"I had a father," Jaden said quietly. She leaned over, watching his face. She hardened her heart to him, forcing away all sentiment that still lingered. Her hand reached into the folds of her jacket. "You made me kill him."
"I did it for you. He was ... no good," Mack defended. He gurgled. His eyes pooled with red. His body lurched. Vomit trailed from his lips to splatter onto the floor. Jaden jerked away.Ignoring the agony of his rebirth, she said, "You are charged, Alan MacNaughton, of performing experiments on humans and vampires. For searching for the fountain of youth at the expense of others and for testing on vampire blood to see how long humans could be kept alive in suffering without turning. I charge you with cruelty rivaling any man in history. I charge you with the death of over four thousand mortals by way of your experiments."
"Jade," Mack gasped. "Don"t. I love yo--"
"No," she growled. Her words rose in fury. "I charge you with trying to overthrow the vampire council."
"What do you care about the council?" he whispered up into her hard face.
Jaden gave him a slow smile. Lifting up her jacket sleeve, she showed him the brand on her forearm--the s.h.i.+eld with a bar through it. Evenly, she retorted, "I"m one of them now."
"No," Mack whispered in horror. "You can"t be serious. Those rapes and murders--I did it for us, you. I did them for you. We had to have money to fund this. It was the only way."
"I find you guilty, Mack," Jaden whispered, a touch of sadness rolling into her eyes. She tried to pretend she didn"t feel anything for him. But it wasn"t true. A part of her still loved him, as the father she had believed him to be.
As if reading her weakness, he said, "I am your family."
"Bhaltair and Rhona were my family. I have lived as my mother"s people. It"s time I discovered my father"s." Jaden stood. She looked down at the pitiful man on the floor. Slowly, she pulled a stake out from inside her jacket. Mack"s eyes rounded in horror.
"I have a new family now, Mack."
"I made you what you are!" he hollered. "I gave you everything! You owe me! Bhaltair could never have loved your mother. He was using her for sick pleasure."
"Bhaltair loved Rhona and she willingly loved him," Jaden whispered. She felt a single tear line the edge of her eye. She missed Tyr. She longed for him. Suddenly, nothing else mattered--not vengeance or justice--only Tyr. She wanted the past to be dead.
She didn"t want to wait for him. She wanted him to be with her now. She wanted to spend an eternity begging his forgiveness for her sins. "And the only thing you taught me was death."
Mack"s change was complete. His lungs no longer panted. The wound on his arm healed itself shut. Jaden could feel the strange mixture coursing through his blood like a river of souls squished together, fighting to be released from the coil of one body.
"You"re right about one thing," Jaden said. "I couldn"t have killed you--as a human. But now you"re just a corpse."
She lifted the stake above her head. All of a sudden, Jaden felt s.h.i.+va beside her. She turned. Mack kicked up from the floor, jabbing his boot into her stomach, knocking her into s.h.i.+va"s arms. Jaden pushed to her feet to face Mack. His eyes swirled angrily. The blood was too much for him. It raged inside his body.
Mack scrambled to the dropped stake and lunged at her, aiming for her heart. Unexpectedly, she was whisked to the side.
Familiar arms wrapped in protection. Jaden gasped. Her dark gaze instantly found the solid strength of Tyr"s blue eyes. Her lips parted, wanting to speak. Sadly, he let her go, spinning around to face Mack. Mack darted forward, stake in hand. Tyr s.h.i.+elded Jaden with his body.
Without warning, Mack stopped. The stake dropped from his fingers. His hands pressed into the sides of his head. He fell to his knees. His mouth opened with a scream only to gush with a torrent of blood. Jaden pushed to Tyr"s side. Her arm strayed back to touch him as she stepped forward. She could hear Mack"s heart racing in her head and then suddenly the organ exploded.
Crimson poured from the man"s lips. He fell to the ground with a swoos.h.i.+ng of air and splattered blood. Then, with a silent eruption, he exploded into an ashen cloud of grave dust.
Chapter Eighteen.
Jaden didn"t wait for the dust to settle. She swirled on her feet, flinging her arms around Tyr. Her lips rose naturally to meet his.
Tyr pulled back. He looked sadly into her face and shook his head. His blue gaze searched every line of her, like a vampire starved. He"d missed her desperately. When he left her, he left a piece of himself behind. And without her, he wasn"t whole. If not for Ragnhild"s insistence to the council that he be allowed to come this night to help, he wouldn"t be seeing her now.
Knowing the danger of being seen talking to her, he turned to leave. He wouldn"t be harmed by such a thing, but Jaden would be killed. He knew the decree, had been reminded of it by the council before coming to her.
"Tyr," Jaden whispered. Her hand shot out to touch him. "Please, don"t leave."
Tyr stiffened, hearing the pain in her voice. He could feel the heat of her. Her touch was like fire to his skin. Could it be she missed him as much as he had her? Did he dare to hope such a thing? Her greeting said she did.
Without turning, he whispered, "No, Jaden, don"t. We can"t be seen talking."
"I don"t care," she said, pulling desperately on his arm to get him to look at her. She needed to see the cool, ice blue of his eyes.
She needed to know he would wait for her. She needed him to know she was waiting only for him.
"You"ll be killed," he said hoa.r.s.ely. "Will you leave me to live with that?"
Jaden looked desperately at Osiris and s.h.i.+va. Her heart poured with longing out of her eyes. s.h.i.+va nodded. He and Osiris turned their backs and looked the other way.
Tyr felt it to. Unable to deny her insistent hand, he spun around and gathered her into his arms. Jaden pressed her mouth to his.
She sprinkled kisses over his cheeks and lips. Tyr"s mouth met her eagerly. He pulled her up into his embrace. His hands wound like iron about her waist, never wanting to let her go. Jaden wrapped her arms about his thick neck, clinging to him for her very existence.
"Jade," Osiris whispered quietly. "You must hurry. We don"t have much time."
"I"m sorry," Jaden rushed, pulling back just enough to talk. Her lips moved against his. Her hands pressed into the sides of his face, desperately feeling him. "I"m sorry for my uncle. I"m sorry for everything I"ve done. I"m sorry you"re mad at me. I never meant to deceive you."
Tyr stiffened, but didn"t let her go. "Why, Jaden? Why did you lie to me?"
"I was scared. I didn"t know what the file said and I was afraid you would think I did--" Jaden"s words were stopped by the press of his mouth and the stiffening of his hands.
"Not the d.a.m.ned file! I was a fool for thinking you had anything to do with that," Tyr whispered.
"Then--?" she hesitated, confused. She ran her hands into his hair, sewing her fingers through the locks. She couldn"t stop their exploring if she tried. "Why are you angry with me?"
Tyr glanced at s.h.i.+va and Osiris" turned backs. Pulling Jaden away from them, into the shadows, he set her down. Lifting his hand to cup her face, he said, "I"m not mad."
"Jaden," s.h.i.+va called, persistently. "We have to leave."
"No," she whispered, shaking her head in desperation. Her eyes rounded as she turned her tortured face to Tyr"s. "I can"t leave you. Not again. These last months have been h.e.l.l."
"We don"t have a choice," Tyr said. "They"ll kill you if you disobey."
"I don"t want to live if I can"t see you," she said angrily.
"Don"t say that," he hissed, pus.h.i.+ng his face into hers. "Wait for me."
"It isn"t fair! Tell them you made me. Make them listen." Jaden felt him pulling away from her. In confusion, she detected s.h.i.+va at their side.
"Tyr, you have to go," the knight said. "The others are coming. If they catch you here they will report it."
Tyr nodded. He hated to leave her behind when his entire being begged for her touches, her kisses, and her love. His hand lifted to caress her cheek before pulling away. She tried to grab him, but his hand dissipated into a fine mist she couldn"t hold onto. A m.u.f.fled sound of horror escaped her throat. Tears pooled in her eyes.
Tyr"s body disappeared completely, slipping through her frantic grasp. s.h.i.+va clutched Jaden to his chest to keep her from trying to follow. A small moan of torture came from her throat as she struggled against her bonds. Her heart tightened in agony. The road before her was long, endless. She could taste him on her lips, feel him inside her blood. But she couldn"t hold him, couldn"t have him.
s.h.i.+va felt her pain wash over him. Her eyes stared beyond him in a liquid daze. Slowly, he forced her to leave with him, back to the elevator. Her body didn"t put up a fight. She stared blindly, not noticing that Osiris stayed behind working his way through Mack"s machine, taking what little notes there were and destroying all the evidence.
"Come on, Jade," s.h.i.+va whispered as the elevator doors closed them in. "All will be well."
Island of Delos, Cyclades, Two weeks later....
Jaden was dead inside. She didn"t talk, barely fed. She numbly went about her duties, stating only that which was mandatory to her job. She"d been the job before and if she must, she would be it again. But, after having known Tyr, duty was a bitter and cold replacement to her soul.
All necessary reports were made to the council to their reluctant satisfaction. The vampire responsible for helping Mack hadn"t been caught and the knights weren"t blamed for losing such information because her uncle killed himself with his greed. Jaden didn"t care anymore. She was tired of figuring out the past.
Rolling onto her stomach, she looked around the room the council was letting her use. As far as she could fathom, it was a guest chamber of sorts, set aside from the council"s bedchamber hall. The bed was thick, comfortable. White fur lined the floor and bed. A desk sat in the corner. It reminded her of Tyr"s bedchamber--only barren because he wasn"t in it. She got no pleasure from the luxury. She wanted Tyr. She could think of nothing else.Feeling a presence at her door, she turned her head to the entryway. s.h.i.+va stepped inside without knocking. She stared at him.
The vampire frowned, coming across the room to sit by her.
"You can"t keep doing this," he said. She blinked and turned away without answering. s.h.i.+va started to speak and slowly shook his head. "Osiris is complaining that you are lax in your training."
"I have been to every session," she mumbled, not caring.
"But your heart has not." s.h.i.+va sighed, placing a hand on the back of her head in a friendly pat. "Without your heart, your fighting is weak and predictable."
"I don"t have a heart. The elders ordered it away."
"And what would he say if he saw you moping like this?" s.h.i.+va asked angrily.
"If he saw me, I"d see him and I wouldn"t be moping," she said. Scooting further away from him, she shrugged off his hand. "Now leave me alone. I do what duties I"m bidden to perform. I answer every question. Not once has it been ordered that I do so happily."
"I can"t leave. I have come to bring you to the council." s.h.i.+va stood. A frown still marred his elegant face. "The elders wish to test you."
"Again?" Jaden wearily hopped to her feet. "I thought the tests were over."
"Call it a mission then," s.h.i.+va stated with an indifferent shrug. "I think it will do you good to leave here. There are still many things you must put into order. Not the first of which is getting your uncle"s affairs in line. Technically, you are still his niece and inheritor of his property. I"ve convinced the elders that you should tend to it after you see to this first mission."
"Oh," Jaden muttered to herself. Maybe a mission is just what she needed to make the time go faster. She doubted it--highly doubted it.
She followed s.h.i.+va down the pa.s.sageway along the now familiar path to the council hall. She had been questioned and tested by them endlessly. What was one more time? Soon she was in front of the tribal elders, waiting like a good soldier for them to speak.
Her eyes didn"t meet their probing faces as they studied her.
"Dhampir," Theophania said.
Jaden nodded in acknowledgement.
"We have called you here tonight to address a complaint," Ragnhild said. "Osiris says you have been negligent in your training."
"I"ve been to and completed every training exercise," Jaden said. "I"ve done everything he has asked of me."
"We think there might be a deeper problem," Chara said quietly.
Jaden didn"t answer. The council glanced amongst themselves--all except for Pietro who stared dispa.s.sionately beyond them all.
He was impa.s.sively quiet as of late.
Jaden gulped, her eyes finally moving to gaze at Chara. Her heart thudded nervously, not daring to hope.
"You are bored," Theophania said. "You are a fighter, used to fighting."
"Yes," Andrei added. "You need an a.s.signment--something to do." Jaden"s heart sank. She turned her eyes away. Every one of their d.a.m.ned words was like a kick to the gut.
"There is a disturbance in London," Ragnhild said. "Many of our kind have died. We want you to check it out and report back to us. Then, we wish for you to finish your work collecting any of the remaining MacNaughton personal doc.u.ments and possessions."
Jaden stiffly nodded. Through tightened lips, she asked, "Shall I get Osiris?"
"No, he will be coming with me to Africa. You will be going there alone," Amon stated. "Consider this another test of your loyalty.
And remember, dhampir, you may be alone but it doesn"t mean your actions aren"t watched."
Jaden dutifully nodded.
"s.h.i.+va has your travel plans. When you get there you"ll be met by a contact. It has all been arranged," Theophania said. "You have been taught our laws and know what is expected. Your life is yours as much as it is ours, dhampir. We won"t coddle and care for you, but we will expect you to report back to us."
London, England, December 31
All around Jaden celebration resounded over the city streets. The dark alleyways were not as safe a haven, though there were plenty of meals to choose from. Jaden drank quickly from a pa.s.sing man before letting him go on his way. The liquor in his blood soothed her some, being as she couldn"t consume a stiff gla.s.s of scotch on her own.
Turning from the crowd, she made her way through the narrow pa.s.sageway streets. The chipped cobblestone whispered past her feet as she walked. The breeze swept around her, but didn"t stir her spirit. She was glad to be out of the council"s hall. She was glad to be out on her own again, though much had happened since she was last alone. The night hours were spent more in contemplation and longing, rather than in hunting.