"Don"t I have a say?" Tatiana asked. All three men turned to her, amused.
"No," Jiri said simply, dismissingly. Then, to the brothers, he said, "There is no other choice in it. You will share her until one or the other relents."
"I will never relent," Marcello said.
"Nor will I," Leandro said.
"Then, witch, it would appear you have two guardians." Jiri laughed and Tatiana saw that he was greatly amused by her situation. The dark sound did not give her hope. Jiri looked them all over. "I don"t know who I pity more of you three. Her, because she is bound to listen to your arguments as I once had to hear. Or you both, for her Moroi blood combined with her witch blood will make her strong and hard to control. It is a job I don"t envy."
"Moroi?" Tatiana asked.
"Yourvampire tribe, my child," Jiri stated. "Don"t worry. You have two masters that shall explain your new world to you. I shall imagine your visions will grow, for our line is adept at reading people."
Tatiana grimaced. She didn"t want her visions to grow.
Jiri frowned, tilting his head. "I smell new death and not of the grave."
"It is her spirit," Marcello said quietly. Tatiana realized it was the first time he spoke since Jiri"s arrival. She studied his hard face, but he did not look at her. "It follows her."
"Ah, I can see why you were weakened into changing her, Leandro. She is truly an oddity, is she not?" Jiri sighed. Then, looking around at the group, he shook his head in what looked like pity. "I go to speak with the tribal council. I will tell them of this. They will not be happy. Don"t give them cause to voice their displeasure, or me mine."
With that warning, Jiri turned and walked out the open door as if he"d never been there.
"Will ... will he be back?" Tatiana asked, shivering. She edged closer to Marcello. He blinked in surprise. Looking down to where her hand gripped his arm.
"No. So long as we don"t give him cause," Leandro said. He looked at her hold on his brother and scowled. Instead of commenting, he stated darkly, "I will have food brought to us and separate chambers readied. It appears as if we will be living together for a long while."
When they were alone, Tatiana turned to look up at Marcello. "Let"s go. Let"s just run away from here."
"We can"t," Marcello stated. His hard expression relented some when he gazed into her tormented vampire eyes. "To do so would mean our deaths."
"You would have us stay here? With Leandro?" Tatiana asked. "Please, let"s go back to Paris and start anew or to England, to my home. Let"s just leave. With your knowledge and strength combined with my heritage, surely we can defeat--"
"All the tribal leaders? The only known start of us all? Eight of the most powerful vampires known to exist in this world?"
Marcello asked. "No,bella mia , there is no escaping. Eternity is too long a time to run."
Leandro stepped down the front steps of his hall, moving with liquid grace and beauty. His hooded eyes fell on Jiri. He wasn"t surprised to see him. He"d heard the old vampire"s beckoning in his head. Leandro was loath to leave Marcello and Tatiana alone, having felt the spark of desire between them, which they both tried to suppress from the other. Just as he knew she loved his brother, Leandro knew she would never love him. He did not want her love, but he jealously did not want Marcello to have it. It was the only reason he kept his hold on her.
"What is your old saying? Ah, yea," Jiri said. "Bacco, tabacco e Venere riducono l"uomo in cenere.Wine, women, and tobacco reduces one to ashes."
"So does a stake," Leandro mused softly, reaching the bottom step and stopping to study his vampiric father.
Jiri chuckled. "So true. You were always the funnier of the two, my son."
Leandro"s thoughts turned to his brother. However, he remained still, watching the motionless Jiri stare back at him.
"The past must die," Jiri said. His hands threaded neatly behind his back. They were both elegant, graceful creatures--well dressed, poised, handsome, eternally in the prime of their appearance. "He was too young to know better. The hunger had been denied too long. Marcello couldn"t help that he killed her. Besides, why pine for a wh.o.r.e?"
"She was mine," was all Leandro said. He knew his eyes filled red with blood, just as he knew the demonic showing wouldn"t give Jiri a moment"s pause. For a brief instant, the last bit of his humanity stirred in Leandro. Revenge. Anger. Hatred. That was all he had left from his human self. If he let it go, he would surely lose that last shred of emotion that kept him alive. Then his life would turn as hollow as his grave and twice as empty. He needed his hatred, his rage, his bitter thoughts. He needed Tatiana, for possessing her quickened him. For so long as she was his, Marcello couldn"t have her completely.
"I can"t force you to give up your benighted child," Jiri said, "but I can warn you against her. She is not for you, my son. Her strength is rare, strange."
"And she won"t be for him," Leandro said, his voice hot, but ever calm and deadly. "He won"t have that which I was denied."
"He has what you never had," Jiri growled. His graceful body plowed forward, grabbing Leandro by the arms in a rare act of desperation. "She was a wh.o.r.e, a common wh.o.r.e. If Marcello had not killed her, I would have. I wouldn"t have let you keep her."
"She was my fiancee!" Leandro said. When he looked at his vampiric father he felt many things--love, hatred, admiration, bitterness, resentment. "You took me the same night I proposed to her. She was mine."
"I saved you from a mediocre existence and a short, pointless mortal life," Jiri said, gently, tenderly, almost lovingly. "I gave you immortality, power. Because of me, you have known more than any simple mortal could. I gave you life."
"No, my father, you gave me death."
"Yet, you don"t resent me for it," Jiri stated, with a knowing look. He set his hand on Leandro"s shoulder, lightly touching him in the closest thing to an embrace either vampire would allow to pa.s.s between them.
"No, my father, I don"t resent you. Death has lent itself nicely to my nature."
"The same can"t be said for your brother." Jiri"s eyes moved up to the ceiling where he could sense Marcello. "Until now. She brings peace to him. Surely you have felt it. Methinks it wasn"t wise to have changed her, but her presence does calm Marcello"s demon. It is odd, but I felt it immediately. If I had a human"s heart, I should be jealous of it."
"Yes," Leandro said. "But that is no reason to acknowledge his claim. She is dead. His bond on her is broken. She should be mine."
Jiri"s smile was grim. "I would agree, but for one thing. I felt Marcello"s affect on her too. When you took her to the den of the lycans she was crazy, was she not?"
"How--?"
"I saw it in you and in her when you drank from her vampiress neck," Jiri said. "I read it in her mind. She is strong, but I saw her secrets. Without Marcello, she is broken. If you take her from him, I fear there will be no controlling her. My first impulse was to kill her, and I would"ve, but for one thing."
"What?" Leandro asked, needlessly. His eyes were hollow as he looked at his maker.
"The lycan blood in her. To kill her when she has the protection of both councils--the vampiric and the lycan--would be most foolish. She is protected. Besides, she is the last of her witch"s line. If the powers have returned, so then must the evil they have faced. There is reason this has all come to pa.s.s. The future is uncertain for all. The only thing I know for sure is that we will all be around to see it."
"Come, you must stay awhile in my home. The council will wait. What is another day or two for those who have an eternity?"
Leandro moved, forcing Jiri"s hand to drop from him as he walked across the hall floor. The orange glow of candlelight burned bright around them. Leandro did not like the modern use of gas lamps. He did not like change and longed for his lost human world with every beat of his immortal heart. That is why he preserved his family home, never changing it, but for necessity.
"For a few days," Jiri allowed.
"Ah, then it is settled," Leandro said, his voice turned light, as if nothing more than a simple greeting had pa.s.sed between them. He pushed open a door where Ettore stood. Cool brown eyes studied him from the human face. Leandro said, under his breath, "Bring the girls."
Ettore bowed and left, knowing his duties.
Leandro let the door shut once more and turned to Jiri. "I will have a room readied. Please, feel free to have your pick of my stock. I have their loyalty. There is no need to mesmerize them, unless you wish. They are all most willing to feed and attend our kind."
"Such a gracious host," Jiri murmured in approval.
Leandro smiled. The door opened behind him and a long line of servants came through to stand before the vampires. They were all young, beautiful. Some smiled boldly, meeting the pale creature"s eyes with excitement. Others watched their feet, shy and embarra.s.sed. A slender, fair-haired woman was the only to tremble in fear. Jiri smiled to see her.
Leandro instantly stepped forward. Taking the frightened woman by the arm, he said gently, "Come, show my guest to his room."
Her wide blue eyes looked up at Leandro before turning to Jiri. She swallowed nervously. When it became clear she wouldn"t move on her own, Jiri"s eyes glimmered and she instantly went limp.
"Come," Jiri whispered. His expression was tender as he held his hand to her. She took it, walking up to him without thought or hesitation.