Carinian's Seeker (20 page)

They talked about typical girl stuff over breakfast and once the dishes were cleared, the two headed for the door of the Matriarch’s suites. Carin opened the door and took a quick step back when Jaidyn appeared as if the very hounds of hell were on his heels. They obviously weren’t going anywhere without him.

Gesturing back and forth between Jaidyn and Alaana as they moved towards the wide curving staircase, Carin asked in wonder, “Where’d he come from? Did you…?”

“Yes, child, I called him telepathically. Pretty soon you’ll be able to do the same with Bix at any distance, any time without letting everyone else hear you. You’re already pretty good at controlling your psychic shields.”

“But I thought only bonded couples could do that,” Carin asked in wonder.

“Jaidyn and I are bonded.”

“Huh? You mean Ralen shared you with…”

“Something like that, dear. The Serati women have always bonded those who are called to protect us. I am bonded to both Ralen and Jaidyn, meaning we’ve shared blood and the ‘zing thing’, as you call it, is there between the three of us. However, I am married only to Ralen.”

“Well, this just gets better and better,” Carin muttered.

“Well, don’t get any ideas. Bix may be like a son to me and an adopted Serati, but he will not share you with anyone for any reason. Not even Alaan.”

“Between Bix and my job I don’t think I’d have time to dally. Besides, nothing beats my lab,” Carin exclaimed on the way through the laboratory door. She’d given Bix a list of what she needed the day she told the Council she would help them. By the end of the week they’d procured everything she asked for, and then some. Everything was set up in a state-of-the-art sterile environment up on the fourth floor. The first time she’d seen the huge all-white room her breath caught in her throat at how closely it resembled the space at her job. Well, her soon-to-be former job. She’d agreed to stay on with V.C.O.E. and help with their research. In fact, she was going to be a project coordinator, a consultant for the pharma and biotech facilities owned by the Clans around the world.

“Now,” Carin explained as she readied slides, documents and examples to show Alaana. “Vampire strength comes from a naturally occurring extra chromosome passed from vamp parents to their children. There are no genetic anomalies in the vampire DNA sequence, hence no disease in vampires or their children. I’m not a vamp child, but when Bix’s blood and semen was introduced to my human cells in a large enough quantity, my cell walls broke down long enough for the DNA to be altered. The vamp DNA then instructed my cells to repair themselves immediately to keep from being damaged. As a result, the cells were changed and I began to exhibit natural vampire traits, with the exception of the need for blood. Vampire cells divide fifty times faster than a normal human. Your metabolism is also faster. Now, because the vamp DNA altered mine, my cells act just like yours. So, healing occurs faster and I also have an increased need for protein to keep up with my new metabolism.”

“But the vampire DNA does not become your DNA. How is it that human mates not only exhibit vampire traits, but do not get sick or age as they normally would?”

“Good question. The vamp DNA actually seeks out and repairs defective human cells. The DNA is not replaced with yours, but modified and in many cases, perfected.”

“But what does all this have to do with Sidheon?”

“When I took vampire cells and introduced Sidheon’s serum to them, it was obvious the cell was destroyed, but I didn’t know why. In a nutshell, Sidheon has found a way to somewhat undo the coding of vampire DNA.”

“What exactly are you saying, Carin?” Alaana asked. Her face was pale and her mouth pinched tight. The woman knew bad news was coming and Carin didn’t particularly want to deliver it.

“I’m saying Sidheon has found a way to destroy vampirism. Notice, I said destroy, not reverse or for lack of better words, cure. His serum doesn’t turn vampires into humans sans vampire traits. He basically damages the vampire DNA, but instead of the cell remaining intact, it is totally destroyed.”

Carin saw understanding dawn in the Matriarch’s eyes, but the woman’s brow was tightly knit as if she had trouble fathoming what was being said. “Okay,” Carin continued, “it’s like this. A real vampire unused to walking in the daylight might develop a bad rash or a burn from bright, direct sun exposure until he can control the allergy, right? No blowing up, no death or frying to a crisp. Well, picture one of the recent vampire movies where the vampire is exposed to the sun and literally disintegrates into a pile of ash. Then take a look at what Sidheon’s serum does.”

She put a skin sample taken from Bix’s arm on a slide, introduced the rogue’s serum, and placed it under the microscope. She motioned Alaana forward to take a look, then stepped back.

What the Elder saw made her draw back, her mouth tilted down and drawn into a tight line. When she spoke, her voice was full of fury. “That son of a bitch. I hope my sons kick his ass into a million pieces.”

When Carin removed the slide from the microscope, the tiny skin sample was black as charcoal. The cloth she used to clean the slide held nothing but ash.

Armed to the teeth and on high alert, every Full Seeker, Beta Seeker, and Iudex Judge on the property streamed into the command and surveillance center in the middle of the estate. Those still en route were conferenced in and the security plans for the duration of the Elders and clan members’ stay were laid out in detail.

The perimeter defenses, security and alarms were all controlled from this building. In the central communications hub, huge screens imbedded in the walls showed every angle of both the inside and outside of the property, except for the Council Chambers and the private apartments of the residents. Complete with state-of-the-art, military grade computing systems and satellite imaging capability, vampire law enforcement could survey almost anyone and anything from this facility. The estate could also be transformed into a stronghold if they were to ever be discovered and subsequently hunted.

Deep in the middle of the command center was the Seeker’s private domain—several conference rooms surrounded by floor to ceiling glass. For today’s gathering, the glass walls became solid white and soundproof at the click of a button.

As Alaan pointed out strategic points for emergency protocol on one of the large screens, Bix’s thoughts turned to his woman, as seemed to be the norm these days. It had taken Carin a whole hour to get him to donate some of his skin and blood to use as test samples when what he’d really wanted was some early morning pussy. But her eagerness to get to her martial arts and weapons training, and work up in her new labs all but spilled out of her. He’d finally relented so they could both begin their day.

Everyone was in place when the first clan members arrived. Bix made his way down to the main house and waited just off the huge half-circle driveway on the sprawling front porch with the Council, scores of Elders and Liaisons who’d landed ahead of their clan members. They represented every territory and country where vampires lived all over the world.

Bix and Alaan looked at each other and groaned out loud when a convoy of bright silver Hummer H3s stopped at the double iron gates to request entry. Glad Carin was up in her labs, Bix radioed down to the gate and granted entrance to the Clan Hatsept members.

The two Seekers growled in unison, “Damned pimps.”

Chapter Fifteen

The Council, Elders and clan members were briefed by Bix, Alaan and Carin in a series of meetings. All week, Carin had fallen into bed exhausted, asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Bix was thoroughly frustrated. The only thing that should have her too tired to move was making love with him.

By the end of the week all talks were concluded and a strategy for flushing out Sidheon was decided on. The next evening the Council chambers were cleared out and transformed into a tropical paradise. Quite a feat in the middle of winter in Montana’s Rocky Mountains.

A thick red carpet graced the center of the floor, creating a plush pathway to the steps of the Council’s dais. The large half-moon table, covered with a luxurious dark gray jacquard tablecloth, held the Council’s feast. Tables set up against just about every inch of the walls were covered with wines, punches, roasted and grilled beef and buffalo steaks, all kinds of fowl, and even lamb. A host of fresh salads, greens and fruit were sliced, diced and displayed to perfection. Even strawberries and honey melons, which were out of season, had been flown in for the event. The spread was quite impressive. Even if vampires had been incapable of eating food, the decadent chocolate silk mousse, kiwi tarts, rum cakes and sugared fruits were tempting enough to make anyone eat his fill anyway and deal with the consequences later.

A slew of sensuously dressed women from every Clan descended the curved double staircases for the festivities. But Bix only had eyes for one.

He spotted Carin the moment she appeared at the top of the left staircase. After his mouth stopped watering, he would have to remember to thank Alaana and her Serati Clan sisters for helping Carin find something to wear.

The spaghetti straps of the beaded royal blue A-line dress set off Carin’s cinnamon skin and showed off her strong physique. A single sparkling blue sapphire pendant hung around her neck and teased the top of the vee of the lush valley between her breasts. Matching studs sparkled on her dainty earlobes. Her hair was down tonight and fell in a riot of soft curls and twists that teased her shoulders. Accentuating her flat stomach and the flare of her curvy hips, the dress floated to her knees in a wisp of chiffon silk. But what did him in were her shoes. Strappy high-heeled sandals tied up her ankles with royal blue ribbon highlighted sexy, shapely, strong legs. And held him there. Dayum!

Tameth walked by her side in a sophisticated black and silver affair. Cut low in the back, it allowed her exotic olive skin to peek through a thick fall of jet-black hair. Alaan watched intently while everyone close by watched Alaan watching Tameth. Once at the bottom of the stairs, Tameth eyed him boldly from head to toe. Bix grinned when his friend’s brow knit in a fierce scowl. When Alaan stalked away grumbling about women showing too much skin, Bix almost laughed outright. Then Carin was there.

His hackles rose when he noticed his eyes weren’t the only ones following his dark-skinned beauty down those damned steps. Every unmated male vamp eyeballed his woman. He met her at the bottom of the staircase along with a dozen other males, all holding out a hand to help her down the last step.

Shouldering the poachers out of the way, Bix snaked an arm around her waist and hauled her up against his side. He snarled from one vamp to the next, fangs bared. A direct challenge to any who dared dispute his claim.

“Bix, cut it out,” she hissed. The woman tried to suppress a smile at his possessiveness but did a piss-poor job of it.

“You’re supposed to be good tonight, Bix, so stop scaring the straights.”

Was that a chuckle he heard trickling down the bond?

“Mine,”
he growled into her thoughts.

“Yours? Well, maybe. Maybe not,”
she teased. Easing away, Carin looked back at him over her shoulder, eyes sparkling with mischief. The woman left him standing there and slipped away to the high dais to greet Alaana. Her hips swayed sensuously and her delicious ass winked at him as she went.

“Damned woman,” he muttered to himself.

“Amen,” Alaan grumbled, returning silently to Bix’s side.

Carin was amused at her current conversation. These boys were fine as hell with some serious pick-up lines. All of them looked related to the vamp who’d pissed Bix off when the Council had come to see her. Every one of their heads was stark white, some straight, some curly, some loc’d. The thick burgundy drapes were pulled back to allow the moonlight to glow through the crystal floor-to-ceiling windows along one whole wall of the ballroom. The lunar beams cast a bluish sheen on their gorgeous heads, surrounding them with the illusion of faerie dust. Too self-assured by half, their athletic, muscular bodies and devilish good looks ran the gamut from ruggedly handsome to male model chic. All were dressed to the nines in classic black. None of them bothered to sheathe their fangs. Of course she wasn’t interested, but any woman worth her salt would flirt at least a little bit under such yummy circumstances.

“You are a beautiful woman with a body made for hot, sweaty sex. If you’re good, perhaps I’ll take you to mate,” said one Armani-clad Hatsept.

“Or perhaps you will partner me. My cock is much more decadent than my cousin here. Besides, he already has three mates.” This from a vamp with such a thick head of hair she was almost jealous. Damn, a woman would kill for hair like that.

“Yes, but my tongue is more talented,” said yet another gorgeous white-loc’d vamp, “so may I have this dance?”

Before Carin could open her mouth to turn them down tactfully, her arm was wrapped around a tense, bulging forearm. She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. She’d recognize that soul-stirring growl anywhere.

“This woman is taken, Hatsept.”

“Says who?” challenged all three b-e-a-utiful vamps.

“Says me. Keep fucking with my woman and I’ll stomp a mud hole in your pasty-faced ass.”

“Bix, don’t you dare start a fight,” Carin demanded with an exasperated, there’s-too-much-testosterone-in-the-room sigh. But Bix didn’t seem to be listening. When his and the bad boys’ fangs extended to movie-like proportions, she pinched him hard on the inside of his biceps and scowled for all she was worth.

“Damn it, Bix, I mean it. You start a fight and I’m outta here. Now let’s dance.” In the end, she had to grab a good chunk of his ass to get his attention. He turned on her with a snarl. Did she care? Not bloody likely.

“You snarling at me? Don’t make me kick your ass up in here, Jon Bixler.” She was royally bluffing and inwardly relieved when a thoroughly amused smile spread across his face.