The Mortal One (The Mortal One Series) (13 page)

Costin’s entire weight came crashing into me. This started a chain reaction where Olivier staggered backwards and had no choice but to release his grip on me. I fell into the chair, which quickly tipped over with my weight. I then found myself on the floor, sprawled awkwardly with my feet on top of the chair.

I blinked, taking a moment to realize what was going on.

Olivier was composing himself and quickly looked over at me. He leaned past Costin to try and meet my gaze.

What the hell was he about to do? I looked back at Costin and the stranger. I scooted out of the chair the rest of the way and over to the wall, my feet out in front of me. “What’s going on?” I could not read the look of determination on Olivier’s face.

“Fight it,” Costin ordered as he crouched by Olivier.

“How?”

Costin looked over at me but said nothing. He didn’t know. I was convinced of it. I had a feeling it had to do with the electric spark that Olivier had sent out, but couldn’t be sure. Had he known how to fight it, he would have told me or at least have done something to help.

Mind control. It hung in my head like a flashing neon light. How could I fight something like this? A minute ago I had actually wanted Olivier to kiss me. Would it have been enough of an invitation for him to mark me? I blinked again and shook my head to clear my thoughts. My mind was racing in a thousand directions when a slap across my face stung me back into reality.

“Focus, love,” Olivier shouted. My cheek was still burning as I stared up at him. “You are mine. Do you not want me?”

I closed my eyes, trying not to pay him any mind or let him bring me under again. “No, I don’t,” I said defiantly, my eyes still squeezed shut.

I heard laughing behind me. Costin and the stranger were laughing at my comment to Olivier, which was enough to distract him. The stranger jumped in front of Olivier and pulled me into his arms. He ran out the door of the balcony and jumped with me still in tow. Just as we disappeared into the night, I watched Costin descend on Olivier, fangs exposed in such a ghastly display. I was glad not to be around to watch what happened next.

To say we were flying may be the wrong words, but we were in the air. We were above the city by several hundred feet, unbeknownst to the residents and tourists below. The wind was cold and so were the arms wrapped around me. The stranger whose arms I was in was obviously a friend of Costin, though at this point, I wasn’t sure whom I could trust. I was away from Olivier though, so I should at least take comfort in that.

We landed a few minutes later, on the roof of a palazzo just south of the Arno. I locked eyes with my savior, still in awe of how it was we arrived here.

He smiled and set me down to get on my own two feet. “I’m Pablo,” he announced, a rich Spanish accent evident in those simple words. Pablo pushed his hair out of his face and sat next to me on the terracotta tiles of the roof.

I gestured to myself, “I’m assuming I don’t need an introduction.”

“No, you don’t. Costin came to visit me in Barcelona last night to help the three of you out with your…admirer.”

I wasn’t amused. “Admirer. Yes, well, that’s certainly one way to describe Olivier. Where is Nico? Is he okay?”

“He is fine. He’s in Paris right now trying to track down the sovereign there.”

“How long will that take?”

Pablo shrugged. “I’m not sure. We are hoping it will only take another night.”

“What is the plan? I mean, we can’t wait around for another attack. Is there anything I can do to help? I know I’m not as strong as all of you, but…”

“There is nothing for you to do. You have stayed alive thus far and you are doing just fine. Allow us to protect you until you become marked.”

“When will that be?” I asked, rocking slowly, trying to calm all of my nerves at once, which wasn’t working. I felt like I needed a bottle of wine and a way to erase my mind of the past hour. People bustled below me, talking and laughing. They were completely unaware of the actions which had taken place. Maybe ignorance was bliss.

Pablo turned to me, placing an arm on my shoulder. “Well, I’ve been asked to mark you myself if it comes to it. However, Nico should be back before it is necessary.”

“
You’ll
mark me?” I asked. This was not what I agreed to – I wanted Nico, not someone else. I didn’t even know this Pablo. Besides, was it Costin or Nico who asked him to mark me? I’m guessing it was Costin’s idea since he so desperately wanted me marked, but I didn’t want this coming from just anyone.

He looked offended. “You could do worse.”

Of course, they all could read my mind. I really needed to figure out a way to level the playing field.

“No, I know. I don’t mean it like that, but, well, I really hoped Nico would do it, I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what it all meant. If Nico didn’t mark me, could he still turn me into a vampire? Nico couldn’t want this vampire to mark me. If push came to shove, he would have to though. It would be to keep me safe, so it would be all I could do. Hopefully Nico would return from Paris with good news so Pablo and I wouldn’t have to get to know each other too intimately.

“I understand. He should be back tonight, with luck,” Pablo said, inching closer to me.

I stared out over the town, where statues were illuminated by street lights and water danced out of fountains. I was still keenly aware of the vampire that was moving next to me but I tried to ignore him. Pablo kept gravitating towards me until I was convinced that I was going to slide off the roof if he kept it up. I wasn’t sure if I should move farther away and risk being rude, but he was beginning to encroach on my personal space.

I kept glancing at him from the corner of my eye and watched him move at an incredibly slow rate towards me. He was less than a few inches away when I finally scooted myself over one tile.

He seemed to catch on. “Forgive me, but I haven’t fed in a few days. Would you allow me a…drink?”

“Go ahead,” I said absently, still watching the fountains below.

He closed the distance between us instantly, his mouth open and fangs peering out from his upper lip.

My eyes widened. “Me?” My voice cracking with surprised horror.

He nodded his head once, leaning his mouth against my neck.

“Ummm…I…I would prefer not to.” I inched a few tiles away. This was beyond awkward. No vampire had fed from me yet. It was going to be inevitable based on the company I was keeping, but there had to be some other mortal that he could drink from. Maybe I could even find someone for him to show how appreciative I was for him coming to my assistance. As long as it wasn’t my neck that he used to drink from.

Pablo looked confused and backed away a little. “Do you not let Nico?”

I shook my head slowly and instinctively put my hand to my neck. “No, he has never asked.” It made me stop to think. Should I have offered? Was it the thing to do in this kind of relationship? Nico has never said anything, or made a move to show he wanted to, so….

Pablo composed himself quickly and with a little embarrassment. “Yes, of course. Where are my manners?” He sat up straight and kept a safe distance between us. “It is just that your blood is right at the surface because of your nerves and it is making it difficult to concentrate. I would go hunt. However, I need to stay with you.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry I’ve caused you so many problems.” I didn’t know what else to say. I knew my apology was lame, but maybe when Costin or Nico got here, then he could go hunting. As long as I didn’t have to be a donor…

“It is not a problem. I was simply careless. Apologies.” He moved a few tiles away from me, as though removing himself from the temptation.

Now what? I thought to myself, wondering if I was just supposed to sit on the roof until Nico came. It wasn’t like I was just going to shimmy myself down the drain pipe and walk home, although I may have to at this point.

“So….” I said, casually after a few minutes of silence had passed between us.

He glanced at me. “Yes?”

“Is there anything I can do? I could go with you while you hunt.”

He shook his head. “That’s not necessary. I can wait. At least I understand why you reacted in the way you did.”

“What do we do now?” I asked, wondering if there was some master plan or if he had some sort of telepathic line to Costin to know if I was going to be safe from Olivier for a while or when Nico would show up.

Pablo shrugged. “I do not know.” He glanced up at the dark night for a moment as if looking for something. “For now, we wait.”

“Great,” I said half to myself as I shifted my weight slightly to get more comfortable. My stomach growled of hunger and I coughed a little to muffle the sound.

“You could tell me about Spain,” I suggested, looking to fill the silence.

“What do you want to know?”

I shrugged. “Anything.”

He began to talk to me about the tourist sites and some of his favorite places to go. After a while, the conversation faded. We had nothing else to say to each other.

The two of us sat in silence and watched Florence fall asleep. The crowds below dwindled down, walking into their homes and hotels. Stores closed, locked their doors, and turned their lights off. I let out a sigh and looked at Pablo who was a few feet away from me. He sat statuesque and stared into the night sky.

He finally turned to me and held out his hand and I glanced down at it. “You ready?”

“No Nico tonight?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. I was hesitant to take his hand as I didn’t know what it all meant. Because Nico didn’t show, did that mean I was being marked by Pablo?

“It appears not, but we need to get you home.” Before I could ask, he answered my question. “I think it is safe to wait one more night before I handle marking you.”

With his response, I accepted his outstretched hand and he gracefully plucked us from the rooftop to the side street below us.

“Can I trust you?” Pablo asked as we walked to my apartment.

I slowed my pace a little so I could look at him. “I think you can, yes, since I trusted you enough to save my life,” I responded, waiting for what he was going to ask of me.

“I am going to need to sleep in your spare room so I can keep watch of you, but I need to make sure I am not disturbed. You must not enter the room so as not to let daylight in. Can you do this?”

I hesitated just a moment. “Yes, but - there is a window in the room. Daylight will come in through the blinds.”

“There are shutters to make it light proof, I am sure. This is Nico’s apartment, yes?” He asked, sounding very sure of himself.

I nodded. I guess Nico had taken precautions for himself I hadn’t even been aware of. That means he could spend the night with me if he wanted, which he never had. Was it a trust issue or something else stopping him?

We entered the apartment and he quickly went towards the guest room. “Remember,” he said closing the door. “This door must remain closed until I open it tonight.”

I nodded. “I got it.”

The apartment was quiet and the excitement from the past several hours swirled around me. Sleeping was the last thing on my mind. I didn’t have to work. What was I supposed to do for the next twelve hours? My fingers danced around the spines of the books on the bookshelf. I reached for Shakespeare, hoping that it would be enough to put me to sleep within the next hour.

Before making myself comfortable in bed, I poured a glass of Chianti. Satisfied that alcohol and Shakespeare would do the trick, I climbed under the covers with only a hint of light coming from my nightstand.

Chapter 13

THE SUN HAD already set for the evening when I heard some noises from the spare bedroom. I turned off the television, making sure that the sounds did in fact come from where I thought they did. I padded down the hall to see if Pablo was okay. I didn’t want to open the door as there was still a glimmer of light in the sky and I wasn’t sure if it was enough to burn him.

“Pablo?” I whispered next to the door.

There was a low grumbling. “I am here,” he replied. “Patience.”

Hmm
. Well I guess he’s up and fine. Just as I was waiting for him to come out for the night, the front door opened.

“Dylan.”

I turned around to find Nico. “You’re back!”

“Yes,
mia mortale
,” he said, kissing my forehead. He turned his attention to Pablo, who had exited from the guest room. “Thank you for assisting us. I hope we did not keep you from too much business in Barcelona.”

“Not at all. It was my pleasure. You have quite a magnificent girl here, Nico.” Pablo smiled at me. “Now, save us all and mark her.”

Agitation filled his tone. As I watched him from the corner of my eye, I noticed how different he looked from the night before. His eyes were set deep in his head and his skin was paler. He looked almost ill. Was that from not feeding?

Nico pulled me into his embrace with a grin and then looked at Pablo. “Yes, I will take care of that.”

“Great, I’ll leave you be. I have some things I must do, as well. You may always call me if you are in need of assistance.” Pablo jumped from the balcony and was gone before either of us could thank him.

“Are you alright?” Nico whispered into my ear.

I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck. He held me close to his chest, leaving no room between us.

“It’s okay.” I could tell that Nico wanted to say something else but he remained silent.

I clung to his side, my heart beating faster with him next to me. “I was really worried about you.”

“You needn’t. I am strong, but did not like leaving you. I do appreciate you finding Costin to assist me.”

“It was the least I could do. I knew as soon as I heard his voice that it would be trouble. I didn’t think you two would actually get into a physical altercation, though. So much for being able to talk it out.”

“Olivier is a very unreasonable being.”

“He’s different.”

“How do you mean?”

I hesitated. “He has powers. Costin, Pablo, and I saw them.”

Nico nodded. “His sovereign told me about them. They are not typically attributed to a vampire, but we do not know anything about who Olivier was prior to being made a vampire and that makes him more dangerous.”

There was silence between us for a few moments. He didn’t know what to say neither did I. We both knew that safety wasn’t guaranteed until Olivier was under control. Nico was the only person I could count on to protect me, yet I needed to protect him as well. This new world I had been dragged into was much more dangerous than I had anticipated. Worrying kind of went with the territory all of a sudden. Nico was my only true protector in this new world I had been dragged into.

He quietly brought me into his arms and rocked me like a child. Before I realized what was happening, the wall I had been trying to build around my fears came crashing down. I was crying hysterically into his chest and despite my tries, I couldn’t calm myself.

“Dylan, Dylan, it’s okay, I’m here now.”

“I know, it’s just…Olivier and then…Pablo….” I choked out between sobs.

“Shhh,” he cooed. “Tell me what happened.”

I let my mind race with everything that had happened in the past day. It was too much to deal with and I kept crying until there were no more tears left.

“Pablo tried to feed from you?” His voice raised an extra octave.

I nodded. “He was nice enough about it when he realized he had scared me, but yes.”

Nico shook his head. “O positive. It’s his weakness…I should have known. I’m sorry.”

“Huh?” I looked at him, completely bewildered.

“Your blood type is O positive. Blood types for us are like,” he thought for a moment, “like different kinds of wines, if you will. We all have our favorites.”

My eyes widened. This wasn’t something I could deal with right now. My mind was already on overload. I glanced away fast so Nico wouldn’t see the horror that must have flashed through my eyes. Did Nico not like O positive, which made it easier to be around me? What blood types
did
he like?

Nico was apologizing incessantly, so I tried to change the subject a little. “Did you find Olivier’s sovereign?”

“Yes, and Henri has apologized. Olivier is a constant problem for him in Paris. Apparently Olivier has a few tricks up his sleeves and no one has been able to figure out why or how he has them.”

“Yes, we got to see some of that first hand.”

“He’s taking care of the problem as we speak.”

My eyebrows rose. “Oh?” I wanted to ask how, though I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer. As long as he was being taken care of, that was good enough for me.

“Do not worry about these things. Everything will be fine now.”

“Can you mark me now?” I asked, pressing myself closer to him. I felt like I was asking for something indecent, something sinful. I’d had enough excitement over the past couple days and wanted this mark more than I would have ever thought possible.

Nico closed the gap between our mouths. His lips were cold on mine and I had forgotten how much I missed the sensation. “With pleasure.”

“Now?” I asked, pulling away a little.

“
Mia mortale
, you just asked me to mark you, no?” He backed up from me to read my full facial expressions.

“Yes, but, so eagerly?” I knew it was foolish, but it wasn’t something that should just be rushed into. Now that the danger was gone, I could be a little particular, right?

“Whenever you are ready, Dylan.” Nico curled up on the couch with me in his arms.

I opened my mouth to say something but quickly closed it. With all that had taken place in the past 24 hours, I wanted to be selfish and just curl up with Nico for a little while. While I had so many questions still to ask, I didn’t want to ask them any longer. I feared I would get the answers much sooner than the year I was originally told of.

Nico kissed my forehead as we continued to get comfortable, as if pushing my worries away. How often did he listen to my thoughts? My mind was probably an open book for him, so what did he think of the reading material?