Blood Legacy (PULSE Vampire Series #6) (11 page)

Stuart’s hurt and anger seemed to subside; his expression took on a new gentleness. He wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair. Octavius looked almost angry as Stuart kissed Kalina’s forehead. “I’m so sorry, Kalina,” he said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to save him in time. I too know what it is like to lose a brother. And Justin was like a brother to me.”

Kal hugged him back, her mind shuffling through memories of him. She remembered the first time they had embraced, when she had comforted him over what she thought was Aaron’s death. Stuart knew the depths of her pain, as only someone who had lost a sibling could understand. Immediately as they touched, she felt a familiar heat in her skin. The familiar sign that Octavius’ influence was wearing off – her Life’s Blood was reacting with Stuart’s blood again. With each new pint of blood that her body brought forth, her connection with Stuart would grow stronger, her connection with Octavius weakening.

She looked up apologetically at Octavius, but his expression was a cipher to her. Only hours before, she had felt as if she were able to see into his very soul. But now she felt no such thing. He was as distant from her as he had always been. Kalina’s heart ached with his loss – even as her body responded to Stuart’s touch.

Poor Stuart. He had always been so kind to her, so good. From the start, he had loved her; he had treated her so wonderfully! Always made her feel special. Needed. Loved.

And Justin had loved him too. Kalina felt tears come to her eyes as she remembered how Stuart had made breakfast for her and Justin, how the two of them had bonded. Justin had always wanted her to choose Stuart – always secretly hoped that the two of them would end up brothers. Two nice guys used to doing things for the women they loved. And now Justin was dead, and Stuart was heartbroken and alone. Had she let Justin down, she wondered? In more ways than one, Kalina knew, as she walked over to Justin’s body, taking his cold hand in hers.

Stuart knelt down alongside him, pressing his face into his hands, which were clasped at his front.

“What are you doing?” Kalina turned to him.

He took Justin’s other hand. “I have been praying for him,” he said solemnly. “After Octavius went after you, I stayed here with Justin. I prayed for him. I left for a while – Max took over the vigil – and I went into town until I found a church a few miles from here, a wonderful Medieval church with stained glass windows. A church from my old time. And do you know – it was the first time since turning human that I felt a truly religious experience? I spent hours kneeling on the cold marble, my face pressed to the floor. Praying for your brother.” He sighed heavily. “I only wish that God would grant me my prayers.”

Chapter 12

T
he night wore on. The waiting was the worst part. At least when she was far off in the Rhineland with Octavius, she could forget. Now there was no forgetting. There was only staying and watching. Kalina’s eyelids grew heavy more than once as she sat in the chair, sleep proving a more merciful mistress than wakefulness. She drowsily noted at one point that she was in Stuart’s arms, that he was carrying her to the adjacent room,  whispering to her comforting tales to calm her. Stories of his childhood in England, of a boyhood spent idolizing the great Knights Templar of that era, of how he longed to be at once a soldier and a man of God as they were. She only half-heard them, so close was she to complete slumber, but as she drifted into sleep proper she found that she was dreaming of the world of which Stuart spoke. She dreamed of two boys, each one handsomer than the other, young and strong and full of vigor, playing at swords and daggers. Two boys – one soft and kind, the other passionate and cocksure. Stuart and Jaegar – the brothers – clad in simple tunics and leather belts.

Yet her dream took her beyond their childhood. She dreamed of Stuart and Jaegar growing up. Being turned. And then Stuart faded from her dream, and Jaegar took center stage. Suddenly she was in a dark room, alone with Jaegar. He was no longer in Medieval garb; his clothing was tight yet tailored, perfectly modern. A stylish black silk shirt, black slacks. The outfit he had worn on the day she first met him. He was more beautiful than she remembered him, his face perfect in every way. His blue eyes blazing, looking at her with a mixture of adoration and desire. But she sensed there was danger in him, too. Some lurking need, some uncontrollable longing, bubbling just beneath the surface. One wrong move – one step too far in the direction of passion – and he would snap. Seize her. Take her. She didn’t remember him being this beautiful. But he took a step towards her, and lightly stroked her bared shoulders.

How strange! She was dreaming – and yet Jaegar’s touch felt so vivid. So real. “Kalina,” he whispered, and his voice sounded real too, “I had to see you. I had to talk to you. I’m sorry it’s been so long…”

This was no dream, Kalina knew. Whatever she was seeing before her was no figment of her imagination, but the real Jaegar. Her Life’s Blood was beginning to prickle and burn just as it always did when Jaegar was around.

“What are you doing here?” Kalina heard herself say. “Like this – in my dreams? What’s going on?”

Jaegar stepped forward, taking her hands in his. “Because I know you need me,” said Jaegar. “I told myself I’d keep away, but when I sensed what happened to Justin, I knew you needed somebody else to come and comfort you. Believe me, Kalina, I too mourn for Justin. The moment I felt him die, well, it was like losing Aaron again.” He shuddered “I had to come and see you. I don’t want to disturb your peace – I have done my best to wish you and Stuart every happiness in the world. I don’t want to intrude upon that now. But I am ready to come to you as a friend, if you need me. To me, of course, you will always be so much more, but I will take whatever it is you grant me.” His eyes were haunted, so full of sadness. “I missed you, Kal.” He gathered her into his arms, folding her tightly into his chest.

“But how are you here?” Kalina looked up into his face, feeling him smolder beneath that look of quiet intensity. “What’s going on? What are you doing here?”

“You and I still have that bond, Kalina. We never lost it. I tried to shut it off for a while to protect you, to prevent you from seeing my pain. But now I know I cannot shut off our connection forever. I need you, just like you need me. And my powers have only grown stronger in the past few weeks. I’ve learned to dreamwalk, a skill only old and ancient vampires can know. Our telepathy now extends to dreams. I can enter yours. And you, if you wish, can enter mine.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” Kalina confessed with a sigh. “So much. When you left us in China, when I couldn’t find you – I was so afraid something had happened to you, or that you were so angry that you no longer wanted anything to do with me. Living without you has been like living with a giant hole in my heart.”

“I just wanted you to know,” Jaegar reached out and touched her. “That you don’t have to mourn for him. Justin was like a brother to me in life – in death, too, he’ll be my brother. I’ll watch over him. I’ll take care of him. Help him to overcome his urges. Help him to become free of the bond his maker has over him.”

“But how?” Kalina was about to ask, when a loud knock on the door sent her spinning into wakefulness. She sat up with a start, Stuart too leaping to his feet. Max had rushed in, her face grim. “It’s happening,” she said quickly. “He’s waking up. Hurry!”

Kalina and Stuart leaped out of bed and rushed down the hall. There he was, just as Max had said. Justin was sitting straight up. Kalina gasped when she saw him. His skin was paler, as pale as death, with a haggard look at once beautiful and awful. His slender body had grown broader, stronger; his skin had smoothed over the first early signs of aging. The dark circles under his eyes – an occupational hazard of the medical profession – had vanished. Kalina didn’t even have to check his fangs. She knew, with a horrible sinking feeling, that Justin had turned. The Justin who sat before her was a vampire.

“Kal?” Justin’s eyes widened when Kalina entered. “What’s going on? I don’t feel so good…” He put out a hand to steady himself on the bed. “But then again – I feel
really
good. I don’t understand…” He immediately jumped to his feet. Kal took an instinctive step back; Stuart stepped in between her and Justin, his stance protective.

“Tell me how you feel,” Octavius said softly. “Go on, Justin.”

“Did I get hit in the head?” Justin’s hands flew to his temple. “I feel like I was hit with a brick. My head is throbbing. Like…I hear something. This loud beating sound. Like the world’s loudest clock – tock, tock, tock. No, it’s not a clock at all. It’s like what you hear on a stethoscope…but louder. Like a heartbeat.” He looked around wildly, confused. “And what’s that smell? Something sweet…” He stepped up to Stuart. “You smell so good…” He looked Stuart up and down.

And then it happened. His fangs flew from his lips, following quickly by a short, sharp yelp of surprise. And pain.

“Justin!” Kalina cried.

“Oh, no.” Justin’s eyes flew open even wider. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no….” His fingers went to his mouth, and he felt the two decisive prongs of fangs at the corners of his lips. “No…it can’t be.” He looked up at Octavius in horror. “Did
you
do this?” His voice exploded in rage.

Octavius shook his head mutely.

“Then I don’t understand…”

Kalina stepped forward, putting a hand on her brother’s shoulder. “Molotov attacked you,” she said. “But first he drank from himself and then made you drink…he wanted to punish you, punish all of us…”

“Molotov…turned me?” Justin looked so innocent, so pained. How could she bear to tell him the news?

“Yes.” It was the hardest thing she’d ever had to say.

“Then
he’s
my maker? He controls me?” Justin’s eyes began to water with bloody tears. “No, he can’t! He won’t! I won’t let him!”

“Listen, Justin,” Stuart said calmly. “Don’t panic. We know what you’ve been through –we’ve all been there. We’ll help you. We’ll do what we can when you need us to help break Molotov’s bond with you. We brought vampire wine…”

“You should have just staked me when you had the chance,” Justin moaned. “How could you keep me alive like this – a danger to everybody? A danger to my own sister?”

Octavius looked grimly at Kalina. Almost, she wondered, as if he agreed.

“Listen, if I do anything dangerous…you need to stake me.”

And then she saw the stake in Octavius’ hand. “I’m sorry, Justin,” he said. “I can’t afford to wait that long!”

“No!” Kalina cried, rushing forth to stop the blow Octavius was about to strike. The wood collided with her hand, bruising her. A small amount of blood appeared from a splinter-wound.

And then Justin was sniffing the air, leaping upon her like a wild beast, his fangs making their way to her hand.

“Don’t!” Immediately Max and Stuart were holding him back.

“No…” Justin was moaning. “No – I want it. I need it!” Bloody tears streaked his cheeks. “But I can’t….I can’t do this. I want her…but you can’t let me hurt her! Just stake me now! Go on, Octavius, do it! If you do it before I’ve killed somebody, at least I have a chance…”

“You’ll be able to control it,” said Stuart. “Vampire wine.”

“I don’t
want
your damned wine!” Justin roared, in a voice that was not Justin’s at all, but the tone of a stranger. “I want
her
!” The expression on his face was hard and cruel – a voice Kalina did not recognize. It sent chills down her spine. “I want to hurt her…kill her…” Then Justin’s face relaxed – he was his old self again, shaking with terror. “Stop me,” he said in a small voice. “This
thing
inside of me, it’s taking over, it wants me. This voice in my head, Molotov’s voice, commanding me to kill her…make it stop!”

“Molotov’s already waiting to use him against us,” said Octavius gravely. “I should have known.”

“You fools!” Justin was roaring, opening his mouth wide and revealing his ever-growing fangs. “I want to kill – I will kill. Give me the girl! I want to suck her, to drain her dry, to make her…”