by Bianca D'Arc
They followed her to a private room where the Master Vampire was holding court. At least that’s what it looked like. Mag had never seen anything like it, though he’d been introduced to the Master a time or two before. It was well understood that the Redstone Clan was the strongest group of Others in the area, therefore the Clan Alpha was top cat in Las Vegas.
Grif kept an open dialog with the Master, and the two groups occasionally shared information. For example, they talked contingencies when there was a shared threat. Grif was in charge of those kinds of discussions, and Mag knew he was cautious about bloodletters. But Mag also knew that Grif had an overall positive impression of the Master. Mag hoped his brother was right and this guy was okay.
When he saw them standing just inside the doorway, Antoine de Latourette, known to his close associates as Tony, stood and motioned for the room to clear. Mag wasn’t sure what to make of the somewhat imperious action. He was having a hard time getting a read on the Master. This meeting could still go either way.
The room emptied quickly, leaving only Tony and Cassandra facing Mag and Miranda. For a moment, nobody spoke. Finally, the Master broke his silence.
“It’s good to see you whole, young Miranda.” He smiled and Mag almost believed the expression on the Master’s face this time. Then those piercing eyes turned on Mag. “I understand we have you and your family to thank for finding her.”
“I’m not sure how much Grif told you.” A polite lie. Mag knew what his brother had shared with the Master vampire. Not the entire story, but everything about how they’d found Miranda on that raid months ago. “Miranda was being held captive by one of the mages that murdered my mother. She was near death. Starved for blood. She had been cut repeatedly, drained of her blood and her magic over a period of months.”
Tony’s eyes seemed to hold compassion when he turned back to look at Miranda, but Mag couldn’t be sure. Grif had told him this guy was over seven hundred years old. He was probably a better actor than most to have hidden within human society for so long.
“You’ve been through an ordeal most of us would not survive.” The Master seemed to look at her with new respect. “But I am surprised no one was killed during your initial release.”
“I slashed the panther,” she mumbled, as if ashamed. “I have apologized to him and his mate, but I have not been able to forget the blind rage that drove me to hurt him so badly,” she admitted under the pressure of the Master’s gaze.
“The panther?” the Master’s brows drew together in question.
“She means Slade. Our priestess’s mate,” Mag helped clarify.
“You took down the snowcat?” Even more respect filled the Master’s eyes as he looked at Miranda.
Mag also realized the Master knew a lot more about Slade than they’d thought. Slade’s dual nature—black panther and Himalayan snowcat—was something he kept under wraps, for the most part. It wasn’t normal for a shifter to share his soul with two creatures, but then, nothing about the mythical, highly magical snowcat followed normal rules. The Master must have pretty good intel sources if he knew about Slade.
“It was a lucky shot, but still, enough to damage him,” Mag admitted, not sure how much to say. He didn’t want to give away any more information much about Slade’s rather surprising vulnerability to Miranda’s attack, but he also didn’t want to detract from Miranda’s strength. He had to balance his words just right.
“Interesting. But what made her stop?” The Master was talking directly to Mag again, which was fine with him. He’d spare Miranda the interrogation if he could.
“I did. I arrived just as she was about to bite him and saw her. I called her name and she stopped.” Mag remembered the moment when he’d seen her again for the first time in over two years. She’d been about ready to savage Slade, and the memory of the state she’d been in still broke his heart. She’d been so weak. So fragile both mentally and physically. So close to the point of no return.
“Ah yes. You two knew each other before. Tell me, was it a long affair? I assume it was. She’s stronger than she should be for her age. I can only assume it was your blood that made her that way.” The accusation was aimed at Mag and he bristled. The cat inside him wanted to scratch and claw, but he repressed the urge.
“If you must know, it was a one-night thing. She was gone when I woke up, and I never saw her again until that night in the mage’s lair. Before that night she’d only had one hit of my blood.”
“And since?” Tony demanded harshly.
“Yes,” Miranda stepped in, answering the question. “On the night they found me.”
“And nothing since? I find that hard to believe.” Tony scoffed at her answer.
Mag felt Miranda’s anger rising and he thought it was about time. He tried to send cautionary feelings along their bond, hoping she would choose her words wisely.
“Last night, we renewed our bond. Master, I must report to you that I have found my One.” Her tone was strong and sure, her gaze direct.
“It’s forbidden!” Cassandra gasped and then fell silent. You could have heard a pin drop while the Master examined them. And then he sighed heavily.
“Do you feel the same?” the Master asked Mag in an almost weary voice.
“Miranda is my mate. I knew that the moment I met her more than two years ago. I won’t let her go a second time.” Mag stood firm against the Master’s banked intensity.
“You two present a real problem for me,” Tony said at last, steepling his fingers as he sat in his high-backed chair.
“But Master,” Cassandra piped in, “this cannot be allowed! It’s forbidden!”
“Actually, it’s not,” Tony drawled, not even looking at the blond woman. “I’ve seen such unions before.” He looked at Miranda and then Mag. “But the paths of such couples were never easy.”
“We’re prepared to face whatever comes,” Mag replied immediately, standing firm.
“You may think you are,” Tony allowed. “And I have no doubt that you are every bit as tough as your brothers, Magnus. I have respect for them and your Clan. But you cannot know the trials ahead, and your mate is still very young for a bloodletter. She may not be up to the challenge. In which case, you will both fall.”
Mag could feel Miranda bristling at his side. She didn’t like the Master’s low opinion of her. Not one bit.
“I may be young, but I’ve been through hell and back, and not one of your precious minions even cared to look for me.” Miranda let loose with both barrels while Mag silently applauded. “My dear sister,” she practically sneered the word, “didn’t even bother to notice I was gone.”
“Oh, I noticed,” Cassandra said, and not in a friendly way. It was clear the other woman had probably wanted Miranda dead for a long time. Mag took note, filing away that information for later consideration. For now, he was on guard, watching every detail.
“And did nothing,” Miranda continued, her voice condemning. “I would have died but for Mag. He is my family now. I would renounce you if I could, Cassandra.”
“Now, now, ladies.” Tony watched the animosity between the women with something that looked like mild interest to Mag. Then again, the old guy probably had complete control over his facial expressions after so many centuries. Nothing would show that he didn’t want to show. “You will be civil to one another in my home. Cassie, darling, would you go and fetch a bottle of my favorite? There’s a good girl.” Tony sent the blond off on his errand, clearly wanting her out of the room. Cassie’s expression could have melted steel, but she followed orders and stomped out of the room.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Tony gestured for them to sit. Mag saw the mask of indifference slide of the Master’s face as he leaned forward in his chair. Finally, he thought, they were seeing the real man beneath the carefully controlled expressions.
“She won’t come back for at least ten minutes,” Tony said. “Enough time for us to speak freely. Miranda, I am truly sorry nobody searched for y
ou. I had assumed Cassie was taking care of her family, but I have learned since your disappearance how wrong I was about her. You were covering for her all these years, weren’t you?”
Miranda nodded slowly. “For a long time, I blamed myself for the way she is,” she admitted. “But during my captivity, I had a lot of time to think. I didn’t do anything wrong. Our maker was a cruel and selfish man. If anyone’s to blame, it’s him.” Mag saw a little hint of Miranda’s memories of a handsome vampire through their connection, but he was missing a big chunk of the story, he was sure.
“Geoff was a fool,” Tony admitted. “He got what was coming to him and you are not to blame. Everyone but Cassie knows it.”
“She still blames me for his death. She has from the very beginning.”
“I did not realize the depths of her cruelty until recent events, Miranda. I’m sorry to have been so blind where your family was concerned.”
An apology from the Master Vampire? Mag was impressed.
“Miranda will explain the delicate details about her family to you later, I’m sure,” Tony added when he noticed Mag’s curious expression. “For now, I will give you my blessing, for what it’s worth, on your union. I ask only that you don’t publicize it. I fear that with so many shifters in Las Vegas, and so many youngsters looking to increase their power, if it became known openly that you two are mated, the less scrupulous of my people would begin to prey on yours, Magnus. That is something neither of us want. So for everyone’s sake, you must keep your union as low profile as possible. To that end, I’m creating a new position within my power structure. For the first time, both bloodletters and shifters are going to have liaisons. Liaisons that will have to work very closely together.”
Mag smiled. It was an elegant solution to the problem. Tony was right. If their mating was common knowledge, it would be open season on shifter blood, and nobody wanted that.
“You, Magnus, are now the official shifter liaison to my court. I’ve talked it over with Grif and he agrees, though you will undoubtedly talk to him about it after we’re done here.” Tony nodded as if he expected no less. “The position will give you an excuse to be in constant contact with my own liaison, Miranda.”
“Do you think it’ll work?” Miranda asked, looking from Mag to Tony and back again.
“Yeah, I think it just might.” Mag smiled, glad his brother and the Master had been plotting behind his back. They’d come up with a good option for everyone concerned.
“Cassie might be a problem,” Miranda put in.
“She is already a problem,” Tony agreed. “I am having her watched. As soon as she returns, I will compel her to secrecy about your union.”
Mag knew the Master was the most powerful vampire in the city. He probably had the skill with magic, and strength behind it after seven centuries of practice, to bind the younger vamp. Mag didn’t care to speculate on what Tony could do to just about anyone, if he felt the desire to screw with their minds. Luckily, the priestess had assured Grif—and by extension, the rest of the family—that Tony was on their side. He wasn’t capricious or evil, for which everyone in a hundred mile radius could be thankful.
“Cassandra has been angling for more and more power within my domain,” Tony went on. “She fancies herself my right hand. I’ve allowed it so that I can keep a close eye on her, but the time is coming when she will overstep her bounds and I will have to call her to task. Leave her to me for now. I will keep her on a short leash.”
They left the penthouse a short while later. They’d settled things for now, but Miranda still worried about Cassandra. She was devious. Even the Master probably didn’t realize the depths of her cunning. Miranda would have to be on guard. And she’d have to tell Mag the whole, sordid story so he understood the situation fully.
She wasn’t looking forward to it. They kept silent until they were heading home in Mag’s car. He’d taken the precaution of having it guarded by two shifters while they were at the party. No one had gotten near enough to plant any sort of tracker on it this time.
Before they’d left, the Master had explained that as his new liaison, Miranda had moved significantly up in the bloodletter hierarchy. She reported only to him now, and if any bloodletter interfered with her in any way—and surveillance would definitely be considered interference—there would be severe consequences.
Miranda hadn’t looked for any sort of increase in position within the vampire community, but it had come to her nonetheless. Though it would take some getting used to, the advantages to her new role far outweighed any disadvantage, from what she could see. Things just might work out after all. And if she had to keep quiet about finding her One, then so be it. She didn’t exactly have a ton of friends among her people. In fact, she had damn few.
Mag reached across the seat and took her hand in his. She realized he was picking up on her emotions and maybe some of her thoughts as well. The connection between them was strong, but they hadn’t yet really shared their thoughts in words. That would come in time. For now, they had to learn their way…together.
“It’ll be harder to hide our mating from my people than yours,” Mag said into the silence. “But if it keeps you safe, I’ll do anything.”
“You know I feel the same.” She squeezed his hand. “Whatever we need to do to be together, that’s what we’ll do.” She felt good putting the feelings she knew they shared into words. “Now…” She really wasn’t looking forward to what she had to do next. “There are a few things you need to know about my past.”
She knew he sensed her dread. She felt his emotions through their connection, and was pleased that he didn’t want to put her through dredging up the past. She, on the other hand, felt it had to be done. Her past had to be put out in the open so nothing could surprise him later. She took a deep breath.
“I didn’t become…what I am…by choice,” she began. “My maker, Geoffry, was a predator of the worst kind. He was young for a bloodletter, with only a century or two under his belt. He decided he wanted a harem of playmates and began turning women against their will. At first, he chose pretty prostitutes. Cassandra is the only one of those many women who continues to exist. She was one of the few who were happy of the change when she woke up from a night of debauchery to find herself immortal. The others weren’t quite so strong of will. A few ran out into the sun on their first day as immortals. Others fell to different circumstances. Regardless, when Geoff got tired of playing with women of questionable virtue, he began looking around for others. Somehow I caught his eye and he began the seduction.”
She felt so stupid, even now, all these years later. “I was innocent. Naïve.” She looked out the window at the passing scenery. The desert was really beautiful at night, but nothing could quell the ugly memories of her past. “Geoff began to court me and I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world to have such an elegant and educated suitor. He took me out dancing and to parties. He was so worldly and I was such a little girl back then. Inevitably, I fell for his act and on the night I expected him to propose marriage, he attacked and drained me almost to death. He gave me a huge dose of his blood and the change began. I woke up a day later as I am now.”
She had to pause to regain control of her emotions before she could go on with her story. She blinked several times to halt the tears she could feel welling in her eyes.
“I couldn’t go back to my family. Geoff had arranged everything. He faked my death so my family wouldn’t look for me. He whisked me away from everything I knew. I was totally dependent on him for everything. Cassandra was my tormentor from day one. She didn’t like being replaced by a younger model, and she hated the fact that I was a virtuous woman. She harassed me constantly, belittling the fact that even after all I’d been through, I was still a virgin. Geoff took care of that though. I’d barely recovered my strength when he used his magic to seduce me into his bed.” She felt the old bitterness and disgust at her maker’s actions fill her mind.
“If he wasn’t already
dead, I’d kill him for you,” Mag said in a quiet, deadly growl at her side.
It was just what she needed to hear to anchor her back to the here and now instead of the miserable past she’d already survived. Dwelling on Geoff’s treachery did her no good. She’d been there, done that for far too long, and didn’t want to go back.
“Cassie blames me for his death. She’s probably right. I ran from him and he was stupid enough to chase me. He got caught out in the sun and fried. And I was glad.” She reveled the feeling of bitter satisfaction she’d felt when she woke the next night, knowing he was dead. “There’s a special bond between us and our makers. I didn’t know how, but I knew the next time I woke that the bond was severed. He was gone. And I cried in relief. And I ran. I knew the remaining members of his harem would be after me. They’d want revenge. Without him, they’d actually have to work for a living and scramble to figure out how to get by. Most of them only had their looks to fall back on and not much in the brain department. He mostly picked weak-willed women. Almost all were dead before the next year was out. I felt it each time one of them left this realm. The bond between us faded each time one did something stupid and died the final death. The sibling bond isn’t quite as strong as the bond to the maker, but it’s still there.”
“How did you meet up with Cassandra again?” Mag asked, calmer now.
“We only reunited a few years ago when I moved to Las Vegas. She was already here, which made sense to me. She was always one for glitter without much substance. This city is perfect for her. It was a tough reunion. She actually dragged me before the Master demanding justice for the death of our maker. The Master stopped just shy of laughing in her face once he heard the whole story. Besides Cassie, and now you, he’s the only one who knows how my maker died. Though I’ve long suspected Cassie was spreading lies about me. I wasn’t welcomed by many, and those who did give me the benefit of the doubt were cautious. I didn’t mind because I didn’t choose this life and I don’t particularly like hanging out with other vampires. I go my own way.”