Kindred (36 page)

My throat was well and truly burning now, swallowing was damn near impossible. I could feel hot tears trying to pool in the corner of my eyes. Damn it all to hell, I was going to have to be the one to give in, wasn't I?

I reached up to my throat and managed a half croak, half whispered, “Ouch.” Pathetic? Me? Nah.

He couldn't help it, I knew he was fighting it, but his lips quirked at the edges slightly and gave himself away. He reached up and placed one hand behind my head, cupping my neck, the other began tracing the bruises at the front and sides.

“
Lower your shields,” he said softly.

The rush of tingling his healing touch gave me came thrumming into my neck, I felt the ache lessen and my throat expand again, but it didn't stop there. He sent a wave of pure desire through me, hot and sharp and oh so sweet, making me gasp and collapse against his chest. I tried to raise my shields against the onslaught of hunger and need I was now forced to feel, but his
Sanguis Vitam
fluctuated, practically slapping them away, with a simple flick. He was proving a point, or trying to mark me himself, either way I was completely at his mercy.

I had forgotten just how intoxicating his power could be, when he wanted to, he could turn me into a puddle of molten goo begging for release. I hadn't had to think about it lately, just before we'd joined he'd been somewhat behaving himself and after we joined, his power had no effect over me at all. Only when I allowed him to, like now, by lowering my shields. I swore to myself that I would rather be in excruciating pain for eternity than ever let him behind my walls again.

His mouth came down and claimed mine, kissing with a ferociousness I hadn't seen before. “You are mine,” he growled against my lips before sending a spike of longing through me that made me whimper out loud.

His hand was still clutching my neck, the other now moving up and down my side, around my back, down to my rear and then back up to my breast. His touch, which normally would have sent uncontrolled shudders through my body anyway, simply burned me now, when coupled with his power stoking the flames. The longing and desire had morphed into a fervent need and ardent hunger so hard and strong I could hardly breathe.

I was clutching him and whimpering and moaning and making all manner of extremely unladylike demands, yet it wasn't enough. If I didn't get closer, didn't have all of him, I knew with a certainty that I would die. I was prepared to sell my soul for another kiss, murder a legion of innocents to feel his touch, and denounce all that is holy and light just to be near him.

Every nerve ending was so raw, screaming out to be satisfied, my world had shrunk to just the two of us and he was denying me what I needed to breathe, to stay alive. The longing and need were interlaced with rejection and abandonment, but still didn't stop me from wanting more. My body begged, my mind implored and my words pleaded.
Please, please, please, please, please, please.

Finally, somehow, he must have realised that what he was doing was wrong, or at the very least managed to get some of his anger under control and decided I'd had enough punishment for the day. Because this was definitely his punishment, even if it hadn't been my fault, that Nero had marked me without my knowledge or consent, to a vampire the result was where the punishment laid and I had come to him smelling of someone else. His power level slowly diminished. The fervent desire and longing, need and hunger he had evoked within me, washing away, until finally, all that was left was rage. My rage, no one else's. It was all me and I threw it out at him as hard and as fast and with as much strength as I could muster.

He stumbled backwards, with a look of surprise on his face, so I decided to give him more. I bundled up what hatred he had just created in me by forcing me to have those unwanted feelings, feelings that he could so easily have evoked in me with just his touch and words alone, and hurled it at him. Then followed it up with
disbelief
,
incredulity
,
resentment
,
disgust
and for good measure, so he could see just how much he had hurt me,
humiliation
,
powerlessness
,
fright
and finally
mistrust
. He had asked me once, not to force him to break my trust in him. It seems he hadn't needed my permission after all.

He leaned back against the desk, panting. I hadn't realised I'd followed him as he'd continued to stumble back from the onslaught of my emotions. I was standing right in front of him, not touching but within reach. He looked ashen, slightly clammy. If I hadn't have known better, I'd have thought he was having a heart attack. Of course, vampires can't have those, unless you count the attack on the heart by a stake.

He reached a hand up towards me, I couldn't tell at first if it was in defence or to be a threat, but when he said, “Please,
ma douce
, stop. I am not used to so much emotion. Please.” I realised the hand was to beseech.

I suddenly felt sick to the stomach. I had lowered myself to the level of a vampire and whereas they had an excuse, albeit a bloody flimsy one - being unable to help their basic natures when so aroused - I did not. I wasn't forgiving him what he had just done, he knows better, he has it in him to fight the dark, the evil that exists in all vampires, he just chose the wrong path today. But I was ready to admit though, that he hadn't meant it as a personal attack, it was purely the basic response any vampire would have had and would have had to fight. He had just lost that fight today.

I sunk to the floor on my knees, suddenly so exhausted and bewildered and sad. I guess he was getting
regret
in spades right now, because it was all that I could feel. He knelt down beside me and brushed my hair out of my eyes, stroked my cheek with his thumb, my jaw, then my neck.

“
Forgive me,
ma belle
. It seems I have much still to learn.”

I don't know why, I guess it was the fact that I had just let such raw emotion run freely through me so unchecked, but I started crying, small tears at first, quickly followed by great big racking sobs I couldn't control. My body shook as the pain washed over me and the tears streamed down my face. He held me tightly, rubbing up and down my back, kissing my face and neck, and murmuring his apologies against my skin. I don't know how long we sat there for, holding on to each other, unable to let go, but eventually I stopped crying. He didn't, however, stop apologising for quite some time more.

I may not have been angry at Michel any more, I did understand what a vampire was like after all. Even if I couldn't completely forgive him for not successfully fighting this dark side of himself today, I was however, unequivocally angry with Nero. What did he think he was doing? He had to have known what Michel's response to the scent would have been. He had to have known what danger he was putting me in. Why had he done it?

Michel had still been holding me, he had stopped apologising, he had even stopped kissing me, he was just holding on to me as though he thought he would lose me altogether if he let go, his head resting on my chest, his breath warm against my skin. I'm not entirely sure I wanted him to let me go either, despite what had just happened, the thought of being anywhere else, other than in his arms right now, was an impossibility. My basic need to be close to him over-rode all other thought or emotion. Why did being joined to a vampire have to be so hard?

“
Why now,
ma douce
? Why does he wish to train you now?”

His question surprised me, because I hadn't even realised he was gearing up for one, he'd been so still for so long, it came right out of the blue. I also know he knew the possible response he could have received to that question now. The man had guts or was just plain stupid. Actually, I'm thinking single minded and downright determined, stubborn even, maybe obstinate. But there was no avoiding what I had come here for, so I swallowed any negative emotion his question stirred within me and relaxed my suddenly rigid stance.

“
He told me about the
Cadre of Eternal Knights,
Max had belonged to them, they are hunting Nosferatin to join with, to give them the power to take over all vampires, humans, the world.” I thought the best chance of getting Michel on board now was to make it sound really bad for every supernatural, including himself.
The world
kind of covered that. “There's a large community of Nosferatin in Egypt, where Nero is from, they have several mature and a couple of immature Nosferatin. The
Cadre
is targeting them.”

The moment of truth. Michel hadn't moved, hadn't shifted at all, he was simply waiting for me to get to the hammer blow, which he undoubtedly knew was coming. “They want our help in fighting the
Cadre
, they don't believe they are strong enough on their own.” Maybe if I appealed to his strength this would work. A vampire hunter's got to try, hasn't she?

He sat back and leaned against the base of his desk, still keeping one hand holding one of mine, his blue eyes swirling flecks of cobalt; but no purple, no amethyst or violet, just beautiful deep pools of blue. “Am I to presume he is Nafrini's kindred Nosferatin?”

I just nodded. “She has hidden it well then.” He blinked slowly, raised a hand to the bridge of his nose and pinched. Do vampires get headaches? “So, he can Dream Walk and he can lay a false vampire scent. What else can this Nero of yours do?” I understood the inference,
this Nero of yours
, he was warning me, letting me know he was aware. Nero was encroaching on what Michel believed was his property and he wanted me to take care. At that moment, I really wanted to take care too.

“
He can fight, well actually he can really fight. I've never seen another human do what he did, the speed, the precision. It was remarkable.” Hiding what I felt of Nero's skills wasn't necessary, Michel had already sensed my emotions and knew.

“
He is not human, my dear. Not any more, anyway.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
If he is the Nosferatin I am thinking of, then he is close to my age, somewhere around 500 years old. Nafrini is older, 700 maybe more. There were rumours of her joining when I had not long been turned. The world was abuzz with it. The rumours just as quickly disappeared though and since that day, Nafrini has never demonstrated anything other than first level master
Sanguis Vitam
. As I said, she has hidden it well.”

I wondered why? Could it be she just wanted to protect her kindred Nosferatin and the community he held so dear? I couldn't see a vampire that long ago having that sort of compassion, that sort of care for another, especially someone who was in essence human. Vampires have modernised their natures since then. Michel is very forward for his power level status, he does have good in him, although I have had to question that recently. Still, for a vampire he is progressive. He lives in amongst humans and sets rules in his city for others to adhere, making sure humans are not hunted and therefore the vampire not discovered. But, centuries ago, it was different. Vampires still hid themselves, but they were more inclined to satisfy their cravings and to hell with anyone else.

All the while this was playing through my head, I couldn't stop thinking
Nero is 500 hundred years old?
I mean, I had always thought he sometimes sounded a bit old fashioned, but wow, as old as Michel? That was just unbelievable, he seemed so human, so vibrant and alive. Not that Nosferatins aren't when they become immortal upon joining, it's not like their heart stops beating and they don't need to breathe like a vampire when it's changed, but still,
500 freakin' years old!

I guess I had a lot to talk about with Nero tomorrow.

“
So, what do you think? Do we help them?”

Michel smiled at me, it was a little more tired than his usual smile, but it did still reach the corners of his eyes.

“
What would my Nosferatin like to do?”

I'm sure he was just playing me, buttering me up after such an abominable greeting, but I couldn't help thinking,
yes!
And doing a mental air punch.

“
I think we should help them. If this
Cadre
group get power they could be unstoppable, they could come here. I don't want them in my city. I think we should stop them before it's too late.”

“
Then, we shall go to Egypt. I shall contact Nafrini myself.” I knew why he wanted to do that, to send a message that he was the one in control, making the decisions, not me. But all I could think was, I was going to go to Egypt and meet Nero in person. I told myself it was because I just wanted to meet another Nosferatin, one that didn't want to kill me that is, but to be honest, it was all him, I just couldn't help it, I was curious.

Bad, bad, me.

Of course, Michel set a caveat. We would not go until I turned 25, which was only less than a week from now anyway. Nafrini had accepted, I guess she understood that no kindred vampire would wish to endanger their Nosferatin, when only a few days delay would alter the odds in their favour.