Eternal Shadows (21 page)

He yanked me closer, wrapping both arms around me, locking me against his chest. I breathed in his scent and my mind cleared a bit. Without the thirst to drive me elsewhere, I remembered the conclusion I had started to come to on my own.

“Rhys,” I pleaded, my hands in fists at my side as I concentrated on not going after the human. She smelled so good. Irresistible.

“I didn’t want you to see that,” he said.

“Well, I did. So get talking. What the hell is she?”

“The gift Julius sent me to get for Cordoba.”

“The gift—He’s going to eat her?”

I felt Rhys’s shoulders sag, though his grip on me didn’t relax. “Most likely he won’t kill her. She was incredibly expensive.” The last sentence was said through his teeth. In disgust.

I was having a hard time following everything. It didn’t make sense. Or, more accurately, I didn’t want it to make sense. My voice squeaked. “You bought her?”

“Yes.”

“From where?”

He hesitated, but answered. “From a dealer. He collects and breeds—” he spat the word, “—humans much like the owner of a vineyard cultivates wine.”

I forced myself back, using all my strength to break Rhys’s hold so I could see his face. “He—Like wine?”

Rhys’s expression was miserable. His eyebrows had drawn together and his lips were a tight line. “Yes. There are whole divisions of our world you have yet to learn about.”

“Is that why she smells so good?”

“Yes.”

I bit my lip. As terrible as it sounded, whoever this dealer was, he knew his work well. I couldn’t imagine anyone resisting such a feast. The only reason I’d managed was my repulsion, Rhys’s arms, and
—“This is why you made sure I fed from Warren tonight. So I wouldn’t go nuts.”

Now he looked guilty. “Yes.”

Good thinking. Deep down I knew I never would have held back had I not already had my fill of human blood. Too bad my brain switched to angry before I could properly thank him for keeping me from doing something I would have regretted. I pulled away and whacked his chest with one fist. “How could you go get her? How could you purchase a human being?” I was yelling, but I couldn’t stop myself.

Rhys grabbed my flailing fist before it could hit him again and shushed me. “Keep your voice down before the neighbors hear. It wasn’t my choice, all right? I don’t like it any more than you do.”

“But you still went!”

“It was an order from the general, from my sire.”

“He doesn’t force you! You should have told him to go get her himself!”

Growling in frustration, Rhys dragged me from the driveway to the small copse of trees that had been planted in the side yard for shade. “Listen to me.” His voice had risen to match mine. He waited for me to snap my mouth shut before he continued. “No one else could go. The girls have never been there, and everyone else was needed here. Julius asked me to go pick up his order and so I did. It’s only once in a blue moon that Julius gets this kind of gift for a friend or associate. We need Cordoba on our side if we want to get the maximum punishment for Malachi.”

“So she’s a bribe?”

“Only as much as a bottle of fine wine at the dinner table.”

“But this is a human being! A living person!”

He took my face in his hands, giving me no choice but to look into his eyes. “She will not die. I promise you that. She’s a feeder, just like Warren and Brody and Olivia.”

That didn’t make me feel better. “Warren says not all vampires treat their feeders as nice as we do.”

Rhys sighed. “I don’t know what else to tell you, Kassandra.” His hands dropped from my face and I missed the contact immediately. In all the commotion, I had forgotten how anxious I had been for him to return to me.

I toed at the grass for a moment, forcing my brain to slow down and accept the situation for what it was. “What does she think about all this?”

“She doesn’t know there’s any other way to live.” He sounded sad. “She’s just glad someone chose her. I’m sorry you had to find out about this.”

“It’s all right,” I mumbled. “It’s my fault for running out here. I was just so excited to see you. Today was so long and boring.”

His laugh eased some of the ache in my heart. “It was probably worse for me.”

I wrapped my arms around him again, pressing my face into his chest. “How did you resist her all that time? It must have been torture being locked in a car with her.”

“Practice,” he said. “And I had Olivia with me.”

That shocked me. “You did?” I thought back through the day, trying to remember if I had seen her at any point. I hadn’t. But since she ignored and avoided me on a regular basis…

“Yes. You didn’t notice her absence?”

“She doesn’t like me, so even if I had it would have just been refreshing. Where is she now?”

“Still in the car. I told her to stay there until I was sure your thirst was under control.”

“Oh.” Damn. I pulled back from him, putting some space between us. I was sure I wouldn’t go on a feeding rampage, and the car was still in view. Olivia was the absolute last person we needed seeing anything out of the ordinary.

“I’ll tell her it’s safe to come out now.” He started walking towards the car.

“I kind of like the idea of her being afraid of me,” I called after him, only loud enough for him to hear.

He chuckled.

Olivia sprang from the passenger seat before he even reached the car. She smiled at him sweetly. I pretended to gag, then casually started towards them. No way did she get alone time before I did. Besides, apparently she’d had him to herself all day.

“Hey, Olivia,” I said as sweet as the smile she had given Rhys. “Have a nice trip?”

She slid closer to Rhys. “My day was fabulous. How was yours?”

She didn’t miss a beat, I had to give her that. “Things are looking up,” I said.

Rhys didn’t look amused by either of us. “Why don’t you head inside and get some sleep, Olivia.”

“All right.”
Wow
. No arguing. She must have had a good day. Too bad I knew for a fact it hadn’t been as good as the last three days had been for me. I made immature faces at her back as she skipped into the house.

“How very grown up of you,” Rhys said.

“Please, like she doesn’t wander the house cursing the ground I walk on.”

“I don’t see what problem you two have with each other.”

I stared at him. “You’re kidding me.”

His eyes were nothing but innocent ignorance.
Holy crap.
Well, far be it for me to burst his naïve bubble. How many could he have left after five hundred years?

“Nevermind. Can we go inside now? I can still smell that girl out here, and it’s worse by the car.” I scrunched up my nose and held my breath.

He nodded. “Cade should have her far enough out of the way by now.”

“Where is he putting her?”

“Down in the basement. Millie redecorated a whole corner of it, before you freak out. The girl will be plenty comfortable.”

“I wasn’t going to freak out.” Maybe.

Rhys took my hand in his, surprising me. Public displays of affection were off limits. I raised an eyebrow at him in question.

“I’ll claim it’s in case you catch her scent again. I need to be able to hold you back quickly.”

“You’re so smart.” I squeezed his hand in pleasure.

We’d taken no more than three steps towards the house when we heard a car coming down the road. We both turned, and I squinted into the bright lights of the oncoming vehicle. It pulled up alongside the entrance to the driveway and I marveled at the sheer length of the car. A limo. The biggest one I’d ever seen.

“He’s early,” Rhys said.

The lights went off and the engine stilled. A man dressed all in black got out and ran around the long car to open the back door. I pressed up against Rhys’s side. There was only one person we were expecting. Only one person this could be.

This friend certainly didn’t have the same sense of being inconspicuous as the general did.

He stepped out, one foot and then the other, clad in perfectly tailored pants. He stood in a motion so swift I missed it. The dim lights of the house illuminated only a fraction of the shining silver buttons I was sure covered his military jacket. Without an ounce of hesitation he headed towards us. With each step, another crooked feature became clear to me. Fashionably shaved, a light beard lined his jaw. His nose had been broken one too many times, whether in life or afterlife, I
couldn’t tell. A scar ran through his left eye, over his nose and down the right side of his neck. It reminded me of his ex-protégé, Malachi.

Eyes the color of coal focused in on Rhys, and his smile flashed perfect white teeth. They were the only thing that could be described as perfect.

Rhys squeezed my hand, then spoke. “Bartolome, we weren’t expecting you so soon.” He extended his free hand in a gesture of welcome.

Cordoba stopped just in front of us. He towered over us both. Clearly more than six feet tall. He shook Rhys’s hand with ease. “Things wrapped up a bit easier than I anticipated, so how could I keep my good friend waiting?” His voice was thick with a Spanish accent, but I suspected so many years of existence had twisted it into some unique compilation of dialects.

“We’re glad you could come on such short notice,” Rhys said.

“No problem at all. And just look at
this enchanting young creature.” His eyes turned to me and I had to mentally force myself not to back away. “You must be Julius’s newest addition. Kassandra. Aurelia has told me much about you.”

He held out his hand to me. I stared at it for a full second, then, afraid of being rude, slipped my hand from Rhys’s and placed it in the other man’s large grip.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

Chapter Eighteen: The Inquisition

I yanked my hand back as though I’d been shocked. Too late I realized I had just been incredibly rude. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said as quickly as I could, hoping to alleviate the situation. I clasped my hands behind my back, rubbing at my skin where it had touched his hand. It was a brilliant response. An excellent way to greet an incredibly ancient vampire.

He laughed, a great booming sound that came from low in his chest. Immediately I pressed closer to Rhys, sure I was about to die.

“What a delight you are, Kassandra.”

Or maybe not.

He controlled his laughter and gave me a smile full of dazzling white teeth. “Most people blabber on and on trying to flatter me. It becomes tiresome. I’m pleased to find someone unafraid of possible first impressions.”

Compliment? I had every intention of pretending so. Better for my nerves. However, I couldn’t manage to think of anything else to say. That feeling still slithered up and down my neck.

Rhys saved me. “Kassandra is an expert at first impressions.”

What the heck did that mean? I caught the wink he threw my way, but I still twisted my face in distaste. Not nice to say sarcastic things like that. Just because when he’d first met me I was in the throes of denial and self-hate. All completely understandable.

Even my attempt at staking him.

Cordoba laughed again. “Aurelia has told me some entertaining stories about this young one. I must say I didn’t expect her to be so quiet.”

Lovely. What a nice reputation she’d given me. You’d think I was the freakin’ court jester.

Yet again, Rhys saved me, this time by changing the subject. “We should get inside. Julius will be eager to see you.”

“As I am him. Allow me to just give instructions to my companions.”

“If they bring your luggage inside the front door, it will be seen to.”

Cordoba bowed his head. “I will direct them to do so.” He turned and headed back to the ridiculously long limo.

I couldn’t get over how formal they were over all this. Even with the general, Rhys never spoke so ceremonially. I felt like I had stepped outside of time. Perhaps I had.

But the feeling of dread persisted. I tugged on Rhys’s arm while I watched the old conquistador speak into the darkness of his vehicle to a couple of vampires I couldn’t see.

But I could smell them. Rain and the ocean. I shivered.

“Rhys, I have to tell you something.”

He kept his eyes on the other vampire. “Can it wait? We need to get Cordoba inside to meet with Julius.”

“It has to do with Cordoba,” I kept my voice as low as I could. No human would have heard me even if they had been standing right next to me. I hoped no vampire other than Rhys would be able to hear me, either.

Rhys turned to look at me now. “What about him?”

I glanced at the car to make sure no one could hear me. Cordoba didn’t show any signs of listening, but I wasn’t convinced. “Can we go somewhere to talk?”

The little line appeared on Rhys’s forehead. “Let’s get him inside, then you can talk all you like.”

I didn’t want him inside my house. Not with the hairs on the back of my neck squirming the way they were. “Fine.” What else could I do? Cordoba was already halfway back to us.

“They will follow us inside and join us once everything has been unloaded,” he said. “Shall we go see my most favorite of old friends?”

“Of course.” Still holding my hand, Rhys tugged me towards the house as he led the way. I stared at the ground, counting the cobblestones I stepped on. Anything to keep myself from staring at Cordoba in an attempt to make my stupid intuition make sense. Cordoba’s footsteps followed us like heavy stones being laid against cement. I’d never heard a vampire sound so cumbersome. Not even the general.

“I look forward to getting to know you, Kassandra,” he said, startling me.

My head snapped up so quickly I felt something pinch. The pain added to the discomfort I already felt from him. “Uh, yeah. Me, too.” Dumb. Stupid. Idiot. Good job, Kassandra.

Cordoba just smiled and stepped through the front door.

I decided I didn’t like that smile. It reminded me of the villains in most movies I’d seen recently. I hoped I was wrong. This man was a good friend of the general, he had to be an ally. Right?

I rubbed at the back of my neck.

Aurelia greeted us in the front hall.

“Bartolome, I’m surprised to see you so early.” She held out her hand for him.

He took it gently. “My dear lady, what cannot be brushed aside for the service of such old and treasured friends?” He kissed the back of her hand, bowing as he did so.

“We are grateful.” Aurelia leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Come, Julius is waiting.” She gestured down the hall before Cordoba took her arm and walked with her.

I watched their backs until they disappeared—into the dining room I had avoided for weeks. Great. One more thing to deal with. And to think I had been so excited only an hour ago as I waited for Rhys to come back.

My thoughts continued along those lines as Rhys pulled me out of the hall and into the front den. Shutting the door, he let go of my hand and waited.

Suddenly I didn’t feel like revealing my freaky talent for sensing bad things. What if he laughed?

“Everyone’s waiting for us, Kassandra,” he prompted.

I swallowed my pride, ground my nails into my palm for some courage and took a deep breath. “So, I get these feelings sometimes.”

“What kind of feelings?”

“Intuitive ones?” I wasn’t sure how to explain this. The only other person I’d ever talked to about my strange feelings was my mother and she had guessed it herself and then confronted me about it. I hadn’t had to start the conversation. “My mom used to call them that, at least. The only other word would be premonition, but that always sounds too strong. They’re never that clear.”

Rhys leaned back against the door, his expression mostly non-judgmental. “I’m not sure I understand.”

I hesitantly rubbed at the back of my neck. The feeling had receded a little, but only a little. I still felt like I had spiders running up and down my spine. “I feel it here, like a chill or something. The hairs stand up and sometimes my stomach sinks.” No dropping stomach this time, not yet at least. That was a good sign.

“You’re describing fear.”

“I know, but this is different. And it comes at odd times. I was perfectly fine until I shook Cordoba’s hand, and I hadn’t been worried about meeting him before.”

“So you have a bad feeling about Cordoba being here?”

“Yes.” Please, please, don’t look at me like I’m crazy.

He didn’t. Not really. Instead, I saw a hint of a smile. “I know he looks intimidating, Kassandra, but there really isn’t anything to worry about.”

He didn’t get it. “That’s not it. I know I sound insane, but I’ve lived with this feeling for a long time. It’s never wrong.” I emphasized each word. “I got it when my mother died halfway across the world. I felt it the night my father was killed and I got turned. I felt it again both times Malachi showed up. And I feel it now. Something isn’t right.”

“Cordoba has been our friend for a long time. Maybe it was just coincidence that you got the feeling when you shook his hand.”

Possible, but not likely. “I don’t think so.”

Rhys sighed. “What would you like me to do about it?”

What did I want him to do? We couldn’t send our new guests away, we had asked them to come, and it seemed pretty clear that we did need their help when it came to getting Malachi and Tabitha what they deserved. Maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut. “Can you just be careful? Maybe I am wrong, but if I’m not…”

“All right. I can agree to that. After all, if you are right and we did nothing we’d feel rather foolish later.”

I burst forward, hugging him so tightly he actually made a small sound of pain. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Thank you for not thinking me a crazy freak.

He patted my back, then pried me away. “They’re waiting for us. We need to go join the meeting.”

I frowned, remembering where they were meeting. “Do we have to meet in
that
room?”

He played with a small lock of my hair. “You can’t avoid it forever.”

Groaning, I dramatically fell forward until I was standing only by the support of his body. “Fine. But you have to kiss me first.”

“Such a demand. I don’t think I could ever manage to accommodate you.”

He lifted my chin and kissed me anyway.

I was so blissfully lost in the sensation I missed him opening the door and dragging me back into the hallway afterwards.
Dammit
. I had hoped to drag our little interlude on a bit longer.

When we reached the door to the dining room, I dug in my heels and stopped short. Rhys turned and, very sympathetically, touched my face. “You’ll be fine,” he said.

Then the door opened and I was inside the room where I had last seen my father.

Everything had changed. The long table still dominated the center of the room, but instead of being covered with place settings and cloth napkins, it now bore piles upon piles of paperwork. Strange objects I had never seen before held sections still and separate. Long rusted spikes, crosses and keys. Knives and daggers—though honestly I didn’t know the difference—sat polished and gleaming in the overhead light. Maps covered one end of the table, with an old compass set at the center of the largest. The walls had been covered in old paintings
—some of people, others of places.

All my father’s things were gone. The
antique flags, the blunted Civil War sword, even the gold coins he had collected from all over the world. The general had completely taken over the space. I couldn’t feel my father anywhere.

And I was strangely grateful.

Cordoba had obviously already said his hellos to his old friend. The general looked absolutely thrilled to be with the other man. They talked together so quickly I only caught a few words here and there. It sounded like they were recounting the good old days. Aurelia sat at the head of the table, leaning against the high back of the old chair. She looked perfect in it, as though it had been made for her. Cade had a seat to her left, and looked impatient to get down to business. Millie and Madge were at the opposite end of the table, speaking softly with one another. Millie looked up and smiled when Rhys and I entered and waved us towards them. Madge curled her lip in distaste. Rhys pulled me towards them and sat me in the chair farthest from Madge, placing himself between me and Millie.

“We’ve been waiting for you,” she said, her tone scolding, but her eyes sparkling with good humor.

“Kassandra had something she needed to tell me,” Rhys said completely casual.

“Is that so?” Millie leaned forward so she could see my face. “I wonder what that possibly could have been
.”

Oh no. I knew that look. One eyebrow slightly higher than the other, the corners of her mouth trying in vain not to curl upwards, and her nose wrinkling just once in the effort. She thought we were up to something. No way could she suspect. Right? We hadn’t done anything to make anyone suspicious. This was the second time I had gotten that impression from her. Rhys and I needed to be more careful.

“He bullied Warren into making me feed,” I said, using the truth as a cover. “I wanted to have a few words with him about that.”

“Oh, I see.”

She didn’t look convinced.

Madge studied her perfectly manicured nails. “They were probably making-out.”

Millie swatted her sister’s arm. I saw Rhys visibly tense, and felt my jaw drop again. Honestly, one day it would fall straight off.

“Well, now that we’re all here, we should get this meeting under way.” The general’s declaration did nothing to relieve my nerves. Madge looked far too
smug. But at least now we wouldn’t be able to talk about it further. Maybe everyone would forget her stupid comment…

Cordoba sat beside the general, who sat at Aurelia’s right. For a brief moment I wondered why she got to sit at the head of the table, but then dismissed the thought. There had to be some reason, and whatever it was, it didn’t affect me.

“So, Julius,” Cordoba began. “Tell me the details of these incidents. Aurelia gave me only brief accounts. She felt it would be better explained by you in person, and now here I am, ready and listening.”

The general folded his hands on the table in front of him. “Malachi has made two attempts against the peace between our families, as well as the shaky peace between the Alliance and the Organization. The first time he, along with Tabitha, Garrett
, and Henry, threatened Kassandra and made a personal attack against Rhys.”

He had? Is that what we were calling Rhys’s sudden collapse? The one no one was allowed to talk about? I glanced at Rhys, but he showed no sign of anything. No reaction. No anger at the memory, no pain, nothing. I wished I could ask him. Unfortunately I had made a promise. But if we weren’t allowed to mention that in front of him, why had the general done just that? And why wasn’t Rhys in any way affected? I wanted to poke him, prod him. Instead, I sat on my hands.