Kiss of the Dragon (36 page)

"
Ma douce,
" he said, a little breathless from his raucous amusement, "I was counting on it."

It was my turn to shake my head then. Yeah, Michel may have won the hunt, but he'd never be satisfied with a docile reward at the end. I resolved to make sure he spent the rest of his eternal life chasing me, in one way or the other. Couldn't have him growing complacent now, could I?

"How are you feeling,
ma douce?
" Michel asked, breaking into the wicked plans forming in my head.

"OK," I said, with a shrug. "Although I haven't even sat up yet and I think things will change then."

"You still feel the nausea?" he asked, concern shadowing his eyes.

I nodded and sighed. "We need to kill him," I announced out of nowhere. Well, nowhere for Michel, I associated my illness with Avery, so it wasn't news to me I'd want him dead. And that was only one reason to wish for his demise. I could make an extremely long list in favour of staking the Plucking Pervert's heart.

Unbidden images of Matthew and Kathleen came into my head. Where had he killed them? Where were they now?

Michel made a sigh of his own, it sounded weighty. "We found their bodies in the herb garden. Christopher's sword off to the side, but he is long gone." He would have turned to dust and have been blown away by now. But the thought of our dear old friends lying outside waiting for us to arrive, pained me.

Tears started trailing down my cheeks again. You'd think I'd have nothing left to cry.

"Was it swift?" I asked, voice thick.

"
Ma douce,"
Michel said with feeling, clearly not wanting to tell me the truth. But the fact he'd hedged told me what I didn't want to know anyway. Avery had made them suffer. Oh dear Goddess, how did I deal with this knowledge and pain?

Michel gathered me in his arms and rocked my body as sobs tore from my heart up my throat. I felt like I was coming apart. My very existence about to be torn asunder. How did I deal with this? How did I get past this ache in my chest?

Losing Nero had damn near killed me. Many more have died since then. But it doesn't get easier, just because it is familiar. If anything it's harder, because the pain of the most recent loss, just gets added to the rest. Eventually you get buried beneath it. I felt like I was being buried alive.

And as I cried my heart out, tried futilely to release some of that anguish through my screams, Michel held me fiercely. He would never let me go. And somehow, that knowledge, in face of all the sorrow, grounded me. Kept me tethered to the present and didn't let me float away in mindless
grief.

Kathleen and Matthew would not want me to succumb to this agony. Would not want me lose sight of our goals. They both believed that I could be everything I needed to be, to balance the Dark with the Light. And not just my Prophesied responsibilities. Kathleen had reprimanded me in the past, when I had failed to do right by those who needed me. It wasn't just about the Prophesy, it was about what was right and wrong. Kathleen saw in me something that could facilitate a change in our world. Could help to bring all supernaturals together.

They may have been human, but they lived in the supernatural world. What would Kathleen say now if she saw me? She'd huff and puff and tell me to pull my socks up and 'get on with it, girl', although she'd call me 'Mistress'. I ached to just curl up and pretend it hadn't happened, but how would that be honouring my old friend?

I pulled back from Michel and looked around the room we shared, in the home Kathleen and Matthew had found. They'd chosen the
Château
because it was near Michel's birthplace. They'd wanted him to see the area he once called home again. It was a lavish mansion, a castle in more than just name. Nothing like what he would have lived in as a human, but befitting the man he had become.

And Kathleen was proud of her find. And she had died here, with her husband. I suddenly needed to see where they had been buried.

"I'll get Amisi and Sophie to join you," Michel said, hearing the thoughts in my mind. "Are you well enough to dress,
ma douce?
"

I nodded, thoughts of nausea well out of my mind. Even as my stomach rolled unmercifully as I dressed, I refused to give in to the urge to be sick. Sometimes the mind can do miraculous things, like overcome an illness. Mind over matter. Wouldn't Kathleen have approved.

Michel stood at the inner vestibule door beside the kitchen, as the Nosferatins walked me out to the sun. I could tell he didn't want me to go alone, that he wanted to be there for me at this sad time. But I couldn't wait for the sun to set. I owed Kathleen, Matthew and Christopher my respect.

They'd been buried in the corner of the herb garden, under a flowering cherry tree. Kathleen loved this garden and she and Matthew spent many hours tending it. And now I also knew, from what Michel had said, that they had been killed here. I didn't try to look for the spot, to determine if blood still seeped into the pebbled pathway or not. I just knelt down under the tree and prayed to Nut that they were happy in
Elysium
. Because although they were not
other
like us, they were part of who we were. And Nut would take care of them for us, until we could meet again one day up there.

I closed my eyes and spoke directly to them in my head. Promising to avenge their death and live up to what Kathleen was sure I could do. I didn't doubt her. There's not much I doubt now. But I knew the time had come for me finish what Nut had started when she bestowed the Prophesy on me.

And while I was at it, mentally talking to people who were not here, I sent a thought out to Avery. Even if he and I were no longer connected, and such things were thankfully impossible now. I still did it, as though he'd hear it and somehow heed my words.

You've gone too far, Avery Rousseau. Even my Light can't save you now.

The rest of the day was not wasted. Trapped by the sun, the vampires schemed. While the Nosferatins prepared for a celebration that even impending battles would no longer delay. In truth, we all needed something to keep our mind off our losses and our attention on something other than Avery's impending return.

Michel and the other Councillors had devised a plan, one that I only became aware of when I entered one of the sitting rooms on the ground floor and found them deep in conversation with Nero. Nero, not being a Councillor, was there for a reason. And it soon began to fall into place in my mind.

His conversation with Michel in the sitting room attached to our chambers. The fact that he had been Viktor Davydov's vampire. Not of his line, Viktor didn't make Nero, Nut - in a way - did. But Viktor had been powerful enough to control Nero's mind. No longer of course, because I had intervened with my Light. Breaking that connection, severing Viktor's hold. But all of this meant one thing. Nero had a relationship of sorts with Viktor Davydov, Avery Rousseau's right hand man.

"This won't work," I said, interrupting a conversation on what Nero was about to slink away and do. "Viktor will see through the ruse."

"Perhaps," Michel admitted, from his position by the fire.

For the purposes of Council meetings, we'd agreed to keep some space between us. His vampire-within was still over-protective of me, so distance seemed like a wise move. We couldn't show any weakness in front of these men, despite them being on our side. And Michel's tendency to get all fangy when his vampire-within felt I needed him, wasn't a good sign. So I sat on a couch near Gregor, and Michel stood several feet away by the fire.

"But to not try would be remiss," Michel added. "If it does not work, we have lost nothing. If it does work, we lure Avery here, well before he was prepared to confront us. If we set the time and place of our battle, we hold the upper hand."

I kind of understood what he, and the other Councillors, were getting at. Avery Rousseau was not your average vampire. He was manipulative and calculating. A hedonist who got as much fun out of the action, as the preparation itself. He wouldn't be in a hurry to end this, our pain and anxiety would be fuelling that side of himself.

He'd toyed with me in the past, played with my emotions as though conducting a symphony. He was meticulous in his planning. And brutal in his execution. At one stage I had thought he cared for me, but the entire time he'd been setting me up for his trap. Avery was only ever concerned with one outcome.
His
gratification. And any delay in the final battle would be extremely gratifying to the man.

"So, you lure him here, denying him the satisfaction of drawing this out," I mused.

"Yes," Michel agreed. "It is small, in the scheme of things, but it means we have pulled his strings."

How poetic, considering Viktor Davydov had played Puppet Master to Nero. Now we would be Puppet Master to Viktor's ally.

"How do you intend to do this, Nero?" I asked, having missed the first part of this meeting, spending time with Amisi planning her big event this afternoon.

"I am about to make a call and offer up some intelligence, Prophesied," Nero replied, using my title to show me respect in front of all these larger-than-life political players. Still backing my corner, even after he was dead.

"And you think he will simply believe you are still his, when you fought against them in Paris?" I asked, incredulously. "He will know you are on our side."

"No doubt," the Ambrosia said, entering the conversation for the first time since I arrived. "But have you not heard of the term: double agent, Prophesied?"

Huh. I frowned as I thought that through. Nero would make a perfect double agent. He was once on Avery's - or at least Viktor's side - but now was on ours. But he would need a reason to betray us now, after getting everything he desired. His freedom from the Puppet Master and a kindred to double his powers. I couldn't see it. I shook my head, betraying my doubt.

"You lack imagination," the Ambrosia said, but despite the accusing words, he said it gently, as though he was fond of me regardless of this fault.

"I just can't see it working, Ambrosia," I said with an apologetic smile.

"No, you are too close to see what other's would believe," the Ambrosia remarked, but didn't explain further. Instead he picked up a tumbler of amber liquid - probably whiskey, the vampires' preferred alcoholic drink - and started to sip it whilst staring at the fire.

I glared at Michel, who looked like a man with his head on the chopping block. His eyes flicked over the Ambrosia, a flash of magenta letting us all know he didn't appreciate being dropped in it by the ancient vampire.

He cleared his throat. "Viktor and Avery are aware of Nero's history with you," Michel said and then offered a self deprecating smile. "And with me," he added. I blinked slowly at him, already getting where this was going. "He will attempt to make them believe he is unhappy with our relationship. That is the relationship between you, me and him."

"The proverbial love triangle," I remarked, arching my brow at Michel. Nero, Michel and I had never been a love triangle, despite Nero's feelings for me at the time. I didn't reciprocate, therefore a triangle we did not make. But, I admitted to myself, that others could have seen it as that.

"What about Sophie?" I asked, because to make this work, Nero had to act as though he was still in love with me. Which he wasn't. Sophie was his heart's desire now and probably made what he had felt for me, inconsequential.

"They believe," Nero answered, "from what I have heard, that my joining was for power only. To give me the necessary boost required to break Viktor's hold."

"Don't they know about my Light?" I asked. It had been my Light, after all, that broke Viktor's hold.

Nero and Michel both shook their heads. But Nero answered again. "The joining took place within a day of your Light's influence. One power-filled event occludes the other. And as I am joined, they have assumed it was because of that."

I let a long breath of air out. "OK. Go for it," I said, thinking we might as well try.

Michel's lips twitched, but it was the Ambrosia who replied. "So glad we have your approval, Prophesied." Again the words were said with dry humour, not a sting in sight. I smiled back at the ancient vampire winningly, and received a chuckle and shake of his head in return.

"I shall make the call," Nero announced and having received various nods of heads, left the room.

"Where are we with preparations to defend the
Château?
" the Creator asked.

"My daytime guards have been tripled and prepared," Michel answered. "And on nightfall, we will have two hundred more vampyres onsite to raise arms."

My eyes met Michel's. Had he called in some markers to get more here? I knew all of his vampires available were already in the building, as well as all of Gregor's and the other Councillors'. Clearly they had been calling all their nearby lines to them while I had been out. One hundred odd vampires were roaming the shuttered halls of
Le Château.
Three hundred vampires in total by tonight. That was one hell of an army, when Avery's had been decimated to such a degree in Paris.

Could we actually win this?

"The London ghouls have crossed the Channel," Michel said, directly to me in answer to my thoughts. "We have all called on our accord partners. If ever there was a time to fight together for a good cause, this is it."

And it was. Avery threatened the very existence of all Nosferatu as we knew it. Michel may have drastic plans for their future, our future, but Avery's plans were full of Dark not Light. Even today's vampires, on the whole, would not want an utterly Dark existence. With more and more Nosferatins being born and joining, slowly the tide had been changing.

Slowly Light had been outshining the Dark. But now Avery threatened it completely.

"What about Nosferatins?" I asked. If the Nosferatu could unite, couldn't we?

"That is exactly what we hoped you'd say, Prophesied," Gregor announced from my side.

"I'll get on the line to Yves and Arthur. Maybe even those in Rome could make it here by nightfall."

"Agreed," Michel said. "We cannot be more prepared than this."

Speaking of preparations.

"Right, I'll make some phone calls now, but before we all face off against the Plucking Pervert and his Evil Puppet Master mate," - I received several raised eyebrows at those nicknames - "we have a celebration to undertake. In the formal lounge in one hour."

Gregor paled considerably, visibly swallowing past his dry throat. I had to stifle a laugh at his less than enthusiastic reaction. I knew it wasn't because he didn't want to join with Amisi, the man was crazy in love with the girl. No, this was nerves, pure and simple. Gregor, the Enforcer, the
Iunctio's Guillotine
, was shit scared of marrying my best friend.

"Michel," I said, standing to go make my various pitches to the Nosferatin leaders close enough to respond to our call.

Michel nodded, understanding my unspoken - or un-thought - request.

"I will have him there,
ma douce,"
he said with a cheeky grin. "Even if I have to drag him."

"I'll help!" the Ambrosia offered, sounding way younger than his many years.

I gave Gregor a consoling smile, but couldn't stop laughing as I walked from the room.
Time to man up, Enforcer,
I threw at him, knowing he'd be unable to avoid my thought.

It took the full sixty minutes for me to coax the European Nosferatins close enough to respond. Aside from the language barrier with the Italians, I had to give in-depth detailed reports to each group on what had happened so far, and what I predicted would happen from here on in if Avery won this war. In the end, it wasn't really that difficult to convince them to agree to help. It could have been because I am their Prophesied and they actually
listened
to what I had to say, but I think it was more to do with evidence. Everyone had heard of what had happened in Paris. Including what Avery and Viktor had done to the ghouls.

The entire Parisian ghoul population had been destroyed. Over one hundred ghouls in total and not one left standing, because they wouldn't have stopped trying to kill us until Avery - or Viktor - was dead and the compulsion to do so broke. It was... mind numbing, shocking in the extreme. We all felt the loss keenly, even if we didn't like them overly much.

Arthur and his team were setting out to
Saint-Geoire-en-Valldaine
immediately, as were Yves and his team of hunters from Paris. The Parisians' enthusiasm to join the fight at my side making me wonder if we'd actually had that disastrous meeting at all. Somehow I had won them over and I think I had Yves to thank for most of that. The Italians had further to travel, so would be later arriving, perhaps even after the sun set. But they were keen to add what aid they could, and as a back-up when we may well be waning, their fresh faces would be welcomed.

I didn't know the Rome Nosferatins well, only one of them: Marco. But I had saved Marco's life, so their desire to help me, on top of helping the Light win over the Dark, was palpable. I didn't dare tell them that the vampire who had just about drained Marco dry was here as well. Gregor had changed a lot since that day. And he'd found his one Nosferatin who called to him above all others.

Which brought me to now. Walking into the formal lounge, decorated in beautiful white flowers from Kathleen's garden and greenhouse, where everyone who knew them waited for Amisi and Gregor to arrive. Unlike Norm weddings, the 'bride' and 'groom' enter together for a kindred joining. A united front from the very start. Together they are stronger, apart they grow weak.

My eyes sought Michel out immediately, and before I'd sucked in a breath at how good he looked in a tuxedo, I was already at his side.

"Did I just flash here?" I asked breathlessly, blinking at my change in position from a second ago.

Michel smiled down at me, his arms already wrapped around my frame, his body flush against mine.

"You may have," he admitted. His voice was huskier than usual. Did my speed turn him on or was it my need to be at his side? His smile broadened, but he didn't confirm one reason over the other.

I pulled my gaze away from him as I had to look around the room and take in all the hard work from earlier today. Amisi, Sophie, Natalyia and I had spent two hours decorating this room. It looked wonderful. Copious amounts of white candles flickering on every surface. White petals draped over the furniture and the floor, and white blooms - roses, tulips, daisies, pansies, bryonies, daffodils and orchids - springing out in glorious arrangements from every corner. Even though Kathleen was not here to see this, she was here in the fragrance of the flowers throughout the room.

I blinked away tears at the thought and returned my gaze to Michel, who hadn't taken his eyes off me since I arrived.

"You look stunning. Utterly beautiful," Michel whispered, his arms tightening a fraction on those words.

I'd quickly donned a dress for the occasion, a simple satin sheath in a deep purple that matched Michel's dragon's eyes. My dancing dragon necklace hung proudly and beautifully in the centre of my chest as well, adding a dash of bling to the occasion. But that was it. Amisi would be dressed up to the nines though. Sophie and Natalyia helped her out with that while I dealt with the Council and calling the Nosferatins. So, I hadn't seen what they had chosen for her to wear. She had full run of my wardrobe, not having many clothes here herself, and would have had to alter something. Amisi is a fair few inches taller than me.