by S. K. Ryder
She was in his arms before the words had fully left his lips. “Oh, thank God. You’re back.”
“What . . . what happened?” Only a storm of conflicting impressions met him in her mind. “How did I get out here?”
“Really?” Jackson said. He stood over them with hands on his hips. “You don’t remember the total fucking asshole you’ve been all day?” Samantha stood by her brother’s side, hugging herself, fingers pressed to her mouth.
“The suppressant,” Dominic murmured. Watching that syringe fill was the last thing he remembered with any clarity.
Over the next few minutes they filled him in on the harrowing events of the day he spent in the sun. Their words sketched the outlines while Cassidy’s memories filled in the details. He had believed himself their captive. He verbally abused them, insulted them, tricked them. He even attempted an escape.
“Of course, you forgot how fast you really are, so I tracked you down quick enough.” Tracked him down and tackled him in Mrs. Havashand’s backyard. Jackson had survived the altercation that ensued only because Dominic also forgot how strong he was. That and the drop of blood he had forced on Jackson the night before.
Mrs. Havashand had called the police. Jackson smooth-talked the officers out of making reports. Dominic held his tongue because Cassidy implored him that it was in his best interest to stay with them and hear them out. They told him tales of being ill, of running from criminal organizations, of fighting to keep his family safe by remaining in hiding.
Anything but the fantastical truth.
Through it all, Dominic of the day sneered at them, tried their every nerve, and emotionally tortured Cassidy to the breaking point. Spending the day with him was supposed to be a joy. Instead she was forced to spend it with a bitter, suspicious stranger. She had no sense of him, no connection, no rapport at all. He was a walking, talking blank spot in her house and mind. The most brutal abandonment of all.
“You were a first-rate, unmitigated son of a bitch,” Jackson finished with feeling. They had moved to the kitchen by now, Samantha and Serge—who had stopped by long enough to confirm Dominic’s continued viability—having retreated to the pool house. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m actually thrilled to have the blood-sucking demon lord version of you back.”
Dominic was appalled. “I recall none of this. I walked in the sun and . . . remember nothing.”
“You were busy plotting escape.”
He shook his head. “I must have been terrified.” He emptied the bottle of Perrier Cassidy had put on the kitchen counter in front of him. “That must be why I remembered nothing. Next time I will be better prepared.”
“Next time?” Cassidy asked, incredulous.
“Bien sûr. This is only the beginning. There has to be a way for this to work. We simply have to try until we find it.”
“No way,” Jackson said. “I’m not spending another twenty-four hours like I just did.”
“Then don’t. Get me the shot and go. Non, get me several.”
“You’re out of your fucking mind if you think I’m going to let you do this to yourself again.”
“Ah, Jackson, chèr,” Dominic crooned. “You do care.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Jackson raised a hand. “I’m done. We’re done. I need to leave. I owe Ollie a dinner out tonight.”
He hadn’t taken two steps toward the door when Dominic moved in a blur and planted himself right in front of Jackson, who bounced off him. He was done asking nicely. “By when can you get me more?”
“Goddamn you, Nick. I liked you less today than I even do right now. And I’m willing to bet, the same is true for Cassidy.” He gave her a quick glance. “I think neither one of us wants to see that side of you again. Ever.”
Dominic’s building frustration erupted in a growl. He could still smell daylight on his skin. He’d be damned if he didn’t fight to see it and remember it, too.
“Nice.”
“It’s okay,” Cassidy said, joining them. “We can try it again, but we have to make a plan. Today was chaotic.”
“By when?” Dominic pushed.
Jackson glowered. “I’ll get with the lab tomorrow and see what they can do. A few days I’m guessing. I’ll be in touch.”
“Merci,” Dominic said, a smile bursting onto his face.
The door hadn’t quite shut behind Jackson yet when Dominic turned to Cassidy and folded her into his arms. She softened against him. Her exhausted relief seeped into his body like a calm tide. Can you ever forgive me for what I did to you today?
It wasn’t you. It was a version of you that didn’t know he . . . She swallowed the thought.
Didn’t know he had died, Dominic finished. I know. I will figure this out. We will figure this out. He revisited her memory of him walking in the morning sun, experienced her wonder and awe, and he knew she would move mountains to help him make real at least this one dream.
Following his thoughts, she said, “You can always sire some worthy soul if you’re feeling so parental.”
He held her closer, hands caressing her back. “There is only one worthy soul I wish to sire, mon amour. And when you are ready, I promise you there will be nothing parental about it.”
~ ~ ~
For the rest of the night, Dominic struggled to regain his full strength. He didn’t realize how much of a toll his daytime adventures had taken until he cornered a jogger trotting through the exclusive neighborhood and fed to within an inch of the man’s life. Only then did the cotton begin clearing out of his brain and the lead start leaving his limbs. The suppressant’s lingering effects were unnerving, almost like being turned again, only on a much smaller scale.
Still, he couldn’t wait to try again and thought of little else for the rest of the week. Jackson promised him another dose by Saturday morning, and by Friday night, Dominic had a definite plan. He laid it out for Serge before they left the vault.
Serge sat on his cot with his face in one hand and sighed. “Don’t you have better things to do than chase this ghost, my lord?”
“Think of the advantage, Serge. A blood-drinker who doesn’t have to hide from the sun? I could travel anywhere at any time to stay on top of my kingdom.”
His friend tucked in his chin and gave him a look that said he knew the reasoning for the contrivance it was. But there was none of the frantic panic Serge fell into when he saw imminent misfortune befalling them. That was good enough for Dominic.
He got up and unsealed the door. “Besides. This may lead to a cure for all of us.”
Serge snorted.
Dominic kept himself busy by teaching his regular Friday night aikido class. His dojo shared space with Samantha’s yoga studio and served as the official address for the Lord of Night. Also, teaching was a way of keeping his own skills sharp—not to mention his self-control around his mortal students—and to be a visible and active member of the local community.
Afterward he hunted, drinking his fill several times over in numerous local bars and event venues, gaining more strength. Though he expended a fair amount of this in his bed with Cassidy not much later.
His grand plan for his second attempt at day-walking commenced an hour before dawn when he got busy in the kitchen. The gourmet breakfast experience he prepared was one he intended to enjoy together with Cassidy and Jackson after sunrise. As he prepped ingredients and utensils, he had Cassidy record him talking to himself in French. He was whisking eggs, cream, cinnamon, and vanilla for the toast when the phone in his pocket doodled with a Skype call.
He retrieved it one-handed and touched the video button to answer.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you, my lord,” said Aubrey Wainwright. He looked his usual put-together self. Smart jacket, close shave, neat trim of the hair. Every inch the Victorian gentle
man. Far too much the gentleman to notice or—God forbid—comment on Dominic’s own appearance. In the tiny video image of himself, Dominic spotted a dusting of powdered sugar in his hair.
Cassidy stopped the recording on her phone and went to load the coffeemaker. Dominic gestured with the dripping whisk. “I’m making breakfast.”
“Of course,” Aubrey said as though that were the most normal thing for a vampire to be doing this time of day. “I shan’t keep you long.”
“Very well. What is so urgent?”
“I’m in San Francisco, and I have made the acquaintance of a highly intriguing lady of our kind.”
“I am pleased to hear it, Aubrey,” Dominic said with a grin. Aubrey needed to loosen up. A lover could be just the thing.
“Er—” Aubrey stammered, then cleared his throat. “Actually she is of interest to both of us.”
“How so?”
“She refused the re-siring.”
Serge silently appeared in the kitchen and peered into various containers arrayed on the counter. “And you are letting her refuse because . . .?”
“Because she has requested time to consider. Apparently forcing the issue right now might present problems for her with the leader of her group, or ‘colony’ as they call themselves. She has given me to understand that he is . . . challenging.”
“I see.” Aubrey’s mission of locating and re-siring blood-drinkers on Dominic’s behalf was straightforward. He told them of the change in leadership—often having to explain the old leadership as well—and offered an alternative to living under the constant need for terror. Simple. But approaching a group of more than two or three could be dangerous and not something Aubrey was willing—or expected—to do.
Serge had sidled around him and studied the griddle warming on the gas flame. When he made to poke a finger at the melting butter pad, Dominic swatted his hand with the whisk. “So you are requesting the hunters?” he asked. He hoped not. Jackson was his only source of suppressant.
“Actually, my lord, if I may—” Aubrey stopped, appearing to think better of what he was about to say. “The colony numbers over two-hundred members, some of them quite old. With all due respect to your mortal aides, that is considerably more than I think they could safely handle. Even during the day.”
“Merde!” Dominic put the whisk down and rubbed his forehead with two fingers. An ache had spontaneously manifested there at this bit of news. This wasn’t what he wanted to have to deal with right now. When he sent the Strikers to aide Aubrey or one of his other emissaries, they located the comatose blood-drinkers during the day and secured them so that when they woke the next night, they had a very clear understanding of the new regime’s true reach and power. Only rarely did a blood-drinker decline to be re-sired at that point, which was when Jackson and Garrett ‘cleaned up.’ Two hundred vampires was a large group by any standard—one that required a territory rich in prey.
Serge leaned against the counter on the kitchen’s other side, his attention now solely on Dominic.
“Are they in San Francisco?”
“No, my lord. They do business here, which is how I came to meet Miss Natalia, but—”
“Business?”
“Yes, indeed. Their leader has fashioned himself the head of an international conglomerate based in Vancouver, Canada. As I understand it, he uses the fortunes he earns from this enterprise to provide a lifestyle for his followers they find difficult to resist.”
“No doubt.”
“I should mention that I was extended an invitation by the charming Miss Natalia to visit there, and I contemplate doing so. Although, perhaps, not in my official capacity as your emissary,” he hedged.
“A social call. Of course. That is a brilliant idea. Get to know your new lady friend in her home territory and see what goes on there. Then we shall decide how to proceed.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
A strange flicker in Aubrey’s eyes stopped Dominic from disconnecting. “What else is on your mind, chèr?”
“Forgive me, but—” He paused and grew a little more regal. “I thought perhaps you might like to join me.”
Dominic didn’t respond right away though his teeth were now on edge. Traveling across multiple time zones was complicated for someone who couldn’t function in daylight. More than that, he would have to delay his day-walking project. Then again, if he could make the latter work today, the former would be no problem. “My schedule is spoken for right now,” he said.
“Making breakfast, yes. I see.”
Serge chortled under his breath. Dominic shot him a stern look. “A related endeavor. One with great promise for us all. I will let you know if my availability changes. In the meantime, go see this colony. Tell them nothing more of me than what you have already shared with Natalia. See what you can find out and report back to me.”
“Very well, my lord. Expect to hear from me in three night’s time at the soonest.” The connection dropped.
Dominic considered his phone for a long moment before pocketing it and going back to whisking the dip. The more his control over his kingdom solidified, the more complicated his life became.
“That’s a lot of vampires for him to handle,” Cassidy said, echoing his thoughts. She was setting the table in the nook. Beyond the windows, the sky grew light.
“Too many,” Serge agreed, all serious now.
“There is nothing to handle. Just a visit.” He dipped the thick slices of challah bread in the sweetly fragrant emulsion.
“A visit you would do well to join him in, blood-child.”
“I would only get in his way. I think he may like this Natalia more than he claims.”
“Too many,” Serge said again. “I have a feeling.”
“A feeling? Or a vision?” Dominic wondered as he plopped the first toast onto the griddle. He glanced at his best friend. Discomfort, yes, but not disaster coming their way. “Why are you still here? The sun is almost up.”
Serge fidgeted in place for a few more seconds before grunting an “as you wish, my lord,” and vanishing out the kitchen door.
Cassidy stopped placing flatware and turned to him. “What if Aubrey gets himself into trouble with them? Or their ‘challenging’ leader?”
Yes, what about that creature? Whatever else Aubrey knew about him, he hadn’t thought it important enough to mention. Dominic shook his head. “Aubrey is an accomplished negotiator. If he has to, he can make his case to two-hundred as well as to one.”
As Cassidy returned to finishing the table, he felt a new well of worry bubble in her heart. “I hope you’re right.”
Chapter 7
Insufficient Proof
By the time Jackson arrived, breakfast was ready and night hung on the verge of vanishing.
“Something smells good in here,” he said as he entered the foyer, holding a somewhat larger black case than he had a week ago.
“He made breakfast for us,” Cassidy said, closing the door behind him. “All of us.”
“You’re joking.”
“Not one bit.” Cassidy extended her hand for the case.
Jackson handed it over. “Like that worked out so well for him last time.”
“How much is in here?”
“Two opportunities to throw up.”
Dominic had expected one. He’d be beside himself with two. In fact, she could already feel his exhilaration in the kitchen. “He’s thrilled.”
“He’s crazy.”
“That, too.” Though obsessive was more like it. Where the suppressant was concerned, his common sense had evaporated faster than vampire blood in sunlight.
“Just so we’re clear, Cass,” Jackson said, touching her arm with his fingertips. “I’m prepared to stay today if this goes sideways again, but—” Apo
logetic shrug, “I can’t keep doing this. I have other places I need to be.”
“I know, Jack. Let’s hope this works today.”
With the coming sun, Dominic the vampire faded. He sagged onto his cot, deflating of life, and grasped Cassidy’s hand. “Make me remember.”
She swallowed the sudden knot in her throat and fought to hold on to her awareness of him even as it dropped out of sight into an abyss.
Minutes later, Dominic the human staggered to his uncooperative legs. “Merde! What have you two idiots done to me now?”
“Fuck,” Jackson muttered. “Mr. Sunshine is back.”
The offer of breakfast checked Dominic’s building panic. As did Samantha who joined them this morning to witness what Serge wanted to see in her memories tonight. Her upbeat demeanor seemed to lull Dominic. Or perhaps it just confused him. Of all of them, the peace-loving, ever-optimistic Samantha was the least likely to take anyone hostage.
“How do you like it?” Cassidy asked after Dominic had taken a bite of the fluffy, cinnamon-sugar encrusted French toast.
His brows drew together as though he was trying to decide which criticism to throw at her. “You have improved.” Cassidy felt her face warm. “Some,” he added and reached for the blackberry syrup. “It still tastes like nothing.”
Cassidy laughed for the first time since this madness had begun. “Well, you can’t blame me for that. It’s your cooking.”
“Moi?”
“And it’s divine,” Samantha pronounced, closing her eyes in bliss.
Jackson nodded as he cut a sizeable chunk of toast on his plate. “Gotta hand it to you. You really know your way around a kitchen.” The hunk of toast disappeared in his mouth.
Uncomprehending anxiety glimmered in Dominic’s wide eyes. He remembered none of this.
“Hold on. I have proof.” Cassidy got up to retrieve her phone from the kitchen counter, queued up the video and touched play. Dominic of an hour ago moved on the small screen with confident enthusiasm. Dominic of now sat with his face going slack with shock. He reached for the phone, and Cassidy let him lift it out of her hand.