Kiss of the Dragon (11 page)

Besides, I had my own job to do.

"Right," I said resolutely, causing Michel to pull his forehead away from mine. He smiled down at me, no doubt having heard my rambling, but I think quite accurate, mental monologue. "Time to get a move on," I added, and his smile widened.

I shook my head at him, a smile of my own gracing my lips, and turned to finish packing my bag. I was already dressed, I could be quick when the need arose, and the desire to watch Michel dress earlier had made me dress in record time. I had on my normal hunting gear, even though I had no intention of hunting when we landed in London. Black short mini skirt, tights as it would be colder in England, knee high boots, with a black fitted T-shirt and jacket. My stakes and dagger were already in place, but my Svante sword was sitting in its sheath next to my bag. I'd put that on when we were about to land at Heathrow. I was wearing my dancing dragon necklace, I don't think I'd ever take that off again.

"Ready?" Michel asked, once I'd zipped up my bag.

"Absolutely," I replied, with a modicum of false bravado. I may be able to tell myself this was all necessary, my head may believe it. But my heart never would acquiesce so easily. I would miss him, there was no denying that.

"I will miss you also,
ma douce
," Michel said softly, proving just how much he was inside my head right now. He walked the short distance between us, clasped my upper arms bringing my body forward and my lips in line for a slow, sexy and delicious kiss.

When we parted, I was breathless.

"How do you do that?" I asked, a little embarrassed by my body's reaction to a simple - or not so simple - kiss.

He chuckled, but didn't answer, just wrapped an arm around my shoulders and turned me towards the door to the room. Marcus appeared in the next instant, nodded to Michel and proceeded to grab my bag and sword from the bed. Clearly Michel had sent out a telepathic message to my guard as soon as we were ready to leave. I wondered how long Marcus had been waiting outside for the signal. Goddess I hoped it hadn't been for the past hour and a half.

Everyone was waiting downstairs in the entranceway. Talking quietly, patiently waiting for their master and mistress to be ready to leave the house. Everyone that is, except Samson. My eyes searched the gathered crowd. Matthew and Kathleen were there. Christopher, my
Tego Texi Tectum
duo. M&M, as well as Michel's shadow guards; Antonio and Ricardo. Even the two Parisian Nosferatins. But no Samson.

Michel went to talk quietly with Matthew and Kathleen, so I approached Natalyia to find out where my vampire had got to. Surely he was here somewhere.

"Mistress," Natalyia said in her deep Russian accented voice. If I closed my eyes, I'd have a hard time telling her voice apart from her brother's.

"Hey. Where's Samson?" I was never one to beat about the bush.

"He has left, Mistress," she said, softly. Maybe to cushion the blow she knew her words would give.

"Left?" I asked, but my voice was flat.

"Yes. He took an earlier flight out of Grenoble back to New Zealand."

I didn't know what to say. Samson, the first vampire of my
Lux Lucis Tribuo
line, had left without saying good-bye. It felt like a knife had sliced right through my heart. They say you shouldn't have a favourite. That you should love all your children equally. And Sergei and Natalyia were loved. But Samson...

Michel appeared at my side out of nowhere, his arm wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me close to his chest. His head buried in the side of my neck, hot breath across my skin. A protective move, aimed to soothe me, to buffer me from the world. But he couldn't buffer me from what Samson had done. From what Samson's actions had made me feel.

My vampire was suffering and he wouldn't let me close enough to help. I
wanted
to help him, but he couldn't even stay long enough to say good-bye.

How could I help Samson, if he was hell-bent on running so far away from me?

Two helicopters waited out under the moon and stars for us, not far from the
Château
. One much larger than the other, both jet black and sleek. Vampire pilots stood patiently next to each machine. I didn't know either of them, but they were clearly of Michel's line. Michel had a large vampire family, even though I had known him for over three years now, there were still parts of Michel's life I hadn't yet been introduced to. A five hundred year old vampire has a long history.

Our entourage walked towards the helicopters, splitting up between the two. M&M, Sergei, Natalyia, and Sophie all walked towards the smaller of the choppers, while Antonio, Ricardo, Yves and I noticed two more vampire guards of Michel's line, traipsed towards the larger machine. Michel stopped next to me. I could feel his eyes on my face as I stared out numbly towards our separated groups.

My mind was stuck back on Samson. I needed to get my head in the game by the time we landed in London. But I just didn't have it in me to be too concerned with that yet. We would be transferring to Michel's private jet at Grenoble Airport. There was still time.

Michel sighed, bringing my attention back to him at my side.

"Give him time,
ma douce
," he said quietly. "He does not realise he hurts you. He is hurting too much himself to be aware."

"You're defending him," I said, slightly surprised that Michel wasn't breaking land-speed records in an effort to whack some sense into Samson for causing me grief.

"Oh, if he were here I would have something to say to his face. As it is, he will receive a visit from Doug upon his return to Auckland." Oh. That's OK then. Michel huffed out a sound which was clearly meant to be a laugh. It made me turn towards him, to catch the expression on his face before it was gone. I wasn't disappointed. His lips were tipped up at the edges, magenta shone brightly out of his eyes.

My body automatically swayed towards his. The evidence of his emotional response to my upset made me want fervently to soothe him with a touch. My hand was cupping his cheek before I realised it had moved from my side. He leaned his face into my palm, closing his eyes briefly, denying me their beauty. I missed their purplish-red light.

When his eyelids lifted, they'd toned down to an amethyst colour, equally as compelling as the dragon's magenta, but clearly evidence that Michel was back in control. I heard the helicopters begin their pre-flight wind-up behind us, indicating it was time to pull back. I didn't move. Neither did Michel. Our eyes locked on each other, unable and unwilling to look away.

"This is hard," I said, as the choppers really started to get going. The wind had picked up around us and I'd had to shout to be heard above the rotor blades.

"Yes, it is," Michel replied, a muscle in his jaw twitching, his eyes once again shining a magenta light.
Go, ma douce
, he whispered in my mind. For once Michel was unable to be the strong one and do the pulling away. He couldn't even say the words aloud. He was struggling and it was so unlike him, that I did exactly what he asked. Hell, he could have asked me anything, right at the moment, and I would have gladly obliged. I would have done whatever was necessary to make this easier on him.

When I climbed aboard the helicopter and settled in my seat, I finally raised my eyes to look outside. Michel hadn't moved from where I'd left him on the grass outside the
Château
, despite his helicopter being as ready to take off as ours. Magenta still shone in his eyes. His gaze held mine. We didn't break eye contact until our helicopter had risen too high in the night sky to maintain it. I felt like I was leaving a piece of me behind, on the lawn below.

I let a long breath of air out and closed my eyes, suddenly realising they felt dry. I hadn't blinked at all, while watching him get further and further away. It had only been a few seconds, but to my heart and dry eyes, it felt like an eternity.

Someone's hand clasped mine in my lap reassuringly. I turned my head and found Natalyia's face next to mine, her own head resting back on the headrest mirroring me. She squeezed my hand softly, but didn't pull away. We held on to each other until the helicopter began its descent at Grenoble Airport, Michel's
Gulfstream G650
waiting under floodlights on the tarmac below.

Somehow exiting the helicopter caused a shift in my emotions. I still felt like a gaping hole was severing my heart, but I could breathe again. Focus again. I rolled my shoulders as I approached Michel's cabin steward, James, at the bottom of the retractable stairs to the jet, and felt my courage and resolve and determination to do my job, settle back into place. It would get easier, I was sure, but it would always hurt, in some degree, to walk away from my kindred.

James fluffed around us once we were settled and the jet had taken off. Offering coffee and for me and Sophie, chocolate biscuits - my favourites, no less. There was a heightened anticipation in all of the vampires on-board. An excitement to finally be doing something again. I wondered what they had been doing while I was in
Álfheimr
, whether their time had been spent cooped up at the
Château
or back in London at Michel's dreary Victorian house. Or worse still, at the
Palais
, near the
Iunctio
and Michel. Whatever it had been, they seemed to be electrified now, about to embark on a mission for their Champion.

"You all seem keen to be getting on with this," I remarked to Natalyia, who had taken it upon herself to sit close to me again.

"We are happy to be at your service, Mistress," she replied steadily.

"And to fulfil the Champion's request, no doubt," I supplied, sipping my delicious fluffy coffee. Goddess I was a coffee addict and had missed it in
Álfheimr
. Another, albeit small in the scheme of things, perk of being back in Earth's realm.

"Of course, we are the Champion's servants." I cringed at her choice of words, I had never taken to the notion of servants before, but to the Nosferatu, it was a given. "But, it is because we are again with you, that you sense our emotional wellbeing on the air," Natalyia added, breaking into my thoughts on servitude. "It is
you
we are happy to serve more."

I frowned slightly at her words. I'd never considered Sergei and Natalyia servants, nor Marcus and Matthias either, for that fact. Friends foremost. Guards as a necessity. But servants? No. Still, it was the way of the Nosferatu. Master and servant. I may well not like it, but I had to accept it. As long as I didn't act like a tyrant and boss them about without a care.

"Well, I'm happy to be back with you too," I said and offered a smile. Nataliya graced me with one of her rare smiles in return.

"How do you plan to approach the Master of London City?" she asked, focusing on the task at hand. Our reunion now dealt with.

"I'll let him know I'm in the city as soon as we arrive at Michel's house." There's no way I was going to overlook advising Amun Nadeem that the most powerful Nosferatin in the world was walking his streets. The last time I delayed confronting the man, I'd paid for it dearly. Amun might have looked like an old friend - his resemblance to Nero, my former Nosferatin trainer, was uncanny - but he certainly didn't act like one. "He'll no doubt summon us to him straight away, he can never resist an opportunity to show off. But I also want to touch base with Arthur and see what he knows of the problems Michel suspects are centred in London. His Nosferatins may well be aware of more than we already know."

"What about the ghouls, Mistress? Will you attempt an information exchange with them?"

My Light pulsed automatically in preparation for a confrontation with London's ghouls. The vampires'
Sanguis Vitam
in the cabin escalated in response to my lack of control. It wasn't like I thought Geoff, the cut-throat head of the London ghouls, was about to jump out from behind a leather clad couch or anything, it's just that the thought of having to barter information with the tricky ghoul was not comforting at all. The last time I had entered into an info exchange - the only form of payment a ghoul works in - he and his community of fresh flesh eaters almost attacked Michel and myself. Not to mention set us up for a confrontation with a fairy that almost cost Michel his life.

I made a concerted effort to rein my Light back in and watched as the vampires did the same to their
Sanguis Vitam
. All eyes were on me now, including Sophie's, whose had doubled in size at the threat display I'd so ridiculously started. I rolled my head on my shoulders and took a deep breath in.

"Yes, the ghouls," I said in way of answer to Nataliya. "I think we'll consider them a last resort."

"Fair call," Matthias added, from his seat across the cabin.

"Not exactly my idea of a good night out on the town," Marcus threw in for good measure.

Sergei and Natalyia just frowned, both having not been involved in the exchange with Geoff and his group of blood thirsty London
Jinn
.

"I will call on them if we need to," I added, wanting them all to be prepared for the worst. "We do need to find out what's happening in London and how it will affect the
Iunctio
."

"We go willingly where you go, Mistress," Sergei said solemnly, Natalyia nodded in agreement with her brother.

"Well, maybe not willingly," Marcus added in a grumble and received a scowl from Natalyia for his efforts. He just shot her a dazzling smile, which for some reason made her blush. I decided not to dwell on her reaction, if something was still going on between them, I'd rather not know.

"Fine," I said, as we felt the plane begin to make its descent. "First Amun and then Arthur. Then if we have to, the ghouls. I wouldn't mind finding out what Sebastian Cole is up to as well. I don't particularly trust the
Nathair-Sgiathach
."

"The more information we can gather, the better," Sergei agreed and the others nodded assent. At least we were all on the same page, now we just had to deal with the multitude of egotistical and maniacal personalties that made up the London supernatural community. Not to mention the bloody city itself. Oh, happy times.

It didn't take us long to clear customs and before we knew it we were piled into two Range Rovers and on our way to South Kensington and Michel's London based home. The thought that the Gothic monstrosity wouldn't even have Christopher to lighten the rooms on this visit didn't make me happy at all. Natalyia would no doubt fall into the role of nurturer and Sophie and I would be eating
Borscht
and
Ukha
until it came out of our ears. Not that either was bad, but I could really go a steak and kidney pie round about now. I'd even settle for Bubble and Squeak.

It was just as I had remembered it. Tall pale and impressive from the outside, fitting in with the row of beautifully presented homes on either side. But once the front door was opened, the oppressive and dark interior threatened to overwhelm. Sergei lit a fire in the sitting room immediately, knowing how much I craved the light it gave off. While Natalyia and Marcus took our bags upstairs and showed Sophie where she would be staying.

I didn't delay, but picked up the phone and dialled Amun's number. Not his personal one, but the one manned by his front-line staff. Announcing I was here was imperative. He'd already know, nothing gets past a Master Vampire of his standing, but with the official notification out of the way, I wouldn't have to face his reprisals. I'd get a summons in due course, but first I really needed an update from Arthur.

I tried his land line, but just got voice mail. His cellphone wasn't much better. Neither was Marie's, my former protégée. I went down the list of those on his team and received voice mail after voice mail. Either they were all on a massive coordinated hunt, or they didn't want to be disturbed by the Prophesied Nosferatin who pooh-poohed their city when last here. I left messages where necessary and threw myself into an armchair admitting, for now, defeat. First night here and already I'd come up against a wall.

Thinking of walls, I dialled Sebastian's number before I could think better of it. The first time I met Sebastian he'd acted like an invisible wall when I was on a hunt. I absently rubbed my rear feeling the ghost of a pain landing on my butt had caused me when I repeatedly slammed into his "wall". Fond memories they were not.

"Little Cousin!" came his Scottish-laced reply down the phone. "You arrived safely then, lass."

I didn't let the fact that he knew I was on the way here alarm me. He was still under the employ of the Champion. It would be feasible that Michel had already warned him to be of assistance to me on this visit. But just because Michel trusted the dragon-shifter enough to use him, did not mean that I did too. Michel was a good judge of character, but he was also a consummate businessman. If working with Sebastian served a purpose, he would, despite any misgivings or trust issues. Michel was not above using an asset when needed, and Sebastian was no doubt exactly that.

"Hello, Sebastian," I said a little coolly. My political mask was never as good as Michel's. I resolved to try harder. "Have you been well?" I cringed at that poor attempt.