Authors: Melissa Schroeder
“Nothing happened.”
His father’s eyebrows rose. “Indeed? I don’t think I asked.”
“You did not. Now, he is sounding rather defensive about his
actions, which makes me think he is lying,” Malik said.
He looked from one man to the other, not even trying to hide
his exasperation. “Do you truly think I would be here now if I had actually
taken her? Give me at least the respect to know we would still be in bed.”
He brushed past them and into his study. It was
midafternoon, too early for a drink. Well, if his mother had not been in
residence it wouldn’t be, but Adelaide Blackburn had rules. One of them was no
liquor before five in the evening. So, he would not drink. Although he
desperately needed one. For the first time in his life, he suppressed the urge
to ignore his mother’s rules. When he heard their footsteps following him, he
fought the need to curse.
“Gray sent around a note saying that Hurst’s family was
looking for him,” Malik said.
Needing to concentrate on anything other than the woman who
was driving him insane at the moment, he turned his attention to that.
“Did they show up at his house?”
Malik shook his head. “He heard it through Alistair.”
“Saint is in town?” Nico asked, a bit alarmed. Nico’s
distant cousin avoided all of society, even in the little village he lived in.
“I asked him to come,” his father said. “We might need him.
He agrees with us that there is something going on.”
“But…it’s Saint,” he said, shaking his head.
“We won’t let him out in society,” his father said with
amusement. “He has always tried to avoid it, as you know, and since he has come
into the title, he truly avoids it. We need him for his underworld contacts. He
will be able to get more information than you can. It's going to be worse once
you get married.”
Nico frowned. “I do not see that as a disruption.”
His father shared a look with Malik. His friend turned to
him. “I am going to go over to Gray’s and check on the patient.”
“Wait, what did he do about Hurst’s family?”
“He sent around a note and told them that he fell ill and
was making a speedy recovery.”
Malik nodded to Nico’s father and left them alone.
“Dammit. I should have taken care of sending a note around
to his family.”
“You have been preoccupied, and it was better coming from
Gray. People will question you. They will not question a duke.”
Nico nodded.
“And there is nothing wrong with being preoccupied by a
woman.” His father’s tone was light, but Nico sensed something serious beneath
it.
“Not now. Not when there is so much at stake. I need to
focus on the hunt. I have been here almost a fortnight and have gotten
nowhere.”
“Yes, you have. You know now that this person is moving
within the
ton
in some way. I talked to
Malik about it. Saint is going to search in some of the places you cannot go.”
“Is that an order?”
His father chuckled. “Son, I know now that you will not be
able to go to a whorehouse any more than I can. First, you don’t want to.
Secondly, I have a feeling once you mate with Cordelia, she will become a
walking terror like your mother.” He studied Nico for a few moments. “It has
been a few hundred years since we have had something like this. We will
prevail.”
“How do you know?”
“In all our history, we have never lost. We might have lost
a few of our people. We all must move to our afterlife at some point. Good will
always prevail. Do not worry. And it is important to have more of your
generation building families. Too many of you have waited too long.”
He heard the admonition in his father’s voice. He knew he
deserved it, and until now, he had not had the urge. "Now you have a
mate."
He nodded.
"You could not sleep without her by your side,
correct?"
He glanced at his father then settled in the chair behind
his desk. "It is insane. I have never slept with her until this
morning."
"This morning?"
"She spent the night by her sister's side."
"Ah," his father said, nodding. "She is a
good woman. I am confused as to why she is not married. But English society only
sees what they want to see."
“Yes,” he said. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"
His father shrugged as he pulled out a cheroot. "Do you
mind? Your mother hates them, and since she is out shopping with Cordelia, I
think this might be the only time I have a chance to do this."
He nodded. "What were you saying about English
society?"
His father lit the cheroot and then puffed a few times.
"Well, human society truthfully. They only look at the surface. This
generation is worse than any other I have known. Although, my generation was
quite obtuse. Your mother was considered a wallflower."
"Mother?" he shook his head. His mother was not a
flashy woman, but she demanded the attention of most men when she walked into a
room. Even humans were drawn to her, but that was usual of such a powerful
Carrier.
His father smiled. "She was a bit. Orphaned, no family
to look out for her, much like Cordelia. She has family, but they did not do
her any good. I am not sure what would have happened if we had not found each
other. But, your mother came alive when I made her my mate."
"Came alive?"
"Carriers can be flamboyant but many of them can hide
it well. Their true beauty will shine easily as they move into our society, but
they make sure that most humans do not sense it. And those are the ones to
beware of, Nicodemus. Cordelia is a wonderful young woman from what I can tell.
Be careful of her."
"You think that she would hurt me or do something
wrong?"
"No. But if you ignore her for what she is, what she
makes you, you will regret it. Believe me, there was a point in my life I
almost lost your mother. Value Cordelia. Know that she is all that is important
in your world."
"I do not think that a woman should control my every
thought."
"Oh, my son, you are in for such a challenge with
Cordelia, but I will enjoy it. And you will be a stronger man for it. Now, I am
going to have a little nap before your mother returns. I understand the wedding
will be tomorrow."
Nico nodded.
His father smiled, "Good. I would probably join Malik
over at Gray’s if I were you. There is much to discuss, and I would go but the
young duke is intimidated by my presence for some reason.”
He looked at his father and smiled. Of course, his father
did not understand why someone like Gray would be in awe of him. Seven hundred
fifty years old, a leader in the Alliance, and if anything, the stories of his
role in their history had been downplayed.
“I am going to go wash up and go over there and talk to
Malik and Gray, see if we can gain any more information from Hurst.”
“Are you positive the Made was yelling
Suprema
?”
Just having the question put to him brought the memory back
of killing the Made. Even now he felt ill. “Positive. There was no mistaking.”
“You know the history of that, of the idea there would be
one
Suprema
?”
Nico nodded. It was not truly talked about on the council.
The Alliance would like to pretend that nothing was wrong. The majority of
them. It made it worse that his father and Gray’s remembered the last time it
happened. One vampire, one army, total control.
Suprema
. The Alliance had been born out of that experience, but all
of them seemed to think that they were above it.
“I understand the problem father. Just as you said, we will
prevail.”
His father nodded and left him alone.
*
*
*
*
By the time Nico arrived at Gray’s he was feeling sluggish
again. He had several hours sleep, but for some reason, he was now tired again.
He knew he needed to feed, but of course, he would have to wait until tomorrow
for that. It was an overcast day in London, so at least the sun wasn't draining
his energy. He followed the footman up the stairs to the room where they were
keeping Hurst. When he walked into the room, he was surprised to see the man
sitting up and eating. He still looked ill, but he no longer looked as if he
were going to die.
"Good morning, Blackburn," Gray said. "I have
your license."
"Good."
"Yes, very important as his bride might have second
thoughts," Malik said, smiling.
"Sod off," Nico said with little heat. He looked
at the viscount. "How are you doing this morning?"
"Somewhat better, considering that my life was
completely transformed in one night."
Nico nodded as he sat in the chair opposite of Hurst.
"You are lucky, though."
Hust's eyes narrowed. "Please enlighten me, Blackburn.
I am lucky? I have to live a life I never wanted."
He could sympathize with the man. Having your entire world
turned upside down with no hope of returning to your former life had to be
hell. The defiant look on his face stopped Nico from saying just that. Hurst might
still appear half dead, but he did not want sympathy.
"And don't patronize me as the duke has tried. I had my
life set up for me just the way I wanted it. Now, I have to skulk around and
look for women to feed off of or I will die. What kind of life is that?"
Nico opened his mouth to explain that they had dispensaries
where women were paid for their blood, but Malik interrupted him.
"Well, isn't that just so sad for the viscount?"
Sarcasm dripped from his voice, his anger easy to see. Malik always had a bad
temper, but he usually controlled it. Malik knew how Borns viewed him so he did
everything he could not to show it. But Nico knew better than most that Hurst
had struck a chord. "Poor man has to adjust the way he lives his life.
Such a pity."
Hurst gave Malik a malicious look, but Nico knew nothing
would happen. On a good day, when the viscount was fully well, he could not
beat Malik in a fight. Now, though, the viscount could barely walk by himself.
"And don't whine to me about it. I'm Made like you.
Want to know how many years? Hundreds. I had no choice just like you. You want
to know what happens to Mades who are not saved? They become animals."
Hurst swallowed. "Is that so different from what I am
now?"
"You think it can't get worse? Well, ask Blackburn
about the one he had to kill recently. He became a beast, unable to control his
urges, both sexual and appetite. They became one in his mind. The Made that
Nico killed was in the process of raping an eighteen-year-old virgin, who then
died from the attack. You think that would be better?"
Hurst said nothing, but Nico could tell from his expression
he was horrified. They had told him a bit of their world, but they had not
disclosed what could have happened if they had not saved him.
"If it wasn't for us, you would be hunting right now,
unable to control what you do," Malik said. "Worse, you would be
damned to hell so once you died, which would happen in the next few weeks, you
would spend eternity paying for your sins. You were the one who went to the whorehouse,
the one who put himself in the situation. So, please, spare us your
whining."
With that, Malik shot up out of the chair and stomped out of
the room. Nico followed him out, knowing that when Malik was in one of these
moods, he could be deadly to anyone who got in his path. He caught up with him
in the hallway and grabbed him by the sleeve.
"Settle it down, old man."
He gave Nico a nasty look.
"Remember, you already scare most of the Borns and
society. If you go around looking like that, you will definitely allow their
fear of the Mades to grow. Whether you like it or not, you are considered one
of the elite of the Mades. If you lose it, they will definitely turn on your
kind."
Malik pulled his arm free of Nico's grip, but he did not
leave. Instead, as Nico had seen hundreds of times before, his friend closed
his eyes and took a few calming breaths. When he opened his eyes, he was still
mad, but Nico knew he had a firm grip on his temper.
"I could not help it. Sitting there complaining like a
little boy who has had his favorite toy taken away."
Disgust dripped from every word. "I don't disagree with
you or what you said. I think he needed it."
Malik's lips twitched. "Is that right? You would not
have been so blunt."
"No, but he needed it. He was acting like a boy in
short pants. He is the only boy in the family, and his father is ill and will
not last long. He has been treated like a prince most of his life. So, I agree,
this was good for him."
Malik nodded.
"You seem out of sorts. I thought you went to bed early
since you disappeared from the ball so fast.”
“You know I can never take those gatherings.” He made a
sound of disgust. “I hate the upper classes and their idiocy.”
Nico almost smiled, but from the look on his friend’s face,
it would have not been prudent.
“So, it had nothing to do with Lady Diana?”
Malik shook his head.
“Well, it is just as well. She seems a little…delicate.”
“She’s as delicate as a fishwife.”
Nico cocked his head to one side and studied his friend. “I
just assumed she was because she became so ill last night.”
“What do you mean?” Malik asked, his words whipping out. His
friend was truly interested in the woman.
“The heat of the ball apparently was too much to take. She
took to her bed.”
“Has she seen a doctor?”
“Mother took care of her.”
Malik’s eyes narrowed. “I do not have time for this. I am
off to my bed. Tomorrow is going to be a very trying day.”
Nico smiled as he watched Malik retreat down the hallway
until he disappeared from his sight.