Lord of the Vampires

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

THEY DRESSED QUICKLY, quietly, and Jane packed a little bag of necessities. Such as the book—Nicolai had been overjoyed to see it—a few robes, snacks and a canteen of water. Laila had not brought any weapons for Odette to use, a fact that disappointed Jane but didn’t surprise her.

“How are you going to invade her dreams?” she asked Nicolai.

“I’ll tell you all about it.” He moved in front of her and gripped her shoulders. Once again he wore the slave’s mask. “When I’m done.”

She knew what that meant—he would be in danger—and her answer was hell, no. “I’m going with you.”

He sighed as if he’d expected such a response and had already resigned himself to it. “I do want to take you into the dream with me, and I will try to do so. Having never done something like that before, I don’t know if it will work. Meanwhile, I want you to stay here.”

“Why?”

He flicked his tongue over an incisor. “If I can’t force her to harm herself, I’ll have to absorb her powers. All of her powers and all the spells she has cast upon herself.”

Jane’s eyes widened. “You can do that?”

A stiff nod. “Most likely I will have to go that route. I tried to invade her dreams while you were sleeping and encountered an unexpected resistance. If the resistance is still there, while I’m in close proximity to her, I’ll have to do something to lower her guard to steal her magic. Something…nonviolent.”

She began to understand, and wanted to throw up. Or maybe throw a punch. “Like…kissing her?” Or more?

Another nod, this one barely discernable.

“You can’t just stab her?” she asked hopefully.

“Not without dying myself. She’s cast a spell that causes any injury I attempt to inflict on her to be directed at myself.”

“Okay, so that’s out.” Jane nibbled on her bottom lip, felt the cuts already there and realized she had been doing a lot of nervous chewing lately. “That explains the power I felt wafting from her, I guess.”

“You felt that?”

“Yep.” She squared her shoulders. “And okay, fine. If you have to kiss her, you have to kiss her. And believe me, I do not envy you. That’s taking one for the team a little far. I mean, I think I’d rather endure the stabbing myself instead of having to kiss her.”

He nearly choked on a laugh. “This is not funny, Jane.”

“I know.” But she’d much rather he laugh than worry over her reaction. “As long as you survive, I’m good with the plan. Please tell me you’ll be able to hurt her once you absorb her powers.”

“Yes.” Absolute determination radiated from him. “I will.”

“Then I guess sticking your tongue down the devil’s throat has a nice enough payoff.” She punched him in the arm. “Good luck, tiger.”

He laughed again, this time far less strained. “Thank you. Now. Will you please stay here?”

“Nope, sorry. I may not possess any magic of my own, but Laila still assumes I’m Odette. You might need me. Therefore, I’m sticking to your side as if I’ve been glued there.”

A moment passed in silence, then another. Finally he pinched the bridge of his nose. “All right. You may come with me. If things do not progress as I hope, you are to run to Elden, and search out the prince Dayn. Trust no one else. Tell him you belong to me. Tell him you are my betrothed.”

How sad he suddenly sounded. At the thought of losing her? “And he’ll believe me?” Not that she would leave. She wouldn’t, not for any reason. They would be together.

“I’ve marked you, so yes. Yes, he will. He is a blood drinker, like me.”

When he turned away, she grabbed his arm. A puny move but one that worked all the same. “You found your brother?”

“Not yet. I have a feeling you will succeed where I have failed.”

Again, he went to leave. Again, she held on to him. “So you are a prince?”

“Yes,” he repeated. “The crown prince, destined to rule all of Elden.”

This time, he remained in place, awaiting her response. She released him and shrugged. “That explains a lot.”

He blinked down at her. “That’s all you have to say on the subject?”

“Yeah.” He was royalty. So what? Everyone had a flaw.

She bent down, grabbed the strap of her pack and hefted the heavy thing onto her shoulder. The cord dug into her muscle, but she didn’t allow herself to wince. Nicolai would take the burden upon himself, and he needed his hands free.

“Just don’t expect me to be all humble and obey your every whim. That’s not going to happen. So are we doing this or what?”

His lashes fused, hiding his irises, as he leaned down, wrapped her in his arms and kissed her, softly, sweetly, a tender lover expressing his gratitude. For what? she wondered, then she forgot the question. Her lips tingled. Their tongues met briefly, and she tasted him. Wanted more. Always, she wanted more.

He straightened and sighed. “I do not want her magic affecting you, Jane. If I fail and she turns on you—”

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I might be a vampire so I don’t give a shit. I’ll heal.”

His brow knitted with confusion and anger. “No one will be breaking your bones.”

She patted his cheek. “I believe I’ve already told you that I’m going with you and that’s final. Stop trying to talk me out of it.”

Maybe he could feel her determination. Maybe he hated the thought of being apart as much as she did. Either way, his hands left her and he nodded. “Stubborn baggage.”

“I’ll take that to mean delightful female.”

“You’d be right.” He twined their fingers and ushered her outside, into the night. The moon was hidden behind thick, dark clouds, the air cool and moist. A storm must be brewing.

There was a campfire crackling a few feet away, casting golden rays and heat, but no guards around it. Actually, there was no sign of life anywhere. Not even in front of Laila’s tent. Jane knew men patrolled the perimeter, however. She could hear their hearts beating. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

“Something’s off,” Jane said.

“I know,” Nicolai replied, his voice flat.

“She should have guards in front of her tent. Why did she send them away?”

“She must be expecting me.”

Could they never catch a break? “We should leave. Come back another day. If she knows who you are, she’ll attack.”

“Oh, yes, she will.” His voice was still flat, but resolve gave it a dangerous edge. “We may be giving her too much credit. She may not know, may only suspect. Either way, she dies tonight.”

He spoke like a man who knew he didn’t have a lot of time. Jane recalled his need to return to Elden. A physical need that was slowly killing him, he’d said. Perhaps that was the case here.

So, when he strode the short distance and swept inside the tent without pause, Jane made no protests. Lanterns were still lit, and her eyes adjusted instantly. Unlike earlier, no slaves danced in the center.

To her consternation, Laila was not asleep on her bed. She still lounged on her chaise, sipping from a goblet. Waiting.

“Finally,” she said casually. She stroked the timepiece hanging around her neck. A timepiece that had not been there earlier. “And now I have my answers.”

“About?” Nicolai shoved Jane behind him.

She placed her hands on his back, felt the muscles knot.

Fury colored Laila’s expression for a split second before she smoothed her features. “You’ll stay where you are, slave. And believe me, you won’t be able to move from one location to another with only a thought, so don’t even try.”

Had she used her magic to root him in place? Jane moved beside him—and yes, that was exactly what Laila’d done, she realized as her own feet became as heavy as boulders. Laila hadn’t moved, hadn’t even blinked, yet somehow she’d used her magic.

Dread blasted through her, little bombs that spread their poison quickly. “Mother will be very disappointed in you,” she said.

“Will she?” Laila smiled, shifting her attention to Jane. “Or will she be proud of me for destroying an imposter?”

Breathe, just breathe.

“Earlier, when I had that human female killed, I felt your upset and disgust. I wondered why. That is not something my sister ever felt. Then, I felt someone digging through my powers. I wondered who, but I didn’t cast a spell to stop—or hurt—the person, because I also wondered what they wanted. Imagine my surprise when they—he—chose my magic mirror.”

She wouldn’t ask. Couldn’t. Not yet.

“Then, imagine my further surprise when my very loyal slave ceased to desire me. The same way another slave of mine ceased to desire me.”

“Nicolai never desired you,” Jane spat.

Laila shrugged, unconcerned. “He never desired you, either. In fact, I think he was relieved when I took over his care. Then, suddenly, you return from the grave, and he can’t tear his eyes away from you. He yearns for you, abducts you. Not to use you as a shield, but because he can’t bear to be away from you. Something was wrong, and I knew it. Now, I know what that something is.”

“And just what do you know?” Nicolai asked as calmly as if they were having Sunday brunch and discussing the next day’s forecast.

Jane looked up at him. He’d dropped the mask. There was his dark hair, his silver eyes. His wide shoulders, his muscles stretching the fabric of his dark blue robe. A beautiful man she would protect with her own life.

“The woman beside you is not my sister,” Laila said. “Her name is Jane, correct?”

Breathe. “I am Odette. You can’t prove otherwise.”

“Really? Well, perhaps you are right.” Anger laced the princess’s tone, the words as sharp as daggers. “Once, I could look through the eyes of others. Now that ability has been taken from me. No matter, though. I remembered how Nicolai used to talk to someone inside his cell. A woman. Jane. No one else could see her. We assumed him insane.” She laughed smugly, and even her humor sliced. “But your name is Jane, I would bet, and you are human.”

Jane could feel the fury pulsing off of Nicolai. “Perhaps you’re the insane one.”

Laila unfolded from the chair and stood. Her gaze swung to Nicolai. “Oh, no, you don’t, slave. As you can tell, I’ve cast a spell to prevent you from stealing any more of my powers. While the two of you…frolicked, I fortified my magic.” Had he tried?

“Except,” he said with a smile of his own, all white and lethal, “any powers you use are mine to use, as well. That, you cannot prevent from happening.”

“No, you can’t…” Laila screeched. She’d tried to step toward them, but her foot had stopped midair.

“Yes, I can. Holding you in place doesn’t harm you physically, and, in fact, saves you from my claws. So you should be happy. Your protective spell is working.”

“Release me, or I will scream for the guards.”

He arched a brow, taunting her. “And you think they’ll believe you concerning Odette? They won’t, and we both know it. Your only chance is to release her. Do it, and we’ll talk. You and I. Alone.”

“Right. Because I’m a fool.”

“Well…” Jane said.

Laila scowled at her, but continued. “Vow that you won’t try to kill me or use the powers that I use, and I’ll consider it.”

Nicolai opened his mouth to reply, probably to agree, but Jane stopped him. “I’m not going anywhere. I don’t care what the two of you decide.” And as soon as she was able, she was taking a crash course in Magic 101. She wanted to know the rules. What a witch could and couldn’t do. She wanted to know how to stop them. How to defeat them.

“How about this, Nicolai,” Laila said, smiling again. “We’ll find out what kind of damage I can do to your Jane without ever taking a step.”

A moment later, Jane felt as if her head was about to explode. She cried out, clutched her ears, felt warm drops of blood spill onto her palms. Her entire world focused on her throbbing brain, and she lost sight of everything around her.

Her knees buckled, but her feet were still locked into the rug-covered floor. She could only crouch, screaming and crying and praying for death. An eternity seemed to pass. But then, the pain stopped just as suddenly as it had hit her.

Gradually she became aware of her surroundings and realized Laila was now screaming.

Nicolai, Jane thought distantly. Nicolai must have stolen her ability to squeeze minds—or whatever she’d done—and was using it against the princess. But he was grunting, too, as if the pain was exploding through him.

Laila’s screams ceased abruptly. Nicolai quieted a second later.

The only sound to be heard were panting, labored breaths. Jane tried to stand, but didn’t have the strength. She saw that her bag had fallen and rested a few inches away. She was soaked with sweat, her robe seemingly a hundred pounds heavier.

She managed to turn her head and glance up at Nicolai. He wasn’t looking at her, but at Laila, his eyes narrowed, hatred radiating from him.

“You saw what I saw,” Laila gritted out. “Your precious human studied your kind. Cut them up, hurt them. Tell me, were they your friends?”

Oh, no, Jane thought. No, no, no. Somehow he’d known she had researched and done experiments on his kind, but he hadn’t known the identities of her victims. Had she hurt one of his friends?

“Do you still wish to protect her?” Laila demanded. “Do you still wish to be her lover?”

Silence.

Such heavy silence.

Please don’t tell me you knew any of them. If he had, he would hate her.

“What do you want, princess?” Nicolai said, his voice devoid of all emotion.

A knot grew in Jane’s throat, practically cutting off her air. He did. He hated her. She needed to apologize, to explain, but couldn’t do so here, now.

He can’t hate you. He loves you. He’ll forgive you. Eventually. She hoped.

Laila’s chin lifted, triumph flashing through her eyes. Such cruel green eyes. “I want you to bind yourself to me. Forever.”

He snorted. “No. What do I gain in return? Nothing.”

“I’ll allow you to kill the girl.” She motioned to Jane with a wave of her hand.

Acid burned a hole in her stomach.

“I’ll kill her,” he said, matter-of-fact, “but I don’t need to enslave myself to do it.”

Oh, God. Jane had become one of his enemies, his hated, must-be-destroyed-at-any-cost enemies. “Nicolai. Please. I’m so, so sorry.”

He didn’t deign to look at her. Just held up his hand to silence her. “I took your memories. Me. I wanted you to save me. So, as you can see, I never truly wanted you. Only what you could do for me. Save your apologies.”

He’d…what? Why would he…?

Everything rushed back, as if a glass cage had been shattered inside her mind. They had talked, they had shared. Discovered that she was cursed. He’d known that forcing her to cross over, to save him, would endanger him. For that very reason, she had refused. He’d taken her memory and forced her to do it.

At the time, she’d thought she would resent him. Instead, she was glad he’d done it. Glad she’d helped him, freed him, made love with him. She even understood his reasoning. When she had been bed bound, she had tried to bargain with God for freedom. In that state of mind, you did things. Things you weren’t always proud of.

Why hadn’t she returned home permanently, though, as the curse dictated? She loved him. She should have lost him already.

Or was his hatred the thing that would keep them apart, not her absence? Her stomach somersaulted. “I’ll kill her, then,” Laila said.

“With magic?” Nicolai laughed. “Please do. Then I’ll have the power to kill you.”

“Not if I kill you, then the girl.”

“You don’t want me dead, princess. You want me pliant.” His head tilted to the side. “Why did you bury my memories? Not of the girl, but of everything else. I know why you blocked my powers, but the memories…”

A smug gleam entered her eyes. “You want to know, fine. I’ll tell you. I’m not the beast you think me, you know.”

He crossed his arms over his chest.

“You appeared at the slave market in Delfina, and everyone assumed you were a Prince Nicolai look-alike. Everyone wanted to buy you. Me, Odette. The wealthy, the poor. Only Odette and I knew you truly were Prince Nicolai of Elden, crown prince, vampire, powerful beyond imagining.” Again, she stroked the timepiece. “You fought wildly and managed to slay several people who simply approached you to study you closer. Then, you escaped.”

His eyes widened ever so slightly, an involuntary reaction Jane was sure. She figured he hadn’t recalled that part of his life yet. She wanted to reach out to him, but feared he would reject her.

“Odette had set you free, after blocking your powers. She wanted you away from the market, away from the prying eyes of others. News had just come from Elden that the king and queen had been slain.”

A sharp intake of breath was Nicolai’s only response. How Jane ached for him.

“As you can guess, Odette wouldn’t have freed you if she had no way of capturing you. Yet still you proved elusive. She nearly succeeded a dozen times, because you kept trying to return to Elden, yet you always found a way to abandon her. When she at last caught you, she scoured the depths of your mind. You might not have witnessed the event, but you knew. You had heard the news, as we had, and magic had filled in the rest.”

“Tell me,” he rasped.

“In a bid to gain control of the lands, the Blood Sorcerer attacked. Your mother and father lay dying, and each cast a spell. Your mother, to send you away to safety. Your father, to fill you with a need for vengeance.”

Jane could feel Nicolai’s fury growing…sharpening….

“Odette couldn’t allow you to keep trying to return,” Laila went on. “Nor could she allow you to search for your brothers and sister. Had they known you still lived, they would have come for you. So, they had to think you were dead, slain with your parents. That way, no one would ever come to your rescue.”

His hands fisted.

“And now,” Laila went on, “now it’s too late.”

“What do you mean?” he gritted out.

“Twenty years have passed since the Blood Sorcerer attacked the palace.”

“No.” He shook his head, once, twice. “No.”

“Oh, yes.” A fleeting smile. “You were as unaware of the passage of time as you were of your past. Odette made sure of it.” Laila lifted her chin. “So. How about this for a bargain? I will help you defeat the Blood Sorcerer, if you kill the human. Right here, right now.”

“And forget the crimes you have committed against me?” he seethed.

At least he hadn’t accepted right away, Jane thought darkly, dryly. That he would turn on her so savagely…she could not forgive. Unless this was a trick. Unless he meant to gain Laila’s trust.

Hope eternal.

“It’s either that, or I let the healer wipe your memory once again. We’ve had to do so several times, you know.”

Tighter and tighter those hands curled. “You would trust me not to hurt you?”

“No. You will take a blood oath not to. Before I release you, and after you kill the girl.”

Jane gulped, her mouth going dry.

This time, Nicolai didn’t hesitate. “Very well. Release us from your magical hold, and I vow never to kill or hurt you. Help me slay my enemy, and I…I will kill the girl.”