Kindred (3 page)

Hmm, what's he trying to hide?
Never good when the nice ones couldn't even look you in the eye. I squared my shoulders and marched down the long, thin hall. My feet didn't make a sound on the plush carpet, but I knew Michel could tell I was here. Hell, I could feel him,
no
doubt he could do the same back.

I didn't bother knocking on the door to his office. Shane had stayed back by the door to the bar area, hadn't even bothered to follow me to Michel's door.
Sensitive much, Shane?
I shook my head to clear the thought and turned the handle to the door in front of me.

Power rolled along the floor and caressed up my body, sending tingles through my centre and goose bumps along my arms. I don't know how it is for others like me, but I've always been able to judge a vampire's age and level by their
Sanguis Vitam.
Michel is about as high up as they go, a level one Master. There may be stronger vamps out there, but I doubt it. Michel is as big as it gets here in New Zealand anyway, I've yet to meet a vamp who comes even remotely close.

I swallowed visibly and pushed past that wave of pure, unadulterated joy Michel's
Sanguis Vitam
had over me and strode into his lair.

“
Knock it off, would you!”

“
Ah, Lucinda, ever the lady I see.” Michel smiled wickedly, his lush voice curling around my stomach and his vivid blue eyes trailing over my face. Devouring every feature, as though he was starved for a glimpse of me. “I thought you may have missed me and needed a little reminding.”

“
Very funny, Michel, but could you can it for a bit? I can hardly draw a breath.” The only way to deal with a vampire is to be direct, anything else and they take it as an invitation to play. Playing with Michel was not a good idea.

Instantly the power that had enveloped me, stroked me and whispered sweet nothings against the sensitive skin at the side of my neck was gone. I missed it already.

In its absence Michel was looking at me intently. He wasn't breathing, sometimes they do that if they forget to cover, or can't be bothered. I guess Michel and I were past that pretence, I knew he was a vampire the moment I met him. Likewise, he knew what I was. I only wish he'd tell me sometime.

“
You are hurt,” he said and was suddenly in front of me reaching for my cheek. I hadn't even seen him move. I mean not a flash, a sound, a sensation. Not a thing. Whoa.

He stroked the side of my face, tracing the bruise lightly that had started to puff out and stretch my skin. His hands hardly touched me, but left a searing sensation. Not pain, but something else, as they traced the marks on my face, neck, arms and down the sides of my body, to rest on either side of my hips.

It's not often he catches me by surprise, I've got good at anticipating his moves, but he's not usually this out rightly obvious in his affections for me. Flirts a little, sure, but to be so intimate, so quickly upon my walking in his office was new even for him.

I realised I'd been holding my breath. I slowly let it out and as I did I also noticed I was no longer sore. There was a dull ache, a sense of fatigue that had been there before, but the pain on my cheek and in my back had gone.

“
Wh..what did you do?” I stammered. Go the smooth talker, me.

Michel visibly shook himself, just a small movement, but he was breathing again, human looking, almost. He took a step back and smiled. A coy smile that managed to light up the deep blue of his eyes. It was shockingly mesmerising.

“
You were hurt, my dear. I could not have that.” Each word was articulated perfectly, as though he was fighting not to let his French accent show, straining to remain very English.

“
You heal people now?” It would be good to know, if I ever found myself in a similar situation, or worse, like I had done tonight.

“
Only when the desire is strong, it would seem.” I'm not quite sure what he meant by that, but I let it go.

He moved back around the other side of his desk and slid down into his seat. A smooth movement, like a sleek cat reclining in the sunshine. Of course, there'd be no sunshine for Michel, if he could help it. Vampires don't like the sun, it tends to give them a fatal sunburn.

His eyes hadn't left me. Actually I had the distinct impression they were still devouring me, but I chose to ignore that too. It didn't pay to let the mind wander on those trains of thought, best to stick to business.

“
So, you requested my presence. Here I am.”

He smiled, this time it was full of an amused knowledge, as though my presence here was nothing but expected, a foregone conclusion. With the smile his eyes lit up like a shining light, all shades of blue possible, swirling together in an hypnotic movement that made me struggle to pull my gaze away.

“
Have a seat, my dear. We have much to catch up on.”

I'd rather stay standing, somehow remaining on my feet so I could make a quick getaway seemed prudent. But it's difficult to argue when you're so tired you're actually swaying. Besides, Michel was not one to take no easily. I had first hand knowledge of that.

I threw myself into the overstuffed armchair opposite his desk and felt my body relax at the luxuriant feel of the upholstery and softness of the padding. It was made to fit my body.

He must have noticed, because he tried to hide a smirk by reaching for a bottle of wine on his desk and pouring two glasses, which I hadn't even seen until that moment. He stood up and came around the desk to offer me one. No reaching over obstacles for this guy, nothing but the height of manners would do.

I took a good look at him as I accepted the offered glass, no longer befuddled by his power. I allowed my eyes to trail the length of his beautiful body as he turned back towards his seat. At 6'2” he was all lean muscle and tall, tightly coiled, controlled strength. His shoulder length dark brown, almost black, hair shone in the low lights of the room. It always seemed to catch my attention, no matter how hard I tried not to notice its beauty. His profile was chiselled. Firm jawline, high cheek bones, long lashes that swept his face and a straight, almost regal, nose. All giving the appearance of strength and power, wrapped up in a oh-my-god handsome façade.

He wore a dark expensive Armani suit, almost black, but not quite. The staff may have to wear black, but the Master gets to diversify. The jacket was made to fit perfectly, he had it unbuttoned with a white Pierre Cardin shirt showing, gold cuff links at each wrist and a sleek dark blue pinstriped tie. The tie was slightly loose, that would be the extent I had ever seen Michel allow himself to slum it where his clothing was concerned. He looked every inch the self made millionaire bachelor. Handsome, intelligent, at ease. I could appreciate the package, even if I didn't want to undo the wrapping.

He inclined his head, as if to say,
you done?
You could never surprise a Master of his level.

I'm a big girl now, I resisted the urge to blush.

“
So, what did you want to catch up on, Michel?” I said as I sipped my wine. Cabernet
Sauvignon, no doubt from his own winery. I didn't know for sure, but I couldn't help thinking Michel was one of those characters out of a fantasy novel. Accomplished, sophisticated and omnipresent. The truth was a little more realistic. He bit people to drink their blood, otherwise he would grow weak and die. I kept reminding myself of that whenever my mind decided to take a vacation from reality.

He sipped his wine and asked, “How was your evening?”

I had to smile then. “You're asking me about my evening?”

“
I would like to know, my dear, that you are well and happy. I'll start with your evening and then progress from there. Or perhaps you would like me to - how do you say? - cut to the chase? If so, then why not come a little closer, there's room enough for two on my chair.”

The last was said with that knowing smile he so often wore in my presence, the words wrapping out to surround me, making a shiver run down my spine. He could tell it was taking all of my self control and whatever supernatural blocking power my body possessed to refuse the invitation. Man, he was playing for keeps tonight.

“
Very funny. It was eventful, how was yours?”

“
Eventful, how?” He didn't even bother acknowledging my question.

I put my glass of wine down on the desk, careful to stand it on a placemat that happened to be waiting in exactly the right spot. “I killed three vampires who were preying on innocent lives. One was a level four Master.”

“
The bruises and fractured rib.” He said it as a statement, not a question.
How had he known a rib was fractured, even I wasn't sure of that?

He looked momentarily distracted, not his usual controlled self. “Is there something you're not telling, Michel? What's with all the activity lately? The lack of manners on your turf?”

His eyes flashed a strange purple, as though the blue was fighting the red that glows when vampires are emotional; be it anger, hunger, lust or pain. Someone was encroaching on Michel's turf, but who would be so bold? And reckless.

He shifted, a small movement, barely noticeable, but I was finding myself more and more in tune with Michel's minute mannerisms lately, a development I was trying fervently to ignore. The slight repositioning of his body made me think he had suddenly decided something, made a choice and I would soon benefit from that change of heart. “What I am about to tell you must not leave this room, Lucinda. Do you understand? Not even to your shape shifter friend and his kin.” His
Sanguis Vitam
was climbing again, caressing my skin, but not as beautifully as before, this time it crackled with hidden meaning; small pinpricks of pain scattering up my body, stealing my breath.

I swallowed, I knew what Michel was capable of, even if part of me believed he'd never use it against me. Another part, that insistent voice that never stopped its internal monologue, kept saying quietly,
run.

“
Of course,” I answered, but it wasn't in my usual voice, there was a slight crack. It was also a little too high. Damn it, I hated him seeing me weak.

The power abated abruptly and he sat back slightly. A look of regret briefly touching his perfect features, to be replaced with the neutral mask he usually wore.

“
There has been some rumblings in the
Iunctio
of late. At first I thought nothing of it, but it has traversed the seas and landed upon our shores. A group of vampyre who flout the rules, who wish to take over the night completely.”

He couldn't mean what I thought he meant, could he? I didn't dare say a word, he did not look in the mood for interruptions, so I sat still as a statue waiting for him to continue.

“
The revolt was thwarted in London, a similar one barely got started in New York. I had thought we were far enough from the centres of power to avoid attention, but it seems even I cannot keep some things hidden from the
Iunctio
.”

The
Iunctio
Michel was referring to, was the vampire connection all vampires felt to one another, it was also their governing power. Not just a network as such, more like an information highway. A bit more sophisticated than tom-tom drums and a whole lot more supernatural. Somehow they communicated as a whole to one another. You could hide things from the
Iunctio
, you could drop out for a time, but sooner or later, if you're the undead, you hooked up to the mainframe so you knew what was hot and what was not. The
Iunctio
rules the vampires. It is their law.

That's how they had avoided discovery for so long. Let's face it, with vampires being the “in” thing right now and with modern technology the way it is, even glazing every human in a hundred kilometre radius around a vampire hot spot would not be enough to hide them. So, the
Iunctio
kept them abreast of rules and regulations, hot spots to avoid and places to congregate for protection. They also, on occasion, stepped in to reprimand and control. That
part of the
Iunctio
was run by the council. I'd never met an
Iunctio
council member and I hoped I never would.

He looked back at me, his eyes had been wandering to a different place as he had spoken of the vampire connection, who knows, maybe to the
Iunctio
itself for a brief view, they were centred on me now however. “You should be careful for a short while, my dear. Take extra precautions. Now would not be the time to rush with foolhardiness down dark dead-end alleys.”

He knew where I had been tonight, why did that surprise me, it shouldn't have.

“
This is your war, Michel, not mine. I've still got a job to do, no matter how many rogue vamps enter the city, they can't just chow down willy-nilly on my neighbours.”

He winced slightly at my terminology. “But that is where you are wrong, my dear.” He said it with what sounded like regret, as though he'd had a part in what he was about to tell me, as though it was all his fault.