Kindred (38 page)

“
Where's your self control, Nero? I thought you were ancient, been around the block, surely you could have stopped yourself from doing something so
stupidly, dangerously, insane!
I thought you would be better than a vampire.”

He actually cringed at that, a momentary look of discomfort flashing across his handsome features. He had moved his hand down to my own, when I had sat up, but he didn't remove it now, he had just stilled and was looking at me intently, a look of puzzlement now back on his face.

“
For some reason, your approval is important to me.” He shook his head at that. “I have let you down. I will make amends, if it takes the rest of my life to do so.” OK, so he was a pretty intense guy, but
the rest of his life
?

Could
my
life get any more complicated?

I shook my head at him. “Just promise me you won't do it again. I don't fancy having my throat crushed by a very jealous and possessive vampire.”

He just nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. He hadn't been surprised by Michel's behaviour, he'd been around vampires for 500 years, he knew the deal.

“
Why will you not have him heal you?” His voice was soft, back to its usual purr.

“
It doesn't matter. I just don't like it. I...I don't like to appear weak.”

I couldn't tell Nero, I couldn't let him see the struggle that Michel had to fight, the struggle that he had failed to win. Michel was mine to protect and even though I somehow felt more comfortable with Nero than I had with anyone since meeting Rick, I couldn't go there with him on this. I just couldn't. I would prefer him to believe it was out of some warped sense of pride, of vanity, on my part and not because of any weakness of Michel's.

“
This is between you and your vampyre. It is your battle to confront.” He said it matter of factly, in his usual intense way, part of me was relieved he was dropping the issue, the other a little sad. Even the all knowing Nero didn't have an answer to my problems. I suddenly felt very alone.

“
Can you stand, Kiwi? I must go, Nafrini is vulnerable when I Dream Walk, I do not like to leave her for long. Cairo is not the safe haven it once was for us. But I will not leave you if you are not ready to fight any vampyre that may stray across your path.”

“
I'm fine, Nero. I just need to catch my breath. I think I'll stay here for a bit, take in the surroundings.”

Nero glanced around the rather barren clearing in the trees we were in. I could tell what he was thinking.
What surroundings?
But he just nodded. “If you are sure?”

I nodded back and put on my best convincing smile of confidence. His lips quirked. He wasn't fooled, but he was prepared to let me do this.

“
Until tomorrow then, my little Kiwi.” His hand reached up and stroked my cheek and then he was gone.

I took a deep breath in, it hurt, but it also felt good; the clean, crisp smells of nature all around. I reached over and grabbed my backpack - it had come off during the fight - and took my stake out. I might have been considering sitting here to catch my breath for a while, but I sure as hell wasn't going to be unprepared. I slipped it into the front pocket of my sweatshirt. The sun had set now, stars were beginning to shine, vampires would be awake.

I tipped my head back against the tree's trunk and let the sounds of the early evening in. The traffic in the distance, the sheep in nearby fields - Cornwall Park is farmed, strange but true - the rustle of leaves on the ground, the wind in the trees, the scratching of a small creature in the underbrush, the soft footfalls of someone approaching.

I was on my feet with my stake out in a flash. Even a bruised and beaten vampire hunter has quick reflexes.

His
Sanguis Vitam
reached me first, he was warning me of his approach. Michel slowly walked into the clearing and stood looking at me. He was dressed in his lovely thigh hugging black trousers and casual-for-him black shirt, not his usual suit and tie. The events of recent days having made him relax his wardrobe standards. I liked it. He could look so sinful in black.

I didn't loosen my hold on the stake, but I did lower it a little.

He cocked his head at me, eyebrow raised. “You do not look well,
ma douce
.”

At the sound of his voice, so warm, so soft, I melted and slid back down the side of the tree to land in a mess at the bottom. I  stuffed the stake back in its pocket and tipped my head back with closed eyes.

Michel walked over and sat down next to me in the dirt, no doubt messing up his perfectly clean and expensive pants. I felt him there, warm and still. This was familiar wasn't it? And then again not.

“
What have you been doing, my dear?” he said, as he took my right hand in his and began slowly stroking the back.

When I didn't reply, he just added, “I know you will not let me heal you. But will you let me take you home?”

I turned to look at him, his eyes so deeply blue, so mesmerizing and beautiful. He smiled and my heart missed a beat all of its own accord. I nodded then and he stood, simply lifted me in his arms and we were gone.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I was aware of was being lowered gently onto my couch, Michel brushing my hair from my eyes. “I shall run you a bath,
ma
douce
.”

I didn't fight him. I couldn't have fought a single soul. I had hid it from Nero, he hadn't realised just how close to the edge he had pushed me. I had been hanging on by just the tips of my fingers.

Michel came back and carried me into the bathroom. He stood me up where I swayed slightly and stripped me off. He didn't try to seduce me, he didn't touch me in any sexual way, he simply handled me swiftly, but firmly and helped me into the bath.

It was warm and full of bubbles and smelled of mandarin. I love mandarins. I felt my head tilt back against the end of the bath, my eyes close and Michel begin to softly soap me up and wash away the dirt. My grazes stung, but he was gentle, my bruises hurt, but he took such care. I felt myself lifting one leg, then the other, one arm, then the other. My back being washed, my chest, everywhere and then he was towelling me off and carrying me to my bedroom.

He lay me down, wrapped the blankets around me, tucking me in like a child, kissed my forehead and said, “I will not disturb your dreams tonight,
ma belle
. When you are ready, come to me. I will be waiting. As always.”

With that he was gone, taking the very air, the warmth and the light of the room with him and leaving me so, so alone.

I woke to a world full of pain. White hot excruciating pain. I sucked a breath in and forced back a sob. Good Lord I hurt. I shuffled to the bathroom and took ten times as long as usual to get washed and ready for the day. By the time I made it out to the kitchen, I knew there was no way I was going to work, I'd have to throw a sickie.

I sat down at my dining room table and just sobbed; silent, quiet, little heaving sobs. My life really did suck. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to be able to do the way I was feeling right now, paracetamol had no effect, the hot shower I'd had before was pitiful, just existing took effort and hurt. This was not good.

I knew it had been a rough workout, but I had no idea the after effects would be so drastic. I'd had bad fights before, sure, I've spent my fair share of time at the Emergency Room, in bed all day, curled up on the couch channel surfing. But this was different, this was my body trying to tell me something and I didn't have a clue what it was. Other than
don't ever do that to me again you stupid idiotic twit!

I was just sitting at the dining table staring into space, feeling like a useless piece of vampire hunter arse, when I felt it: a pull. Not the usual, evil-lurks-in-my-city pull, but a beautiful calling to my soul, a promise to make things better, a soft caress against my skin, a whisper that it will all be all right.

I don't know how, because I'd never felt it before and he has never felt like this to me when I sense him, but I knew it was Michel, calling me to him. Without a second thought I picked up the phone and called a taxi. No way I was gonna be able to walk all the way up there.

It was one of those extraordinary days in Auckland, blue, blue sky, sun pelting down, everyone in short sleeved tops, despite it being winter, pretending it was summer and smiling at strangers on the street. There's just something about a sunny day in the city. The noise of traffic, honking horns and screeching tyres, the low hum that resonates throughout, it all just seems to fade into the background when you get one of those days. A miracle that can't be ignored.

The front door was locked at
Sensations
of course, but the day crew were there, cleaning, preparing, keeping it safe. Humans that helped vampires. I was beginning to get used to it. They weren't surprised to see me, just opened the door with a short nod and turned back to their work. I was just wondering how I would get past the combination lock to Michel's private chambers and had my hand up above the keypad, about to wing it, when I felt a tingle in my arm and the door softly clicked open. It took me by surprise, so I did a little jump. There was no one there holding it open, so I settled my beating heart and just shut the door behind me and followed that now undeniable pull, letting it wrap around me and whisper to me, encouraging me on.

Michel's chamber was shut. The door didn't magically open. So I thought, to hell with this and just knocked. Nothing happened for a moment and then Michel appeared at the open door, in nothing but his black boxers, his hair a little bed tussled and with a strange look on his face.

“
Lucinda, is everything all right?”

I was surprised he hadn't been expecting me, he was calling me to him wasn't he? “Um, I felt a pull, I had to come.”

He didn't say anything for a moment, just looked at me with a quizzical look on his face and then his face lit up in a smile.

“
The Bond,” he said, pulling me to him in an embrace. His arms so warm, but the contact causing my aching body to scream and a whimper to escape my lips.

He quickly pulled back, holding me by my shoulders and scanning my body. I hadn't been able to put much on, it had hurt to raise my arms to pull a T-Shirt over my head, so I'd opted for short sleeved blouse and a simple short skirt. Not my usual black on black ensemble, this time white on white. It kind of looked like a poor attempt at a little rich girl's tennis outfit, but at least my tan looked good against the white and really, I couldn't have cared less. I had just slipped my feet into white trainers, no socks and had a small bag over one shoulder with my stake and knife and purse in it. That was it, nothing more, except a bruised and battered body that was making tears run down my cheeks right now.

Michel led me over to the bed, flicking his hand towards the door to close and lock it and helped me to sit down. He knelt down in front of me holding my hands.

“
You are in such pain,
ma douce
, it is tearing me up inside. Is this level of pain usual?”

I just shook my head, sniffed a little and continued to cry. He reached up and stroked my cheek, my neck and sighed.

“
Your Bond to me called you here, your body is trying to tell you to come to me, have me heal you. It's trying to help you to get better.” When he saw the look on my face at the words
have me heal you
he laughed a little mirthlessly. “It clearly does not know you as well as I.”

He ran a hand over his face and let out a sharp short breath. “I don't know what to say to make you trust me,
ma douce
. I don't know what to do.”

“
Just hold me,” I managed to whisper.

His head shot up and he stared at me. “If you wish,
ma belle
.”

Michel helped me lie back down on the bed, took my shoes off and set them down next to my bag, then slid into bed next to me, gently wrapping an arm around my shoulders and resting my head against his chest. He felt warm and smelled clean, like soap and sea spray, fresh and familiar. He started stroking my hair and although he hadn't healed me, he wasn't trying to right now, my body relaxed more than it had done at any time previously that morning and the ache seemed to lessen in my bones.

“
The Bond is something all kindred vampyre and their Nosferatin have, eventually anyway.” His voice was low and soft, so wonderfully welcoming and full of life. “There is always a connection between them, sometimes starting well before they are joined, as ours did and growing stronger once the ceremony has been completed, but the Bond does not usually form until much later. And it certainly has not been known to form before the Nosferatin is matured.

“
It is a very special thing. It allows us to find each other, no matter where in the world we are. To perform whatever is required to get to that person, overcome any obstacle. To talk to each other in thoughts, not read each other's minds, but send a directed thought towards your Bonded. It enables us to feed off the life force of each other, not in a negative way, but as a sharing of energy between two souls, making them almost as one. It strengthens our own powers, by simply using a fraction of our kindred's, the exchange is equal, no one member of the Bond getting less from the exchange than the other, it is the essence of our joining and something all joined wait impatiently to receive. I had not dared hope your Bond would awaken so early.”