Kindred (Kindred, Book 1) (34 page)

He was sitting at my dining room table, all relaxed and quite at home. He smiled at me, all teeth and full soft lips, impressed at the smooth and fast movement of my reaction to the threat.

“
You show such potential, Kiwi. It is exactly as I had hoped.”

“
Nero. What are you doing here?” Today he was dressed as casually as last night, this time his clothing though, was all black. Similar in style, but the overall effect so very different. He oozed sexual appeal, like it was a dripping hot wax.

“
I said we would meet again and so we are.”

I recovered myself quickly, being around vampires so much, you learn to adapt to new and crazy situations with speed, lest you get yourself killed. “Yeah, but you said soon and this is not my definition of soon. This is
in a couple of hours
, not soon.”

He laughed and the whole room lit up with him. Low and throaty and so damn sexy. How dare he.

“Time is of the essence, as they say and I could not afford to wait any longer. You were impressive last night, but you need further training. You lowered your guard by being distracted. A Nosferatin cannot afford that luxury. I will train you.”

Huh. All the time I had known Nero, talked to him through the chat room of the website, spoken to him on the satellite phone, he had never hinted I could have training. Something I had longed for right from the start. He had left me to flounder and find my way, practically all on my own, offering a small titbit of information here and a glint of instruction there. He hadn't even told me what I was, until that last satellite phone call, where he had lowered his guard and been distracted and cut off. So much for not allowing himself the luxury of distraction. So, despite having had the contact with that small group of Nosferatin, I had always felt very much on my own. And here he was, all of sudden, offering to train me like it was perfectly reasonable and par for the course. Call me a sceptic, but I just didn't buy it. What was he really after?

“Why now?” My temper had risen slightly, I don't know exactly why, but I didn't trust him. So my sentences had become short, to the point, something that I needed to work on, as it had always been a clear signal to Michel in the past of where I was heading, even before he could read my emotions.

Of course Nero sensed it, he had that strange aura to him that indicated he was more than just human, more so than me. He just seemed so otherworldly, as though he had lived a dozen lifetimes, to the one of mine. As though his wisdom, his knowledge, knew no bounds. His gaze levelled on me and I noticed a flash of bronze in amongst the deep brown, it sent a shiver down my spine I tried to ignore. God dammit, what was with this man?

“Do you not wish to know more about who you are? About what you are capable of?” His voice was soft, silky, sensual.

“
That's not answering my question.” Another smile, another jump in my pulse.

“
Very well, my little Kiwi.” He said
my little Kiwi
as though he really meant it. No one other than Michel had ever used that connotation, that tone before. “I have long been watching you develop, marvelling at your success, your natural talent. None other, for so long now, has shown such potential. I had hoped I could wait until your powers came in full before approaching you, allowing you to adjust to them on your own. But things have unfortunately changed and we are running out of time. You are one week from your powers, we will train everyday until then.”

OK, part of me so wanted this, the opportunity to hone my skills, to get some answers. I mean, Michel had told me everything he knew, but I got the distinct impression that there were answers that only Nero would be able to supply and I longed for them. Besides, from what I had seen of Nero in that courtyard last night, the sheer beauty of his movements, the speed and grace of each step, each kill, I knew he had what I needed, what I craved. Perfection.

But he still hadn't answered my question. “All right, thank you, I accept.” He inclined his head to me, in a slow nod, like he had done last night before he disappeared. “But I still don't understand the urgency. It's over, Max is dead.”

He blinked slowly, those beautiful captivating bronze and gold and deep, deep brown eyes holding me in their grasp.

“It is not over, Kiwi. It has only just begun.”

Ah crap. I was so hoping he wasn't going to say that.

I had been standing in the middle of my lounge during this entire conversation, rigid, unmoving. I hadn't shifted, neither had Nero. He had remained in that relaxed and casual position, arm resting on my table, legs crossed but comfortable. I didn't think this was over by a long shot yet, so I decided to not show my discomfort, or any reaction to his presence at all. I'm a big girl, I could do this. I just nodded and then walked into the kitchen to my coffee machine and began to get it whirring.

Nero watched my every move like a hungry predator. Jeez, I thought he was on my side? Turning his body as I walked past him to the kitchen, eyes never leaving me once. I could feel the weight of his gaze on me as I filled the bean hopper and set it grinding, then filled the portafilter with ground beans, tamped it and securely slotted it into its spot. Cup underneath, it began to force the hot water through the grinds and out into the waiting receptacle. The heady smell of caffeine beginning to permeate the room.

I didn't look at him, but said, “You're creeping me out a little. Your gaze is very intense.” Fight fire with fire and all that.

He smiled, I think he liked the forthrightness, the challenge my words held.

“You are an enthralling creature. You fascinate me. It has been a long time since my interest has been piqued. I am enjoying it.” Okey dokey then.

I swallowed, I hadn't meant to, but
come on
, this guy just had a way about him. An intensity you couldn't ignore, as though every single thing he did or said was planned, was intentional and it was directed straight at me, hunting me like an eagle hunts its prey.

I chose not to verbally acknowledge his statements though. I simply picked my coffee up and took a sip. I hadn't offered him one, he was Dream Walking, if he was anything like me he wouldn't have wanted anything to eat or drink. I'd been Dream Walking too, for me so far, the thought of food and beverage was just not right, so I was going with that being the same for him.

“So,
it has only just begun
. Please explain?” Mustn't forget my manners, even if I am forgetting to breathe.

“
Maximilian was only one of many. They call themselves the
Cadre of Eternal Knights
. Their intention is to take over the night, to return it to the vampyre, to hunt with abandon unhindered by the Nosferatin, but aided by them instead. They would join with us and subjugate us, use our powers to further their own needs. It is not the first time this has happened, however, it is the first time we have been so weak, so outnumbered, so ill prepared. It was a mistake to hide, to weaken ourselves so, we should never have turned our back on our responsibility, no matter how noble the reason to do so was.”

He had said all of this with his usual intensity, hardly pausing for a breath. I had been so wrapped up with what he had been saying, how he had been saying it, I hadn't noticed that I had stopped drinking, stopped breathing, stopped everything, but had been pulled into that beautiful bronze and gold and brown of his eyes completely. He held my gaze. I was the first to look away.

Cadre of Eternal Knights.
Michel had referred to a group of vampires who wanted to take over the night. This was them then, they had a name. Any group that thought so highly of themselves to use a name like
Cadre of Eternal Knights
were definitely confident bastards. And I was guessing, not one of them was less powerful than Max had been, but had Max been the only one successful enough to find a kindred Nosferatin?

“
Have any of the others succeeded in joining?”

“
No, thankfully not, but they are getting more and more desperate, taking risks and forcing our hand. You may not be aware, but Egypt is a powerful centre for supernatural power, we have several Ley Lines intersecting across our land, we are a magnet to the supernatural, a stronghold for those who seek power.” He paused for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, sifting through them to pick out just what he wanted me to know and not more. “We also have a large number of Nosferatin, a community we have hidden from the world. The
Cadre
has discovered their existence and they are hunting for them now.”

Whoa. A community of Nosferatin. I had known my kind had gone into hiding, but I'd had the impression they had scattered in the wind, trying to make it harder for them to be detected. A community. Kin. People like myself, not having to hide who they were from each other. My heart suddenly ached for that familiarity, that closeness to something I had long been denied.

“How many Nosferatin?” It had come out in barely a whisper, my breath all but stolen from my lungs.

He smiled, a sympathetic smile. “You are no longer alone, Kiwi, you shall never be alone again.” He understood what I was feeling, the heartache that had now consumed me. “There are perhaps twenty of our kind, with extended family of course. Three mature, two immature Nosferatin. I am one of the mature.”

Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh boy. This was too much to hope for. People like me. My kind. The emotion this created in me was overwhelming, I felt tears stinging my eyes. I hadn't realised just how alone I had felt, from the moment I had discovered what I truly was, realised my Aunt and Uncle, whom I loved as you can only love a parent, weren't the same as me. They'd had no idea who I really was and had denied me contact with those who did. The sense of isolation that notion had given me, had more than once threatened to make me fall.

Then it dawned on me, they had mature Nosferatin, those who could only survive with a joining. They hadn't let their first borns die. They had gone against the decision to hide, to deny the vampires power. They had done what I knew in my soul was the right thing to do. Although frightening, it was also so very, completely, right. I hadn't realised how much I needed that confirmation, that justification of my own decision to join. I had been chastising myself for letting my kindred down, for giving a vampire the powers we had so long denied them.

“You must have many strong vampires in your country, if you have three mature Nosferatin.”

“
We have a family of vampyre, headed by one who is queen. Some of those of her line have joined with our kind, but not surpassed her. She is the strongest in our land. The most revered.”

I knew the answer before I even asked it, but found myself forming the words all the same. “Who is she joined with?”

“Nafrini is my kindred vampyre.” Pretty name, I vaguely thought, then felt an unexpected stab of jealousy. Where had that come from?

“
So, you fear for your two immature Nosferatin?” I felt I was getting to the real reason he was here. He had hidden his community for so long, protecting it from discovery, I couldn't help feeling that disclosing its existence to another Nosferatin now, did not seem likely to be something he had ever done before. “You need my help.”

“
Yes. We need yours and your kindred's help. Nafrini is strong, but the threat is greater than even she can combat alone.”

This was big. Vampires may be aware of each, even keep a close eye on each other, but those so powerful as Nafrini and Michel, were unlikely to get too close. That territorial side of them unable to share. It just went against their nature to openly let someone as powerful as themselves, or potentially more powerful than themselves, in. The risk was too great. Nafrini must be desperate to have considered this, as was Nero for disclosing his community's existence. I suddenly felt like the power in this new found relationship I had with Nero, had shifted to me.

“Why has Nafrini not approached Michel herself?”

“
It was thought more prudent to go through you.” That didn't surprise me, somehow I thought Michel's response to this enterprise would not be positive.

I didn't relish the idea of approaching Michel on this. He could quite as easily decide that the joining of Nosferatin in Egypt with the
Cadre
was not a concern of his. Auckland may be a hot-spot for supernaturals, but it was also far enough away to not be on the
Cadre's
radar, especially as I was no longer available and Max was not around to exact revenge. There would be no reason for them to come at us, when doing so would gain them little more than a location to control. Right now, their goal was immature Nosferatin, those capable of giving them the power boost they desired. Of course, by not helping to stop them, they would go unheeded on their path of domination and when they had consumed all the power they could, they could then turn their attention to our shores. That was going to have to be the argument I used.

Because, I already knew in my heart, that I wanted to do this. That I couldn't abandon my kin, as I had felt they had abandoned me.

“OK. I'll get him on board. We'll help you.”

He rose then and came around the counter to face me, taking both my hands in his and raising them to his mouth to brush warm, soft lips against my knuckles in a silent kiss. I forced myself not to pull away and show the effect that simple action was having on me. His eyes met mine and I knew I had failed miserably.