Jess glanced into the foyer. Just like Sinclair Longina’s home had been when they’d visited last month, this house was also rundown on the outside and impressively upgraded on the inside. A massive curved marble staircase led up to the second floor. Whoever lived here obviously had impressive wealth.
“Boyer? Who was at the door?” a voice boomed from the upper level.
The man named Boyer looked a little panic-stricken, and his head sank to his chest. He exhaled threw his teeth. “You’ve done it. If you leave now, it’ll be my head on the platter.”
Jess had been nervous entering the house, but now she felt actual danger vibes zinging up and down her spine. “I’ll go,” she said, turning to leave.
The thin man moved like a panther and blocked the door. “I said you’ll stay.”
Jess eyed him critically. “Do you really think you can stop me?”
Boyer nodded. “I do. And the two guards outside the door will back up my statement.”
“There are no guards outside,” she said. Boyer must be trying to trick her.
He grabbed the door handle and opened it long enough for her to see two hulking vampires staring in at her. Where’d they come from?
“Okay. Maybe I can’t take all three of you on, but I’ve sent word to my partner. He knows where I am, so nothing had better happen to me.”
Boyer’s laugh sounded like a creaky door about to fall off. “You’re very naïve if you think he’ll be able to find the place.”
“I found it,” she said. “And I texted the address to him.”
“Did you, now? That was very intelligent of you. Only, this address no longer exists, and anyone walking by will see nothing but a derelict building that needs to be torn down.”
“Boyer? Who’s there, damn it? Don’t make me ask again,” the voice called. It was an ancient voice, even more rusty and cracked than Boyer’s had been.
“A female vampire, Sire.”
“Really? No vampire would dare come here.” Footsteps sounded on the top step.
Jess digested her situation and decided to get out fast. She ran through a hallway, probably leading to a kitchen and an exit door at the back.
Before she made it halfway down the hall, she slammed into an invisible wall. When she tried to go back the way she’d come, she slammed into another invisible wall. She was in a trap. A vampire trap!
Suddenly she felt like a fly in a very big web, and the footsteps had nearly reached the bottom step.
Dread splintered up her spine. She knew from experience that she’d never get out of this trap without help.
A man approached. He was tall and thin with shoulder-length blond hair. Add some makeup and a dark wig, and he could be one of the members of Serenity.
“You wanted to speak to me?” he said in a lyrical, deep voice that called to her in the most profound way, echoing through the chambers of her vampire heart.
She tried to speak but found she had no voice. Maybe it was so she couldn’t scream for help. She shrugged and dared to glare at the man who appeared to have mastered the traps.
He waved a hand and suddenly she could speak again.
“Who are you?” she asked. Who would have the kind of power to wave and she’d have a voice again?
“I think you should tell me who you are first. You are the one at a disadvantage here.” His servant stood back in the shadows, no doubt waiting for orders.
She glanced at her watch. Where was Britt? She’d sent him the message at least half an hour ago. Normally, he’d be here by now.
“My name is Jess Vandermire,” she said. She might as well tell him the truth, especially, if she hoped to garner information from him—if he didn’t kill her first.
She pressed against the edge of the trap, expecting to be blocked but found it was gone.
She stepped toward him, and he swept one hand to a room on their right.
“We can talk in here,” he said. “I don’t get company often. Most people wisely stay away from me, and my house.”
His features were quite handsome. His blond hair shone with an almost healthy glow. He’d probably led quite a few ladies astray in his time.
She stepped into the room, not knowing what to expect.
“I’ve heard about you,” he said.
The room appeared to be an old-style drawing room with a huge fireplace as the focal point. His walls were covered with paintings. She gasped and looked closely at several of them—they were all painted by Joseph Emmanuel Calmet.
She finally turned to him. “Monsieur Calmet, I presume?”
He showed the undeniable fangs of an elder vampire. But then, she didn’t need to see the teeth to feel his age and his power. He was actually the most powerful vampire she’d ever felt. Thankfully, she’d been able to withstand the need to revere him. Had that been part of her gift from Regent? His blessings had partially saved her soul, and somehow, even though she felt some need to respect olde ones, she’d always been able to push that need away.
“I’m surprised, young one, that you aren’t in my power. How do you manage to deny my prowess and strength?”
“We all have our secrets,” she said, glancing at the paintings. “And I’m guessing you have more secrets than most people in Paris.”
He actually smiled at her and seated himself, motioning for her to do the same. So far, he’d been civilized. That said, she wasn’t crazy enough to think the civility would last after he got the information he wanted.
Jess looked at several paintings with the raven emblazoned on them. “I’ve heard you have work at the Louvre, actually.”
He nodded waiting for more, his fingers now tented below his handsome chin. Maybe she’d been a little affected by him.
“That new artwork is not mine. There is a forger out there using my theme to bring change to the vampire world. Their plan is not good for anyone—not vampires and not humans. Over the last century, some of us have worked hard to maintain civility between vampires and humans, while satisfying our needs without harming mankind.”
“But the language? How is it they know the language?”
“It’s a copy from an old painting of mine. They have no idea what the language says, nor do they care. They merely want to use it like a call to arms.” His face hardened. “It might as well be a swastika!”
“And your original artwork wasn’t meant to be a call to arms?” she dared to ask, but had the feeling she was pushing just a little harder than she should. She’d known one master vampire who’d been a henchman in Hitler’s army, and she hoped the comparison didn’t go that far.
“In a way.” He obviously wasn’t about to explain. She bit her lip and couldn’t help wondering why he’d allowed her to question him.
“Why do you live in this part of Paris?”
“Because it’s my home—it has been for centuries. Of course, it’s had some major restoration along the way, but basically it’s the same.”
“You speak English very well,” she said. In fact, there was barely an accent.
“I’m not originally from France. I took on the name Calmet when I came here, but I’m originally from Romania. That was a long time ago.”
“Makes sense,” she said. Any vampire who’d been around as long as he had to have come from Romania at some point.
“And the band? Serenity?”
He chewed on his upper lip and shook his head. He actually looked like an older rocker. “The band is a method of gauging the connectivity of vampires in Paris. Do they have a strong enough bond to form a group and help each other, or are they singular, self-serving members of our society, who will do little to make things any better?”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
He leaned forward. “I wouldn’t tell this to anyone but you,”
he said.
“Again, I don’t understand. Why would you tell me anything?”
He shook his head. “I’m surprised you don’t know. You and your sister are more powerful than you understand. There’s been a prophesy in Paris for a millennia—a prophesy that predicts that twin vampires would be born and when that happened, it would mark the beginning of a major shift for the vampires of France.” He eyed her critically. “There have never been vampire twins in our history. Never. And now, at this time of strife amongst us, you’ve come. You’ll have sparked the interest of many groups.”
“My sister and I don’t even get along. I doubt we’d spend enough time together to make any change happen.”
“You don’t have to do anything together. Just being twin vampires will fulfil the prophesy.”
“With everything that’s happening in Paris right now, are you saying we’re going to be the cause of the uprising?”
He lifted his hands in question. “One never knows for sure what the prophesy means, but the last few centuries have been ruled by a non-vampire—an Immortal. The olde ones are at his mercy. That is why some very brave vampires have created a new Order of the Revenant, to try and break free from the oppressive rule of this Immortal.”
“Immortal, but not a vampire?”
He shrugged. “Unscrupulous, but smart. He uses his potions and elixirs to keep the olde ones happy enough that they don’t make waves. I was able to break free from the Immortal’s hold, and I’ve kept myself hidden ever since. That means anyone who finds me can never return to their normal world again.”
Jess’s hair tingled at the back of her neck, and her muscles tightened in flight mode.
He held up a hand. “You need not worry, Jess Vandermire. You may come and go as you please. It’s been too long since I’ve conversed with a vampire, other than my servants. And, if you allow me to question you occasionally, I might be able to come up with a way to stop the Immortal from assuming even more control over the city.”
“But there were three of you in the band. Where are the others?”
His eyes sparked, and his mouth quirked. “Were there?”
“There wasn’t? How are you able to create such things? And the sensations that I felt while the band played—it was almost as if I had human emotions for a time.”
He sighed, his handsome face taking on a sad, reflective appearance. “I have lived a thousand lives, withstood a thousand torments. During that time, I’ve met people with abilities far beyond those most people have today. Humanity thinks it has evolved, but in some ways they’ve fallen far behind, with their machinery, TVs, and phones. Their brains are becoming hardwired to their technology, and they’re losing their grasp of the ethereal. There are powerful forms of life on this planet that aren’t visible to humans, so to them, they don’t exist. Humans think they are at the top of the food chain, but they couldn’t be more blind.”
A shiver ran up Jess’s spine. “What are you talking about?”
“Vampires live with Parisians side by side, yet they never sense the danger. They’ve lost that ability by dulling their brains with tech. Vampires couldn’t be happier about that. Humans are turning themselves into mindless fodder for a future world where vampires rule.”
“Is that what you want?” she asked.
His eyes hooded, she couldn’t read his expression. He inhaled and exhaled, then raised his head and looked at the ceiling. “There are those in France who say I’m a killer. The olde ones have been trying to locate me and end my existence for centuries. But they can’t find me, even though I’ve hidden myself in plain sight.” His gaze caught hers and held it. “They couldn’t find me, but you did—”
“I followed your servant with the money from your show,” she said, hoping she didn’t get the vampire in trouble. She glanced around the room and caught Boyer’s expression of horror.
Calmet waved that away. “No. My home is invisible to the world. Vampires follow Boyer all the time. When he disappears into the protective barrier around my home, they can go no further. They don’t even see the house. Yet, somehow, you followed him directly to my doorstep. How is that?”
Jess shrugged. “I have no idea.” Would Calmet kill her? His powers were much stronger than hers. “Did you invent the vampire traps?” Dread tightened in her chest.
“A long time ago,” he said. “I’m surprised they still work.”
“What use are they to you? I was nearly burned alive in a trap on a roof in the city not that long ago, but I was saved by a vampire named Vlad.”
Calmet leaned forward, his expression suddenly sharper and extremely interested. “Vlad, that name sounds familiar. How is it that he can enter one of my traps and escape?”
Damn, she hoped she hadn’t just told Calmet something she shouldn’t have. Handsome or not, this individual had abilities that were beyond those of any vampire she’d ever known.
“This Vlad, how old is he?”
“I’d say four or five hundred,” she said. She’d felt Vlad’s age in the strength of his pull on her.
“That’s good. He can’t be the Immortal, then. But it is very disconcerting that he can bypass the traps. To whom is he allied?”
“I’ve been trying to discern that, myself.” She couldn’t believe she’d been sitting here casually sharing information with her possible captor. Had he enthralled her? Maybe. She pressed her hands to her temples and focused on breaking his hold.
“I’m not enthralling you, if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said, eyeing her concentration while her fingers pressed into her temples.
“This Immortal, who is he?” she asked.
Calmet frowned at her. “I recommend you forget all about him. His abilities outweigh even mine. He is dangerous, especially to you.”
“Is he the one you hide from?” she dared to ask.
“Most definitely. Since I have powers that are nearly equal to his, he’d like to end my days. I’m the only other creature alive who could possibly be a threat to him.” He eyed her seriously. “Well, almost the only one. But the others are also in hiding, and I have no idea where they are.”
Calmet had just told her the truth. She felt it in her bones.
He leaned toward her and sniffed the air. “In fact, I think you’ve been near him. I can smell his scent very faintly on you.”
She rubbed her arms as if she could brush off the offending scent. “Are you saying I’ve passed him on the street?”
“No. You’ve been closer to him than that.” He frowned again. “May I?” he asked to touch her hand.
What choice did she have as his prisoner? She nodded.
He lifted her hand and with his pinky fingernail, cut a little slit in her skin. He tasted her. The dread in her gut turned to an all-out panic. She ripped her hand from his and jumped to her feet. If he was going to drain her, he’d better be ready for a fight.
But he didn’t make any move to bleed her, or to take her life force into his own.
His expression turned dark. “This is worse than I thought,” he said. “Much worse.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t have the scent on you. It’s in you.”
“I’m sorry? What the hell are you talking about?” If he was as ancient as he said—and she sensed he was—he might be going senile.
“You are related to the Immortal. You are one of his kin.”
BRITT FOLLOWED JESS to the address she’d texted. He stood on the street, but the address didn’t exist. There was a decrepit house that needed to be torn down, though. Could she possibly be inside that?
He stepped closer to the house and hit an invisible wall. It was like hitting a Plexiglas plate, only there was no barrier that he could see. His skin tingled, and he reached out and touched it again. It warped under
his fingers. and he felt the wobble reverberate through the ethereal fabric, as if his presence had been felt.
If Jess had gone in there, was she still alive? Or being held prisoner? He shouted her name. “Jess! Jess! Are you in there?”
Suddenly, without any warning, Jess was beside him. She’d stepped through the barrier and was standing in front of him. In one piece, thank God.
“Where have you been?” she asked. “I texted you over half an hour ago.”
“Oh crap, I’m glad you’re okay! I didn’t look at my phone right away because I was at the crime scene.” He eyed the derelict building again. “But I think what you found might be even more interesting.”
“Very possibly. Let’s go. You’ve garnered enough attention here, and it’s not good for those living inside.”
“Wait. Someone lives in there?” The rotting structure looked ready to fall down.
“Yes, and he’s the most powerful man I’ve ever met—definitely not someone to mess with. We need to go.”
Chapter Ten
MORANA THOUGHT ABOUT her sneaky visit from the Cardinal. Her father would be very interested to hear what had happened to her tonight. She could always keep it to herself, but this time, she wouldn’t. Her father needed to know because it had been obvious Vasilli was a dangerous man. That intrigued her beyond words.
She got home in the wee hours, expecting to find Sinclair drinking himself into a stupor. Only he wasn’t there. Odd. He was always at home this time of night. But then, she’d arrived a little earlier than normal. He wouldn’t have expected her so soon.
She looked around the house. He couldn’t be far since his car keys were hanging on the hook in the entry where he always kept them. They lived too far out of the city for a human to go anywhere on foot.
Something horrendous simmered on the stove. Some sort of concoction he’d been brewing. That also meant he couldn’t be far away.
She looked through the house, but there was no sign of him.
Had someone found out he’d been harboring a vampire? Maybe another vampire got him. They’d been riled up a lot more lately. In fact, the anger and confusion amongst vampire clans seemed almost explosive. Sinclair might have been taken because of his relationship to her.
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