JAVIER (3 page)

“Almost a full tank, that’s a lucky break.” Javier
murmured then spoke louder;

“I am heading back to London. There’s a safe place we
can get to before sunrise then I’ll be able to arrange for those collars to be
removed. Still alright Flavia?”

“Yes, thank you.” came a quiet voice from the back
seat.

“And you?” Javier glanced over at Cassia only to find
her staring at him.

“Fine. Who are you?” she asked.

“You know my name.” Javier kept his eyes on the road,

“Alright. What are you? Why do they want you? Who is
the woman they were sure you would follow and why?”

Javier laughed bitterly. God, he had been well and
truly played. They had targeted him, him specifically and he had taken the bait
just as they had known he would. The disappointment felt like a sharp physical
pain in his heart though why he should feel it was completely illogical. He had
known, he had always known that it couldn’t be Charlotte. Sighing, he
concentrated on the driving. Time enough for questions later; he was certainly
not going to be answering any of hers now.

“We will talk later.” was his only reply. There was a
long silence and he could feel Cassia examining him. When she spoke again her
voice was very quiet;

“Thank you for not abandoning us. You could have left
us there. Thank you for being kind to Flavia.”

“Let’s call it quits shall we? You could have left me
unconscious in that room, you did not.”

Still more silence and Javier glanced at her quickly.
She sat staring straight ahead, her body tense and her hands clasped tightly
together in her lap. He couldn’t wait to check her name against the Warrior’s
Council watch list; somehow he was certain she would be on it. A person of
interest. She had a lot of questions to answer. He took a deep breath and
checked the time; they should make it before sunrise. He was tempted to drive
much faster but he didn’t want to risk any unwanted attention from traffic
police; no, better to keep to the legal limit and concentrate on finding his
way back to Rafe’s place. Then he would have to contact headquarters on the
Island; he had been off the grid long enough for the alarm to have been raised.

“You’ve done it before haven’t you?” Cassia asked
softly.

“Done what?” Javier was startled out of his train of
thought.

“Killed. Killed like that.”

“Yes, when necessary. I am sorry you saw that.”

“They were planning to hurt us. Me and Flavia.” Her
breath hitched slightly and he saw her shiver and brush a hand impatiently
under her eyes. It would be the relief at getting out, he thought, she had been
incredibly cool headed and brave.

“Don’t think about that. You are safe now and so is
she. You were magnificent in there; better than I would have expected any
civilian to be.” he said gently.

“Civilian…are you a warrior Javier? For a bunch of
rank amateurs as you called them, they landed you like a fish.”

Irritation shot through Javier as his head snapped
round to glare at her, then he took another deep calming breath. She was right;
she had only spoken the truth and she had no idea how very much that truth hurt
his pride. How was he going to explain this to his fellow commanders? How was
he going to explain himself to LaSalle, his Supreme Commander?

They passed the remainder of the journey in grim
silence; both of them lost in their own thoughts.

CHAPTER 4

As they were whisked smoothly skywards the three of
them stood, overcome by that awkwardness that often came over strangers crowded
too close together in an elevator. Cassia glanced up and noticed the camera;
the security here was tight she thought, the entry into this elevator had been
controlled by a retina scan. Expensive technology. Another indicator that she
had collided with a world outside her usual experience. She leaned against the
side; Flavia’s arm was linked lightly through Javier’s and his head was bent
towards her as he reassured her quietly. He had taken care of her younger
sister from the moment he had parked the car a short walk away and led them to
this luxurious building. She had been left to trail along in their wake. Well,
the minute he removed the electronic restraint round her neck she would be off
and she would take Flavia with her.

The door glided silently open and they stepped into a
vast luxurious penthouse with walls of windows showcasing the distant London
skyline and the Thames far below. Cassia strode straight over to all the glass,
her eyes scanning the discreet sensors on the walls;

“I assume there is an automatic shutter system? All
this glass…not exactly Vamp friendly is it?”

“Yes,” Javier replied, “Triggered by sophisticated
sensors, you’ll see it in action in about an hour and a half.”

He turned to Flavia, leading her to a large leather
sofa;

“You are safe here Flavia, this apartment belongs to a
friend and colleague. It is completely secure. Would you like something to
drink while I make some phone calls?”

As Flavia asked for some tea Cassia raised her
eyebrows and wondered if she had been included in the offer.  She didn’t have
to wait long as Javier gestured her over towards the gleaming granite and
stainless steel open plan kitchen.

“Could you please take over with the drinks? I believe
there is food in the fridge, help yourself. I need to make some calls.”

Cassia glared at him then rolled her eyes; how typical
of a male to assume she knew her way around a kitchen. Then she shrugged; she
was very thirsty and really quite hungry and it would only upset Flavia if she
started a petty argument.

“Would you like something?” she asked. Javier’s face
blanched slightly and he shook his head;

“No, thank you. I can still feel the effects of
whatever drug they pumped into me.”

He reached down and picked up the sword that lay on a
coffee table and slid it carefully back into a beautifully decorated scabbard. 
Then he walked over to the panel by the elevator and entered a code on the
keypad before locking another door and pocketing the key. Finally he stood in
front of her with a slight smile on his face and put out a hand;

“The exits are locked. I’ll have that set of picks
please.”

Cassia felt her heart thud and her cheeks flush; those
golden brown eyes really were beautiful. He was beautiful. She cleared her
throat. He probably did this to women all the time; had them falling over
themselves in confusion with one look and that smile touching his sensitive
mouth. Well, it wouldn’t work on her, she raised her chin defiantly;

“They are mine. I’m not going anywhere. We’re tired
and we can’t shift and it’s nearly dawn. Where would I go?”

Javier’s smile disappeared and the light charming mask
was replaced by something much colder and harder;

“Nevertheless Miss Mathrafal, hand them over or I’ll
take them. Those idiots may have had qualms about searching your person but I
do not. Clever though, keeping them in your bra; it would not occur to most men
to look there.”

Cassia scowled as she fished out the set of picks and
dropped them into his waiting palm;

“You are not a gentleman Javier of Seville.”

This time the smile he gave her was dazzling and her
heart skipped several beats;

“No, I never said I was. Now, look after your sister.
I’ll be back when I’ve spoken to my people.”  With that he went into one of the
other rooms and shut the door behind him. Cassia stood for a minute, fingering
the metal collar round her neck. Whoever he was, she was going to find out soon
enough. She went over and hugged Flavia.

“Come and talk to me sweetheart, there’s a big counter
with stools. You can perch on there and keep me company.”

She led her sister to the kitchen helping her to
navigate the unfamiliar room. As Flavia settled on one of the high metal stools
Cassia put the kettle on, opened the fridge and rummaged around. She cast a
quick look at her younger sister and felt guilt flood through her. This was all
her fault. It was her lifestyle that had led Flavia into danger; that had
caused her to be imprisoned in that house for almost three weeks. Panic
suddenly overtook her and she put down the cheese she had found and took
Flavia’s hands in hers;

“Flavia, did they hurt you? There’s nothing you can’t
tell me you know.”

The words of the Empath Javier had killed were
haunting her. Had Flavia already suffered at the hands of those men? She was a
Vampire, she was physically immensely strong but there had been at least three
of them in that house and Empaths were capable of manipulating minds and
emotions in ways that far outstripped anything her kind could do. It was what
had made them feared for millennia.

Flavia shook her head;

“Cassia, whatever they were planning to do, they
didn’t touch me. I suppose they knew they had to keep me safe till you did what
they wanted. Who is Javier? Why do they want him?”

That was the million dollar question. Cassia squeezed
her sister’s hands and went back to preparing their food.

“I don’t know but I think we’re about to find out.
Now, I’ve found fresh bread from Poilane, fabulous cheese, olives and some
really good red wine, shall we have that?”

As she uncorked the wine and poured it out she kept up
the cheerful, light hearted chatter as her eyes swivelled repeatedly to the
door Javier had shut behind him. She had spent almost a century and a half
doing what she did, never getting caught. Somehow she knew that her luck had
finally run out.

Fifteen minutes later Javier emerged. He had obviously
freshened up with a quick shower; his hair was damp and he had changed into
jeans and a plain T-shirt that showed off strong arms and golden skin. He
carried a laptop under his arm. Cassia pushed a glass of wine and a plate of
bread and cheese towards him as he pulled up a stool;

“Here, you might feel better with something in your
stomach. You were so violently sick I thought you were about to heave up your
guts.”

Flavia winced and Javier flashed Cassia a quizzical
look;

“Did you stick your fingers down my throat or did I
dream that? I recall having a strange dream…”

“You seemed to be struggling to wake up. You murmured
something that sounded like the letter B. I, well…I thought it would be better
not to leave you to them so, yes, I lifted you up and stuck my fingers down
your throat to make you sick. It seemed the best course of action.”

“Quick thinking, it was. I was dreaming about my
daughter Beatriz, my Bee I call her. She was telling me I was in danger and I
had to wake up. In my dream she was calling me repeatedly…” Javier tailed off,
retreating into himself as he took a swallow of wine.

So, he had a daughter. Funny, she didn’t think he was
joined. She hadn’t detected the scent of another on him. Suddenly Cassia had a
flash of intuition;

“Who was Charlotte? You said “was” back there…”

Javier avoided her eyes and sipped more wine. Cassia
pushed the plate of food closer to him and he looked down absently and picked
up some bread before looking up. His face was completely shut down.

“Charlotte was my bonded life consort for nine
decades. Beatriz is our daughter, our only child. Charlotte was killed eight
years ago. There wasn’t a body. I wonder how they knew that. They knew they
could hook me…none of the others, just me. What a damned patsy.”

He spoke very quietly and Flavia pulled her stool
closer and took his hand. Cassia stood silent and appalled. To lose a bonded
consort was agony, almost like death itself. Her mother had taken years to
recover when her father had died; her heart and mind tormented and her body
suffering as she was forced to go to a Donor for her blood needs.

“I’m sorry to have brought all that back to you. If I
had known…”

Javier cut in; “You would still have done it to save
your sister.”

Cassia met his level stare steadily;

“Yes, I would. But that does not stop me from being
sorry.”

Javier shook his head;

“It was a long time ago.” He paused at the sound of
the doorbell, “Ah, right on time.”

As he walked over to the control panel and checked the
image on the screen before buzzing their visitor into the elevator Cassia saw
the gun stuck into his jeans at the back. He palmed it as the elevator door
swished open then she saw him relax and put it back as a tall blonde Vampire
dressed in black stepped into the room. Their visitor snapped to attention like
a soldier and briefly touched his right fist to his heart;

“Sir. They sent me straight from the Island, thought
that would speed things up.”

Javier nodded;

“Stand easy. That was a good call Andreas. I’d like
you to take the collars back with you and start tracing their origin. It should
be easy, it’s highly restricted technology.” He looked over at Cassia and
Flavia;

“Ladies, come and sit over here. Andreas will unlock
those restraints.”

As Flavia’s collar was unlocked with a sharp click
Cassia examined the Vampire Andreas for clues; she had no doubts now. These
were warriors, soldiers. As she turned her head to the side while her own
collar was unlocked she suddenly knew with complete certainty where these men
had come from. She was in a world of trouble.

She listened as Javier thanked Andreas and instructed
him to return at sunset. The minute the elevator doors shut Javier slid open a
section of the control panel, punched in a series of numbers rapidly then shut
the panel and turned to face them.

“I’ve just engaged the electronic net. No-one can
shift in or out of this apartment. Please do not try, at the very least you
will be seriously injured.”

“They aren’t coming after us are they Javier?” Flavia
asked anxiously;

Cassia watched as Javier knelt in front of Flavia and
took her hands;

“No-one is coming after you. It’s just a precaution
that’s all.” Then he lifted Flavia’s hands and kissed each one lightly before
going into the kitchen and hunting about in a cupboard. Cassia fumed silently
to herself. What he was actually doing was ensuring she couldn’t get out. Oh,
he had been very charming to Flavia but the look he had cast in her direction
as he stood up had been one of amused triumph. She jumped as a quiet whirring
sound filled the apartment then saw that shutters had suddenly descended over
the vast expanse of glass, protecting them from the rising sun.

“Efficient isn’t it?” Javier’s voice was right by her
side;

“Sit still, I’m going to check out that injury on your
head. It’s hidden by the colour of your hair but I can smell blood. No, don’t
scoot away, keep still and bend your head forward.”

Cassia forced herself to sit still as he leaned over
her and parted through her hair with gentle fingers. She breathed in and felt a
fluttering in the pit of her stomach; he smelled heavenly.

“Hmm, yes, the skin has been broken and there is dried
blood in your hair but it is already starting to heal. Quite a bump you have
there. No headache? Eyesight okay?” he asked.

Cassia pulled away, flustered; “I’m perfectly fine
thank you.” then, as Flavia suddenly covered up a massive yawn she jumped to
her feet;

“Is there a spare bedroom? Flavia looks exhausted and
I wouldn’t mind a quick shower to get that blood out.”

Javier nodded, looking amused;

“That door there. Rafe’s sister sometimes comes to
stay so you may find something to sleep in. Cassia, come back here after your
shower. We need to talk.”

As Flavia yawned again and thanked him Cassia
considered refusing.  However, she still felt hugely guilty about her part in this
whole charade and he hadn’t made a request; it had been an order.

Javier stared after the sisters thoughtfully as he
started up the laptop. They would have to go back to the Island with him; their
lives could be in danger. Flavia would see the sense in it but Cassia, he took
a deep breath and shook his head, she would not go quietly. Cassia of the
bloodline of the Vampire Mathrafal; quickly he logged into one of the Council’s
heavily encrypted files and input her name.

There she was, Mathrafal – a bloodline embedded in
Welsh history which would account for that faint lilt to her English. One
sister…Flavia. Father dead, the records did not state how, mother still living.
She was five decades younger than him, born in the peaceful, timeless Welsh
mountains as Napoleon marched his doomed army to Waterloo. She was on the
records because she had been a suspect in a number of clever, complex
confidence tricks though nothing had ever been proved. However she had also
been suspected of involvement in high value art thefts and deals in the Human
world over the last century. This was far more worrying, bringing with it the
ever present threat of exposure. She was on the watch list for this very
reason.