by Kym Grosso
“It’s going to be fine.” Kai’s voice cracked with emotion. “We just need to find the Kris. I mean sometimes I think whatever was affecting me…it’s not that way when you are around. The supernaturals…I can’t feel them like I used to.”
“This here.” He ignored her. “I…I can’t even believe this. Please don’t get upset, okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted.
“I’ve marked you, Kai.” Jake’s lips brushed over her shoulder.
“What did you say?” No, he didn’t just say what I thought he said. Kai’s heart raced.
“I’ve marked you. I don’t know how…”
“That’s impossible,” she insisted. Kai thought to shove up from the bed but his strong arm cinched around her waist before she ever tensed a muscle. No, no, no. Stop.
“I won’t stop. This is happening.” Jake threw his thigh over her legs, encasing her in his warmth.
“It’s impossible. Pixiu do not mate. You just got a bit rough. I’m fine.”
“I’m not saying I understand any of this. But I’m telling you, it’s happened.” He gave a small laugh. “Wolves. We don’t mate outside our breed. I mean occasionally we can mate with a hybrid. But I’ve seen your beast and she ain’t no hybrid. Oh no. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anyone like you, babe.”
“Please, Jake…don’t,” Kai whispered. She blinked her eyes open, tears flowing onto her cheeks. It was as if he’d taken a saber to her buried dreams, slicing her open to bleed out. Long ago she’d accepted her fate as a lone creature. Without purpose, she’d remain hidden until the Goddess took her home. She couldn’t allow the hope to seed. No, stop talking, stop talking.
“I didn’t know. I’m sorry, Kai. If I’d known I was going to mark you tonight…well, I’d…I don’t know,” he said, gazing at the beautiful amber lines emerging on her skin. “Maybe I would’ve told you. We could’ve talked about things before it all went down.”
“I can’t let myself feel. I will always be alone. What’s going on with us is just chemistry. Nothing more.”
“Don’t say that. You can feel it. I know you felt me. You heard me, didn’t you?”
“Of course I heard you.”
“You heard me speak to you. Not out loud. In your mind. It wasn’t the first time either. I just heard you a minute ago and you weren’t talking. And do you know why that is?”
“Don’t say it, Jake. You’re wrong.”
“This mark.” Jake traced the pad of his fingers along the curves of the design. “This is yours. I gave it to you. It was an accident but it’s done. You know what this means.”
“No…” Kai’s heart raced.
“Yes.”
“No…don’t…don’t say it.” It isn’t possible. I’ll always be alone.
“It is possible. You’re my mate.”
Kai gave a small sob. Her heart crushed, a pinprick of hope stabbing through it.
“It’s going to be all right. I promise this will be okay.” Jake pressed his lips to her ear.
“Please don’t hurt me this way.”
“I’d never hurt you. If you don’t believe anything else, you need to hear me on that. This is real. My mark. I did this. And you, my sweet pixiu. You’re mine.”
“My Alpha,” Kai whispered, her eyes fluttering shut.
“Shh. Get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning.”
Dreams of a life with Jake flashed in her mind and a sleepy smile formed under her tears. She didn’t entirely believe him but the fantasy lingered as she surrendered to slumber.
Kai craned her neck, checking out the unique design that had bloomed where he’d bitten her. Her creamy virgin skin now bore her Alpha’s mark. The burgeoning connection was undeniable. Her beast had submitted and it was true, she’d heard his voice inside her head.
As she traced the fine line, astonishment coiled in her chest; she was still unable to fully accept the Alpha was her mate. Magick was a tricky thing. Perhaps she’d absorbed more of his energy than she’d thought. Her knowledge of her beast had been limited to the whispers of Elders and her mother’s lost notebook. Despite her skepticism, Kai’s lips curled in a hopeful smile.
She glanced to the mirror, noting the gold flecks in her eyes. Something was changing inside her; a restless hum danced over her skin. Last night, she’d almost killed a vampire. While Jonathon may have deserved her wrath, she’d been out of control. Only the Alpha had been able to dominate her beast. While she’d always known her ability to absorb energy, draining a creature to the point of exhaustion, never in her life had she been without discipline.
My master. The term had both angered and terrified her when she’d first heard Quintus say it. But after last night, an odd sense of security had blanketed her. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t alone. The Alpha never hesitated, saving her from herself. Soon, she’d morph like a caterpillar. Far from a harmless but gorgeous winged butterfly, her beast would demand blood. Whatever dangerous creature lurked inside, she took solace in knowing Jake could command it.
A noisy clatter filtered up through the floor, and her stomach growled. Kai snatched a fluffy robe off of a hook on the bathroom door, donned it and set off to find her Alpha.
True to Quintus’ enigmatic nature, his home reflected his dark rich style. The hallway’s cream-colored walls contrasted with its mahogany crown molding. An enormous antique bronze crucifix hung on the wall at the top of the landing. Kai had heard that religious artifacts had no influence on vampires, yet this relic appeared prominent, causing her to wonder what he’d done as a human.
As she approached the stairs, she heard her name spoken in the distance. Her beast stirred, anticipating the presence of its master. Kai took a deep breath, attempting to calm it. She grew nervous about seeing Jake after he’d marked her. Words dissipated into whispers and her stomach clenched as she became aware they were talking about her. Tiptoeing down each plank, she bravely put one foot in front of another.
By the time she reached the foyer, her heart pounded in her chest. Would Jake reject her? Had he changed his mind? He’d promised he’d help her find the Kris and her sister. She couldn’t do it alone.
Kai. She heard her name as if the Alpha had been standing next to her. Startled, she pressed her palm to the wall, regaining her balance. She closed her eyes, searching for her own beast but a black wolf stared back at her instead. His presence was clear and dominant and as he padded forward into the light, her chest tightened with awareness of her Alpha. Mate.
Chapter Eleven
As Jake passed through the living room, he’d observed the eclectic decorations throughout Quintus’ home. Paintings from eras long ago hung on a wall alongside modern pieces. With an eighteen-foot ceiling, a massive Italian armoire sat adjacent to a wood-burning fireplace. Having dabbled in antiques himself over the years, Jake estimated it to be a medieval gothic piece. The unusual collection of furniture spiked his curiosity about the elusive vampire. Regardless of his badass reputation, Jake suspected he reveled in the memories of his life.
Jake stepped into the upscale kitchen, and crossed the room to open a pantry door, astonished at all the food. While he wasn’t a gourmet chef, Jake held his own in the kitchen. Spying a bag of grits, he reached for them, and moved on to inspect the refrigerator. He smiled as he opened it, finding it fully stocked with vegetables and a variety of meats. Who the hell is Quintus planning on feeding? He laughed inwardly, recalling how Quintus had brought beignets and sandwiches to his home yesterday. Like Léopold, he indulged in epicurean delights.
Jake heard a hint of his diabolical laugh, footsteps growing louder. He gave a backwards wave, and continued to collect ingredients for breakfast. “Yo. What’s up?”
“Hey, sorry. Just checkin’ in on something,” Quintus replied.
“What sorts of things?” Jake asked, deliberately concealing his curious expression.
“Just putting some feelers out to my west coast guys. Kasdeya.”
�
�Demon mistress?”
“You got it.”
Jake shook his head, grabbed a pan and turned on the stove. “What I really want to know is what the deal is with you and Kai. Like how the hell do you know her?”
“I can’t tell you that.” Quintus crossed the room to the refrigerator, and retrieved a carton of orange juice. He opened a cabinet, and set two mugs on the counter.
“That’s where you’re wrong, friend.” Jake laughed at his choice of words, aware they’d formed an alliance, and continued. “You and I are in this deep with her. I don’t know what the big secret is but it can’t be that bad. Today we’re goin’ to that fun house on Bourbon Jonathon told us about. I’ve got a feelin’ this isn’t going to be a cake walk. Nothing ever the fuck is. Let’s have it.”
Quintus gave a shrug and poured the juice. He set the carton down and picked up a glass. The vampire took a sip and sighed loudly. He made his way to the table and sat down, stretching his neck.
“This wouldn’t have to do with this plethora of knowledge you seem to have about pixiu, would it?”
“It was a long time ago. I’m centuries old. And not just a few. I’ve met many people in my lifetime,” he answered. “Matters of the heart. They can be quite complicated. Vampires, we are like you wolves in some ways. We can bond with someone as you do a mate. The bond is forever.”
“Yeah, I get it.” Jake shoveled the beef into the sizzling pan, its loud hiss firing into the air.
“It happened several years after I was turned.”
“How old were ya?”
“Thirty-four. When I met her it was 1400, or thereabouts. Ming Dynasty. My sire had me working the silk road.”
“The renaissance,” Jake said, his voice enthusiastic. He’d known Quintus was ancient but the realization he was sitting with a seven-hundred-year-old vampire struck him as impressive. “Imports?”
“Si. Trading routes. By land. Boat.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, because I mean it as a compliment. But I’ve never met someone like you…as old as you.”
“There aren’t many of us. But there are a handful of vampires even older than me.”
“Get the fuck out of here.” Jake lifted another pan off the ceiling rack and turned on the water, preparing to make the grits.
“My sire was an asshole. Just the meanest son-of-a-bitch you’d ever want to meet. When you get turned, you aren’t given much choice in the beginning. You learn from your sire how to survive.” Quintus lifted his glass to his lips. “You must learn how to feed. Back then…if you were suspected of being a witch, they’d burn you to death. Heresy.”
“Spanish inquisition?”
“Several years after I’d been turned, it began. Thank the Goddess I’d been trained.”
“Brutal times. Plague. Famine.”
“Difficult to watch the humans suffer. Unlike the mortals, we do not succumb to the plague and such diseases.”
“And so you went to China…” Jake left the sentence hanging, curious to find out how he’d met a pixiu.
“That I did. And that’s where I met Mao. Like Kai, she’d remained hidden for years. She lived in a remote village where they’d protected her. She was beautiful. A warrior.”
“And I take it you two…”
“Yes. We fell in love. She was the one. I didn’t care about children. It’s very rare for vampires to have them anyway. If we choose to sire, it’s similar to parenting.”
Jake let silence fill the room, allowing Quintus to tell his story, and continued with his task of cooking.
“She foretold of a child who would cross my path someday. Asked me to watch over her. But she never wanted me to get too close, afraid I’d be tempted to taste of her energy. Or force a master upon her.”
“She meant Kai?”
“I think so. I’ll never know for sure but Kai is the only other pixiu I’ve ever met.”
“How the hell did you even know she’d come here?”
“I didn’t. It was serendipity. Happenstance. I’d been in San Francisco for a vampire affair. Kasdeya. She’d recently replaced her predecessor.” He chuckled.
“Killed em’, I take it?” Jake turned to him and gestured with the spatula as if he’d been stabbed.
“Si. Good ole Baxter never saw it coming.”
“Lover?” Jake asked.
“They’d been together for a hundred years. Never bonded though. That should have been his first clue.”
“That’ll teach a guy not to commit,” Jake joked.
“The night of the attack energy swarmed the entire city. Everyone knew something was going down. I’d followed them to Angel Island. While I’ve witnessed violence many times, it’s never easy to watch children killed. Fortunately I’d never had to intervene. Little Kai. Her golden light. You could feel a shifter’s presence.”
“Her energy is her weapon,” Jake said, retrieving plates from the cupboard.
“Anger, yes. But when she shifts. Ah…that will be her true power.”
“And her master?”
“Her master has another secret weapon. One others cannot possibly conceive.”
“Had Mao shifted?”
Quintus blew out a breath, his lips tensed in a firm line. “Never had a chance. My sire…he was much too strong. He took her. Killed her. I tried to save her but…”
“I’m sorry, man,” Jake said softly. Sadness rolled off Quintus, and the Alpha paused in surprise that he’d felt a vampire’s emotions.
“Since the attack, I’ve watched over Kai, her sister…to the best of my ability anyway. She’d been a recluse. Safe. Hunter Livingston. The Alpha knows she’s supernatural. His wolves steer far clear of her.”
“And Shilan?”
“Like Kai, I suspect a witch but the girl has never had the opportunity to exercise her powers. No formal training. The two of them have different fathers.”
“And Kasdeya?”
“That bitch. She’s never forgotten.”
“I’m sure she figures if a little kid has the kind of power that will knock her on her ass, then it’s something worth getting, huh?”
“She practices the dark arts. The demons are her servants. They swirl on the streets, waiting and watching for Kai.”
“Reporting to their mistress,” Jake added.
“My house is well protected. But our steps in between? Traces of our energy remain in the air. They filter through it, sensing our movement. They have a taste of Kai, know the flavor of her energy. Like bloodhounds, they search for her. We must be careful today.”
“We have to get in and out. We don’t even know what the hell is waiting for us when we get there. And let’s say we get super fucking lucky and manage to find the Kris.” Jake held a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in the other. “We don’t really know what it does.”
“Or how to use it. We need to ask Kai.”
“What do you mean? This is Ilsbeth’s hair-brained idea and she’s either got no magick or that bitch is pretty damn good at faking it. Her amnesia act is pretty good, I’ll give her that. I still don’t trust her.”
“I’m pretty sure Kai was given instructions, or there has to be a record somewhere.”
“Don’t you think if Kai had any idea she would have told us by now?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe she has something she doesn’t realize will give us more information. Maybe it’s in the book she lost.”
“What about these Elders you talked about?” Jake spooned seasoned meat onto the plates.
“Them too. We have to explore everything.”
“I say we call Sam if we find it. I’m not much up for going back to the coven. I don’t think I can stomach round two.”
“I agree. We’ll call first. I think though…the answer will lie with Kai.”
“Speaking of which, does she know about you?” Jake asked, his tone indifferent. Not that he blamed Quintus for not telling her, but he imagined Kai might be pissed if he withheld information about her ki
nd.
“No. Someday I’ll tell her. Today it’s not important. First get the Kris.”
“Fine, but you should tell her,” Jake suggested.
Quintus looked to his juice and set it down. “Fresh squeezed is so much better.”
“What’s with you and all the food anyway?”
“I told you. I like it.”
“But you’re a vamp dude.”
“Yes, but I believe that the further we set ourselves apart from our humanity, the further we are from compassion. These things…your grits over there…breakfast, which smells delightful by the way. Ah, it all reminds me of the innocent human I once was. I will not be like my sire.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but your reputation? People are pretty afraid of your ass. It’s not like you are the goddamn Easter bunny.”
“It’s true. I’ve lived in violent times. But I’ve always been fair meting out justice.”
“The law according to Quint.” Jake laughed.
“Si. Laws change from century to century. Continent to continent. Country to country. Honor. Respect. These things do not change. I have my own laws. The vampires who follow me…they will comply.” Quintus’ voice went cold, replacing the emotional tone it held when he reminisced.
“Hey, Quint. I need to tell you…um…something happened last night. I’m not sure how this is possible.” Jake stopped, aware he was rambling.
“Is Kai all right?” Quintus asked.
“Yes…but you know. Last night…”
“Last night? Thank you for that. I very much enjoyed the lesson.” A mischievous smile curled onto his lips.
“You see…I… uh…”
“Just say it.”
“I marked her.” Jake scooped the grits out of the pan. He glanced to Quintus whose face remained without expression. Jake made quick work of plating the food.
“Impossible. You cannot.”
“It’s possible. I knew I had this attraction to her. She’s…I don’t know. I’ve never met anyone like her.”
“Are you certain? I suspected you’d bond. You’re her master after all, but marking her? Very interesting.”