Love is Darkness (A Valerie Dearborn Novel) (19 page)

“That's pretty unfortunate. Sounds like a message to me.”

He waited.

Exasperated, she explained. “It doesn't make sense for a vampire to burn the place down if Gilbert was already dead, unless they didn't want you to know who did it. It's like, overkill.” His gaze flicked to the door and one of the boys from down the hall, who was coming towards the kitchen, turned around and went back to his room.

Now that’s a handy trick.

“Gilbert Arthur was under my protection. Whoever killed him would not want me to know they had done it. I would have avenged him.”

Val gave him a sarcastic smile. “That's sweet. I’m sure he’d give you a big high five of thanks if he weren’t dead. So whoever did it knows you can't trace a smell if it's been burned badly enough. What other weaknesses do you have?”

A long pause.
“
empaths
.”

“What's an
empath
?” Val looked at her cereal then pushed it away. She couldn’t eat with this guy sitting across from her.

“One of the
Other
kind that has been long gone. Vampires can feel things to a certain extent, but it fades over time, especially positive emotions. The older a vampire gets the more they are drawn to slaughter because they are emotions that can still be felt. But an
empath
can convey emotions to a vampire. Evoke, even restore... everything.” His tone was carefully neutral.

“But you killed them all? And I thought people were trigger happy. You think that if vampires could feel positive emotions, they wouldn't kill?” Val admitted to herself that the idea was intriguing, but she couldn't believe that vampires were anything other than murderers. They survived by eating people, for God's sakes.

“It is in our nature to hunt humans. But we do not need so much blood as would kill a person to survive. That's simply gluttony. Look at Marion, for example. When she was human, she was a mother. Now she takes children for companions, but it is a habit. She no longer loves them, they do not make her feel love or affection and so she discards them.
Always looking for something long gone.
Once upon a time, she was kind to her companions.”

“So now that she's crossed a line, she can be killed? Marion was still, is still, feeding on children. That's not love, that's sick.”

“I do not know. I have lived a very long time. Most children, if they survived birth and were not instantly killed by their parents, died young. They died from disease and famine, simple cruelty. If they had a family they would be fortunate if they were raised by their own mothers. Mortality rate for a woman dying in childbirth was very high. Domestic violence did not exist, it was life. Often I am surprised people have thrived at all. But now we live in a time where all life is thought to be valuable.”

“So you let her eat and kill children because it was better than death?” This was too weird, too ruthless. “What do you want?” Val looked down the hallway and saw Ian heading towards the shower, a towel around his waist. Her heart started thundering and Lucas turned his head towards Ian, like a wolf
who'd
scented a
hare
.

She reached out and grabbed his hand to keep him at the table. Lucas was ice cold, his hand marble again. He closed his eyes and then his hand became warm and soft.

“Why don't you just keep yourself warm all the time?” She was trying to distract him.

“It takes an inordinate amount of energy to maintain. Also, it is daylight and I have already dematerialized twice today.” He turned his head back towards her. “I am not limitless.” The words were just above a whisper, his face close to hers. The comment made her stomach clench, like fingers were sliding along the walls of her stomach. An image came to her of him being totally sated, so used and exhausted he could barely move.

His head tilted to the side
like
 
he
could hear her thoughts, eyebrows raised slightly as though he was surprised by her. Valerie blushed and looked away while Lucas smiled at her slowly.
Expensively.

“He loves you.”

She pulled her hand back.

“Who?”
It was defensive.

“The young man you gave yourself too. He cares for your happiness.”

She nodded.

“You believe Jack would have been gentle too?”

Her voice was a whisper, she was petrified now. “What?”

“You believe Jack could contain his rage and lust, so that he could have lain with you purely?”

Did he really expect her to answer?

“Perhaps you have more faith in him than you should.”

She reached her hand out again but he was ready, her fingers met his warm palm as he turned his hand to lie face up on the table. The warmth of his hand was like a caress. “Please don't kill them. Please,” Val couldn't keep the quaver from her voice.

“I will not harm someone who only means you well.”

Lucas was watching her intently. “Your thoughts radiate across your face.”

She remembered what he'd told her. “That's right! And it makes me really boring, doesn’t it?
Mr. Seen-it-all.
Now, what do you want?” She took the bag off the table and opened it. The croissant was really flaky and butter had made grease stains on the inside of the bag. This was going to be a really good croissant. She took a bite. “This beats the ones at the train station.”

He looked affronted. “Well, yes.”

The pastry melted in her mouth, and she tasted orange marmalade in the middle.

“Honestly, this is so good it's like it came from France.”

He squinted a little. “It did.”

She almost choked.

Lucas waved a hand to dismiss the conversation. It was nothing, the gesture said, 'I go to Paris to get croissants for all the girls'. Crap, maybe he did, but it was worrying.
Because it was a
very
romantic gesture.

And I’m a sucker for shit like that. See, romantic?

“I want you to do some research.” Another file appeared on the table and she flipped it open. There was a report about wolves in England and how they had been hunted to extinction centuries ago. A list of reference books was included and stapled to that
were
excerpts of local werewolf legends. Part man and part wolf, they roamed the woods, their change dictated by the lunar cycle.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Werewolves were always the same—dogs.
Woodcut pictures of wolves stealing children from their beds or destroying livestock were at the end. The pictures were creepy and odd. Almost out of place as well, but Val couldn't have said why.

“So you think there are werewolves, huh?”

“Possibly.”

“Hmm.
And you think I could find them?” She said skeptically.

“If they exist, you have the best chance of finding them. They will not come near a vampire, especially not me. Also, my people do not need to know my plans. I suspect they would be irritated.”

“Why do I feel like that’s an understatement?”

“Because you have both beauty and intelligence.”

Nice.
“You said they were violent. Why start with them and not the Fey or some friendly wiccans?”

“There are no friendly wiccans. It’s impossible. Do not concern yourself with the choice I have made, simply carry it out.”

Like a please would kill him.

He continued to stare out the window and she thought that Lucas was not normal. It was like he played at human, but then when it all fell away he was not quite a corpse, but not alive either. It was hard to determine what made him seem so inhuman.

“It's because I don't breathe.” He didn't turn towards her but continued to stare out the window so she could only see his profile.

How the fuck does he
know
these things?

“You look at me and I can sense
your
...conflict,” he said the word very precisely.

She wanted to contradict him but anything that kept his interest in her at bay was probably for the best. Besides he was a vampire, it didn't really matter if he was beautiful.

 
“Let’s pretend I find a werewolf. Then what? Take some doggy treats and hope for the best? What do you think I am going to do? Why would they even talk to me? You say they are in hiding, population decimated and you want me to saunter in and talk to them?”

“I endorse you.”

“What does that mean?”

“You would be a neutral party, given safe passage through their lands.”
“But, I'm basically your puppet.”

 

“Your father is a Hunter.
Known for killing my kind.
That will help.”

“Won't they just think you brainwashed me?” She thought about her response to him in her room and wondered if she was under his thrall even now.

“If they have the methods of their ancestors they will know how to discern your mental freedom.”

“What are they going to find? Am I 'mentally free'?”

“Do you feel compelled?” He watched her like a cat looks at catnip.

How would she know? He held out his hand towards her, “Come to me,” he said commandingly.

She stayed where she was. Did she feel like going to him? Only cause he was sexy and she liked him saying ‘come to me’. But she didn’t feel controlled.

“No mind control?”

“That is correct.”

“Maybe not right now, but what about earlier today or even tomorrow? If you wanted to, could you make me do what you wanted?”

“Go to the wolves. Norfolk first,” he said, avoiding the question. He placed a card down on the table. It had two phone numbers on it with two different country codes, 44 which was England and 420.

Oh, Christ, Jack!
“The Czech Republic, huh?
Is that where Marion is too?” Please let Jack be looking for someone besides Lucas.

His penetrating gaze rested on her and she wondered if he knew that Jack had a base near him. Surely, he was trying to make a bid for Lucas if he was there. “No. She is not allowed in that part of Europe.”

Her stomach suddenly hurt like she’d eaten a dozen jalapenos.