The young almost-Master blinked up at him with wide amber eyes. And a memory slammed into Tristan, looking down at Lucien like this and that taste, god, what was that?
Shaken, Tristan croaked out his words. “Stand down and I won’t cut open your throat.” With my nasty butter knife! Echoed in his thoughts but he managed to bite his tongue.
“You think that will kill me?”
Tristan shrugged, trying to regain his confidence, pushing on the kitchen knife to draw a line of blood. “Only one way to find out.”
The vampire looked startled for a moment before confidence filled his expression. “But you don’t like to kill, yes? You think being humane with non-humans is judicious? It’s folly.”
Tristan didn’t even have to think about his answer, speaking from his heart. “You were human once. A part of you still is. You may be stronger, smarter and everything better than humans—than me. But you deserve the same fair chance that the rest of us have to make your case.”
The vampire smiled, showing his fangs. “There is no law, no fair when it comes to the food chain. And I’m number one. Vampire is the top of the food chain.”
A dark smile slowly came over Tristan, his eyes lowering to half-lidded, cold and cynical. He felt empty, disconnected. And right. “No, I am.”
At Tristan’s sudden show of confidence, the vampire wavered, his smile slipping. “Wh—what?”
“Haven’t you heard, I’m Uruwashi and last I checked that makes me the top of the fucking food chain.”
Over him Desmond made a noise but he couldn’t look away from the one he had pinned. Alone, he was no match for this one but something in the vampire’s eyes said he knew more than folktales about the Uruwashi. Tristan wasn’t sure how he knew, only that it was a certainty, This almost-Master vampire had seen the brutality of the Uruwashi in an ancient’s blood, no doubt.
“How astute,” the one under him said and Tristan flinched at the wrongness of it. Almost as if…
“Yes,” the vampire said again in that hollow tone that almost had a feminine quality to it. “Come to me and I will spare your… friend.”
Tristan’s head jerked up, looking around. There was Ash, still in the angry Uruwashi-seeking crowd, considerably smaller now as three of them lay unmoving in snow stained red. Yukihime, Balian and Katrina had joined her but he could tell she was annoyed by their interference. Point was, she was fine.
Xuejiao was putting on a lighting/ice show for half a dozen other vampires, including the one she’d called Tegwen, Audric and Innokentiy. The old Viking looked like he was enjoying himself.
At least someone was.
Then there, almost to the tree line all the way on the other side of the field were two figures. He could make out that the smaller of the two as a woman, but more than that was lost to the distance between them. On the ground before her, on his knees was a man that even from this far away, was no doubt, Wren. She lifted a hand and beckoned to Tristan.
“Shit,” he hissed.
“Go on,” the vampire on the ground said. “This one will stay here and entertain your little helper.”
In his utter shock, Tristan almost laughed at the “little” part, a word that in no way applied to Desmond. Slowly, he sat up, loosening his hold on the vampire. When he was sure that the man really wasn’t going to try to kill him again, Tristan got up, scrambling back.
“Whut in the bloody hell do yew think yur doing, mate?” Desmond bit out, enough seikonō in his words that Tristan shuddered.
Tristan looked at him, this man he hated but was learning to rely on, this vampire who should have killed him ages ago and his mind went empty. What could he say that would appease Desmond’s sense of duty? Did he care one way or the other about his own scion? Would that make a difference to Desmond?
“I told you before, I’m not your mate. We’re not friends.”
Desmond looked startled for a moment. And that was long enough. Before he could recover, the vampire sprung to his feet, dusting up a cloud of snow. Tristan gasped, stumbling back, nearly re-twisting his bum knee. He caught Desmond’s eyes, wide and surprised through the haze and then the vampire was on the big Scotsman.
Tristan stood frozen for a moment, wondering if this was really okay and then he remembered Wren. Desmond was a Master and stronger than he showed. Wren was just a vanilla. He might as well have been a human. Maybe that’s what drew Tristan to the vampire.
Tristan’s decision was easy then and he turned, running away from the fray. By the time he crossed the field, his knee was killing him and his chest hurt from gulping down cold air. He felt out of shape but the truth had more to do with his time with Xuejiao. The tiny vampire had nearly gotten the best of him.
Nearly.
He stopped a few yards back to catch his breath and take stock. There was no one else to interfere, he knew it with a certainty that was his Uruwashi blood. The fact was that he was so far from the others that the mix of vampire energies that’d been a swirling chaos inside him were gone. All he felt now was this new Master, and Wren but to a much lesser extent. It was almost a relief but then how could he relax with that weight pressing down on his soul? Dammit, she was old. Too old.
And he thought Innokentiy and Xuejiao felt heavy.
Shit.
She was older than them both, combined, and she wanted Tristan to know it.
“Astute for such a young man.”
Frowning, he nodded. Despite his wall, she could read his thoughts. There was no hiding from one so old. “Tristan. Uruwashi.”
She looked startled as much as her alabaster smooth complexion would afford her. Of all the vampire Tristan had seen, including those here tonight, she was by far the ghostliest. She looked like a moving statue and it freaked Tristan the fuck out so much so that he could barely contain himself. He didn’t care if she was in his mind now, rooting around, he just didn’t want her to touch him.
Her mouth twitched in an almost there smile. “You know, you shouldn’t go around introducing yourself properly. There’s some who will take offense to the word Uruwashi.”
“Only the old ones,” he muttered and then let out a breath, forcing himself to calm down. “Well, I was told I was rude,” He glanced at Wren, smiling faintly but Wren wouldn’t look at him. “So I thought I’d be polite for once, see how it works out for me.”
Her smile finally took shape and it made her look more alive. But, no, not really. She was still creepy as fuck. “And, how fares it thus far?”
He shrugged to look cool despite the pounding in his ears. He could barely hear her over his own pulse. “We’re still talking. In fact…” He made a bold move and took a single step towards her. Wren must have moved because Tristan was suddenly looking at him and the vampire made the smallest of gestures that screamed warning to Tristan. Wren was telling him to run.
He swallowed back a lump and said, “I’m pretty sure you called me over here.”
“Yes,” she answered plainly.
After a moment of silence with only the far off cries of vampires beating each other up, Tristan cleared his throat. “It’s quiet… out here.”
“Less bickering.”
“Yeah,” he snorted, feeling at ease suddenly, “what was that all about back there?”
“Our kind… we don’t usually get along. Especially the ancients and kodaijin. Eventually, we all go into hiding, make ourselves hermits. It’s why everyone thinks the kodaijin are all dead. But the truth is that we just can’t stand the noise of the others any longer.”
“So… there’s more of you?”
She considered him a few seconds and then nodded, pulling Wren closer. “Many. But more sleep than roam.”
Tristan looked to Wren again, taking in his look of warning behind the veil of hair and sighed. “I know you didn’t call me out here just to give me ancient vampire secrets and shoot the shit, so what’da want?”
She was quiet for a moment before she laughed. Again, the human behind the monster shon
e through and it put Tristan at ease. He was starting to suspect she was doing more, working her vampiric body language. If she were as old as Tristan suspected then who knew what she could do, and Tristan couldn’t even guess. For as much time as he spent with Xuejiao, she really didn’t show him much of anything.
“We don’t like to show off, generally.”
Tristan rubbed his forehead. “Losing my patience here, lady.”
“Amunet.”
Tristan frowned a little. “Like the Egyptian Goddess?”
“One and the same,” she said smiling.
“Er… right.”
“Why did you come to me alone?”
“You said you’d spare him.” Tristan nodded at Wren.
She lifted her chin, narrowing her eyes at him. “Did you know that since the beginning of civilization man has sought to make sense of their world by putting their ideas, their faith into beings greater than them?”
“Yeah, gods.”
“No,” she said gleefully. “Well, yes, of a sort. But to be more accurate, vampires.”
Tristan frowned. “You can’t mean—”
“Of course, every. One. Vampire are greater than man. I am greater than man. Why shouldn’t we set ourselves in the position of Gods?”
He felt blindsided as the simplicity of it rang true.
“Every single god in the history of mankind has always been given face by a vampire. The gods are all undead. Humans, fae, even the noble elves, they all worship gods that are walking dead. But would you believe that of all the gods in creation, the pythia’s god is the only living being?”
She took a few steps away from Wren and the vampire looked startled, attention darting between Tristan and the woman. “I am older than the civilization of Egypt but I found a fascination with their way of life and ingratiated myself into their world. I am the one who taught them how to build their blessed pyramids and they gave me my favorite name of Amunet. I was worshiped for so long…” She stopped her slow pacing and stood, stone still unnerving and fascinating Tristan at the same time.
He’d never seen one give into their nature so easily. She didn’t bother to breathe or keep her movements slow. She didn’t bother to act human.
“If only Amun hadn’t…” She lowered her head. “All things must end, eventually.”
While she wasn’t looking Tristan motioned for Wren to beat it. The vampire’s eyes widened and that’s when Tristan realized he didn’t have his mask on. Night hid the details but what Tristan could make out turned his stomach.
Of course, the moment Tristan thought it, Wren fleeing, Amunet heard him. She looked up slowly and then smiled faintly. “Fine then, you may go.”
Wren startled, his attention jerking around to her. “Ma—Master?”
“Yes, go on. I never meant to actually hurt you, I just needed him to come to me.”
Wren’s attention went to Tristan. The vampire looked him up and down and then sighed, lowering his face to hide that smile, Tristan suspected. “This man doesn’t need bait to come to someone like you.” Amunet made a little noise and Wren looked up, moving his face precisely to keep his hair over it. “The curiosity of this one far outweighs his sense of danger.”
The old vampire took a moment to think on that and then laughed softly. “I suppose he is Uruwashi after all.” She nodded for Wren to take his leave and he gave her an appreciative nod in return.
The vanilla vampire moved slowly but with purpose as he angled his way towards Tristan. He stopped when they were shoulder to shoulder and looked up. Tristan gasped when he got his first real look at the mess Desmond had bestowed the young man with. He was so distracted by tracing the lines of scar on Wren’s face that he barely heard the man speak to him.
“Er… What? Yeah. I know, be safe, I will. I mean, yeah. Thanks.”
Wren smiled and then wiggled a finger as if to say he had a secret to tell. Without argument, Tristan leaned down and when he did the vampire took his face into his hands and kissed him, licking his lips for good measure.
“Gah!” Tristan said angrily but was smiling as he straightened, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Vampires…”
“Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu,” the man whispered and then was on his way, slowly picking through the snow, away from the others.
Tristan snorted, not understanding the sentiment but having an idea—sorry for leaving you behind. He stood his ground, watching Amunet watching him until Wren’s presence faded away. Tristan let out a relieved sigh, relaxing slightly.
“His welfare concerns you.”
“You sound surprised.”
“You’re Uruwashi, you kill our kind. Friendship is a foreign word between us.”
“What about love?”
Amunet flinched as if he hit her. “You can’t mean to tell me you actually love that man.”
Tristan laughed. “Wren? No, he’s just a friend. But Ash of Earth, she’s my…” He stopped to sigh. It wasn’t like him to be so overly emotional verbally, especially to a stranger but he was going to put his feelings into honest, simple words. “Everything.”
The woman flinched again, hissing a whisper in a language Tristan’d never heard before. “You’re mad.”
“No, just an honest fool.” And too tired to give a shit anymore.
“At the height of my reign as the goddess Amunet, I had a great, powerful and wise consort, Amun. He was my Master, maker and… well, as you put it, my everything.”
She paused as if to give him a chance to say something but then she sighed, continuing.
“The people revolted, quite suddenly, and burnt Master during his daytime sleep. But he woke up, he survived. He killed them all but he was badly burnt, unrecognizable. In his madness, the malady of a near sun death, he rampaged and many lives were lost but Master went on. That was nearly three thousand years ago. He gained his senses to rule in the south for a little longer but eventually the pain of it all was too much for him. He wasn’t healing from his wounds like he should have and stop rising.”
Tristan huffed. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“He woke up.”
“Uh… okay?”
“After more than two thousand years of sleeping, Master has awoken. He said… he said he felt a call. Tell me, Tristan Uruwashi, what exactly were you doing on the night of December 25?”
Tristan’s entire body went cold. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t think. “I, I was… I,” he yammered on until he looked up and met her eyes and the words found solidity. “I killed a vampire.”
She harrumphed as if she’d already known that but didn’t expect him to say it so honestly. “You’ve awoken Master and now he wishes to see you. I don’t want you to see him, but he wishes it and that’s that.”
“See me?” Tristan snapped as he started to feel the sizzle of her wind seikonō. “You mean rip my fucking throat out.”
Her expression darkened and she took a step towards him, stopping to smirk when she saw the look on Tristan’s face. “No. I want to rip your fucking throat out. Master just wishes to meet you. But, if you’re smart, you will stay away from him.”
“Why?”
“As the oldest vampire, he’s developed his idiosyncrasies. Then again, I suppose being the First Vampire makes him unique all on his own.”
Tristan flinched. “You can’t mean… Apos?”
“Yes,” Amunet hissed as she let more energy slip out and Tristan tasted the earth in her power. “That is one of his names… the one that little monster calls him.”
They both looked up when there was a scream from across the field. It wasn’t a war cry or a cry of pain, but a frustrated cry that they both knew meant defeat.
“She’s lost some of her edge, letting so few take her down. Perhaps Master was right and she just wanted to die. Anyway, I never liked her nor understood what Master saw in her.”
Tristan’s attention snapped around and he jumped back, almost tripping on his feet caught up in snow when th
e vampire moved for him. She was just a small lunge away now and he didn’t like that one bit.
“Of course, I could have subdued her all on my own, I am older and the more powerful of the two of us.” She smiled broadly, showing off fang as she let another of her powers lick at Tristan’s psyche. He gasped, stumbling back and lost his balance. He fell onto his ass in the snow, gaping up at the vampire now standing over him. Earth and wind tingled through him, but more frightening was the overwhelming burn of fire.
“But I was told to secure your attention and deliver the message.”
“You’re…,” Tristan whispered as he tried to come to terms with all he was feeling. The crowd across the field was getting loud again as the group started to chant. Tristan’s body shuddered as whatever compulsion they put into their words washed over him. It wasn’t for him, this feeling of surrender but he felt it nonetheless. He was trapped between instinct and minds greater than his. “Impossible.”
Amunet crouched down in front of him, putting herself in his personal space, face inches away. “Go to Master.” She took his chin into her hot, hot hand. “See what The First Vampire has to say and maybe he’ll take pity on you.” She paused, looking down at his lips and then up again. “And your lover.”
At the confusion on his eyes, she smiled. “Don’t you know? The others, they will conspire now to kill your beloved. And anyone who aligns themselves with you. They will all die as traitors.”
“Ash!” he yelled, completely dismissing the vampire before him.
Amunet grabbed him before he could move and he flung his head forward, smashing her in the face and breaking her nose. The ancient being didn’t even flinch. The blood stopped almost as fast as it had burst from her nose and then moments later every last drop was already gone, dissolved and nothing but microscopic dust in the air.
“I’d kill you here, right now under my hands… plant my fangs into your neck while you gasped for air, but Master wishes to see you and I will do whatever he asks of me.” She smirked. “After that…”
White Lies: (The Uruwashi Series #4) Page 25