. They could be killed so easily. Strange that she’d almost forgotten that about them. Almost.
“Thank you. It was the cancer. Took her fast. She’s been gone five years now.” Travis looked away toward the rising sun. “Her favorite time of day was sunrise. I like to remember her then.”
“That’s my favorite time of day, too,” Lenobia surprised herself by saying.
“That’s a nice coincidence,” Travis said, turning his gaze to her and smiling. “Ma’am, can I ask you a question?”
“Yes, I suppose so,” Lenobia said, taken off guard more by the smile than the question request.
“Your mare called to you when I scared you.”
“You didn’t scare me. You startled me. There’s a large difference between the two.”
“You could be right, there. But as I was sayin’, your mare called to you. Then you spoke and she quieted, though there’s no way she could hear you from out here.”
“That’s not a question,” Lenobia said dryly.
He raised his brows. “You’re a smart lady. You know what it is I’m wonderin’.”
“You want to know if Mujaji can hear my thoughts.”
“I do,” Travis said, studying her and nodding his head slowly.
“I’m not accustomed to talking with humans about the gifts of our Goddess.”
“Nyx,” Travis said. When she just stared at him he shrugged and continued, “That’s your Goddess’s name, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“Does Nyx care if you talk to humans about her?”
Lenobia studied him closely. He didn’t appear to be anything except authentically curious. “What would your mother’s answer to that question be?”
“She’d say that Willow wrote to her about Nyx a lot and the Goddess didn’t seem to mind at all. ’Course Willow and I don’t write, and I haven’t heard from her since she came to my momma’s funeral, but then she seemed pretty healthy and definitely hadn’t been smote by a goddess.”
“Willow?”
“They were children of the 1960s. My momma’s given name was Rain. Are you gonna answer me or not?”
“I’ll answer you if you answer me a question in turn.”
“Done,” he said.
“My gift from Nyx is an affinity for horses. I can’t literally read their minds, just like they cannot literally read mine, but I do get images and emotions from them, especially horses I’m closely connected to like my mare Mujaji.”
“And you got stuff, images and such, from Bonnie about me?”
Lenobia had to force herself not to smile at his eagerness. “I did. She loves you quite a lot. You’ve cared for her well. She has an interesting mind, your Percheron mare.”
“She does—hardheaded sometimes, though.”
Lenobia did smile then. “But never mean spirited, even when she forgets she weighs two thousand pounds and almost steps over the top of mere humans.”
“Well, ma’am, I do believe Bonnie will step over the top of mere vampyres, too, if given half a chance.”
“I’ll remember that,” she said. “And now my question. Why were you smudging?”
“Oh, you saw that? Well, ma’am, my daddy’s part Muscogee, that’s probably Creek Indian to you. I have a few of his habits—smudging a new place is one of them.” He paused and gave a little half laugh. “And here I was thinkin’ you’d ask me why I took this job.”
“Bonnie already gave me that answer.”
She was pleased to see his eyes widen in surprise. “You said you couldn’t get thoughts from horses.”
“What I got from Bonnie is that you’ve been traveling restlessly for some time. That tells me we’re just the next stop on your life journey.”
“Is she fine with it? I mean, it’s not hurtin’ her, right?”
A little warmth for the cowboy seeped into her veins and pulsed through her body. “Your mare is fine. She’s happy as long as she’s with you.”
He tilted his hat back and scratched his forehead. “Well, that’s a relief. It has been hard for me to settle since my ma’s death. The ranch just ain’t the same without—”
Not far away from them the peaceful morning was shattered by engines and shouting.
“Well, what in the hell?”
“I have no idea, but I’m going to find out.” Lenobia stood and began striding toward the sounds of chaos. She noticed Travis
stayed right beside her. She glanced at him. “When Neferet interviewed you did she happen to mention some pretty rough things have happened recently at this House of Night?”
“No, ma’am,” he said.
“Well, you might want to rethink accepting this job. If you’re looking for peace, this is definitely the wrong place for you.”
“No, ma’am,” he repeated. “I’ve never run from a fight. Don’t seek them out, neither, but when they find me I don’t run.”
“Too bad you cowboys don’t carry six-shooters anymore,” she muttered.
Travis patted the side of his coat and smiled grimly. “Some of us still do, ma’am. Oklahoma has the good sense to be a conceal/carry state.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “I’m glad to hear it. Just a quick tip: if it has wings like a bird, but red eyes that look human, get ready to shoot it.”
“You ain’t kidding, are you?”
“No.”
Together they followed the noise around the lightening campus and approached the central grounds of the school. As they reached the beautiful front lawn, both of them slowed and then stopped. Lenobia shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”
“You don’t want me to shoot them, do ya?”
She scowled. “Not yet I don’t.” Then she marched into the middle of the caravan of trucks and flatbeds and lawn equipment and men—decidedly human men—and joined the blurry-eyed, bed-headed, but really angry female vampyre who was facing all of them down.
“Are you deaf or stupid? I said you’re not touching my grounds, and you’re especially not touching my grounds at this ridiculous time of the day when professors and students are trying to sleep.”
“Gaea, what’s going on here?” Lenobia put a restraining hand on the vampyre’s arm because she looked like she was going to hurl herself at the poor, confused, clipboard-holding man who had unwisely stepped up as leader of the group. He was staring at Gaea with a mixture of horror and awe, which Lenobia understood. Gaea was tall and slender and unusually attractive, even for a vampyre. She could have been a fabulous successful model, had she not been perfectly content tending to the earth instead.
“These men,” Gaea made the word sound as if it tasted bad, “just showed up and started to attack my grounds!”
“Look, missus, like I said before, we were hired yesterday to be the new lawn service for the House of Night. We weren’t attacking anything—we were mowing the grass.”
Lenobia bit back a cry of utter frustration. Instead she asked the man, “And who hired you?”
He looked down at his clipboard. “Name the boss gave me was Neferet. Is that you?”
Lenobia shook her head. “No, but it is the name of our High Priestess.” She turned to the grounds manager. “Gaea, did you not receive the information that Neferet was going to be hiring humans to work at the House of Night?”
“I got that information. I just didn’t get the information that the humans would be usurping my position!”
Of course you didn’t, Lenobia thought grimly, Neferet didn’t want either of us to be prepared for what she was doing, and you’re as protective of your grass and shrubs and flowers as I am of my horses, which is something our manipulative High Priestess is very aware of. Lenobia shook her head, annoyed at Neferet’s checkmate. “No, Gaea,” she explained in her most reasonable voice. “You aren’t being usurped. You’re being helped.”
Lenobia saw the struggle in Gaea’s eyes. Obviously she, like Lenobia herself, hadn’t wanted human help at all, but going against an edict created by their High Priestess and sanctioned by the Vampyre High Council would create dissension in the school.
And the ancient vampyre truth was that they shouldn’t be showing any dissension in front of humans.
“Yes, well, I can see that.” Lenobia let some of the tension drain from her body as Gaea chose to follow the ancient vampyre truth over pride and power. “I was just caught unaware. Thank you, Lenobia, for helping me see this situation more clearly.” Then she turned to the man and the workers who were milling nervously behind him. Gaea smiled and Lenobia watched the men’s faces go slack and round-eyed as the full force of her beauty hit them. “I do apologize for the initial confusion. It seems there has been a mistake in communication. Shall we discuss exactly what your job is going to entail, and how it would be best if…”
Lenobia unobtrusively retreated as Gaea launched into a lengthy explanation about timing and grass cutting and the phases of the moon. Travis, once again, fell into step beside her.
He cleared his throat.
Without looking at him, Lenobia said, “Go ahead. Say whatever it is you want to say.”
“Well, ma’am, seems to me there’s an awful lot of job confusion going on at this school.”
“Seems the same to me,” Lenobia said.
“Your boss doesn’t appear to be—”
“Neferet is not my boss,” Lenobia interrupted.
“All right, I’ll rephrase that. It appears my boss has been doin’ a lot of hiring without tellin’ the people those hirings most affect anything about it. So, I’m wonderin’, does this have anything to do with the rough times you mentioned before?”
“It might,” Lenobia said. By this time they’d made their way back to the main door that led to the stables. She stopped and faced Travis. “You should get used to not being surprised by confusion and chaos. There can be a lot of both around here.”
“But you’re not going to give me specifics. Am I right about that?”
“You are,” Lenobia said.
Travis cocked his hat back. “How ’bout elaboratin’ on those birds with the red eyes?”
“Raven Mockers,” Lenobia said. “That’s what they’re called. Horses don’t like them; they don’t like horses. They’ve caused problems here lately.”
“What are they?” Travis said.
Lenobia sighed. “Not human. Not bird. Not vampyre.”
“Well, ma’am, sounds like they’re not good in general. Do I shoot if they come around the horses?”
“Shoot if they attack the horses.” Lenobia met his gaze steadily. “My general rule is: protect the horses first, ask questions later.”
“Good rule,” Travis said.
“I think so.” Lenobia nodded her head in the direction of the stables. “Do you have everything you need in there?”
“Yes, ma’am. Bonnie and me don’t need much.” He paused and then added, “Will you want me to change my sleeping hours around to match yours?”
“Well, I’ll want you to change your sleep pattern, but you’ll be matching the entire school, not just me,” Lenobia said quickly, wondering why what he said had embarrassed her. “And you’ll be surprised how quickly Bonnie will adapt to the night and day switch.”
“Bonnie and I have done our fair share of night riding.”
“Good, then you’re already a little prepared for the change.” There was an awkward moment when they both just stood there, and then Lenobia said, “Oh, my quarters are up there.” She pointed to the tall second story over the stables. “The rest of the professors are back there.” Lenobia jerked her chin toward the main campus building. “I prefer to be closer to the horses.”
“Seems you and I see eye to eye on at least one thing.”
She raised her brows in a silent question.
Travis smiled. “Preferring horses.” He opened the door for her.
Lenobia went into the stables and they walked together for a little way until they reached the stairwell that led to the upper level. “I suppose I’ll see you at dusk,” she said.
Travis tipped his hat to her. “Yes, ma’am, you will. Good night to you.”
“Good night,” Lenobia said, and then hurried up the stairway feeling his eyes on her back long after she was out of his sight.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Aurox
Aurox followed his Priestess from the professors’ building out into the waning sunlight of evening. Though it was winter, and the lig
ht held no warmth, and, truth be told, little light, she cringed as if it caused her pain. He watched her pull the cowl of her green robe more fully over her head so that it fully swathed her face.
“Sunlight!” Neferet made the word sound as if it tasted bitter. “I shall make them pay for causing me to take this trip in the sunlight.” She glanced at him before donning dark, mirrored glasses. “Actually, you shall make them pay for me.”
“Yes, Priestess,” he said automatically.
Imperiously, she walked out to the large black vehicle she’d commanded he learn how to drive and stood before the door, waiting for him to open it, which he did quickly. Aurox noted that even in the daylight hours Neferet cast a shadow that was preternaturally dark. Darkness always travels with her, he thought.
After he’d turned on the vehicle she punched a button in the rearview mirror and a voice asked, “Yes, Neferet, where may OnStar take you today?”
“Will Rogers High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma,” she said in response to the voice, then to him she commanded, “Follow their directions exactly.”
“Yes, Priestess,” was all he was required to say.
* * *
From the moment he’d parked in front of it, Aurox had found the light-colored brick and stonework building pleasing to his eye. He followed Neferet inside, entering the first of its gleaming, wide hallways and he was taken aback by the feel of the place. It was almost as if the building was sentient. It had a wise, listening quality that Aurox found surprisingly calming.
But how could that be? How could a building make him feel anything?
There had been only one elderly security guard. He’d approached Aurox and Neferet, walking slowly and with a limp, more curious and polite than cautious.
“May I help y’all?”
“Yes, does the school have an underground area? A large basement or tunnel system?” Neferet had asked, pulling back her hood and taking off her dark glasses.
The guard’s eyes had widened first at her beauty and then fixated on her sapphire-colored tattoo.
“We have some old tunnels in the basement that haven’t really been used since bomb shelter days. That is, other than as a hidey-hole from a tornado now and then. Why do you—”
