Kindred (46 page)

There's a group of American Families with a representative?
Now was not the time to be sidetracked, so I hadn't flung that thought out to Michel.

So, where does that leave me now? Do I tell him to leave and piss off America? Or is that what you want?

The look Michel gave me was unexpected, surprise, a sort of astonishment.
You would consult my wishes?

Of course.
I'm your Nosferatin. And, yes, I hadn't sent that little titbit of information flying through to his head. But it was how I felt. We were in this together, even if sometimes I didn't really want to and sometimes I wondered whether I had even been cornered into this deal without any chance of escaping from the start and sometimes he did things that made me mad. The truth was, I was here now, and ever the practical person that I am, I knew I couldn't do this without Michel. So, I wasn't going to fight it any more.

Tell him to leave. The American Families will take the inference that it is. I will not be bullied.

I couldn't imagine that Michel would ever be bullied, but maybe the American Council, whoever they were, were bigger than even him. It wasn't a reassuring thought.

I turned back to the vampire who had been watching us intently, all too aware that we had been communicating telepathically, yet another confirmation of the strength of our relationship. Only those Bonded could do this and we shouldn't have been Bonded just yet.

“
Well, you've kind of put a dampener on my evening. You see,  I've already had a shit of a night and I'd thought coming here would change all of that. But, you're just one more supernatural to piss me off. So, here's the thing. Get out of my city and get off my land.”

He stared at me incredulously, his mouth gaping open, his brow slightly furrowed. Michel stepped forward and in a low growl said, “I believe she has evicted you. I suggest you not waste time in obeying her command. She is incredibly beautiful when in a rage, but I fear you would not win.”

The vampire took one look at me, then back at Michel. “The Families shall hear of this.”

“
Oh, I do hope so,” Michel said evenly, then flashed his fangs.

With that the vampire vanished, a blur of colour as he raced from the room. Bruno, a flash as he followed with several others of Michel's clan, no doubt to ensure the vampire left as requested and didn't come back.

“
Well, that was fun, my dear,” Michel said turning to take my hand. “Shall we retire?

The music started playing again and the vampires in the club visibly relaxed, the humans not so much, but the chill had definitely left the room.

We walked towards the private door to Michel's quarters and I said softly, “So, are we at war with the Americans now too?”

He laughed, that lovely rich, deep rumble in his chest I've come to love. “So it would seem.”

Oh crap.

Michel threw his jacket on a chair in the corner of his chamber, took his shoes off and undid his deep blue on blue tie, leaving it hanging around his neck in strands that caught the light every now and then and shimmered slightly. He grabbed a bottle of Merlot which had been left out on his dresser with two glasses nearby and filled both, then turned to hand one to me. He looked tired, really tired. That took me by surprise.

I've only ever seen Michel tired once before, in Taupo, after the battle with Max. He'd lowered his guard, that façade he keeps on most of the time and sat sprawled on the couch with his hand over his head. It was a sight I hadn't expected to see again, Michel's power level has increased tremendously since that time, I couldn't imagine what would tire him now.

He came and sat on the bed beside me, stretching his long legs out in front of him and resting back against the copious gold and brown cushions. He levelled his gaze at me. “Why are you looking at me like that,
ma douce
?”

I hadn't realised I had been looking at him in any particular way, but now he mentioned it, he did make it feel like I had been staring and maybe there was a look of worry there too.

“
You look so tired. What's happened? What's wrong?”

He smiled his lazy smile and motioned for me to come and cuddle in. I didn't need to be asked twice. The need to be near him still so strong, it was the dominant emotion in my body right now, one I had no intention of fighting. He felt warm and soft, the smell of him now so familiar, fresh and clean, like when it has just stopped raining. He wrapped his arm around my body and I rested my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat steadily thumping, feeling his chest rise and fall.

“
It was a long night and day,
ma douce
, I have only now just returned with Bruno.”

I sat up a little at that and turned to look directly at him. “I didn't realise you weren't back. I mean I sensed you were OK, but I hadn't even picked up you weren't in Auckland.” I was a little worried about that, was there something wrong with our Bond?
Did it matter if there was
, my little voice asked. I ignored it.

“
Perhaps you did not try to seek me?” His eyebrow was slightly raised, his voice light, but I thought I noticed a small muscle twitch in his jaw, a sure sign that he was not impressed and trying to hide it.

“
I...I don't know.”

He reached up then and stroked my face. “It is all right, my dear, it means the Bond has settled. I thought that would be welcome news to you, to not be so ruled by its whims.” And he was right of course, I couldn't help the sense of relief that flooded through me. The Bond had allowed me to have a normal day, a normal day that turned to custard, but not because of the Bond. I was happy, I was hopeful, this could mean a return to some form of normality for me. This was what I had wanted. Then why did I also feel a little let down?

I had begun to think our Bond was special, unique. Different from those of others. Stronger, more powerful. I hadn't realised I wanted that, a strength of connection to Michel and dare I say it, power. What was I becoming?

I settled back against his chest, my failing moral standards could wait for analysis at a later date. He was home, he was safe and we were together.

“
So, why so busy all of a sudden?”

Michel took a sip of his wine before he replied. “My line has increased dramatically in a short period of time. Provision for that number needed to be arranged. I have established a base in Wellington. It was... not quite as straight forward as I had hoped.”

“
How hard was it? What happened?”

“
Nothing for you to fear,
ma douce
, just politics as they are.” For some reason I didn't believe him. He was hiding something. It wasn't anything overtly obvious, just a gut reaction.
I'd been around Michel a lot lately, I had a kindred Nosferatin connection to him, a Bond, but this was all just good old familiarity. I knew Michel, or as well as anyone could know a master vampire, and I knew he was hiding something.

“
You know I don't believe you.”

“
Yes, I can tell.”

“
Then why won't you tell me? We are meant to be together, side by side and all that crap, aren't we?

He cringed. “
All that crap
? How eloquent, my dear. For something so sacred and revered as a kindred joining and Bond, it really does not do it justice.”

“
You're stalling.”

He smiled. “Could it be that I wish to protect you, Lucinda? Keep something of the horrors of my world from you for a little longer? Would you begrudge me that?”

“
No. But I think it's more of a case of what you think I
need
to know or not. And I'm guessing this is a need to know.”

He looked at me for a full minute, not dead still, vampire still. He was breathing and his heart was beating, he was just taking me in, I think. Searching for a reason to give in to this argument. He sighed.

“
I have no doubt you will send me to an early grave,
ma douce
.” I seriously doubted that, but I'd allow him his moment of melodrama if it meant he'd open up about this. “There have been some vampire killings in the South Island. Not many of my line venture that far south, but some have recently felt the need. The killings have now crossed Cook Strait and we had a few episodes in Wellington last night.” Seeing the look on my face; worry, surprise, amazement, he continued. “I believe it to be an isolated event, but, nonetheless, I have arranged an investigation by some of my best. Establishing a base in Wellington seems prudent for more than just accommodating increased numbers in my line.”

He reached out and brushed my hair from my face, where it had fallen forward over my eye and tucked it behind my ear. “It really is nothing for you to worry about. My men have it in hand. Besides, we have more pressing matters to attend. I have heard from Nafrini.”

That got my attention. We hadn't expected to be in touch with the Cairo vampire until we landed, her contacting now could mean only one thing.

“
The
Cadre
have struck in Cairo. Capturing one of the immature Nosferatin. She requests our presence urgently. Nafrini is holding the rest of the
Cadre
off, but seeking the stolen Nosferatin is of utmost importance, they have not been able to follow the trail. She has requested we assist in the hunt.”

“
Can they spare any of their own to assist us?”

“
I believe they are cornered. The fight is quite intense. They cannot leave their compound at present, hence they cannot follow the trail.”

That was unheard of. If the
Cadre
could hold down a powerful joined Nosferatu and her kindred Nosferatin, then they were stronger than I had imagined. Way stronger.

Michel could feel my understanding of what he had said, the consequences of what was happening. “This is not good news,
ma douce
. They are indeed stronger than we had expected. But I will not endanger you by leaving before your 25
th
birthday. Nafrini will have to hold them off.”

Hold them off.
But, by the time my birthday came around in another three days time, the immature Nosferatin could be joined and where would that leave us?

What did we know about the
Cadre
? They were a group of vampires hell bent on taking over the world and they saw the Nosferatin as their means to achieve it. They believed it their right to hunt humans unhindered, that their status and power put them in that rightful place of
on top
. Max had been a member of that group and he had come to New Zealand specifically to get me, when he had heard of my success, my exploits you might say. There's not too
many of us left, so we do stand out when we kill a few of their kind. He had intended to join with me, to give him the power needed to vanquish those vampires who opposed the
Cadre
. Those vampires like Nafrini and Michel.

And now what was left of the group seemed even stronger than Max. Could it be that they were just more organised? Or that there were just more of them than Nafrini's line could handle? Could there be that many?

Or was it something else? I was beginning to get that creepy feeling between my shoulder blades, hair on end, shiver down my spine. Like someone had walked over my grave. This didn't feel right and my body was trying to tell me to stay the hell out of it, but I knew I couldn't. We couldn't leave Nafrini and Nero to their fate, it was not in my nature. If I could do something to help, I would. Besides, what would happen if the
Cadre
did succeed? It wasn't worth thinking about.

We needed to know more about what was happening in Cairo though, otherwise we could be walking into a trap.

“
Did Nafrini say anything else?”

“
Communications were cut off. She did not have time.”

“
Cut off?”

“
Her end, not ours. I'd say the
Cadre
were preventing her from calling in reinforcements from other vampire lines.”

A thought suddenly occurred to me, the land lines and even cell cover may have been cut off, but not satellite. “I could use my satellite phone to get in touch.”

“
You have a satellite phone,
ma douce
? Why would you need that?” His eyebrows were raised in a questioning manner. He looked genuinely intrigued, like he hadn't had any idea at all that I had one. OK. So, Michel hadn't left the satellite phone on my bed, but who had? And if Michel hadn't have left the phone, entering my apartment when he shouldn't have been able to, then did he even leave those orange roses? But then, the roses had a card with his writing on it, so it had to have been him that time, right? But the phone, that was obviously a different matter.

Now wasn't the time to get bogged down by it though, we needed answers, and we needed them quickly. Going home to grab my phone would take too long, but I knew another way to find out what was happening.