Entwined With the Dark (6 page)

I felt Sergei and Nataliya's shock. I didn't need to see them, the connection we share, although not detailed in its signals, definitely gives a sense of how my vampires' emotions fare. And right now they were flabbergasted. Which was amusing, but also a little enlightening.

I didn't see Amun move, I didn't feel any
Sanguis Vitam
preceding his attack. I was wholly and completely caught unprepared. But suddenly I found myself on my knees, his hand fisted in my hair as he tugged my head back so I was looking directly up into his irate face. I closed my eyes immediately, determined not to look at the bronze and copper glowing in his eyes.

"Why won't you look at me!" he demanded, shaking my head by his grasp on my hair. My scalp screamed in pain, his
Sanguis Vitam
finally attempting an assault and getting nowhere. My Light shield was impenetrable. "Look at me!" I still refused, managing a small shake of my head.

Then I felt his body shift. I could tell by the angle he held my hair at, that he was no longer standing above me, but now kneeling just in front. I was totally shocked by this change of position. To a vampire he had just given away his superior position, not only physically, but psychologically as well. He now stood on equal footing as me, albeit still grasping my hair in a fierce and uncompromising hold.

"Why won't you look at me?" he pleaded more softly, no longer a demand.

I bit my lip trying to determine what he would want to hear, but I had already proven I was no good at playing this game. Why stop here?

"I don't want to be glazed," I replied evenly, giving nothing of my confusion and fear away.

"My
Sanguis Vitam
cannot touch you," he spat in exasperation. "I would be unable to glaze you even if I tried."

Oh. I hadn't thought of that. I kept my eyes closed.

His grip tightened in my hair, he tilted my head to the side and I thought,
oh fuck!
Here comes the bite. I wouldn't let him, Master of the City or not. I would blast him with my Light and face the consequences afterwards. I was not going to be food for anyone.

If I couldn't be Michel's main source of sustenance - no longer being joined meant I was susceptible to his bite and could become addicted with ease - I sure as hell wouldn't let any other vamp have that privilege either.

"Look at me, I cannot glaze you. I wish to see your eyes."

I bit my lip, grateful he was distracted from my pulse and the vein throbbing right there. But the thought of looking at his face - so close, so near, so Nero - was painful and my brow furrowed at his request. I shook my head. He roared in rage and without warning dragged me from the room by my hair.

It fucking hurt and there was nothing I could do, my hands unable to find purchase to ease the wrenching pain, my scalp screaming in protest and I was sure about to become unfixed from my skull. It lasted only mere seconds before he threw me across the floor. My hands immediately going up to cradle my pounding head, my eyes still firmly shut, tears leaking out from under the lids. The sound of metal clanging loudly behind me, then a scraping sound - a key in a lock - then only the harsh breathing of Amun at my back. And a resounding amount of fear in my heart.

What was wrong with me to antagonise a vampire of his standing to such a degree? I knew I had become too rebellious, too sure of my own place in this world. I was aware that Dark had been
encroaching, that I played so often in its shadow I was losing sight of the sun, of my Light. There were times when I truly felt consumed in anger, for all that had happened, for all that I had suffered and lost. I knew I should be grateful for those precious things I still had. Michel. My vampires. Our lives.

But I was foundering and it was making me reckless. The hunt with Marie, the confrontation with Sebastian. Assimilating into London life. And now this. The Master of London City now so irate he had thrown me in a cell.

I opened my eyes and found him standing on the other side of the thick metal bars to the room I was now in. No windows, just a light from out in the hallway where he stood. No bed or chair, no sink or toilet. Just a four metre by four metre prison cell.

I looked him directly in the eyes, the first time I had taken the chance all night. Nero looked back at me from the depths of coffee and cinnamon swirls. I sucked in a breath and said in a quiet, but surprisingly steady voice, "You look like my Nosferatin trainer. You look so similar it breaks my heart."

He frowned, but it wasn't in anger, his feature softened ever so slightly. It gave me courage to go on.

"He died protecting me. I watched his life ebb away. I never thought I'd see him again." I huffed an incredulous breath out. "
That
is why I find it difficult to look you in the face."

He took a step closer to the cell, his long, elegant fingers wrapping around the thick bars. He held my gaze, the swirls of coffee and cinnamon, now a familiar copper and bronze. The only variant from Nero's, was that his would now have burned with gold.

"What was his name?" he asked, voice level.

"Nero," I said, noting a slight catch at the end.

He looked at me intently, a flash of copper washing in his eyes, but he didn't move for several seconds. Then his hand shifted to hover over the lock to the cell and the door clicked open with a loud clang.

"You have permission to hunt and reside in my city, Nosferatin."

Then he turned on his heel and disappeared. I couldn’t help it, I slunk to the floor in utter exhaustion and rubbed my face with my hands.

I was treading a dangerous tightrope walk, sooner or later my inability to play this game would mean my death. The only consolation? Michel would live on, and Avery would die in his place.

Dark thoughts, that seemed so close to the surface. Dark thoughts, that I needed to bathe in Light. I sighed and got to my feet, then headed out to find my vampires and no doubt calm Sergei's reaction to the whole event down.

My body was raw with emotions. I had just seen and conversed with a ghost. Sergei's constant angry comments and Nataliya's sympathetic glances were doing nothing for my nerves. And now we had to face Arthur.

All I wanted was my bed. And Michel. Always Michel.
I miss you
, I sent the thought flying, hoping to receive a reply. Nothing. He was undoubtedly deep undercover, doing whatever the Champion had bid. I hated her. I hated a lot of things right now. Bloody hell, I need to find my way back to the Light.

I sighed loudly as we got back in the Mini. Sergei shot me a glance but his face was an austere mask of disapproval. I could hardly blame him, I had acted out of sorts. I was not behaving as the competent, careful, mistress he knew. I was making mistakes and pushing my luck too far. All of which would rebound on him and his sister. I had compromised their safety tonight. Amun could have easily used them to get to me. He hadn't, which was surprising in itself. Maybe there was more to Amun than his incessant need to be adored.

It took over half an hour to reach Arthur's home base. He lived in Notting Hill. Still part of Vampire Central, but definitely the part with character and a relaxed kind of charm. A bit like him, truth be told. Sergei and Nataliya exited the car, but I just sat there for a moment, trying to get my nerves back under control. They didn't say anything, just took up positions outside the vehicle, keeping a wary eye on the surroundings, giving me my space.

I had got used to having them around. It wasn't too often that I ventured out without one or the other at my side. With more and more fairies crossing the portals to the mortal realm, having a
Tego Texi Tectum
within reach was a necessity. Their ability to nullify fairy magic was more than welcome . I hadn't had a run-in with a fairy since Lutin had been captured. I wasn't naive, Queen Isoleth would retaliate before too much longer, so keeping my shields nearby was essential. It also gave Michel's guards, Marcus and Matthias, a break. Right now they were off on some exercise for their master. I had no idea what, but I was pleased for M&M, they had needed a break.

Now, it was just my vampires and Christopher, who had to put up with my moods.

I closed my eyes and put my head back on the headrest and tried to puzzle through exactly what was wrong. I huffed out a laugh at that question. What wasn't wrong? Even after all of this time I was battling my lot in this life. The Prophesied. Michel's
death
. Michel's loss of Auckland as his city. My loss of my home town. Lutin. Avery. The Champion. I felt adrift and depleted of all energy. When would I feel like me again? When would I accept all that I have become?

I was just about to get out of the car when my cellphone rang. I fumbled with my jacket pocket and finally retrieved the little device, surprised at the identity of the caller on the screen. I would have thought she would be sound asleep right now.

"Amisi," I said, my spirits already lifting somewhat. "How are you?"

"I should ask the same of you," she said quietly, as though she was trying to keep her voice down.

"Why are you whispering?" I asked, ignoring her probing and incredibly poignant question.

"Oh, no reason," she said a little louder, but then I heard her moving - sheets rustling, door quietly closing - as she left whatever room she had been in. Her voice was normal volume when she spoke again. "I felt your sadness, Lucinda. Tell me please, what is wrong?"

I wasn't sure I was ready to hash this out with Amisi. If there was someone other than Michel I talked to, it would probably be her. She is like a sister to me and she understands what it's like to be a hunter. She understands the loss I felt when Nero died. But, I wasn't ready to face this, not yet, not when it was still so raw and my emotions were still so messed up and the Dark was knocking on my door. I needed a bit more time, so I said the only thing I could to deflect the current path of our conversation.

"You know, you don't have to hide the fact that you stay over with Gregor. I kind of cottoned on
to it a while back." I said it in a teasing voice, hoping to lighten the moment.

"What I do or don't do with the Master of my City is of no concern of yours." I was momentarily stunned by the forcefulness of her words. I mean Amisi and I talk about everything and anything together. How could she not have known I knew?

"I... I didn't mean anything by it, Amisi. Come on! It's just a bit of fun." Goddess what was wrong with me, I even alienate Amisi.

There was a pause, I heard her sharp intake of breath and then softly, "Oh Luce, I am sorry. It's not you, it's me. I," she hesitated, let a breath of air out and I pictured her running her hand through her long black hair in frustration as she spoke the next words, "I feel guilty. I feel a little naughty. Nero would not approve."

Oh, and there she said it. She said his name. Tears began to course down my cheeks and I heard my best friend's almost silent sob as my emotions reached her down the line. Amisi is an Empath, a powerful one. She is in tune with my emotions, the strong ones. She would have felt my heart break at seeing Nero in Amun's face. That's why she was calling. It had woken her from her sleep and she had to reach out.

"I met the Master of London City tonight," I said in a quiet voice.

"That's good," she answered in encouragement. "Gregor was concerned you had taken so long. It obviously went OK, you're at least alive." The last was said rather dryly. Amisi knew only too well that surviving a meeting with a master did not necessarily mean all was OK.

I took a deep breath in and prepared myself. There was no way of avoiding this now. "Amun Nadeem looks just like Nero." I heard her gasp at the other end of the line. "His eyes, his facial features, hell, Amisi, even his voice. He could be related to him." I stopped there. Was Amun related to Nero? I had no idea how old the Master of London City was. Nero had been close to five hundred years old when he died. If Amun was about the same age, perhaps they were brothers.

"I have never heard of this vampire," Amisi said, making me frown in response. Amisi knew Nero well, she was raised in the same Nosferatin community as him. He trained her, took her under his wing. Surely she would have known if he had a relation that was a vampire somewhere out there in the world. She interrupted my train of thought. "I'll ask some of the others at home if they know of him. Maybe Awan Hamadi does." Awan was the new Master of Cairo City, the vampire who took over from Nero's kindred Nafrini, when they both died.

"OK, that would be good. I didn't exactly make a good impression. A lasting one, but not good."

I heard her delicate chuckle on the other end of the line. "You always make a lasting one, Luce. Gregor says you'd rock on up to the Queen of England and flash silver if you felt in the mood for some fun." I wasn't sure how to take that, I decided not to comment. "Has he given you permission to stay and hunt?"

"Yes," I replied, still a little distracted by her last words. Did Gregor think I was suicidal?

"Good, well, don't take it all too much to heart. Remember what your father said."

Oh Amisi, how I missed your casual remarks, which always seemed to be steeped in subtle guidance and laced with an ancient knowledge I could never hope to possess. My birth father had left me a note, in it he had encouraged me to do what I needed to survive and learn to forgive myself afterwards.

Maybe that was the key to my current state of mind. Just keep doing what I needed to do to get to the other side and try not to think too much about it. It would be hard to accomplish, I am not one normally to blithely sail through life. I constantly fret about my actions, about my reactions, about life. But, I did need to breathe more, to just learn to accept what is.

I took a deep breath in now and imagined my problems floating away on the air when I exhaled. It felt a little silly, but I did feel a bit better for it afterwards.

"I miss you, Nosferatin," I said a little more brightly.

"And I you, Nosferatin," she answered and I could hear her smile.

I rang off feeling a little more grounded and slipped out of the car to face the next hurdle for the night. I was late, there's no surprise. And I was hungry. But duty called. I nodded to Sergei and Nataliya, who would both stay outside Arthur's terraced house on guard, and strode over to the chipped blue door, rapping three times with a firm hand.

Do what I needed to do to survive. And forgive myself afterwards.

Plastering a smile on my face I took a deep breath in as the door was swung open before me.

"You're late," came Arthur Pencarrow's gruff reply. His cockney accent tingeing the words, so the 't' in late was silent.

"I had an appointment with the Master of the City, it ran over," I said casually as I stepped past him into the narrow hall.

I watched as he nodded to Sergei outside and closed the door at our backs.

"Oh, all righ' then." Well that was easy. "Come on, the others have been 'ere an hour already. They've eaten all the biscuits, sorry." I was sure he wasn't, but I certainly was. My stomach threatened to growl ominously. I rubbed it in an effort to avoid embarrassment.

Arthur took up most of the narrow hallway, his broad shoulders brushing down either side of the walls. I followed as he led me into the warm and welcoming front room, faded carpet adorned the floor, slightly worn floral sofas with copious amounts of mismatched pillows scattered here and there. Tasselled velvet light shades sat opposite incongruous modern pictures. One wall was covered in a bold print wallpaper, the other painted dark red, the wall with an open fireplace was stripped bare, plasterboard visible beneath tattered remains of wall coverings. Either the room was in the middle of being renovated, or Arthur just didn't give a damn. I was picking the latter.

I had yet to meet Arthur's kindred vampire, but from what Marie had said, she was quiet and remained in the shadows wherever she went. Unassuming was the word Marie had used. I thought perhaps Arthur's personality made up for any she may have lacked. But I hadn't been introduced, so was refraining from passing judgement just yet. They didn't live together, Arthur was as independent as they came. That's how I had started out, but where I had succumbed to Michel's steadfast pursuit of my heart, body and soul, Arthur had remained aloof.

I admired that in the Nosferatin.

Marie was sitting on one of the couches and gave me a bright smile as I entered the room. Trevor, the other London based Nosferatin, was sitting beside her holding a mug in both of his hands, steam rising off the surface indicating a new brew. A teapot sat on the table before them, plus an empty plate. I hate tea and the biscuits were all gone. I stifled a sigh as I sat on a couch opposite them.

"So, Luce, the others have given a run down of their hunts this week, you might as well give us your report, now you're 'ere," Arthur instructed and I suddenly felt like I was back in school. All eyes turned to look at me expectantly. What did they want to hear?

I hated this. I hated it so damn much. My fists automatically curled up on my lap, my breath hitched and I was sure my face was flushing pink. Embarrassment? Yeah, sure. But also anger. I had never answered to anyone but myself before. And maybe Michel to a certain extent, as he was in charge of Auckland. Which made me think how badly I had behaved in front of Amun tonight. How terribly I had acted.

For an instant I just wanted to run. For a fraction of a second I wanted to get up off my chair, belt for the door and never look back. Leave London, leave England. I couldn't go back to Auckland, it no longer truly felt like home. But I could roam, never settle, never stop, never have to answer to another again. Just like I did in South America. When I thought Michel was dead and my life as I knew it was gone.

I took a deep breath in, asked my goddess for a little understanding and Light, and gave a run down of my week. Of course, I kept out the rogue that got away, the run-in with Sebastian and débâcle this evening with Amun. It sounded impressive. Two rogues, three Darks balanced with the Light. My hunter skills mixed with my
Lux Lucis Tribuo
skills. Anyone would have been impressed. I just felt empty. Devoid of emotion. At least I wasn't displaying an unhealthy amount of pride.

Trevor looked at me with outright awe, Marie sunk further into her chair trying to hide from anyone's sight and Arthur just rubbed the stubble on his chin, watching me through shrewd eyes.

Get me out of here!
I shouted in my head.
I hate this! I want to go home.
And then a sob in my head at the realisation I didn't have a home. Not one I recognised anyway.

"Do you mind if I make a drink?" I asked Arthur as no one seemed to want to say a thing. The silence was omnipresent. I hated it too. He just nodded and I took myself off to the kitchen. I could hear their low voices start up in conversation again as I exited the room. I couldn't be bothered figuring out what was being said, I just needed some space.

I switched the kettle on and found a clean mug in a cupboard then scoured Arthur's pantry for some coffee. Instant, and it was a bit clumpy, so no doubt stale, but I wasn't about to complain. After preparing my cup of Joe I willed myself to be strong and went back into the lounge. The talking stopped when I reappeared. I failed to stifle my sigh when I sat back down.