Honorable Rogue

by Linda J. Parisi

  Tori threw Stacy a look. “I don’t have the time right now, nor the inclination.”

  She shook. The pit of her stomach swam somewhere between her knees, yet her arms and legs twitched with adrenaline spikes.

  “You’re not going to go postal, are you?” Tori shook her head. “Puddle on me?” She shook her head again. “Okay, good. Let’s take a walk.”

  The moon peeked out occasionally from behind a thick bank of clouds. Although a bit overcast, the night was cool with just the right amount of breeze to counteract the humidity. One of the last nights of a summer gone by, the kind of night where you held hands with your love and wished upon the one star you could see in the night sky.

  Not exactly the night she was having.

  They must’ve gone about a quarter of a mile before the words bubbled out of her. “Oh God, Stace. I don’t even know where to begin. He’s maddening. Infuriating. Exasperating. And too damned proud for his own damned good.”

  Stacy laughed and linked arms with her. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

  Damn Stacy, she was right. Did she dare go on? Could half the population in the cell hear her thoughts? Would they hate her for them?

  “We—we understand each other on such a deep level. He’s suffered so much. Been forced to do things I can’t even imagine. He’s built these incredibly high walls to protect himself.”

  “So have you.”

  “I know.” Tori hesitated. “The things he did and the things he had to accept, they made him hate humanity. I don’t know if you can ever forgive something like that.”

  Should she continue? Would letting Stacy in create a key and a lock to the portal in the wall? “I know this is going to sound like a non sequitur, but when did you first know you were in love with Chaz?”

  “Oh jeez. The first time I laid eyes on him?” Stacy stopped and turned to face her. “Okay, maybe it was when he tried to drain me enough to keep me from becoming the bait that finally brought Mikhail down.”

  Tori didn’t know how to answer. Stacy’s mouth quirked, and her gaze filled with so much love, Tori didn’t dare. “Maybe it was when he told me about his human past or when I heard how much it hurt that his friend and mentor needed to die by his hand.” Stacy drew in a deep breath and let the air out. “And speaking of death, how about the way he felt responsible for killing his wife?” Stacy paused. “I don’t know.”

  “I’m sorry,” Tori murmured.

  Stace continued, “Maybe it was when he explained his vampire purpose.”

  A vampire cop. A Paladin. A protector of other vampires. One of the good guys.

  “Jeez, you do ask tough questions, don’t you?” Tori nodded. She had to know. “These things make him who he is,” Stacy continued. “So, all of the above I guess?”

  “They make him human,” Tori whispered. “More than willing to lay it all on the line for you, is this what you’re telling me?”

  Stacy smiled at her. “Of course.”

  She sighed. “Peter was such a shit. Damned bastard used me, abused me, and left me when I needed him most.”

  “He was indeed, my friend,” Stacy couldn’t wait to agree.

  “And me? All that time. God, could I have been any blinder? All of you tried to tell me. I kept trusting him, and he kept using me. Funny, I never realized before. He kept draining everything out of me, not just my bank account.”

  “You have some very good friends, you know,” Stacy replied in a gentle tone. “Including you-know-who.”

  “I didn’t listen.” Tori kept bashing herself. She had to so she could heal. “I didn’t want to.”

  “But you knew the truth, deep down. I know you did.”

  “Yes. Funny, isn’t it?” she asked as a hard-won reality occurred to her.

  Stacy frowned, a bit confused. “What?”

  “Peter was the real vampire.”

  Stacy nodded. “Now there’s a truism if I ever heard one.”

  “But good can neutralize bad, can’t it?” she asked, turning to the friend who would understand everything. Stacy didn’t answer. “I mean, Kelly came out of him. Right?”

  “She did, and what a blessing she was.”

  Tori stopped and covered her face with her hands. So much jumbled up inside. Pain. This strange excitement. Thought on top of thought. When she let go and straightened, she said, “My wall is crumbling.”

  “And you’re terrified of what happens when it does?” Stacy replied, not looking one iota surprised. She took Tori’s hands and squeezed them hard, then let go.

  “Yes. That wall saved my life.”

  “Gotcha. But your wall also closed you in. God, Tori. Would you rather live in a ‘dead zone’ for the rest of your life?”

  Oh hell. “What is it with everyone and the bad vampire jokes?”

  “Sorry,” Stace deadpanned.

  “No. You. Are. Not.”

  She grinned. “No. I. Am. Not.” She sobered slowly. “You need to come to terms with your life now, Tori. Not the one in the past.”

  Now? Each day was such a trial. Surviving each one a victory. Come to terms with existence? Could she?

  “You need to try to understand the life that’s going to take you into the future. Can you take that first step again or not? Can you trust life won’t try to destroy you again? Because opening yourself up is going to open you up to new pain too.”

  “I know. Problem is I’m not sure I’m strong enough yet.”

  Stacy reached out, hugged her, and then let go. “Just remember. You’ve only been going through this for two years.” She paused and stared deep. “He’s been doing it for nearly two thousand.”

  “Doesn’t make him right,” Tori shot back.

  “Doesn’t make him wrong either.” Stacy laughed softly. “Look at me. Who’d have thought? Defending Hunter Pierce of all people. But I think this is the point. He’s still a ‘people,’ and you’re having trouble with the concept.”

  “You’re right.”

  “Never thought I’d ever say this,” Stacy continued. “I still keep remembering our first meeting, when he wanted to end my life. But here goes. Hunter doesn’t have that bond. With anyone. So when you think about your future, think about his past.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you?” Stacy asked, her tone a little stern but even. A teacher tone, like Tori had a lesson to learn. Softening a bit, she gave Tori a lopsided grin. “I have some research I have to finish.”

  “I’ll be down in a few.”

  Stacy reached out and hugged her again. “We’re sisters, Tori—by more than just the sorority—and always will be.”

  “Always,” she repeated, meaning every syllable.

  Letting go, Stacy added, “Take your time. You need to think.”

  Think? Yes, she did. Stacy was right. Tori walked along the path some more. But this time the night faded. She turned inward, honest with herself.

  The man was stubborn, pig-headed, beyond arrogant, even beyond brutal. And to top it all off, he had some humongous issues. His arrogance. His bias toward humans. His professed inability to feel.

  Okay. Those were the bad traits. The good? Vulnerable. No, beyond vulnerable. He had such a huge heart. Creating this haven for his people and caring for them as if they were his family.

  And what about inside. Wasn’t he just as afraid of having his wall come down? Because he wanted to be alone? Okay, there was alone and alone. Tori couldn’t imagine how it felt to be so insular. She knew the emptiness of the confines of that wall. The security too.

  Yet hadn’t she sometimes chafed at the small space?

  So, the question became, would either of them learn to trust the other?

  Tori turned to go back into the house. Suddenly, she saw a flaming-red mane of hair walking toward her, and the face beneath the hair wasn’t one she wanted to encounter.

  “Hello.”

  Tori nodded. A storm of harsh words bottled up in the middle of her throat. She could only hope Vanessa hear
d what she didn’t say. “Hello.”

  The vampress seemed contrite. She nodded to let Tori know she’d heard every unsaid word. “I just went down to see Hunter. He told me to piss off. I think he’s feeling better.”

  “For now.”

  “Look,” Vanessa sighed. “I’m sorry about how things went down. I’m not really known for my tact. Or for thinking before I act.” She half smiled. “Sam really reamed me a new one.”

  “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to,” Tori answered, holding onto her temper. Somehow.

  “Yeah, well, Hunter seemed to think so.”

  “Did he now?” she asked, that strange warmth filling her insides again.

  “Even though it wasn’t my intention, I did kind of put you in danger,” she acknowledged. “Using you as bait didn’t make him very happy.”

  “I’ll live,” Tori sighed. “But Hunter might not.”

  Vanessa’s gaze grazed the ground before lifting. “Mikhail was like a father to me,” she offered.

  “Must have been quite a guy,” Tori murmured, wondering if familial love was excuse enough for Vanessa’s actions. “Chaz said the same.”

  “He was.”

  Tori didn’t think she’d ever forgive Vanessa completely. But hadn’t she just told off Hunter about that very thing? The least she could do was listen to herself. “I may not be able to save him, you know.”

  “If you can’t, I’ll have to take his head. I won’t let Charles do it.”

  “I know,” Tori whispered, a sear of fear flowing through her stomach.

  “Look. I know an explanation won’t make up for what I’ve done, but I wasn’t a nice person after I became a vampire. I was supposed to be a Paladin, but I didn’t listen to my calling. I did some things I regret very much.”

  “Out of anger. For your past?” Tori asked. “Seems to be a common theme.”

  Vanessa nodded. “Not the time and place for the whole story. Suffice it to say Hunter and I have more in common than you can imagine. Only his chains were made out of iron.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She made a face. “Anyway, Mikhail threatened to take me down. He should’ve. For some unknown reason he didn’t. Instead, he gave me a second chance. No one in either of my lives ever thought I was worthy of a second chance. I want this Casperian very badly.”

  “I imagine you do.”

  “But I also have a duty to perform,” Vanessa continued. She swallowed hard. “I’d like to apologize. My duty should never have been at your expense.”

  If she’d just told Hunter about revenge and consequences, Tori also had to remember not to hold a grudge. “No harm no foul, for me anyway. But Hunter is another matter altogether.”

  Vanessa let go of a deep breath almost as if she’d been holding onto it. “I understand completely. My duty shouldn’t have been at Hunter’s expense either. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  An idea popped into her head. A tantalizing idea and one which might just work. “Actually yes, there is.” Vanessa waited, a slight impatience in her stance. But the woman’s face lit up, and she really did seem eager to make amends. “There’s a bio-tech company called CoRRStar. They’re really heavy into mitochondrial disease research.”

  “What kind of research?” she asked, completely bewildered.

  “You wouldn’t understand,” Tori replied with a shake of her head. “You don’t need to understand. So just listen. I want you to take Jonas with you and pose as an investor.”

  “A what?”

  “An investor,” she repeated. “I assume you have bank accounts. Access to mucho dinero?”

  Vanessa started and threw her a sideways look. The vampress was willing to do what needed to be done for Hunter, but she obviously had reservations about trusting Tori. She answered in a slow drawl. “I may.”

  “Good. All you have to do is walk into their building like you own the place. They’ll understand that kind of arrogance. Besides, it seems to come naturally.”

  Her eyebrows drew together, but Vanessa let the barb slide.

  “Let Jonas be your admin,” Tori continued. “I’ll talk with him. I’ll make sure he knows the right questions to ask.”

  Vanessa cocked her head, her gaze narrowing. “And why am I doing this?”

  “Because I don’t have time to set up meetings and go through lawyers and file nondisclosure agreements. They may have something that might help cure Hunter.”

  “Ahh.” Suddenly, Vanessa’s face cleared, and she grinned. “Now I understand.”

  “And if they have what I need,” Tori continued. “Are you up for a bit of larceny?”

  Vanessa beamed. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Tori returned to the lab kind of excited. After Vanessa had left, she’d thought about Hunter and what she now termed “royal blood.” “Stace? I think there’s something unique about Sam’s blood. It seems to be stronger than human blood. Or maybe it’s just my imagination, but Hunter’s been resting more comfortably, and if I’m not mistaken, he hasn’t complained in hours.”

  “You know, you’re right.” Stacy cocked her head. “I was pretty surprised when Sam decided to go along.”

  “Go along?” Tori asked, a bit confused.

  “Yeah.” Stacy put a test tube into a rack and took off her safety glasses. “With giving Hunter her blood.”

  “Why?”

  “Vampires have a rule never to drink from one another. It seems to create a special bond between them, one they can’t get away from.”

  Fascinating. But Hunter didn’t seem like he was attached to Sam. They shared an emotional bond, one she thought stemmed from knowing each other for so long, not an attachment. “Maybe Sam’s different.”

  “Actually,” Chaz explained, having overheard the conversation. He’d been sitting patiently while Stacy had worked without complaint. She watched him catch Hunter’s gaze and watched Hunter kind of nod in return. “Hunter is.”

  “What do you mean?” Tori asked, turning to Hunter.

  He grimaced as if he was the last thing in the world he wanted to discuss, but he answered her question. “I was made from royal blood.”

  Tori flipped her gaze to find Stacy just as shocked by this revelation. “Royal blood?” she asked as she looked over at Hunter again. “Sam?”

  He fell back against the bed, so Tori turned her gaze to Chaz. Chaz didn’t look comfortable but answered. “No, Sam’s brother. Antu Si-Tayat.”

  Tori and Stacy asked the question at the same time. “Brother?”

  “We don’t usually talk about things like this. How we come to be vampires is private, so you can imagine what I’m about to tell you is very secret. They both come from the beginnings of our race,” Chaz answered, his gaze guarded.

  Things made sense now. Since he’d been made by royal blood, Hunter was able to respond to Sam’s blood. “I’m bound by doctor-patient confidentiality.”

  “Ditto,” Stacy agreed.

  “I’m afraid I don’t know too much more than this,” Chaz continued. “Sam’s never shared her story. But obviously, if Hunter was made by a royal, he’s stronger than most of us.”

  Tori nodded. Any and all information was useful, so she tucked it away and continued her work. She was certain Hunter’s response was because of the royal blood, and sure enough, a couple of hours after drinking, Hunter told her he felt well enough to sit up on his own.

  Not too long afterward, Sam came down to the lab to check on him, and under Tori’s watchful eye, Hunter drank some more. Again, as before, he acted like he wanted to expel most of it but swallowed hard and often to dispel the urge. Then she watched as he simply waited for the upheaval to subside.

  Never having been a patient as a vampire before, Hunter chafed at her constant, nagging care. “You know, I’ve been nicked, cut, and stabbed when I was a human. The physicians of my day placed poultices on the wounds, sewed them up when necessary, and let me drink wine for t
he pain. They didn’t hover, asking a thousand times a day how I felt,” he groused.

  Tori laughed and walked over to a bench to put some slides on the microscope. She glanced over to see Sam stand by him for a long moment while she waited for her wrist to heal, but Sam also seemed to be waiting for something else. “What?” she heard Hunter ask, his tone impatient.

  “No whips. No chains,” Sam murmured.

  Tori turned to watch them, for she wondered if there was more than just time and shared experience between them, and caught Hunter looking bewildered. “What do you mean?”

  “Something for you to think about while you lie in bed and the rest of us work,” Sam answered.

  Was there really a bond between them? Had there been a relationship?

  Hunter wasn’t able to move his head quickly, but he caught her gaze as he heard the questions in his head. Damn vampires and their abilities!

  All right then, if he’d heard those words, why not go all the way? Are you listening, Hunter? I’m asking myself if I’m jealous. Got that?

  He frowned, and she turned toward Sam. Sam met her gaze openly, but a slight smile lifted the corner of her mouth. She shook her head ever so slightly no.

  So there’d been no relationship. Tori couldn’t believe the weight lifting from her shoulders. And then she chastised herself for her stupidity. How could she stoop so low when it was Sam’s blood that seemed to save his life?

  Then it hit her with all the subtlety of a sixty-megaton baseball bat right between the eyes. Maybe Sam’s blood could save all their lives.

  Tori had to keep her hands from literally accosting the vampire queen. “Sam. Excuse me, Sam?” She turned lifting a brow. “May I take another set of tubes please? Your blood is unique, and I really need to figure out what’s in it, what seems to be stopping the progression of the disease in Hunter. I’m hoping if your blood works with Hunter, it may with others.”

  Sam nodded, then lifted a pointed brow at Hunter before holding out her arm for Tori to take more of her blood. “Of course.”

  Ahh. Sam was pointing out to Hunter that no one was forcing either scientist or doctor to spend their time working in the lab trying to save him.