The Meridian Gamble (11 page)

“It’s not bad. It’s just something
that could prove to be … very complicated.”

The waiter returns to the table,
interrupting us. He’s carrying a large tray, and Adam sighs softly in
frustration, under his breath.

“Next time we get together, remind me
to cook you a gourmet meal. It’s one of my many talents,” he says, winking at
me.

“That sounds wonderful,” the waiter
says. “Hopefully, you’ll enjoy this as much, too.”

The cute young man begins setting
plates of appetizers before us, and it all looks delicious. There’s little
bowls of broth, mounds of white rice with sushi wrappers next to them, to fold
it in. There are small dishes of marinated vegetables, and plates of fried
wontons and the extra spring rolls he mentioned. And it’s unfortunate that I’m
sitting on pins and needles, wondering what Adam will say next, because the
bounty before us is impressive. And he was right, I am hungry from all the
cleaning.

I take a sip of the broth, which is
amazing. Though it’s seemingly simple, they’ve added some herb that gives it an
intense flavor I hadn’t thought could be possible. And I begin to scoop a bit
of rice into one of the seaweed wrappers. Adam takes another sip of his wine.

Another server comes with a second
tray that he sets down on a stand, and our waiter begins taking plates from it
that he sets down on our table, ones that are filled with different seasoned
meats; chicken, steak, pork, and what I assume is lamb. He begins placing
pieces on the grill, and I can smell the delectable scent of meat sizzling. Adam
waits patiently, but finally it becomes too much, and he takes the tongs away
from the man.

“Thank you, I can do that.”

The waiter smiles and leaves. And
if he’s offended, it doesn’t show.

When he’s gone, Adam leans forward,
and begins to speak again, slowly measuring his words.

“Meridian, when you asked me before
about reincarnation, I wasn’t entirely truthful. Or rather, I was, but I left
out one very important part that I wasn’t quite ready to share. The reason that
I know reincarnation is real is that we vampires have enemies. They call
themselves the Luminos, and they have a very special gift; the ability to
remember all of their past lives in perfect detail. And they use this talent
against us. They recall skills that they’ve learned, languages, plots they’ve
been working on for years in the hopes of destroying us.”

“And let me guess,” I say, with a
growing sense of dread. “You knew a woman named Saga who was one of them.”

“Yes, I did. She was someone who
was very special to me. Saga was of the Luminos, but she was not my enemy. She
was caught in the middle of our war, so to speak.”

“Well then, if Saga was one of the
Luminos, that means I can’t be her,” I say, shaking my head. “This must all be
coincidence. Or something else.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I don’t have that gift. I
can’t remember my past lives in perfect detail. These are just stories I’ve
barely fleshed out, if that. And a few vivid images in my mind’s eye. I can’t
even tell if they’re real.”

“You can’t tell yet, but you’ve
only just started to remember. From what we know of the Luminos, their skill in
recalling the past can vary, depending on how often they’ve returned. Sometimes
it starts very slowly, and for others, it all comes rushing back at an early
age. Some have spent lifetimes in mental institutions trying to sort through
their memories, or have never returned to their fold, refusing to believe what
they’ve recalled.”

“And to make matters even more
complicated, Saga herself was something of a conundrum,” Adam says. “We’ve
tracked the Luminos over time, to better identify them, and as far as we know,
she’s the only one who has returned very few times, just once after her
incarnation as Saga.”

My stomach sinks, because I know
what he’s going to say next. In fact, I stop him, and say it myself.

“And her other life was in England,
during the Victorian era. She was a girl named Caroline, with a sister named
Marjorie.”

“Yes, exactly,” he says.

Which means I’m a vampire’s long
lost love. And maybe an assassin, from this Luminos clan. And that Staci really
was my sister in another life.

My head begins to reel, and I feel
just a bit dizzy.

As I sit there in a daze, Adam
takes the set of tongs the waiter left us and begins casually flipping over the
pieces of meat on the grill. And I’m glad he’s taking over the task, because
the last thing I can concentrate on is cooking our meal at an upscale
restaurant.

As he monitors the meat, Adam pops
a piece of uncooked steak into his mouth. But instead of chewing it, he sucks
on the chunk, like it’s a piece of candy.

“Mmmm, delicious. This cow lived a
joyous life,” he says. “I don’t know why anyone would want to cook this, it’s
perfect just the way it is.”

But he shifts about the slivers of
meat on the grill anyway, searing them to perfection. It seems strange to me
that he’s so calm, after what I’ve revealed, the truth he’s just discovered.

“So, you said that I shouldn’t tell
anyone about this? Would it be a bad thing, if I was Saga?”

“It would be a very good thing,
from my perspective,” he says, smiling. “But unfortunately, my people generally
frown upon fraternizing with the Luminos, as you can imagine. Even if it’s
Saga. And they know that I’ve been looking for her all this time. They will
immediately suspect you.”

“So despite the fact that Saga was
one of the Luminos, you were able to see past your differences. How is it you
could to do that?”

“Because Saga wasn’t just one of
the Luminos. She eventually became a vampire. She’s one of the few of her
people who’ve changed sides.”

I gasp, ever so slightly, though I
try to hold it in. I can’t believe he would say it so casually, after
everything else he’s revealed. But then again, Adam is a vampire. Maybe it
isn’t so shocking to him.

Saga had been like him, once. A
drinker of blood. Somehow, I can’t quite imagine myself being one of the living
dead in another incarnation. Then again, I can’t imagine myself as an immortal
assassin either.

“Is it possible that I’m not her? That
I’m just picking up on all this, in some psychic way.”

“It’s possible. Which is why I
don’t want to tell you too much about Saga. If you’re really her, then the
memories should start coming back quite soon, especially now that we’ve
connected. It may help to trigger it. Prepare yourself, it can be like an
avalanche.”

He flips some more of the meat over
on the grill, and pops a tiny piece of chicken in his mouth.

“You seem pretty unfazed by all
this, for someone who’s been searching for his lost love for so long.”

“I’ve learned to be very patient
over time, from waiting. But make no mistake, Meridian, from the moment I met
you, my heart felt lifted. I’ve been filled with hope, that I could find a
reason to live again. I’ve made many mistakes, especially where Saga is
concerned, which I’m sure you can imagine, since she’s no longer with us. But
if you’re her, I promise that this time, we’re going to have our happy ending.”

And there’s nothing I want more
than to see Adam have his happy ending.

It stuns me to think that this
could all be true, that we’ve been searching for each other over time. But it
makes sense, in a way, why my feelings for him are so intense.

Very calmly, Adam begins taking
pieces of meat from the grill, and putting them on a plate between us. He
pushes it toward me, and sets a few more raw chunks down to cook.

“Why don’t you at least try to eat
something? This is a very overpriced restaurant, and you’ll probably be able to
handle all this heavy talk better on a full stomach,” he says. “If there’s one
thing I’ve learned from my adventures with Saga, it’s that we should try to
enjoy every moment we’re together to its fullest.”

He flashes me another one of his
heartbreaking smiles, and I figure, why not? Whatever his intentions, Adam
clearly wants to help me work out this riddle. And he’s right, I am starving.

I take a chunk of the steak and put
it in my mouth, where it melts away. It’s absolutely delicious. There’s
something about the seasoning that they use, it’s salty and just a bit tangy,
and makes the flavor absolutely compelling. I can detect a hint of soy sauce
and ginger, and I wonder if there’s some way to recreate the marinade at home.

I try one of the spring rolls,
dipping it in the sauce, and it’s yummy too. And before I realize it, I’m
gorging myself. And it occurs to me that despite all the heavy conversation,
Adam’s right, I am having a good time, which is what exactly what I want to do.
This is my favorite kind of restaurant, one that serves delicious Asian treats,
and he’s the perfect companion, gorgeous and fascinating. And maybe it will be
worth it, all this scary drama I don’t want to think about.

And silently,
I feel a pang of remorse for my old life of mailrooms and wondering what to
cook for dinner. Because I have a feeling I will never return to it again, now
that I’ve become entangled with vampires and their reincarnated enemies. Now
that I’ve found the lover who may have been searching for me throughout time.

We finish eating fairly soon. I
can’t really devour as much as I usually would, my mind is too full of
questions. And, of course, Adam doesn’t really need to eat at all, at least not
this type of food. So I don’t feel too bad broaching the subject of leaving.

“Not to sound ungrateful, but … do
you think we could just get out of here?”

“I think that’s a brilliant idea.”

He pays the bill, and within
minutes, we find ourselves walking along the streets of New York. It’s another
one of my favorite things to do aside from lurking on rooftops, to simply
stroll about the city, especially at night with a hot guy. And Adam is great
company. I have to admit, I’m a bit of a chicken at heart. When I walk at
night, I always feel like something is going to jump out at me from somewhere. But
Adam can more than defend me against any monsters we might face, especially the
new ones I’ve discovered that are lurking about in the world. In fact, he’s
probably the only one I know who can.

Unless you count my latent,
so-called assassin’s skills.

He watches me intently, and I find
it hard to believe he can’t detect the thoughts that are spinning around in my
mind.

“Just think, before tonight your
biggest concern was whether or not you should be dating a vampire. And now
you’re wondering if you’re some kind of immortal ninja.”

“I’m not sure which blows my mind
more,” I say. “But if you don’t mind, I have a few more questions to ask.”

“Go ahead. Although I probably
shouldn’t be telling you anything, since you’re the enemy, and all,” Adam says,
smiling playfully. “But there’s really nothing about vampires I can tell you
that you won’t remember soon enough, from your time as Saga.”

“Okay, that really freaks me out
even more,” I say. “But you told me something about the way vampires can
control you. Through the bite.”

He stops for a moment, and luckily,
we’re on a part of the street that isn’t crowded, so we can have a moment of
privacy. Adam puts his hands on my shoulders, and stares at me with great
seriousness. But when he’s touching me, I find it difficult to focus on his
words.

“It’s a venom, Meri. Our fangs are
like those of a snake. But it has several effects. It numbs our victims,
relaxes them, so we can finish them off, or at least drink against their will,
if need be. Though it doesn’t poison them.”

“But is that what you mean by
control?”

“No, it’s not. The venom has a
secondary effect. It does more than just numb them, it gives the victim a
feeling of great physical pleasure. Some would even call it an erotic
sensation. And it’s an extremely addictive one, like a drug. Once you’ve tasted
it, you’ll do anything to have it again.”

“So basically, your victims get off
on being killed?”

“Exactly. That’s why they let us do
it, and why they keep coming back if we don’t finish them off,” he says. “They
die feeling an incredible sense of joy. Or live a life under the thrall of
their vampire master, begging to please him or her for a chance at another
bite. Though in many cases, the older vampires can lessen the amount of venom
they inject, to make the effects less severe. That is, if they don’t feel like
having some zombie servant following them around.”

“Lessen it how?”

“By biting something else. Their
own body, or a nice thick steak. Another person.”

A chill runs down my spine.

“That sounds absolutely horrible,”
I say.

I’m stunned, and I wonder what I’ve
gotten myself into. And yet, at the same time, I can’t help but to feel a
certain degree of fascination. What would it be like to experience that kind of
pleasure at the hands of someone absolutely gorgeous? And I wonder what the
street value of this venom would be, if someone could figure out a way to
synthesize it into a drug. The junkies of New York would go crazy. It might
cause a global epidemic.

“Now do you see why they think
we’re monsters? Why they want to destroy us? We’re parasites. And some vampires
feel a sense of entitlement. They believe they’re giving a great gift by
allowing a person to die in such happiness.”

“I don’t know, Adam. You just don’t
seem like a monster to me.”

“Not yet, anyway,” he says.

And I stop again, to consider his
words. I wonder how much of the monster there is to him, lurking under that beautiful
facade. What kind of horrible things he’s done. But no matter what happens,
whether he bites me or not, I know I will always be able to see the good within
him.

“So if you’re attracted to me, why
is it you don’t want to bite me? To control me?”