Amaia’s eyes settled back on Lawrence. He sat perfectly still. It did look unnatural, a marked difference from the way he had conducted himself thus far. “What is it?”
His eyes focused back on her. “It’s my sire, Zenas. I can’t put him off any longer. He wanted to be here when you woke. He is very anxious to meet you.”
“Me?” That a vampire would desire to see her surprised Amaia. What was she to a vampire? It dawned on her that Lawrence had a whole other life populated with people unknown to her.
“Yes, you have been eagerly awaited.” Lawrence rose and sped to her room, and Amaia followed. He went to her wardrobe and pulled out one of her fanciest gowns, a light cream satin with crystals sewn into the fabric. There was only one reason to wear a dress like that: to show off. Its sole purpose was to announce wealth and prestige. “You’ll wear this. I convinced him to wait until tonight. There’s no use having you go out in daylight when you’re barely an hour old. That gives us some time, but not much.”
Amaia readied herself with the ease of much practice. Hair was combed, lips reddened, face whitened with ceruse. Lawrence handed her stays. “I’ll help you dress. I don’t want a maid seeing you yet. You can’t quite pass as human.”
Amaia’s ribs moved as the stays tightened. The pressure increased more than she thought possible. “I can’t breathe.”
“You don’t have to.”
She waited for her lungs to burn, for her mouth to gape open to gulp in air, but it never happened. Come to think of it, she had only breathed to talk or catch more of a scent ever since she’d woken.
“You will need to learn to mimic breathing. It’s one of those things humans won’t be able to identify, but they do notice the stillness. Breathing aids in more natural movement. However, it’s not a necessity, and in this case, it is quite the advantage.” His hands on Amaia’s shoulders turned her to the full-length mirror.
A gasp escaped her lips as she took in her appearance. Her hands flew to her impossibly small waist and then made their way up to breasts that appeared fuller, lifted as they were by the stays. “Will my clothes fit properly?”
“No, they won’t have the tailored appearance you’re used to, but it’s not such a big difference that anyone will mind. Today I’ll pin you in, and it should be fine. We’ll have them all altered eventually or just buy you new ones.”
Lawrence made quick work of the petticoats and laces. When she was fully dressed, Amaia went to her vanity mirror to style her hair. She picked up her silver boar bristle brush and ran it through her long auburn locks. The sheen from her hair accentuated her hazel eyes. It was odd to be looking at the same face she always had, but to see it so differently. It would take some getting used to. She picked out a jeweled comb and some hair pins and arranged her hair, sweeping the front up and leaving the back to curl loosely over her shoulders.
All the while, Lawrence paced behind her, watching her in the mirror. She found it unnerving. Adjusting to being undead was hard enough without Lawrence watching her every move. When she stood, he brought a pair of jeweled shoes for her to step into, and her outfit was complete. “What do you think?” She twirled.
“Lovely, as always. Practice moving slowly until it’s time for us to leave.”
Despite feeling foolish, Amaia did as instructed. How could she be expected to move slowly when she had just been born into a bright new world? There was so much to see and do. Her own rooms appeared foreign to her new vision. How would the rest of the world look?
Knowing that it was important to Lawrence, she tried to concentrate. She discovered that he was wrong. The trick was not to try to move slowly; the trick was to imagine walking through water. Only then was she able to achieve a realistic movement speed without losing any of her natural grace.
“Excellent, my dear. The sun has set. It’s time we were going.” Lawrence stood and fetched a dark blue wool cloak from her wardrobe.
“So it’s true then? We can’t go out in daylight?” Amaia had been dreading the restrictions of her new form. She supposed it was fair. Immortality had to come at a price.
Lawrence guffawed. “Hardly. What nonsense humans teach their children. We travel whenever we like. The sun merely does less than pleasant things to the noxious odor of humans. It’s more enjoyable to be out at night, and it’s easier to go unnoticed.” He wrapped the cloak around her, hiding the opulence of her dress. “No need to draw extra attention.”
Amaia didn’t know what she felt more, relief or excitement. It appeared she had been given the world, unbridled by silly rules. Life—or death as it were—was perfect.
She stifled a giggle as she followed Lawrence to the door.
Chapter Three
London, February 1623
As soon as they settled in the rented carriage, Lawrence curtained the windows. “You don’t need distractions. Focus on breathing. I want Zenas to see that you’re a quick study.”
“I thought you said I didn’t need to breathe.”
“Not to live, but your stays aren’t so tight that you can’t pretend.”
Amaia drew in a shallow breath and immediately squinched up her face.
“The smell?”
“Yes. It’s dreadful. What is it?” Her hand flew to her nose, trying to shield it from the pungent stench. The air seemed full of sour sweat, baked waste, and decaying plants. The source was a mystery. The horse before her smelled as horses always had, only stronger. It certainly wasn’t pleasant, but it was hardly the overwhelming fetor surrounding her.
“Mainly humans. I told you. You’ll get used to it. I’ll admit it’s startling at first. Now that you’re not one, you notice their stink more acutely. Sometimes there’s a benefit to duller senses. You’ll learn to pick out the good and disregard the bad.”
“How can they smell so distasteful when they’re meant to be food?”
“The cow always smells worse than the beef, my dear. It’s not their flesh we’re after, it’s their blood.”
It made sense, but Amaia couldn’t stomach the thought with the odor assaulting her nostrils. “Where are we going?” Amaia didn’t risk removing her hand from her nose. The only pleasant scent she could discern came from herself.
“To a manor outside the city. Usually Zenas would make us travel to wherever he is—which these days tends to be Moscow—but he came here to see you. It’s rare that Zenas travels for anyone. It reveals his interest in you. I need you to follow my lead.”
“How?” Amaia lowered her hand. The smell was dreadful, but she’d have to learn to cope eventually, and she wanted to make Lawrence proud.
“You’ll bow to him, feed his ego, but your first loyalty is to me, just as mine is to him. He has the power to destroy you, and there’s nothing I can do to protect you—not yet. He’ll want me to supplicate to him for you, to demonstrate his power.”
“He sounds like a prick.”
Lawrence’s hand gripped hers where it rested on the bench. His blue eyes held her gaze. “A very dangerous prick, my dear. Don’t try to play him. Not only will he not be susceptible to your charms, but you’re still too new to your condition to use them effectively. The best thing you can do is watch quietly.”
Amaia nodded. In some ways, it was a relief. If she wasn’t expected to say anything, she would be free to observe and learn. Part of her supposed that vampires couldn’t be that much different from humans, but she wasn’t prepared to potentially embarrass Lawrence due to lack of knowledge.
Thirty minutes later, Lawrence grimaced. “It appears Zenas is not traveling alone. I should have known. He’ll want to make this a public spectacle.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing for you to worry about.” Lawrence patted her hand. The gesture was not as comforting as he probably hoped. “The only people with whom you need to concern yourself are me, Zenas, and his mate, Sabine. Ignore the others, even though they’ll be interested in you.”
A few minutes later, a large limestone manor ca
me into view. The full moon’s light reflected off the white snow dusting everything, making the entire building glitter. The only sound Amaia heard in the still air was the snorting of the horses as they trod toward the front door. The carriage drew closer, and her heightened hearing detected the hum of voices. As the hum grew louder, so did Amaia’s nerves. Lawrence was right. There were plenty of people present. Not people: vampires.
Amaia and Lawrence stood together in front of the imposing double door as the carriage departed. Amaia met Lawrence’s eyes, hoping her apprehension didn’t show on her face but knowing that he would sense it just the same. He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “You’ll do fine.”
Without another word, he strode to the door and opened it, as if it was perfectly normal to barge in without waiting for a manservant. The sound of the heavy wood creaking open silenced the hum of conversation. Amaia passed Lawrence into the unlit entryway. Her eyes adjusted to the absence of light as if she had always been able to see in the dark. From her vantage point, the house appeared deserted. The echo of Lawrence closing the door behind her only added to the feeling of emptiness.
Lawrence removed her cloak and stored it somewhere nearby; Amaia didn’t bother looking. “Come, they’ll all be in the hall.” He didn’t spare her another glance as he swept past her, clearly familiar with the home. Amaia tamed her curiosity and followed silently behind, keeping her eyes focused on Lawrence.
Dozens of faces greeted them in the hall, silent and still as wax figures. Amaia tried not to be distracted by the eyes focused on her, but these were the first vampires she had met outside of Lawrence, and it was almost impossible not to return their stares.
“Focus.” Lawrence’s voice centered her, and she followed him. At the front of the room sat a couple who had to be Zenas and Sabine. They both had hair blacker than anything she had ever seen. Zenas had an exotic air to match his olive-toned skin. Sabine, on the other hand, was as pale as snow, with clear blue eyes that sent a chill through Amaia. They were a contrast to Zenas’s hard brown orbs.
When Lawrence stopped, Amaia followed him to her knees. Only after they both humbly bowed did Zenas move. He stood and came to Lawrence, circling him, ignoring Amaia completely. “Lower.” The word came out deeper than she would have expected from such a young-looking man. Zenas appeared to be barely older than Amaia’s twenty-two years.
As soon as the word left Zenas’s lips, Lawrence lowered his head to the ground. “Do it.” Lawrence’s voice commanded her. She didn’t think Zenas even cared about her, but her eyes flitted up to see that Sabine’s icy stare stayed fixed on her while her mate was busy with Lawrence.
“Lower.” The command came again, and Lawrence sank deeper until he was laid out completely prostrate on the ground. Amaia grimaced as she followed suit. It felt unnatural to see Lawrence in such a position. He had always been so strong and powerful in her world. Seeing his face pushed against the flagstone, his lace cuffs and silk doublet resting on the dusty floor, evoked Amaia’s disdain. How could Lawrence be so weak as to humble himself this way?
“I should have you killed, Lawrence. I should do it myself.”
“Yes, Sire.”
Amaia nearly choked. Why was Lawrence acting so contrite?
“Did you name her?”
“Yes, Sire. Her name is Amaia. If it pleases you.”
Zenas moved so quickly that Amaia didn’t even see, just felt the whoosh of air. Zenas had Lawrence off the floor and pinned to the wall by his throat. “None of this pleases me, Lawrence. You know the rule.” Amaia watched the proceedings through her eyelashes. She didn’t miss that Sabine had taken a keen interest in her mate’s show of power.
“Yes, Sire.”
“What is it?”
“Your children are not allowed to create vampires, Sire.”
“No, they are not. It keeps our happy little clan at peace, doesn’t it? Why do you want to disrupt the peace, Lawrence? Hadn’t I told you I would turn her when the time was right? Do you suspect that you know better than I when that time should be?”
They made an incongruous picture, this old gray man scraping to a boy who looked less than half his age.
“No, Sire. I swear I did it for you. Please, give me a chance to explain.”
“Very well. You have your chance. I would make it count if I were you.”
Zenas released Lawrence and stepped back, giving him space to move. Lawrence took advantage of it and walked around the room, the natural salesman coming to the forefront as he told his story to the whole assemblage. “She was almost lost to us, Sire. A mortal had proposed marriage to her and was preparing to take her from me. I had to act. The subject must be willing, and at the time, I was the only one who would be able to convince her. She fancied herself in love with this man. If I let her go with him, she would have been lost to me—to you—forever. I told her what a fool she was being and then revealed the truth of my existence. She’s always been very intelligent, Sire. Isn’t that why you were interested in her in the first place?”
Lawrence waited for Zenas’s nod. It was a simple sales trick he had taught her when she was still a child. Get the buyer agreeing with you early. “When I showed her what we could offer, that she would no longer have the cares of a mortal existence, she was eager to be transformed. If I hadn’t turned her then, she would have gone off to her lover, and who knows how he would have poisoned her mind against us. I couldn’t very well break one of the cardinal rules and let her leave with knowledge of what I was without turning her.”
“Hmm.” Zenas walked back to his seat next to Sabine, as if thinking this over. Lawrence seemed to take it as a cue. He approached and knelt, kissing Zenas’s hand in the process.
“Please, Sire, if I have offended you, burn me now, and do what you will with the girl. I only did it for you, as a present. I knew you wanted her, and I wouldn’t tolerate her getting away.” Lawrence stayed bowed over Zenas’s hand, waiting for judgment.
Amaia watched, forgetting to breathe. The dynamics were interesting. A softness entered Zenas’s eyes, and he turned his hand, cupping Lawrence’s cheek in his palm. “I forgive you. It’s clear that, though you were in error, you were trying to please me.”
“Thank you, Sire. Your mercy is more than I deserve.” Lawrence kissed his palm and then rose.
“Now, let us take a look at the girl who has caused so much trouble. Rise, Amaia. Let me see you.” Zenas’s voice was smoky and compelling, reminiscent of burning incense. She envisioned him as a mortal walking amongst desert tents in the East. She wondered if he’d so easily commanded people then.
Amaia ascended to her feet as gracefully as she could, all the time picturing herself moving through water. A grin graced Zenas’s lips.
“She has learned quickly, Sire.” Lawrence beamed.
“So I see. Come here, child.”
Amaia approached, maintaining eye contact the entire way. “Watch yourself,” Lawrence’s voice warned.
“She is bold, this one. Perhaps she would be better off burned.”
“Forgive me, Sire, if I err. My vision is new to me. I don’t know how I can be expected to turn away from such magnificence. You and your mate make a most handsome pair.”
“I told you not to play him. It won’t work.”
“Like your little performance didn’t work?”
Zenas chuckled, and the rest of the room followed. “You are a good girl. You take after your maker.” Amaia caught a quick look between Zenas and Lawrence. There was fondness there. “I’ve seen prettier.”
“It wasn’t merely her looks you were after, Sire.”
“No, it wasn’t. She has done well, for being less than a day old. She could pass as a human without much scrutiny.” Zenas sneered the word “human” as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. “But how do I know she will be loyal to me?”
“Sire, how could you think I would tolerate anything less? If she is loyal to me, as all vampires are to their makers, then how co
uld you question her loyalty? To be loyal to me is to be loyal to you.”
There was silence as Zenas considered Lawrence’s words. “Very well. Train her. If she is to be allowed to live, she must be an asset to this clan, otherwise I will destroy her. She shall continue in her old profession. When she is ready, I will have an assignment for you.”
“Of course, Sire.”
Zenas and Sabine rose as one. “Since that’s clear, I’ll be leaving. This country is too fucking dreary. Everyone, back to your territories. I want Lawrence and Amaia left alone.”
Everyone in the hall bowed as Zenas and Sabine left. As soon as they were at the door, Lawrence moved to follow, and Amaia did the same. Outside, Zenas clapped Lawrence on the shoulder. “It was good to see you, Son. You do me proud.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Zenas grasped Sabine’s hand and lifted it to his lips, the mates sharing a smirk that went from their mouths to their eyes. Then they took off at a run, flying over the snow so quickly that the only trace of their movement was the footprints marring the perfect stillness.
“You are a weakness to him. If he were wise, he would have killed you.” Amaia strained her eyes trying to see Zenas and Sabine’s retreating forms as she shared her observation with her sire.
“Then give thanks that he is not wise.” Lawrence placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. His eyes burned with sincerity. “But don’t underestimate him. He has one of the largest clans on Earth. His children are spread throughout the entire known world, even in some places that are unknown to the people here.”
“I don’t like him.”
Lawrence ignored her and dashed inside for her cloak just as other vampires emerged from the manor. He returned a second later and fastened the blue wool around her neck. “Do you want to run, my dear? There’s plenty of cover in the woods. It would give you a chance to stretch your legs.”
Haunting Echoes Page 2