The fireball exploded into the sky, bright as the sun, hurling fire and smoke along the road and into the forest alongside. Sparks hissed and sizzled in pine trees, and the moon overhead disappeared.
The two people lying in the road vanished under a burst of black, black smoke, deeper and darker than hell itself. More ignoble than the guilt Rafael would carry if Jean-Marie died.
Jean-Marie, his hijo, and Hélène, Jean-Marie’s cónyuge. If they died because Rafael hadn’t fought for them…
He was out and running toward them before his big Mercedes had fully come to a stop, Grania at his side. He was barely conscious of his mesnaderos only a few steps behind; he’d protect his cónyuge himself.
Jean-Marie rose and tucked Hélène protectively against his side. He was bloodstained, his face nicked by glass, and his hip carried a bullet to Rafael’s experienced eye. She was exhausted, and both of them were filthy. Far worse was their evident caution around him.
An hijo to be frightened of his creador! No and no and no…
Rafael automatically moved to embrace his eldest friend, but Jean-Marie bowed formally, forcing them to stay apart.
Rafael came to a halt, and Grania slipped her hand into his, giving him strength. Madre de Dios, his throat was tight with tears, strong as when he’d felt Fernando and Inez and Beatriz die while he was in that foul prison thousands of miles away.
But he could face any trials with his cónyuge at his side, his beloved Grania, who was Blanche reborn. Without her, it would always be easier to simply retreat into his old shell and simply demand nobody ever hurt him again.
“Don Rafael, Doña Grania, may I present to you Hélène d’Agelet, my cónyuge and my fiancée?” Jean-Marie asked politely. Tension thrummed through him, and the dawning of despairing grief.
No. He would not lose Jean-Marie like this. Just this once, he would make an exception. After all, the lady was Jean-Marie’s cónyuge and therefore a part of Jean-Marie. She was also a firestarter and would be a very great asset to Texas.
Grania flickered a sideways glance at him but said nothing.
“Welcome to Texas, madame.” Rafael gallantly bowed over Hélène’s hand. “We look forward to forever enjoying your company here as my eldest hijo’s wife.”
Jean-Marie broke out into a broad grin. “Thank you, mon père.”
Thank you, he added more privately, for reaching out beyond past nightmares and welcoming another man’s hija. I swear to you, we will make Texas proud.
I know you two will, Jean-Marie. I trust you as I trust myself. Rafael drew them into a hug, letting his body and instincts start learning the new addition to his family.
When they separated, Jean-Marie snatched his cónyuge up and whirled her around, both of them laughing like children.
Rafael’s eyes were suspiciously damp when he slipped his arm around his own cónyuge. Thank you, mi amor.
For what? She leaned her head against his shoulder, her soft curls nuzzling his throat.
For helping me face a nightmare and thus giving me an hija. I have grown much tonight, thanks to you. His voice was hoarse with tears of joy, even mind-to-mind.
She looked up at him, her eyes shining with all the light in his world. Together we can face anything, my darling.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
My deepest thanks go to Gwen Reyes, Texas native and longtime participant in Austin’s SXSW music, film, and interactive conference and festival, for “founding”—or naming—the Capital Rose nightclub in Austin and “booking” its performers.
I’m hugely indebted to the experts at Yahoo!’s Weapons Info loop for answering endless questions, thinking out of the box, and keeping me on the straight and narrow.
All characters are fictional, as are the towns of Castro Sanchez and San Leandro in Galicia and Texas.
During the British army’s retreat to Corunna in the winter of 1808–1809, no roads were open north across the Cantabrian Mountains to Oviedo because of the unusually heavy snows. For Jean-Marie’s needs, however, I’ve invented a smuggler’s trail.
The Texas Vampire universe is based on a scientific theory, which I vetted with top animal metabolism and behavioral experts. Every attempt has been made to stay consistent with that theory.
All errors are entirely my own responsibility.
GLOSSARY
Terminology used in the Texas Vampire universe is taken whenever possible from medieval Spanish, supplemented by modern Spanish. The only exception is that patrones are given an honorific appropriate to their or their esfera’s ethnicity, for example, don in Texas, madame in New Orleans, lord in England, and so on.
Adieu. Good-bye forever. (French)
Alcalde. The alcalde, the most important official in the Spanish municipality, not only acts as the chief executive in a Spanish town, but also functions as a judge of minor cases and as the head of the ayuntamiento, or town council. The alcalde not only officially issues laws for a municipality but also holds the authority to arrest and punishes those who violate city ordinances.
Alferez mayor. al-FEH-reth. Military commander-in-chief, overseeing all warriors in an esfera.
Ami/amie/amis/amies. Friend. (French)
Amour. Love. (French)
Ange. Angel. (French)
Au revoir. Good-bye. (French)
Bandolerismo. Banditry. Vampiros owing allegiance to no patrón and living outside the esfera’s laws.
Benvido. Welcome. (Gallego)
Bien. Good. (French and Spanish)
Bodega. A wine cellar or storehouse. Because of the distillation process, it’s the equivalent of the vintner for sherry.
Bon día. Good day. (Gallego)
Bonjour. Good morning. (Formal) (French)
Buenas noches. Good evening. (Spanish)
Caballero. Knight.
Cachorro/cachorra/cachorros/cachorras. “Cub.” Immature vampiro, who is unable to shapeshift except to feed.
Certainement. Certainly.
Cher/chère. Dear. (French) However, “cher” is a common term of endearment in Cajun French, meaning “sweet,” and is pronounced “sha.”
Chéri/chérie. Beloved, dearest. (French)
Chou. Cabbage. (French)
Coeur. Heart. (French)
Comitiva. “Retinue.” Assemblage of prosaicos attached to a single esfera, patrón, or vampiro.
Commandery/commanderies. Garrison of vampiro warriors. A large, stable esfera has a commandery in every major city (e.g., Dallas, Houston, Austin, etc.) and also at every major strategic point, such as border crossings. They are rarely staffed by mesnaderos, since those are always concentrated near the patrón. Usage primarily taken from medieval Spanish military orders.
Compañero/compañera/compañeros. “Companion.” Someone who drinks vampiro blood regularly but has not become a vampiro. A compañero always has greater strength, speed, senses, and healing powers than a prosaico. The anticipated life span is a century, while surviving two centuries is extremely rare.
¿Comprendes? Do you understand? (The question, using the second personal, informal form of address.)
Concubino compañero. A compañero who needs both blood and sexual congress with a specific vampiro in order to survive.
Connarde. Idiot. (French)
Cónyuge. CON-yuh-heh. “Spouse” or “partner.” Life mate, to whom a vampiro is linked by a psychic bond of total trust. The creation of this bond cannot be forced in any way.
Copita. Small glass. Specifically, the tulip-shaped glass used to drink sherry from.
Creador. “Creator.” Sire of a vampiro.
Dios mediante. God willing.
Don/doña. Sir/lady. (A formal title of respect.)
El Abrazo. “The embrace.” The entire process of becoming a vampiro.
En clair. Unscrambled, specifically for coded emissions. (From the French)
Enchanté. Enchanted. (French)
Escudero. “Shield-bearer.” Squire.
Esfera/esferas. “Sphere,” as in “sphere of influence
.” A vampiro territory, which does not necessarily exactly coincide with a present-day geophysical territory. Esferas’ boundaries are fluid and frequently fought over. The basic concept is adapted from gangster territories during Prohibition Chicago and New York.
Frère. Brother. (French)
Gallego. A Romance language spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community in northwest Spain with the constitutional status of “historic community.” In medieval times, Galician-Portuguese was a language of culture, poetry, and religion, used throughout Galicia, Portugal, and Castile. The separation between Gallego and Portuguese didn’t occur until the fourteenth century.
Gracias. Thanks.
Gran. Big/great.
Grandpère/Grandmère. Grandfather/grandmother. (French)
Hé. Hey. (French)
Heraldo. “Herald.” Herald, who is also a diplomat and a spy. Usage is taken from medieval and Renaissance Europe.
Hermano. Brother. (Spanish)
Hijo/hija/hijos. E-hoh. “Son/daughter/sons.” A vampiro sired by a specific creador.
Je t’adore. I love you; I adore you. (French)
Je vous en prie. Please say yes; I beseech of you. (French)
La Lujuria. “Lechery.” The Rut. Upon awakening as a vampiro, every cachorro will undergo months of insanity, during which their only goal is to obtain blood and emotion.
Mademoiselle. Miss. Traditionally, young (or little) lady. (French)
Madre. Mother.
Merde. Shit. (French)
Mesdames. Ladies. (French)
Mesnadero/mesnaderos . A vampiro warrior who’s a member of a patrón’s personal guard. Taken from medieval Spanish, for a member of the royal household guard.
Messieurs. Gentlemen. (French)
Meu. Mate, friend, buddy. (Gallego)
Mierda. Shit.
Mozarabic. The Romance languages spoken in Muslim-dominated areas during the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. Written in Arabic script and containing many words of Andalusi-Arabic origin, Mozarabic greatly influenced Andalusi-Arabic and vice versa. In some aspects, it’s more archaic than the other Romance languages and greatly influenced Spanish and Portuguese.
It was spoken primarily by Mozarabs, Iberian Christians living under Muslim domination, who had adopted Arabic language and culture although they never converted to Islam.
Nom. Name. (French)
Non. No. (French)
Oui. Yes. (French)
Parbleu. By Jove. (French)
Patrón/patrona/patrones. The ruler—who is an absolute monarch—of an esfera. He is also usually the creador of all the esfera’s vampiros.
Por favor. Please.
Prosaico/prosaica/prosaicos. “Prosaic” or “mundane,” similar to the Society for Creative Anachronism’s usage. A mortal human, neither vampiro nor compañero. If he has drunk vampiro blood, it has happened so rarely and in such small quantities that it has not affected his everyday life in any noticeable manner.
Puta. Whore. (Spanish)
Quel canon. What a knockout! (French) Sabe Dios. God knows.
Salopard. Bastard or swine. (French)
Salut. Hello. (Informal) (French)
Santísima. Most holy.
Señorita. Miss. Traditionally, young (or little) lady; the equivalent
“ señorito ” means young lord. (Spanish)
S’il vous plait. If you please, or please. (French)
Sí. Yes.
Silencio. Silence. (Instruction to do so, using an informal form of address.)
Siniscal. Seneschal. Responsible for the patrón’s entire household and its accounts. The siniscal can also call out the esfera’s warriors. Taken from fourteenth-century Spanish usage, but rooted in ninth-century Visigothic customs.
Tío. Uncle.
Valgame Dios. God bless me.
Vampiro/vampira/vampiros. Vampire. Someone who survives on emotional energy carried through human blood. Mature vampiros can shapeshift to at least one other form (if only mist) and are resistant to telepathic suggestions.
Vampiro mayor/vampira mayor/vampiros mayores. “Elder vampire.” A vampiro who has lived for at least three hundred years, can walk in full daylight, and drinks less than a quarter cup of blood per day (except in times of great physical need). He also becomes more and more difficult to detect, even with the heightened senses of other vampiros mayores.
Vampiro primero/vampira primera. “Primary vampire.” The vampiro that a compañero is principally interested in drinking blood from. The compañero becomes utterly loyal to that vampiro, when fed from him long enough. The amount of time needed to form this bond is extremely varied.
Verdaderamente. Truly.
Virgen. Virgin.
Vraiment. Really; truly; veritably. (French)
Photo by Anne Lord
By day, Diane Whiteside builds and designs computer systems for the government. By night, she escapes into a world of alpha males and the unique women who turn their lives upside down. Noticing the lack of a husband to keep Diane in line, her Tibetan terrier stepped up to the plate and makes sure that Diane does everything The Right Way—which means lots of walks and dog treats.
Bond of Fire Page 37