wait for dusk

by Drake, Jocelynn

  “And leave you out of the fun? You’d never forgive me,” I teased, finally succeeding in erasing the last of his frown. “How bad does it look?”

  “You’re a mess,” he said, dropping his hand back down to his side.

  “You’re not,” I griped. “Of course, you’re the one that landed on me.” Looking around the area, my eyes finally settled on an elegant hotel just down the block. It was a safe place to clean up before we continued on to Veyron’s. I knew I couldn’t show up on his doorstep looking like I had just survived a car crash. With a gentle jerk of my head, I motioned for Danaus to follow me down the street.

  “Any clue as to who our new friend is?” he asked after we were several feet away from the crowd of people. His pace was slower than usual, but then I think he was more worried about me and the limp I had developed. The broken ribs I had sustained from the second attack mixed with the aches and pains from the car crash were slowing me down. My body was healing, but it was also starting to demand that I stop and feed. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option with Danaus hanging on my coattails. Of course, if Veyron was half the host I expected him to be, I wouldn’t be surprised if he offered appetizers.

  “No idea,” I muttered. “The only person I know that could have pulled such a spell is Ryan, and that wasn’t Ryan.”

  “No, that wasn’t Ryan,” Danaus agreed. He had only gotten a brief glimpse of the person on the rooftop, but it was enough to know that it wasn’t the lanky, white-haired man that ran Themis. We had had a falling out with the powerful warlock, but I was relieved to see that he hadn’t made an appearance in Budapest with the sole purpose of making our lives more difficult. He was undoubtedly saving that for a more special occasion.

  Wincing against the bright light that filled the hotel lobby, I paused in the middle of the room, staring up at Danaus, who was watching me as if I looked like I was about to fall over. “Not a word of this is mentioned at Veyron’s,” I declared. “He can’t know that we’re having trouble in his city. I want Valerio or Stefan to look into the warlocks and witches first.”

  “If he’s as powerful as everyone seems to think he is, wouldn’t he know who the most powerful warlocks are?”

  “If he’s smart, he will. I just don’t want him to know that he’s not the only one trying to kill me.”

  “Veyron’s trying to kill you?”

  “Of course. Why else would Macaire have sent us here? Macaire needs me dead, and for some reason he’s sure that Veyron has an edge. If Veyron knows a warlock or a witch is gunning for me too, he may try to strike while I’m in the middle of a fight with the other bastard.”

  “Doesn’t a meeting with Veyron and Macaire together seem unwise if they both want you dead?”

  “Possibly, but you’re watching my back. It will be fine.”

  “Go clean up in the bathroom and I’ll meet you right here,” Danaus said, pointing me toward the restroom near the back of the lobby. There was no use in continuing the conversation. I was determined to discover exactly what Veyron and Macaire were doing in Budapest.

  With a sigh, I shuffled toward the bathroom, peeling off my coat as I walked. It was splattered with my blood, but as far as I could tell, none of my blood had gotten on my sweater. I would need to burn the coat before I appeared at Veyron’s, but otherwise he wouldn’t be able to tell that Danaus and I had been in a bit of a scuffle.

  I couldn’t begin to guess why the magic user had attacked us. The only one that might be even a little angry with me was Ryan, and I didn’t think it would be his style to send someone else after me when it would be more to his advantage to manipulate me back to his side. I was far more valuable to him alive than dead, particularly if he was looking to get a toehold of control on the coven.

  This magic user was also striking me at a bad time. It wasn’t enough that I had to worry about what Rowe was up to, but I had to try to guess why Macaire had sent me to Budapest in the first place. Sure, it was to die, but why here? What edge could Veyron actually have over me and Danaus?

  Of course, there was potentially an even darker reason as to why Macaire sent me to Budapest, but it was too horrible of a thought to contemplate. And besides, there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Veyron’s house was naturally an enormous affair with old beveled glass windows and a gray stone front. The courtyard was brightly lit with an array of old lampposts and a pair of electric wrought-iron sconces next to the front door on the face of the house. Tall trees with gnarled branches like the bony fingers of the dead reached out across the yard, casting great shadows over the area. The bare branches clacked together in the wind, while snow swirled around our feet. As we stepped out of our second taxicab, both Valerio, Stefan, and Macaire appeared just behind us, wrapped in their coats, while I stood in only my sweater and dress pants.

  “What took you so long?” Stefan inquired with a frown.

  “And what happened to your coat?” Valerio added.

  “We ran into some unexpected problems. I’ll tell you later,” I growled under my breath as I walked up to the front door. I didn’t want Macaire to know about our little run-in with the warlock if I could help it.

  Before anyone could ring the bell, the door was pulled open by a stiff-looking human in all-black attire. He didn’t ask who we were, but wordlessly waved for us to enter the house. It was all I could do to keep my face perfectly blank as we were led through one opulently decorated room after another toward the back of the house. I kept a nice, comfortable home in Savannah, but this house dripped money and classic Old World charm. There was furniture throughout the place that was more than a couple centuries old and all in pristine condition. Silver and gold candelabras glowed with candlelight throughout the rooms, while fires flickered and danced in every fireplace we passed.

  Yet despite the opulence, we saw no one but the servant that was leading us. There were no sounds in the home but the echo of our footsteps across the marble and hardwood floors and the crackle of fire eating at logs in the fireplaces. I scanned the house to find that there were a small collection of nightwalkers in the direction we were headed, while nearly two dozen humans were hidden around the house. I was willing to bet that the humans represented a collection of servants and pets for Veyron. I inwardly cringed, dreading how Danaus was going to react should he be faced with the humans.

  As we entered what appeared to be a garden room with large windows that reflected back the lamplight, a nightwalker with copper-colored hair pushed to his feet. He placed one hand on his waist and bent low toward me and Macaire as he smiled broadly at us.

  “The great Fire Starter, Mira,” he announced in a thick Hungarian accent. I noticed that he spoke in neither Hungarian nor Italian, but English. It was a neutral stance for him. He bowed to me, but he wasn’t using Italian and he simply referred to me as the Fire Starter.

  “Thank you, Veyron, for welcoming me and my companions into your home,” I said. Turning sideways, I waved toward Danaus and the others. “This is my consort, Danaus, and these are Valerio and Stefan. And I’m sure you’re already acquainted with coven Elder Macaire.”

  “Welcome, sire,” Veyron said, bowing a second time. “We have not formally met since my appearances before the coven have always been very brief.”

  “Truly?” I said. “I assumed that you knew each other since Macaire said he had been contacted directly about the naturi problem in Budapest.”

  “I have heard from various emissaries of the city, through my pets, that there was trouble in Budapest,” Macaire said. “This is the first chance I have had to officially meet Veyron,” he added, making me want to choke. I had no doubt that those two knew each other and knew each other well. This was a bunch of lies in an effort to get me to lower my guard.

  “No matter,” I said with a flippant shrug of my shoulders as I forced a smile onto my lips. “The important thing is that we are here now to fix this poor city.”

  “And
it is an honor to have two Elders and their companions in my humble home. Please, everyone come in and rest yourselves. Let me summon some refreshments for us,” Veyron said as he returned to his seat. I personally could have gagged at all the pleasantries and silly formalities, but I knew it was expected. Of course, the great irony was that I was seated with the vampire most likely hired to kill me along with the man that had hired him, and we were expected to play nice just because it was expected of us. I would not be accused of not playing by the rules.

  As Veyron sat down, I noticed that Sofia had stepped out of the shadows and taken a seat on a little cushioned stool next to his chair. I claimed the seat across from Veyron, my eyes drifting over to the woman. Meanwhile, Macaire, Valerio, and Stefan sat near me, while Danaus remained standing just behind my shoulder, his arms folded over his chest as he glared at Veyron. I counted myself lucky that he was playing this nicely with the powerful nightwalker.

  Veyron ran his hand over Sofia’s head as if petting an obedient dog. “And this is my little pearl, Sofia.”

  “Yes, we’ve met.” I forced a smile on my lips as I dragged my gaze back up to Veyron. “She’s quite lovely.”

  “Thank you,” Veyron said, positively beaming at me as if he were a proud owner.

  We had only a moment before eight humans walked single-file into the garden room and came to stand next to me and Veyron. There were four men and four women, all appearing to be under the age of thirty. There were blondes, brunettes, and even a redhead, with varying body types, appearances, and, from what I could tell, different blood types—all for the discerning palette.

  “Please,” Veyron said, motioning toward the eight appetizers arrayed before me.

  I let my eyes sweep over them as if I were weighing the selection. Yet in truth I was stalling. I was trying to figure some way out of this, but I knew there wasn’t as Macaire rose and chose a healthy-looking young man with blond hair.

  I’m going to feed. It’s good etiquette, I warned Danaus, trying to keep the conversation between the two of us.

  I guessed as much, he replied. Anger rolled off of him in waves, brushing against my side as I pushed languidly to my feet.

  No one is going to get hurt, I continued, trying to make sure he wasn’t going to do something that would get us in deeper trouble than we were already in.

  Are they here of their own free will?

  I don’t know, but I know that they won’t remember anything of what happens here tonight.

  With that, Danaus became completely silent, blocking me as much as he possibly could from his thoughts. I stepped over to a tall man with dark brown hair and brown eyes. I ran my left hand over his chest and smiled as his heart picked up its steady pace at my touch. I dipped into his mind to find that his name was Frank and that he was a college student studying physics. And while it shouldn’t have been necessary to check, I found him to be wholly human. It took only a slight push on my behalf to put him in a trancelike state. He was no longer aware of the room or its occupants. For a brief moment in time there was only me and the pleasure that I promised to give him. A lopsided smile lifted his lips as he looked down at me.

  Just before I lifted my mouth to Frank’s neck, I looked over my shoulder at Danaus to find the hunter glaring at us. His whole body was stiff and his hands were balled into fists. I smiled at him then turned my face into Frank’s neck, burying my fangs deep into the vein there. His body jerked once before he let out a soft sigh of pleasure.

  My mind was deep in his, sending through him waves of exquisite pleasure, losing him in a mind-numbing bliss. At the same time I nearly became lost in that same wave. It had been too long since my last meal, too many long, cold nights of fighting and nearly dying. I had needed this more than I was willing to admit. The blood and the young man’s embrace washed away the cold and the fear. It wrapped me up in a safe world that didn’t include the naturi and the bori. The only thing that could have made this better was a different set of strong arms.

  Feeling better, if not a little evil, I reached out to Danaus’s mind, sending to him the same warmth and pleasure I was basking in. It was a weak, filtered version of what he had encountered at the First Communion just a week ago, but it was enough to earn me a low growl that undoubtedly caught the attention of my other companions.

  Stop it, Mira, Danaus snapped silently.

  Leave off. You’re enjoying it and you know it.

  I don’t want to. The surprising admission was enough for me to close the connection between us. I finished my meal alone after a couple more minutes. As I closed the young man’s wound, I thought about grabbing another, but I didn’t need to gorge myself. I would have the chance to feed again later.

  After guiding Frank to a chair near the doorway into the garden room, I resumed my seat, barely resisting the urge to run my tongue over my teeth. “Thank you. That was a welcome snack,” I said with a nod of my head to my host.

  “Are you sure you won’t take more? If they are not to your liking, I can summon others for you. Older perhaps? Or younger?” Veyron offered like any attentive host. I waved off his comments and turned my attention to Valerio and Stefan.

  Both nightwalkers silently chose from the remaining humans that filled the room, using the same care I had shown, to my great relief. Valerio wavered at times between putting his meal in a trance and leaving them conscious so he could enjoy the fear that pumped through their veins. Leaving them conscious would only anger Danaus, and everyone knew it. I was simply grateful that neither Valerio nor Stefan took the opportunity to start a fight with the hunter.

  Unfortunately, Macaire was taking advantage of the situation to try and provoke the hunter. He not only fed on three separate humans, but made sure they were fully conscious during the entire affair so their terror could be felt and heard in the room. When the first male failed to elicit a response from Danaus, Macaire switched to a pair of thin, weak females who were far more vocal in their fear. The Elder drained them within an inch of death, and they crumpled to the floor with an ugly thud. They had to be carried out by some of Veyron’s other servants.

  Throughout it all, Danaus didn’t even flinch. I knew the hunter had seen far worse in his days of battle and through his exceedingly long existence, but Macaire was only succeeding in proving to Danaus that he had been right all along. Vampires were simply bloodsucking monsters without a care for the human race beyond a source of food. Macaire proved that we were soulless creatures that weren’t worth saving. In that flicker of a moment, I didn’t blame Danaus for all the nightwalker deaths he had caused. If any of them were like Macaire, they deserved what they got.

  When the trio of nightwalkers returned to their seats and the humans filed back out of the room, Veyron’s eyes drifted to Danaus and a grin slowly crossed his features.

  “I am loath to ask such a favor,” he began, his gaze still locked on the hunter. “But I am wondering if you would permit me to try him. I have never heard of the famed Fire Starter keeping a pet. I am interested to know what makes him so unique.”

  “No!” I snapped, lurching to my feet. “No one touches him. Danaus is not a pet. As I said earlier, he is my consort.” Around us, candlelight flickered and flared brighter and higher on their wicks as I unconsciously tapped into powers that had been a part of me since birth. Something important to me was being threatened, and I was going to defend it with everything that I was. Veyron would not touch Danaus.

  Stefan and Valerio also rose to their feet as if to protect me, while Danaus remained standing as still as a statue beside me. Macaire lounged in his chair, watching the proceedings with a smirk on his thin lips.

  Veyron was wise and remained seated, offering both of his open hands to me as he immediately backed away from his request. “I meant no harm in my request,” he backpedaled. “I never meant to offend you or your consort.”

  I nodded stiffly, returning to my chair, followed by Valerio and Stefan. “Danaus is not to be touched by another creature.” I
left the unspoken threat hanging heavy in the air. If I were to never feed from the hunter, then I would never allow another nightwalker to touch him. I didn’t want him to be tainted in such a fashion. He was not like any other human I had met, and it wasn’t just that he was part bori. He was different, and I wanted to preserve and protect that difference from the rest of my kind.

  “Forgive me. I understand his importance to you. In truth, I don’t think I could ever allow anyone to touch my dearest Sofia here,” Veyron said as he once again stroked the back of her head. I half expected her to start panting or purring as she turned her wide blue eyes up at him and a delicate smile lifted the corners of her bow-shaped mouth.

  “Perhaps he would like for me to get him something to eat or drink,” Sofia suggested in a soft, almost hypnotic voice.

  “Yes, of course. How thoughtless of me! I am not accustomed to entertaining humans,” Veyron said with a laugh.

  Sofia rose to her feet as if supported by air and started to glide out of the room when Danaus shocked everyone by finally speaking. “I can accompany her,” he volunteered.

  “There is no need to trouble yourself.” Sofia smiled sweetly up at him, while I fought the urge to chew on my bottom lip in troubled thought. I had not expected this from Danaus. I had thought he would want to remain close while we were in talks with Veyron, but now he seemed anxious to slip away with Sofia. I wasn’t sure what he was up to, but a part of me knew that I wouldn’t like it.

  “I don’t mind,” Danaus said. “It would give me a chance to see more of this exquisite house.”

  “Yes, take him with you, Sofia,” Veyron said with a wave of his hand. “Get him something to eat and show him my home while I speak with the Elders.” I bit my tongue and forced a smile on my lips as I relaxed in the chair across from my all too gracious host. He thought he was doing Danaus some great favor, but I knew that the hunter had some devious scheme up his sleeve.