She was clearly an Acolyte, her face and form could have been a portrait example of exquisite breeding. She also looked frail enough to break.
Eleni felt her mouth water, and without so much as a thought, her fangs elongated. She took a deep breath, and lowered her head.
“I want to see Julian.”
The Acolyte bolted from the chair and out the door. Her footfalls echoed and then Eleni heard the cushioning of creaky boards as the woman hurried down a flight of stairs. Then silence. The door quivered on the hinges, shaving down the pie-slice of light.
It dawned on her that this must be her awakening into the immortal world. The shocking realization brought back a memory of Gisele in her dresser mirror, the blunt pain of the bitch striking her with something that had been impossibly solid and heavy.
Her heart began to race, the sound loud to her ears. It alarmed her that she was alone. Where was Julian? Was he her Biter? Had he been the one who had turned her?
Voices were coming up the stairs, accompanied by rapid, heavy footfalls. Weak and shaking, she struggled against a hollow feeling rooted in the core of her stomach and tried to stand, but immediately the room tilted beneath her feet. Eleni reached for the bed only to find it inches out of reach. She stumbled and slumped to the floor right as the door opened, letting in a wash of florescent light. From the hallway, she heard Marguerite exclaim in French, and then Julian rushed to her side, his familiar scent filling her with relief and elation as he scooped her up into his arms.
“You shouldn’t be out of bed,” he said in a voice that brought her immediate feelings of safety and comfort.
She cried out his name, clinging to him in mind-numbing relief as he lowered her onto the bed and sat with her, cradling her, attempting to soothe her. Behind him, she sensed Marguerite backing away, taking her protégé with her as she shut the door.
She was horribly thirsty, her throat dry and scratchy. Afraid to let go of him, she clutched at his shirt until at last he pried her hands away, and kissed them, first one, then the other.
“It’s all right now. I’m here,” he told her, pressing her back onto the mattress when she tried to sit up.
“Where are we?” she rasped.
“Safe. We’re at Marguerite’s house. This is my room whenever I stay here.” He stood up for a moment, and she started, reaching for him. He was only removing his shirt. She heard the rustle of fabric as he dropped it to the floor. “You shouldn’t be out of bed.”
Her eyes scanned his face. “I hear your thoughts.”
“So you do,” he agreed. “What am I thinking?”
She licked her dry lips. “You’re worried about me. And you’re thinking about Paris.”
“What about Marguerite?” he asked as he lay beside her in the bed. “What is she thinking?”
She stretched out on her back, feeling much calmer now that he was here beside her. She concentrated on finding Marguerite. A minute passed, then two.
“Can you hear her?” Julian asked.
A frown creased her brow. “I can’t hear her thoughts, but I sense her presence. I know she’s in her room, preparing to sleep. She’s tired, and worried about the future. That’s all there is to tell.” She looked at him. “It’s not normal that I should feel her. You’re concerned about it.”
“It took both of us to turn you. We believe it is because of your Biter’s Addiction. Your body was resistant to the blood exchange. By outward appearances, all is well. But your turning is a secret we’ll have to always keep. You need to understand that. ” He pulled a pillow closer, tucking it beneath his head. She felt how tired he was. Like his thoughts and body could shut down into sleep at any moment. “Marguerite is worried that your connection to her could put you at risk with the council, and I believe she is right—if anyone were to ever find out.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “I’ll never let anything happen to you. That is my promise.”
“But you’re still anticipating a fight with the council. Why?”
He yawned. “Tomorrow, we’re going to Paris. I had hoped to put off telling you, but there is no point now that the blood bond has connected us. I plan to go before the council and request that you be removed from probation.”
“You can really do that?”
“I can. I also plan to settle with Zander Rubio.” His voice took on a tone of grave seriousness. “Whatever comes of the day, he will never touch our lives again.”
“Julian…”
“Yes, mon amour?”
She hesitated. “What about Gisele?”
“She is dead.” He pulled her head down to his chest and stroked her hair. “She can’t hurt you anymore.” Relieved, she settled against him, her thoughts blending with his in a swirling mix of images and sensations, memories of the not so distant past. It was only when his thoughts turned to Claudette that she realized more had happened than she’d been aware of. She dug for the answer and found a pool of blood and smoke, the Saint Vincent of Saragossa shattering, breaking away in colorful shards as flames devoured the house.
“Claudette is dead. And there was a fire?” She pulled back and looked up at Julian, shocked. “The chateau—”
“It seems I won’t be able to hide in that prison of a house anymore.”
His words made her cringe. She started to sit up, but he wouldn’t allow it. “But Julian—”
He pressed a finger to her lips to silence her. “The important thing is that we are together. Now, stretch out with me. I feel your hunger and weariness. I know you have questions, and I’ll answer all of them in detail later after you’ve rested.”
Wrapping his thoughts through hers, he pulled her to him and encouraged her to feed. She felt his awareness of her awkward shyness, her mild anxiety of biting him the wrong way and possibly hurting him. But, despite her uncertainty, and lack of knowledge of what she was expected to do, he didn’t interfere.
When at last her fangs pierced his throat, Julian shuddered with pleasure. His arms snaked around her, and in the cool darkness of the room, he rolled over with her, pulling her on top of him. In his mind, he shared with her the overwhelming paradise of her bite. In return, her love flowed through him like a river, pulsing with every heartbeat they shared.
The knowledge that she cared for him set him free. There could be no guilt in the past, or in turning her without her permission, if only she loved him. His burdens lifted like a bird freed from a cage. They soared away as his hands stroked her back, as she sated herself with his life force—she drank from him until she could take no more.
“I do,” she gasped when at last she released him. “I do love you.”
She felt her words pour through him like rays of sunshine. Bright and beautiful, they warmed him clear to his soul.
“Do you feel what you do to me?” he asked, urging her to retain their mental connection. But she could barely move her lips. Sleepy, her hunger satisfied, her body was already tingling with sleep. He caressed her face, told her again and again that he loved her. Her breathing deepened, and he encouraged her to close her eyes, to rest. Reaching down, he pulled the covers over her them both, and kissed her brow.
“The sun is rising,” he whispered against her ear, nuzzling her hair. He explained to her gently that as a fledgling, it would be impossible for her to deny the sunrise. Her body would react instinctively to the need for regenerative sleep.
Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was the awareness that Julian wanted to make love to her, but her body had exhausted itself during her first feeding. It was too soon. It had taken a great deal of strength for her body to accept the transformation, but he promised her silently that he would make it up to her very soon.
Chapter Twenty-One
The hearing took place two days after their arrival in Paris. They gathered on neutral ground, in a presidential apartment overlooking the Place De La Concorde, and in the distance, the Eiffel Tower. It was a luxurious setting for such a decision to take place, but Eleni was aware it would have little bearing on the council. Julian had already warned her they would strictly adhere to the laws of Vampire Society when considering her fate, and the conditions of any settlement.
Eight members of the Elder Council were present to hold a quorum—two members from Moscow, four from Paris. Dressed for the occasion in a sleeveless black dress, Eleni stood at a bay window while waiting for the meeting to convene. The hushed voices of the men washed over her—she hardly noticed them. She was taken with the view, with dreams of freedom from her past. Rather than nervous, she felt numb. Or perhaps that was Julian’s feelings overlapping her own. She didn’t dare study it too closely. Besides, it hardly mattered. They were of the same mind. They both wanted the same thing—for Eleni to be free from the past.
Julian had gone ahead of her, found their seats at the table and worked the room. She appreciated his calm effort, and left him to rekindle old acquaintances and to test the mood of the council. Now and again, he shared his findings with her through their telepathic link.
She instinctively knew the moment Rubio arrived. The feeling in the apartment changed. The air thickened. Pretending not to notice, she sipped a glass of bloodwine, and eyed his reflection in the window glass. He passed her without a word, his eyes boring holes into her back.
A moment later, Julian rejoined her. He laid a hand on her elbow and whispered gently, “They are gathering in the dining room,
mon amour
. It’s time to go.”
She nodded, and left her glass on the ledge. Turning, she slid her arm into the crook of his, and looked up at her blood mate’s face. Her heart flooded with love for him. She was so very grateful she didn’t have to go through with this alone.
“Did Rousseau explain the rules to you?” he asked as he guided her into the dining room, which had been rearranged into a boardroom of sorts, with one long, formal table.
“I’m not to speak to Rubio across the table, and he is forbidden to speak to me,” she answered in a thin voice. “We will address my probation first, and then we will negotiate the settlement.”
“Good girl.” He squeezed her hand, kissed it. “Everything should go fine. Be brave and let’s get this over with.”
They headed toward the dining room, and had just stepped over the threshold when a blond vampire with piercing blue eyes stepped over to them.
“Julian, old man, it’s good to see you.”
“Francois Pelletier,” he greeted the vampire by name, and gave his hand a firm shake. “You look good.”
“
Merci, merci
…It’s been centuries since you’ve stepped foot before the council. On many occasions, I heard that you had died. I’m glad to see that is not true.”
Julian scoffed. “I’m too stubborn for that.”
“I would suppose so.” His eyes flicked over Eleni. “Is this delectable creature your vampiress?”
“Indeed. Allow me to introduce my new bride, Lady Eleni Audridov Sévigné.”
The vampire picked up her hand, and bowed slightly. “
Enchanté
.” He kept a hold on her hand and guided her forward. “This way to your seat, Madame.”
Julian followed, and when they reached the table, he held out her chair for her. Eleni took a deep breath as she sat down and scooted closer. She was relieved they were on the opposite end of the table, facing Rubio and his representatives.
Zander glared daggers at her while the rest of the table settled into place and Julian took a seat beside her. In a row along the far side of the table, the Elders sat and waited. Eleni turned her attention to them as the vampire in the center, Grigori Vidam, rapped his knuckles on the table top and began to speak.
“I wish to make this a brief affair. We have all been called here on short notice, and I’m sure we all have other responsibilities waiting.” His cold gaze regarded Eleni without feeling. “We all know one another here, so there is no pretense. Everything spoken this room will go on record, and will be added to the archives. Anything stricken from the record will be recorded, and sealed.” Eleni felt a trill of anxiety spiral through her as the Elder looked directly at her bloodmate. “We will start this with you, Julian. For the record, state your business.”
“I have entered into the blood bond with Acolyte Eleni Audridov. She weathered the turning with no ill effects, and we are now connected to one another, body, blood, and soul.”
Vidam jotted a note on his record book, the same enormous leather book Eleni remembered from before. Again, the Elder addressed Julian. “You have not been together long to have made such an important life decision.”
“That is true,” Julian agreed. “But I stake my family’s honor on her loyalty to me.”
The Elder looked taken aback. “I don’t doubt that. You, yourself, are an Elder. Besides, it was your decision to make.”
“And I have made it,” Julian said. “It is done. Eleni is my bride, and she now shares my name and lineage. That being the case, I’m here to take full authority over her welfare. She is no longer human, and therefore, no longer suffers from any lasting effects of Biter’s Addiction. Just yesterday, she submitted herself to the questioning of the council, and as you all have witnessed, she is as normal and functioning as anyone in this room. Since observing her behavior was the purpose of her probation, I feel it’s no longer necessary for the council to keep watch over her. That is my duty as her bloodmate. I wish to see her probation discontinued. It is merely an intrusion on our new life together.”
“Let it be known that the council grants full rights to Master Vampire, Julian du Sévigné, and holds him fully responsible for the life and welfare of his bride, Eleni Nikola Anastasia Audridov. There is no law to prevent his claim.”
Elation soared through her, and her heart began to race. She felt the focused intensity of Julian’s mind and tried to still her jangling nerves. It wasn’t finished yet, and she was afraid to hope. There was still Rubio to consider. She clutched Julian’s hand to keep her own from trembling.
“We will negotiate the grievances between Eleni Audridov-du Sévigné and Zander Maksim Aleksi Rubio.” Vidam jotted down more notes, then looked across the table at Julian. “The situation is this—a high born vampire has not only lost his right to keep a harem, he is forbidden to enter the blood bond for the length of Lady Audridov’s lifetime. The decision of course, was made while she was human, and it was believed she would have a human’s life span. Since Monsieur Rubio is the last surviving male of his bloodline, it would stamp out an old and revered familial name, if we were to allow the ruling to stand as is. That is why I am willing to negotiate a settlement between both parties. Ms. Audridov-du Sévigné, what say you? ”