Promise Me

by Tara Fox Hall

  Whether the rest was right or not, I couldn’t hide in the bathroom all night like a teenage girl at a high school dance. I dusted off my pride and followed her out.

  The party was in full swing when we returned. A live band had set up and was playing dance music. Mostly soft rock, but also a little country and older classical music. Couples danced in a variety of ways, while others stood in groups talking. Devlin stood with Danial, both looking irritated.

  Devlin nodded to me when I returned. He gave me another sexy grin.

  Danial put his arms around me. “Let’s dance.”

  “I’d love to.”

  When we reached the dance floor, he nodded to the band and the song changed to a slow number. Danial held me close, almost hugging me as he moved us.

  “Are you okay?” he murmured into my hair.

  “No,” I replied.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked with concern.

  “I was, but he gave me some of his blood to heal the cut.”

  “Damn him.” He inhaled sharply, casting an angry look at Devlin, while stroking my hair. “Forget him and dance with me. The song and the night are almost over.”

  We danced the rest of the song in silence, then walked back to Devlin. I braced myself for more of his nastiness.

  “Danial, Sarelle, thank you for your hospitality. It was the most pleasurable party I’ve been to in more than fifty years. But I’m afraid I must leave.”

  He shook Danial’s hand and kissed mine chastely, holding my gaze as he did. I knew better than to recoil from his touch, but I shook slightly with repressed anger.

  He bared his fangs in a gleeful smile. “Please forgive my rash words, Sar. I hope to see a good deal more of you, my dear,” he said elegantly. “A good evening to you both.” He dropped my hand and swaggered off.

  I watched him leave, thinking if I never saw him again in my life it would be too soon.

  Devlin turned at the door. “Danial, let me know how it goes. Good luck.” Then he was gone.

  A half hour later, the last guests nodded goodbye and left. I checked the clock. Three a.m. No wonder I was so tired.

  “Are you ready to go home?”

  “Do your parties always run this late?”

  “The annual ones. Human guests arrive at seven p.m. and stay until ten or eleven. Vampires get up about seven and need travel time, so they don’t get here until ten or eleven. It is a long night, but it’s only once a year.” He gave me a half smile. I didn’t return it, and his faded. He turned and walked over to Tatiana.

  As they spoke, I walked through the double doors. Wandering around for a few moments, I finally found the back entrance. To my relief, Theo was with the car.

  “Sar, I think—”

  “Save it,” I cut him off. “I don’t care what you think.”

  He shut up, and I got into the back seat, curling myself up in a ball.

  Danial came out with my clothes. He threw them in the back, got in beside me, and Theo drove off.

  I didn’t look at Danial, but I felt his eyes on me. Part of me didn’t want him to touch me. The other part wanted him to hold me because I was exhausted more than anything else. When he brought me into his lap, I didn’t fight him.

  Theo dropped us off at Danial’s home, and Danial carried me in. He lay me on his bed, turning on a small floor lamp. He left, closing the door.

  There was enough light to see that the walls were a dark midnight blue and there were no windows. The ceiling was the most beautiful of all. The entire night sky glowed on the ceiling with all the stars depicted. Seeing the familiar designs of the major constellations and the North Star calmed me.

  Danial returned, and I curled into a ball again. He sat next to me, reaching, but I recoiled. His hand stopped for a moment, then suddenly grabbed me and hauled me into his arms. I shrieked and tried to push him away, but he held me close.

  “Leave me alone. Don’t touch me,” I hissed, on the edge of hysteria.

  “No,” he said calmly. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  I shrieked, “He sliced me open and insulted me worse than anyone ever has! Everyone acted like it was nothing!”

  “I know,” he said softly. “I was there.”

  “How could you let him say those things to me? You gave him permission!”

  “I had no choice. We weren’t oathed. He knew I didn’t want to share you, but he did it because I couldn’t stop him. He can taste any human he wants that isn’t oathed—”

  “You didn’t tell me!”

  “I told you to beware of other vampires at the party. Theo said he warned you, too. How could you think I’d want you to give permission? I gave you the choker precisely so you’d never have to submit to advances of any kind.”

  Yes, he had done all of that. I’d been so pissed at Devlin for calling me afraid that I hadn’t stopped to think.

  “Tell me the truth,” he said. “Did you give him permission because you wanted him to kiss you, because you found him attractive?”

  I gave him a look of disbelief. “No. I was outraged. How can you ask that?”

  “Because seeing him kiss you made me jealous. I’d rather admit that right now, ask you, and hear that it meant nothing than not to speak of it and find out it was what you wanted. That he’s what you want.”

  “I didn’t want it or him. What I want is never to see him again. Can that be arranged?”

  “Yes,” he said in relief. “It can. Now, lie here with me and let me hold you.”

  I snuggled into him and promptly fell asleep.

  * * * *

  I opened my eyes, feeling terribly exhausted and disoriented. I looked over in relief to find Danial lying next to me. Then I saw the dress with its tear, and the night flooded back to me. I bolted up and made it into the bathroom just in time to lose my dinner.

  The door creaked behind me and Danial said, “Are you okay?”

  Even puking my guts out, I still had some pride. “Give me a minute.”

  I looked like hell. Makeup had run from all the crying I’d done, and then dried that way. Throwing up hadn’t helped my complexion. My hair had flattened, and what hadn’t had clumped from the hairspray.

  I washed my face and hands, then blew my nose. Then I washed my face again. Rechecking, I looked a lot better. At least, the makeup was gone. I couldn’t fix anything else until I showered.

  “Sar?”

  “You can come in.”

  He was still handsome though exhausted. “I have to sleep longer. You can get up if you like, but you should really sleep, too.”

  “I have to let out the dogs. They—”

  “Aran has already seen to them. I gave him instructions last night. I knew we’d need to rest most of today. Brush your teeth and come back to bed.”

  There was a knock at the bathroom door. A woman said hesitantly, “Danial?”

  “Come in,” Danial said with relief.

  The door opened, and a plump woman came into the bathroom with an armful of fresh towels. “Here you go, sir,” she said cheerily.

  “I didn’t think you’d be up yet, with the party so late and all,” she said, eyeing me. “You should find everything you’ll need, Miss.”

  What I needed was a shower, but with all these people in the bathroom with me, I didn’t see that happening. Then I remembered I was a guest and decided not to be rude. Yet. “Thanks.”

  “This is Mary, my housekeeper. Mary, Sarelle.”

  “It’s good to meet you,” she said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “It’s good to meet you. Have you seen two large dogs?”

  “Aran is out with them. They were up at dawn, and we didn’t want them disturbing you. Call me if you need anything.” She bustled out, her footsteps retreating.

  “I’m sorry for what happened last night,” Danial said. “Devlin was out of line. He pushed to the limit of the law by drinking from you, and then crossed it when he gave you his blood. I meant what I said; you won’t have to see hi
m again.”

  “You and Tatiana are making a big deal out of him giving me his blood. More than him taking mine. Explain that to me.” He ran his hand through his hair. It was back to shoulder length. “And what happened to your hair? Wasn’t it shorter a day ago?”

  “Let’s take a shower,” he said tiredly, “and then we’ll talk about it.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but decided I wanted a shower more than answers right then. His shower had two showerheads, so there was plenty of room for both of us. The water felt wonderful, and I took my time, though Danial was done in a few minutes. He left, saying he would wait for me in the bedroom. I opened the door a half hour later, wrapped in a warm robe. When I sat on the bed, he began to talk.

  “First off, the choker kept you safe, at least from every vampire there except Devlin. Remember the woman I drank from? Anyone at the party was fair game, except those with chokers on. That’s a sign that no one is to drink from them or engage them in anything other than conversation. Even that must be initiated by the human. They are off limits.” He paused. “Devlin is the absolute Ruler in this country. As such, he can do what he wants, within reason. He can taste anyone he wants at least once, except an oathed human. He wasn’t supposed to give you his blood. Blood exchange is forbidden by the collar...choker, except with the vampire who gave the choker in the first place.”

  Quick save, but not quick enough to cover his slip. Terian had been right. “What’s the big deal with the blood? It didn’t do anything to me.”

  “The big deal is that enough blood in a short amount of time will change you. Or kill you.”

  “So the books and movies are true. Blood exchange is the way vampires are made.”

  He watched me closely. “Yes and no. Vampires come into being that way, but most of the time, the human dies.” He closed his eyes. “I have to laugh when I see all those movies about vampires taking over the world, trying to turn everyone.” He opened his eyes and looked at me. “I may have lived a long time, but I have never been able to create another vampire. All my efforts with the blood exchange failed. I finally stopped trying. I couldn’t watch another person I loved die.”

  I didn’t feel sorry for him. He’d still lived a long time. “Go on.”

  “That’s why Devlin is Regent, or Ruler, as he prefers to call it. Of all the vampires in America, he is the most powerful one who can pass on vampirism. A vampire cannot be such a Ruler without being able to create new vampires.”

  “So you can’t make me a vampire,” I said slowly, feeling both relief and a kind of letdown that made me ashamed enough to blush

  “Not without help.”

  “Help from Devlin,” I elaborated.

  “You want to become vampire?” he asked with disgust.

  Did he think that was what I wanted? Why I was with him? Taken aback, I said, “No.”

  “I’m sorry for saying that,” he said contritely. “I’m touchy about the subject. I get a lot of passes because of what I am, as you saw earlier.”

  I nodded. “I get that. Please go on”

  “My hair was this length when I was turned. It will always return to this length when my body renews itself with blood.” He smiled faintly and put his hands behind his head. “I could cut it for you in that style you like, but I’m afraid it doesn’t last long. A few days at best.”

  “Back to the blood,” I said, determinedly. “Will I turn into a vampire because of what Devlin did?”

  “No, but you might have if I’d drunk from you before he gave you his blood. If I’d taken even a quarter of what I’d taken from you that first time, it might have happened. His blood is very potent.”

  “What would have happened to me?”

  “You would be vampire. Your life as you knew it would be over.” He reached out and grasped my arm, his fingers digging into me, his eyes staring into mine with hopelessness. “We would be over,” he said quietly.

  “Why? Don’t vampires love each other? Is there some law—?”

  “If he had turned you last night, he’d have power over your will. He would have laid claim to you, and I wouldn’t have been able to stop him. Where he asked you to go, you would go. Whatever he asked you to do, you would do. You saw Garrett. Devlin made him. And even now, a hundred years later, he could bend him to his will.”

  My stomach flip-flopped, thinking about Devlin having that kind of control over me. I squeaked out, “Why would he bother with me?”

  “For the simplest reason of all: because he could. He knows me well, Sar; perhaps too well. Devlin is the vampire who was turned with me that night, all those centuries ago.” He paused. “I’ve never been able to figure out why he has the power to create vampires, and I don’t.”

  His searching tone intrigued me, as did the mention that he was the same age as Devlin. However, that could wait until I’d finished my first list of questions from earlier tonight. “What was Garrett’s problem?”

  He drew himself up with arrogance, his eyes shining. “You asked me once if I’d killed people. Sometimes I have to, in order to protect myself. And sometimes I have to, to protect my position.”

  “What position?”

  “I rule New York.”

  Danial was a Ruler, too. I felt a shiver of anticipation. “Then those vampires—”

  “—are the ones that make their home in New York. Garrett has been chafing to take my seat from me. He was going to have to die eventually, because he wouldn’t give up. Devlin just brought things to a head quicker.”

  Since he was being so forthright, I decided to press on. “Why is my choker gold with jewels when the others I saw were just silver?”

  His expression softened. “I thought you would prefer it a little fancier. Gold brings out the highlights in your hair.”

  Liking that flattering image, I touched the fox head, stroking it between my thumb and forefinger. “Why did you ask me to come to your party if you knew this might happen?”

  “You’d have to meet him, but I could control the time and place. Unfortunately, I couldn’t control his actions. Devlin could have asked me to bring you to him for a private meeting, and I would have had to take you. He could also have just shown up at your door some night when I wasn’t there. I’d be surprised if he didn’t know where you lived. He knows your nickname, and I didn’t tell him. I didn’t want him to get you alone, or in a position where he could take more blood from you than he did tonight. He authored a good deal of vampire law, so he knows several exploitable loopholes.”

  I tried not to think of how bad things might have turned out if Devlin had shown up one night Danial wasn’t with me.“What is the Oath he spoke of?”

  “It’s like a marriage between a human and vampire. Take you and I, for example. You pledge to me that you will only be with me sexually and emotionally. You are saying that only I have a right to take your blood, embrace your body, and enjoy your affections.”

  “I don’t understand. Wearing the choker sounds just like that. They’re not the same?”

  “A human chooses to take the oath and the oath is binding until death,” he said flatly. “The unappealing truth is that any vampire can put a collar on any human. He can also take it off whenever he wants. It’s a much more casual arrangement. Temporary relationship, temporary protection. Do you understand now? The collar—or choker, as I prefer to call it—is for protection and sex. For the unfortunate, it’s a type of slavery. The oath is love, a relationship of equals. It can’t be taken by force. It must be given freely.”

  I detected some inequality there. “But even if someone were to make an Oath to you, you don’t give an Oath back?”

  “As a general rule, no,” he said. “A vampire can’t promise to take only one human’s blood. The vampire would starve, falling into a coma-like sleep.” He paused and smiled. “But for most, being Oathed is viewed as monogamous in all other regards other than blood.”

  “Who do you...um...?” I had some trouble finding the right words. “Bite” s
ounded bad.

  “Who else is there in my life that I take blood from?” Danial finished for me.

  “Yes,” I said quickly.

  “There are a few women who know what I am. They give me their blood willingly. They like the thrill of being with me. There are a few others I pay. Sometimes I feed from them through that potion that gives me a bit of a person’s life force.” He didn’t sound sure how I would take this information. “I feed from them in their dreams as I act out their fantasies with them.” Since I wasn’t screaming at him yet, he decided it was okay to go on. “Sometimes, it’s like it was last night. I’ll be somewhere on business or at a club and a woman will approach me. Sometimes she just wants a kiss. Sometimes more. I give her a kiss or arrange to be with her, and when she begins to kiss me, I—”

  “You do that movement,” I said.

  “Yes, it’s the most effective and least painful. I take what I need and heal her. The cut is so small she usually doesn’t notice. By the time I stop kissing her, it’s healed. The ones who want more than a kiss, I take more blood, enough that they faint. Then I heal them and leave them to think we passed a night together.”

  “So you really don’t...spend the night?”

  He laughed. “No, I don’t sleep with them. I know several vampires who do, but they’re young and newly made.” He paused again, introspectively. “It gets old, having sex with the women you take blood from. I won’t lie; I did it often in my early days. It seemed exciting and daring in those repressed times. But it turned tiresome, debasing myself trading sex for blood. I have sex only with someone I want to share myself with. Someone who wants to share themselves with me.” He pulled me into his arms, and I happily relaxed in his embrace, tucking my head under his chin. “Do you have any more questions?”

  “No.”

  “You only have to ask. I’ll always try to be as honest as possible.”

  I felt guilt crash down on me. I’d bitched at Danial for his lies, but I’d lied to him about Terian.

  “What is it?” he asked. “Your scent has changed to one of anxiousness.”

  I took a deep breath. “I have to tell you something,” I said haltingly. “I lied to you, and I can’t do it any longer.”