B00528UTDS EBOK (7 page)

“And the born vampire thing … what about that?” she asked. Sarah’s mind was reeling. All of this just seemed to be too much.

“I suspect that you can verify this with your aunt.”

“And the reason that you care what happens to me is because you think I am this dead witch?” Sarah eyes strayed toward the sea. She couldn’t let herself look at him or she would be lost. As soon as she looked into his eyes, she wouldn’t care about anything but being with him. Something told her that she needed to stay in control right now.

“That is one reason, yes.”

“What is it that you want from me? Do you want me to pretend that I am this witch?”

Darrien shook his head. “I just do not want to be responsible for your demise. This is why I want you to go away before Omar sends someone else to kill you. It is also why I must not come to you again,” he added in a soft voice.

Sarah turned sharply to face him. The thought of never seeing him again was troubling. “So is that what this was about? You’ve come to tell me this, and then you plan to go away?”

Darrien nodded. For a moment it appeared that he was going to say something more, but he didn’t.

Sarah turned away. “Well I’m not running!

“Don’t be foolish Sarah! These are immortals. They cannot die, at least not by any normal means. For you to do battle with them, would be asking for death.” Darrien’s voice shook with frustration and anger.

“I will be initiated at the summer solstice, and then the coven will stand with me,” she told him, a stubborn glint in her eyes.

Darrien jumped to his feet. “If you will not help yourself Sarah, there is nothing more that I can do for you.”

“How do you suppose that I help myself, go hide in a hole for the rest of my life? If there is any truth to what you tell me, maybe I should be looking for these sisters and doing what it is we are supposed to do?” Sarah snapped.

“The sisters have no chance of success. The ancients are too powerful.”

Sarah stood and took his hand in hers. “Darrien, stay with me and help me.”

He refused to look at her. “I cannot do that. The last time I was a part of your life …” his voice trailed off and he became silent.

Sarah drew her brows together. “I don’t believe that I am this witch that you say I am.”

“You are wrong,” he shook his head. “Once two souls have come together in love, as we did, they are connected throughout eternity. Search inside yourself, and you will find that connection.”

Sarah could not deny that there was something there. Though she had no conscious memory of Darrien before she’d seen him standing out in her aunt’s garden that night, she did feel as if she knew him.

“If this is true, why are you planning to go away?” she asked, her heart sinking at the very thought of never seeing him again.

Finally he let his eyes rest on her face. “I will only end up hurting you Sarah. It is what happened before. Your death was my fault.”

“How was it your fault?” Sarah was becoming aggravated with him.

Darrien shook his head. “There is no time for all of this. Even right now, Omar is wondering where I am. He will send someone else soon.”

Sarah let go of his hand. “Then go! I will fight these vampires, and I
will
win.”

Darrien’s anger erupted. “Do you think you could fight against an immortal?” he growled. His anger shone through his eyes, and she saw him transform into something dark and deadly. Snarling, he drew back his teeth to reveal fangs. His hand whipped out to grasp her arm.

Sarah tried to pull away, her heart pounding with fear. He held her arm tightly, forcing her into the sand. “Do you think you could stop me, if I wanted to kill you?” His fury made his voice sound deep and guttural. In that instant, he resembling something far from human.

He was lying on top of her, his body pinning her down so that she could not move. “Do you want to know what it is like to be fed on by an immortal?” he roared.

Lifting her shirt, he stared down at her heaving chest and naked breasts. Sarah gasped when she felt his wet tongue sliding over her taut nipples. Then she felt the pressure of his fangs on her flesh, and the sensation of warm blood spilling across her breast. Fire erupted between her legs, and she let out a soft moan, lifting her chest to feed him more.

She could feel his stiff desire pressing hard against her stomach, and she wiggled beneath him, so that she could feel him better. Her actions fanned the flames of his hunger, and he pulled away from her. Throwing his head back, he roared in frustration. He swiftly got to his feet, as if her nearness was too unbearable to endure any longer.

Darrien shook his head. “Sarah … your hunger will control you one day, if you do not take control of it now. If you were someone else, this would have frightened you, but it only made your craving worse.”

“Go to your coven Sarah and ask for their protection. I cannot protect you, not even from me.” Darrien took her hand in his and started walking back to the house.

He stared at her, his dark eyes reflecting the silver moonlight. She wanted so badly to reach out and touch him, but she feared his rejection. It was far more painful than when his teeth punctured her flesh.

“I am death. That’s all you need to know about me,” he told her before turning away and starting up the path to her aunt’s house.

“But what if I remember … from that other life. What if I come looking for you?” she was desperate to get anything from him that would help her find him again.

“You don’t know how badly I want you to remember me, but perhaps it is best that you don’t.”

They had reached the front porch and he dropped her hand. Darrien leaned down and brushed her lips with his. “Stay out of the dark,” he told her. “And be careful who you trust.”

A lump formed in her throat as she watched him retreat into the darkness. Sarah felt anger mixed with her sadness.

Peering through the thick darkness, Alec made his way along the passages beneath Castle Arges. All that could be heard was a slow - steady dripping of water, the result of condensation on the rock walls. Originally, the hidden passages beneath the castle had been used as an escape route. Just incase the family in residence should come under attack. The passages connected to different areas of the castle, and to tunnels that led to the village at the bottom of the cliff. This was common knowledge, but Alec discovered there were also hidden passages.

Luciano had occupied the castle for the past two centuries. He rarely left the safety of his haven, and shunned all that sought an audience with him, even the ancients. Secrecy among the oldest vampires was not unusual, but Luciano took it far beyond the norm. But considering his reputation, it was no small wonder that he kept to himself. It was a widespread theory among vampires and slayers, that if you could destroy Luciano, you would break the curse of the immortal, but Alec wasn’t convinced.

The passages beneath the castle seemed to go on forever. Alec had no idea where he would find the Book of Anu. If the manuscript was in the castle, it was hidden well. Donavan had hinted to a relic that was held in Luciano’s possession. The manuscript was the most legendary of the vampire relics, so it had to be what Luciano was hiding.

About a hundred feet ahead of him, the passage took a sharp curve to the left. Flickering light pierced the heavy darkness, it was the only light that Alec had seen since entering the passageway. Staying close to the rock wall, Alec moved cautiously toward the light. When he reached the area where the tunnel curved, he peeked around the wall. The light was coming from torches that stood on each side of a large doorway.

He moved quickly to the door. Keeping close to the wall, Alec peered inside. It appeared to be some type of chamber. Unlike the rest of the subterranean rooms, the walls in this chamber were smooth, and adorned with strange symbols painted in metallic gold. Two more torches illuminated another doorway at the far end of the chamber.

Entering cautiously, he moved toward the second doorway. Unlike the first chamber, a metal door blocked his entrance to whatever lay beyond. Alec pulled on the handle and the door opened easily. Behind the door was another tunnel, this one descending deeper into the earth.

Alec stepped into the darkness, but froze when her heard the deep laughter behind him. He looked back to see Luciano watching him, a look of amusement on his face.

“It has been a long time since you tried to infiltrate my home. Whatever it is that you are looking for, you won’t find it in that tunnel.”

Alec turned to face Luciano. “Where does the passage go?”

Luciano scrutinized him, his black eyes stabbing painfully into Alec’s brain. Being in the ancient vampire’s presence was so overwhelming that it was like being in the throes of death - blissful but painful. The vampire’s long black hair was immaculately kept, and his soft features were too perfect to ever have been human. But his perfection was marred by the darkness that ate at his soul.

“It leads nowhere, at least for you,” Luciano told him.

“What is it that you are hiding down there Luciano?” Alec asked him. He was already in danger, pushing for an answer was not likely to cause him any further peril.

Again Alec felt shattering pain behind his eyes, as Luciano probed his mind. It lasted only a few seconds, before he heard the vampire’s voice break through the agony in his head.

“What you seek is not down there.” Luciano stepped closer and leaned down to whisper in Alec’s ear. “The Book of Anu is not here, it is not even in Romania.”

“If it is not down there, what is it that is at the end of these passages?” Alec questioned him, no longer caring what it might cost him.

“You will live an eternity Alec, and still it will not be long enough for you to discover what is at the end of that passageway.” Luciano taunted.

“What do you plan to do with me?” Alec got straight to the point. He had no intention of playing a game of words with Luciano.

Luciano smiled. “Alec, you place far too much importance on yourself. I would not have even interrupted your invasion of my home, if not for the fact that I find you amusing … a break from the monotony.”

“Where can I find the book Luciano? The rule of the ancients is coming to an end. The Light Seeker movement will spread, and then there will be trouble for all of you.”

Luciano waved his hand, indicating that Alec’s words were of no consequence. “You must have a desire to rule before the threat of the Light Seekers is relevant. It may matter to Omar, but I do not care to have power over others. I want only to be left alone.”

Alec shook his head. “Why?”

Luciano’s dark eyes became like stones. “When and if you ever find the Book of Anu, you will find out why ruling over the mutant vampires means little to me.”

“Where do I find this book?” Alec decided to push his advantage. At least Luciano was talking, and that was further than he’d ever gotten with the vampire before.

The hardness left the vampire’s eyes to be replaced by humor. “You are on a fool’s mission Alec,” Luciano smiled. “But if you insist on finding those elusive answers that you seek … you will want to search in Rome. I hear that the holy men of the Vatican are keeping it under lock and key.”

“So it does exist?” Alec asked.

Again Luciano shrugged his shoulders. “It is believed that a rebel recorded our history in this manuscript, but I cannot tell you if it
still
exists.”

“Don’t you realize what could happen if Omar follows through with this plan to dominate all vampires? Already his followers feed off of the fear they inspire in the mortals. They do not treat them as a necessity, but as a feast.”

“Omar is a fool and will perish because of it. His brothers must intervene … it is not my concern.”

“But you are the most powerful of the ancients. It would be easy for you to stop him,” Alec insisted, boldly stepping toward Luciano.

“Neither species is worth the trouble,” Luciano glared at Alec. “Now be on your way. I have grown tired of this exchange of meaningless words.”

“Maybe you are a coward and are afraid to go against Omar?” Alec knew his words were a mistake, but he could not take them back, and wouldn’t have, even if he could.

An unnatural light entered Luciano’s eyes. It was the only sign of his rage. “You will remove yourself from my sight Alec Norwood, or you will die with Omar.”

Alec’s own rage gripped him and he wanted to fly toward Luciano and tear the vampire to pieces. What right did these ancients have to keep the truth hidden from their own kind?

It took every ounce of control to keep from going with his instincts. He would not survive a fight with Luciano. No vampire in existence would. Luciano’s mind was so powerful, that he could pierce the heart and brain, and bleed his victims to death, without ever physically touching them. He was just as deadly to the vampires as he was the human race, maybe more so.

* * * *

The fading sun cast the forest deep in shadow. Sarah followed her aunt down the narrow path to the large clearing. For almost a hundred years, the Coven of Lazar had gathered for their celebrations and Sabbaths in the woods near Sutter Point. The area was surrounded with thick pines and foliage. It would not be easy to find, unless you knew where to look.