The Dark Gifts Birthright (7 page)

“
I told you I would always be with you.
Did you doubt me?” Chuckle.

Relief filled her for the second time that
day. Liz brought her hands to her face, covering her eyes, and
tried to contain the tidal wave of emotion flooding through
her.

And then he was there, right in front of her.
She had never even heard the door open. Without thinking, she raced
into his open arms. Wrapped in that safe haven, she was grateful to
be near him again. “I couldn't...they didn't--”

He held her and stroked her hair, “It’s all
right. Everything will be fine now. They will not separate us
again, at least not for long periods of time. It’s not completely
over, but the worst of it is.”

If a vampire could cry, tears would have
rolled down her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck pulling
him close, and didn’t ever want to let go.

He pushed her back and looked into her eyes.
They assured him she had not been injured, but he needed to make
certain that no hurt had come to this woman who had so quickly
become everything to him. He wasn’t quite ready to let go of her
either. He tensed as he released her. “They're coming.”

Dread enveloped her as she prepared to face
the Council once again.

The room filled with cloaked figures. Not
just the six from before, but a total of fourteen by the time they
everyone had entered. They crossed the threshold with purpose; it
was obvious to Liz they considered this meeting vital. Only one of
the attendees seemed at ease. Hood pulled back and smiling, Athena
sauntered into the room as if this were nothing more than a
friendly visit. Winking at Liz, she sat on the couch across from
her, and daintily crossed her legs.

“Be seated,” said a voice from the
doorway.

Liz looked up at the imposing figure. His
face was fatherly, kind, yet stern. There was an air about him that
said he was not someone to be trifled with. His tall, wide frame
brushed against the sides of the doorway as he stepped inside.

Michael pulled her down on the couch beside
him, gave her a wink, and set his face with a mask of serenity.

The commanding figure strolled to the seat
closest to the fire and sat. He glanced at Liz and Michael and
proceeded to speak. “We show ourselves to a select few who are not
Council members. Athena,” his eyes shifted to the smiling beauty,
“professes undying faith in your ability to withhold her secret. I
am Gregorio, Michael’s maker, thus my risk is minimal. Listen well,
Elizabeth, and heed what is said. You are now under vampire rule
and law, and any laws that are broken will be dealt with swiftly
and without prejudice. Is this understood?”

“Yes sir,” she answered.

It was difficult for Liz to remain still. She
tried not to fidget and squirm, but nervousness overrode her will.
Michael wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. At first
it relaxed her and helped to ease her anxiety, however, the
electric current between them made it nearly impossible to
concentrate on what was being said. She felt the muscles under his
shirt flex as his arm tightened around her. His sweet, musky scent
enveloped her senses, igniting desire. She barely kept her wits
about her. Leaning forward to put some distance between them, she
prepared to listen.

“This is a very unusual circumstance,”
continued the mountainous man. “Your questions will be answered in
time, but for now you will listen. As you know, Michael is the hand
of the Council. For you to come to being without Council permission
was of great significance to us. Michael is the one called upon to
deal with law breakers, and enforce our justice upon them. Should
you break any law, it would be his duty to bring justice to
you.”

He cleared his throat and looked directly
into Michael’s eyes as he continued. “This is a burdensome request,
especially considering the connection. Even I experienced some
difficulty rendering an unbiased decision concerning Michael. He is
my son, so to speak.”

Someone in the room muttered.

Liz could not tell if it had been vocal or in
her mind, but it was obvious, to some extent, not everyone agreed
with the decision to allow them to live. Tension rose within her as
her eyes darted around the room.

Michael slid his hand across his lap and
entwined her fingers within his own, giving her reassuring squeeze.
A vision of it wandering up her thigh flashed into another of his
lips pressed against hers. She sucked in air, shot him a furtive
glance, and tried to listen to Gregorio.

“You were spared not by me, but by the
Council and the Eldest. The Eldest’s word is law and infallible. He
is the strongest and wisest among us; we will eternally abide by
his decision.”

Soft murmurs disturbed the pervading
quiet.

He flashed a challenging look that quieted
the dissenters. “We believe you are a changeling. Stories, fables
if you will, have been passed down for centuries. Humans, with
little and sometimes no provocation at all who seem to
spontaneously evolve into vampires. We cannot pass up this chance
to study you.”

Another vision of his hand running down the
small of her bare back flashed. Her eyes closed with the sensation
of it. Taking another deep breath, she squeezed his hand with all
her might. Two silent barely perceivable heaves of his chest told
her he’d stifled a laugh.

“Due to this, it is imperative we discover
any genetic traits which could have allowed this to happen. We
cannot have humans turning into vampires over night. The
secret--”

When a vision of them lying naked, entwined
in each other’s arms flickered to life, she glanced at Michael.
“
Would you stop?
”

“
Shhh. Listen.
” He scolded. However,
his eyes smoldered with such heat as their gazes locked that Liz
was afraid everyone in the room was seeing the same vision.
“
It’s just us in here. I’m sorry. I’ll quit.
”

She sat back with an audible sigh and
concentrated on the man before her.

His eyes softened as his voice took on a
concerned tone. “There is another very important reason for you to
stay with us, Elizabeth. Should you go back into the outside world,
you would be at risk from those seeking revenge against Michael. He
has made many enemies, as have we all. This is why we do not show
ourselves to others. Although it is against vampire law to kill one
of our own, many would do so gladly, even knowing their life is
forfeit, to repay Michael or the rest of us for loved ones that
were put to death.”

Clearing his throat again, he looked
uncomfortable.

Liz shifted in her seat.

“The connection is an amazing thing. It is
most similar to the human emotion of love. It is different for each
individual. For example, I made Michael. He is not, nor has he ever
been, my lover. I have never wanted for such things, but I did
desire a son and heir. Michael filled that void. Some change in
need of children, or lovers, or best friends. The connection
satisfies the emptiness the individual maker requires to be filled.
There are some covens that are an entire family: grandparents,
parents, children, spouses. Those are rare. Most of us choose to
live in small groups. Sometimes just pairs, though generally there
are at least three. We call this a nest. Until now, Michael’s
disassociation with other vampires made him the perfect hand of the
Council.

“Human stories paint a bleak picture of the
vampire nature. At one point, the cold, heartless, bloodthirsty
beasts your culture embraces were the epitome of vampires. This has
not been the case for many decades now. We do drink human blood,
though some of us prefer animal over human. We do not kill humans
unless in self-defense, or in need of keeping the primary law. This
is the culture the vampire nation has embraced. There are a radical
few who do not accept our law. They long for the old ways. It is
Michael’s job to seek them out and destroy them. Therefore, his
connection with you makes him vulnerable.” He searched Michael’s
face as if reading what he saw there, and then asked, “Could you,
Michael, continue to do your job without prejudice if an outlaw
coven captured Elizabeth?”

Michael returned his stare. Raw emotion
flooded his voice as he answered, “No. I would destroy every last
member of their coven to get her back.”

Gregorio sighed sympathetically and turned
his gaze to Liz. “Just your existence has seriously complicated his
ability to live not only by the law, but to in fact be the hand of
the Council. Therefore it is the Council’s decree that you reside
here in the fortress so that we might not only keep you safe, but
continue to utilize Michael’s special abilities.”

***

The room was empty now except for Michael and
Liz. She’d received information, but not anything she felt she
needed to know. And the question time she’d been promised
disappeared with the council members. Still nestled in the crook of
his arm, and mind reeling, she tried to think.

Michael sat quietly beside her, waiting for
her to speak. As if of their own volition, his fingers toyed with a
strand of her hair while his thoughts drifted into a previously
unknown realm.

It was so strange, this knowing a person
inside and out. Caring for someone or something other than war or
battle was foreign to him. It was all new and wonderful, yet the
weight of the responsibility these new emotions carried seemed
terrible at the same time. Michael had never dreamed it could be
like this. He’d always been a loner. That’s why his father picked
him in the first place. He was intelligent and diligent. An amazing
swordsman for such a young man, Michael at twenty-three had all the
makings of a dedicated assassin.

Gregorio had been one of the emperor’s
closest advisors and a brilliant strategist in his own right. He’d
singled Michael out early in the young man’s career, and helped
guide him through the maze of red tape involved in climbing the
ranks of the Roman army. And of course, provided the training
needed to make him a truly great assassin. Over the centuries,
Michael had perfected his deadly skills. An expert with every
weapon, he preferred hand-to-hand combat. Michael never concerned
himself with love or with nesting; he was born to kill. To uphold
the vampire law had been his prime directive even before the
Council had united.

He was nearing thirty when Gregorio turned
him. It was his choice, a choice to be the ultimate killing
machine. Not that he killed for malice; to kill because one could
was to be a monster. For him, there was righteousness in it. The
cleansing of wrongs and making things right, to further a higher
purpose was his calling. Turning the tides of wars and bettering
the lives of others his ultimate goal and he was definitely well
suited to it. So any thoughts of love… Love? Yes, it was definitely
more than just the connection now. He loved her. With all his
heart, soul, and being, he loved her. Even the necessity of living
in the fortress and the complete loss of his freedom, seemed a
worthy price for her safety.

“Love is a four letter word,” she said with a
smile.

Michael looked down into her face, wondering
exactly when she had started paying attention to his thoughts.

She winked. “About the part where you were a
killing machine. Very scary stuff.” Her gaze shifted toward her
hands folded in her lap. “It’s hard to imagine you that way
now.”

“I am what I am,” he said. Taking her face in
his hands, he tenderly kissed her forehead, eyes, and then moved
down to her soft lips. Softly at first, then as his passion grew it
became much more intense. She responded with such fervor that he
almost could not contain himself. Then with a sigh, he pulled back.
“Someone is coming. I hope this isn’t going to set precedence for
us,” he laughed.

A quick knock on the door, and Athena was in
front of them. “I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but there has been
an incident, Michael. You are needed.”

“Well, no rest for the wicked,” he joked.
Leaning over, he kissed Liz one last time and was gone.

“Everyone moves so quickly around here, it's
like being on another planet,” she said as her eyes remained
focused on the closed door.

“You’ll get used to it and many other things
as well. I have things to attend to, so I must leave you to your
own devices. Someone will come shortly to show you around the
fortress and take you to your apartment.”

“Apartment?”

“Michael’s apartment dear, he chose not to
live with us, but we have always kept his rooms. His father would
not permit them to be used by others. Trouble is brewing, so I must
fly!”

Liz leaned back on the couch and watched the
wood crackle and burn in the fireplace. It was like being a part of
a blockbuster movie that never ended. Laughing to herself, she
wondered which famous star would play her character's roll in the
movie. Then sobering, her thoughts turned to her family, home, and
all she had left behind. “I can do this,” she assured herself.

“Of course you can!” An unfamiliar voice
answered.

Liz bolted from the couch.

“Oops, sorry!” said the beautiful, laughing
girl.

She looked about sixteen. With a petite
cheerleader’s body, beautiful waist length golden hair, and
porcelain skin, she looked more like a doll than a person. “I’m
Angie,” she said. “Your tour director on this cruise.”

Her eyes twinkled with merriment and Liz knew
immediately that other than Michael, this girl would be her one joy
in this place. She offered her hand to introduce herself, sending
Angie into a fit of giggles.

“I know who you are silly. Everyone knows who
you are! How old are you? Twenty? Twenty-one? I’m so excited to
finally have someone here that is at least close to my age. Well
not my real age, but the age I was and will always be. Isn’t it
great? Don’t you think it’s just wonderful to never grow old?”
Angie rattled on so quickly Liz could hardly keep up with the
changing conversation. They walked out the doorway and down the
tunnel, Angie chattering the whole time.