He'd broken my heart.
I shook my head again. Besides, he was wrong. Mark was immune to vampire mind manipulation. This talent Samson had was of no use and therefore a waste of his time divulging it. I would have preferred not to know, to have kept my head in the sand a while longer. To have avoided this familiar pain. But then, maybe it was better this way, maybe I needed this reminder that Samson could not be trusted at all.
"It won't work," I said instead, in a dull voice. Samson tightened his hold on me.
"I am aware he is immune to our Sanguis Vitam influence or a glaze, but what I can do is not like that, Gigi. What I can do is much Darker and entirely impossible to circumvent."
I pulled my head back and looked up at him, his eyes flashed chocolate and a darker colour I hadn't seen before - almost a grey/black. It was stunning, but a little daunting. Samson had always appeared more to me than what others saw, but this was different. This was more sinister, more dangerous. This wasn't the Samson I knew.
"Sanguis Vitam influence and a glaze are both a mixture of Light and Dark," he explained softly, holding my gaze and not letting me move a further inch away. "They can be used for good or evil, so they are therefore a combination of both. What I can do is wholly Dark. I change reality for that person. So completely it cannot be reversed. A Sanguis Vitam command can be counteracted. A glaze corrected with a further glaze. What I do is permanent. Once done it cannot be undone. Therefore it is considered Dark."
"You're not Dark," I said just as softly, and where that statement had come from I had no idea.
He smiled at me and the darker grey/black colour in his eyes was replaced with chestnut instead.
"No, but once I was. And it is still there, should I need to call upon it."
I wasn't sure that was a good idea. Samson had been bathed in Lucinda's Light when she brought him under her Lux Lucis Tribuo line. Could he still do Dark acts after having been washed in Light?
And then something else occurred to me and my body stiffened at that thought, my fangs automatically slipping down and out. Samson noticed, his grip tightening, his gaze becoming more intense. But he didn't say anything, just kept looking into my eyes, willing me not to pull away.
"Have you altered reality for me?" I asked, forcing anger into my words. I was too close to crumbling, I had to use every vampiric instinct I had not show that weakness at all.
"Never," he answered immediately. No hesitation, no need to think on the question. Unequivocal.
I felt all the tension leave my body, not really aware how important his answer had been until then.
"When did you last use this... talent?" I asked, trying to sort it all out in my mind. He wasn't giving me any space to move, to think clearly, I was having to verbalise my thoughts in an effort to quieten the white noise inside my head, brought on by my fear.
"Before I was saved by Lucinda."
And there it was, he had been Light from that moment on. Light when I met him. This would be the first time he attempted to call on his former Dark.
"You can't do this." For so many reasons, the least of which is to call on one's Dark is to be closer to it. I should know. But what I said was, "Lucinda wouldn't approve." The words had a bitter tone, a sarcastic lean to them I hadn't really intended, it just appeared all on its own.
"Lucinda does not know I can do this."
The world stopped spinning. The moon hung dormant in the night sky. There was no wind through the park's trees, no birds rustled from their sleep. Not even the sound of a car on nearby Karangahape Road.
Lucinda does not know I can do this.
What did that mean?
He moved one of his hands from behind my back to cup my chin and lift my face up to his.
"She would not approve, no. She is of the Light. I can never let her know I can do this. But," he paused, searched my face to make sure I was still with him and then went on, "I am telling you, because you will understand."
Because you will understand. Not because he felt guilty that he never shared with me before. Not because he owed me one, or he wanted to help out and therefore had no choice but to let me in on his secret now.
But because I would understand.
And I did understand, because I am not all Light. I am half filled with Dark. Samson is a vampire, he will always have access to his Dark, but having had Lucinda's Light wash his soul, it is easier to walk the path of good and not bad. I have Light inside me, half of me is full of Light, but my Dark is right there too. Within reaching distance, grasping distance. Falling-off-the-side-of-the-abyss distance.
I understood because I walked in the Dark as often as I walked in the Light. My vampire-within appeared as a Dark Shadow to me. I knew vampires had unusual and diverse relationships with their vampire or demon-within. Michel's, apparently, was a dragon. I could just picture that, he always appeared more majestic and magical and scary-ass powerful than your average vampire to me. I had always wondered what Samson's vampire-within was like. And recently I had questioned myself on Jett's.
It was not polite to ask. Everyone knew Michel's because Lucinda had discovered and conversed with his vampire-within on several occasions - and was in love with it. A concept I found hard to comprehend.
But I'm not known for my politeness.
"What form does your vampire-within take?"
Samson pulled back from me, a look of genuine shock on his face and then it slowly softened. His lips tipped up at the edges and a smile spread across his handsome face. It was a transformation of angelic proportions. He was always attractive, but simply stunning when he smiled.
"Now that, babe, is something only my vampire mate will learn. If I tell you, I will have to mark you and claim you as my mate." His voice was low and husky, a direct opposite of his previous conversational tone that was not hard to miss. He leaned in and without any warning brushed his lips across mine. Nothing invasive, but it was definitely possessive. A show of what he intended to do. "I've been fantasising where I will mark you. Somewhere obvious, somewhere others will immediately see. And the second Sigillum," - Second Sigillum? - "will be more intimate, just between you and me." He pulled back slightly to look me in the eyes. "So?" he asked mischievously. "Wanna be my mate?"
Ah, no. I pushed back hard against him and managed to break his hold, then quickly placed several feet between us. He just chuckled, a masculine sound that went right through my body and to places I had no intention of letting him near at all, let alone with his fangs. Even if I couldn't get the image of him marking me somewhere more intimate for the second Sigillum out of my mind.
"Night's marching. I've got to get to Mt Eden," I said with false conviction.
Samson just smiled. "Fifteen minutes on Sensations computers and I'll have your addresses." When I started to protest he was in front of me, bearing down on me with a serious expression on his face and Sanguis Vitam wrapping around my body and holding me still. "No arguments. I'm coming with you whether you wait for me or not. I don't trust the cop. And I sure as hell don't trust your Sire. So, forgive me, babe, but you're not getting rid of me that easily."
Then he said the three words I had feared and missed in equal measure and never thought I'd hear spoken so determinedly again.
"You are mine."
Then he spun on his heel and headed off towards Sensations, making sure his Sanguis Vitam left an indelible mark behind.
Sensations was pumping. Pink's The Truth About Love was blasting out of the invisible speakers, the dance floor was packed and the bar equally as crowded. Couples lounged in corners, hidden in the shadows, wrapped up in the atmosphere of Sensations late on a week day night. It never failed to amaze me how many people partied mid-week. Sure, Fridays and Saturdays were our busiest, but lately that vibe had spilled over to the usually less popular club nights.
I blinked a few times as we entered through the vestibule and into the main clubroom floor. The lights tonight weren't Middle Eastern in flavour as they had been last time I
was here, but more vibrant, like the mood. Uplifting yellows and reds, the odd splash of blue here and there. Primary colours casting bright rainbows over the clientèle. All of which were eager to move and sway and sing along with the music.
The entire room was buzzing, as though the All Blacks had just won the Rugby World Cup and everyone was out on a bender. I flicked my gaze towards the bar and noted Doug wasn't working alone, he had one of Jett's vampires helping him out. Covering for me. I felt a little better that my bar manager wasn't suffering due to my abrupt absence and that Jett was actually doing something about his pulling me away from the club, when it was quite clearly the most popular place in town.
Of course Doug spotted me the moment we walked in, he lifted his chin in greeting from his side of the bar, his eyes skimming me and then taking in Samson at my side. And in particular, the hand Samson had in the small of my back, gently guiding me through the uncommonly large Tuesday night crowd. I smiled tightly back at Doug, knowing full well I'd cop an earful the next time I worked behind the bar. Doug may have been a man of few words, but he didn't miss a thing - and he had an opinion about most of it.
I shook my head to clear that uncomfortable thought. Doug liked Samson, he did not like how Samson made me feel however.
My eyes skimmed over a table to the side as we passed by and caught the glint of lights off several bottles huddled in the centre. The busboy was obviously being worked off his feet as there seemed to be an inordinate amount of empties piling up in the middle of the polished wooden surface. The young people on the bench seats at the side didn't seem to be too perturbed by the lack of service they were receiving. If anything they were keen to add to their collection, downing their current drinks in record speed and pushing them towards the pile with obvious delight at the the size of their hoard.
And then it hit me. All of the bottles were Vive La Vodka. I stopped dead in my tracks, making Samson slam into the back of me. His arm came out and wrapped around my stomach, in order to steady my forward motion from the collision we'd just had. I ignored his proximity and stared at the twenty odd bottles on top of the table before me, then took in the glassy, inebriated looks on the faces of the group protectively surrounding their stash. New full bottles had appeared, one of their own having made it to the bar and secured more Vive La Vodka.
One of the guys at the table looked up at me in that moment, his eyes blearily taking a sweep from my head to my toes and then slowly back up again.
"Wanna join us, blondie?" he slurred.
I blinked at him, as Samson's arm tightened possessively and then I forced myself to smile and ask, "How long have you been here?"
He looked at his watch, eyelids fluttering profusely to bring it into focus no doubt and then muttered. "Shit, an hour."
"Just an hour?" I asked and he nodded, belched unattractively and then took a large gulp of his newly acquired Vive La Vodka drink.
I twisted in Samson's arms and took a quick look around the club, but I already knew what I would find. Almost every occupant there was drinking SubZero's Vive La Vodka. Not as many empties on tables as with this group, I think they were singular in their efforts to accumulate enough glass to build a pyramid with, but I wasn't fooled into thinking the rest of the overly loud and exuberant crowd hadn't had as much of the addictive mixer as these guys.
And they were all determined to drink more before the last bell.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" I murmured quietly, but despite the ambient noise Samson would have heard.
He leaned forward and placed his mouth to my ear. "It's the drink, isn't it? Is this what the Rogue is involved in?"
I nodded against him, but my thoughts were now on how involved Jett was too. We'd passed a few bars and nightclubs coming here and none of them had been this crazy, this crowded, this alive. A Tuesday night and Sensations was going to make as much as they'd make on New Years Eve.
All because of a drink that smelled of roses, apples, peaches and cream.
"I need to have a word with Doug," I announced. Samson just turned me in his arms, not letting me get an inch further away. His mouth came down to mine, but didn't touch, just hovered above my lips, letting his hot, minty breath wash over them.
"Don't even think of ditching me, babe. I will find you if you leave without me. A quarter hour, that's all I need on the computers. Come find me when you're done and we'll go see your friend together." His arms tightened as he said together, making sure I understood his words. "You with me?"
I looked up into his deep chocolate eyes and held his gaze for a moment. I had the impression I was not going to be able to fob Samson off. He'd gone into vampire overload mode, the desire to claim and possess was obvious. I'd seen it before. It's just how we are. I've not experienced it from my point of view yet, but I sure as hell have seen others get all dominant and controlling. Hell, Michel is like that with Lucinda every day. God alone knows why she puts up with it.
I nodded back at him. It wouldn't matter what I said now - agreed with him, disagreed with him - he'd continue to stake his claim no matter what. A simple nod of my head would give him what he needed right now and then I could attempt to slip out once I'd talked to Doug.
"Say the words, babe," Samson demanded gently.
I licked my lips. I may not have been a vampire for long, but even I knew words had meaning to vampires. It was somehow inbred in us, from the moment I was turned I felt the weight of words.
A sigh, then, "I won't think of ditching you." I'd already thought of it and knew what I wanted to do, so I'd just block any repeat thoughts out of my mind.
Samson chuckled. "I've been at this a lot longer than you, Gigi. Say. The. Words."
"I don't have time for this, Samson!" I pushed hard against his chest, determined to get out of his grasp and get the hell away. "I need to be at Mt Eden in less than an hour. Let. Me. Go!"
His arms turned to bands of steel and he pulled me inexorably closer. I am strong. I am a vampire. I am, perhaps, greater than a level four Sanguis Vitam Master. It should have been easy and if I used my Light, maybe it would have been. But Light in a room crowded with Norms was not a good idea. So it was me against Samson. And although he has always appeared a level four Sanguis Vitam Master from the moment I met him, there is more to Samson than most people see.
I couldn't escape his hold. I was trapped. I glared back at him and he grinned. Then he slowly lowered his eyes to my lips. I was licking them again and it seemed to fascinate him. I held my breath, because I knew what was about to happen and a big part of me wanted it too. While the part of me that refused to let myself be hurt again baulked at that hungry stare.
Warring emotions welled up inside me and I could not tell which ones I wanted to win. I knew what kissing Samson felt like, tasted like. What it did to me. What it has done to me in the past. I may have enjoyed Jett's kisses recently, but they were nothing compared to Samson's.
He ducked his head, his eyes still firmly on my lips and then just as I decided I'd let this happen. One kiss. For old time's sake. How bad could it be? Samson was spun away from my body, his warmth instantly missed, my hands - which had been fisted in his shirt on his chest, unbeknownst to me - went flying, as Jett shot Samson a look that meant all death and stepped up to me.
I noticed Jett's arm was still extended towards Samson's, keeping the younger vampire from getting too close. Although, Samson was definitely trying. I shook my head once at him, trying to convey the mistake taking on the Master of the City would be. He caught my eyes, gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head in understanding, and then stepped back from Jett's outstretched arm.
Jett's baby blue eyes had been on me, but as he felt Samson step back he looked over his shoulder and stared at him.
"Georgia is off limits," Jett stated matter of factly. My eyebrows shot up, my arms crossed over my chest and I actually started tapping my foot. Samson looked like he was about to explode.
There was no need to breathe, so I didn't. I
just glared at the back of Jett's head and prayed Samson would not cause a scene.
The Samson of the past two months wouldn't have. He had become meek and accommodating and determined not to push his luck. That wasn't the Samson I knew, he'd disappeared the night I had been unsuccessfully turned, then died, then revived by his mistress's goddess. But twenty-four hours ago something brought my Samson back.
I can't say I wasn't sad to see him again. I liked Samson the way he was before I had been turned, and I liked the idea that he had finally come out of the guilt trip he had been on and started to live life again. But I did not like his chances now, should he take on Jett Vardi, Master of Auckland City. There was no comparison to their power levels. Jett was a level one Master and the Master of a City. Should Samson decide to take that on, he'd surely fail.
I needed to intervene before this got out of hand. I took a step closer, aiming for placing myself between the two vampires staring off at each other, but I made it no more than that one step. Jett's arm came out and wrapped around my side, then he pulled me swiftly against his hard body, tucking me under his shoulder and possessively marking his territory with that one simple move. I struggled for a second against his hold, but it was futile. And with so many Norms around, anything else was out of the question. Jett and Samson may have forgotten the humans in their vampire posturing war, but I hadn't.
"Jett," I said, but got interrupted.
"Quiet, kitten. Samson needs to know you are mine."
A flash of something Dark washed over Samson's eyes. That grey/black I hadn't seen before until tonight when he had talked of his reality altering talent. Could he use it here and make Jett think something else entirely? It was tempting. I didn't want to be Jett's possession. For too long he had chased after my capitulation to join his line. I refused to join anyone's. Aliath had given me a reprieve, but that was only for three months. Enough time to get myself together and either leave town or find an alternate safety net - as the fairy had called it.
Mixed Blessing (Mixed Blessing Mystery, Book 1) Page 31