Unless he couldn't.
"I think you have some explaining to do, shifter," I said in a voice that didn't sound at all like me.
Sebastian’s electric blue eyes met mine, and for a moment we held each other's gaze, neither willing to back down.
And then he simply shook off my Light-filled grasp of his throat and transformed into a fourteen foot high, green-scaled, fire-breathing monster.
Hello, dragon.
Chapter 11
Arguments and Disappointments
The dragon snorted. Fire sparked out of its nose. Matthias frantically stomped on a cinder, extinguishing it before it could ignite the carpet. Sanguis Vitam pinged around the room, electrifying the air, entwining with the magic that makes a shifter, and my own Light. I felt the little hairs on my arms lift off my skin. I was sure the hair on my head was doing the same thing. Any sudden movements and we'd set off a spark and the whole place would go up in flames.
No one spoke, I don't even think we breathed. Easy for the vampires, but the shifters and I needed oxygen, although none of us wanted to inhale the charged air right now. I craned my neck up to look the dragon in the eye. So similar to Michel's dragon-within, but also so different. Whereas Michel's dragon had magenta eyes that seemed to look right into my heart and soul, Sebastian's dragon had vibrant blue eyes; ice-filled, Arctic - freezing me to the spot.
Ma douce? Michel's concerned voice in my head broke the frost I'd been stuck in, and I sucked in a much needed gulp of air. It tasted slighted burnt, a hint of ozone on my tongue.
I'm fine, I sent back, never taking my eyes of Sebastian's dragon. Just a little breakdown in multicultural relations, I added for good measure.
I could feel Michel's tension inside me, as though it was my own. Maybe it was, I couldn't be sure. Sometimes it was difficult to tell where he stopped and I began. Right now we were both on edge, slightly alarmed and ready to fight.
Take care, ma belle, Michel whispered softly in my mind. And then he was gone, trusting me to deal with the problem, but no doubt still keeping an eye on things from afar. Even if he'd pulled back from my mind, he could quite possibly be in either Marcus's or Matthias's heads.
"So," I said, breaking the strained silence in the room. The word sounded distorted slightly, as though I was speaking through a broken telephone line.
The dragon cocked its head, its eyes still holding mine. The odd spark coming out on a snort. I watched one float down slowly towards the carpet, but it faded away to nothing before it reached the floor.
"Would you mind changing back?" I asked, purposely toning my Light down. Keeping it close and ready, but not as obvious on the air. I flicked a glance at Sergei who nodded, having felt my Light withdraw. As soon as he began pulling his Sanguis Vitam back in, the other vampires followed. No doubt all on full alert still, but making an effort to calm the situation down.
The dragon waited until we were all contained, then after one more indignant snort, he began to change back to Sebastian's human form. I never could get used to shifter magic. I'd been up close and personal when the Taniwhas changed back in New Zealand, and every time I'd felt washed in supernatural tingles. Sebastian's change was no different, although perhaps due to his size - so much larger than a Taniwha and they had been large enough - the tingles lasted longer.
I rubbed both my arms as Sebastian's form finally took shape.
"That was very rude, lass," he said, his voice lower and a little gruffer than before.
"I'm tired of your games, Sebastian," I answered levelly.
His electric blue eyes held mine for a moment and then flicked away as though he was embarrassed. I hadn't expected the Ceannard of the local shifter pack to ever be embarrassed, but there you go.
"Now," I said, taking a seat again and giving the appearance of relaxed ease, "care to explain your rather inflammatory statement?"
"Inflammatory," Sebastian semi-repeated as he took his own seat opposite me. His gaze running over Marcus and Sergei, who had released his Second, but were sandwiching him in between their muscular chests in a blatant reminder to behave or else. "I'd hardly call it inflammatory, lass. More a shocking truth."
I didn't reply, just stared at him impassively. He waited me out for a few seconds, but when it was clear I wasn't going to play the game he wanted to play, he crossed his legs, leaned back in his seat and chuckled. I had to work on the impassivity for a moment. This man just rubbed me up the wrong way.
"The new Master of the City is tidying up the streets," Sebastian finally offered.
"By imprisoning the Nosferatins?" I asked, incredulously. "How's that going to keep the streets clean of Dark vampires?"
"Oh, you misunderstand. He's not trying to rid the city of Dark. He's trying to rid it of opposition to him."
That did sound plausible. Amun Nadeem had a tendency to want only sycophants around him, anyone who challenged him was immediately placed in the "enemy" box. Which begged the question, how Dark had Amun become if he felt the need to cull all Nosferatins from London's streets?
He'd been pretty Dark when I'd first met him, but I was sure that had to do with the fact he was tied up with Viktor Davydov. Viktor was bad news, even if I couldn't sense the Russian vamp's Dark, I knew he was full of it. He was an enigma, and he had been Amun's puppet master for a time. Not necessarily his Master, in the sense that vampires have sires or a head of a line, but he had controlled the Egyptian vampire, demanded his compliance. Still, I had thought Amun had broken free. Clearly not.
This was concerning and left a bad taste in my mouth. If Amun was still tied up with Viktor, and Viktor was behind the army being amassed to take on the Iunctio, London was further in the crap than I had originally thought. Without the Nosferatins to balance things out, the city would indeed be getting Dark.
"How long has he had them?" I asked. The longer they'd been off the streets, the more Dark London would have become.
"About a week. They are scheduled for public execution the day after tomorrow. Your timing couldn't be better," Sebastian said casually, as though me being here would be enough to put a stop to the mess unfolding.
Well, he wasn't far from the truth. I certainly wasn't going to sit around and do nothing. I knew where Amun would be holding the Nosferatins. I'd spent a very small amount of time in the Master of the City's cells myself. I just needed to get in to see him, then break down the doors and free my comrades.
Easy-peasey.
Yeah, right.
I started tapping my fingers on the armrest of my chair, while I thought things through. I could call on the shifters' allegiance to the Champion. I could get Michel to send more vamps across the Channel to back us up. The more the merrier as far as Amun's fortified club went. I only wished I hadn't already formally announced my arrival by phoning Amun's secretary. He would have known I was in town, but not had it confirmed. Now he could quite as easily come straight here and attempt to imprison me. I had better security than Arthur and his group of hunters had, even if they'd all been with their kindreds. As far as I knew none of their kindreds were warriors. Marie's was an antiques dealer, Arthur's was a socialite, and Trevor's was a restaurateur. So, chances were they'd been taken with only their own wits to call on. Not exactly like taking candy from a baby, but if Amun's men had come prepared, they'd have had the upper hand.
Still, could I sit around and wait for reinforcements, knowing Amun would send a large contingency of his vamps to get me at any moment? No. Time was not on my side. I couldn't stage a surprise attack - well, not entirely. But I could force his hand, do things on my time-frame. Meet the challenge head on.
"OK," I said, straightening up in my armchair. "How many shifters can you spare right now?"
Sebastian’s face slowly lifted in a smile, it was a little evil, but right now I'd take evil looking shifter over no shifter any day.
"There are three of my teaghlach in London tonight."
Three. Not a great deal, but a dragon is impressive. Hell, I'd
just had front row seats to Sebastian's dragon tonight. I'd been impressed.
"Good. I'll talk to Michel and see if there are any other vampires within the city limits who would be able to assist. We go in one hour. Meet us in Trafalgar Square then."
Sebastian nodded as he rose fluidly from his seat.
"Very well, lass," he said softly. His voice no longer as gruff as it had been upon changing back from his dragon's form. "I am so glad you have returned," he added. "It was getting a little boring without you in the city."
"Very funny, Sebastian. I live to entertain."
"Oh that you do, Nosferatin," he said quietly as he walked from the room. Almost too quietly to be sure I'd heard correctly at all.
I watched Sergei, Marcus and Matthias follow the shifters out of the room, then pulled my cellphone from my pocket. At the sound of the front door closing, Sophie slipped back in the parlour. My eyes flicked up to hers.
"Where have you been hiding?" I asked as I located Michel's number on the device.
"I thought it best not to announce my presence," she explained. "If the shifter cannot be trusted, then I'm an ace up the sleeve."
I smiled slowly at the young Nosferatin. I was really beginning to like this girl.
Michel answered on the first ring.
"Ma douce. What have you got for me?"
I sighed contentedly at hearing his velvet tone. He chuckled softly at the other end of the line, but unlike Sebastian's chuckle, this one did delicious things to my body, sending waves of delight across my skin.
"I can feel your emotions even from here, ma belle," he whispered, as though he didn't want anyone else to hear. And maybe they could, vampires were capable of listening in on phone conversations with ease.
Michel had lost the ability to feel my emotions when our joining had been broken by Lutin. Upon rejoining, much like my joined talents, his all came back and then some. Thankfully he was adept at blocking my emotions most of the time, just like my thoughts. They could become too overwhelming if not kept in check. Only when he wanted to, did he let himself sense my feelings and hear my thoughts.
He obviously wanted to right now. I smiled to myself, but attempted to get the conversation back on track. We only had an hour to gather forces and meet Sebastian outside Amun's club: the Vibe.
I explained the situation as succinctly as I could, then asked if he had any vampires nearby who could assist in a snatch and grab.
He was quiet for a moment, contemplating my request or communicating with his vampires, I'm not sure. Finally he spoke.
"None of my vampires are within close enough distance, although I have called a few in from out of town. They won't be there in time, but should things deteriorate they will be at the city's outskirts by dawn. You would only have to wait until tomorrow night, for their assistance."
Not perfect, but knowing there was backup within twenty-four hours was something of a reassurance. Not that I intended to need them. I had every intention of getting the job done and getting the Nosferatins out of there tonight.
"However," Michel went on, "The Ambrosia is in London this night."
Wow. An Iunctio Council member on our side would be a boon. I wondered what would bring him to London right now. For starters, something was going on in London and it would be unsafe for the Iunctio Councillors to be traipsing the streets. Although, the Ambrosia, as the oldest vampire alive today, would be hard to put down. Still, it was a risk.
"He has not divulged why he has chosen to be in London," Michel added. "But he arrived earlier this evening. Give me five minutes to get in touch with him and see if he would be agreeable to aid you in your rescue mission."
"That's great news," I said with feeling. Already starting to believe this would be a walk in the park.
"Be warned, ma douce. The Ambrosia, like most Iunctio Council members, tends to not interfere in Nosferatin issues."
"But this involves a Master of a City," I argued. "How is that not an Iunctio concern?"
"I don't disagree, Lucinda." Crap, he was using my full name. Never a good sign. "But it has always been the Iunctio's way to distance themselves from any situation that involves the Nosferatin."
"That's ridiculous!" I all but shouted down the line, really getting into the discussion now. "The Iunctio is for both the Nosferatu and Nosferatin. How can they stand idly by and let the entire London Nosferatin community go to their deaths?"
Michel sighed audibly. "I am not in disagreement with you, Lucinda. But the Iunctio has been Dark for some time now."
"And," I interrupted, finding my mojo now, "when the Nosferatins are killed, the Iunctio will lose their joining power, not to mention the vampires joined to the hunters as well. How can they ignore that?" I demanded.
"They can't," he surprised me by saying, but then ruined it by adding, "but they still wouldn't do a thing until after the event."
"Wh..what?" I spluttered, quite irate now. I'm sure Michel had started to block my emotions some time ago. I wasn't holding anything back. "That's ludicrous!"
"It is what it is," he replied reasonably, making my temper soar even higher.
"Michel," I started, his name falling off my tongue harshly.
"Calm yourself, my dear," he commanded. My mouth hung open in shock, momentarily stunned into silence. He sighed again, and I could just picture him running a frustrated hand through his dark hair. "This is exactly why changes need to be made, ma douce," he said softly, somehow switching from angry Master Vampire to caring Kindred Nosferatu in a split second.
I relaxed a little into my seat and ran a hand through my own hair to calm down further.
"Yeah," I agreed.
"It is what I am working tirelessly on right now," Michel added. "Some Councillors, like the Ambrosia, are in agreement with me, but that does not guarantee his assistance tonight. He may not wish to show his hand so soon. Things are precarious in the Palais right now, ma douce. We all must play our cards close to our chests."
Aw, crap. He was right. And politics sucked the big one.
"OK," I said softly, curling in on myself in the chair.
"I will do my best, ma douce. Five minutes." Then he disconnected the call.
The vampires in the room remained silent, having heard the conversation - both sides - quite clearly, and also picking up on the moods of their masters. Michel and me. Sophie was the only one to move around, and not because she was unaware. I was sure the young Nosferatin was very astute, but she'd also been busy. She walked into the room with a tray of snacks; a French bread stick, Camembert cheese, an assortment of pickles and fresh fruit, and a glass of white wine.
I wasn't sure if I could stomach the wine. Besides, drinking before a major confrontation was not wise. But being French, I could imagine she drank wine with every meal of the day, regardless of the situation. I thanked her for the food and nibbled on the bread, cheese and fruit, ignoring the wine altogether.
Five minutes later on the dot, my cellphone rang. I pushed the last of the food aside, glad I'd refuelled some, but clearly not in the mood for a huge meal. The cellphone display read Michel calling, so I didn't delay in answering.
"Hey," I said softly. My voice not its usual bravado, somehow the argument had taken the wind out of my sails. I'd have to work on refortifying myself before I faced off against Amun.
"Ma douce," Michel said sadly, picking up on my tone or my emotions, either would have let him know I was not myself. "Please do not be upset," he added.
"I'm fine, Michel. What did the Ambrosia say?" I couldn't address my reaction to our arguing right now, I needed to start shoring up the walls and battening down the hatches. If he pushed me, I might just start crying.
What the hell was wrong with me?
Michel sighed. It made me smile... just a little. He didn't normally sigh so much. I liked the sound, even if I didn't like the reason why he felt he had to do it.
"I am sorry, ma petite lumiere," he said carefully. "The Ambrosia wishes to have nothing to
do with your efforts this evening. I tried, ma douce, but he was most adamant that this was a Nosferatin affair."
I was stunned. Although Michel had warned me, part of me had expected more from the kind old vampire than this. The Ambrosia had always been on my side.
But like he had once said, it's not about picking sides. It's about whether the risk was worth it or not.
The Ambrosia was just like every other vampire I had met, out for only themselves.
Chapter 12
Joining The Ranks
"Lucinda," Michel chastised softly obviously hearing my thoughts. No one likes to have their race stereotyped, and I was clearly doing just that right now.
"I know," I said, a little exasperatedly. "Precarious times and all that."
Michel was silent for several seconds. I let the lack of conversation stretch. I was suddenly feeling quite tired. Tired of vampire politics. Tired of constantly being on guard. Of never showing fear. I'd been doing this for a while and although I'd had times where I'd battled to accept what my life had become, I had come a long way since then.
I did love my life, especially the part of it that involved Michel, my vampires and our home. I may not have grown completely attached to the Château yet, but wherever Michel was, I felt like I was home. So, this tiredness, although familiar, was not the same as any disgruntlement I'd had in the past. I couldn't adequately explain it, but all of a sudden, the task ahead this evening seemed insurmountable.
My life was constantly dangerous. I lived on the edge of a very sharp knife. Rogue vampires calling me to them. My Prophesied powers luring the Dark. The responsibility my talents and position created. It was all perilous. But also, very thrilling. I really don't think I could go back to being a bank teller now. But that didn't mean I found my life easy. More often than not it was the exact opposite, in fact.
Kiss of the Dragon Page 12