by Tina Folsom
“Faye, Faye, how often have I told you that between us there’s no formality. I’m still Abel to you. Always will be. Besides, I’m not king yet.”
“Of course.” She allowed her eyes to roam over him. There were days she could barely look at him, so much did he remind her of the man she’d lost. The man she’d loved.
Abel pointed to a bench, motioning her to sit there with him. She took a seat, and he joined her.
“I’ve come to talk to you.”
Her stomach instantly clenched. She knew what this was about. She’d counted the days too, though for other reasons than he had.
“We all miss him,” Abel started.
Faye pressed her lips together, suppressing the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her and rob her of the ability to think clearly. She had to remain strong.
“The time is nearly up.”
She nodded. “One year, one month, and one day. I marked it on my calendar.” Though she didn’t have to. She would always remember the horrible day when she’d been robbed of the love of her life.
“Yes, in less than two weeks his official reign will end, and the new king will be crowned.”
“I’ve never really understood why there is such a long period after the death of one king before his successor can take the throne,” Faye said to fill the air between them with words.
Abel reached for her hand, clasping it. She shuddered internally, but let it happen. He would be her king soon, and her destiny lay in his hands. The privileges she’d enjoyed as the dead king’s fiancée would expire at the new king’s coronation. She would lose her home, her standing in their society, her influence. Though nothing mattered much to her anyway. Only love for the vampires who would have been her subjects, had her fiancé lived, had made her stay. Otherwise, she would have left the clan altogether.
“It’s meant to give the people time to grieve without having to pledge their allegiance to the new king while they still mourn the old,” Abel explained.
“It must be hard for the king-in-waiting, though.”
“As regent, I already have many of the powers the king has. And it gives me a chance to get to know my subjects better and find out what they want from me.” He raised her hand toward his face. “Or what I want from them.”
Faye’s breath hitched. “Yes, yes, of course.” She rose, making him drop her hand, and walked to a raised flowerbed. She reached for shears and started to prune the plants.
Since that horrible day over a year ago, no man had touched her. And the thought of another man’s hands or lips on her sent panic shooting down her spine. She knew she had to do something about that, but tonight wasn’t the right time.
Behind her, Abel rose from the bench. She heard his footsteps as he approached her.
“Decisions have to be made. As you know, soon—”
“I know,” she interrupted him. “I have been thinking about it. I’m preparing myself to leave.” She would be without protection once again. The last time that had happened she’d fallen prey to the cruelest of vampires.
When Abel’s hands clasped her shoulders from behind, she sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself.
“I didn’t come to ask you to leave. I came to ask you to stay.”
Faye turned her head halfway. “But clan law is clear on it.”
“I don’t give a damn about clan law. In two weeks, my word will be law.”
Surprised at his sharp tone, her heart rate doubled instantly. She knew he would sense it. A vampire’s hearing was sensitive enough for it. Besides, his hands still lay on her shoulders, and by touching her he would not only feel her heartbeat, but also perceive the blood that rushed through her veins like a runaway train.
“Forget what I said,” Abel added quickly. “This isn’t about the law. It’s about you. You were meant to be queen. The members of our clan love you. Your dream doesn’t have to end with my coronation.”
The implication of his words sank in immediately. When he turned her to face him, she wanted to avoid his gaze, but out of respect for the position he held she didn’t.
His dark eyes looked at her with an intensity she’d always loved about his brother. But in Abel, it scared her. Or was she simply scared because it meant she would finally have to admit to herself that it was time to move on and let go of the memories she treasured, the memories of true love?
“I need a queen. A woman like you, one who is loved by her subjects. I know I’m not like him. I could never be the just leader he was. But with you by my side, with you guiding me to show me what he would have done in my stead, I can be a good king. I need you.”
Faye searched his eyes, trying to see past his words, past the face he showed her. Did he mean it? Did he really need her in order to be the kind of king their vast clan needed? And could she truly help him be that man? Was that her calling? To be queen, so he could be king?
Her chest lifted as she took a breath. “I don’t know, Abel. I loved your brother.”
Abel pressed a finger to her lips. “And he loved you. He would want this for you. He would want you to have what was meant to be yours. He would want you to move on and be happy again. To see you smile again. I remember that smile. But I haven’t seen it for so long.”
She lowered her lids and nodded. “It is hard to get over the death of someone so . . . ” She couldn’t even continue her thought, nor say his name, without risking dissolving into tears.
“Give me a chance,” Abel said gently.
“This is all so unexpected. I need time to think about it,” she answered quickly, desperate to buy herself some time and at the same time not offend him. This was a decision she couldn’t make, not without thinking about the consequences. She didn’t love Abel. He was in so many ways not like his brother. Where his brother had been kind and lenient, Abel was harsh and stern. Their personalities couldn’t be more different from each other.
Faye wanted to scream, to lament that the wrong brother had died. If only that night she’d not let him out of her arms. Then he would still be alive. He would still be king, and she would be his blood-bonded mate and his queen.
“Do it for the clan, if not for me.”
Faye looked past him, her eyes peering into the darkness beyond the palace she lived in. It was vast, a huge structure built like a fortress, impenetrable and awe-inspiring. A large palace for a large clan, one that encompassed all of Louisiana and spilled over its borders. A clan so secretive, yet influential way beyond its physical boundaries, that few vampires outside knew of its existence. All previous kings had wanted it that way, knowing that in anonymity lay safety.
The old ways were still strong within the clan. The laws they lived by had been passed down from their founders, though the living accommodations were modern and the castle—tucked away in a remote wooded area north of New Orleans—was equipped with state-of-the-art security. Just as it behooved a king. Guards and other key members of the clan lived in the palace, while in buildings surrounding the well-kept grounds, other vampires made their home.
Faye’s eyes drifted back to Abel. “You deserve a mate who loves you.”
He smiled. “I’ll settle for one who may one day learn to love me.”
She sighed. “I don’t know.”
“We could be crowned together in two weeks if you say yes.”
She swallowed hard. “I’ll give you my answer. Soon.”
Then she turned quickly and rushed through the open door into the corridor beyond. She almost collided with somebody and looked up in shock.
“Apologies, Faye,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“John, uh, you didn’t,” she lied, wanting to get away from him as quickly as possible.
John was tall and broad, a strong vampire with a fast hand and a quick mind. It was those qualities that had made him the leader of the king’s elite guard, the small hand-selected group of vampires who guarded the king and queen.
But John had failed guarding his king. Under his
watch, the king had been assassinated. When Faye had seen the telltale ash and the signet ring on the floor—the remains of her lover—she’d accused John of neglecting his duty. He’d hung his head, accepting her hateful words in stoic silence, never even attempting to offer an excuse or apology.
She’d never understood why Abel hadn’t punished John. Had she been in the position to give orders, she would have demanded John’s execution for his failure to keep the king safe.
For a moment, she paused. Maybe Abel had a kinder heart than she gave him credit for, and she was the one who was bad for wishing to punish the leader of the king’s guard.
3
Amaury not only lived in one of the shabbiest neighborhoods of San Francisco, he owned an entire apartment building there, the penthouse of which he and his human mate, Nina, called home. When Cain had once asked his fellow vampire why he’d bought the property, Amaury had said that nobody else had wanted it and it had come cheap.
Cain now looked up at the six-story apartment building and noticed the light coming from the top floor. A broad shadow moved in front of one of the large windows, then a smaller one joined and the two melted into one figure. A second later they retreated from the window.
Cain didn’t have to wait long. It appeared that Amaury was just as eager to get this over with as he was. The sound of an opening door drifted to his ears, and an instant later Amaury emerged.
The bodyguard with the shoulder-length dark hair was built like a tank. Technically Amaury wasn’t a bodyguard anymore; he was a director of Scanguards but, despite his rank in the company, Amaury loved getting his hands dirty.
With a motion of his head, Amaury walked into the alley next to the building. Cain followed without a word, then stopped a few feet from where Amaury stood in front of a dumpster.
“What the fuck’s wrong with you?” Amaury asked without a greeting.
Cain pulled his shoulders back and broadened his stance instinctively. He was ready for this fight. “I don’t like your tone.”
“Guess we’ve got that in common. ’Cause I don’t like yours, either.” Amaury glared at him. “What happened to you? When we took you on, I thought we’d struck gold! Of all the bodyguards I know, you’ve turned out to be the one with the best instincts. As if it had been bred into you! And look at you now!”
Cain took a step toward him, balling his hands into fists. “Nothing’s changed!”
“The fuck it hasn’t! Ever since Oliver’s wedding three months ago, you’ve been slacking off! You don’t show up for your shifts. And when you do, you’re in a stinking mood!”
“My mood’s my business, not yours!” Cain ground out between clenched teeth.
Amaury narrowed his eyes. “It is when you turn into an insubordinate prick!” He flashed his fangs. “There are rules if you want to continue working for Scanguards. And you’d better be following them, or—”
Cain’s hand shot out by itself and slammed Amaury against the dumpster, as if somebody else had taken control over his body. “You think you can order me around?” Instinct told him that he wasn’t used to following orders. He was meant to give them.
Amaury pushed back, using both hands to catapult Cain against the wall of the building. “You listen to me now, you little shit! Samson and I agree on this. Either you follow the fucking rules, or you’re out. You understand me?”
So they’d all conspired behind his back. That was just perfect! Fucking perfect! “Fuck you, Amaury! Fuck all of you!” But just cursing Amaury wasn’t enough. Hurling the words at him didn’t give Cain the satisfaction he needed. Only one thing could do that now.
Cain brought his fist up and delivered an uppercut to Amaury’s chin, making the hulky vampire tumble back. He caught himself just as quickly and lashed a furious glare at Cain.
“You wanna fight? Fine,” Amaury bit out. “Let’s fight.”
Before the last word was even out, a fist slammed into Cain’s face, whipping his head sideways. Pain radiated through his body and made him feel more alive than he’d felt for the entire last year. It was a thousand times better than the numbness and void he’d been feeling.
With a growl, Cain aimed his fists at Amaury and delivered blow after blow. But the huge vampire was no willing punching bag. He gave as good as he got, alternating between kicks and blows. Despite his size, his opponent was more agile on his feet than anybody would have guessed.
Cain let his instincts take over. He’d known himself to be a remarkable fighter, but in this fist fight with Amaury, Cain sensed that his skills were superior to those of his boss. One thing that Amaury had said rang true: fighting had been bred into him. He was no novice, and he was proving it now by pummeling Amaury with his fists, kicking him with skilled and lightning-fast moves, while Amaury was forced into defense.
Satisfaction surged inside Cain. This felt right. Making another vampire submit to him, beating him down and showing him who was stronger, triggered a spark in him. As if a tiny candle was illuminating something in his past. Something that lay just beyond his reach. So close, yet so far away.
Amaury’s next punch hit him in the stomach, making him fold over for an instant. Another blow followed the first, confirming that Cain’s moment of contemplation had cost him the upper hand.
“Fuck!” Cain growled and cleared his mind.
He avoided Amaury’s next punch by swiveling on his heel and jumping behind his opponent. Cain kicked his leg out and hit Amaury in the back of his knees. The linebacker-sized vampire lost his balance and fell backward, landing hard on the concrete ground.
A whoosh of air expelled from Amaury’s chest, but already he tried to jump up. Cain was faster. He landed on him, pinning him to the ground, when Amaury’s eyes suddenly stared at him in shock.
It took a second for Cain to realize what Amaury was looking at.
In horror, Cain recoiled, scrambling backward to release him, while he looked at his own hand in disbelief. He was holding a stake. A ragged breath tore from Cain’s chest. He hadn’t even noticed pulling his stake from his jacket pocket.
“Shit!” he cursed and dropped it to the ground.
Amaury sat up. “I’ve never seen anybody as fast as you.”
Cain rubbed a trembling hand over his face. “I didn’t mean to—”
The simultaneous pinging of two cell phones saved him from completing his sentence. Automatically Cain pulled his phone from his pocket to look at it.
Trouble at the End Up. Vampire involvement suspected, the text message read. Accept or reject, it flashed an instant later.
The End Up was a popular nightclub in the South of Market area. He knew from experience that it could be a hotspot for trouble. Heck, most nightclubs in the city were.
“Crap!” Amaury cursed, clearly having received the same message.
Their gazes met.
“Are you with me?” Amaury asked.
It wasn’t an order, but a request that he saw in his fellow vampire’s eyes. It made all the difference.
“Let’s go and kick some ass.” Cain jumped to his feet and reached his hand out to Amaury.
Amaury flashed a grin. “They’re not gonna know what hit them.”
4
From the door of the End Up, which was guarded by a bouncer with way too many tattoos on his face, neck and arms, loud techno music emanated. A crowd of youngsters stood in line, waiting to be let in.
Without hesitation, Cain followed Amaury as he walked to the head of the line and stopped in front of the bouncer, ignoring the verbal protests of the waiting clubbers.
“Hey, there’s a line!” one of them complained.
Cain turned, letting Amaury do his thing with the bouncer, while he glared at the kid who’d dared make a stink. “Official business. So butt out, little punk.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned back just as the bouncer made a motion for him and Amaury to enter.
The thing Amaury had done was a little trick known as mind control. Every vampire possessed the skill
, which had always been thought to work only on humans. However, only recently they’d found out the hard way that there were vampires who were capable of exerting mind control on other vampires. To Cain’s knowledge, all vampires possessing that particular skill had been eradicated—all but one: Thomas, the chief of IT at Scanguards. And luckily Thomas was one of the gentlest creatures Cain had ever met and absolutely devoted to Scanguards. Almost as devoted as he was to his blood-bonded mate, Eddie.
Cain entered the club, his eyes instantly adjusting to the dim interior. A vampire’s vision was superior to that of a human, and he could see everything as clearly as if the place were lit up like a Christmas tree. The noise was deafening, and unfortunately not something Cain could easily drown out.
It wasn’t hard to see why Scanguards had gotten a call from one of their informants—trusted humans and civilian vampires who kept their ears to the ground to alert Scanguards to any problems that needed to be taken care of immediately.
While Scanguards was primarily a company supplying bodyguards and other security personnel to politicians, celebrities, foreign dignitaries, and other rich people, the mayor of San Francisco, a hybrid himself—half human, half vampire—had recently hired them as an underground security unit that not even his police force was aware of. As such, Scanguards was now in charge of rooting out problems that human police officers were ill equipped to deal with.
Amaury pointed to the far corner which lay in almost complete darkness.
“I see them,” Cain replied.
Paving the way through the throng of dancers on the dance floor that occupied the middle of the club, Amaury charged ahead, Cain on his heels. He ignored the come-hither looks he received from some of the women he passed.
The three punks looked high, but the moment he laid eyes on them Cain knew it wasn’t alcohol or drugs that had caused their inebriated state. After all, alcohol or drugs didn’t have any effect on a vampire. Only blood—massive amounts of it—could make a vampire high. That, or tainted blood. The kind of blood that ran through the veins of Ursula, his colleague Oliver’s mate. But to Cain’s knowledge, all women with the special blood that could drug a vampire had been removed from San Francisco and given new identities.