Kindred (Kindred, Book 1) (37 page)

We crossed the motorway at the Carrington Road intersection and continued along Mt Albert Road. OK, by this time I really was starting to wonder if Nero was just going to make me run all night long. He had that maniacal gleam to his eyes, like he could do this forever. Our speed hadn't altered since we had started, any human running at this speed could only sustain it for a couple of kilometres, we had been running for over ten and then he decided to up the ante. At first I just let him pull ahead of me and momentarily enjoyed the sight of his back and butt as it strode away and then the competitor within took over and I dug deep.

By the time we had made it to Campbell Road and the large expanse which is Cornwall Park, I was gasping for breath. There was a sharp pain in my side and running down my right leg and my bladder was about to explode. All of which was excruciatingly painful, but not nearly as much as the blow to the side of my head when Nero came to a stop in amongst some trees.

I spun away from him and crashed against a trunk. “What the hell?”

“Do you think you will not be attacked when you are tired, Kiwi? A vampire will not stop for you to catch your breath.”

And then he came at me again, low, with arms open, ready to sweep me off my feet. At this point, he could have thrown me over his shoulders and dragged me off to his cave, I was in shock, pain and in no condition to fight back. I felt the air leave my lungs at the collision of his hard body against mine and then the sickening thud of my head hitting compacted earth and maybe an exposed tree root too. The world swam before my eyes, but Nero simply hauled me to my feet and started circling. He looked a bit fuzzy around the edges and I think he was on a lean, or maybe that was me, but I could see him circling, I could see him assessing me and I was coming up wanting, that was for sure.

He struck out again with his open hand, I think he was holding back, he could have used a fist, but somehow my body reacted instinctively and I jumped out of the way. He didn't connect, which was great, but I lost my footing and ended up landing on my side, straining to breathe, which was bad. He was on me in an instant, I rolled out of the way, but his foot had connected with my side, the one I had landed on and had the sharp pain in, so the foot was not welcome.

I somehow managed to reach out and grab his leg, tugging with all my strength, until he was on his arse. I launched myself up from the ground and pushed him back against the dirt, both of us losing our breath in a whoosh. He grabbed my arms pinning them to me and rolled us over, so he was on top now pinning me to the ground. Not a good position to be in and one I planned to remedy immediately. I brought my head up in a fast and swift motion, banging the top of my forehead against the bridge of his nose.

That just hurts like a bitch. I know, I've had a vampire do it to me before and it was not fun. Blood started pouring out of Nero's nose, his eyes looked a little glazed as well and thankfully, his grip lessened and I rolled out from under him. I scrambled away thinking I might just get a break and then felt him suddenly pushing me to the ground. My arms went out to stop the fall, the skin on my palms, wrists and forearms scraping in the dirt and bits of little rocks that littered the small clearing we were in. I felt the weight of him against me, his ragged breathing on my neck.

“
Do you surrender yet, Kiwi.” His voice was not quite the soft purr I was used to, but strained and ragged with his breath.

But oh hell. Now he was taunting me. I wasn't sure how many more times I could use my head as a battering ram, but I couldn't think of anything else right then, so I tried to throw my head back against Nero's face. He had moved to the side, so I only got his clavicle and shoulder, sending a sharp pain right through my skull and making white flashes appear before my eyes. His weight had shifted so I continued to go in that direction, rolling him over and throwing my arms out wide to free his grip. He scrabbled to grab me, but I was up and out of there before he found purchase and had turned to face him with a smile.

“
That
was the just warm up, Nero. Now we fight.”

His bronze and brown eyes sparkled and his face lit up in a smile. He was definitely having fun. We looked at each other for a moment and then we both launched at the same time. I landed a flying-punch to his face, feeling my knuckles graze against his cheek, but he connected with a solid fist in my stomach, sending the air from my lungs and making me consider bringing my lunch up all over him. I staggered backwards, but he wasn't looking much better, he was shaking his head and panting, bent over with his hands on his knees.

I didn't fall for it. I came back at him with a side kick, jumping out of the way when he tried to grab me and turning round to land a high kick to his chest. He went flying backwards against a tree, but bounced off and landed on his feet in a crouch. I was starting to think this would end in someone's death, but a part of me was pretty damn pleased with how I was holding my own with such an old and experienced Nosferatin.

Of course, I should have known better. I had seen him in action with those vampires in the courtyard in Sydney. I should have known he had been holding back with me all along just now. I should have known he was just toying with me, letting me believe I had a chance.

I should have known better.

When he launched into the air in a spin, arms out, legs evenly spread, I had a momentary vision of a sleek black cat sliding through the breeze, overlaid with the image of a strong muscular body of a ballet dancer, lifting off the ground and twirling through the sky. The impact of the blow sent a shockwave through my body and lifted my feet off the floor. I spun around and landed with a resounding splat on my stomach on the ground. This time I really could not breathe. I couldn't draw a breath, I couldn't move and I couldn't stop the tears streaming down my face. I was paralysed in the dirt, my head and face turned out to one side, my hands by my thighs - useless - and my body screaming for mercy.

Nothing happened for an excruciating moment. If Nero had been a vampire, my head would be clear off my body by now or my jugular severed. I was exposed and vulnerable lying there waiting to be killed. I felt like a failure.

His tan soft leather shoes were the first thing I registered in front of my face, then his head bent down to look at me, his hand lifting a strand of my hair which had fallen across my face, back into position over my shoulder. He looked happy, concerned and could that have been, impressed?

I finally found my breath and the strength to roll over onto my back. I still didn't think I could stand, but at least I'd see my death if it came calling, look it right between the eyes. I stared up at the darkening sky peeking through the heavy cover of leaves from the trees. It was still too early for stars, but I knew there would be some tonight, the sky was clean and free of the clutter of clouds. I sensed, rather than saw, Nero sit down on the ground next to me. I could hear his breathing, he still hadn't quite got it under control. Ha!

“
Well, that was fun,” I managed to get out in a semi-puff.

His hand came to rest on my shoulder, the warmth of it reassuring through the fabric. “You are truly sensational, Kiwi. You have no idea.”

“I thought I pretty much sucked actually. You were holding back.”

“
Of course, at times. You are not fully matured, but I was not - how do you say? - going easy on you. I was fighting and you held your own.”

I appreciated the sentiment, he was trying to make me feel better, maybe he could even sense my emotions like Michel - who knew? I certainly didn't know everything there was to know about this man beside me, but I wasn't going to let him get away with that.

“You could have used that spinny thing sooner, finished me off right from the start. You were holding back.”

He chuckled. “That
spinny thing
takes a certain amount of effort and concentration, it is not an easily acquired skill. One can be distracted enough not to able to achieve it. You had my attention in full, I could not have managed that move any sooner. You were... amazing.” He said the last with a sense of awe.

Well hot damn. I kind of liked the sound of that.

“So, are you going to beat the crap out of me every day this week, because if you do, I'm telling ya, I'm going to be a physical wreck by the time we get to Egypt.”

“
Your kindred vampyre can heal your injuries, you will not suffer long and the more we practice, the better you shall be.”

I sat up abruptly at that and then cringed at the pain through my body. Through my
entire friggin' body
. I sucked in a sharp breath and held myself together with an arm across my bruised stomach.

“
No.” It was emphatic. “No way.”

Nero turned to me slowly. “You would not allow your vampyre to heal you? Why ever not?”

I sighed. “Your little
message
yesterday made him lose his normally very nicely controlled temper. Which reminds me, I am extremely pissed off with you for that! What were you thinking?”

He looked a little abashed and then puzzled and then back to abashed. “I am sorry, Kiwi, truly I am. I had marked you before I had even realised it and it is not something you can then erase.”

Why was this the story of my life right now, why was every man in my world constantly claiming me as their property and doing something wickedly horrible to hurt me and then apologising for it? It was a broken record I was beginning to resent.

“
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.