Kiss the Night Good-bye

by Keri Arthur

  He was tempted, so very tempted, to stop the test, run down there, and ask what the hell was wrong. Only the knowledge that she'd be furious, that she'd think he was still trying to prevent her from joining him on his missions, stopped him.

  Remember Hartwood? Seline asked.

  Of course. We watched it burn together, remember.

  Then you remember Emmett Dunleavy?

  He smiled grimly. How could he forget him? The bastard had killed Christine, one of the few people Michael had cared about in those dark years, a woman he'd spent ten years loving. Worse still, Emmett had turned her into one of the living dead.

  He'd spent twenty years hunting Emmett down and a week making him pay. I killed him, then I burned him, and then I consigned his soul back to the hell it came from.

  All of which Seline knew, because she'd been by his side during the hunt in Hartwood.

  What neither of us knew at the time was that Emmett had a twin—Weylin.

  Emmett died just over a hundred years ago. Surely if Weylin Dunleavy intended revenge over his brother's death, he would have done something before now.

  I fear revenge is not his only intention.

  "Temperature has jumped again,” Jake said, voice edged with concern. “If Nikki's doing this, something is wrong down there."

  Camille glanced at Michael. “One more degree to go, and then I'm stopping it, whether you like it or not."

  "Fine.” Nikki wouldn't like it, but Jon and Marcus were still in the room, and the heat was reaching levels that suggested Nikki didn't have it under control. And if it wasn't under control, then anyone in that room could become a target of the flames.

  To Seline, he said, When we were in San Francisco, you had a vision that mentioned someone seeking revenge for what I did to his brother. You said he was a brother who had kissed the night good-bye. I take it this is Weylin Dunleavy? And that he's a vampire who can walk in the sun?

  Yes. He's also a sorcerer, and he plans to make us pay for what we did—pay in pain, as that vision warned.

  The shadows moved in on Nikki. She backed away, ducking Lenny's blows and throwing several of her own. The vampire might be little more than an indistinct blur, but she was just as fast.

  He's had a hundred years to plan, Seline continued, and now the time for action has come.

  The words seemed to echo through Michael's mind. On the monitors, Lenny backhanded Nikki, the force of the blow enough to send her staggering. Somehow, she kept her feet, and she wiped a hand across her mouth. That's when he saw the blood.

  That's when her fear crystallized in his mind.

  Lenny was another plant.

  "Get that door open!” he shouted, and then he turned and ran for the stairs.

  * * * *

  Nikki hit the wooden box nose first. She grunted in pain, but she pushed quickly away, dropping to her knees as the scream of air warned of another blow. As his fist stirred the hairs on the top of her head, she lashed out with a foot, trying to hook his leg and bring him down.

  He jumped her leg, then pivoted, his heel smashing into her jaw. She flew backwards, hitting another box before sliding to the floor in an ungainly heap. The room whirled around her, and her face throbbed, the bitter taste of blood filling her mouth. She took a shuddering breath, but it did little to ease the sick churning in her stomach. Her heart raced so bad it hurt, and energy surged in response, the sheer force of it making every muscle shake. Or maybe that was fear. But across her trembling fingertips fire flickered, casting bright shadows through the dusky light.

  It shouldn't be happening, not in this room.

  She felt rather than saw movement, and she scrambled away on all fours. A hand twined through her hair, yanking her viciously back. She yelped, fighting fear, fighting the flames that burned brighter through her veins.

  "Hey,” Jon said behind them, “I think that's enough."

  "No, it's not,” the vampire snarled. He twisted the fistful of hair so tight she yelped again, and he dug what looked like a small crossbow out of his pocket.

  "Look out,” she screamed, lashing backwards with a fist.

  She hit his arm just as he pulled the trigger. There was a hiss of air, then Jon's harsh curse and the smell of burning flesh.

  White ash, she thought. Had to be, because it was the only thing that could stop a shapeshifter.

  She knew then that this man didn't just intend to test her. He intended to kill her.

  And he'd come prepared to kill anyone else who got in his way.

  She twisted again and swung her fist, this time sinking it deep into his groin. He grunted, his grip on her hair relaxing enough to pull free. She scrambled to her feet and turned to face him, but suddenly there was another body between her and the vampire.

  It was the first vampire, the one she'd defeated after Delphine.

  "Enough, Lenny. You've drawn blood.” His voice was soft yet cold. “That is beyond the rules."

  "Right now I don't give a shit about you or the rules."

  There was a soft twang, then a grunt, and the weight of her would-be protector hit her. She grabbed him reflexively, saw the wooden arrow sticking out of his chest and the fingers of flame beginning to spread from the wound. Dead for real this time. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them quickly away. Now was not the time to do anything more than survive. Surely those in the control room had to realize by now that something was wrong. All she had to do was hang on until they got here.

  She dropped the vampire's body and retreated, saw Lenny raise the crossbow a third time. She swore and dove sideways, rolling past the cover of a box. There was a thud against the side of it, then a rush of air, and suddenly he was on her again.

  His weight pinned her, his fists smashing towards her face. She blocked the blows one handed then reached up, splaying her free hand against his chest.

  "Burn, you bastard,” she said, and reached for the flaming power that surged through her veins, imagining him burning but not dying.

  Fire exploded through her, around her. The force of it ripped the vampire free and flung him across the room. His screams filled the room, his body a blazing comet as it hit the far wall and disappeared behind several boxes.

  Nikki took a deep, shuddering breath, then climbed to her feet and walked the rest of the way to the window.

  She'd passed their damn test.

  Now they could explain what the hell was going on.

  Chapter Two

  Michael leapt over the banister and hit the floor with enough force to jar his spine. Grunting, he pushed upright, and saw that the door was still closed. He swore viciously and punched the intercom button on the side of the doorway.

  "Camille, get this door open!"

  "It's not responding. He must have jammed it from the inside."

  "Then I'll just have to break it."

  "Be careful. The spell—"

  He released the button, cutting off the rest of her warning, then clenched his fist and hit the door with everything he had—physically and kinetically.

  For too many seconds, nothing happened. Then, with a screech that sounded like a live thing dying, the door exploded inwards. Wood and metal fell around him as he ran inside.

  The smell of burning flesh hit him immediately. Lenny's screams pierced the muggy air, the beat of his heart loud and erratic. Beyond that, further down the room, two more heartbeats. Human heartbeats, suggesting Nikki and Jon. The slower beat of a second vampire's heart was nowhere to be heard. Obviously, Marcus was dead.

  He swore under his breath and ran swiftly around the boxes, heading for those two beats. Nikki knelt next to Jon, her hand on his shoulder, pressing a T-shirt into his wound.

  She glanced up as he approached, a mix of anger, confusion, and fear warming her expressive amber eyes.

  "What took you so damn long?” She grabbed Jon's free hand and placed it against her makeshift bandage, then stood, thrusting her bloody hands on her hips.

  Her anger burned through his min
d, and he almost laughed out loud in sheer relief and joy. There wasn't much wrong with her if her temper was this high.

  "Surely you could see what was going on in here?” she continued tartly.

  "We did.” He grabbed her, pulling her into a hug that was as fierce as it was loving. “And I'm sorry, but Lenny barred the door. It took a while to force my way through. Are you all right?"

  "Yes,” she said, her words muffled against his chest and at odds with the trembling in her body. “It was Jon who got hurt and...” She hesitated, her voice catching. “The other vampire was killed."

  He held her away from him, his gaze sweeping the length of her then coming back to her face. Her left cheek was swollen and beginning to bruise. He gently brushed a tear away from her cheek. “Any loose teeth?"

  "A couple,” she admitted.

  He saw the blood on her teeth and knew she'd probably cut the inside of her mouth as well. He pulled her into his arms again, brushed a kiss across her mouth and glanced down at Jon.

  "Thank you."

  Jon nodded. Pain still lingered in his blue eyes, but Nikki had pulled the white ash out of his shoulder, and the healing process would have begun.

  "Thank me by finding out how that bastard got a cross bow and white ash in here. I thought we had spells set in the foyer to detect such things?"

  "We do, but all spells can be countered if you know how.” What they had to find out is how someone like Lenny, who had no apparent knowledge in magical law, had managed it.

  And what his connection to Nadia might be. Michael had no doubt that there would be a connection. Two attacks, both using magic to get around the spells interwoven in this building, and both performed by people with no talent in magic—that was more than just a coincidence.

  "You need a hand up?” he added, offering Jon a hand.

  Jon's good hand clasped his, and Michael hauled him to his feet. “You'd better head to medical for a checkup, just in case those arrows were tipped with something."

  Jon nodded and walked away. Michael pulled back from Nikki and brushed the sweaty strands of dark chestnut hair from her forehead. Her skin still burned with the heat of the flames she'd directed at Lenny. “You'd better get down to medical, too."

  She raised an eyebrow. “You're not coming with me?"

  His smile was grim. “I have a vampire to question."

  Surprise and relief flitted through her eyes. “Then he's not dead?"

  "No.” And he was no longer screaming. Either he was unconscious or the flames had stopped eating his flesh—though this second option suggested that Nikki had retained some control over her fire. It had not been so when the flames had first appeared in the sewers of San Francisco. Then, they'd cindered all that they'd touched. “Did you mean to kill him?"

  "No."

  "Then that's surely a good sign that the lessons have been of some use."

  "Perhaps.” Her expression was dubious as her gaze searched his. “But how did I raise the fire when this room is supposed to be a psychic dead-zone?"

  "The fire must fall into the zone of personal magic rather than psychic abilities. Same as the connection between us must be personal magic."

  Her frown deepened. “I thought personal magic was something you were born with. My pyrokinetic skills are a leftover from the time the flame imps inhabited my body."

  "Suggesting, perhaps, that for the brief time they were in your body, they became a part of you spiritually."

  "Meaning the flame imps are now part of whatever I am?"

  He smiled. “Don't sound so horrified."

  "Why shouldn't I be? I'm not human anymore. I'm not vampire. I'm not anything, because no one seems to know exactly what I am."

  He pulled her close again and brushed a kiss across her nose. “What you are is the warm and wonderful human being I intend take home at the end of this day and ravish in the comfort of our bed.” Home for the moment was the penthouse apartment he'd bought a few months ago. With Nikki and Jake both undergoing long-term training here, it made more sense for he and Nikki to have their own home rather than using the Circle's apartments, as Jake currently was.

  Her sudden grin was both mischievous and saucy. “And what if she doesn't want to be ravished in bed?"

  He briefly kissed her sweet lips, wishing he could kiss her more fully. But he didn't dare when there was blood in her mouth. The demon within was under control, but he wasn't about to take a chance when it came to Nikki. “Then she may choose anywhere else she pleases."

  She raised an eyebrow, amber eyes twinkling as she pressed herself closer. “Anywhere at all?"

  He smiled, wondering for perhaps the millionth time how he'd ever survived without her light in his life. “Anywhere at all,” he agreed softly.

  "Cool.” She glanced past him for a second, and in that moment he became aware of the others in the room. Of Jake approaching them.

  "So tell me,” she added, her expression becoming serious again as her gaze came back to his. “How is it possible for a creature like the flame imps to become part of my soul?"

  "How is possible for a human to transform into an animal?” He shrugged. “There is some magic in this world that just is."

  "In other words,” she grumbled, “neither you nor Seline can explain it, so I just have to accept it."

  He laughed softly and squeezed her fingers again. “The day you accept something without question is the day I'll stop drinking blood."

  "I don't question everything,” she said, her tone haughty but a grin twitching her lips.

  "You don't?” Jake said, appearing in front of them. “Since when?” His gaze raked her as he added, “Are you okay?"

  "Besides some bruises and cuts, yeah, I'm fine."

  Jake's gaze met Michael's. “So why in hell was Lenny trying to kill everyone?"

  "I don't know yet."

  "You want me to take Nik down to medical, so you can stay here and find out?"

  "That would be good.” He brushed another kiss across her lips, released her and stepped away. “I'll be there as soon as I can."

  "Make sure that you are. I want to find out what is going on every bit as badly as you."

  "Stop nagging the man,” Jake said, as he slipped his hand under her elbow. “You're not even married yet."

  "I'll start nagging you if you're not careful,” she said, then glanced back and met Michael's gaze. “Be careful. I've a feeling Lenny is just the beginning of the problem."

  So did he. He watched them leave before walking around the boxes to where Lenny lay. Camille was kneeling next to the young vampire, placing the last of five colored stones around his body. She made a sweeping motion with her hand, the vibrant pink of her sweater sleeve contrasting sharply against Lenny's blackened body. Energy stung the air, crawling across his skin like fireflies.

  "I thought magic couldn't be performed in this room,” he said.

  "Can't, unless you turn the spells off, which is what I've done."

  He knelt down beside her. Lenny still writhed and moaned, and his agony saturated the air. Michael felt no sympathy for him. Lenny had chosen the wrong side to play with, and he had gotten exactly what he deserved.

  "There was a spell on him,” she continued, sitting back on her heels. “Buried deep, so that we didn't sense it."

  "It's deactivated?"

  Camille nodded. “For the moment. I've got a feeling that if I try and kill it completely, I'll kill Lenny."

  Michael frowned at her. “Meaning the magic is entwined in his life force?"

  "It's the only way he could have gotten past all the spells.” She raised the crossbow and ran her finger along the barrel. Symbols had been burned deep into the metal. “Weapons are spelled, too, which is why we didn't sense them."

  "Someone has gone to a lot of trouble."

  Camille's bright gaze met his. “Someone who wants you and Seline very dead."

  "You've no doubt Lenny and Nadia are connected?"

  "None at all. The magic
that binds them has the same feel."

  "Is it safe to search his mind?"

  "Yes. Whether you can trust whatever information you get out of him is another matter. Seline got very little from Nadia, and what she did has proven to be lies."

  He nodded and pushed a hand through the barrier of the stones. Energy crawled up his arm, sharp and unpleasant. He spread his fingers over the other vampire's face, lightly touching his burned skin. Lenny made a gargled sound in the back of his throat, his body jerking in response.

  Michael ignored it and psychically plunged deep into Lenny's mind, rifling quickly and none too gently through his thoughts and memories. There was little to be found. Once he'd left work, Lenny seemed to do nothing more than go home to sleep. Life beyond that seemed nonexistent.

  Frowning, Michael reached deeper. Surely there had to be memories of friends, lovers, even the enjoyment of past victims, locked away somewhere. Something—someone—that might provide a clue as to who Lenny was working for.

  But Camille was right. Lenny's mind was little more than a garbled, gray wasteland, suggesting Lenny himself was operating more on automatic pilot than any real thought processes.

  Michael withdrew and met Camille's grim look. “Nothing."

  "As I expected."

  As he'd expected. A lot of planning had gone into the attack, and whoever was behind it wouldn't be careless enough to leave vital information hanging about in a mind as weak as Lenny's. “He's still living in that Massachusetts Street apartment?"

  "Yes, but I wouldn't advise you going there. It's you they want."

  He smiled grimly. “Marcus is one death too many. I'm not going to let anyone else fall for me."

  "It may be what they're waiting for."

  "And it may be the last thing they expect.” Either way, he had to take the chance. He'd learned a long time ago the best way to reveal a hunter was by allowing himself to be hunted. More often than not the thought of easy prey led the hunter into making a mistake or revealing himself.

  Camille raised an eyebrow. “And what will you tell Nikki?"