"I'll be there in five. If I don't see your car, I'll drive further along the street and wait till you get there."
As she passed the motel, she knew at once which vehicles belonged to Serkan—the two black Mercedes with dark tinted windows. They were expensive, but not flashy. Vamps rarely drove Porsches, or Ferraris, because their past had taught them a vampire seeking such attention died a quick death. Two cars meant he'd brought back-up. Not a reassuring sign and her heart beat a little faster.
The rain had eased, and she parked further along on the other side of the road where she could watch for Fabio's arrival. She slumped down in her seat, just in case Serkan's security emerged. Her heart thudded louder. Falling in love with a vampire, and seeing the rest of his family put themselves through hoops to support her, had eradicated her hatred of the entire species for the actions of the few rogues who killed her parents.
Fabio protected her from the vampire part of his life, and since the Revelation Treaty, all supernatural species recognized and respected human laws. Being acknowledged, if not accepted, made such a difference to the lives of hiding and persecution they'd lived before coming out that none were willing to jeopardize their status. They also had their own rules, enforcing them ruthlessly on their members—and vampire society was strictly hierarchical.
Over the last year, the trick to keeping her emotions on ice had been to focus on the new house and the business, but right now neither were enough to occupy her mind. Until now she'd had no regrets about switching off access to the energies contained inside her, but she wished there was a half way point where she could access her power when needed and shut it down the rest of the time. At the thought of her powers, she reinforced her shields.
What if this Serkan attempted to use glamour? The thought sprang into her mind, and her level of panic went up a notch. She dredged up Vanse’s instructions—notice if the eyelids widen, the pupil expands, and the vamp wears a slightly glazed expression. If she saw any of these signs, she should increase her shielding. Even with the blockage in place, she could manage that, and unless Fabio was incapacitated he would jump in and do something. Wouldn't he? She was aware her thoughts were spiraling out of control and had started a slow breathing exercise to calm herself when the vampmobile and another car turned into the street and pulled up outside the motel.
She scrambled out of the truck and hurried over to where Fabio waited with the twins in tow. One of them held an enormous black umbrella to protect him from the rain. Four tall, muscular males with suspicious bulges under their long beige raincoats stood a short distance behind Fabio, with their collars up around their necks, and black Fedora hats with rain dripping off the brims pulled low over their faces.
"Good afternoon, Tatya." Fabio took the umbrella and held it over her, somehow managing a deferential bow as he did so. "I detect you're well warded. A smart precaution. The protocol is that Serkan, as a master, takes the lead. We do nothing but answer his questions. If he doesn't talk, neither do we. Answer as best you can if he asks you a direct question."
"But what if I don’t know the answer, or I don’t want to answer?"
"Refuse politely. It's not worth antagonizing a master. I think we can assume his motives aren't philanthropic. He has the strength to kill me if he chooses though I doubt he will. The repercussions will deter him. Address him as Master Serkan, and no small talk. We'll discuss what he wants afterward. Are you ready?"
No, thought Tatya as she took back her earlier magnanimous thoughts about the species. "Sure."
As Fabio knocked on door number thirteen, Tatya remembered it was Friday and mentally shook her head at the inauspicious sign. She listened to the rumble of male voices inside, but nobody responded to their knock. As she raised her hand to give a louder knock, Fabio grabbed her wrist and shook his head. She understood. Serkan was keeping them waiting to demonstrate his superior position and ensure they knew theirs. Back to the game playing, she thought.
The door swung open. Fabio pushed aside the thick black cloth that blocked the entrance and ushered her in, leaving the twins and their escort outside. So, it was going to be herself, Fabio, and a bunch of vamps, who may or may not be friendly. She blew out a breath and glanced around the room, noting the thick black velvet covered windows keeping out every ray of daylight. She realized these were normal vamps who didn't possess the ability to walk in daylight.
The two single beds had been pushed over against the window, and three chairs were positioned around a small table in the center of the room, set with cups, a coffee jug, sugar, and milk.
She counted six vamps, none less than six feet tall, dressed in identical black suits and standing to attention by the walls. She wondered if there were ever any tiny, pint-sized vampires.
"Welcome, Tatiana." Dressed in a similar, but more expensive black suit, Serkan, for it had to be him, glided forward, and bowed before her.
Tatya hadn't noticed him standing there. She wondered if he had the power to cloak himself, then froze, speechless, as she took in the bright blue eyes, and red curly hair falling around the shoulders of the tall powerful vampire master standing before her.
He reached out and lifted her hand to his lips. "I rarely have this effect on people. Are you all right?" His voice wasn't as deep and melodious as the demon he resembled.
The coldness of his skin against hers came as a shock. No demon blood warmed this vampire. Was it just a fateful coincidence he looked like her enemy? "I'm sorry." Tatya retrieved her hand and suppressed the urge to wipe her hands on her pants. "Master Serkan, isn't it? For a minute there you reminded me of someone I hadn't ever expected to see again."
"I get that a lot." He laughed, and Tatya nerves grated. "I hope it wasn't an unpleasant memory." He turned to Fabio. "Fabio, I presume. It's good to match a face to the voice." He oozed insincerity as he shook Fabio's hand. The two vampires locked gazes, holding for longer than necessary as each sought to gain each other’s measure. "Please sit, there is much to discuss."
As they crossed the room, he snapped his fingers, and a bodyguard stepped forward and poured three cups of coffee.
"Help yourself to milk and sugar," Serkan told them.
Fabio served Tatya and himself and the three of them sipped their drinks in silence.
Tatya studied Serkan's profile from under her eyelashes. This must be one of the weirdest situations she'd ever experienced. His eyes were paler, without the blinding brilliance of Angelus’s, and his hair had more ginger rather than the demon’s red-gold shade. She tried to keep her expression blank. He knew she was looking at him, and she was sure she detected a smirk lurking at the edges of his mouth. He probably thought she fancied him. If only he knew it was the horrified stare of a mouse caught in the hypnotizing glare of a snake about to strike. She sensed the faint stirrings of his probing at her shields. The older a vampire was the more powerful they became, and she had no idea how old Serkan was. She could only hope her barriers were strong enough to withstand him.
Serkan’s patience didn’t last long. "Let's get to the purpose of this meeting, shall we?"
Tatya sensed his withdrawal and nodded politely.
"Fabio is aware, as you may not be, my dear, our laws state no vampire family can be without a head for more than a year. I understand a year has now passed since Vanse’s unfortunate accident.”
The temperature dropped several degrees, and Tatya's skin crawled at the tone of his voice, her hackles rising at the 'my dear'. She wasn’t his dear, and never would be. Remembering Fabio's admonition not to speak unless she was spoken to, she clamped her jaw tight, and stared at the gray-flecked carpet, wondering if counting the white spots among the gray would calm her temper.
“And so, Fabio, who do you propose as a replacement for Vanse?"
"You are correct, Master Serkan, but you must allow our situation is unusual. For whereas Master Vanse is not in a position to rule, neither is he dead."
"Mmm. A tricky conundrum is it not? What solution do
you propose for your dilemma?"
"We believe that in time, the spell on the blade will fade and vanish, and Vanse will awake."
"How long do you expect this process to take?"
"We are hoping this will be soon."
"How soon?"
Tatya didn't like the direction of his questions, but she didn't want to antagonize Serkan any more than necessary. She remembered once being kidnapped by Angelus's vamps. It hadn't been a pleasant experience.
"I cannot say."
"Ah!" By the satisfied expression, he didn’t bother to hide, this was the answer Serkan wanted to hear. "I agree this is a delicate situation, as your master is not technically dead, but we must follow the rules, and I know for a fact the High Council will not allow this state of affairs to continue indefinitely. I have a solution."
Tatya held her breath.
"We must remove the knife."
Tatya gasped.
Serkan's gaze shifted to her, looked her up and down, dismissed her as of no consequence, and turned back to Fabio.
She opened her mouth, but Fabio's hand shot out and gripped her wrist, silencing her before she spoke. "We cannot permit that to happen," he said quietly, but she knew Serkan caught the iron behind his words. He would give his life to protect Vanse.
Serkan continued as if Fabio hadn't spoken. "Once the dagger is removed, as the next in line, you can take over—but,” he leaned forward, “I shall challenge you. I am within my rights to challenge you here and now, and if I won, all the privileges your current master enjoys, including his consort, would fall to me." This time his eyes gleamed with unmistakable lust as his glance raked Tatya. "Of course, I would never enforce that particular right, although I hope with time, my dear, you may view me as a suitable replacement."
Tatya wanted to vomit. Who was this arrogant bastard? Did he imagine he could just waltz in here and replace Vanse with a hypnotic stare and a few thinly veiled threats? She would be on the phone to Forked Lightning and Corwin the second she got out of this claustrophobic room
Serkan stood, looming over them. "You have twenty-four hours to inform your family and discuss this with them before I act. You have my number, and my advice is to call me with your answer before then."
There was more bowing and scraping, with Serkan kissing the back of her hand again, sending ripples of repulsion through her, before they left.
"Wait in the car for me," Fabio told the twins, taking an umbrella. "I need to speak with Tatya." The rain hadn’t stopped, and they side-stepped an increasing number of puddles on the way to her truck.
Inside the cabin, Tatya started the engine and switched on the heating and windscreen wipers. "Was that normal vamp behavior?" She stared through the window, listening to the soothing swish of the wipers on the glass, and watched the twins huddled under an umbrella outside the vampmobile, ready to assist Fabio should he need them.
"I've never heard of this happening. I shall appeal to the High Council."
"Can they stop Serkan? And what's the High Council? "
"The High Council is our highest authority in the Americas and rules over the entire northern and southern continents. Every continent in the world has a council to decide our laws, rule on disputes between families, and represent vampires when dealing with your government. Their word is law. Unfortunately for us, you can't just pick up a phone. There's a process to go through, but I'll initiate contact.”
"Is it enough to hold Serkan off?"
"I fear he wants to enslave us for our blood."
"What?"
Fabio gestured outside.
"Oh, It's the walking in the daylight thing, isn't it?" The image of Fabio and the rest of Vanse's people strapped down while Serkan's people used them as living blood banks horrified her. "Does it work that way?"
Fabio shrugged. "Who knows? Vanse’s reputation was enough to keep any such attempts at bay, but without his protection I'm afraid Serkan is preparing to test the theory."
"That's awful. We have to do something." The urgency of removing the blockage to her powers had multiplied a thousand-fold in the last half hour. She had the ability to do it herself, but there'd be consequences; she'd be weak as a babe for a few days and require more time for her powers to emerge. But with an avaricious vampire trying to take over her family, time was something she didn't have.
And then it struck her. Yes, she had Eva, Jimmy, Bill and his wife, Winona, and Changing Sky had created a special bond between her and Forked Lightning, but sometime during the past year she'd began seeing Vanse’s family as her own. Another image sprang to mind: Serkan leaning over the helpless Vanse, laid out in his coffin and reaching out to grab hold of the knife’s handle. A flush of anger and a fierce desire to protect him swept through her. "We have to get Vanse's body out of St. Raphael’s. He'll be the first Serkan will drink from, if he doesn’t extract the blade straight away. If he pulls it out Vanse will die, and he’ll have eliminated the opposition."
Fabio looked at her. "He isn't the only one he'll want to drink from. With your particular hybrid mix, your blood is as potent, if not more so, than my master's. As Vanse’s consort, you do have certain rights, and you could demand to have possession of his body."
Tatya watched the raindrops race each other down the windscreen, till the wiper swished them aside. "Okay, I’m asking to take possession of it now. I'll fight Serkan with every weapon I have at my disposal before I let him come anywhere near me, let alone tries to drink my blood."
“Without your full powers, you are vulnerable, Tatya. Don’t underestimate Serkan. Do you have somewhere safe you can put Vanse? Serkan won’t want to attract too much attention by openly attacking a place where humans live."
“We have a basement. The shop is closed today. I’ll call Jimmy, and he can fix up some way we can hide him in the basement.”
“Good. I feel more prepared now we have a plan. Come to St. Raphael’s after midnight when the hospital is quietest. The twins will wait for you by the back entrance."
Despite Serkan's power, he was no Angelus. He repulsed her, but he wasn't anywhere near powerful enough to stir the same fear that Angelus had roused in the past. No, she wasn't afraid of him. But Forked Lightning had better make it over to hers on time tomorrow.
Chapter Four: Night Hustle
The rain had stopped and silver moonlight illuminated the damp road as Tatya hurtled along the highway into town. She pressed the redial button for Forked Lightning's number for the third time, then disconnected as the voice message began. She glanced up and caught a momentary glance of the waxing moon. It wasn’t full, and that meant Forked Lightning wasn’t out rampaging or whatever werewolves did during their change. Where was the damn werewolf?
The alpha was a first-time father, and Leyla’s doctor's insistence on bed rest had done little to ease his fears. As a human impregnated by a shifter, her chances of miscarriage were greater, and the truth was that Forked Lightning’s emotions had been in flux between agony and ecstasy since he found out his wife was pregnant.
She wouldn’t phone Leyla because she didn’t want to give the pregnant woman any more anxiety, but when she’d seen him earlier in the day, he'd insisted she remove the barrier, and now when she wanted to confirm for tomorrow, he'd gone AWOL.
Tatya slowed as she approached Orleton's northern edge and was soon pulling into St. Raphael’s. The security guard at the gate waved her through, and, as Fabio said, the twins were waiting for her by the hospital's rear entrance.
Meera led the way inside the building. “Fabio has everything prepared, Milady, but we must move fast. He doesn’t trust Serkan to keep his word.”
Once they reached the basement, Tatya nodded at the guards, noting Fabio had increased the number on duty as she hurried along behind the twins. She flashed back to the procession made in such a stately fashion the day before. What a difference a day makes, she thought.
Fabio waited inside Vanse's mausoleum, next to a gurney and a pile of blankets. They'd remo
ved the sandalwood shavings, the bowls of myrrh and frankincense, the white silk pillow, and changed Vanse's crimson robe for a black silk dressing gown. The knife remained sticking up out of his chest.
Tatya caught a look of such intense longing on Fabio's face as he stared at his maker that her breath caught in her throat. It was easy to forget Fabio had been with Vanse for over eight hundred years. Her own grief at separation from him was bad enough. She couldn't imagine what his family had gone through this year. All of them had known, loved, and served him for a lot longer than she had.
"Milady." Fabio bowed.
She nodded and hoped he'd skip his customary greeting. Now wasn't the time for observing etiquette.
Fabio leaned over the open coffin and positioned Vanse's arms across his stomach, and bound them with a silk tie. "Your job, Tatya, is to prevent his arms moving and knocking that blade out of position."
Tatya swallowed and met his gaze.
"You'll be fine. You've coped with far more demanding situations than this. First, we roll him over onto his side, slide the board underneath, roll him back, then lift the board onto the gurney. Keeping the panel under him stops any chance of his body bending, and reduces the chances of the knife shifting while we're moving him," he explained as he took her hands, and placed them over Vanse's wrists.
The heat of his warm skin through the robe brought a surge of emotion. She pushed it down and concentrated on the fact that they were doing something positive for him.
"Hold him firmly. We don’t want him to accidentally knock the knife. Are you ready?"
Tatya nodded,
Fabio moved to the head of the coffin. "Okay, girls, take your places."
One of the two—they were so identical Tatya hadn't spotted even the smallest difference between them—waited at the foot of the coffin, and the other stood facing her.
"On my count. Uno, due, tre."
Together they rolled Vanse onto his side. The three vampires did this with practiced ease, but as Tatya gripped his wrists she felt the heavy weight of Vanse's arm shift under her hands.
The Kala Trilogy: An Urban Fantasy Box Set Page 47