“Well, that is something. It can take years to start to sense a vampire’s energy. And it takes more practice on top of that to distinguish one vampire’s energy from another, especially without the help of the scent of their venom. Most don’t bother.”
Michael craned his neck to look at Meg. “Amaia said she could do it almost from the beginning.”
“Amaia’s a freak, dear. We love her, but she’s annoyingly good at certain things.”
Amaia rolled her eyes at her friend’s exaggeration.
“Why do you think he’s able to do it?” Meg looked to Amaia for an answer, but Amaia had no idea.
“It must be my link to Amaia. Ever since we mated, our bond has grown. I can even feel her emotions at times.”
“Hmm. That’s odd.”
“It’s not like that for you and Liam?” Amaia had felt it too.
“No, it’s just like the sire bond. We’re more aware of each other’s auras, but the mind link is the same. So you can communicate feelings through the link?”
“That’s how it’s been for me.” Michael looked to Amaia for agreement.
“Me as well. I assumed that’s how it was for mated pairs since everyone has reveled in telling me for ages that I don’t understand how strong the bond is. I thought this is what they meant.”
Liam appeared at a sprint and stopped beside Meg. “What’s so fascinating that you needed to pull me away?”
“They can communicate feelings through their link.” Meg nodded toward them as if pointing out a peculiar creature.
“So?”
“That’s all you have to say?”
“We’ve always known Amaia is odd. No reason her mating wouldn’t be odd as well.”
“And he can sense and track energies.” Meg raised her brow, clearly unwilling to be satisfied until she’d impressed her mate.
Liam’s eyes widened slightly. “Now that is interesting. Could be useful. Do you think you could make out Lawrence’s energy again?”
Michael nodded. “Yes, definitely.”
“That gives us an advantage in a fight.”
“I didn’t realize everyone couldn’t do it. I’ll pay better attention from now on, see how I can improve. Anything that gives us an advantage and makes protecting Amaia easier.”
As a vampire, Michael already made Amaia safer because she didn’t have to worry about his vulnerability. However, that would never be enough for him. He had been consistently training with Liam. She was glad. Just the thought of having him in her head the next time she faced down a pair of vampires was comforting even though she knew she could handle herself. Besides, she needed him to protect her from Lawrence. If it came down to it, she didn’t know if she could bring herself to kill her sire.
“Maybe you two can stop insisting I’m so strange now. I’m not the only one. I’m beginning to suspect everyone else is just slow.” Amaia was pleased that Michael had progressed so well. As Liam said, it would be beneficial for their safety. It satisfied her to see that there really was something special about him, and it wasn’t just her opinion.
“No, his strangeness definitely comes from you. You’re the source. It must have something to do with your situation.” Liam studied both of them, as if he were trying to work out a riddle.
A thought occurred to Amaia, one that might bring some comfort to her mate. She turned away from Liam to look at Michael where he sat behind her. She knew it took all of his willpower to not move between her and Liam. He was learning to temper his protective instincts with reason. “If you feel vampire energies so strongly, you must also be more sensitive to human auras. That could be why you lost control and killed that woman.” Michael flinched. “It’s nearly impossible to stop from killing the first time when you’re still trying to accustom yourself to the feel of a human’s energy. If you feel them the same way I do, mixed with your inexperience, there’s no amount of self-control you could have wielded to prevent it.”
Michael shook his head. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I was conscious of it at the moment. I knew I was going to kill her, and I did it anyway.”
“That’s why it’s called self-control. If knowledge of a situation was enough to prevent it, then no self-control would be required.” Amaia saw in his eyes that he didn’t fully accept that. “At least think on it.”
“I will.”
Sincerity shone from Michael’s eyes, so she turned her attention back to Meg. “Was there something you needed?”
“Oh, we were thinking of going into the village. We’re both feeling peckish, and I thought it might be fun to do some shopping. From the looks of it, I was right in thinking it’d be a necessity for you two.”
“Excellent idea!” They not only needed new clothes, but it’d been quite a while since Amaia had been shopping. She always enjoyed seeing all the pretty things for sale, even if she no longer had the wealth or occasion to buy many of them. “Were you thinking of going during the day and buying some clothes or stealing them at night?”
“Whichever you prefer. It makes no difference to me.”
Amaia turned to Michael. As she expected, he wore a disapproving glare.
“There’s no need to steal. We have money.” Michael and his morals.
“Fine, then we’ll need to leave right away. Let’s go get dressed.” Amaia pulled Michael to his feet, and they ran to the cottage.
Chapter 20
Michael had thought he’d pretend to be human while in town, but he quickly changed his mind. Surrounded by mortals, he found he couldn’t bring himself to even want to pretend. Everything about the way he experienced life was so different now that lowering himself to the level of a mortal was impossible. He realized then the difference between imitating and pretending.
Imitating humans didn’t come easily. When they entered the town, it took near constant thought for him to keep breathing, keep walking at a leisurely pace. All he wanted was to feed, to taste the intricacies of each person’s blood. If he couldn’t do that, then he wanted to run from place to place, to see everything in the town through the lens of his new vision.
“How can you be around so many people and not want to feed?” In Paris, he’d been proud of his ability to resist, but it had been easier with the distraction of their meeting with Lawrence.
“Who says I don’t want to? You just learn to distract yourself. It’s like being reborn. You must learn to control your urges just as you did when you were a human growing from child to adult.”
The words gave him a little bit of comfort.
“Ooh, Amaia, come look at this!” Meg waved her over to the window of a dressmaker’s shop. Michael followed a few paces behind with Liam.
The window displayed a dress that Michael assumed was in the latest fashion. He didn’t know or much care, as long as it made Amaia happy. He’d witnessed many changes in clothing over the years, and no doubt, whatever the women liked this decade, they’d detest in the next. The deep green color would complement Amaia well. “Go on and buy it if you like it.”
“You don’t want to come in with us?”
Michael glanced at Liam. “No, Liam and I would only get in the way. We’ll do our own shopping.”
When the girls entered the shop, an awkward silence hung between Michael and Liam. No matter how awkward it was, though, it was preferable to the boredom—and effort it would take to mask said boredom—that awaited them inside the dressmaker’s shop.
Liam broke the silence. “I know where the tailor is. How about we go get our own clothes? It’ll be unbearable if they take any part in it.”
Michael gestured for him to lead the way.
It only took a few minutes for them each to select what they needed. As the tailor took Michael’s measurements, Michael couldn’t help staring at the man’s pulse point in his neck as he bent down to measure Michael’s inseam. The tailor was a frail, older gentleman, his head crowned with a mop of feathery white hair. The skin sagged and wrinkled from his frame, but Mic
hael didn’t care. He yearned to suck away his life, to feel his fear, relish in the energy of his life force pouring into him, giving him strength.
The old man coughed, drawing Michael’s attention to the fact that he had finished his measurements. He’d so lost himself to the vision that he hadn’t even noticed.
“I have everything I need, gentlemen, unless there was something else you wanted?”
“No, thank you. That’ll do it for us. We’ll be around later to pick everything up.” Liam saved Michael from having to respond. When they had exited the shop, he turned to Michael. “You’re in a bad way. We can feed before we meet back up with the girls. They’ll be busy for hours if we don’t interfere.”
“No, thank you. I’d rather wait for Amaia to feed.” He didn’t trust himself not to kill, and even if he did, he preferred having Amaia’s assistance in seducing his victims. The thought of luring a woman who wasn’t Amaia to him ruined his appetite. “But I’ve no objection if you would like to go ahead.”
“I can wait. I’m not the one who was just eyeing the most unappetizing man as if he were a feast.”
Michael grimaced at this evaluation. “I’ll be fine. Let’s look around the town some more. I’d like to get Amaia something.” He’d always loved buying things for his wife, and it’d been too long since he’d gifted her with anything. They might be spending the rest of eternity together, but he didn’t want her to ever feel as if he took her for granted. Besides, she deserved a nice, new piece of jewelry to commemorate their commitment to each other.
It didn’t take long to find a jewelry shop. When they entered, the jeweler eyed them suspiciously. Only then did Michael realize it might have been better to come in wearing something a little nicer. No matter. What could the man do to him? Michael simply smiled in return, careful to not even look at the proprietor’s neck. Best to avoid temptation altogether. “Good day, sir.”
The jeweler nodded and went back to repairing a bracelet clasp.
“Do you have any idea what you want to get her?” Liam leaned over a display case of rings.
“I was thinking a necklace, something…” The words faded from his lips when he joined Liam. Michael already knew that jewels looked different to him now. He’d spent quite a bit of time watching the light play with the rubies and pearl of Amaia’s ring. The pearl had been a particular surprise. The swirls of white had been mesmerizing. He hadn’t thought a pearl would look so different.
That one ring hadn’t prepared him for what he saw. Light danced inside the display case, bouncing and reflecting off of dozens of jewels. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds. Michael had seen fancier necklaces as a mortal. During his first life with Amaia, he’d seen men and women so weighted down by jewels he’d wondered how they stood upright. But none of that compared to this relatively modest display. He could stare at them for hours. He wished he could lift them out of the case and move them to see how the light would react. The colors appeared vivid and crisp. For the first time, he understood the appeal of gemstones.
“A necklace, you say?” Liam startled Michael from his inspection.
Michael tore his eyes away from the case. He didn’t know how long he had been lost in the sight. Liam’s expression urged him to move along. “Yes. I’ve never gotten her one, and I’d like to accentuate her neck.”
Liam nodded then spoke so softly no mortal could hear him. “We can come back here tonight and get anything you like.”
“No.” Michael lowered his voice. “I’ll not steal.”
Liam shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“I don’t need anything fancy, just something to surprise her with. She’ll appreciate it. Ever since she returned to me we’ve hardly been apart. I haven’t had a chance to surprise her.”
“Well, I suggest you make your purchase now. She and Meg will spend all your money on clothes if you let them.”
“It’s her money anyway. She can spend it as she likes.” They walked over to another case and admired the necklaces. Michael did wish to buy something fancy for Amaia, but they didn’t have that much money with them. They’d taken a healthy sum with them when they left Paris, but with the way matters were proceeding with Lawrence and Zenas, it probably wouldn’t be worth the risk for Amaia to steal more from one of Zenas’s accounts or homes. With everything they’d taken, it amazed Michael that Lawrence hadn’t mentioned it when they’d met. Then again, the amount of wealth Zenas possessed staggered Michael’s mind. What they had taken was a pittance in comparison.
That was one possibility. The other was that the thieveries had been noticed and blamed on servants. Michael’s stomach twisted. That was more likely. The thought that innocent people had been punished weighed heavily on him, but he didn’t know what else he and Amaia could have done.
Browsing jewelry that he could actually afford was much less fun. “Perhaps I’ll wait to see what sort of damage she does at the dressmaker.”
Liam nodded. “Meg says they’re almost done. We can start back that way.”
As soon as they exited the jeweler’s, Michael’s skin crawled. It was as if a thick tar slid over him. The sensation so surprised him that he looked at his arms, fully expecting to see something.
“What is it?”
He ignored Liam’s question. The feeling retreated, but it had to have come from somewhere. Michael surveyed the people around him, trying to figure out the source. An instinct told him that what he’d felt had been a person’s aura. He took a few steps to his right, and the feeling returned. A few more, and it intensified. Ahead of him a few paces was a man who had brushed past them when they exited the shop. He had to be the source.
Michael turned to Liam. “You go on ahead to the dressmaker. Don’t wait for me. I’ll meet you back at the cottage.”
“Everything all right?”
“Yes.” Michael didn’t wait to see Liam’s reaction. He set off after the man with no idea what he planned to do. As he stalked the well-dressed man, his memory reached back to when Amaia had broken a man’s neck in front of him. She had insisted that the man had an evil aura. It had been her way of trying to make her need to kill when they were on the run more palatable to Michael.
At the time, he hadn’t thought Amaia lied to him. He knew she sometimes held information back from him in an effort to shelter or protect him, but she wouldn’t lie to him. No, he had just thought that no one could judge another person with such finality.
Now he understood. He’d been wrong.
The man in front of him had an aura so evil Michael felt the need to wash it from his skin. He didn’t know what vile deeds the man had done or would do, only that he seemed to be a tool of Satan himself.
Church bells chimed the hour, strong, clear peals that seemed to reinforce Michael’s thoughts. He’d found his purpose. God had brought him to this moment for this reason. He’d been destined to become a vampire. Everything in his life had pointed him to it. That was the only reason he’d been able to consent to it. He’d felt that God wouldn’t have directed his life in that direction unless he’d been meant to follow it through.
Before him lay his destiny. His purpose lay in killing, ridding the world of evil. It explained why he had been so quick to discern auras.
“Where are you?” Amaia’s voice held concern.
“I’m about to feed.”
“Do you want my help?”
“There’s no need. I’m going to kill.”
“Michael, no. You’ll regret it. I’m coming to you.”
She wasn’t far away and would be able to find him easily enough. He knew he wouldn’t regret killing the man, not when every sign pointed him toward it. However, it would make matters simpler to have Amaia with him. She’d confirm the man’s evil nature, and it would save him the trouble of having to explain or work through her doubts.
The man entered a clockmaker’s shop, and Michael waited for him outside. Only a few minutes passed before Amaia, walking as fast as a lady could without drawing undue
attention, appeared. She didn’t attempt to hide her frank appraisal of him.
“Good, I caught you in time.”
Michael shook his head. “You’re not going to talk me out of it. He’s inside. Don’t you feel that?”
“You mean the aura?”
“Yes.”
“Of course I feel it. I didn’t know you could.”
“Neither did I until today. That man is evil.”
“I thought you didn’t approve of being another’s judge, jury, and executioner.”
“Like everything else when I was mortal, I didn’t understand. He’s evil, Amaia. Not just someone who has done evil things.”
Amaia nodded. “Yes, you’re right.”
“A man can’t become that twisted through one act alone. It’s innate in his aura.”
“So you’re going to use that as an excuse to kill him?”
The disapproval in her eyes punched him in the gut. “It’s not an excuse. Don’t you see, Amaia? This is the reason I was destined from the beginning for this life. God has a purpose for me.”
“You’ll regret it when it’s done. Your guilt will eat at you. I don’t want to see that happen.”
“How can I feel guilty for doing what God wants?”
“You cling to these mortal beliefs, but you’re not mortal anymore.”
“If there is no God, then you and Liam are right, and there’s no need for me to feel guilty anyway. There’s nothing wrong with what I’m planning.” He knew she couldn’t refute him. He had satisfied his own belief in God and her disbelief. She couldn’t possibly have any further objection.
“If you’re sure it’s what you want, I won’t stop you. But I will go with you. You’ll need to lure him away from other people. If at any time you want to stop, just tell me, and I’ll make you.”
Michael raised his eyebrows. “You’ll make me?”
“Yes. I know you think you’re stronger than me, but I have more experience fighting. If you want me to stop you, I will.”
It was the surest sign of support she could give. Michael nodded and leaned against the outside wall of the shop, waiting for his prey. It didn’t take long. The man ambled from the store a few minutes later, a parcel in hand. Michael followed, so focused that he barely noticed Amaia beside him.
Immortal Echoes (Haunting Echoes Book 2) Page 12