Authors: Joey W. Hill
Vampire Trinity (34 page)
It must be nice, having a silver tongue and a deadly way with a blade, Gideon thought darkly. It was beyond
Twilight Zone
, to be standing in a room where his fate was being discussed as if he weren’t there. Or rather, because he had no right to speak, his opinion irrelevant. Shades of Charlton Heston and
Planet of the Apes
. But he’d gotten a grip on himself. Daegan was right. There was so much going on beneath the surface here, his best use was standing strong behind Anwyn, trusting Daegan to handle the situation. It was an unusual role for him, and Gideon wasn’t sure how he felt about it. But then Anwyn gave him a minor heart attack.
Twilight Zone
, to be standing in a room where his fate was being discussed as if he weren’t there. Or rather, because he had no right to speak, his opinion irrelevant. Shades of Charlton Heston and
Planet of the Apes
. But he’d gotten a grip on himself. Daegan was right. There was so much going on beneath the surface here, his best use was standing strong behind Anwyn, trusting Daegan to handle the situation. It was an unusual role for him, and Gideon wasn’t sure how he felt about it. But then Anwyn gave him a minor heart attack.
“My lord.” She spoke up unexpectedly, putting her hand over Daegan’s on her arm. When she sent a shy, uncertain smile toward the Council members, the torchlight glittered off her blue-green eyes. As she shifted, the fit of her dress made it clear there was nothing under it, but in a classy, subtle way guaranteed to torture the male imagination. “Lord Daegan is being very protective of me at his own expense. At the risk of incurring his displeasure and yours, I wish to explain. The vampires who turned me . . .” Her gaze shifted to the left of Belizar’s head. “They took turns on me. All of them, during it.”
At the ripple of response, she pressed her lips together. Gideon could sense a curious stillness in her brain, as if she’d shut off her true feelings to get through this moment. She hadn’t spoken directly of her rape, even to the two of them. Only in the madness of her seizures. “Gideon and Lord Daegan came to my rescue. He could of course override me at any time and decide to mark my servant, merely share him with me. But I think he wants me to feel I have some choices, to give me time to adjust to my new circumstances. I would beg you . . .” She paused, letting the words linger on her parted lips. “Please don’t judge Lord Daegan harshly for such kindness. I certainly do not wish the Council to be concerned about my choice of servant.”
Belizar studied her, a brow lifted. “Prettily spoken, fledgling. I can understand Lord Daegan’s regard for you, though I’m sure he also explained you shouldn’t be speaking in this chamber unless directly asked to do so.”
Anwyn bowed her head. “My apologies, my lord.”
Belizar made another of his vague Russian noises, but Gideon wasn’t sure if it was disapproval, or like a lecherous grandfather putting on a stern ruse. “We will have dinner tonight, as we discussed, and we’ll see what we will see.”
He turned his attention to Daegan. “At the very least, you should be prepared for this Council to require your full marking upon him before you leave. Now that we understand her circumstances—something you should have told us—I believe a majority of us will agree it is reasonable for you to be in charge of her transition and mentoring. We are not unaware of the fragile state of a fledgling’s mind, particularly one who was turned in such a heinous manner. But that simply underscores the fact that Gideon Green cannot be reined in by a mere infant to our ways. He has far too much of a history to give us that confidence.”
Daegan’s expression took on a hint of steel. “So the choice is I mark him or you kill him?”
“Unless the Council decides to execute him, regardless.” Belizar’s flintlike gaze matched Daegan’s. “I expect a lot will depend on tonight, yes? We will dine at ten o’clock. Council adjourned.”
Their quarters had all the trappings necessary to reassure the ego of a visiting born vampire. It was of little consequence to the three of them, though. An awkward silence descended as soon as the door closed after Vincent.
Gideon decided he might as well break it. “So . . . I’ve never been to Berlin. Want to go catch some tourist attractions before they decide to spear me with a butter knife at dinner?”
Daegan gave him a dark look, but Anwyn dissipated the weak attempt at humor. Moving a step forward, she stumbled, nearly twisting her ankle in her elegant heels.
As one, they were with her, guiding her to the nearest chair. Gideon went to his knees to chafe her cold fingers between his, while Daegan slid a hip onto the chair arm, stroking her hair. “I was right,” she said, staring into Gideon’s face. “I should have called your brother. He would have come and done whatever was necessary to keep you from following us.”
“It does not matter,” Daegan said brusquely. “They’re not going to carry out their sentence.”
“You think it’s a power play, to negotiate some kind of leverage,” Gideon guessed. “Or they’re just enjoying the chance to play with me, like I expected.”
“I don’t know,” the vampire responded. “But it doesn’t matter. They can make all the demands they wish, but they have no true power over me.”
“Yeah. If they and all their minions attack, you can fight them off. I get that. But what about with Anwyn in the middle? It only takes a second to stake a vampire.”
“Aren’t you worried about yourself, Gideon?” Anwyn freed her hands, rubbed them in frustration over her own face. “What if—”
“It wouldn’t matter, Anwyn; you know that. Something kills you, we both die. That’s part of the link.”
“That’s supposed to reassure me? I don’t like this place, or them.” Standing up, she moved away from them both, but turned to look at Daegan. “And I understand about the tithe, but it’s so . . .”
“Feudal?” Gideon supplied helpfully. “If you’re looking for that group to go all free-market capitalist, don’t hold your breath. That’s a pure oligarchy in there.”
“There are overlords and Region Masters who abuse their tithes. But many use them for what they are intended,” Daegan assured her. “To protect and enhance the lives of all the vampires in their district. It is a closely connected, interdependent network.”
“But one that hasn’t ever included you,” Anwyn observed. “Why do they hate you?”
Daegan looked startled they’d noticed it, which surprised Gideon, because it had been just as obvious to him. So he supplied the answer for her. “Whatever’s different, whatever they can’t defend themselves against, they fear. Unlike humans, they don’t give a rat’s ass about pretending to be fair-minded or tolerant. He can melt in the shadows and never be seen again. He could kill off the entire vampire population, one by one, and they’d never have a chance against him. He’s not just an assassin. He’s a ghost, just like they call him.”
Something in Daegan’s dark eyes made him reluctant to continue in the same frank manner, but he knew the reminder was needed. “They’ll turn on you if Steve and Barb plant enough seeds. You can already see it happening. You said it yourself. Your mother’s gone. You’ve done a lot of cleanup; they’ve passed more stringent rules about making vampires, et cetera. Now they feel more comfortable testing you, seeing if you’ll prove their fears right, that you’ll try to take over their narrow little psycho world.”
“For a loner, you know a great deal about politics, vampire hunter.”
“Some of the same shit happens in vampire hunting cells. Hell, anytime more than two human beings get together in the same room. There were times I thought what I was fighting alongside might be as bad as what I was fighting against.” Gideon smiled grimly, but brought Anwyn back to the chair between them, squeezed her still-too-cold hands. “Feeling better, honey?”
“As opposed to what?” She sighed. Sliding her feet out of her shoes, she braced the stockinged soles on Gideon’s bent knee and leaned into Daegan’s side. “How is it that you two, when you combine forces, always make me feel things will be okay, even when everything tells me things are going to hell in a handbasket?”
“We’re good bullshitters,” Gideon offered.
“But I can read your mind.”
Daegan pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s because he and I are united in one resolve. Nothing is going to harm you, ever again, no matter what we have to do.”
“Then make sure you both stay okay.” She put a hand on his face, one on Gideon’s, linking them to her. “You can’t protect me from everything, but if I know you two will be there, no matter what happens to me, I’ll be okay. I mean that for tonight, too. You’ve told me about vampire dinners.” Her gaze lifted to Daegan. “Tonight they become reality. I know I’m the low man on the totem pole, so it’s possible”—she bit her lip, firmed her voice, though they both heard the quaver—“they might want to test me with some of their games.”
“No, dearest. They’ll test your servant, and your command of him.” Daegan cast a faintly apologetic look at Gideon for using him as the sacrificial lamb to reassure her, though Gideon knew it was only the truth. “This is the Council, Anwyn. While there are power games that go on within territories that might demand shows of sexual and physical submission by younger vampires, the Council typically doesn’t dirty their hands with that. They will test Gideon’s obedience to you, however.” Daegan met Gideon’s eyes. “And they can be ruthless.”
“Then we should leave now,” Anwyn said.
“It was my original intention. But they have made it clear they will oppose that. How stringently, I do not know. Gideon, if you think you cannot handle what may happen tonight, then now is the time to tell me. I can send you back to the plane, and have you flown out of here.”
“What will happen to you and Anwyn?”
“We will be fine. Their ire will be toward me. Anwyn is a fledgling in the company of a stronger vampire. The responsibility is mine.”
“But you’ve applied to be her guardian of sorts. That will ruin that chance.”
“I tire of repeating this to you both.” Daegan said with an edge. “I do not need their approval for any of my actions.”
“Being ostracized by this group can be about as bad as a physical attack, particularly for Anwyn. That’s why you brought her here, to get validated, right?” Gideon glanced toward Anwyn. “I can handle this. I
will
handle this. I’ve faced death and torture.” He forced himself to hold her gaze, though his tongue had difficulty with the words. “If some Council member wants me to suck his dick or have every one of them take me in the ass to prove I’m subservient enough for them, then I’ll do it. It’s one night out of my life. It’s my choice, which was a hell of a lot more than you got, right? And hell, as Daegan said, that night in the weapons room was about preparing me for this, right? I passed that test; I’ll pass this one.” Rising to his feet, his hands sliding from Anwyn’s, he nodded. “I’m going to go take a shower. Probably the first of a hundred tonight.”
will
handle this. I’ve faced death and torture.” He forced himself to hold her gaze, though his tongue had difficulty with the words. “If some Council member wants me to suck his dick or have every one of them take me in the ass to prove I’m subservient enough for them, then I’ll do it. It’s one night out of my life. It’s my choice, which was a hell of a lot more than you got, right? And hell, as Daegan said, that night in the weapons room was about preparing me for this, right? I passed that test; I’ll pass this one.” Rising to his feet, his hands sliding from Anwyn’s, he nodded. “I’m going to go take a shower. Probably the first of a hundred tonight.”
She could tell he hadn’t liked comparing that night to this, the only comfort Anwyn took from his words. She watched him disappear into the bathroom area and looked up at Daegan. “If that’s what happens, he’ll do it, but it will break something in him.”
It will break something in me.
It will break something in me.
Daegan cupped her face, his fingers sliding along her cheek. “Nothing can break you,
cher
.”
cher
.”
You’d be surprised.
A trembling fear grew in her belly a little more every day, telling her what she’d told Gideon earlier. Once she got past the drama of being initiated in the vampire world, she’d be in for some major post-traumatic effects from the alley and everything that had happened since.
A trembling fear grew in her belly a little more every day, telling her what she’d told Gideon earlier. Once she got past the drama of being initiated in the vampire world, she’d be in for some major post-traumatic effects from the alley and everything that had happened since.
Daegan bent, pressed his forehead to hers. “Oh,
cher
.”
cher
.”
“I survived. I’ll be fine. But he . . . It’s not fair, Daegan.”
“He loves you, Anwyn. I don’t know if he loves
you
, or the idea of having a woman to protect with everything he is, but in this moment it is all the same. Love is vital, not fair. Fair doesn’t really matter.”
you
, or the idea of having a woman to protect with everything he is, but in this moment it is all the same. Love is vital, not fair. Fair doesn’t really matter.”
“I think I love him as well.” She managed a half smile. “Both the idea and the actual man.”
Daegan nodded, unsurprised. “I saw it in your eyes when you let him lay down upon you in the Queen’s Bedchamber. It took me months before you could relax when I did that. It took him minutes.”
Though he displayed no hurt about that, Anwyn understood his emotions a little better than that. “It took him minutes
because
it took you months,” she said truthfully. “What took me so long to see in your eyes, I didn’t forget, not once I learned what it looked like. I saw it in his, recognized it. If I’d trusted that feeling sooner, maybe I would have become your servant, and then all of this would have been different.”
because
it took you months,” she said truthfully. “What took me so long to see in your eyes, I didn’t forget, not once I learned what it looked like. I saw it in his, recognized it. If I’d trusted that feeling sooner, maybe I would have become your servant, and then all of this would have been different.”
Daegan shook his head. “You are no servant, Anwyn.” When her lips curved, he chuckled. “I know. Neither is he. You’ve acquired the most terrible servant possible.”
Other books
The Cosmic Logos by Traci Harding
The Stranger Beside You by William Casey Moreton
1958 - The World in My Pocket by James Hadley Chase
Darwin's Quest: The Search for the Ultimate Survivor by Jonathan P. Brazee
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Statistic by Dawn Robertson
Pharaoh by Karen Essex
The Hanging Tree by Bryan Gruley
Weep No More My Lady by Mary Higgins Clark
