Authors: Gabrielle Bisset
Jasmine's
words soothed him, and he bent down to softly kiss her on the forehead.
"Thank you."
"When
do you leave?"
"Soon.
I want to make sure you're all safe first. A quick trip around town to put my
mind at ease that they aren't here already and then I'll leave for
Vasilije's."
At
night the town had a tomb-like atmosphere from the silence that took hold after
sundown. Terek had first noticed it as a monk in the nearby abbey and when he
was made vampire, he chose to make his home in Cocentaina because of the lack
of nighttime excitement. Vampires like Vasilije and Dante may enjoy the packed
hordes of humanity and everything else that made their home in cities like London, but he preferred the solitude this town offered.
As
he walked past the shops that bustled with life during the day, a black and
white kitten followed, but was soon torn from his path by a tiny mouse that
skittered in front of him. Terek watched as the two creatures performed the
roles nature dictated for them. Neither had a choice. Hunter and hunted, they
were as their temperaments intended. As he turned a corner, he looked back to
see the kitten victoriously holding its prey between its teeth as it strolled
into the narrow space between two buildings.
He
hadn't made it more than a short distance when noises that signaled the end of
his idyllic walk echoed around him. A woman's shriek followed by her muffled
pleas for help went through him like a knife, and Terek raced toward the
terrified sounds, his mind filled with dread he'd arrive too late to save her.
In
the center of town near the fountain she lay on the ground, deathly still as
beside her one of his kind fought off another. Instinct made him turn to save
the vampire first, but before he could wrench him from his attacker, the man
unsheathed a stake from his overcoat and buried it into his victim's chest, piercing
his heart.
With
a laugh, the man said, "So long, Sampson."
Within
seconds, all that remained of him was dust.
Terek
turned to face the murderer, expecting to find a human hunter, but was shocked
to see the telltale tips of sharp white fangs in his mouth.
Fucking
traitor!
"Get
away from this place before I kill you too, human," the man hissed.
Terek's
fangs slammed into his mouth, and he flashed them in rage at the assassin.
Black eyes, full of surprise, stared back at him, but quickly surprise turned
to anger.
Standing,
he shook his head. "Vampire, walk away now. This is none of your
business."
"That's
where you're wrong."
"You're
interfering in Archon business. Unless you have a death wish and want to join
this dead Son of Navarus, walk away."
Terek
stared at him in confusion for just a moment. Did he think the one he'd just
staked was a Son?
Grabbing
the man by the collar, Terek prepared to drain the one who'd chosen to betray
their race, but the sound of the woman moaning in pain made him shift his focus
and before he knew it, the murderer was gone from sight.
"Save
me..." she pleaded, her fading voice trailing off as she closed her eyes.
Terek had seen enough death to know she didn't have long to live. Saving her
would mean making her vampire, though. He couldn't save her human life, but he
could give her another as one of his kind.
Kneeling
next to her, he stroked blonde hair that clung in sticky, red clumps near her
neck. No more than twenty-five, he guessed, she looked like an angel as she
opened her eyes to give him another pleading look.
"Help
me."
Her
pained voice touched him, and his eyes traveled to the two holes in her skin
near her ear. He'd have to finish what the other vampire had begun.
As
his lips brushed the tender skin where another had taken from her, she pushed
violently against him, flailing her arms and legs. From somewhere deep inside,
terror exploded out of her into the night.
"No!
No!"
She
thrashed her head left and right preventing Terek from taking her blood, as her
shrieking rang in his ears. There was no point in fighting her, and if someone
heard her screams, he'd have to explain what had happened, likely losing her as
he did. Scooping her up in his arms, he pulled her close to his body and
quickly marched back to his house.
Pushing
the front door open with his foot, he called for Jasmine. In seconds, she
appeared before him, her eyes wild with fear.
"What
happened? Are you hurt?"
Shaking
his head, he looked down at the woman in his arms. "I need to take care of
her."
"What
do you need me to do?"
Terek's
mind raced, and he worried for the first time that he'd led the Archon assassin
straight to his home and those he loved. "Lock the door. Get Antonio to keep
guard. Her sire was murdered by an Archon hunter."
Jasmine
ran off to secure the house, and Terek hurried to his room as the woman in his
arms went limp. In the darkness of his bedroom, he laid her down, careful to
gently place her head on the pillow.
She
was slipping away.
Next
to her, Terek pressed his mouth to her skin, feeling her slight pulse against
his lips. With a silent prayer that he wasn't too late, he pressed his fangs
tenderly into her neck and pierced her vein. Blood slowly seeped into his
mouth, exciting his taste buds, and he held her to him as her life gently ebbed
away from her.
Terek
listened to hear her thoughts, ready to comfort her fears as he took her to the
point of no return and then past it. Silence echoed in his mind, and he quickly
pierced his wrist to give her what she needed to become one of his vampires,
worried he'd taken too long and lost her. Pressing his wrist to her lips, he
let his blood flow into her.
Still
there was nothing but silence. Had he lost her?
Chapter Two
Terek
held his wrist to her lips and waited for a sign that he hadn't been too late.
Seconds grew to minutes but finally she opened her eyes and looked up at him in
the darkness. As a new vampire, she wouldn't be able to see him, but he saw
her.
"Remain
still."
Reaching
for a match, he lit a candle on the nightstand next to the bed. In the pale
light, he was struck by the frightened look on her face, and he reached out to
tenderly caress her cheek, as any good sire would for one of his vampires.
"Where
am I?" she asked as she flinched from his touch.
"My
home. What's your name?"
"Am
I still in Cocentaina?" she asked as she sat up quickly, immediately
falling back onto the bed.
"Remain
still. You're not ready to move yet. What's your name?"
For
the second time, she didn't answer his question, and Terek wondered if she
could be in shock from the attack. He didn't want to upset her, but he needed
to know her name. Carefully, he listened to her thoughts but heard nothing.
Finally,
she whispered, "Ilona."
"Ilona,
I'm Terek. Do you remember what happened?"
Brown
eyes stared up at him, wide with fear as tears welled up in them.
"No...yes..." Her hand reached for her neck. "What did you do to
me?"
She
attempted to roll away from him, but Terek held her fast to the bed. Eyes that
had just been so full of fear flashed rage at him. "Let go of me! What
have you done to me?"
Never
before had one of his vampires looked at him as if he were a villain.
"I've done nothing to harm you. You asked for my help, and I gave it
willingly."
"You've
made me a monster."
"No,
not a monster. Vampire."
Tears
rolled down her cheeks as Ilona sobbed uncontrollably. "Vampire! No!"
Terek
brought his wrist to his mouth and pierced his skin. Holding his arm near her
mouth, he watched her anger turn again to horror. "Ilona, take from me.
This is who you are."
Closing
her eyes, she shook her head.
"I
may not have chosen you, but I'm your sire now. I won't let anything or anyone
harm you, Ilona. I promise."
Ilona
remained silent with her eyes shut. Terek waited a moment, hoping she'd relent,
but finally slid his tongue over the holes in his wrist and wiped her tears. At
least this time she didn't flinch when he touched her, and as he calmed her he
studied his newest vampire.
Long,
dark lashes rested on her pale skin, and high cheekbones gave her a regal look,
accentuated even more by a proud, straight Romanesque nose. But Terek's gaze
was drawn to her mouth. Pouty, full lips trembled in her sadness, but he
imagined they were even more lovely when she smiled.
With
his hand on her cheek, he caressed her tender skin and tried once again to
reach her. "Ilona, please open your eyes."
Slowly,
she looked at him. God, she was beautiful!
"I
won't hurt you. As your sire, I would never hurt you."
"Sire?"
"I'm
the one who made you vampire. That makes me your sire. I'm sorry the one who
meant to be your sire was taken from you."
Her
expression twisted into one of disgust. "Do you think I wanted him to do
this? Do you think I agreed?"
Terek
hadn't considered that she'd been an unwilling participant in her turning. A
sickening feeling overtook him at the thought that she'd been attacked and
forced against her wishes into his world.
"I'm
sorry, Ilona. Not all of us are cruel."
Behind
him he heard someone, and he turned to see Jasmine in the doorway. "Ilona
needs to rest. She's been through a lot." Turning back toward Ilona, he
smiled. "If you need anything, all you need to do is ask. This is your
home now."
She
stared back at him with hatred in her eyes, and her silence spoke volumes.
Terek knew it was no point in fighting what she felt. In time, she'd grow to
see the gift she'd been given.
As
he passed Jasmine, he saw the look of concern on her face. In the middle of a
civil war with the Archons, it was probably not the best idea to sire a new
vampire, but as she always had, she'd take his newest vampire under her wing.
That he could count on.
Terek
slid into the warm bath up to his chest and stretched his legs out in front of
him. In no time, he was thankful to feel the water ease the stress from his
muscles. The Roman bath was one of the best features of his house in Spain. Reminiscent of the bathing rooms in the homes of wealthy ancient Romans and those
he'd seen in Turkey, it was one of the few luxuries he'd ever truly allowed
himself to enjoy.
Closing
his eyes, he relished the sensation of Serena's light touch on his skin as she
slid her hands over his back, releasing the tension between his shoulder
blades. His newest vampire until Ilona, she was young and beautiful, very much
the image of Jasmine. He'd found her as a concubine to an Arab sheikh and freed
her from her bondage with the clever use of his power to read other people's
thoughts.
That
was a little over a hundred years ago, and selfishly he'd kept her to himself,
never allowing her to sire any vampires or be with another man. Terek knew it
was wrong. Serena deserved the love and devotion she so unconditionally gave
him, not a position in his favorite household, no matter how exalted it was.
"Sire,
you're full of tension. Would you like anything in particular tonight?"
Terek
turned his head and saw a shy smile form on her lips. A quick visit to her mind
showed him what she was too timid to voice. As much as he adored making love to
her, he wanted something else tonight.
"Serena,
I'd like to talk instead."
In
his ear, she whispered, "Yes, sire."
Slowly,
he pulled her from her seat behind him until she stood in front of him. For a
moment, he studied her beauty. Big brown eyes stared back at him as he let his
gaze travel over her full breasts, tiny waist, and flared, feminine hips.
Turned when she was barely twenty, she was the perfect picture of innocence and
sensuality. For a moment, he thought of how many nights he'd found the
exquisite pleasure only her body could bring him.
"Come
sit next to me, Serena."
A
look of surprise crossed her features, but she did as he commanded and settled
next to him at the end of the bath. "What troubles you, sire?"
"Are
you happy?"
Terek
expected her to quickly answer yes—or maybe he'd hoped she would—but she
remained silent for a long moment. When she finally spoke, he saw not the young
girl he'd made vampire but a woman.
"I've
been blessed to have you for a sire and your vampires as my sisters. I wouldn't
trade that for anything. But I love you and have hoped for longer than I can
remember that you would love me in return."
Her
words struck him like a fist to the chest. It wasn't that he didn't love her.
He did, more than he showed. But as he'd been since the loss of his wife so
many centuries ago, he wouldn't let himself get any closer.
"I've
accepted that you do not care for me as I do you, sire. You ask me if I'm
happy. In many ways I am, but I yearn for the love I give to be returned. To be
loved by another as I love."
Terek
stroked her cheek and thought about her request. Shame for his selfishness
filled him as he looked at her beautiful face. How often had he made love to
her believing she was content when in fact she'd been little more than a
concubine in his house as she'd been in that sheikh's home?
"You
seek permission to sire?" he asked, feeling strangely jealous at the idea
of Serena with another.
Lowering
her eyes, she whispered, "I'm not ungrateful, sire. I'm just lonely."
A
noise at the entrance to the bath startled him, and his focus on Serena moved
to Jasmine standing in the doorway.