Mistwalker (16 page)

Simone dropped to the floor, floating an inch above the ground, and then she landed gently on her feet. Immortals gasped, glancing up at the roof with astonished faces then back down to her.

Juliun’s stare fixed on her every step through the open doorway.

Chills skittered across her skin, and her tongue grew thick and unresponsive in her mouth. Every nerve jangled and heat pooled low in her belly. Her heart raced. Two guards stepped together and blocked her entry. She faded to mist and reappeared behind them, still walking.

Vaughn chuckled.

Another guard opened a wine bottle that rested in a silver bucket on a coffee table in the middle of the room. Hungry shivers spread from her spine to her fingertips, and she welcomed the gnawing, twisting agony in her stomach. Pain steadied her thoughts. She didn’t want to step that far into the room.

Juliun waved a hand, and the waiter neared her. She took the empty glass from his hand, trembling as blood flowed inside. The smell bound to every cell in her body, and her eyes closed. No chemicals in the brew. Her lashes lifted, and eyeing Juliun over the rim, she tipped the glass, and warmed blood slid over her tongue, down her throat, into her belly—so satisfying and delicious she finished within seconds. The hard rap echoed in the room, sexy lyrics filling in the silence.

No one moved.

She licked her lips, ears tuned to every breath and watching every gaze cast her way. She felt warm and steady. The guard shut the door behind her.

The fleeting thought of escape filled her mind, but she’d come this far for Tammy and had no intention of backtracking.

“Take a seat, poppet,” Juliun invited with a conspiratorial, wicked smile on his lips. “No need to stand on ceremony with me. It is very good to see you again. You look hungry.
Tired.”

That startled her. Had he known she dreamt of him? She rubbed her forehead and looked away. She spied an empty chair furthest away from him and materialised onto the soft leather. Her gaze settled somewhere safer.
Lissanne.

“I never imagined you would be here.” Simone replaced the .44 in its holster beneath her jacket. “It’s too dangerous.”

Lissanne waved down the two guards on either side of her chair, shooting them a steely glare. “Please.” The disgust smoothed from her face as she turned back to Simone. “She won’t hurt me. I am glad you paid us a visit.”

Sanchez flexed his wrists, his fingers curling with those deadly
nails. Klaus’ crooked and bruised nose caught her attention. Simone glanced back at Lissanne. “I thought you were expecting me.”

“Well, Willem mentioned you,” Lissanne floundered. “That is, we...” She grimaced and turned to her son.

Juliun set down his glass and rubbed the fingers of one hand together. His eyes glittered, but his movements were careful and utterly controlled. “I believed you would be back here. If you need blood, Ravenkeep is always open to you. Would love to see you there.”

“I bet. I like where I am, thanks. Ravenkeep is not an experience I wish to repeat in a hurry.” Tears swelled behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “I’m here because Willem explained that you will help me save Tammy. If you have any ideas for that, I’m willing to listen. I believe it’s the least you could do.”

A tall blonde walked across to Lissanne and smiled at Simone from the other side of the room. “Hello, I’m Madalina. Lissanne’s cousin. You probably don’t remember me from Ravenkeep, but we imagined this location would feel safer for you.”

“Nowhere feels safe for me,” Simone muttered. But it wasn’t Madalina’s fault. “I’m sure in other circumstances it would have been nice to meet you, Madalina.”

Juliun frowned darkly. “You would have no need to fear anything if you would consent to staying at Ravenkeep. Rogues cannot enter, and I would protect you with my life. I swear it now—”

“Juliun.”
Lissanne shot him warning glance and turned back to Simone. “I hoped you wouldn’t mind others being present at this meeting to ensure your safety and the protection of your friend. Being a newly changed vampire can be so daunting.”

Juliun reclined back in the only high-backed chair in the room. He looked elegant and regal, too young to be the prince of his kind. The sheer size of his body intimidated.
Influential and immortal. He leaned back, his raven hair falling in a smooth circle around his shoulders. That untamed part of him.

He looked so much like he had in her erotic dreams that she shivered.

“The mist is not something that can be transferred without dire consequences. It was not only for your benefit that I urged you to stay. You are one of us now. We protect our own. I will not harm you.” He stared at her. “You must believe that.”

Her heartbeat sped up, and she struggled to look away. His muscled thighs were clearly visible beneath his dress pants, and his lean hips tapered up to a taut abdomen, broad chest and wide shoulders. His piercing grey gaze met hers again, and she flushed, lowering her lashes.

“Willem tells me you can’t drink blood from source in case you transfer the mist. Does that apply to me? I hope not.”

A growl escaped Juliun before his lips clamped, and his brows lowered. His strong hands shook as he set down his glass on the table beside him.

“That’s a yes?” she asked with narrowed eyes.
“Great.”

He cast a grim smile to his companions and leaned forward.
“Who?” He spoke to all, but gazed only at her. The air around them tunnelled with intense sensation.

“Who what?”

“Who have you fed from, Simone?” he asked, casually.

Simone wasn’t fooled. His grey eyes were on fire, smouldering, and the shifting flames held her spellbound. She drew in a deep breath and forbade herself to tremble. She lifted her chin. “Answer my question first.”

“The Council believes it would be dangerous to allow others to transform into mist. Too many lives would be lost,” Madalina said.

Simone snapped her gaze to Madalina. “The Council? Who heads this Council?”

Madalina shrugged. “We have delegates from around the globe. Of course, Radu, Juliun and Lissanne, as royals, are on the board of ministers, but the Council is run by seven different species in total. Radu is the chairman of the Council.”

“And Radu is…?”

“My grandfather.”
Juliun cast Simone a penetrating look. “The oldest and wisest.”

“Ah,” Simone said.
The old man with the icy eyes.

“The mist makes it possible to move an entire immortal army in the blink of an eye,” Juliun said. “Drinking blood from another, be it vampire, human or animal means transference. Grandfather and I do not drink from source. It is too great a temptation for others.”

“For your entire lives?” Simone grimaced. “And how long has that been?”

He leaned back in the chair, nestling one ankle against his knee, his thighs spread. An intense gleam filled his eyes. “Royal blood runs in my veins. I age slower than other vampires. Grandfather fed from source before he attained the mist.”

A shock darted through her. “How…creepy.” Although, she couldn’t throw stones. She might as well add her name to the list of bloodthirsty immortals racking up the years and never growing old. He made her feel too unsettled, and she didn’t want to examine why right now. She turned to Lissanne. “What happens to the vampires who’ve broken this rule?”

“Punishment goes by a case-by-case basis, the result of a trial and—”

“Death,” Juliun interrupted, as though the idea bothered him as much as finding he was eating chicken instead of beef. “And it is
not
creepy.” He sounded offended.

“So, what happens to you now that you have transferred your blood to me?” Simone asked.

“Nothing,” Klaus said, from the low seats on the opposite side of the room. “He’s royalty, girlie.”

Lissanne sighed. “Once we explained the circumstances, most of the Council
were willing to overlook the case as long as certain conditions were met.”

“Conditions?”
The idea that these conditions could lead to even more danger snapped to the forefront of Simone’s mind. “It’s necessary to drain the blood first, right? And you and your grandfather have never tasted anyone. I mean, you can’t?” she asked Juliun.

“Under mutual collaboration, we’ve formed a pact never to do so to anyone without the ability. Grandfather and I have never fed from each other as the feeding itself is considered a somewhat sexual experience,” Juliun said
with wry humour.

Somewhat?
Not by what she’d seen on the dance floor. Vaughn was right—Juliun was the prince of understatement. Vampires got off on feeding in every possible way. It was impossible to believe that the two highest ranking vampires in the world couldn’t participate in that particular pleasure. It also spelled out the misery of the rest of her life. She closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “What a gift!”

“Maybe you wished you’d never met me, however Simone, you are the first person I have ever tasted directly,” Juliun continued in his tormented, smooth voice. “I have broken a centuries’ old pact with you, love. Small consolation, but it was unavoidable, and I am sorry.”

Her head lifted at his unexpected apology, and she stared at him with uncertainty. In her experience, men never apologised. It must have taken a lot for him to admit that. “What about your mother and father? They must have fed from each other?”

He slowly shook his head, no smile on his hard, exotic face now. “Partners must understand the restrictions. If they do not, the Council is forced to kill them. My mother and grandmother knew the rules and never tried.”

“Kill them?”
Simone stared at him in utter disbelief. “I had no idea.” Her voice rose in sympathy. Did that mean Lissanne fed from other vampires or drank from a glass now that Juliun’s father had died? How on earth had she managed with that loss of intimacy?

“I have lost count of the number of rogues who have tried to take our blood. We ensure that they can never use our loved ones.” His grey gaze softened. “You now see why you need to move into Ravenkeep.”

“Not that old chestnut again,” Simone groaned. “Forget it, please. I wouldn’t advise trying to persuade me with chains either. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not responsive to that kind of treatment.”

“How will you protect yourself from the rogues who will hunt you down?” Juliun stared at her with an implacable face.

Her eyes narrowed. “I could have picked you off the moment you stepped through those doors.”

All six bodyguards stiffened and stepped toward her. She laughed and disappeared to sit on another chair, yet none of her body remained solid. She blurred her body so arrows would pass straight through. Then she only solidified her vocal chords. “Too many years of being able to fade to mist has made you complacent,” she said.

Juliun held up a hand to stay the guards.

Vaughn laughed. “She’s got us there. Perched like a freaking bird with that damn gun.”

“I don’t mind bullet wounds,” Klaus said, a smile of pure evil twisting his lips.

“I don’t think you’ll like the morning sun in the desert,” Simone replied, calmly and ever so softly. “I have a crossbow in my possession.”

“Enough,” Juliun said tersely, his eyes glowing. He stood up and paced the room all the while staring at Simone as though trying to crack through her mind. “She gets to keep her gun. Her safety is paramount.”

“It would be a pity to waste the bullets.” The waiter handed her another glass of warm blood, and she smiled her thanks. Juliun was decent host when he didn’t use chains. At least he fed his guests. “I want to know about Tammy. You said you were watching her. Has that changed?”

“No.” He stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought by the change of subject. “Although, she’s a trap waiting to happen.”

Oh.
Her stomach lurched. She didn’t want to think about how vulnerable Tammy would be even with Juliun’s men watching her. But what could Simone do? Who could she trust? If she went to get Tammy in the daytime, they could both burn to dust, and if Simone tried at night, Tammy might not survive without life support. How bad were her injuries?

“Willem says she’s having trouble with the turn? I want to see her. I’ve tried finding her in the hospital. Where is she?”

“Lars was starving. Our doctor has informed me that he’d been poisoned, and the enzymes in his body were shutting down.” Juliun frowned. “He was dying, and he never got the chance to seal the mark which could heal the wound rapidly. He was capable of doing so, but without that seal, the destructive cells transferred into your friend’s body. She has been moved to a place that is not revealed to many.”

“And in plain English?”

“She might die, and if she lives, there’s a chance she won’t be easy to control,” he warned. “You really have no idea. You have the royal blood, whereas she has been bitten by a very sick vampire.”

Simone nodded and shrugged. “So I can learn. I want to bring her back to my apartment.”

“That is not advisable.” His fangs flashed with a smile as he tipped his dark head. He stopped pacing and confronted her like a mountain of a man. “We have hospital facilities at Ravenkeep. There she will receive first class care and attention.”