He leaned over the table towards me. “Listen to me, luv, stay away from Corin. I’ve seen him in action and no matter what you think, you can’t handle him. That bloke's got more front than Brighton. I'm tellin' you straight, you’ll be on yer back wiv yer knickers round yer ankles before you can say knife.”
I choked on my tea and slammed the mug down so hard it sloshed over the sides. “Take that back! I bloody wouldn’t. I love Corvus, I would never do such a thing to him and let’s face it, I’ve held out against him for long enough, I can certainly say no to Corin!”
Rodney snorted. “Then you clearly haven’t seen him at work! You’re playin’ wiv fire. Corvus loves you, he’s a proper gent, he wouldn’t take advantage. Corin? Do yourself a favour an’ stay away from him, luv.”
I thought back to the last few nights with Corvus and almost told Rodney that his Master was way past playing fair and would take every advantage he could find. Frankly I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out. The main problem being that I really didn’t want to hold out at all.
“Did you find anything in Réme’s library?” I asked, hearing the desperation in my own voice.
“I’m sorry, mate, I didn’t. I’ve learned more about bleedin’ vamps and their history and traditions than I cared to remember but there’s nuthin’.”
I groaned inwardly. “You’re sure?”
There was something in the way he didn’t meet my eyes when he nodded that gave me pause. “Rodney? Are you sure?”
He sighed and looked back at me. “I’m sure. You can’t break it.” He smirked at me. “Face it, Jéhenne, you’re screwed.”
“Oh, ha bloody ha.” I scowled at him then stared moodily into my tea, wondering what the hell to do about Corin.
“What’s funny?” We both looked up as Cain stuck his head in the door.
“Absolutely nothing,” I replied with a grimace.
“Where’s Corvus?” he asked.
Rodney gestured above our heads with his mug. “Holding court in the great hall.”
Cain nodded his thanks and strode off.
“Go an’ tell ‘im,” Rodney hissed.
“Tell who, what?”
“Go tell Cain you won’t train with Corin.”
I shook my head. “There’s no point, Rodney. I can’t argue with him.He always finds a way to make me do what he wants. No, the only thing I can do is meet Corin as arranged and tell him I’ve changed my mind. Cain will be pissed off when he comes back and finds out but it will be too late then.”
Rodney shook his head.
“Oh, bloody hell, Rodney, you’re coming with me so you can protect me. I survived meeting an incubus; you can’t tell me Corin is worse than that. I trained with him the whole of last summer and he never so much as flirted with me.”
“From what you told me, you survived Rafael because Corvus nearly snapped his neck in two, and I don’t know why Corin never moved on you before, but if he’s back he won’t be messing about this time. The fae are in trouble from what I hear. Corin needs a wife to provide lots of pretty babies for the succession, and if he’s decided you fit the bill--” He stopped mid-sentence and swore softly. “Bugger, I never thought. Is that it, Jéhenne? Is that what’s holding you back with Corvus?”
I got up quickly, the chair scraping nosily on the tiled floor. I didn’t want to talk about this.
“Jéhenne?”
“Will you come with me to meet Corin or not?” I demanded.
He looked at me and for a moment I thought he wouldn’t let it go, but he sighed and nodded. “Yeah, alright, when?”
“Sunday morning.”
“Right ho ... Oh, wait, nah, I can’t. Corvus ‘as already asked me to go and pick somethin’ up for him.”
“Well you can do that later on.”
He shook his head. “No can do, luv. It’s all arranged. I got to leave early to meet some fella down south, won’t be back till the afternoon, neither.”
“Oh, Rodney!”
“Well it aint my fault. Look, just don’t go. Have a lie in and don’t turn up. Simple.”
“Yeah, simple. Alright then.”
Rodney sighed with relief. “Good, that’s settled then. Right, well I’m off to meet Millie, see yer later, lovely.”
“Yeah, OK, later.” I watched him go and was about to head up to find Corvus when my phone rang. To my surprise it was Inés. She’d only recently given in to the need to have a phone. She hated technology in all forms, and this was the first time she’d called me since she got it.
“Jéhenne, will you come over please, I need to speak with you.” She sounded upset.
My heart sank. “Now?”
“S’il te plâit, I wouldn’t ask but ... I need to speak with you. It’s important.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t talk over this thing! Just come.” She put the phone down and I swore at her even though she couldn’t hear me.
“Fine, I’m coming,” I said to thin air and headed back up the stairs to my car.
Twenty minutes later and I walked into Inés’ herb room to find her muttering and pacing. Books covered the work tops and ingredients lingered in various states of use.
“What on earth is going on?”
She looked at me and ran a hand through her hair. I’d never seen Inés even slightly rattled but she looked fraught with anxiety. “Georgette is dead.”
“What? Who’s Georgette?”
“Oh, Madame Courtois, the old lady over at Verlaine.”
“The one you make tonics for?”
“Oui.”
“Oh, bloody hell, Inés! I told you, didn’t I tell you? You shouldn’t meddle with this stuff. Let them see a bloody doctor. What did you do?”
“Merde, Jéhenne, always with the vote of confidence. That woman would have died twenty years ago if not for me.”
“Well maybe she should have, perhaps it was her time.”
“Oh, putain! You don’t believe that any more than I do.”
“Perhaps,” I yelled at her. “But what now? What did you do?”
“Rien. I swear it, I didn’t do anything wrong. I’ve been making her that tonic for years, I’ve checked everything, the ingredients, the spell, everything. There was nothing wrong with it.”
“Well what’s the problem then, she died of natural causes?”
“Non.” She walked back through to the kitchen and opened the dresser door, hauling out a bottle of eau de vie.
“What?”
She poured out a glass and offered me one but I shook my head.
“I went over there, Jéhenne. The doctor has ruled natural causes but the family is kicking up, they say I killed her ...with magic. Obviously everyone thinks they’re overwrought with grief and that it’s all nonsense. They sent a Gendarme over here and he was most apologetic but there is going to be an inquest.”
“Oh my God, Inés, what will you do?” I sat down at the kitchen table and Inés joined me, waving her hand in irritation.
“I don’t care about the inquest, they won’t find anything. The thing is, I saw the body and they’re right. It was the potion that killed her, it was magic.”
I frowned. “But you just said it wasn’t the potion.”
“I said it wasn’t the potion I made. It was tampered with.”
I gaped at her. “But who would do such a thing? Who could do such a thing?”
She poured another drink and held the glass up to her mouth, green eyes glittering with fury. “Heloïse.”
“Oh come on, Inés, I know you two don’t get along but surely not? She’s only been here five minutes.”
“Exactement!” she exclaimed. “She turns up and the dead bodies start arriving ... quel surprise!”
My hopes of having a normal female relation plummeted a few more notches, but then this was Inés, she gave paranoia a whole new perspective.
“Why on earth would she do that?”
Inés twisted the empty glass around on the table top
and glowered into the fire, not meeting my eyes.
“Revenge,” she said eventually.
I sighed. “What did you do?”
She sat up and crossed her arms defensively. “She started it.”
“Oh, God.”
By the time Inés had run down the condensed version of who had done what to whom over the past six centuries, I had lost the will to live and any hope that Heloïse was going to be easier to get along with than Inés was. Of course Inés could be exaggerating but instinct told me Heloïse was not to be trifled with. Whether or not she had set Inés up for murder though ... I just couldn’t see it.
I walked into the chateau and straight into Corvus’ arms. I sighed as they closed around me, and laid my head against his chest.
“Hello,” I mumbled into his shirt.
“Hello.” He put a finger under my chin, lifting my head. “It’s three AM and you look exhausted, what have you been doing?”
“Inés.”
“Ah.” He lifted me like I weighed nothing, and headed for the stairs. “Do I need to bury any bodies?”
“I think the Gendarmes are taking care of this one.”
He paused mid-step. “Are you involved?”
I shook my head and smothered a yawn. “No, and can we talk about this tomorrow.”
“Of course.” He took me into the apartment and through to his bedroom where he set me down on the bed. Stopping for a moment to brush his lips over mine, he headed to the fireplace and chucked a couple more logs on the fire, as the temperature in the room was in danger of dropping below that of a furnace. The bed was comfy and the room was warm and I was knackered. I stretched contentedly and felt my eyelids close. I heard Corvus sigh as he returned and the bed dipped as he climbed in beside me.
“You cannot avoid me by sleeping, my heart.”
“Don’t want to avoid you,” I mumbled and sighed happily as his body fitted against mine, arms pulling me close.
“I will give you tonight, Jéhenne, but tomorrow ...” He kissed my neck and suddenly I wasn’t quite so sleepy. “Tomorrow, I will not take no for an answer.”
My heart began to thud but I kept my eyes closed, feigning sleep. I knew it was unlikely to fool him but I didn’t want to risk him seeing the expression of panic that I knew would be in my eyes. I wanted to cry. That meant tomorrow I was destined to have a row with him as I rejected his advances again. It was so unfair, I didn’t want to say no, the frustration of having to keep turning him down was driving me out of my mind and making me worse tempered than usual. I had tried to divert him; it wasn’t as if nothing had happened between us, far from it. At first it had been fun, almost a game as I strove to be more and more inventive in the bedroom ... and anywhere else, and he did his best to persuade me to give in. His best was bloody amazing and I had come so close the last time we had been together that I knew the next time I might not be able to refuse, and if I did ... If I did, he might lose patience with me entirely.
There were good reasons why I couldn’t just give in though, very good reasons, and I knew I was likely to be reminded of them while I slept.
Chapter 5
I was sitting, nursing a newborn baby.
A fire flickered in the hearth beside me, casting a warm glow over us both as I rocked back and forth, suffused with a deep-seated feeling of peace and fulfillment as I gazed down at him. He suckled greedily, small fists opening and closing as he fed, pushing against me, kneading like a kitten. I ran a finger over the silky down of his cheek, the skin so exquisitely soft. His eyes were still a dark blue, too early to have changed to their true colour yet, and they regarded me solemnly, trusting, knowing that I would always protect him, would always put him first, come what may.
He was a beautiful child, the most beautiful thing I had ever seen ...and he was mine. His eyes fluttered shut as his jaw slackened and he huffed out a contended sigh. I touched the thick mop of hair, feathery delicate and a deep, chestnut brown, and I knew I would do anything, anything at all, to keep him safe.
Chapter 6
I woke with a start to find a pair of blue eyes frowning at me.
“Bad dream?”
I shook my head, knowing I couldn’t lie to him. “No, just ...weird.” That was true at least, I tried to smile but my eyes were transfixed by the bright blue eyes and the blonde hair falling around his face.
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
“No! I mean ...no, I’m tired.”
He kissed my forehead and pulled me close. “Go back to sleep.”
I snuggled back against him, knowing I wouldn’t be able to. The dream had been haunting me ever since the vision had first come, each time the emotions growing stronger, the connection to the child more tangible.The child was mine, or would be. I had no way of knowing if it was a memory of my first life, or a vision of the future. There were no clues to place me, nothing but my gaze on the baby in my arms, the flicker of a fire at my side, nothing more. Could Jéhnina have had a child? Did Corvus know about it? He’d never mentioned it before, so did that mean the child was in my future? There was only one thing I did know for sure ... Corvus wasn’t the father.
I rested my head on the heavy muscle of his chest with a growing ache in my heart. Did that mean I was destined to be unfaithful to him, to leave him? The thought was so appalling that I could barely breathe, I didn’t want anyone else but--but I did want that child. I would love it, had loved it. I did love it with all my heart.
I slid out from Corvus’ arms and he grumbled in his sleep but I couldn’t lay there with those thoughts turning around in my mind. It was barely seven and the first light of dawn was creeping over the countryside. I showered and dressed and headed downstairs. My stomach rebelled at the thought of breakfast and so I grabbed a cup of tea and headed outside to meet Cain.
Bleak, iron grey clouds hung ominously in the sky, and a fierce north wind blew across the front of the chateau. I shivered, huddling into the thick jumper and coat I’d pulled on and looked around for Cain. Oddly he wasn’t waiting for me. On a normal morning he was there already, tapping his foot impatiently and moaning about me being late. It was too bloody cold to hang around waiting for him though, so I figured I’d walk down to the woods to get some practice in before he showed up.
I put my head down against the wind and wrapped my scarf tighter round my neck, all the while going over and over the details of the dream in my mind. I wondered if it was just that, just a dream born of anxiety over what I would be giving up if I completed the bond with Corvus, but I knew it was more than that.
It concerned me when I realised what it would mean. The idea that I could never have that was an unhappy one but not devastating ...at least not until the dreams had started. The idea that the child I had held in my arms would never be born gave me an
ache deep in my belly that I knew would never leave me if it happened. I needed that child, maybe not yet ...but one day, but I needed Corvus too. Did that mean I would have to choose?
I was so deep in thought that I didn’t notice the change in the atmosphere until it was too late.
The day was grim and freezing cold, not unusual for December, but there hadn’t been any fog before. Now it hung in the air, yellow and unnatural, coiling around the trees and draping itself from the branches where it dripped a thick yellow sludge onto the ground. I looked at the sticky puddles with distaste and then behind me to see if there was any sign of Cain. I had the feeling I might be in trouble. All the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I had the distinct feeling I was being watched.
I heard a movement and turned slowly, willing it not to be true. This was my life however, of course it was true. I stared and stared but my mind simply refused to accept what it was looking at. The creature looked back at me, eyes dull and malevolent, and it took a shambling step forwards. It stretched an arm out and a hand the size of a car tyre took a swipe at me with surprising speed. I leapt back with a shriek and its claws drew deep gashes in the tree I�
��d been standing next to.
Breathing heavily I ran, finding shelter. I peered around a tree and watched in disbelief as the monster lumbered towards me. There really was no other word for it, it was a monster. It must have stood over fifteen feet high even though its head hung down low, almost resting on its enormous belly. I took a deep breath and yelled for Cain at the top of my lungs, hoping against hope that he was close enough to hear me. I strained my ears to hear a response but could only hear my blood rushing in my ears and the steady thud of whatever it was that wanted to kill me as it got closer. It stopped about ten foot away and uprooted a pine tree, simply yanked it out of the ground with its bare hands. Crap!
I decided I wasn’t going to wait for it to try and make me into a giant kebab, and I threw a binding spell at it. If I could just contain it until Cain got here… It didn’t even pause, just shook the tree over its head like a spear, its mouth split open bearing, stumpy hippo’s teeth. I could swear the bloody thing was grinning at me. I threw fire spells at it but it just seemed to absorb them. The thick knobbly skin hissed as each spell hit but it didn’t seem to bother the monster.
Shit. I tried another tack and another elemental spell, this time water. I concentrated on drawing all the water in the vicinity towards me. It had been raining a lot, and there was plenty available. The water hovered in a giant ball, shimmering in the dull light of the forest. I slipped and slid as I tried to back up, concentrating on holding it together. Finally the position was right, and I let it go. The water fell on the monster’s head and it let out a wail. I don’t think it actually did him any harm, it was more like a cat shrieking in protest, either that or it wasn’t big on washing, and from the smell of it that was a fair bet.
Although it didn’t hurt, the water pooled around the creature’s massive feet and as he took a step he slipped back a little. Its massive weight sliding around in tons of water on the already sodden ground quickly created a quagmire. In other circumstances it might have been funny, watching the massive beast flail about in a muddy puddle, as it was it just bought me some time.
The Heart of Arima. Page 4