Flicker (35 page)

              Elise cocked an eyebrow. “And it took you this long to figure out what a terrible plan that was?”

              “Terrible when it comes to you, perhaps,” Rashid chuckled. “But it isn't illogical, even in these modern times, for a woman to prefer a man who is more charismatic, more clever, more powerfully driven than his competition.” Elise wasn't sure what to say to that, but was spared having to think of something when Rashid changed the subject. “When we last sat down together, I spoke to you of the natural balance between man and woman, and the notable lack thereof in our ruling Court.”

              Elise nodded, though she wasn't quite willing to admit that she had given the matter considerable thought since they'd spoken about it. Fortunately, just now he seemed content to elaborate without input on her part. “Now, when Alexander spoke to you of the Court, did he tell you how much influence it has over the world?” Elise shook her head, so fascinated by where he was going with this that she looked up to meet his eyes. “We suspect that the whole Court, but in particular the Queen and her three heirs, have a great deal to do with the overall tenor of the world. The power, the energy, that the entire Court generates resonates with our kind all over the globe, whether we know it or not, and we influence the humans in our vicinity. But they have been sending the wrong signal for millennia.”

              Elise frowned. He made it sound like they were radio transmitters-- but she supposed, thinking of Gregory's insistence that there were scientific explanations for their abilities, that perhaps he wasn't too far off. “Sending the wrong signal?” She repeated. “How so?”

              “As I said, the Queen rules alone-- neither we nor the humans are intended to exist that way, and I believe very strongly that it is the reason behind the majority of the conflict in the world.” Elise raised her eyebrows, inviting him to continue. “You see, although they are not consciously aware of it, the people of this world know in their hearts that something is wrong. The males, in particular, feel oppressed-- as well they should: there is a single female ruling over them, and they have no representation. So, in their oppression, they strike out at those who represent their overlord.”

              “Women.” Elise spoke sharply, reaching the conclusion he was drawing her toward. “You think this worldwide insistence on patriarchy, the violence toward and systematic oppression of women, is because we― vampires-- have a queen?”

              “Rest assured, kitten, it is not because she is female. If we had a king, I rather think this world would have evolved into a rule of matriarchies, with women striking against men at every turn. It is simply the nature of both our species to lash out against that which oppresses us-- only the humans, in particular, have no idea what is going on. Even at points when they have taken everything from their female counterparts, they still did not feel free-- hence the violence.”

              It was just as well that Sierra came back with their appetizer at that moment, because Elise needed time to consider this. She nodded her thanks to the young woman, and actually looked out over the vista of the city as she thought hard about what Rashid had said. In the root of her soul, the same part of herself that had echoed with truth when Alex told her about vampires, she knew Rashid was right.
Well, isn't that something
, she thought ruefully.

              After the waitress left, Elise rested her chin in her hand and looked hard at Rashid for a long moment; he sat still, meeting her eyes calmly. She was starting, she thought, to put together where he was going with this; she just wasn't sure it was something she could deal with. Finally, she sighed.

              “Lower your shield to me,” she said, her voice soft but firm.

              Rashid raised his eyebrows, surprised and a bit incredulous. “I beg your pardon, kitten?”

              “You heard me.” Elise kept her tone even, but her steely gaze left him no room to turn away. She allowed her power to stir in her chest, lending force to her words. “The Queen has ruled alone for thousands of years; there is no reason she would change that for you. If you're here talking to me, it means that neither she, nor any of the other omnivores in her court, will let you be king, or will raise a hand against her. You want me to rule by your side, and I want you to show me why.”

              A smile crept across Rashid's face. “Why kitten, you do have claws, don't you?”

              Elise's answering smile was sweet, and her tone was sugary when she replied. “Don't change the subject, dear.” She wiped her expression blank once more. “If you cannot trust me with your mind, how will you trust me by your side?”

              Rashid's face was as stern as hers. “Now is not the time for such things. However, I will arrange to bring you somewhere private tomorrow, if this is what it will take to convince you.”

              Elise broke their staring contest first. Looking down, she picked listlessly at the appetizer sitting between them, fighting off the hysterical urge to giggle. He waited, and finally she was able to meet his eyes once more. “This is just too much, too quickly. I need time to think about it all.” She fought the urge to fidget as he made her wait now; she wasn't as patient as he was.

              After an interminable minute or two, Rashid nodded once, and she felt a surge of relief that he seemed calm. “I quite understand that this is a lot to take in,” he said gently. “As you have previously reminded me, we have quite a long time on this planet-- I can wait a few days. Will you give my offer due consideration?”

              “Yes,” Elise breathed, the tight fear in her chest easing as she realized that he wasn't pretending his calm-- he really wasn't angry. “Yes, I'll definitely think about it. Now, I'm sorry, but can you take me home?” She couldn't help fiddling with her napkin and avoiding his eyes, nervous once more that he wouldn't react well.

              A sudden spark of feeling shot through her, not power but a more primal physical reaction, as Rashid slid his large, warm hand over hers, stilling her fidgeting. “Of course, kitten.” He raised his other hand and beckoned, and within a moment Elise saw Sierra the waitress walking toward them. “It is late; forgive me. Let's get you home.”

              “Detention?” Alex asked incredulously for the third time.

              Elise's sigh was exasperated. “Yes, detention.”

              Alex laughed, his eyebrows nearing his hairline. “Miss Academically Perfect has a detention? Is it your first one? I must be having a terrible effect on you!”

              Actually, Elise reflected, given that it had been Rashid keeping her out until one in the morning that made her fall asleep in sociology class, technically it was Rashid's fault-- but she could hardly tell Alex that. Instead, she shrugged. “I was tired, and simply pointed out to Mr. Matthews that his class was boring; apparently, he took exception to my methods.”

              He snorted. “I'll say!”

              Elise huffed, in no mood to be teased about her lapse in scholarly discipline just now. It was her first detention ever, not that she'd give Alex the satisfaction of knowing that, and now that Latin class was over she really needed to get down to Matthews' classroom and get it out of the way. Without another word, she swung her bag onto her shoulder and swept from the room.

              Alex kept pace. “Hey,” he called in a more sensitive tone. “Wait up. I'll come help you.”

              “Really?” Elise raised her eyebrows at him, slowing her pace marginally. “You'd come wash chalkboards and scrub gum off desks with me?”

              Alex's chuckle was warm. “Of course-- what are unofficial boyfriends for?” Elise's answering laugh was less strained than it would have been a minute ago.

              Mr. Matthews was apparently quite the stickler for class participation, as Elise had found out the hard way; she thought detention for falling asleep one time was rather a steep punishment, but it wasn't worth the headache to argue. Alex waited in the hallway while the aggravated teacher gave Elise a stern lecture on the subject and tasked her with washing all the chalkboards in his classroom. However, once the teacher had left her to it, Alex slipped through the door, shutting it behind him.

              “So,” he drawled seductively, lazing atop one of the desks in the front row and watching as Elise dunked a cloth into a bucket of water and got to work. “Is all this delinquent classroom narcolepsy because I'm giving you sleepless nights?” When Elise looked over her shoulder to glare at him, he winked.

              Suddenly, his playful manner grated on her. She knew he didn't have her concerns weighing on him-- certainly no one was pressuring him to take over the world-- but still, Rashid was supposed to be at large and a threat to them both. Sarah was arriving from Indonesia in two days, and once she did, Elise knew Alex planned to go on the offensive. What that plan would entail, she wasn't sure, but she was pretty certain that it didn't involve playing at being a hormonal teenager with her.

              “You know what,” she snapped. “If you're not going to help, you can go home.” She regretted the words he instant they were out of her mouth, but Alex was already on his feet.

              “If you'd rather not have me here, don't worry-- I won't bother you.” He wasn't completely closed to her, so Elise knew the hostility in his voice masked surprised hurt.

              “Wait, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap.” She fidgeted nervously with the cleaning rag. “Please don't go.”

              Alex turned back to her, and the look in his eyes made Elise realize that she wasn't shielding very well, either-- or that Alex had a lot more stress on his mind than he was letting her see. “Yes, I'm sure you are,” he said curtly. “The yo-yo act is getting a little old, Elise-- you can't pull me in one second and push me away the next. I need you to figure out what you want.”

              Elise gaped at him for a split second.
Clearly
, she thought,
he's tired of being patient
. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised-- he was bound to get tired of her creeping recovery sooner or later. In the next instant, her formidable temper bubbled up in the form of a fiery knot that closed her throat, making her feel like she was choking. He doesn't get to have second thoughts now-- he knew what he was getting into. “I know what I want,” she snapped. “I want to feel safe and happy and normal again. But I'm terribly sorry if I'm taking too long to get that way.”

              Alex rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking like he was fighting off a headache-- or his own temper. “It's not that,” he said, his voice muffled by his hand. “I'm aware that this is a process for you, and I am prepared for it to take time. What I need from you is for you to figure out what you want from me, because while I can read your mind, it doesn't help if you don't know what you want me to do. And while you may want to be happy and normal all day long, you haven't the slightest idea of how to become that way, so why don't we stick to more attainable goals for the time being?”

              Elise threw the rag back into the bucket of soapy water; misjudging her anger-fueled strength, she threw it hard enough t0 knock the bucket clean over, spilling water across the floor. The accident only served to piss her off further. “What I want you to do is simple, Alex,” she ground out through gritted teeth. “I want you to tell me the truth-- the whole truth. I want everyone to stop trying to manipulate me. Frankly, I want all this stupid vampire crap to have happened to someone else.”

              “Well, part of that is attainable,” Alex replied arrogantly, folding his arms over his chest and leaning his hip against the desk with infuriating casualness. “I'll happily tell you the whole truth right now. You've been given incredible power, and while it has caused a few hiccups, in the grand scheme of things it has secured a place in history for you. All you have to do is get over your teenaged drama long enough to take it.”

              “How dare you?” She hissed, stalking toward him. “You almost sound like you're jealous! Listen, if I could give you all of this, I would, and you could take off again with my blessing!”

              Alex looked like she'd slapped him-- and belatedly, Elise realized how he would likely take her words. Before she could say anything further, however, he straightened up abruptly, his hand shot out so fast she barely saw it move. Without thinking, she flinched-- and then his hand fastened around her arm.

              Elise saw the pain in Alex's eyes at her instinctive movement at the same time that she heard what must have made him move: raised voices out in the hallway. It only took Elise a few seconds to realize that one of the assistant principals was shouting at a janitor, who was hollering back with equal venom. She glanced at Alex, her eyes wide, and saw his mouth set into a grim line. He didn't need to speak to tell her that whatever altercation was taking place outside, it was because of them. A moment later, Elise heard the distinct sound of a fist hitting flesh.

              Alex didn't hesitate. Reaching down with his free hand, he scooped up both of their backpacks, shouldered open the door, and dragged Elise from the room. She stumbled after him, trying to keep her balance, but he was pulling her along more roughly than he had ever handled her. Elise knew without a doubt that she'd see the bruises tomorrow-- a band completely encircling her arm just above her elbow, in the exact dimensions of Alex's hand. She bit her lip, her eyes filling with furious tears as she grabbed a fistful of skirts with her free hand and focused on keeping up with him.