Kaitlin's Tale

by Christine Amsden

  “She does have a gift,” Matthew said, “but you know that. You warned her against using it.”

  “Many people are short-sighted,” Hideyuki said.

  Meaning? Matthew asked the question directly into Hideyuki’s mind.

  Because she is not powerful in a more traditional way, Hideyuki thought, they will only see her as a threat, more trouble than use. She can neither be used nor controlled.

  “Why do you care so much about her?” Matthew asked. For a moment he felt something like jealousy.

  “Her son.” Hideyuki looked inside himself for a moment, thinking that he had never had a son himself, and that he was afraid to do so in a world like this, where hunters were so easily killed. “He’s the son I never had.”

  And Matthew knew it for truth. Hideyuki loved Jay as if he were his own.

  How do you feel about Kaitlin? Matthew wanted to ask, and this time the jealous feeling didn’t evaporate in an instant.

  “Hunter One wants me to marry her,” Hideyuki said.

  Matthew reeled at the idea.

  Hideyuki must have seen something in Matthew’s reaction, because he added, “I don’t want to marry her.” But he was giving the thought more serious consideration than he otherwise would have because of his feelings for the boy. As for Kaitlin, he saw her more as a daughter, though not as fiercely as he thought of Jay as a son. Still, it was disturbing for Hideyuki to think of marrying her.

  That made two of them.

  “Kaitlin can’t be controlled by magic,” Matthew said. “Not at all. Not even a little bit. Did you know?”

  I guessed, he thought. Xavier did something to her. Why, though?

  Aloud Hideyuki said, “I’ve never heard of anyone being completely immune, although mind magic is hardly my field. I only know she sees through the illusions, and there are many things in this compound that are not as they appear.” You could use that.

  Maybe. Maybe not. He would really love to know what Xavier did to her. But for now, he needed Hideyuki’s help. “I understand that you’re unhappy with the way the hunters are being run.”

  “It is counterproductive.” Hideyuki’s eyes were shuttered again, and his mind went still.

  “Would you like a chance to form your own guild?”

  Kaitlin said the same thing, but I had not thought of it then. Now... “I don’t know. Kaitlin made me think about it, but I don’t want to fight other hunters. Vampires are still the enemy. That has not changed.”

  “But you used to work with them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think Alexander will let you go back to working with them, even if you take over the guild?”

  “No.” Short. Simple. Honest.

  “I need help,” Matthew said. “There are two things I need to do here, one of which is personal, one of which effects every man, woman, and child in the magical world.”

  Hideyuki didn’t say a word, but he was listening.

  “There is a man named Devon who was wrongfully accused of stealing his own daughter’s magic.”

  “How do you know it’s wrong?”

  “I know it from his own daughter,” Matthew said, glossing over how he’d gotten the information.

  “You are mighty indeed,” Hideyuki said, which was exactly the response Matthew had been hoping for.

  “In addition, I need to find the place where Alexander stores the blood he has stolen from countless sorcerers.”

  Hideyuki’s thoughts shattered. It was a bit like watching a damn break. One second he was maintaining a semblance of inner peace, and the next he was boiling over with rage, though he wasn’t sure if he should be angry with Matthew for lying or Alexander, if it was true. Mad Matt, they call him.

  “How do you know?” Hideyuki asked through gritted teeth. But for some reason he was inclined to believe.

  “Ask Kaitlin. She saw evidence when she was in the medical ward. I’ve seen evidence too.”

  “Why should I trust you?”

  “That depends upon how badly you care about your hunters. You will have proof by the time this is over, but regardless, you will have your own guild under the umbrella of the White Guard. I’ll get you anything you need.”

  “Including negotiating with the very vampire who now hunts Kaitlin?”

  Matthew didn’t even hesitate. “Yes, including that.”

  Hideyuki stood. “I will give you my answer in the morning.”

  Matthew considered nudging him into giving an answer now, but he reasoned that he would rather have the man’s free cooperation. Time enough to change his mind, if necessary, in the morning.

  Chapter 18

  KAITLIN HAD NEARLY CRAWLED INTO BED when someone knocked on her door. Glancing quickly over at the toddler bed adjacent to her own bed, where Jay lay in peaceful slumber, she strode cautiously to the door. She thought of Matthew, the only other person to knock unexpectedly on her door since she’d come here, and she quickly tried to put her thoughts in order.

  “Who is it?” Kaitlin said through the door, trying to keep her voice quiet so that Jay wouldn’t rouse.

  “Hideyuki.”

  Shocked, Kaitlin opened the door, staring at the strange man who had somehow worked his way into her circle of trust – maybe simply because there was no one else here who she could feel that way about. He looked just as solid as ever, but there was a wariness in his eyes. Kaitlin opened the door and let him slip inside, putting a finger to her lips to indicate that Jay was sleeping.

  Hideyuki nodded and gestured to a small bedside lamp, the only source of illumination in the room. She frowned, sat down on the bed, and watched as Hideyuki withdrew a small notebook from somewhere behind him – his back pocket perhaps? He handed it to her.

  Biting her lip, Kaitlin flipped it open to the first page:

  People may be listening. I’m going to propose to you. Don’t worry. It’s just an act.

  Kaitlin glanced up at Hideyuki, shocked despite herself.

  “Kaitlin, you’re a beautiful woman.” He gestured for her to flip to the next page, which she did.

  Do you trust Matthew Blair?

  “No,” Kaitlin replied.

  “Yes you are,” Hideyuki said. “You’re the only one who can’t seem to see it.”

  Kaitlin opened and closed her mouth, realizing that he’d covered her response. But there seemed to be something more to his words than a cover-up. He held her gaze and spoke with purpose. With truth.

  “Why?” Kaitlin asked, completely forgetting the notebook for a moment. She wanted to ask why anyone would believe he would propose to her, but if he was going to such great lengths to cover up whatever he did want to say, she had to be smart about this.

  “You’re smart, and you care deeply about your son, who I happen to love too. I think you and I would be good together.” Again, Hideyuki gestured for her to flip the page.

  Will you go home with him?

  “I don’t know.” It seemed like an appropriate answer to both questions, so she left it at that.

  She turned the page without being prompted this time.

  You are in danger.

  “I am?” Kaitlin looked up at Hideyuki, then turned the page.

  If anyone finds out that you are immune to mind magic, you will likely be killed.

  “Immune to what?” Kaitlin clapped a hand over her mouth, looking around at the walls warily. God, was someone really listening? And could she live like this?

  “Is there someone else?” Hideyuki asked. “Matthew?”

  “No.”

  Hideyuki leaned in so close to Kaitlin that his lips brushed her ears. He whispered, “I think he’s scared of you.”

  “Scared of me?” Kaitlin mouthed.

  “Yes.”

  That seemed too inc
redible for Kaitlin to deal with, so she tried to deal with the other. Except it couldn’t be true. She couldn’t be immune to mind magic. She knew of times when Matthew had controlled her. It had to be a mistake. But she couldn’t deny that she could see through illusions. And there was the songbird... But her friend Madison had influenced her with her voice. Kaitlin wished Madison were here now, and would sing to her. Then she would know if something had changed.

  “Why did he go to you?” Kaitlin asked, her voice so low he would have to read her lips.

  Hideyuki gestured to the notepad.

  He wants me to go too.

  “Will you?” Kaitlin mouthed.

  “Only if you do.”

  Kaitlin stared at her son, still sleeping peacefully, unaware of the turmoil going on around him. Oh, to be that young and innocent. Had she ever been? Maybe, once upon a time. She could only just recall times when she and her mother had played together and she had felt something like pure, unfettered joy. Only now Kaitlin knew how worried her mother had always been about finances and about raising Kaitlin alone. She’d flitted from man to man, trying to find a father for Kaitlin, but instead she’d found a nightmare. Kaitlin had grown up too quickly.

  But right now, Kaitlin thought, she wanted her mother more than anything.

  Kaitlin nodded.

  “Will you at least think about my proposal?” Hideyuki asked. “You don’t have to answer right away.”

  “Of course,” she replied.

  Hideyuki nodded once and showed himself out.

  * * *

  Kaitlin expected to hear something from Matthew or Hideyuki later that day, or maybe even the next day, but three days passed without a word. She spotted Matthew once or twice as she made her rounds, usually accompanying some important member of Alexander’s inner circle, but they didn’t stop to chat during those moments and Matthew did his best to pretend that he didn’t know her. If he was trying to convince anyone that the two of them weren’t involved, it wasn’t working. The level of hostility in the kitchen did not decrease, and for the first time since she’d arrived, Kaitlin was grateful for a job that took her out of the kitchen most of the time while she traversed the hallways delivering food.

  The third day also happened to be Kaitlin’s day off, so she called Matthew’s room early that morning and asked him to meet her and Jay at the playground at his earliest convenience. They agreed to meet in the front lobby at nine in the morning and head out from there.

  Kaitlin arrived first, and when she spotted Matthew stepping off the elevator she spent a moment studying him. He looked just as cool and confident as ever – clean-cut, sophisticated, and utterly in charge of his surroundings. If he was having trouble with his plan it didn’t show on his face or in his stance. He looked like the kind of person who could rule the world.

  A world where I have no place. Kaitlin shook away that line of thought before Matthew could listen in on it. The last thing she needed to add to her long list of failed relationships was a telepath who could ferret out all her secrets. If she thought her heart had been broken before, it would be nothing to the pain of having a man know her true self and then reject her for it.

  Matthew smiled when he saw her. Jay hugged her leg more tightly, still wary of this strange man.

  “It’s okay,” Kaitlin said to her son. “He’s a friend.”

  Matthew held something in his hand, and as they approached Kaitlin saw that it was a banana – her son’s favorite food in the whole world. He’d choose bananas over chocolate cake, although he hadn’t had many opportunities to eat cake in his short life. When Jay saw the offering, he immediately let go of Kaitlin’s leg and made a run for it, but Matthew held it just out of reach.

  “Ask nicely,” Matthew said. “You should say please.”

  Kaitlin was about to say that Jay didn’t say anything at all when her son, quite clearly, made a ‘p’ sound. It wasn’t a word, but Kaitlin’s eyes widened in shock and Matthew beamed at the child as if he’d just recited Shakespeare from memory.

  “Very good,” Matthew said, and handed Jay the treat.

  “How did you-?” Kaitlin stopped short, wondering if she really wanted to know. Two security guards watched them from the door, so she decided her questions could keep. With that in mind she strode out the door, leading the other two in the direction of the playground.

  Jay ran ahead as soon as the playground came into sight, tossing his banana peel on the ground. With a sigh, Kaitlin picked it up and threw it into the trashcan at the playground. There were two other children there, accompanied by two other mothers, both of whom were sitting on the best bench – the one under the shade of a maple tree.

  The two women spotted Kaitlin and sneered at her. Pretending she hadn’t noticed, Kaitlin started to walk around to the other side of the playground, but Matthew didn’t follow. She looked back, caught him staring at the two women for a moment, and the next thing she knew they were calling for their children to come with them.

  “Awwww!” complained both children at once, but in remarkably short order the children followed behind their respective parents, leaving the playground empty and private for a talk.

  Kaitlin sat on the recently vacated bench. Matthew stood beside her, probably trying to intimidate her.

  “You did that, didn’t you?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “Made them leave.”

  “They wanted to anyway, once they saw you here. I just gave them a nudge.”

  Kaitlin closed her eyes. “How can anyone trust you, knowing what you are and what you can do at any moment? How do I know you’re not manipulating me right now?”

  “I can’t. If I could, you wouldn’t remember certain things about me.”

  Kaitlin wasn’t entirely convinced of that, but she shrugged and changed the subject. It wasn’t really the point. Her business with Matthew involved catching a plane ride home, hopefully sooner rather than later. The fact that no one trusted him was his problem, one he clearly didn’t care about.

  “What makes you think no one trusts me?” Matthew asked.

  “Cassie as good as said so. And it’s not like I’m an expert or anything, but it doesn’t seem like you’re going to be able to make a go of the White Guard thing if the people helping you aren’t really your friends. Force of personality will only take you so far.” But oh, did he have force of personality in spades.

  “What did you want to talk about?” Matthew asked. If he had been anyone else, he would probably have sounded irritable. As it was, he simply made an abrupt segue.

  “It’s been three days. I thought there would be some planning.”

  “There has been. Yuki and I have been working on it every night.”

  “Without me?”

  “The more people who know, the less secure the plan is. And no offense, but there’s not much you can do to help. I promised Cassie to get you out of here, but that was it.”

  Kaitlin’s face went a little pink as she looked out at her son, swinging so high she thought he might circle the bar. Useless Kaitlin, that was her. Well, she should have expected it. She’d just thought that maybe, since she did apparently have this ability to see through illusions, there might be something she could do.

  “Look, Kaitlin,” Matthew began, and now he did sit next to her on the bench, keeping a safe distance between them. “I don’t know if you understand how dangerous this is. I don’t want you involved if I can help it.”

  “Of course I know how dangerous it is! Why do you think I’m leaving, to face two vampires determined to kill me and turn me into one of them? And then God only knows what happens to Jay.”

  “Alexander is a mind mage himself. Several of his top-level advisors are, including his chief of security. Now me, personally, I would put my biggest muscle as the head of security, not a mind m
age. Or I might even have a mind mage as a lead investigator working with the head of security. But the top tiers of the security department all have at least some ability to withstand or control mind magic. It has me seriously wondering how much investigation they do, and how much covering up. You are a liability, not because you’re useless, but because you’re exactly what they fear.”

  Kaitlin fell silent for a long moment, thinking about what Matthew had said. “Are you afraid of me too? Am I a liability to you?”

  “What? No.” And now the unflappable facade did crack for a moment. There was something almost like fear in his eyes. “No, but even I might be in over my head here. Alexander is trying to recruit me. He wants me to be his successor.”

  “That sounds like an easy way to gain power,” Kaitlin said. “So why not do it?”

  “I’m not a blood mage or a killer.”

  “And you’re sure Alexander is?”

  “He’s at the center of it all. He might not know everything that goes on around here, though I suspect some of it is plausible deniability, but he’s got the blood.”

  “You don’t know where it is,” Kaitlin said suddenly. “That’s why you haven’t moved.”

  Matthew nodded, not meeting her gaze.

  “But isn’t it obvious?”

  He stared at her. “It is?”

  “It’s got to be in Alexander’s own quarters. It’s the only thing that makes sense. He wouldn’t want it someplace where anyone else would have access to it, or even be able to stumble upon it accidentally. And he doesn’t invite people into his private rooms unless they’re inner circle or else... well.” Kaitlin had delivered breakfast there once or twice, a quick in and out.

  “Not a threat?” Matthew supplied. “Yes, I thought of his rooms as the most likely place, but I can’t be sure. I was considering faking an injury, or making myself vulnerable so they’ll take my blood and Yuki can follow.”

  Kaitlin shook her head. “There are so many things that could go wrong with that plan, I don’t know where to begin. Let’s start with how likely it is that they’ll just transport the blood out in the open so Hideyuki can be sure he’s following the right person. And then they’ll have your blood. You say Alexander wants you to be his successor; what’s to say he won’t use your blood to influence you?”