Eternal Seduction (7 page)

Tired of watching the verbal ping-pong match in which her life was the little plastic ball, Logan leaned forward and jabbed a finger in Vouclade’s direction. “No one has the right to tell me what I can put into my body, but me.”

“Incorrect,” he snapped. “You relinquished your freedom the moment Kerestyan ushered you into his home. Your life is in Nelek hands now, subject to Nelek whims.” He stood and faced Kerestyan. “
He
will not condone it, and you well know that.”

Logan unfolded her legs and stood as anger bubbled up inside her. “No one needs to condone anything. I’m an adult. If I choose to inject anything into my body, it’s my choice. Not yours, or Kerestyan’s, or anyone else’s for that matter.”

When Vouclade completely ignored her, as if she hadn’t spent the last half-hour politely answering his rapid fire questions, she started around the table.

Maybe if she got in his face, he’d be more willing to acknowledge her.

She was half way around the large table when Kerestyan appeared in front of her, blocking her path. She moved to push past him but winched as his cold fingers clamped around her shoulders. “Let me go, Kerestyan.”

He stared down at her, concern etched into the faint lines around his eyes she hadn’t noticed before. “I’m sorry, Logan. I can’t do that.” His deep voice took on a soft, calming quality. “At this point, I have to ask that you return to your room.”

Logan tried to pull away, but when she realized he wasn’t going to let her, she straightened and stared right back at him. “It’s one thing to tell me I’ve seen too much and make me come with you until you decide what to do. I don’t like it, but I know when I’m in over my head…that I can at least accept. It’s another thing to tell me what I can and can’t do with my own body!”

His fingers tensed, digging even deeper into her shoulders as Vouclade’s voice rose from behind them. “Perhaps one day when you have more respect for yourself, you’ll start treating your body accordingly.”

She was fairly sure if she had a pissed off gauge, Vouclade had just broken it. “Fuck you!”

“No thanks, Bones. After God knows how many years on the streets, drugs probably aren’t the only foreign thing you’ve put into your nasty little human body.”

Logan thrashed against Kerestyan’s hold as Odin’s snide voice filled the room. “Oh, great…the Tin Can’s back. Maybe the stick figure over there has a scientifically advanced can opener up his ass that I can use to pry you out of that shit you call clothes!”

Odin’s loud laughter echoed all around her. “That was a good one, Bones. I think I might’ve just gained a little respect for you.” His fat head disappeared behind the refrigerator door.

She ground her teeth as Kerestyan crushed her against his hard body then pressed his soft lips to her ear. “Please. It’s not my wish to force you, but I think it would be best if you returned to your room for now.” Her earlobe tingled from the sting of his cool breath.

“Not your wish to force me?” She focused on her anger, anything to help lessen the impact his tangy scent had on her racing heart. “That’s all you’ve done since I met you.”

His body went rigid. “I’ve done my best to offer you as many choices as possible, which is a courtesy not many in this life are given.” His jaw flexed like cold stone against her cheek. “Don’t make me regret the decision.”

Kerestyan released Logan when she attempted to pull away again, and then watched as she disappeared down the hallway in a flash of black satin. The only sound that followed was the door to her room slamming shut, hard enough to rattle every painting in the hall.

This was not, in any form or fashion, how he’d hoped her conversation with Vouclade would end. He’d half expected she’d be irritated with his older brother by the end of the discussion, but he’d hoped her anger wouldn’t encompass him.

“She doesn’t need therapy.”

Kerestyan spun around and stared at Vouclade. “What?”

“She displays no signs of mental illness. She’s a competent, functioning adult who understands her own actions have brought her to this point, and she takes responsibility for them. I agree there is a past trauma, but it’s my opinion if you press her to reveal it, you’ll find she’s come to terms with her past and it doesn’t hinder her daily life.”

“And her obvious detachment?”

Vouclade gave a bored stare. “Is to be expected considering her lifestyle. To be blunt, she’s the product of too many years spent alone, and too much time experiencing the worst the world has to offer. Her heart may still beat, she may still need oxygen and food to fuel her body, but at her core she’s more vampiric than most of the Fledglings running around your city.” He moved to retake his seat, a vicious smile twisting his mouth. “Tell me, when you found her, how deep into her memories did you delve?”

“Not very far, I only skimmed the surface of her mind to ascertain how long she’d been exposed to our kind. Once I realized the length of time I withdrew, knowing the chances for reconstruction were minimal.”

“You’re more correct than you know,” Vouclade said, sounding slightly amused. “Having fully perused her memories during our exchange, I think it’s important you know that she’s had a number of encounters with your Fledglings. Some of whom completely ignored her when she interrupted them feeding.”

Fury roiled in Kerestyan’s gut, but he wasn’t sure what bothered him more. That Vouclade had so casually traipsed through Logan’s mind; or that the younger vampires of his city would be so ignorant to the presence of a human.

Unfortunately, because Vouclade was older, Kerestyan had no right to question his use of blood magic on Logan. However, he could pick his brother’s Ancient mind regarding the stupidity of Fledglings and hope it lead to more answers about her situation.

He inhaled a deep, unnecessary breath. “Why would they dismiss her if she interrupted their feeding? Why wouldn’t they report her or call for assistance if they couldn’t contain the situation? I have an Enforcement Team for that very reason.”

“I suspect the reason she’s gone undetected for so long is the strong detachment in her eyes. After viewing her memories, it’s clear to me that your Fledglings assumed she was already a vampire, or at the very least, a
Servio
of substantial age. Otherwise she’d have never gotten away with throwing fruit at the three she found last night. No Fledgling could believe a human would be so brazen.”

“Wow!” Odin gleefully interjected. “Bones threw food at vampires? You should take her to see Dad.”

Kerestyan rubbed a hand down his face. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I do,” Vouclade said. “She displays a number of traits which suit our blood.”

Kerestyan lowered his hand and stared at Vouclade. “You can’t be serious. Need I remind you how Father feels about modern humans?”

Vouclade drew an irritated breath, a sign his patience was diminishing. “I’m very serious, Kerestyan. Logan is intelligent, forthright, and has lived a life closer to that of a peasant than most modern humans ever will. And for the most part, aside from her addiction, she appears to have lived it successfully. She has no real aversion to our kind, has a survival instinct that would rival any young vampire’s, but also realizes sometimes survival means bending to outside forces. I believe she has at least a fifty percent chance of becoming our newest sibling.”

While Kerestyan struggled to digest the seriousness in Vouclade’s tone, Odin could barely choke the words out between hysterical bursts of laughter. “Dad’s not gonna turn her. Make her a
Servio
, maybe. But he’s not gonna put the bite on her.” He waved a flailing arm at Vouclade. “You’re crazy.”

The lethal set of Vouclade’s eyes said he didn’t appreciate Odin’s dismissal. “
Serving
a Nelek in blood is almost as dangerous as
being
a Nelek in blood. Need I call Alfred to explain why your laughter is completely uncalled for?”

Odin quickly sobered. “Hell no, he’ll kick my ass.”

“Thank you for illustrating my point.” Apparently finished with Odin, Vouclade turned to face Kerestyan. “Since you have no real intention of killing her, I suggest you start the process of purging her system immediately. Father will not look favorably upon her unless her blood is free of impurities.”

Kerestyan ground his teeth together. “I haven’t made up my mind as to whether this life suits her yet. She’s already detached from humanity. Suffering the dark urges of the beast in any capacity, be it as a servant or a full-fledged vampire, may only degrade her further.”

Vouclade’s gaunt frame flickered between solid and insubstantial, a clear sign his patience had reached its end. “Spare me your misplaced concern for her humanity,” he sneered. “You may have begun your association with her intending to take her life, but that ended the moment you brought her into your home. And if by chance it didn’t,” he raked Kerestyan with a knowing glare, “it certainly did the moment she stepped into the kitchen.” He moved through the table to stand in front of Kerestyan. “As it stands, above all else, Logan is a breach of the Veil. She knows we exist and she shouldn’t. That fact doesn’t change simply because she’s in your home. Her presence here only assures she can’t run to the media or human authorities.”

Kerestyan straightened to his full height and met his brother’s intimidating stare. “I’m well aware of what bringing her into my home does and does not mean. I am the Lord of New York, Vouclade.”

“Then start acting like it,” he growled. “It’s clear you have some sort of interest in her, and due to her extensive exposure to vampires her mind cannot be fixed without risk of major damage. You’re left with one option, whether you like it or not. Clean her up, explain to her how much more dangerous her situation has become, and then take her to the
real
Lord Nelek. If we’re lucky and she passes his tests, he’ll accept her as a Nelek Child or
Servio
.”

Kerestyan steadied himself as the beast in his stomach unfurled and crimson danced at the edges of his vision. While he believed Logan to be an exception to the modern human rule, that didn’t mean his Father would. “You’re only giving her a fifty percent chance. What if she doesn’t pass his tests?”

“Then she dies, Kerestyan. But the blame for her death, should it come to that, lies at both of your feet. She allowed the degradation of this city, the breakdown of society combined with the vice available on every pathetic corner, to affect her. However, you alone bear the burden of allowing ignorance to flourish among the Fledglings
you
allow to exist.” He jammed a ghostly finger into Kerestyan’s chest. “You are just as responsible for Logan’s situation as she is.”

“You think
every
Fledgling is ignorant, Vouclade,” Kerestyan snapped as he knocked his brother’s hand away. “You also never, in any time period, approved of this city. Your opinion is biased by old, stagnant views, which is exactly why I took a city full of Fledglings. I may be partly responsible for Logan’s misfortune, but I’m not going to slaughter droves of young vampires who have nothing to do with this situation, simply for existing.”

Vouclade’s eyes snapped with grey fire. “You are just as ignorant as your Fledglings.”

“Hey Mr. Mad Scientist, why don’t you fuck off and leave my brother…” Odin didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence, mainly because Vouclade snapped out a boney hand and severed his tongue.

Vouclade used Odin’s tongue to punctuate his own words. “The next time you address me as such, you childish waste of blood, I’ll remove your nervous system while you watch.” He turned back to Kerestyan. “I’ll be advising Father of Logan’s situation. If I were you, I’d prepare to hear from him.” Having spit his last bit of venom, Vouclade disappeared in a cold gust of wind.

Kerestyan stared down at the empty space in front of him. Sometimes the second eldest of the Nelek Children caused more trouble than he was worth. However, much to Kerestyan’s dismay, there was little he could do to change the views of someone as old as Vouclade.

Forcing the thought from his mind, he pulled a towel from the rack by the sink and held it out for Odin. “How many times has he done that to you?”

Odin grabbed the towel and grinned as small rivulets of blood dribbled from his lips. “Aouw unce ah eek or en ousan eers.”

“About once a week for ten thousand years?” When he nodded, Kerestyan shook his head. Only Odin would have such an extended learning curve. “Haven’t you learned your lesson yet?”

He dabbed at his mouth then tipped his head back and laughed. “O.”

In an attempt to calm his nerves, Kerestyan seized the opportunity to laugh with his brother. But what the familiar action couldn’t wash away was the realization that, as much as it burned him, Vouclade was right about some of the accusations he’d made.

He felt more than just a temporary curiosity for Logan. There was something about her blatant honesty he respected, something about not being able to anticipate what she’d do or say next that excited his weary blood.

Unfortunately, neither of those qualities would assist her when it came to his Father.

Kerestyan leaned back against the counter and considered the silvered track lights cutting across the white ceiling. By now, Vouclade had returned to the castle and was no doubt ranting about the state of New York and Logan’s situation. And if Vouclade was persuasive enough, which he often was, Kerestyan would be lucky if his Father didn’t appear and judge Logan on the spot.

He rubbed a hand down his face. How was he going to explain to her that she had to relinquish yet another facet of her life? While he didn’t approve of her drug use, he respected her choice and despised merely the thought of taking that choice away.

Then give her a choice…

He lowered his head when he felt a heavy hand squeeze his shoulder, only to find Odin’s smiling black eyes staring back at him. “Ont wuhwee, bo. Sill be awite.”

Kerestyan did his best to return the reassuring gesture. For once, he just hoped his brother was right.

Logan slipped through her cracked bedroom door and crept down the hall towards the kitchen. She had no idea what was so damn funny that she could hear the chorus of hearty laughter through the walls, but she had every intention of finding out.