Kindred (Kindred, Book 1) (19 page)

She was stunning. Her hair was a long golden mass of softly wavy tresses, reaching passed her waist and bouncing slightly as she cocked her head at me. She was wearing a blood red slinky dress, which moulded to her gorgeous figure like a second skin. The hem of the dress was well up past her knees, exposing a large amount of deep cream porcelain skin on her perfectly smooth thighs. She had on matching red high heels, dangerous in their three inch glory and was softly running her hands through Michel's hair.

I felt like a child in comparison.

I hated her at once.

To the right stood another vampire, male, cream-coffee coloured skin, deep dark brown almost black eyes and long black hair, tied in a clasp at the nape of his neck. He was leaning nonchalantly back against a book shelf, in tight black jeans and a black tee-shirt. All of which did a wonderful job of showing off his muscular and graceful physique. He wasn't smiling but he was watching me with an intensity that reached my core.

On the far left, sitting in an armchair, was another male vampire. This one had a shock of red hair, but was dressed much the same as old black jeans, his hair tied back, his rugged, but somehow handsome, face open in a smile. I didn't trust it. I didn't trust any of them, the power that rolled off them toward me was almost suffocating. It took every ounce of my anti-vampire Nosferatin skills to stand up straight and not blanch at the waves of
Sanguis Vitam
against my body.

All right then.

Never let it be said that I can't hold my own with the big baddies of the night. No self respecting vampire hunter would let a bunch of the undead threaten them, at least they wouldn't dare show any fear on the outside. I was damn sure these fangers weren't going to get the better of me. I was angry at Michel, angry at him for letting me walk into this ambush, so I grabbed that anger and wrapped it around me like a shield. The moment I did, I felt a deep seated sense of strength inside me build into a crescendo and suddenly felt my own power lash back out at the vampires in the room, Michel not excepted.

The two male vampires stiffened visibly, old slinky bitch gasped, then re-schooled her features into a sneer. Michel didn't move a muscle, despite my knowing he had felt it too.

“She has claws,
mio caro,
” the female vamp purred in Michel's ears.

Michel didn't say a word in reply. He was looking at me coolly, no softening of emotion showing in his face. It was almost as though my Michel had gone away somewhere and left an imposter in his place. I felt a deep ache in my heart at that, then I mentally straightened my shoulders and glared back at him.

The vampire on the right, all golden coffee coloured skin and deeply delicious eyes came forward and reached out to shake my hand. No fast movements, mustn't scare the powerful and angry vampire hunter. “I am Enrique,
Señorita
Monk. It is a pleasure to meet such a fine Nosferatin.” He said it like Michel does, lengthening the end, with a strong Spanish accent and also with a subtle cloak of power. He was looking for a response, he got it.

My stake was in my hand and heading towards his chest before I had even realised it. Michel just smiled, the red haired vampire whipped the stake away and Enrique took a casual step back. It took a mere split second for all of that to unfold, I hadn't even got a breath in. No one had touched me at all. No one looked like they wanted to.

“Intriguing,” the redhead said as he flipped the stake over in the handkerchief in his hands, he had a soft Scottish lilt. “I don't think I'll try that trick. Enrique, you have more courage than sense.”

“
It is appalling,” old slinky slut spat. “How dare she?” She was still wrapped over Michel's chair, but she had stiffened and did not look happy. No change there then.

I wasn't going to apologise, but I felt I had to stand up to this group or it would head south pretty quickly. “I'll make a deal with you all. You knock off the power and I won't stake you.”

Enrique laughed, old redhead decided to join him. “I like her, Michel, she has spunk.”

“
Indeed,” said the Scot.

The
Sanguis Vitam
in the room abated, all except slinky. The men returned to their previous places, redhead delicately placing my stake on the far side of him, away from me. I wouldn't be able to reach it without first going through him, but I did have another in my jacket. So I just smiled.

“
Lucinda. You have been introduced to Enrique, this is Jock.” Michel indicated the red-headed Scot, who inclined his head with a respectful nod. “And Alessandra.” He reached up and stroked her arm not taking his eyes off me. She sniffed delicately in acknowledgement of the introduction, but only glared at me. I returned it with equal vehemence. “They have agreed to fight alongside us, with their own.”

What it would have taken for Michel to strike a bargain with three other level one master vampires such as these, I did not know. But I was sure it would have been an expensive exchange, one that he would no doubt have cause to regret in the future if he survived. Michel knew he was not strong enough to take Max and his cohorts on alone, he needed support and it needed to be fierce. I didn't doubt that those in the room weren't up to the task. But part of me, was also deeply scared that they were here at all, and in the case of Alessandra, a little threatened as well.

“So, we have met her. Now let us continue in our talks.” The woman practically purred as she stroked Michel's arm with one hand and waved a dismissive hand in my direction with the other. “She does not need to remain.”

I simply walked over to the only other empty armchair in the room and plonked myself down with a thump, not very ladylike I know, but I was making a point. “I think I'll stay thanks.”

She glared at me and Michel petted her arm. “It is for the best, Alessandra, that she remain. She is integral to our plans, after all.”

Michel's petting wasn't having the desired effect as she bristled and her power level rose, swooshing out towards me, making it hard to breathe. I blocked it, as best as I could and through gritted teeth said, “Knock it off, bitch and let's talk business.”

OK, so it was probably not the wisest thing to say to the most powerful female vampire I had ever met, one who obviously had a thing for Michel and did
not
like me stepping in on her territory, but I had just about had as much of this woman as I could take and anyway, time was of the essence and all.

“
I think the young hunter is right, Alessandra,” Enrique piped up. “Perhaps a little foolhardy, but surely you can understand her lack of diplomacy is due to age.”

Great, back to feeling like a child again. Thanks.

Alessandra just flashed her long delicate fangs at me and returned her attention to Michel. She knew it wouldn't scare me, I'd seen too many to make me even blink, but it was a reminder of who she was and that I shouldn't forget it. As if.

Jock cleared his throat, I don't think he really needed to, it was more a habit than anything else and said, “So. We're quite certain they will approach from the docks and proceed towards us here, is that right?”

“Yes, my informant is quite solid on that,” Enrique said. “I think we can trust him. Maximilian has a vessel 50 miles off the coast, in deep waters, waiting to enter when the deadline to his request has been reached. It won't be doing the ghouls much good, all that motion on a rolling boat, but they will recover quickly once they reach land.”

You see, even though Maximilian is an evil bastard I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw him, he had given me 48 hours and he would abide by that, or as close to it as he could. We may not have had an accord, a blood binding agreement, but a vampire is, among other things, true to his word, when a challenge has been set. It's something so deeply within them, from centuries of having to survive against mankind's pursuit of them. Without a strong sense of morals, albeit deeply cruel and sadistic morals, at times, they would not have been able to survive. Wiped out before the Reformation no doubt.

Jock continued to summarise the plan for tomorrow. “They will be met by your ghouls, Michel, at the wharf?”

“
Yes. I will also have some of my own nearby to relay information on their progress to us. They are outnumbered, but they will delay their march into the city as best they can.”

“
Where will
we
meet them?” Enrique this time.

“
Here. We can contain them quite well within this building, minimise their spread throughout the city.”

“
It is not the city that you should concern yourself with,
mio caro
. Protecting innocents is a waste of your time.”

Why didn't it surprise me that the bitch would be old school. Michel simply inclined his head and replied in an even tone, “It
is
my city,
dolce
.”

She smiled a sickly sweet smile and continued to stroke his hair. “As you wish,
mio caro
.”

I was getting a bit sick of all this lovey-dovey endearment crap going back and forth between them, it really wasn't doing any good for my foul mood. It was high time to enter into this conversation, I was never very good at being just a spectator.

“We'll also have the Taniwhas.”

Everything went dead quiet, you could have heard the old proverbial pin drop, it was so still. Not a vampire moving, breathing, you know their preternatural calm, but thrumming behind it a foreboding sense of threatening power. Oh great. I reached into my jacket to feel the familiar shape of my spare stake to calm my rapidly climbing heartbeat.

“Whatever do you mean, Lucinda?” Michel's eyes pierced mine in a not at all friendly stare. I forced myself not to swallow and took a steady breath in while never looking away from the challenge in his deep blue and indigo swirling eyes.

“
They have agreed to fight along side me.” I thought it best not to say
along side us
, I had a strong sense that that would not be welcome for some reason. I hadn't realised that there was bad blood between the Taniwhas and vampires, but obviously something was not quite right in this room right now and I didn't want to chance my luck.

“
Your hunter has been doing things behind your back,
mio caro,
” she said it in a teasing purr, but the undercurrent of tension in the room ratcheted up a notch or three.

Michel abruptly stood and the
Sanguis Vitam
rolling off him was unfathomable.

“
Leave.”

The vampires were a blur as they streaked out the door, I stood to leave as well, assuming the command was for all of us, but Michel growled, “Not you, Lucinda. You stay.”

He stalked toward the door and shut it swiftly then waved his hand in a movement in the air, power rippled from the motion outwards around the room. He had sealed us in, nothing we said, or did – and I swallowed deeply at the thought of that – could be heard or felt outside these walls.

I was trapped. And the vampire before me was
not
happy.

Michel turned slowly from the closed door and looked at me. He visibly calmed himself with a deep breath in. He didn't need to breathe to survive, but sometimes that old familiar feeling of it could be a balm, I suppose.

“You should take more care,
ma douce
. Alessandra does not like competition. She would consider it a joy to take issue with your impertinence.”

Of all the things he could have chastised me over and oh I knew he was chastising me, I hadn't expected that. Even the use of his pet name for me again, did not assuage the slight ball of fear I felt at the look of him. His eyes were blazing the most incredible purple, a colour I was only too aware of as being a sign of his barely controlled power.

He stalked closer to me and came to rest not a bare foot away. The smell of him in the closed space between us was heady, I fought to keep myself under control. Now was not the time to lose it with a very angry vampire in front of me.

He suddenly reached up and stroked my face with the backs of his fingers on his right hand. “What have you done,
ma douce?
Entered into an agreement with the Taniwhas?” His eyes flashed as he said Taniwhas, but were soon back to just a deep blue with flecks of indigo. He was controlling himself well.

“
I only reconfirmed an old alliance, Michel. This is my city too.”

A brief smile fluttered across his lips and then was replaced with a more firm expression, but I got the feeling that the storm had passed, he wasn't going to lose his temper with me now. Thank God.

“You are always so full of surprises. I should not have expected otherwise. Shifters?” He let a little laugh out. “First you make me sell my soul to the ghouls and now you bring Taniwhas into it. Do you have no care for my reputation at all?” The smile was back, a mock look of shock on his face. I couldn't help it, I smiled too.

And then I pushed him away. “What was all that power crap about? You didn't even stop her!”