The Dominion Series Complete Collection

by Lund, S. E.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, but of course that will have no effect on Soren’s ability to pop into my mind any time he feels like.

  Anytime, Eve. Remember that…

  I press my fists against my temples and try to squeeze him out of my mind, but of course it’s a silly response and soon I get myself back under control and take in a deep breath, determined to ignore him in the future when he pops in for a bit of sarcasm or an attempt to bait me.

  Why can’t he be reasonable and only go into my mind when it matters instead of any old time when I’m thinking private thoughts? Certainly, he can’t be interested in my personal musings. Hasn’t he got more important things to do besides invading my mind and getting titillated by my private desires and dreams?

  That’s precisely what I most want, Eve. Access to every little thing. It all matters to an omnipotent being…

  “You’re not omnipotent,” I say out loud, frowning at my reflection in the mirror.

  Not yet…

  I say nothing in response, but can’t stop thinking Not if I can stop it…

  Strangely enough, he doesn’t respond to that. I sigh and leave the bathroom, to find Michel standing by the window, his hands folded behind his back. He turns to me and the expression on his face when he sees me is tender.

  It makes my heart squeeze just a bit to see that old look in his eyes and I can’t help but feel desire for him – not in the purely sexual way I do for Julien, but a general love for him and affection. I’d like, if I could, to just go up to him and put my arms around him, squeeze him tightly, and enjoy his warmth for a while. I need it, but I hold back.

  That would only complicate things, because eventually it would turn to something sexual – I know it would on my part very easily. At the drop of a hat actually, if I’m honest with myself.

  Instead, Michel comes to me and offers me my coat. I slip on my boots and together we leave our rooms and walk down the long hallway to where our guard stands at the ready, his weapon in his hand.

  “Ready to go?” he asks Michel and Michel nods.

  The guard leads us to the main entry and we take the stairs to the waiting vehicle, in which Soren and his two lieutenants are already seated. Michel and I slip in across from them and we drive off, back to the facility. When we arrive, we exit the vehicle and enter the main research building where we saw the lab that produced the antidote.

  There, Dr. Wu is waiting. He smiles when he sees Soren and bows low.

  Soren smiles back. “Well, Dr., what have you got for us? I expect you have proof that the antidote has counteracted the effects of the plague, and petroleum and its products can now be used in this sector?”

  “Precisely,” Dr. Wu says, beaming broadly. “Come this way.” He points to the center of the room and we go to a table where a lab-coated technician is pouring a dark viscous liquid from a flask to a plate. He then applies a flame to the liquid and it ignites and burns in front of us.

  “There,” Dr. Wu says and points to the flaming dish of petrol. “It’s absolutely untouched by the plague and as you can see, is available for combustion. We actually have one of the old vehicles repaired and ready for you to drive back to your compound in Cambridge.”

  “Excellent,” Soren says and rubs his hands together. He turns to me. “See, Eve? Just like I promised. The antidote has spread across the Eastern Seaboard, from Newfoundland in Canada to Louisiana. Soon, the oil will be flowing again and once we repair everything that’s been degraded by the plague, the long slow recovery back to a workable economy and society will begin.”

  The scientists and those gathered to watch the demonstration all clap, and even I have to smile for if what Soren says is true, it means that we can now stop the plague in its tracks. It will be over and the remaining carbon-rich reserves will be available for us to use.

  I should be happy of course, and I am, but a part of me wonders at the cost of saving the world’s petroleum reserves. I don’t mean worry about the climate or anything. That’s been taken care of since the destruction of so much fossil fuel. It has reduced emissions by a considerable amount and will take years to get back to previous levels.

  No, I’m thinking about the cost of having a god-like being at the helm of the Church and what that will entail. It’s the cost I have to pay if I want the rest, but I hope humanity doesn’t revile me forever because of it. Will Soren be some kind of terrible tyrant, ruling from his throne in Rome? Will Michel and I – and Julien – be the ones who enable him? Will Dylan be seen as the evil scientist who allowed it all to happen through his work on the plague?

  I only hope History doesn’t hate us for what we’re doing…

  Quit being so melodramatic, Eve. History will remember us as the ones who brought humanity back from the steam age. Chill…

  I squeeze my eyes shut like a child, and then take in a deep breath. I have to stop fighting. I’ve made a decision and I am sure it’s the only good one to make. Now, I have to commit to it and see it through.

  Yes, Eve. You’ve made a decision. See it through and you’ll get everything you want. Everything.

  I want to believe Soren, so I force myself to just accept this fate and move forward.

  To that end, I smile and clap with everyone else. The room is ebullient and the mood self-congratulatory. I see the scientists slapping each other on the back. Of course, this has come at a great price but the price humanity has already paid is great as well. At least the damage has been halted.

  I hope…

  We all receive a small glass of champagne to toast Soren and the science team and I drink down my glass, allowing myself a little thrill of excitement that we have accomplished one goal at least.

  Now, I have to follow through on my promise to try to seduce Michel. Well, not exactly seduce as much as offer him the opportunity. I’m sure – I hope – that he refuses, keeping firm to his oath of celibacy now that he has taken on the persona as priest.

  We put our glasses down and Soren gives us a speech about how under his guidance, we will change the world, and I try to keep a smile on my face as I listen. I am going to be a good compliant little pawn, so that I can see the future I want come to fruition.

  We leave the facility to return to our vehicle and find an older vehicle parked next to it. The five of us return to the compound in style, in a stretch limo that has been repaired and is now humming. I barely see the landscape as we travel back to Cambridge, because I’m busy thinking about Michel and what is going to happen when we get back.

  We arrive at the entrance of the compound and leave the vehicle, Michel first, then me and Soren last after Procel and Kael. The staff is lined up at the front door and claps as Soren walks up the steps. He smiles and bows to them with a flourish. I see that they are truly happy, their eyes bright, and real smiles on their faces.

  They truly believe that Soren is their savior…

  We all are, Eve. All of us.

  I shrug his words off and we stand in the entry as the staff take our overcoats and scarves. I sigh and start up the stairs.

  “Where are you going, Eve?” Soren says. “We have to have a little chat. I have some things I want to show you.”

  I turn back and follow Soren reluctantly into his study. He turns to me once we enter and points to the interior where I see my father and my heart squeezes to see him.

  “Father!” I cry and rush over to him. I kneel at his feet and rest my hands on his knees. He looks much better than before, and there is no longer any madness in his eyes. He looks well-fed and clean.

  “Eve,” he says, his voice breaking. I stand up and put my arms around his shoulders, and he pats me on the back, for although the color has returned to his face and he has a bit of fat on him, he looks so much older than my memories of him. It breaks my heart that I’ve missed so much of his life and that so much of his life went down the drain in that horrible nursing home – prison that he was kept in.

  I sit beside him on a chair and we lean together. He takes m
y hand.

  “Soren has told me everything,” he says and smiles. “I’m so glad that he’s stopped this plague and will eradicate vampirism. He’s truly our savior.”

  I frown for a moment, for I’m surprised that he’s so willing to accept Soren, but perhaps he realizes that this is the only way to fight Blackstone.

  “Yes,” I say softly. “I’m so glad as well.” I say nothing about Soren being our savior for that still irks me. He is doing the right thing. That’s all.

  Saviors are for bible stories, not real life. In real life, there are only people doing the right thing or people doing the opposite. Or nothing. Soren is doing the right thing, as are we all who are fighting this battle.

  I turn to Soren and stand. “Thank you,” I say in a small voice. “Thank you for rescuing him.”

  He shrugs. “Like I told you. Everything. But I expect you to follow through as well. With conviction.”

  I sit back down with my father. A servant brings us a tray with a teapot and cups, as well as sandwiches and biscuits. My father is hungry and eats the food with relish. As he eats, I ask him how he’s been since I last saw him and what happened during his rescue.

  He tells me that several soldiers arrived and were able to fight their way to the rooms. That they told him Soren came to rescue him, and bring him to me so we could be together. When the servant finally leaves us alone, my father leans in and whispers, his eyes darting around the room as if someone might be listening.

  “I don’t believe it for a moment,” my father says, his brow furrowed. “He’s using me to manipulate you. I don’t trust him, Eve. He wants to have too much power. He’s the devil and Michel is his soldier. Mark my words.”

  I wish I could tell my father to be quiet, but I can’t. Instead, I try to change the subject.

  “Soren will save us,” I say, patting my father’s hand. “I’ve seen what the antidote does. It stops the plague from working. We can use petroleum now, in the affected territories.”

  “He’s doing it so he can grab power, that’s all,” my father responds, shaking his head. “He and Michel – they want to rule the world. That’s what Lord Blackstone told me. And they wanted to use you to destroy Blackstone and stop Dominion.”

  I nod. “That’s right, father. I want that, too. Don’t you want to stop Dominion, if you could? Do you really want vampire rule?”

  “I don’t want rule of either of them. Neither Soren or Blackstone. They should both go to hell for all I care.”

  I sit back and sigh, for I share his desire, but I doubt it’s possible. “I want that too, but at this point, I think it’s the lesser of two evils. Blackstone wants the slavery of the entire human race and is willing to destroy technological society to achieve it. Soren will stop Dominion, halt the plague’s progress and turn it around, and he’ll also cure vampirism. I’ve seen him, father,” I say and squeeze his hand. “He can cure vampirism. He cured Michel.”

  My father looks skeptical. “I don’t trust him. I never trusted Michel. He always wanted to use you for his own ends.”

  There’s nothing I can say to dissuade him, so I give up. Instead, I talk about my trip to the facility to see the antidote at work. I tell him about the dirigibles and how they dispersed the antidote and it stopped the plague from working. I point out that we drove in a car fueled by gasoline.

  “We’ll start over, once the antidote has spread around the world and he’s cured vampirism. He’s going to use a principle of physics to achieve the cure. They’re looking for something that all vampires share – something in our DNA – that will allow it to affect all vampires at once. It will move through the population and end our need for blood.”

  “Will you be mortal?” my father asks.

  I shake my head. “From what I understand, the adamantine principle in vampire nature will remain. We’ll be immortal, but I’m sure that at some point, we will be able to take that principle and provide it to all humans. Death will no longer have domain over us.”

  My father frowns. “What if he doesn’t do that? What if he’s merely exchanging one form of Dominion with another, more bloodless one? Maybe all of you immortals will rule over all mortals. Have you considered that?”

  I sit back and think of what he’s said. Soren never did say anything about taking the immortality principle in vampirism and giving it to all mortals. That was my mother’s goal. And mine.

  “That can be what we work towards,” I say, not so sure anymore that Soren is interested in giving all mortals immortality. If not, that’s a game changer for me.

  It has to be on the agenda if I’m going to continue to cooperate with him.

  I half expect Soren to poke his mind into mine and respond, but he doesn’t and so my father and I sit, drink our tea and discuss the war and what we both hope will happen.

  After a few hours, my father yawns and stretches. “It sure would be nice to have a sleep,” he says and so I go to the door, where a servant stands outside in wait for a command.

  “Please ask if there’s a room prepared for my father so he can rest,” I say and the servant bows his head briefly and leaves. I see a guard standing at the end of the hallway, keeping watch over me and close the door.

  “I’ve asked the servant to find you a room so you can rest,” I say. He smiles and finishes his tea, slurping down the last of it with relish.

  “Blackstone has a nice residence, but they’re much more vampire-like there than here for some reason. The place was always filled with vampires and I always felt like they were considering me for lunch.”

  He smiles at me, a teasing smile. “Sorry,” he says. “I know it’s not your fault.”

  We both laugh. “I know the feeling. It’s hard not to look on humans that way. Don’t worry though. Everyone here is pretty old and has lots of experience avoiding their more base desires, because most of the vampires here have supported the Treaty of Clairveaux. Plus, there’s lots of blood available. Fresh and preserved.”

  I smile at him and he smiles back.

  “Now, later, I want to hear you play,” he says and folds his napkin, placing it carefully on the tray. “I hope you’ve been keeping your practicing up so you don’t lose your abilities. We didn’t get much time to visit when you were at Blackstone’s so I hope we can catch up for lost time.”

  “Me too,” I say and smile.

  The door opens and the servant pops his head inside the room. “Your suite is ready,” he says and my father stands, happy to be going to his own room for a sleep.

  “I’ll see you later,” he says and kisses my cheek. “Then I want to hear you play.”

  “Okay,” I say and smile, but of course, I have barely played piano since I became a vampire. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to, but there’s been so much upheaval in my life I haven’t had time to breathe let along practice.

  I watch the servant walk him down the hallway. His rooms must be in a different wing, and I hope everything is okay.

  I glance down the hallway and see Michel walking towards me. Now I know I have to live up to my side of the bargain with Michel.

  Chapter 126

  I slip back inside the study before Michel can see me, and rush over to the chairs by the fireplace, taking my teacup in hand, hoping to look nonchalant, but inside, my guts are roiling. It’s nerves about how he’ll respond. I don’t want him to respond to me and I feel bad even trying to tempt him, but once we’ve finished the charade and he’s said no, I’ll explain to him that I was only cooperating with Soren.

  Soren will know of course, but he can’t stop me from letting Michel know.

  Yes, I can. Don’t tell him that I made you. I want him to believe it. I want him to think you truly love him and desire him. That you want the arrangement you had with him and Julien to start up again, even though he’s a priest once more.

  I close my eyes and take in a deep breath, wanting to argue with him in my head, but not wanting to at the same time.

  Michel enters the roo
m and closes the door. He looks pale, as if he’s upset over something.

  “Are you all right?” I ask, wondering what the problem is and why he looks so out of sorts.

  He shakes his head. “Nothing. I’m fine,” he says and forces a smile. “Just the events of the last few days have caught up with me. That’s all.”

  I nod in understanding. I’m sure it must have upset him greatly that Soren arranged to blackmail him with my resurrection. Of course Michel would ask for Soren to resurrect me. I wonder what the price has been, besides Michel coming back to Cambridge. What has Soren forced him to do in return for my life?

  “May I join you?” he asks, stopping at my father’s place and waiting.

  “Of course,” I say and motion to the chair. “Please do. My father was here for a visit and now has gone back to his room for a rest.”

  “How is he?”

  “Fine, but a little frazzled,” I say, watching him over the lip of my teacup as I finish. “He’s not happy to be here. He doesn’t trust you or Soren.”

  “He doesn’t side with Blackstone, does he?” Michel says in alarm.

  “No,” I say and shake my head. “He doesn’t trust anyone. The poor man has spent most of the last decade in such terrible conditions…”

  Of course, then I remember that it was because of Michel that he was in that state, and my back stiffens a bit in response. It will make it hard for me to want to try to seduce him. I realize he did it to save my father from being killed, but still… he lived like an animal.

  “I’m truly sorry about that,” Michel says, his voice soft, with a hint of remorse. “I honestly thought it was the only way to keep him from getting himself killed and maybe you in the process.”

  I say nothing, resistant to accepting his story. Still, my father’s alive and with me now, even if he is slightly crazy.

  Michel pours himself some tea and drops some sugar into it, before tasting it. He looks like he wants to speak with me about something, but is hesitating.

  “Eve,” he says and puts his cup down. “Things will happen that appear to be a betrayal at first, but they aren’t. Just remember that.”