by Imogene Nix
“As you request, Councilor.” He bowed deeply, spun on his heel and left the chamber, the door clanging shut behind him.
“Cressida, if you change him…”
Cressida acknowledged Samra’s thoughts.
How can I put my fears into the right words?
“Samra, if I change him, and I am by no means convinced this is our only option, then we steal his future. He will be what we are. Creatures of the night.”
“Indeed, but we save the innocents. That has been our role for centuries, Cressida. You’ve told us repeatedly, the protection of one must never outweigh the needs of the many who will suffer for our inaction.”
The words hit hard and she had to stop herself from rearing away. “You are right, of course, but what about—?”
“The Councilors have noted your interest in Daniel, especially since his elevation, but you must put aside your emotions. You are our leader, second only to Caridad. If you cannot make this decision with the mind of a warrior, then we are lost before the battle even begins.”
Emotions were clouding her thoughts. Her needs and fears were bringing those involved to a point they couldn’t afford to reach.
Samra was right.
“Then…then we must decide now.”
Samra slid the papers back across the desk. “You already know my thoughts. If his powers will help us to defeat Creedar, then there is no other option.”
Cressida sighed, took up the ceremonial dagger that rested on her desk. The weight of it and all it represented was a heavy yoke. In her mind, the lifting of this blade to conclude the tradition seemed far more dangerous. Her hand shook as she made a tiny incision in her wrist, then handed the dagger to Samra, who did the same. “As is our custom, we bond our blood, as we bond our thoughts. Another will join with us as a result of our joint decision.” There was a shimmer in the air as the magic of vampires rippled. The deed was completed, but even as the power died away, another portion of her soul withered.
* * * *
Tap. Tap. Daniel raised his head. “Come in.”
The door opened with a creak and Celina entered, her face grave. “You have your response.” She handed him a letter, sealed with blood-red wax. He noted that her hands shook.
The letter, held so tightly, contained the decision on his future. What direction would it take him? His stomach curdled a little as his mind weighed the options. Never mind that he’d made his decision days ago, this letter reflected the thoughts of the council.
“Daniel?” His half-sister’s word broke through the fog on his mind.
“I’m just…” He slid one of his fingers under the lip and tugged. The wax gave with a barely audible crack.
Everything around him was happening in slow motion.
The door opened again and Javed entered his office. Daniel noted the way Javed slid an arm around Celina and reached out his other hand, setting it on Daniel’s shoulder.
“We’re here to support you, Daniel.”
He looked into Javed’s eyes and nodded. “I know.” He took a deep and unsteady breath and opened the parchment. Then he scanned the words.
It is my decision to accept your petition for The Change. You will be required to undergo the mandatory genetic and psychological testing within the next seventy-two hours. Details of your scheduled appointment and locations are attached.
Should we receive a positive test result, your house Master will advise the details of your induction, which will be carried out by Councilor Cressida…
He released the pent-up oxygen in his lungs. “I’ve been given the green light. I’m to undergo the genetic and psych tests.”
He felt numb. As if nothing could touch him.
“Daniel? Are you sure you…?” Celina’s eye sparkled with unshed tears.
“There really isn’t any other option. I’m the only human and the weakest link. I can’t help if I don’t—”
“That’s not true. You have magic. You aren’t unable to protect yourself.” Celina leaned in, tugging away from Javed and hugged him tight. “You have magic.”
He waited through her hug, his gaze on the ceiling while he fought the sting in his eyes.
“It’s not enough. We have to beat him. This is the only way.”
“If you are sure?” Javed spoke, breaking the emotion-laden moment. “I’ll take care of things here.”
“Thanks.”
Celina and Javed drew away and Daniel felt the loss of their physical support.
“If you need anything, anything at all, you just let us know.” His sister turned and, with her partner, left him.
As the door closed, the loneliness settled around him like a cloud. Cold invaded his bones so quickly that it left him gasping.
He couldn’t share any of his emotional turmoil with his father. He wouldn’t understand and, even more, had no interest in finding out why Daniel would make such a sacrifice. He still wrestled with his anger at Celina and Daniel’s long-dead mother.
Besides which, since meeting Celina and hearing the truth of their shared parentage, the relationship with his father had become strained. Daniel had been unable to conceal his anger at his father’s careless and hurtful reaction to Celina.
She was the one who was innocent of any wrongdoing in the whole mess. His father still treated her as someone he didn’t wish to associate with, creating a schism between himself and the Master of the house. Things had improved though, once his father had left the nest, which, Daniel reflected, was probably the only acceptable action.
Deep in his heart Daniel knew Celina would do anything for him, and she was grateful that he’d not just acknowledged their familial connection. She respected his decisions and flaws—unlike his father.
The bond between Celina and Daniel had deepened during his time here, and he felt sure that she’d one day trust him enough to share the full truth of her cold and friendless childhood. He’d watched the blossoming of her relationship with Javed and the three children who’d become part of her family, and that warmed him. He’d seen her wrestle with the dark demons that had plagued her since her change. He only hoped he could carry it off with the same dignity she’d exhibited.
Dropping the letter to his desk, he couldn’t help but wonder what Cressida really thought of it all. “Ah well, what’s done is done.”
He turned away and looked out over the dark garden. There was much to do to prepare.
Chapter Five
Daniel looked around him. His things were packed up and the room felt empty and devoid, as if he no longer inhabited this place.
“I guess I’m not really. Not after tonight.” The clothes he’d chosen to wear in the morning lay across the chair at the end of the bed, mocking him.
Javed had given orders that the shutters be pulled on Daniel’s suite so he could rest one last time.
But rest was the last thing on his mind.
He looked to the cradle of the phone, wishing he could have spoken to his father in a calm manner, but nothing about this whole situation could be classified as easy. He’d made one last-ditch attempt to talk to his father, even going so far as to traveling to his new nest, but the interview had been a disaster. His father had yelled and stomped, demanded and wheedled. At the end, when nothing went quite to his plan, he’d left Daniel in the room by himself.
Now a knock at the door surprised him. “Come.”
The wooden panel slid open easily and Kharisma entered, bearing a tray. “Celina thought you might appreciate warm milk and something to eat.” On the plate he saw several chocolate biscuits and he laughed in spite of his mood.
“Yeah, it’s pretty hard to be angry when you have chocolate biscuits on offer.” A ghost of a grin crossed Kharisma’s face. “But that’s not the only reason you’re here, is it?”
She shook her head and he settled down on the bed, sure Javed’s second would have some pearls of wisdom to share.
“You’ve lived in nests your whole life so you know a little about the way to
night and tomorrow will play out. I’ve come to prepare you. To give you some idea of the changes you will undergo, both physical and emotional.” He arched one eyebrow and waited as the woman hurried to reassure him. “It isn’t appropriate for either Javed or Celina to do so.”
“All right, so what don’t I know?”
“As you know, tomorrow, when you leave here for the last time, the household will form a guard of honor. It is the way of the change.”
He’d seen it before, so that wasn’t new.
“You will parade past them. It’s grueling and emotional, Daniel. They will know that your humanity is ending. That’s only a matter of hours before your body dies. To be clear, that’s exactly what happens.”
He wanted to laugh off her words, but there was no mirth to call up.
“Then?”
“You will be taken to Cressida’s and she will be handling the change herself.”
Daniel’s brow furrowed. “It’s usually…?”
“Yeah, normally it would be Javed, or his female equivalent. But it’s an intensely sensual act. It, uh…” She pinked a little under his scrutiny.
“You have sex afterward?”
Her gaze slid past him to a point over his shoulder. “No. But I would have. Many do. It’s not a part of the ceremony, but… Many are aroused by the scents and smells. Javed and Celina couldn’t. You’re her brother and Javed… He couldn’t change you. He promised your sister he wouldn’t. It’s not unusual that partnered vampires refuse to participate in changing ceremonies. I don’t have the standing or the power to change you, so this had to be Cressida.”
He wasn’t sure he needed to hear that Cressida had likely participated in any sexual gratification with those she’d changed.
As if she read his mind, Kharisma sighed. “To this day, though, I don’t believe Cressida has completed any carnal acts with her neophytes.”
The lump of concrete in his belly lessened a little. She didn’t take her responsibilities lightly, he knew.
“Once you arrive, you will be escorted to the room set aside for initiation. It’s where all our new vampires are born.”
Now his belly wobbled, ever so slightly. “Will it…?” He licked his dry lips, unable to complete the question he needed the answer to. Instead he shook his head and changed tack. “She’ll be waiting for me?”
“No. A witch will be there and she’ll cleanse the room. Then she’ll prepare the circle where the act will take place.” Daniel must have moved as she laid a soft hand on his shoulder. “It’s necessary to help keep you passive while she begins. Unlike Celina and Hope, you will know that your life is ending at the hands of a vampire. You are choosing it, but your spirit will fight it. It’s inevitable. So we keep a circle active so we can contain your spirit until such time as it returns to you.”
“And it will return to me?”
Kharisma stared at him, unblinking. Clearly, not all did, if he read her reaction correctly. That scared him more than hearing the words.
He picked up the mug, looking for some way to control his reaction. Drinking deeply helped as he let his mind wander, blanking out everything Kharisma had said. He knew she was watching him, but now the decision had been taken, he couldn’t—he wouldn’t—change his mind.
He lifted the mug to take another deep gulp and realized it was now empty so he thrust it at Kharisma. “Thank you. This will help me.” He shoved the mug into her hands and she accepted the dismissal with a deep bow.
Just as she made to close the door he heard her whisper, “May God be with you.”
Glancing at the clock, Daniel sighed. “Time for bed then.”
He dropped his clothes to the floor, aware that he would clear them away when he woke, and lay down on the bed.
He willed sleep to come.
It did by gradual degrees, and he let his mind float free.
The room was in darkness, but he could still see. It was odd. Cressida lay on the chaise, huddled into a ball.
“Cressida? What’s wrong?” He flowed in her direction and reached out a hand.
Her stomach was rounded and he recoiled.
“The child. It is dead.” Tears left a trace down her cheeks and he noted for the first time the droplets of blood that festooned her collar. “Why? Why did they do this to me?”
The wail was heart-wrenching.
“Who? Who did this to you?”
“My-my sire. He called himself Sampson. He came in here and he did this to me while his friend Estersham watched!” She howled her rage and pushed from the chair, hands balled. “He said… He told me he wanted my husband, and when I couldn’t tell him where Etienne was, he bit me. He changed me.”
Daniel’s heart thudded in his chest. “Your husband?”
“Etienne is a Godly man. A priest! He’s never done anything wrong and now this! How can I face him and myself? My soul is damned eternally!” Her anger built and in her eyes he saw the tinge of red as the hunger rose.
The door rattled and he stepped back, seeking a dark corner of the room as a man entered. “Cressida, my love. I should never have traveled to the Abbey. I came as soon as I received the missive. What’s happened…?” His steps took him to the chaise longue, where he dropped to his knees. His hands touched her belly and Daniel felt a hiss of anger and jealousy rising in his chest.
Then the man reared back. “Cressida?” She looked at him now, and his gaze seemed to center on her teeth, which descended with ferociously, and the red eyes that glowed in the dimness. He gasped. “What have they done to you? What have you become?”
Horror dripped from his lips as he spoke. His hands slid from her stomach and he scooted backward, fear a palpable emotion as the room grew close.
“I didn’t do anything.” Her wail shredded Daniel’s insides. “Don’t leave me alone. Please, Etienne!” Her words were mesmeric but the man, this Etienne, flung his hands into his pockets as she rose and advanced on him.
Daniel’s stomach turned as he watched her. She crouched over him. “I’m hungry and I need you.”
Etienne raised his hand, a crucifix clutched tightly in shaking fingers. “Get you away, demon! I bind you! In the name of all that is holy, I bind you and cast you out!”
She laughed, mirthless and cold, her spirit clearly shattered by the pain of the loss she now suffered.
“I’m no demon. I’m your wife.”
The man standing before her shook his head and reared farther away. “You’re naught but a monster now.”
Her fingers caught him, clutched his body close as her fangs extended further. “God help me.”
She dove in, her teeth sinking deep into his body.
Etienne fought and Daniel watched, horrified, as the man struggled, his hands fluttering. The crucifix fell to the floor, the clang loud. The sounds he made—screams and moans that died away to nothing. His movements became weaker until they finally stopped.
When she dropped him, pink tears trailed down her cheeks. In anguish she turned toward Daniel, reaching out to him. “Now you see.”
Then she collapsed.
He woke as the final fingers of daylight stretched across the sky, and his heart pounded.
It was time to rise.
* * * *
Cressida woke with a start and tears on her cheeks. The dream hadn’t disturbed her in so long. Why now? And why had Daniel been there? It wasn’t… She shied away from the knowledge that it could be the mating dreams.
She knew both Hope and Celina had experienced them with Xavier and Javed. She’d shared some highly erotic dreams with Daniel, but why this? And why now? What trick did her psyche want to play on her now?
The pounding of her heart sounded loud and she needed to calm herself. Perhaps it was related to her preparation for changing Daniel, she told herself.
Then she cast away the thought. Clearly there were too many questions and no answers in her beleaguered mind.
The thudding of her heart finally slowed to a more realistic speed an
d she stopped gasping like a fish out of water.
“Oh God! Why do you do this to me?” But railing at some higher force had never before worked and she doubted it would today.
Cressida swung her legs to the side of the bed, then glanced at the clock, seeking the time. It wasn’t yet dark, so what had woken her? It must be nerves, she told herself. In all her years of changing humans, for some reason Daniel was different.
Because it’s Daniel, her heart whispered. Then maybe… Her heart stuttered as she stopped the thought in its track. “No. He will be a warrior. One of Caridad’s men.”
Instead of stilling the nerves, the knowledge left her uneasy and bitterness welled. She’d been a good wife. Wanted the child her husband had given her.
She’d tried so hard to be perfect for him. Devout and devoted. The change had shattered her illusions and beliefs.
After his death it had taken a long time to come to terms with what she’d done.
Over the centuries that had passed, she’d learned to be a warrior, had taken up arms and made her oath of fealty to her Overlord.
She’d been faithful once more.
In the last decades her role had again changed and she’d become more than a mere soldier. Now she was a Councilor. A leader. A protector.
So much had changed when Hope had been born. She’d reminded Cressida of all she’d once dreamed of. It was the saving of the innocent child that had healed sections of her soul.
Then Celina had taken her place in Cressida’s affections and things had become difficult—she’d no longer attempted to deny the wisp of humanity that remained within her. She’d fed the hunger, hoping one day, she’d find redemption.
Daniel. Now he’d been different. She’d been attracted to him from the beginning and felt so personally invested.
A knock at the door broke through her introspection. “Who is it?”
“Samra. I have your blood wine.”
She should have known. Should have felt her presence, but since she’d had contact with Daniel her wits had fled—or at least turned to mush. Her reflexes were dulled.