Into the Darkness (17 page)

as though we knew that much about him.”

Erika’s smile dimmed, and she glanced away.

“Well, it isn’t as though he could introduce us to

the rest of his family once he’d joined us. I suppose

we will never know.” She speared a bit of prime rib

with her fork and popped it into her mouth.

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Chessa’s already fading appetite fled completely. Rene had

no extended family. He was a perfect candidate for mating

with a vampire. No blood ties to pull at his loyalties. Once he

committed to Natalie, he would have no reason to regret the

decision—nothing else to lose beyond his life.

“You aren’t eating,” Inanna said.

“I’m not much into nibbling.”

“You’re such a city girl now. Into all that fast food.”

The others sitting around the table laughed, confirming in

her mind that she was the evening’s entertainment. They’d

spoken only in hushed whispers since she’d entered, waiting

for whatever amusing or shocking thing would come out of

her mouth.

She’d thought a decade might have dimmed their

memories.

She picked up her fork, deliberately choosing the useless

salad fork and reached across the diner beside her to spear a

slab of lamb.

Her cheeks burned at her rudeness, but she wanted to make

a point. She didn’t belong here. She wasn’t staying. They were

welcome to their civilized trappings—she lived the gritty reality of their existence.

“Did you see the way she went after Gerard?” Erika said,

this time her voice hushed, almost awed.

“Perhaps she already has a reason for her precocious appetite,” Inanna murmured.

The hand raising her fork stopped halfway to her lips.

Chessa laid it back on her plate and placed her hands in her

lap below the table, fisting them tightly out of sight.

A supreme act of will forced her to raise her head.

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141

Inanna’s gaze was resting on her, glittering, watchful—like

a cat waiting to pounce upon a crippled bird.

Chessa met her gaze, emptying her expression of any

emotion. Now, she knew Inanna’s intentions for tonight’s

entertainment.

Inanna was destined to be disappointed.

“Do you think she’s already pregnant?” Chessa asked, her

voice carefully neutral.

“I’m not sure. But I will visit her tomorrow. As voracious

as her appetites have become, it is entirely possible she has

already conceived.”

“You’ll have to send me an invitation to the baby shower.

Be sure she registers at Wal-Mart. Remember, I live on a cop’s

salary.”

More laughter rang around the table, but Chessa didn’t

bother to give the others a quelling glance. Her gaze remained

on Inanna’s, answering her challenge.

Inanna took another slow sip of wine. “Her policeman is

a surprise. Such a handsome brute of a man. Most young

women would set their sights on someone . . . prettier and

younger.”

“He was just in the wrong place at the right time when her

pheromones kicked in,” Chessa murmured.

“It’s a pity they weren’t introduced first. It’s always easier

if a relationship already exists. And his age is a problem. He

is mature enough and stubborn enough to resist her.”

Chessa waited, knowing Inanna was getting to the point

of this conversation. She demurred to fill the silence, “He is

only human. Eventually, he will fall in line.”

“If he already loves another, he might be strong enough to

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fight her allure. I think we should offer him the choice. Don’t

you?”

Chessa held her breath, afraid to show a single weakness.

But Inanna wasn’t finished yet. She sat forward, triumph in

the glitter of her eyes. “If he has already served his purpose,

perhaps you should take him home when you leave.”

Chessa sat, fighting the urge to lurch to her feet. The bitch

had read her interest in Rene and used it like a whip to strip

her flesh from the bone.

Instead of giving her the reaction she wanted, Chessa nodded. “We’ll wait until tomorrow. After you’ve determined

whether she’s conceived. If not, I’m not hanging around any

longer than that. I have a job to get back to.”

Inanna stared a moment longer, then shrugged and lifted

her glass for another sip. The other diners took their cue and

conversation resumed.

Beneath the table a foot nudged hers.

Chessa met Nicolas’s gaze as he raised his glass in salute.

She’d survived Inanna’s volleys without going ballistic herself. Maybe she had changed in more ways than one over the

years.

Inanna looked toward the entrance of the dining room and

a smile wreathed her features. “Ahhh, I’m glad you were able

to join us.”

Simon Jameson, Natalie’s next-door neighbor, appeared in

the doorway, his hair still spiked. His damnable bird perched

on his sleeve. He’d dressed in casual khaki pants and white

shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows.

“Please come join us, Mr. Jameson, and bring the bird, too.

You can feed her from your plate. We don’t mind.”

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143

Simon bowed to the group and took the last remaining seat.

When he was seated, he gave Chessa a challenging glare.

“What’s he doing here?” she asked Inanna, her tone deliberately belligerent.

“He called me.” At Chessa’s surprised look, she added,

“He very astutely guessed her destination.”

“Still doesn’t explain what the fuck he’s doing here.

Thought his kind wasn’t welcome here anymore.”

“He’s our guest, Chessa. Behave yourself,” Inanna chided

softly. “As he has knowledge of Natalie, he’s here for us to

pick his brain.”

“I do apologize for being late,” Simon said, giving Inanna

an apologetic smile. “That storm’s kicking up. There was a

downed tree between here and New Orleans.”

“You couldn’t have left that damn lice trap at home?”

Chessa bit out, impatient with the small talk and Simon’s ingratiating good manners.

Simon lifted one brow, and his lips twisted in a tight smile.

The bird ruffled its feathers and rubbed its head beneath his

chin, all the while staring at her with its fierce golden eyes.

“You shouldn’t insult Kestrel,” he said softly, the warning

cloaked in barely veiled menace. “She’s very sensitive, you

know. She doesn’t like you very much.”

“She doesn’t know me.” Chessa folded her arms across her

chest and sat back in her chair.

“I think she does,” murmured Nicolas, a hint of a smile

curving his lips.

“So, what’s with the glamour? You are among
friends,
”

Chessa said.

Simon sighed and waved an indolent hand in front of his

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face. One moment he was the youthful video-store manager,

the next a shimmer muted the sharp edges of his face, blurring

blue and white, like moonstone, before reforming. Gone was

the skinny young man with spiked hair and lazy, insolent features. In his place was the true Simon—the broad-shouldered

warrior monk with light brown hair brushing his shoulders,

and a moustache and beard framing his lush mouth.

Kestrel appeared to approve the change. She hopped up on

his shoulder and nuzzled behind his ear.

Inanna clapped her hands in delight. “Lovely!”

“I’m gonna barf,” Chessa said.

Inanna leaned forward in her chair, resting her arms on the

table. “So tell us, Simon. Why your interest in our Natalie?”

“She found me one day while she was canvassing the French

Quarter for a summer job. I found her shy, but highly intelligent. She walked into my shop and took an instant liking

to Kestrel as Kestrel did to her, which piqued my interest.

Kestrel is very discerning,” he said, giving Chessa a bland

glare. “We discovered an affinity, and I hired her to work in

my shop.”

“Did you know right away that she was Born?”

“Only after I knew her well enough to learn intimate details of her life and discovered she had the characteristics. I

wondered how she had remained on the loose so long.”

“It’s a sad state of affairs,” Inanna said. “When we fostered

her out, we lost track. As you may know, we try to keep the

locations of our progeny secret. Fewer opportunities for anyone to discover their whereabouts.”

“It’s a difficult path you travel these days.”

“For us all,
non
?”

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145

Simon bowed his head. Kestrel nipped his ear and he

laughed, reaching for a slice of roast beef. For long minutes, he

carefully cut the meat into strips, then lay aside his utensils.

“How are things going between Natalie and her policeman?”

Chessa stiffened. “How do you know he’s here?”

Simon’s smile was cunning. “I could read the interest between the two back at the apartment. There was something

charged, even . . . inevitable in the air. When I found feminine

products in her bathroom the night of the break-in, I knew I

needed to keep a closer eye.”

“Were you keeping a closer eye yesterday when she was attacked by pigeons in Jackson Square?”

“Pigeons?”

Inanna cleared her throat, a pained look on her face. “Have

you noticed any unusual occurrences around her recently?”

“Unusual? You mean, other than her coming into her

season?”

“Yes, anything else . . . of a sinister nature?”

“No, but then again her season had only started.”

Chessa knew she wasn’t always quick to pick up on

undercurrents—subterfuge just wasn’t her way of getting

things done. However, she noted the desperate way Inanna

deflected the conversation away from the attack. Perhaps, she

was reluctant to bring up directly the subject of the attack in

front of the whole group—or maybe just in front of Simon.

“Will I be able to see Natalie while I’m here?” Simon asked.

Inanna nodded. “I think that would be a good idea. She

likely needs comfort from someone she trusts.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Her policeman isn’t providing that?”

“She ‘killed’ her first meal,” Chessa broke in. “She’s hav-146

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ing difficulty controlling her bloodlust. Rene’s a little wary

of her now.”

“Wouldn’t anyone be?” Inanna said with a little laugh. The

rest of the table chimed in, a nervous edge to their laughter.

Simon didn’t comment as he fed Kestrel bits of meat that

she plucked daintily from his fingertips.

Natalie listened to the sound of running water in the bathroom. She stood just outside the door, her ears tuned to the

sounds inside, her nose drawing in Rene’s scent. More than

anything, she wished she could go to him and try to explain

what he’d seen. But really, what could she say to make him

understand she hadn’t been herself ? Did she really know who

she was anymore?

A cleaning crew had come into the bedroom to do their

best to clean the blood soaked into the carpet and to remove

her bloodied throw. They’d freshened the bedding, too.

She’d had a shower while Chessa occupied Rene. She’d lingered a long time, scrubbing her body over and over, trying

to rid herself of the scent of the blood. While it had horrified her at one level, it also seemed to hone her craving even

more. So she’d scoured her skin to remove any hint that might

tempt her to violence again.

When she came out of the bathroom, Rene shouldered past

her without a word, locking the door behind him. Telling her

just how soundly he rejected her and what she’d become.

She didn’t blame him one bit.

What future could they share? She didn’t really know him.

He didn’t know any more about her than he’d observed. What

she’d demonstrated had to be frightening.

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147

She didn’t have any control over the changes happening

within her, no control over the impressions she gave Rene,

and no control over her growing attachment. She was beginning to need him, not just as assuagement for blood and sex.

She needed his strong arms, the low rumble of his voice. She

longed to see acceptance in his gaze.

Not likely to happen after he’d seen what a monster she’d

become.

Before she’d bitten Gerard, she thought she could take a

little sustenance from him and stop when she’d satisfied herself. But once she’d pierced his skin, drank his gasp and his

blood, felt him harden between her thighs—she’d been lost.

She’d felt outside of herself, like she was watching another

woman straddle him and grind her sex against him. All within

a whisper’s distance of Rene. What must he think? He hadn’t

been asleep the whole time she was with Gerard as she’d

thought at first. Not by the condemning look he’d given her

as she’d shuffled past him to the bathroom.

Exhausted beyond anything she’d ever experienced, she lay

down on the bed and pulled the covers over herself. But she

couldn’t escape into sleep.

Not with the memory of the hunger or the life she’d taken

so fresh in her mind.

The need to linger in that moment of purest ecstasy had

drawn her, seduced her past her natural abhorrence of the