White Lies: (The Uruwashi Series #4) (5 page)

SIMON nearly hyperventilated and had a stroke when Desmond told the fae he was on duty, he was so happy. And that’s what it was, a duty. Simon was the healer, the cleric, the white mage. He was the shinwa recovery system and didn’t seem to mind at all as he trailed behind the others, happily chatting away. Desmond, whatever his role was, just annoyed Tristan, and Akane went off on her own, saying she’d meet them at the temple and did they know where it was? Desmond did.

Tristan still couldn’t believe he was actually doing this, voluntarily sticking himself with Desmond and Simon and leaving Ash behind. It wasn’t that he needed her help in the hunt. He could kill just fine on his own. That was a whole issue all on its own. He’d killed at least one vampire that didn’t deserve it. And while it’d taken awhile, the guilt of it was really starting to set in heavily now that he’d had time to focus and mull over it. He wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing anymore. And now a troll—Just how the fuck was he supposed to get a huge, stubborn, boulder of a troll to willingly leave its nest without killing it?

Tristan pulled the antique watch, a late Christmas gift from Ash that she found in Italy during their trip, from his pocket and checked the time. Almost nine, plenty of night left to get this done. He shoved the watch away and came back with his keys only to have them immediately snatched up.

“Desmond,” he warned.

The vampire laughed and shot him a sly sidelong glance. “I’m driving, mate.”

“The fuck you are,” Tristan snapped. His gun was suddenly pointed at Desmond’s head. He swallowed hard and looked at the gun in his hand wondering when he’d even pulled it. Sometimes he really scared himself. Maybe if he could remember parts of France he could understand what was happening to him. The thought to take Yuki’s offer serious was starting to weigh on him with those unwarranted deaths.

Desmond stopped and turned to Tristan. He wasn’t smiling anymore, his crystal green eyes staring hard as he considered the Uruwashi. “Hmm, you’re getting better at that.”

Tristan frowned and put the gun away. He caught a glimpse of Simon. He was farther away than he needed to be, looking uncertain and constipated. For once his mouth wasn’t running a mile a minute and Tristan was sure he’d just scared the young fae a little. Hard to imagine considering he lived with Yuki, but there it was.

Desmond didn’t even seem fazed as he went to Tristan’s car and opened the driver’s side door. “Faeries in back.”

Simon glanced at Tristan, looking tentative and unsure climbing into the back of the car. Tristan sighed deeply and got in on the passenger’s side, adjusting the gun to keep it from poking his ribs. The tiny car shook as the big Scotsman maneuvered himself into the driver’s seat, grunting.

“A micht wee, eh?” the man said when he managed to stuff himself in behind the wheel. Dude was actually shorter than Tristan but made up for it with double the bulk.

Tristan only glared back in answer. God, he felt like he’d just been crammed into a clown car. Desmond’s vampiric presence was heavy on his soul and he shifted, feeling violated for it even if Desmond had no control over it.

By the time they reached the end of the driveway, Simon’d found his voice again and was talking nonstop from the back seat. Even with the kid’s loud volume and the tiny confines Tristan managed to tune him out, lost to his own deep musings.

He was thinking it was almost over. They were this close to getting out of Japan and leaving Yuki behind for good. Maybe then he could truly start over, him and Ash.  It was what they both needed, the catalyst to their relationship to bring things moving forward again. And maybe ease his conscious.

Back in Greece Ash admitted that not only did she have Yuki erase a few memories from Tristan’s mind—namely how he killed Lucien—but that she also had most of her own memories returned. Tristan was devastated of the hard truth, but deep down, he’d already known. It was the only thing to explain the lapse in events, the emptiness he now felt, as if a part of him were just gone. The fact that he
knew
he killed Lucien but couldn’t remember
how
was proof enough, really.

Then things in Greece had gotten pretty crazy with Ash’s predecessor trying to kill them, the elf and pythia mucking up the works, meeting a real Uruwashi to only later lose him and very possibly meeting his father—or at the least, someone who might know him. So after they left the Land of Gods, Tristan was hoping that Ash would finally tell him everything she remembered. It was kind of obvious she wanted to talk about it but didn’t know where to start.

That was almost two months ago.

Tristan never was a patient man, but he was trying to be with Ash. How long would he have to force himself to wait though? He wasn’t sure he could hold out much longer, not without growing to resent her, and in the end, himself.

“You don’t deserve her.”

From the back, Simon chirped a helpless little yip and stopped talking.

Tristan snapped to attention. “Excuse me?”

Desmond’s jaw tightened as he stared out over the snow-covered road. “Just as we said, she be too bloody good for yew. It’s no right for yew two to be together.”

Tristan stopped for a moment, holding back his first instinctual onslaught of curses. See, he was growing up, a little. With a more intense effort than normal because he was angry, he forced his mental block back into place. He never noticed if it was up or down unless he mentally prodded his defenses and once it was in place, or not, it was seamless and invisible to him. He really needed to remember to check it before he found himself in the company of less than favorable vampires. Desmond must have heard all of Tristan’s thoughts just now, why else bring it up?

“One,” Tristan said carefully. “Our fucking business is none of yours. And two, I don’t care if she’s a vampire and I’m Uruwashi. It doesn’t change anything.”

Desmond turned his head to stare at him long enough that Tristan shifted in his seat, feeing anxious. The vampire was supposed to be driving. Through snow. And not looking at him like…
that
.

Desmond let out a little breath as if preparing himself and turned back to watch the road. “Yew two haven’t done the bloody yet, have yew?”

“‘Scuse me?”

Doing the bloody? Sex, doing the dirty—vampires bite, bloody... yeah, whatever. Despite the fact that they actually had sex in Greece, Tristan wasn’t going to be childish and gloat. Besides, it wasn’t the guy’s business. Too bad it wasn’t Tristan’s since and wouldn’t until Ash could figure out how to curb her hunger. A sudden thought made Tristan flinch. Yukihime, the meddling shit, she had Ash’s spell book, the one Ash thought might hold a spell to help battle her vampiric nature. That’s why Ash wanted to stay behind, to wipe her hands of the old vampire
and
get her book back.

“That’s none of your goddamn business.”

“Shame, mate, don’t ken what yew is missin’.”

In the backseat, Simon eased himself into a corner, looking like he was trying to disappear.

“I told you, it’s none of your fucking business.” Damn, it was hard to bite his tongue. The question was, why bother? Tristan looked out the side window. Why not unload on Desmond, once and for all? Well, for one, it would be easier to do with swinging room.

“You don’t know anything,” Tristan said, feeling a little petty for it since Desmond had said the very same thing to him more than once in the past.

Desmond’s lips parted to flash his fangs in a nasty smile. “I ken Asta.”

Tristan kept his comments to himself. But the moment they got out of this tiny car…

“I ken she’s no getting what she needs.”

In the back, Simon was starting to make little high pitched noises, looking horrified.

“Last bump she got were with Lucien and that were ‘bout—”

“Hey, asshole,” Tristan snapped, spinning around to glare at him. “He took, okay? You may be dead, but you still understand rape, you fucking insensitive prick.”

Desmond glanced at him. The vampire’s grin was gone and his expression was serious for once. “Aye. That may be true... didn’ mean she didn’ like it.”

“You fucking son of a bitch!” The only reason he didn’t punch the bastard right then was because he didn’t want to die in a car wreck.

“Yew is just hurting the wee lass. Yew is not giving her anything she needs.”

“Really? And what exactly does she need, huh?” Like he didn’t know without asking. God, it wasn’t like he wasn’t trying to give Ash those things. She was the one who refused. But he couldn’t blame her, she was the more sensible one of them, less rash. Someone had to be.

The Scotsman went off on a tangent in another language, his face reddening with anger, which was pretty hard to do for a vampire, actually. When he calmed down enough to find English again he said, “You’re a greedy git, trying tae hold onto something that’s no meant for yew. Yew is not even feeding Asta. Haruka at least gave her that much.”

Suddenly numb, he mumbled, “Haruka?”

Desmond’s expression was hard with anger but there was a proud gleam in his green eyes. “Yew dinnae ken, then? Aw well, bound tae happen when your lover and yew don’t bond.”

“Like you know anything about bonding?”

“It’s what vampire do, we bite, bask, fook… it’s our purpose in life. Asta bonded with Haruka in a way she won’t ever with yew. Yew ken why?”

He gnashed his teeth for a moment before spitting out, “No, but you’re going to fucking tell me…”

“’Cause fur some inexplicable reason she fooking loves yew and is too bloody lost on yew tae see that yew is trying to change her. Yew is making her human. A simple, dimwitted, love-blind, bloody human.”

“She’s already human enough without my influence,” he said carefully through his rage. “Besides, maybe that’s what she needs.” If he were really all that bad for her, then she would just leave, right?

The vampire only stared at him, his jaw set hard as he seemed to think about what he was going to say. And all Tristan wanted to do in that moment was tear Desmond to pieces.

Then he sobered.

That wasn’t him. He really wasn’t a naturally violent person. That side of him, the viciousness started with Malik’s intrusion into his life. He had to believe that, he had to believe he was still good because if he wasn’t, what was he left with? The title of murderer?

Desmond laughed, a sudden burst of noise. The others jumped. Tristan glanced back to check on Simon; the poor fae looked petrified.

“Oi, mate, don’t let it trouble yew. We’ve got a job to do, keep yur heid in it.”

Tristan scowled, thinking he was the big fucking ape who brought it up in the first place. One thing was for sure, he wouldn’t regret leaving this guy behind.

The car was filled with silence after that. Not even Simon dared to open his mouth again. It wasn’t until they’d been driving for nearly an hour that Tristan grew agitated.

“Where the fuck are we going?” he grumped.

“Nearly there,” Desmond answered in a low voice that held a bit of angry contempt and very little accent.

After another length of silence, Desmond’s demeanor suddenly shifted and Tristan knew he wasn’t going to like what the vampire had to say by the sudden devious grin.

“Oi, nearly forgot ask… How was France?”

Tristan’s jaw tightened as his attention went to Simon in the back when he made a squeaking noise.

“Fr—France?” the fae asked excitedly. He scooted on the seat to be close to Tristan. “So you were the one Master said was looking for big brother!”

Oh. Shit.

That fucking lying bitch of a meddling vampire.

Tristan’s jaw tightened as he tried to glare a hole into the side of Desmond’s head. “Uh…”

“Sure he was,” Desmond suddenly said, making Tristan balk. “Why don’t you tell him all about it?”

“Really!” Simon squeaked, practically jumping into Tristan’s lap.

“You son of a bitch,” Tristan hissed at Desmond as he pushed Simon back. It was obvious the kid had no idea who his big brother really was. “Why’s this on me?”

Desmond grinned as he maneuvered the car off the main road onto a gravel driveway that hadn’t been cleared away. The way was rough and slow, and the tires slipped whenever he gave it too much gas. Desmond managed to keep from plowing right into the first torii gate at least. “You’re the one who kil—”

“Desmond!” Tristan roared loud enough to make the others start. Poor Simon, he was so confused and frightened he slammed back into his seat, shaking. Guess Yuki found out what happened to the fae after all. “I’m warning you. If you don’t shut up, I will end you.”

The vampire only grinned at him as Simon found enough courage to start asking rapid-fire questions about his dear big brother, Sebastian again. Tristan heaved a sigh, resting his head against the car window. He had no idea what to tell Simon. The truth? Sure, but was now really the time for that?

A cloud of red and black smoke misted into existence just outside the headlight’s reach. Everyone reacted as Desmond jabbed the brakes a little too hard. Tristan only just kept himself from biting the front dash. The car came to a hard stop of gravel mixing with snow.