Block it out, ma douce, Michel said softly in my mind. Just call on it when you need to and the connection will be there.
Won't it tire you, keeping it open? I asked in my head.
Only a little, I have more than enough Sanguis Vitam to spare.
I wasn't so sure, but I had to trust him too. I worked on blocking the connection out for five minutes. Then when I succeeded, I practised opening up to it again and again. After twenty minutes I had it sussed. Just. It still required a little effort to block, not so much to reconnect again. And I really did have an awful headache afterwards. But downing a couple of paracetamol tablets and a big glass of cool, refreshing water and I felt marginally better. I was sure it would get easier with time.
The shutters whirred up announcing the start of the night and making me realise Michel had left under the setting sun. Not an impossibility, but it would make him weaker and to do so meant his orders had been cruel. Not only did she want him separated from me, but the Champion also wanted him weakened. I felt my shoulders slump at the task I had set myself. She was not an easy opponent and I had absolutely no friggin' idea how to combat her strength and underhand ways.
She was the epitome of vampyre. She was everything I hated and admired about the race.
My vampires came back in the room and sat around the table. Right, one hurdle down, fifty to go. Time to get on with our next current predicament. I pulled my cellphone from my pocket and thumbed through my contacts until I found Avery.
Hitting send, I settled in for an unpleasant ride.
Chapter 15
Facing Up To Responsibilities
The call was picked up on the second ring.
"You took your time, Ms. Monk," came Avery's sarcastic voice down the line.
I didn't rise to the bait. "There's no fixing it," I said simply. Sometimes I like to not beat about the bush too.
"Fuck!" Avery screamed at me. I pulled the cellphone away from my ear and frowned. After several more seconds of expletives in at least three different languages, he finally calmed down enough for me to return the phone to my ear.
"So what now?" he demanded.
I sighed. "I guess we get ready to be summoned. Michel has been sent away. The Enforcer has been recalled."
"Oh shit!" he said, but it sounded more defeatist now. "Well this is fine pickle you have got us into, Ms. Monk."
"Oh, don't blame this on me, vampire!" I spat. I was sick and tired of copping the blame. "You were the one who forced me into a joining. If you hadn't been a greedy son-of-a-bitch, we wouldn't be here!"
"If Michel hadn't got himself unjoined, we wouldn't be here. Do you really believe she would have allowed you to join again with him? Together you two were the most feared couple in our world. Even she feared you. But now, look who quakes in fear."
It was useless arguing with him, he would never see the error of his ways.
"Well, it is what it is," I said and he interrupted before I could go on.
"Oh, how poetic of you! It is what it fucking is! You do realise she will have us killed, don't you?"
"She can't," I replied, somehow maintaining my calm.
"Of course she can! And don't think any connection to you will stop her. She is not stupid, Ms. Monk. Unlike some here!"
"Oh, just push your luck a little further, vampire and I'll test a theory of mine that Light can travel through phones!" I shot back.
"I'm quaking in my boots, little girl," he ground out. Then after a pause, "Fuck!"
I waited for his next tirade, I didn't have to wait long.
"I rue the day I ever met you." His voice was surprisingly calmer and all the more threatening because of it. "If I wasn't joined to you, I'd kill you myself."
"You're wearing the taufr, Avery. Why not give it your best shot."
I really was unsure if that was a good thing to suggest. The taufr would mean he could cheat death, but I was hoping the idea of ending up in Álfheimr was a big enough discouragement. With Avery though, you never knew.
"It has crossed my mind, Ms. Monk," he said casually. "I may just call on the talisman's power to rid me of this problem you have created in my life. At least in Álfheimr the Champion cannot reach me." His fear of the leader of the Iunctio was alarming. Avery Rousseau was either a coward or knew more than even me.
I was going with coward.
"Right, then. Good luck," I said in a clipped tone. "I've got things to do before I pack for Paris."
He snorted down the line. "See you there, kindred," and rang off.
I whistled a long sound as I placed the phone on the table.
"He is a fucking arsehole!" Sergei exclaimed and Nataliya grunted in agreement. I just felt exhausted.
And before I knew what I was doing I sought out Michel.
Well handled, ma douce, he whispered softly in my mind. You would do well in the cut-throat arena of politics. I was unsure of that, all I'd managed was a verbal sparring match with Avery. Although, at least, I hadn't let him walk all over me.
I have no desire to become a politician, I replied instead, feeling relaxed that he was still there. Available. Communicating.
We'll see, he offered cryptically. And then blew me a mental kiss.
I closed the connection and concentrated on Sergei and Nataliya's conversation. Marcus and Matthias had returned and were participating too. I had missed some of what had been said, whilst conversing with Michel. But it was easy to pick up what they had been discussing.
"Chop off an arm or a leg. It would hurt like fuck, but it wouldn't kill him," Sergei was saying.
"Acid works well," Marcus added and I wondered where all this chemical based warfare was coming from. Marcus had never been this hung-up on substances before.
"Skin him alive, slowly. Extremely painful, but wouldn't kill him," Matthias offered and Nataliya snorted her agreement.
"I saw a vampire skinned once. By a shifter," she said with a faraway look in her eyes.
"Oookaay," I said. "Let's not get too carried away."
All eyes turned to me, various looks of amusement on their faces at my obvious queasiness from the topic under way.
"Do we have any idea where Lutin is?" I asked and the entire room suddenly pinged with unbridled Sanguis Vitam.
"Why do you ask, mistress?" Sergei said in a steady voice.
"Because wherever he is, I won't be?" I said with a snort. They all relaxed.
Jeez. Did they think I'd seek him out and try to get the joining reversed or something.
Yes, came Michel's dry reply in my mind.
I'm not that stupid! I shot back.
But really, if I was honest with myself, I had been contemplating it. Michel said nothing in my head at that. He had probably been contemplating it too, since I last mentioned it in his presence.
"I need to see Arthur," I announced to the room, it was time to face up to my responsibilities and give him a heads-up. The vampires all responded with various forms of activity. Coming alive at the mention of a task that was relatively safe to perform.
I wasn't sure how long it would take for the Champion to get in touch, or who she would send with the summons. There was no point sitting around waiting for the inevitable, I needed to get on with my life and maybe there was something Arthur could do to help. I couldn't think what, but he was Nosferatin, he was on my side no matter what our relationship difficulties entailed. I trusted him to have my back, should I ask.
We couldn't take the Mini, four vampires and a vampire hunter just were not going to fit. But Marcus and Matthias had a second Range Rover, so we piled into that instead. I sat squashed between Nataliya and Marcus in the back seat, Matthias drove. He always drove.
Half an hour later we were in Notting Hill. I let my senses out trying to determine the number of vampires in the vicinity. Trying to see where the Iunctio's spy was hidden. There were none other than those with me. Even Arthur didn't have a wayward vamp in his house. The street was quiet, from your average Norm to a Dark ro
gue, none to be seen. A shiver ran down my spine. Too quiet.
We piled out of the vehicle, the vampires fanning out and offering guard. I headed toward Arthur's ramshackle front door, the guards moving as one with me. I'd made it as far as the front gate when he appeared, the smell of peaches on the air preceding him. He simply walked out of the space before us and stood several feet away.
The first thing he said was, "I mean you no harm." The second was, "Shit!" as Nataliya's knife dug deep into his thigh, having been launched from several feet away with force.
Lutin glared at my vampire, but just grunted as he removed the knife and threw it to the ground. My guards closed in immediately, surrounding me and starting to pull me back towards the car.
"Wait, elska!" he said, his hand outstretched beseeching me not to run. I ignored him and let my guards pull me back towards the relative safety of the car.
I had thought I would take the opportunity to ask him. To see if he could reverse the joining for me. But words failed me, when faced with his familiar façade. His short spiky blond hair and vivid green eyes reminding me of all that he had done and how dangerous he was. A pretty package that meant me harm. I would not give him the chance to do so again, even if that meant I'd remain joined to Avery Rousseau.
The door was opened behind me and I was roughly shoved inside. Nataliya already on the other side of the car, entering to protect my flank.
"Lucinda, please!" Lutin pleaded. "Just tell me the baby is all right."
I almost stopped and turned back to him, but Nataliya caught my eye. "No, mistress. You owe him no explanation."
I nodded briefly and continued to get in the car.
In the next instant several things happened at once. Arthur and Marie emerged from the house with knives out, and in the case of Arthur, also a very old, very heavy looking sword. Lutin spun to greet his new attackers, Arthur muttered a couple of incoherent and foreign sounding words under his breath. And the fairy fell backwards as though stunned and simply disappeared. We watched it all unfold with open mouths. A rip appearing in the fabric of space behind the Imp Prince, and his body falling through it and vanishing from sight.
There was no sound to accompany it, no flash of light - or Light - just there one minute gone the next.
I scrambled out of the car to the protest of Marcus who was trying to get in and took a good look around. He was gone and somehow Arthur had done it.
"You've got some explaining to do," I said, hands on hips.
"Oh, no, Nosferatin," he replied, sheathing his knife and sword. "It would appear you do."
Then he turned on his heel and headed through the door to his house. Marie looked up at me and smiled embarrassingly, then spun and followed Arthur. The door was left open, a clear invitation to follow.
I didn't move. Natalyia was back at my side, as were the others.
"Mistress," Sergei started, "you do not need to go after them. We can just leave."
"Leaving would be a good idea," Matthias added. "That fairy fucker could return again."
I wasn't so sure. "Arthur wouldn't have disappeared inside if he thought Lutin could return."
"Are you so sure of this Nosferatin, mistress?" Nataliya asked in a soft voice and I turned my head to look at her and frowned.
"He's a Nosferatin, Nataliya. Of course I am sure."
"He gave you an ultimatum. Threatened to expel you from this city. He does not have that power. He is not the Master here," she said simply. All valid points.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I agreed with her, and the part of me that had rebelled so recently wanted to do so again. But Arthur was a knowledgeable and powerful ally. I couldn't walk away from the help that he may potentially provide. I laughed a little a that. Maybe I was becoming more of a politician than I realised. Maybe Michel was right after all.
"Come on," I said. "You're just going to have to trust me."
"We trust you, mistress," Marcus muttered under his breath. "It's the vampire hunter with an iron sword we don't like."
We all walked into the house with heavy steps. No matter what I told myself, this was not going to be fun. I wouldn't grovel. I'm not that kind of girl. But, I'd try to be the Nosferatin I knew I should be. I wasn't treading on that Dark path just yet.
Arthur was sitting in his large overstuffed armchair when we made it to his lounge. Marie was perched behind him on a stool. Their positioning was intentional. Him on his throne, his dedicated and loyal subject at his back showing support. I walked several feet into the cluttered room, allowing my vampires to spread out behind me. OK, so maybe my positioning was intentional too.
"You gonna make 'em wait outside?" Arthur asked with a nod towards my guards.
"No," I said simply. "Where I go they go. It's got a little dangerous lately, I can't afford to be without my guards."
"Even in my home?" he said evenly, his eyes boring into mine in a challenge.
"Even in my home," I replied and he relaxed marginally in response.
He let a long sigh out. "Okay, Luce. What's this I 'ear about you being pregnant."
"A lie," I answered and purposely didn't look at Marie.
"A lie? The fairy believes it. The Nathair-Sgiathach believe it. Am I meant to believe you or them?"
The dragon-shifters believe it? How? Why? My confusion must have shown on my face, but the reason for it not.
"It's simple really, if you can't be honest with me, then I 'ave no need for you in my team." There's that word again. "I can't trust you, Lucinda. You're a damn fine Nosferatin, but you're not for London Town." Oh, I couldn't argue with him there.
But still... "You can't kick me out, Arthur." He bristled and I raised a hand requesting he hear me out. "I know you're in charge and I respect that. And I am prepared to play as part of your team. But you need to make some allowances too."
"I do, do I?' he asked, unamused.
"All I'm asking is you give me a little leeway to do my job. My Prophesied job. Right now I need to be in London to do that."
"Why? Why 'ere and not somewhere else?"
His insistence that I should leave was disturbing and then something occurred to me. Perhaps Arthur was a little like Amun. Not the attention seeking side, but the reassurance seeking side. Needing to know I wasn't a threat. I had no intention of taking over and turfing him out. Michel had known instinctively that was what Amun needed to hear. Maybe I could take a leaf out of his book.
"Arthur," I started, taking a step forward and sitting down on the sofa opposite him. "I don't want to be in London any longer than I have to. I don't know how long that will be, but a part of me prays that it won't be forever. You're right, London is not for me. I don't feel at home here. I haven't identified with the place. It just isn't my cup of tea." Maybe if I used English phrases this would go a bit better. "Michel and I need to be near Paris, you know this. But also far enough away to remain out of the Champion's cross-hairs." Although that theory was all being shot to hell right now. "I promise I will do my level best to participate with your team, to carry my weight and to work alongside them. I promise I will follow your instructions, as long I as believe them to be sound. I say these words with the weight of my Nosferatin ancestors behind me. I say these words as a kindred to a Nosferatu."
I would have preferred to have made these promises with Michel as my kindred, but the fact that I was a kindred to a Nosferatu at all would be enough. Words to vampires mean something, much more than words to a Norm or a shifter would. As a kindred Nosferatin I was pledging myself with Nosferatu words. If Arthur didn't go for this, then there was no way at all of convincing him I meant him no harm.
He sat very still for a moment and then I watched as his shoulders began to slowly relax. Bit by bit his body released tension, until finally the Nosferatin I had first got to know sat before me. I let out a breath of air quietly in relief.
"You really don't intend on stayin'?" he asked, in his rough, cockney twang.
I shook my head. "
Goddess willing we'll find somewhere else to live, somewhere where we both feel at home. I have no idea where. I can't even decide on a holiday location right now. But I can't believe we will live the rest of our lives here. Both Michel and I hate the place," I admitted with a small apologetic smile.
He barked out a laugh in return and slapped his hands together. "All righ' then, Luce. As long as you play nice with my guys, we'll work it out."
I gave him a genuine smile in response, noticing my vampires all relax slightly at my sides. They'd been hiding their Sanguis Vitam well, even I hadn't been aware of the tension in their bodies until now.
I looked up at Marie, who was smiling brightly at the outcome. As soon as she noticed me watching her, the smile fell. Here goes nothing.
"Marie, it's all right. Lutin believes I'm pregnant because of the kvángask and a stupid Fey Prophesy that has nothing to do with me at all. It took me a while to work that out." At least I hoped the Prophesy had nothing to do with me, the fact it was on the same page as the others in Arthur's book, was still haunting my nightmares right now. "I am not pregnant, he is delusional and wrong. As for the dragon-shifters," my gaze returned to Arthur, "I have no idea why they would think that."
"Sebastian believes it," Marie answered, but I still held Arthur’s gaze.
"Your vampire," he said, I just frowned back at him not understanding at all. "He was behavin' like a dragon-shifter whose mate is expectin' a child. Sebastian recognised the possessive and over-protective symptoms and asked Marie what was what."
Oh. "And what did Marie tell him?" I asked, turning slowly to look her in the eye. This was it. If Marie divulged something she shouldn't have, my trust in her was gone. How could I fight alongside someone I didn't trust? Ironic really, that's exactly how Arthur had felt about me.
She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. Good girl, I thought, but kept my face blank. "I told him he was mental. Nosferatins can't have kids."
I smiled at her and started laughing. Arthur joined in after a few seconds and finally Marie began to grin. The vampires at my back just shifted uneasily, I was thinking they were unsure if joining us in our revelry would be wise, in light of Arthur barely tolerating them being in the room at all.
Entwined With the Dark Page 18