Authors: Berni Stevens
‘How have your days been lately,
fledgling
?’ she said, her voice husky and heavily accented. ‘Are you getting plenty of rest?’
The two blondes laughed. I’d heard that sound before too – in my nightmares.
‘What do you want Katarina?’ asked Will coldly. ‘This is a club for paying guests, so if you do not want to buy a drink, may I suggest you crawl back under the stone from which you emerged.’
Katarina raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. ‘Khiara would be most upset to hear of your inhospitality.’
‘If you have a message for me, deliver it, then get the hell out.’ Will’s tone sounded icy and uncompromising.
Katarina looked slightly nervous, and she stepped back from him. As Will stood up, all three women moved quickly further back. He changed his position to stand in front of the sofa where I sat, effectively preventing me from either seeing or being seen by the women. I glanced across at Luke who had remained seated, although he appeared tense and ready for anything. I sidled along the sofa so I could still see the women, but kept Will within grabbing distance just in case.
‘Khiara wishes a meeting with you,’ said Katarina. ‘At your house.’
‘Because?’
‘She says you owe it to her.’
‘Why are you all in London without my permission?’ Will asked. ‘Khiara of all people should know the rules.’
‘Khiara does not need your permission,’ Katarina pouted prettily. ‘She was in London many decades before
you
were so important.’
‘Times change,’ said Will. ‘And whilst Khiara may have some privileges, you three do not.’
‘She wishes a meeting.’
‘So you said.’
I saw Will nod his head once. Oh God, surely he wasn’t going to allow them to come to the house? Would I have to meet the woman who turned him all those centuries ago? I didn’t feel strong enough for that yet. For pity’s sake, I couldn’t even fight them off in my dreams.
‘Five nights from now.’ He said, confirming my worst fears. ‘Now leave, if you know what is good for you, and do not come here again.’
I saw Will’s hand move so quickly it seemed to be blurred. I thought he caught hold of Katarina’s arm, but as he had blocked my view again, it could have been her nose. That thought cheered me slightly.
‘Tell your mistress I do not allow humans to be killed anywhere in my city, especially not in the area where I live,’ he said in a low, cold voice. ‘If there are any more of these
incidents
, I shall hunt you down like the murdering scum you are, and destroy every one of you. Give that message to your vicious bitch of a mistress.’ He spat the last words out, and I felt a shock run through my body at the venom and hate. Emotions I had never before heard from Will, and my blood ran cold.
He stood still for a few more minutes, and then sat back down next to me. The women had gone. He looked at Luke, who nodded and went off towards the stairs.
‘He will make sure they leave,’ he answered my unasked question.
‘Will—’ I began, but he stopped me, putting a gentle hand on my cheek.
‘They are the women from your nightmare, I know,’ he said softly. ‘They will not harm you, Elinor, they cannot.’
‘Why does this … Khiara … ’ I stumbled over the name. ‘Why does she want a meeting with you?’
He gave a small smile as he carefully tucked a wayward strand of hair behind my ear. ‘Because of
your
existence of course.’
9 March
Khiara
. The very sound of her name brings back memories I do not care to dwell on. The woman is a cold-hearted monster, and I remember the night of my rebirth as though it were yesterday. I can still remember the initial revulsion when I first fed on human blood, and I have never forgotten the shame I felt when she callously killed the woman after we had fed from her. She knew it would tie me to her, and for a while it did.
Many years later, I had become strong enough to believe that my mind was once more my own. The time had come to leave the woman who had sired me.
The night I left Italy was the beginning of a new life for me. With great relief I returned to my beloved London, and over the decades I acquired several properties and a business. I heard nothing from Italy. Khiara left me alone, or at least she had until now. I know only too well that her appearance in London is because of Elinor.
Khiara would never understand how anyone could prefer another woman to herself. Somehow she must have discovered that Elinor is an important part of my life, and I fear she will do everything in her power to change that.
We must all be on our guard.
Honyauti
My mood was distinctly black. I’d showered, dressed and sat on the bed brushing my hair for what seemed like ages. I couldn’t see all of my hair obviously, with the no reflection thing – there were no mirrors in the house anyway that I had ever seen. My hair was long enough for me to see its ends gleaming, so I presumed the rest of it shone too. There had been no sign of Will that night, which was the reason for my black mood. Unusually, he hadn’t been sitting in the bedroom waiting for me when I awoke, and as yet he still hadn’t appeared, which made my mood worse.
I muttered curses under my breath about a certain vampire, but didn’t say anything too loudly in case he was closer than I thought. He really did have the ears of a bat. I tried to picture Will’s handsome face with bat ears on either side and snorted at my own joke. Thinking enough was enough, I decided to go looking for my absent ‘host’.
I went to the bedroom door and opened it. Running up the first few stairs, I stopped and listened intently. I could hear voices coming from the drawing room. I ran up the rest of the stairs, but hesitated when I reached the drawing room door. I could easily recognise Will’s deep voice, melodious and calm as usual, but another man’s voice constantly interrupted. Although deep in timbre, it didn’t sound so calm.
Both voices stopped suddenly, and Will said, ‘Come on in, Elinor.’
No point in asking him how he had known I was there, so I opened the door and went in.
My eyes went straight to Will, who smiled a greeting, and then I turned to look at the other person in the room. My eyes met dead eyes that were pools of pure evil, and I stepped back. The owner of those eyes could have come straight out of an old Hollywood movie about the Wild West. There was no mistaking his origins, that’s for sure. He stood a little less than average height, with long blue-black hair tied back in a ponytail. His skin was the colour of dark wood and his muscular frame was dressed simply in jeans, a white T-shirt and a long leather coat. Around his neck were many strands of turquoise beads, and as he folded his arms I heard a jangle of bracelets.
‘Elinor, this is Honyauti,’ said Will formally.
‘Hallo.’ I held out my hand, which Honyauti ignored, and he continued to regard me with his flat, black eyes. Looking at Will, he said, ‘She needs to learn some respect for her elders.’
I raised my eyebrows, and opened my mouth to make some kind of scathing comment, but Will silenced me with a look. ‘Her lessons are my responsibility,’ he said, ‘she is rather young and foolish at the moment.’
Young and foolish?
‘How young?’ Honyauti returned his gaze to me.
‘Just a few weeks,’ replied Will, as he lit his customary cigarette.
To my surprise Honyauti laughed, but it wasn’t a nice sound, and I shivered as though iced water trickled down my spine.
‘She will be good to share.’ His dark gaze travelled insolently, and very slowly, up and down my body.
I definitely did not like the sound of that, and judging from Will’s expression, neither did he.
‘No.’ His voice was cold, and I flinched. ‘This one is mine. There will be no sharing of her.’
Honyauti looked more puzzled than angry as he regarded me again coldly. I kept quiet. I seemed to be getting pretty good at that these days. Will had moved, and now stood by my side. There seemed to be more to this conversation than I was aware of, but obviously no one wanted to enlighten me as to what the hell was going on.
‘How unlike you, Elder,’ said Honyauti, with just a trace of sarcasm. ‘Changing the rules for one such as she.’
Will grinned devilishly, his good humour restored instantly. ‘But my prerogative as Elder, I believe. I can claim the right to any fledgling I so choose, and I have chosen this one.’
Honyauti inclined his head slightly. ‘As you wish.’
It had become pretty obvious that some kind of power struggle was being fought out here. My money was on Will.
The nauseous pangs of the Thirst were beginning to stir, but I didn’t want to say anything aloud, in case the Chief suddenly thought I might taste good.
Did cannibalism happen amongst vampires?
Will turned to me as if I had spoken and raised one eyebrow at me. ‘Hungry?’
I nodded, still choosing not to speak.
Will turned to Honyauti. ‘Would you care to join us?’ To my relief, he refused curtly.
‘I shall return tomorrow,’ he said.
He nodded his head at Will, ignored me, then left the room. Seconds later I heard the front door close. I turned to Will to question him, but he laid a finger across my lips in a sudden blur of movement.
‘Not yet,’ he whispered.
After a few more moments, he visibly relaxed, and turned to give me a quick smile. ‘I apologise for Honyauti’s lack of charm,’ he said. ‘We have to allow him some leeway, as he is considerably older than I, and from a completely different culture.’
‘Is he an Apache?’ I asked. Apache was the only Native American tribe I could remember.
‘No, he is descended from the Anasazi – which means Ancient Ones in his language. He is of the Hopi Tribe who dwell in parts of Arizona and New Mexico.’
‘How on earth do you know him?’
‘I spent a number of years there,’ he replied.
I nodded. I remembered him telling me that night in the garden. How long ago it seemed now.
So that was Honyauti, an ancient Hopi Indian Chief. He must have been summoned to England by Will, which posed two rather perturbing questions.
Firstly, just how bad was this vampire turf war going to be, if Will was drafting in help all the way from the deserts of America, and, secondly, would he ever be able to control Honyauti if he chose to run wild in London?
12 March
I have begun to wonder now about the intelligence of summoning Honyauti to England. He has always been a little unstable, and his assumption that Elinor would be available to share was something I had not expected. The assumption had to be quelled immediately. Initially, I had called him here because he is one of the most powerful warriors I know, and our numbers in London are but few. I did not know at the time of contacting Honyauti how many people Khiara would bring with her, which is something I still need to discover.
Honyauti’s behaviour will have to be monitored carefully, and it is a small comfort to me that he is staying near Luke’s house. Luke will be able to assess him nightly, and, should he begin to be more of a hindrance than a help, he will ensure that Honyauti returns to his homeland without delay. I hope it does not come to that, however, as his experience and support may well be needed.
I believe I have become slightly paranoid where Elinor is concerned. She is, as yet, not strong and still drinks warmed-up blood from a china mug, as opposed to from the direct source. This is not too much of a problem, as regular supplies are easy to come by in this city, although I would not wish any of the Italians to discover that fact. It could easily be used against her. I fear she could be kidnapped and starved. Constant vigil is still paramount.
Assault
Older vampires, or Elders, sleep less than the newly sired. Will had told me this some weeks before, explaining how he often awoke in the early afternoon. So that’s another vampire myth shot to pieces. It just shows how legends and folklore get embellished over the centuries.
It is still not possible for a vampire to wander around unprotected in broad daylight, however, especially in sunlight, as it tends to make them go up in flames. That part of the myth is sadly true.
Unfortunately, I still keeled over – courtesy of the ‘sleeping death’ – just before dawn, and didn’t stir again until almost full dark. I found this incredibly frustrating. Will assured me I would begin to wake earlier in a year or so. I suppose when you had eternity, another ‘year or so’ made little difference. But I hadn’t yet managed to get my head around the whole eternity thing, and it sounded like a
very
long time to me.
For the second time in only a few nights, there had been no sign of Will when I finally did wake up. I told myself he had a lot to contend with at the moment and, as Elder of the City, he had to be around wherever and whenever he was needed. The fact
I
needed him was apparently not as important.
I tried to ignore my stupid self-pity and took myself down to the bathroom, intent on soaking my undead skin for as long as the water remained hot. I had overcome my initial revulsion at heating blood in the microwave, so my thirst had been duly quenched for the night.
I wandered into the bathroom, marvelling again at the beauty of the huge sunken bath and Will’s impeccable taste.
Turning on the heavy brass taps, I chose a bottle of citrus bath liquid from a newly acquired row of expensive and elegant bottles, and poured a generous dollop into the gushing hot water. I watched the fragrant bubbles rise and glisten with their rainbow colours. I’d put in a request for some feminine fragrances, and Will seemed to have bought out the whole of L’Occitane and Molton Brown for me. He’d added beautiful scented candles as well, but somehow I didn’t feel like lighting them. To me, candlelight meant romance, and he wasn’t there, neither had he asked to join me again since my first bath all those weeks ago. Contrarily, I just might say ‘yes’ now. But I felt as though the arrival of the unfriendly vamps had taken his mind off trying to seduce me, and, sad to say, I actually missed the flirting. Maybe that was the idea. Who knew?
When the bath had filled up enough, I stepped in, and sank down in the fragrant foamy water with a grateful sigh. Closing my eyes, I hummed softly to myself, allowing the water to lap gently against my cold skin. It was wonderful.
I suddenly sensed I was no longer alone, and quickly opened my eyes.
Honyauti stood staring down at me, his black eyes filled with cold hatred.
I sank farther under the water.
‘What the hell are you doing here? Get out,’ I said, sounding a lot braver than I felt.
Honyauti said nothing, just stared arrogantly down at me.
‘Will is upstairs,’ I lied.
Honyauti moved closer to the edge of the bath, his eyes never leaving mine. I felt sure he would actually make the water disappear if he could, so he could see my body in all of its wet nakedness. Terror filled me.
Where the hell was Will?
‘The Elder is not upstairs,’ Honyauti’s deep voice rumbled in the bathroom.
‘Well, he won’t be happy to find you in here.’
‘I shall be gone before his return.’
‘I’ll tell him you were here.’ Sheer panic had set in now.
‘If you are able,’ said Honyauti with a sneer.
For the first time I realised just how much trouble I was in. Whatever Honyauti had in mind, it wouldn’t be at all pleasant for me, judging by his expression.
I couldn’t believe Will had ever allowed that psychopath into his house, and then introduced him to me. Surely he must realise just how dangerously unstable the man was.
I stared up at Honyauti as he slowly removed his coat, and dropped it to the floor.
His t-shirt clung to his muscular body, and his cold dark eyes bored into me as he leaned forward, putting one strong hand on the rim of the bath.
I felt the weight of his gaze as though he had physically struck me, and shivered in spite of the warm water.
Where the hell was Will?
Would rape hurt a vampire as much as it did a human? Is that what Honyauti intended? Or did he simply have my destruction in mind? Very slowly, I moved myself backwards in the bath. I felt any sudden movement could trigger the man in front of me into action, and that wouldn’t be good.
Will! Where are you? WILL!
‘You must be very entertaining for Will to keep you around,’ Honyauti settled on the side of the bath, his eyes still staring into mine. ‘I intend to sample some of your best qualities.’
I didn’t answer, just continued to inch slowly away. His grabbed my arm before I was out of his reach, and bent it enough to hurt and make me squirm, although not enough to break it. Not yet.
‘Be still,’ he snapped. He began to drag me closer through the foamy water, and I bit my lip to prevent a terrified whimper from escaping.
‘A fledgling’s task is to keep
all
master vampires entertained,’ he continued, ‘and as your master is not here, you must entertain his guest.’
With a movement so swift I didn’t even see it coming, Honyauti grabbed me by the hair, and hauled me effortlessly out of the water. It felt as though my hair was being torn out by its roots, and my scalp burned in protest. As Honyauti stood up, he held me in front of him like a prize catch, and the look in his eyes filled me with abject terror. I knew exactly what his intentions were now, and I screamed.
Water streamed down my naked body in rivulets, and he laughed harshly. The sound hurt, glancing off my wet skin. He shook me so hard, it made my teeth rattle, and I screamed again. He suddenly smashed a huge meaty fist into the side of my face, a blow of such violence that I crashed back into the bath, causing the water to surge out and over the sides like a small tidal wave. I couldn’t see anything for a split second, except the swirl of bright colours that danced in front of my eyes. I struggled to get up from the remaining water, but Honyauti grabbed me around the throat before I could move, and hauled me out of the bath again.
‘Struggle little fledgling,’ he laughed. ‘I love it when you wriggle.’
I screamed again, but he just continued to laugh.
‘Be silent
plaything
.’ He pulled me towards him and, crushing me against his body, ground his lips into mine so hard that his fangs pierced my lips and drew blood. A vile parody of a kiss holding neither affection nor warmth, and expressing nothing but the desire to dominate and control.
I tried so hard and so desperately to push him away, to be free of his revolting presence, but my efforts were futile against his immense strength. He forced his tongue deep into my mouth, causing me to gag, and it felt as if my throat would actually tear. I could feel the blood, sticky and cold, as it trickled from my bruised and battered lips, but still he continued his assault.
A muffled sob escaped from me when one of his large hands grabbed and squeezed my breast painfully, the other hand still holding my throat in a vice-like grip.
Suddenly I became aware of someone else, and knew beyond any doubt it was
Will. Oh God
…
Will
… Terrified that Honyauti would snap my head from my shoulders at any moment, I went limp and still in his grasp.
Will entered the room like a tornado, his face demonic with rage. I’d seen him angry before, but I had
never
seen him like this. He was truly terrifying. His eyes blazed, and his handsome face had transformed to resemble a livid creature from the very depths of hell.
He grabbed Honyauti with a feral snarl, and hauled him off me. Honyauti lost his hold on my throat, and I dropped back into the water again. Although barely conscious, I still couldn’t take my eyes off Will. I cowered in the far corner of the bath, and stared at the snarling stranger whilst holding a shaky hand to my bruised, throbbing throat. A soft keening noise came from my mouth but it didn’t sound like me at all. I felt too hurt to even cry properly.
Will growled at Honyauti, consumed by feral rage. ‘I believe I said she was not for sharing.’
The words reverberated around the bathroom like angry snakes, and I covered my ears at the sound.
In one violent and contemptuous move, Will threw the smaller man bodily at the wall, and Honyauti smashed into it with such a force that several tiles shattered on impact. Before he had a chance to move, Will was on him. The wet sound of blood splattering on the floor made me gag again, as Honyauti clutched at his own throat. He rolled on the tiled floor, gasping for a split second, when Will dragged him to his feet by his long hair.
‘You
never
try to take what is mine Honyauti,’ he said, almost spitting out each word. ‘Do not
ever
dare to abuse my hospitality again.’
Honyauti stared without speaking at Will, as the blood gushed from the gaping wound. It appeared to heal itself as I watched, and I couldn’t be sure which horrified me more – the wound or the instant healing.
‘If you ever touch her again – even come
near
her again – I will personally pull out your spine and feed it to you. Now get the hell out of my sight!’ Will released Honyauti suddenly, which caused him to stagger and almost lose his balance.
He left, but not before he had turned and shot a look of pure venom at me. I stayed in my corner of the bath, not sure what to do or say to Will. Not sure if I could even speak yet. I rested my bruised face on the cool edge of the bath, and wished I could gain control over the violent tremors which shook my whole body.
Will threw me an angry, cold glance. ‘Get dressed.’ His icy words hit my body like stones. Without looking at me again, he strode from the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.
I flinched at his tone, but got shakily out of the bath without a word. My teeth were chattering and I shook from head to toe. The various wounds on my face and neck throbbed with a vengeance, but all I could hear were Will’s furious, impersonal words.
Get dressed.
That was it?
Get dressed?
A big bad vamp tries to rape me and all I get is, ‘
Get dressed
’?
OK, I may have had some kind of death wish (which is pretty strange for a vampire) but I was angry and desperately traumatised, and I couldn’t think straight. So I went for the door, grabbing a towel on my way out. I wrapped the towel tightly around my shivering body, and ran up the stairs towards the drawing room.
I pushed the door open so hard it smacked back against the wall, and I stalked in to stand in front of Will with hands on my hips. I was vaguely aware that I dripped water all over his expensive rug, but found it hard to give a damn.
He sat on the sofa, an unlit cigarette between his lips. He didn’t look up at my violent entrance, although I knew he was completely aware of my every movement.
He struck a match and lit his cigarette, flicking the match into the fireplace with practised ease. He drew calmly on the cigarette, but still didn’t look up.
‘How … how
dare
you treat me like that?’ I yelled croakily at him. ‘How the hell
dare
you dismiss me like some – some possession – or – or a
pet
that has stepped out of line?’
He did look up at me then, and his eyes glinted with angry, emerald sparks.
‘You really need to ask?’ he said in chilling tones, making new shivers run down my spine like icy fingertips.
‘Yes I bloody well do,’ I snapped. ‘Thanks very much for saving my life from the psycho Indian that you let come here in the first place. No wait. You
took
my life in the first place didn’t you? So thank you then, for saving my so-miserable
existence
– and before you say anything else –
he
attacked
me
and in case you didn’t notice – he was about to pull my bloody head off!’
I stopped my almost hysterical rant when I saw Will’s expression, and stepped back out of reach just in case. I still shook from head to toe and fought to regain control of my emotions.
‘And you were naked in the bathroom with him. Why?’
The cold, harsh words hurt me more than I would have thought possible, but still I stood my ground. Brave me.
‘I didn’t even know he was in the house—I was waiting for
you
. He—just came in—’ I choked back a sob. ‘Where
were
you Will? Why are you never here at sunset any more?’
Will stared into my eyes for a moment before he leaned back in the sofa again. I stayed where I was, it wouldn’t do to get too close just yet.
Tears of hurt and frustration trickled down my cheeks now, and I brushed them angrily away with my hand. Surely he knew me better than this?
‘You are telling the truth,’ he said at last.
Well, I knew that.
I didn’t recognise this Will. He was cold and uncompromising. I wanted the cool, fun-loving Will back.
I watched him silently. I watched him stretch his long legs out in front of him, and I watched him lace his fingers together behind his dark hair.
With one rapid movement, he suddenly had me pinned against the wall, my arms above my head, held fast by one strong hand. He leaned into me until our lips were almost touching. I looked at him – feeling so scared, but determined not to cry again.
‘What to do with you now, I wonder?’ he said.
I stared. Surely he didn’t really believe I had welcomed Honyauti’s attentions?
I swallowed painfully. My throat really hurt. I had thought all vampires were supposed to heal quickly, but knowing my luck, it would probably just be me who didn’t.
I looked into the depths of those green eyes, and said the first thing I could think of. ‘Cut the possessive, macho crap and take me to bed.’
Will looked genuinely astonished for a split second, before he laughed. He released my arms, and put his hands on the wall on either side of my face. Normal Will was back, and inwardly I breathed a huge sigh of relief.