He nodded. "It's an invitation to the Treathen bond. I've asked the couples who chose to complete the bond and they've all said that the sense of smell becomes heightened between them."
Jenna pulled the sheet tight to her chest. "I think you're worrying too much about this. We're both against the bond."
He drew back. "At least we're agreed on that."
"We are."
"Good, but there's something I want you to see that will probably help strengthen your resolve. I want you to accompany me to my judicial chamber."
Jenna was surprised. "What's a judicial chamber?"
"Where I preside most of my fucking night."
"Again, Treyne, you don't need to be so freakishly pissed off."
TREYNE HAD NO idea how to explain himself to Jenna, especially since the reasons for his general ire were not things he wanted to talk about. He'd just had the woman he'd been wanting for months now, but instead of being satisfied, all he could think about was how he wanted to do it all over again. And again. So, yeah, he was pissed.
And it really didn't help that she looked so beautiful with her curls dangling over her arms and down her naked back and with his silk sheet just covering her breasts. Her creamy shoulders and swan's neck were on display as she watched him from her luminous violet eyes. She had a way of staring at him from deep within her soul.
He felt damn naked in front of the woman, the human.
And that was the other thing. He was feeling too much right now for a female that was not his species, an entire spectrum of sensation that actually made him want to complete the Treathen bond with her.
Which he would never do, not in a million years, despite the fact that right now his body was screaming at him to do it. He believed the species should live separate lives, that there were just too many dangers inherent in vampires interacting so closely with humans.
He started to pace again. He wished he didn't like her as much as he did. He'd even spent time getting to know her in hopes of diminishing his interest. Instead, the more he'd learned, the more he'd come to admire her.
She owned her own Victorian home not far from Courthouse Square, she had a degree in art history from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, and her parents had died three years ago, leaving her orphaned along with her sister, Britt. He understood her situation. With no family left, it was no wonder she was taking risks to get her sister back.
She had her own business on Whiskey Row, selling her handcrafted stained-glass creations in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Her work was meticulous, and over the past few months he'd bought several pieces, although never when she was around and always through an intermediary. He didn't want her to know how much she moved him. Nor could he help himself since the glass, worked by her own hands, had been imprinted with her delicate rose scent.
But maybe the hardest thing of all was that he could talk to her about anything under the moon.
And that was why he was so angry.
As he tucked his shirt into his pants, he glanced at Jenna and couldn't help but wonder what the Treathen bond with her would be like. Demanding, for one thing, he supposed. Jenna had a stubborn streak, something that no doubt had made her successful in her business. She could be a dog with a bone.
"Setting aside your aggravation," she said, "could you at least tell me where Dagrith's commune is? I mean, I know it's deep in the forest."
Speaking of bones. "You've got to be kidding."
"No, I'm not."
"Jenna, you're going to have to let it go. For you to pursue him would put you in serious danger. A master vampire can forge bonds with several women at once. And Dagrith wouldn't hesitate. He's a killer, maybe even a sadist."
She leaned forward. "A sadist? You mean Dagrith has brutalized my sister, maybe even tortured her?"
He sighed. "I have no way of knowing. I shared my opinion hoping you'd understand what you'd be dealing with in trying to confront Dagrith. The vampire has no conscience. He's powerful like me, but he will hurt you if you challenge him."
She shifted her gaze to her hands now clasped in front of her. The bunched-up sheet at her chest unfurled a little. She sighed heavily. "I have to find her," she said softly. "I know you don't understand, because you don't know what it is to have a family or people you care about. But she's my sister."
He was appalled at her take on his character. Was this what she believed, that he didn't care about anyone, that he was incapable of having close ties?
Maybe it was for the best that she view him in this light. Still, he couldn't bear the thought of her confronting Dagrith.
"Let me say this another way: Dagrith will kill you if you challenge him in his territory or in any vampire territory."
"Then help me. If one of your kind has done something bad to Britt, then aren't you obligated to make amends?"
"That's not the way our world works. We live peacefully, commune to commune, because each organized group of vampires respects the autonomy of all others. I don't interfere in Dagrith's commune and he stays away from mine."
"Would you get involved if he enslaved one of your vampires? One of your commune?"
"If the act was done deliberately and against the vampire's will, yes."
"Then tell me this, if one of your vampires got into trouble in my world, wouldn't you come to his or her aid?"
He shook his head. "The laws that your government established in connection to our world would prevent me, and I must obey those laws. By the same token, if you commit a crime in my territory, your government can't intervene in the ways that I would mete out punishment. I respect all these boundaries. I have to. We would have chaos otherwise."
"But you truly believe that Dagrith has enslaved my sister."
"That is my belief based on his known character, on his prior treatment of women. But I have never seen your sister with him. If he has her, he's taken her deep into his commune."
He watched her eyes fill with tears. "She could be dead."
He remained silent.
She covered her face with her hands. "Oh God."
Treyne wanted to go to her, to comfort her, but he began to realize how wrong he'd been in pursuing Jenna all these months. The divide between their worlds was too big, and neither wanted a real relationship, despite how great the sex had been.
He was right about one thing, though. He wanted Jenna to see his world very clearly. A strong view of vampire attitudes and problems would help solidify her resolve to stay away from him, and with any luck, it might keep her from doing something foolish where Dagrith was concerned.
"Please get dressed, Jenna," he said softly. "If you come with me to my judicial chamber, I think you'll get a better picture of what you're dealing with. Okay?"
She looked up at him and, using the sheet, dried her face. She nodded.
He waved to his right. "The bathroom is there. You will find all that you need. Please be ready in an hour. I'll want to arrange a few things. I'll have food sent to you as well."
When he reached the door, she thought she heard him mutter, "And I think I'd better get a leash."
"What?" she called out after him. But he was already levitating up the sloped pathway.
A LEASH? JENNA couldn't have heard him right.
Did Treyne have a dog? She didn't think vampires had pets, other than humans.
She stayed on the bed for a long moment, her knees pulled up to her chest, hands still clasped together. She couldn't believe that she'd just had sex, amazing sex, with Treyne. She had never been so aroused or so satisfied in her entire life.
But she also couldn't believe how prickly he'd grown afterward, as though somehow making love to her had fired up his temper. And was it true that because he held a unique scent for her, that she was somehow vulnerable to the Treathen bond?
She was discouraged as well. Treyne had always been unwilling to talk much about his world. Certainly he'd never told her this much about Dagrith. Nor had he made mention of a judicial chamber.
She debated whether she should just leave. The situation that had begun with her absurd attempt to rescue her sister had devolved into mind-blowing sex, and now, for reasons of his own, Treyne wanted her to watch his world in action.
Great, just great. The last thing she wanted.
She slid off the bed, picked up her clothes, and headed to the bathroom. When she was cleaned up and feeling better, she found a tray of food waiting for her along with a pot of steaming coffee.
She sat at the table near the door and devoured the meal. Sex with a vampire had made her hungry.
When she was done, she started pacing the room in much the same way Treyne had before. When he didn't return, she made the bed and rinsed out her dishes.
She was just about to leave his suite when he returned carrying something that looked like a black spiked collar that had BDSM written all over it.
He also carried a leash.
She raised her hand and pointed. "What the hell is that?"
"Exactly what it looks like."
"All right, I'm leaving, Treyne. You've just weirded me out."
He shut the door, not by the use of his hand or his foot, but by his vampire kinetic ability.
Oh shit.
He moved toward her. "You'll wear this and you'll like it. An unbonded human, especially a female, would not be safe in my commune. Taking you into my judicial chambers, with an appearance that you belong to me, will hold back the bloodlust among the vampires present. This is the only way."
"Look, Treyne, it was your idea that I join you in this judge thing you've got going on, but maybe I should just head home."
"Please," he said. "I need you to do this for me, Jenna. It's not a small thing I'm asking. And this is as much for your sake as mine. I promise you that it will help end the temptation of the Treathen bond between us."
Suddenly, he listed on his feet and reached for the table to keep from falling over.
She took a step toward him. "What's wrong? Is it the bond?"
He tossed the collar and leash on the table and laughed harshly. "No, it's not the bond. But it doesn't matter. I'll be fine."
He staggered again.
"But what's wrong with you? Why are you so weak right now that you're even having trouble standing?"
His face suddenly flushed with color as he fisted his hands at his sides. "Because of you, I'm fucking blood-starved, Jenna, and I have been for the past year since I met you." He advanced on her. "I can smell your blood because it calls to me, and it took all the power in my possession earlier not to sink my fangs into you while we had sex."
She put her hand to her throat. "Are you saying you've stopped taking blood? But you need it to live."
That harsh laughter returned. "I take only a bare minimum to survive, hating every second of it because what I crave is you."
She lifted her chin. "Well, you can't have my blood. I mean I know that many humans feed vampires and do it willingly, but I'm completely opposed to the exchange."
"It's not as heinous as you think. It's natural for us. At times, especially with someone you care about, even beautiful."
She was silent for a moment, then drew a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking, but if you're not taking from me, then who do you drink from?"
"I have several humans who offer nourishment, who come here to the commune by appointment."
Jenna might have been opposed to the collar and the leash, but everything he'd just said had made her more willing to do as he wished. "I'm sorry that you're blood-starved on my account."
She stood up and crossed to the table. She unbuckled the collar and with a roll of her eyes, put it around her neck.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
He attached the leash and led her from his rooms down a very long, winding path to his judicial chamber.
Once in the vast underground cavern, through which a stream flowed, Jenna kept close to Treyne and he in turn kept a tight hold on the leash.
She had never seen so many vampires in one place, scattered around, standing on boulders, a few sitting in chairs on more level areas. The air in the vast underground room vibrated with aggression.
Treyne led her up a set of stairs carved from stone to a raised section of rock. He sat down on a wide bench but leaned close and said quietly, "You must remain standing."
She nodded, repressing the urge to say something sarcastic about the equality of the sexes or at least the species. Looking down, she realized there had to be at least three hundred vampires in the room along with just a handful of humans.
Treyne gestured with a sweep of his hand in the direction of a small vampire down to his left. "Aaron, you may read the first complaint."
Names were called out and two muscular vampires moved into a central clearing below, but from different directions.
Jenna could feel an electrical current run through the space, like the air before a thunderstorm.
Aaron read the complaint, something about a territorial dispute at the rave building. One of the vampires said he had charge of the facility during the Halloween rave, the other insisting he'd been promised the job months ago.
The former called out, "It is rumored that Dagrith and his vampires mean to attend the rave. You will want your most powerful man in charge."
So Dagrith would be attending.
She glanced at Treyne. He appeared somber as he shifted his gaze back and forth between the two vampires. "Hand-to-hand," he called out in a strong voice that echoed through the vast cavern. Lights were strung around the perimeter. A world at night and of dark most of the time, except for these small bulbs.
The vampires moved away from each other and began to strip, leaving only black leather pants on. They were even barefoot.
Treyne rose to watch.
She could feel his excitement. She glanced around at all the other vampires and saw that settling a dispute like this provided pleasure for the entire commune.
The vampires circled each other and fangs made an appearance. When they lunged at each other, Jenna put a hand to her mouth. What followed was violent, as the men used their fangs and hands and tore at each other, punching and kicking.
The men were strong and both had speed so that after a time, Jenna grew dizzy watching the quick, almost blurred movements. Every once in a while one head or the other would strike stone, but apparently vampire bone had greater density and strength than human. Neither seemed much fazed.
In the end, one of the vampires grew slower and weaker until the victor pinned him on the ground, a knee pressed into his chest. The loser patted the ground next to him three times.
The winner leaped off him and jumped around, his white body covered in sweat and blood. He even looked up at Jenna and flashed his fangs, hissing.
Treyne's deep voice boomed as he called out, "Enough of that, or do you want to battle me?"
"Forgive me, master." He looked away from Jenna.
"You will have charge of the Halloween rave tomorrow night."
The victor gave a shout, then ran from the cavern. At the last second, he grabbed the hand of a female vampire and tugged her down one of the hallways. She went willingly.
Jenna was left with a sense she really had stepped into a different world.
Okay.
"Aaron, the next, please."
A tall vampire, very lean, came forward with a human woman who had short brown hair and bruising all over her neck. She clung to her partner. Jenna looked from one to the other and she could see a beautiful, almost misty covering between them. She knew exactly what it was. The Treathen bond.
For some reason, tears rushed to her eyes at the sight of the love that flowed between them in almost endless waves of caring and devotion. She was stunned. She thought of what Treyne had said earlier, how the sharing of blood could be beautiful. So, apparently, was the Treathen bond.
But what had brought this couple to the judicial chamber?
Treyne called out. "Bring the offender for
ward."
From the right, she saw movement and watched as a vampire, bound from behind, was pushed into the clearing.
The woman buried her face into her vampire's shoulder. He held her tighter, his lips in a grim line. Neither looked at the other vampire.
The complaint was read. The woman had been alone in the halls of the commune and the offender had found her, lost control, and savaged her neck, taking her blood. He hadn't raped her, but Jenna had the sense that in this community, taking the blood of someone unwilling was forbidden.
Arguments were made by the offender's representative that the woman shouldn't have been walking around without an escort, that she knew the needs of the commune's vampires, that she brought the blood taking on herself by being unprotected.
Jenna was appalled and now saw that the woman was weeping.
She glanced at Treyne, who drew a deep breath. "The Treathen bonds have made our community more complex but the law is very simple. We respect the rights of others, and even I can see that you hurt this woman."
The offender was furious. "She's just a human. She has no rights here."
Jenna could see that the offender had many supporters. When Treyne spoke of not wanting the bond in his own life, she could see how complicated it would make his rule within the commune if he actually engaged the bond himself.
"I have heard the arguments. You are in the wrong, Bartren. You will endure five minutes of sunlight, as the ancients have proclaimed, for the violation of fellow residents."
Bartren shouted at Treyne as did many others, but Treyne remained firm. "The law has been established for centuries. You will not be in mortal danger and will recover from your wounds afterwards. But I will not have unlawfulness in our community." The last few words were shouted, carrying a strange wavering tone that Jenna had never heard before. More vampire powers.
The effect was stunning, since all the vampires below bowed their heads. She turned to look at Treyne. This certainly wasn't a democracy. She could also feel his level of power and knew instinctively that no other vampire present could challenge him. Only another master. Like Dagrith.
She could also see that a master's character was critical to a just and compassionate rule of communal life.
Blood by Moonlight Page 10