‘As long as Laura’s here she’s safe,’ he stated. ‘When this is over I want a double guard around her flat.’
‘You suspect trouble?’ Cal asked.
With a tilt of his head, Luc indicated Maris and the closely huddled group around her.
‘Why her?’ Sam asked.
‘Alec, tell them,’ Luc replied.
‘Drained bodies, lying in the streets. Young kids. It only started with her arrival,’ I stated.
Cal shook his head in disgust. ‘How the hell did she become an Elder!’
‘Lack of older female Brethren after we executed three in the First Rebellion, and one in the Second,’ Luc said.
‘Damn! Forgot.’
The repercussions were serious. She had to be stopped, but the last thing we wanted was an enemy on the Eldership. She couldn’t sway the other Elders, but by her very position she could gather a sizeable following of like-minded Brethren and cause trouble. Civil War couldn’t be ruled out.
‘You believe they’d actually try something against the Principate?’ Jake’s expression darkened as he gazed at me.
‘We all know what she’s capable of,’ I said.
Sam nodded. ‘She’d go after Laura.’ He knew her best for they had once been lovers, before he became her sire. They met on the eve of the French Revolution and he’d kept her hidden during the worst excesses of that murderous regime, but the rest of her family had not been so lucky.
They were together the entire period of her servitude and when she began to display the cruellest aspects of her nature, Sam’s affections grew cold. He forbade her to kill anyone bar the criminals who roamed the streets at night in search of victims of their own. As her creator, he had the power to order her extermination. But once out of servitude she indulged her perverse tastes.
‘I told Laura she’d be safe after the Ritual!’
No one spoke for a while and I had the feeling they were remembering the past when two previous Ingenii had been attacked. One had been killed and the next in line had been a juvenile. His blood hadn’t yet matured. Luc and his men had hidden the boy till he came-of-age. In the meantime, they’d hunted down the rebel ringleaders and brought them before the Elders who executed fifteen of them and forced the rest to take the Pledge.
Those events occurred long before my time, but Luc had told me some of the history and I’d read the rest in Marcus Antonius’s Chronicle which sits on a lectern in the library at Luc’s house, below his sword and armour.
The Pledge had been invoked on no more than two occasions, each time after a rebellion. The first took place over a thousand years ago after the abduction and murder of the fifteenth Ingenii, Clement D’Antonville. The Second Rebellion was more recent—only four hundred years ago. The twenty-sixth Ingenii, Robert D’Antonville, fought off several of the Brethren who tried to take him. Fortunately, as an accomplished swordsman, he’d held them off till Luc and the others arrived.
According to Marcus’s Chronicle, the Pledge was created to safeguard the Principate from any future attack. The Prefects—leaders of the Brethren in their respective nations—had to swear an oath of allegiance on the Serpent Rings to protect the Ingenii and Guardian at the cost of their own life. Those who defied the oath were destroyed. The rings flashed fire and incinerated them.
‘Can we invoke the Pledge?’ I asked.
‘We could,’ Luc said. ‘Problem is, it costs energy. The fire from the serpents’ eyes comes from a combination of the ring and you. The more you use it, the weaker you’ll become.’
‘Is that common knowledge?’ I asked.
‘No, and I’d like to keep it that way. After the First Rebellion I only needed to use it twice, and after that the rest of the rebels backed away. They never got a chance to see how exhausted I was.’
‘And the Second Rebellion?’
‘Those who had taken the oath stayed well away although one or two incited the juveniles to rebel. So we made the young ones take the oath and executed the leaders,’ Luc said.
‘Now we have a new batch of juveniles,’ Sam stated.
At that, we turned to look at Maris’s group. Their hushed whispers stopped abruptly. Maris gave me a slow, seductive smile and ushered her group to the other side of the garden.
‘Couldn’t catch everything. They’re deliberately blocking me. What about you?’ Cal asked.
‘No, same with me.’ I turned a questioning eye on Luc, but he shook his head.
‘They’re planning something, I can sense it,’ Jake said.
Cal nodded in agreement and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
‘Not enough to force the Pledge.’ Luc’s voice was grim.
‘There’s nothing we can do?’ Sam asked.
‘Just keep watch. For now.’ Luc’s gaze shifted to his daughter and the tense lines around his mouth relaxed.
‘You know something, Alec?’ Cal said. ‘I think you may have placed Laura in danger without meaning to.’
‘What?’
‘Kissing her during the Ritual would piss off any woman.’
‘Especially her,’ Sam pointed out.
‘We broke up decades ago. I made it very plain. She can’t possibly think…’
‘Not as far as she’s concerned,’ Jake said. ‘Damn it, Alec! Her eyes haven’t left you all night. I’ve been watching. And we all saw that sex-laden smile she shot you. Smelt her arousal from here.’
I ran my hand through my hair and let out a frustrated breath, then cursed the foolishness in allowing myself to become infatuated with the woman during my early vampire years. ‘It’s over,’ I remonstrated. ‘Has been since nineteen-twenty three and she knows it!’
‘Women can be clingy,’ Cal said.
It never occurred to me. Too late now.
Jean had been silent the whole evening, yet his glances continually strayed towards Laura.
‘If Maris comes near Laura I’ll kill her!’ he burst out.
His heated reaction was unusual. He’d never expressed an interest in any woman, which gave Cal endless opportunities for teasing. Jean always took it with good humour but, from the scent which clung to him, I knew he satisfied his physical needs in female company although where and with whom he never revealed.
I looked at him closely, really closely, and what I saw made me uneasy, for Jean did not look at Laura like a benevolent uncle. I sensed something deeper and darker, too.
‘That’s why we are here, Jean. To protect her,’ Luc said. ‘I know you care for Laura, as do we all, but Alec is her guardian.’ It sounded like a warning.
I remember my surprise at Jean’s decision to move here in the late seventies. We all knew how much he loved Paris. He must have had a very good reason.
Jean’s gaze turned to me and he gave me a smile, but there was no mistaking the flash of anger that preceded it. And that could stem from only one thing—Jean was in love with Laura! My fists clenched at the realisation. Why hadn’t he challenged me during the Ritual? Was it out of respect for our friendship or was there some other reason? I had to find out, but unlike Maris I didn’t believe Jean posed any danger.
I glanced at Laura then scanned the room to see how many other eyes were on her. A lot—mostly male. Was it her looks or her blood that drew them? Possibly both.
Luc watched Maris’s group in silence. His pupils began to slit; the pale irises narrow.
I placed my hand on his arm and cautioned. ‘Not here. We don’t have definite proof. Once we do, it’s my responsibility as Princeps to order her execution.’
Sommers had sent through the DNA results I’d requested. There were two distinct types, so there must be more than one new killer. Unfortunately neither appeared on their database. Until I could match them with a living sample, I could only guess. Yet I was convinced that they were here tonight, and one of them was Maris. The trick was to obtain that sample.
‘Do we have it yet?’ I asked Luc.
He had instructed one of the drinks waiters to dis
creetly put Maris’s used glass into a plastic bag, taking care to avoid contaminating the rim. We couldn’t afford to have her DNA compromised. It would go straight to the lab for analysis and if the result confirmed my suspicions, we could act.
I sent Cal to fetch the glass and watched him weave his way through the crowd.
‘All yours,’ he said when he came back and handed me the coveted parcel with the remains of her drink still visible through the plastic. Bloody Russian, her favourite—Tia Maria, vodka and blood.
‘Thank you,’ I replied. ‘It’ll keep it till I can get it to the lab.’
‘I don’t think she suspects a thing,’ he said.
‘Couldn’t care less if she did!’ Luc replied gruffly.
I headed back to our table and Laura smiled at my approach. I dropped the plastic bag into my jacket pocket, which hung across the back of my chair, and swung her into my arms for another dance.
The more contact we had, the more strongly my scent would cling to her and even those Brethren unable to attend the Ritual would know she belonged to me.
Later I asked her if I could examine her neck. It had healed very quickly—more so than normal. I began to wonder if it was because she was part-vampire. After all, none of us had any idea what to expect. All we could do was watch and wait.
When Lora, spelt L-O-R-A came to speak to her, she seemed to be thrilled to be speaking to a human. I made an excuse and left them together, but stayed within reach. From there I overheard their conversation and watched Laura’s changing expression during their exchange. I knew she was curious about vampire-human relationships and, by the look on her face, this one seemed to take her by surprise.
Many vampires and their donsangs have a sexual relationship, so it isn’t uncommon for their feeding to be intimate. But I didn’t believe Laura was ready for that type of discussion and I certainly wasn’t going to bring it up with her. Not yet anyway.
Then it happened. One of Maris’s group asked Laura to dance. I didn’t sense any immediate danger, so with Laura’s permission, I placed her hand in his for a dance.
Terens stood up and came to my side. ‘I don’t like it,’ he said.
I looked over to the bar where the others stood, alert and watching. Luc turned his head in my direction, his brow creased in a frown. I shook my head in warning.
‘Jean, Jake,’ I heard him say, and he indicated the dance floor with his head. Obeying his order, they both moved out and followed Laura and Douglas at a discreet distance.
Douglas appeared innocuous, but I kept an ear to every word that came out of his mouth. His scent changed and the nice-surfer boy image slipped. Laura stood up to him, but when his fangs appeared and she struggled to escape his hold on her, I moved.
Even as I did so, Jean and Jake bore down on them while Sam attempted to restrain Luc. I was at her side before any of the others and quietly took hold of the situation. I let slip a glimpse of my own beast and Douglas drew back when he saw his peril. He disappeared into the crowd—but not back to Maris’s group. Jean and Jake, with a nod to me, followed him out.
Laura flexed her fingers. He’d hurt her, and the urge to kill him overwhelmed me and threatened to destroy a perfectly pleasant evening. I concentrated on massaging her hand to prevent any bruising, as there’s an unwritten code that personal grievances among the Brethren must be set aside for the period of the Ritual. No killings. Not even I could violate it. But who would know if Douglas disappeared and nothing remained of him but ash?
The rest of the night was, thankfully, uneventful. By four a.m. Laura could barely keep her eyes open, and when she slowly lowered her head onto her arms over the back of her seat, it was time to go. I picked her up and carried her into the house.
Judith and Luc came as well and directed me to her bedroom. It was one of the largest and most beautifully furnished in the house; originally her room before they made the heart-wrenching decision to place her with John’s family.
I laid her on the bed and, on impulse, kissed her soft cheek as Judith removed her shoes and pulled the covers over her. I was about to leave when she stirred and opened her eyes.
‘Alec?’ she murmured sleepily.
‘Yes. Go back to sleep.’
I waited until her eyes closed and her breathing evened before I left.
* * *
Most of the guests drifted off by the early morning, before the sun rose and Luc escorted the last few stragglers into waiting cars. Terens and Sam were meant to be on guard duty tonight, but with Laura here, they had the night off. Still, Sam mentioned they might swing past her flat and check things out before going hunting. Both were currently unattached and the occasional hunt kept their skills honed.
‘Double-dating,’ Sam called it.
According to Terens, their female prey enjoyed every minute of it. ‘We leave them satisfied and begging for more!’ he once boasted to me.
I wandered up to the games room where the men had congregated after everyone left. It was located on the first level in the guest wing of the house, at the end of the corridor. Jake, Cal and Jean were at the billiards table and had just started to play when I entered. Each clutched a goblet of O positive in their hand.
‘How’s Laura,’ Jake asked and he sunk a yellow ball. ‘It couldn’t have been easy for her—being told what she is and then having to go through the Ritual. It took a lot of courage to do that.’
‘It did,’ I agreed.
‘Does she know?’ Jean asked as he chalked his graphite cue.
He was referring to Laura’s true parentage. ‘Not yet. That’s up to Luc.’ I made myself comfortable in one of the leather armchairs.
‘Of course,’ he replied.
‘Jake, you and Jean followed that kid, Douglas. He didn’t return to Maris’s group, so where did he go?’
‘They had a boat moored at the jetty and he scurried down there like a rat. One of his charming group joined him. Luc needs to know. That area’s not secure. What’s the use of having guards at the entrance gate when they can slip in harbour-side? Sam needs to get onto it.’
He was right. I hadn’t thought of that. But on the other hand, not even Maris would risk doing something to one of the Bloodgifted here. The penalty for violating the sanctity of an Elder’s house was death.
I extended my senses and heard the steady rhythm of Laura’s heart. Slow and steady, she was asleep and safe. ‘They won’t try anything here,’ I said.
‘No, not here, but Laura lives alone,’ he pointed out. ‘Even though she’s supposed to be untouchable, Maris won’t respect that.’
I let out a sigh. Laura was independent, but could I persuade her to stay here? Of course, I could always move in with her. That would go down well with Sommers. For a moment I enjoyed the mental picture knowing it wasn’t going to happen. I had to think of something and it looked more and more like that would be some sort of deal—once I made him aware of the danger Laura faced. As a police detective I was sure he’d be more than willing to provide her with protection.
Although the Games Room was completely sealed from sunlight we all could sense the dawn. Cal was the first to get drowsy. He laid down his cue, moved to the drinks cabinet and located a full bottle of Armagnac. Waving me goodbye with it, he headed out the door.
‘You actually going to drink all that?’ Jake called after him.
‘Why not?’
Jake shook his head, raised his eyes and laughed. ‘What you need is a woman!’
‘Had one.’ His voice trailed from the corridor.
‘Recently? Listen, there’s this really great place…’ Jake sunk his last red ball, dropped his cue on the felt tabletop and hurried after him.
Jean lingered a while longer. ‘What if something were to happen to you? Who would be Laura’s guardian then?’
His question puzzled me. ‘Why ask?’
‘Just curious. Has it ever happened?’
‘No.’
He stood there gazing at me, a rather curious exp
ression on his face before walking past me and out the door. As I watched his retreating back there was no doubt in my mind now, he resented me. But was he a danger? I figuratively shook my head and dismissed the idea as far-fetched. After all, Jean was part of our intimate circle—family—but even in the closest of families rivalries exist.
A deep sense of unease stole over me. I thought back over the last few months and noticed he’d become more withdrawn lately, keeping to himself and even disappearing for days without letting anyone know of his whereabouts. And lately, he’d taken to blocking his emotions when around us. Yet earlier this evening he had slipped. Anger emanated from him in waves when Luc reminded him I was Laura’s guardian.
The more I thought about it, the greater my unease. Jean would have to be confronted. As I considered when would be the best time, I realised it was daylight and Sam and Terens hadn’t returned. I temporarily shunted my concerns regarding Jean aside and extended my senses to try and pick up those two.
Most Brethren can pick out voices within a three mile radius. Mine extended to double that. Yet I couldn’t hear anything from them. Perhaps they were in the city, beyond my range, and had decided to sleep at one of the safe houses run by the Brethren. Many were staffed by human females who enjoyed servicing our kind. I was sure they’d turn up this evening.
The rest of the house was quiet, apart from the sound of three distinct human heartbeats—John, Judith and Laura’s. Luc’s heart, like mine, beat once every ten minutes and he just joined me in the Games Room.
‘What are we going to do about Laura?’ I asked.
‘She’s stubborn. We can’t force her to stay here,’ he replied, picked up the black ball and tossed it around in his hands.
‘Like her father.’
He chuckled. ‘I liked the idea of you moving in with her.’
He’d been listening in. ‘Sommers might object.’ But, I’d enjoy that, I thought.
‘Well then, perhaps it is time to talk to him. He needs to know.’
‘You or me?’
‘I think it’d be best from me. I’ll speak to him when he comes for her tonight.’
‘Fine.’
Since it was only about six a.m. and I didn’t expect anyone to wake till at least eleven, I took Maris’s DNA sample—still in my jacket pocket—to the lab and see if it matched the read-out Sommers gave me.
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