“Michel, allow me to introduce Thomas Lord.”
“My pleasure,” Michel bowed.
“I’m happy to put a face with your name, Lieutenant. I’ve heard much about you and your family.”
“Then I suppose you heard about the latest problems.” Michel turned to Xavier. “She gathered us together to make an important announcement and thinks I have no idea. But Jérémie told me about her little scheme. Can you imagine that she invited him as well? This beast is sitting in that room with her.”
“Beast?” Xavier repeated while Michel shrugged.
But Thomas hardly had time to think about the spell that Xavier had described as the three men headed down the hall. When they entered a side parlor, Xavier whispered to Michel. “Be kind. You can’t do anything if you anger her.”
Another room, more opulence, and plenty of tension. Xavier introduced Thomas to Jérémie, who sat by himself.
“I thought Catherine was with you?” Michel asked.
“Still spying on me?” Catherine said from behind.
“I only meant—” Michel started.
Catherine pushed past him without acknowledgement. “You must be Thomas. I’m so glad that you’re here. Xavier talks about you all the time.” She put her hand out and Thomas kissed it lightly. “He used to spend more time with his lonely sister, but now he runs off every night to see you, so I was anxious to meet the person who can hold my brother’s attention even more than that little parish of his.”
Thomas smiled politely. She was as charming as Xavier had described, though the abbé stood red with embarrassment. “I assure you, Mademoiselle, that the pleasure is completely mine. Your brother has offered a most fitting introduction to Paris.”
Catherine laughed. “That’s typical Xavier, a martyr for any cause. But I dare say, Monsieur, that you hardly fit the part.” Her eyes twinkled as she winked at Thomas. With that, Catherine bustled past them into the room. Everyone followed as if she were a monarch and they her servants. Even Jérémie stood and greeted Catherine warmly without a hint of the despair Xavier had talked about.
The gathering eased into various conversations when Thomas found himself near the bar, away from the others and with Catherine.
“I’m glad you’ve befriended my brother,” she said. “He needs strong men in his life. Though you seem like more than the usual man running about Paris.”
“What do you mean by that?” he asked, alarmed. Did she know about his being a vampire?
“I’m not sure.” Catherine turned quickly and strode to the middle of the room. “Well, I suppose, as usual, you’re waiting for me. You all know why I called you here. Jérémie and Xavier already know, and I suspect that one of them has told Michel.” Catherine stood proudly, defiantly, controlling a group of men as if they were children. Thomas admired her spunk when she looked at him. “Don’t tell me. Xavier can’t keep a secret from you. He dotes over you constantly—”
“Catherine, really,” Xavier said.
“I’ve had enough chatter,” Michel broke in. “What do you want to tell us?”
“Very well,” she said smugly. “I want you to meet my fiancé, Marcel André. I won’t discuss it further. I made my decision, so you can make your commands when you get back to the army, Michel. I brought you here to meet him, nothing else. I’m having dinner served and it will be friendly and civil or you’ll leave. And that means everyone here. Understood? I’m sure that Thomas doesn’t wish to hear us griping.”
As she spoke, Marcel entered the room and Thomas instantly disliked him. Xavier stepped back, shaking. Thomas walked to his side and patted his back without anyone noticing. Xavier relaxed and leaned into Thomas’s arm. Thomas himself had never believed the drivel about getting to know someone before making a judgment. He operated on instinct, an animalistic behavior, and Marcel alarmed him. He remembered how Xavier described a feeling of evil when he entered the shop to meet Marcel, and that was indeed a fitting description. Marcel had a glassy look in his eyes, as if he stared through people and into their souls, looking for weaknesses.
“Come here,” Catherine cooed. She, too, changed when Marcel entered. “Is anyone leaving?” she asked.
No response. Everyone simply stared.
“Good. Marcel, I want you to meet Jérémie. You already know Xavier. This is his friend Thomas, and this is my brother Michel. And now, dinner is ready.”
Again they followed Catherine like ducklings, nervously avoiding her wrath. Xavier had told Thomas that no one agreed with her course of action, but no one moved to challenge her. Thomas, too, hid his discomfort. However, halfway through the first course, he saw Xavier staring at him from across the table. Without a word, Thomas tilted his head and grinned. Xavier glanced away, but Thomas had communicated for him not to worry.
If anything, Thomas fretted about his relationship with the curé, not the odd family around him. They could work this out on their own, but where were he and this angel going together? Did a chance exist for the romance that Thomas sought? They certainly acted like a couple on more than one occasion, with a look, a glance, or a casual touch.
Thomas spent most of dinner gazing at Xavier. While everyone engaged in inane conversation, Thomas noticed the grace with which Xavier kept his brother and sister from bickering, how he silently comforted Jérémie, and how he avoided Marcel without anyone realizing it. Xavier’s laughter sent chills through Thomas. He was so beautiful. A couple of times Xavier discovered his stare and looked away. Thomas smiled to himself. Such a sheepish love, he thought.
And no one acknowledged the family problems. Everyone pretended to gaily talk. It was a bizarre display, but it afforded Thomas the opportunity to learn about the family what he needed to know to protect Xavier. Clearly, Catherine lived in her own world and would only hurt Xavier if something happened to her. Thomas saw that they loved each other and understood one another on a profound level. Michel, however, stood outside this circle, trying to control and act like the man society wanted but impotent around their self-assurance. Jérémie was a statue, a lost puppy longing for a home now that Catherine had crushed his dreams, though she seemed oblivious to it.
Marcel, however, was another matter. The others Thomas could leave alone, but Marcel surreptitiously glared at Xavier, demonstrating his distrust. Thomas observed from afar but would not sit idly if that fiend went after his angel. He sensed sinister forces around that man. And if Thomas had read correctly from Marcel’s snarling at him, Marcel knew about his vampirism, too.
Thus ended dinner, with no resolution, but rather, polite conversation and good food. Thomas had enjoyed the meal, though he seldom ate food any more. He was almost disappointed when dinner ended and everyone retired to the parlor.
27 May 1789 After dinner
UNLIKE A TYPICAL household where women and men separated after dinner, Catherine’s hold on the Saint-Laurents kept the sexes together. How odd, Thomas finally noticed, that no other women had joined them this evening. And so they followed her to the parlor for their après dinner conversation and drinks.
Michel served the drinks and Xavier took his glass and gulped half of it down in one motion. Thomas almost teased him when he saw the abbé’s eyes widen. Thomas glanced to see what had alarmed Xavier. Standing behind Catherine, Michel, and Jérémie, Marcel put something into Catherine’s wine, which fizzled for a moment, added a blue tint, and then turned the liquid to a dull gray. No one but the two of them had seen this happen.
“Jérémie, you seem sad. What’s wrong?” Catherine asked, taking the drink from Marcel.
“Nothing. I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Well, forget about it. You’ve never fretted over things before.”
“Catherine, maybe we should move to the porch. It’s nice outside,”
Xavier suggested. “Good idea,” she agreed. “Come, everyone. Thomas, you need another drink.” He inclined his head respectfully. “I’ll get it myself. You may escort your entourage and I’ll join you in a moment.” Jérémie, Michel, and Xavier followed her, but only Xavier paused to smile at Thomas’s reference. Marcel, however, stayed behind as well.
“I need more wine, too,” he said, and he poured himself a robust red wine, staring darkly at Thomas, who for his part, was at a loss. He had killed more powerful and sophisticated men than Marcel, and potion or not, he could break Marcel’s back in one motion. Killing this wretch with no value would certainly not violate the ethic. Nevertheless, Thomas chose his battles wisely.
What bothered him was the intimacy he had experienced with the entire family. This Marcel threatened to disrupt more of the delicate ethic that Anthony had articulated upon his transformation. So many rules, Thomas lamented. He could hear the litany of laws that Anthony articulated the very first night: we must never interfere with the course of human history except on a limited basis. Doing so could bring discovery. An overt act destabilizes this balance because humans cannot explain what happened naturally and it therefore casts suspicion on the vampire. Mundane interactions escape human attention, and even killings can be concealed to look natural. But once we become intimate with them, Anthony had emphasized, the danger of exposure by interfering in their lives increased tenfold and must be avoided at all cost.
So Anthony had instructed him not to become intimately involved with humans. Thomas returned Marcel’s gaze impassively. He didn’t fear him. Rather, he feared for Xavier. His human feelings and longings made it difficult to maintain the ethic and Thomas had ignored Anthony’s advice the more he came to know Xavier because he did not know how else to find a mate.
How could Thomas balance this perfect caution that had concealed vampires for thousands of years with his longing for a mate?
And here he stood in conflict. He could not interfere with the natural lives of the Saint-Laurent clan without risking exposure, which included Marcel, because he had become intimate with them. But could he keep from doing something if Marcel attacked Xavier? Thomas wanted to kill the fiend, but he knew that the ethic forbade his murder. He was too close to the family now. So he focused on Xavier—he could not worry too much about Catherine.
“Do you hold some enmity toward me?” Marcel asked, studying Thomas.
Thomas raised an eyebrow. “You mistreat people, and I can’t admire that in anyone,” he stated flatly.
“You know nothing of me.”
“I know that you poison Catherine.” Thomas watched him closely, gauging Marcel’s reaction to what he’d just said.
“She knows what I give her,” Marcel said defensively. “Just not when. And besides, it’s a matter between my fiancée and me.”
“She’s a prize to you, isn’t she? A beautiful animal to cage and control as a pet.”
“What does it matter to you? Between men, she’s quite a beauty, to have her in my bed will add countless hours of pleasure. It’s none of your business.”
“Disgusting.” Thomas sneered and realized too late that his fangs had started to descend. Marcel backed away, losing his masculine bravado and cold demeanor. But he regained his arrogant posture quickly and walked toward Thomas.
“Not human,” he said. “I knew it, from the first that I saw you I thought something was amiss. I learned about such things. The old voodoo priestesses warned me that such animals haunt the earth and prey upon other humans. So, you threaten me? What if I expose you? Your little Xavier would probably not like it if he knew you were a demon.” Although he said it boldly, he quaked and nearly dropped his wine.
Thomas gritted his teeth and spoke with a clenched jaw. “Don’t you ever go near Xavier.” He stalked closer to Marcel, hovering over him.
Marcel grunted even as he trembled.
“I’ll hunt you down and torture you as you can never imagine if any harm befalls him. Do you understand?” Thomas said the words in a low voice, but his warning was clear.
Marcel laughed nervously. “Sodomites. Protective sodomites. I never expected to confront such disgusting behavior around Catherine.”
“Are you mocking me?”
“You posture yourself with such defiance, as such a man, yet you lie like a woman in bed. How can I respect you?”
“Powerful words coming from a quaking fool.”
“You and that bitch can’t scare me. A woman priest, how charming.”
“Don’t ever go near him.” Thomas repeated, inches from Marcel’s face.
“If my lessons were correct, there’s not much you can do in the daylight to protect your mistress.”
Thomas had heard enough. With a swift motion, so quick Marcel did not see it, he grabbed the idiot by the neck and lifted him off of the ground. He held him high above, glared into his eyes, and allowed his fangs to show. Marcel was purple, out of breath, and wet himself from terror.
Thomas dropped him on the floor, and he gasped for air. “You’re a monster, an unnatural beast,” Marcel said through his coughs.
“I’m a monster who will do more than make you piss your pants if you ever utter another unkind word about Xavier. I’ll crush your throat. I’ll rip your limbs out while you suffer the humiliation. Understood?”
“Just stay away from me and I won’t touch him. I want the girl. And I won’t harm her, either, I just want to make sure she’s mine. You can have the priest. You can show off your power now, but you’d better agree to this truce because I control the day. You think I can’t come up with something to counter you? Maybe I won’t kill him and instead I’ll expose his sick sexual urges to the world. What would be worse for him?”
“How can I be sure you’d abide by an agreement? If you do anything to him through the day, I’ll hunt you down. I’ll massacre you.”
“Listen to me,” Marcel said, gaining his feet but keeping a distance from Thomas. “I would never touch him. Not because of Catherine, not even because of your threats. The potion, the charms I use, they come from an ancient religion I learned in the New World from slaves. It has more power than even you in your unnatural state. But they warned me never to attack a priest because it alters the order of things. Sodomite or not, that one holds power by virtue of his office, and if I go after him I’ll suffer. You must trust me. I would have dispatched him if not for that. When he tried to stand in the way of my getting Catherine, I wanted to attack him right there in my store. Thankfully, he had his little dress on so that I knew not to touch him. I think we can agree to leave each other’s little exploits alone. The risk is too great for either one of us, no?”