Tegan's Return (The Ultimate Power Series #2) (5 page)

 “This is Tegan, Father,” says Eliza, “she's an old friend of Ethan's.” So they
are
related. The vampire at the head of the table is Eliza's dad. I try not to think about the fact that they only look about five years apart in age. Clearly that's nothing unusual in the world of the vampires.

 “And she is familiar with Lucas' human,” he says, his voice is like cold steel. It slithers over me in a highly unpleasant manner.

 “Yes,” Ethan replies, “Tegan and Amanda are friends.”

 “Interesting,” says the vampire. Then he rises from his seat and comes to stand in front of me. He holds out his hand, “Come and sit with me child, I would like to talk with you.” Then he takes in a long, deep breath that makes me shake to my very core. Please, please, please don't let him recognise my scent. I have a feeling that this vampire is ancient, far older than any of those present.

 This makes me nervous, because if he is hundreds of years old then he might have encountered a human like me before, a human with my special variety of blood. I try my best to remind myself that my mother's spell has hidden what I am deep down inside of me. There's no way this vampire could know what I am.

 I take his hand and he leads me to where he had previously been sitting. I sit on the chair beside him. He takes a moment to study me.

 “My name is Jeremy,” he says after a minute. Instantly I understand who he is, as I recall Finn telling me of the new vampire Governor of South Tribane. Jeremy Whitfield. The very same vampire who kidnapped Rebecca. Also the very same vampire who has taken a sudden and unexpected interest in me.

 I almost can't move for a second, but I snap myself out of it and try my best to appear calm. I cannot let him know what I'm up to, and I have a feeling that this vampire is so old and experienced that he does not need to be told things in words to discover information. I have a feeling every single move that I make is telling him something new and interesting about me. Damn, why didn't I buy one of those NLP books when I had the chance? That way I'd at least know how to disguise my inner thoughts more effectively.

 I remain silent while he continues to speak. “It is surprising that I have not come across you before now, tell me Tegan, where in the world have you been hiding?”

 My chest freezes with panic.
Does
this vampire know what I am? But then he starts laughing. “Goodness child, you look scared to death.”

 I pull myself together, and try not to sigh in relief. He doesn't know what I am, he's just wondering how he has not encountered me before, since apparently I have quite an appetising scent. Like a very special sort of vampire cuisine, and surely a vampire as important as the one sitting before me would have his pick of the most tasty blood donors in the city.

 “That's probably because I don't live here anymore. I moved away a couple of years ago. I came back to pay a visit to my dad.”

 “And when will you be leaving again?” he asks, his gaze wandering over me.

 “In a week or two,” I answer.

 “So soon,” he says with a tut, “we will have to do something to remedy that. In fact, I've been looking for a new human to bring into my home.”

 I look to Ethan in panic. He stares back at me and there is a confidence in his eyes that makes me feel a little less frightened.

 “I'm afraid Tegan's ownership already lies with me, Jeremy,” says Ethan in a steady voice.

 Jeremy glances between the two of us. “Is that so?” he says, and there is a slight hiss to his words.

 “Yes,” both Ethan and I say at once. I give him a small smile as Jeremy glares at him in assessment.

 “Very well then, I would not wish to thread where my loyal warrior has already marked out his territory,” says Jeremy. He stands now, and trails a cold finger down my cheek. I suppress a shiver. “Come daughter,” he continues, talking to Eliza, “we will return home. Thank you Ethan for your hospitality this night. It has been quite an enjoyable evening.”

 “But Father, I would like to stay a little while longer,” says Eliza. She almost sounds like a whining teenager being forced to leave the party early by her strict parent.

 Jeremy doesn't breathe a word, he just stares at her in reprimand, and then she gets up silently and follows him from the room. The majority of the other vampires present go with them, seemingly they belong in Jeremy's entourage. Only a few stragglers remain, alongside Ethan, Lucas, Delilah, Amanda and myself. Ethan is beside me the second Jeremy and his crew have left, taking me tightly into his arms. He buries his face in my hair, breathing deeply.

 After a moment I ask, “So what was all that about ownership?”

 Ethan smiles with both his mouth and his eyes; he looks happy and amused at the same time. “Jeremy wanted to take you as a blood donor. I told him I had already made my claim on you so that he could not do it. It is highly disrespectful for a vampire to take the blood donor of another.”

 “But I'm not your blood donor,” I say in protest.

 His eyes take in my entire face. “No you are not, but he does not know that, and I would prefer it if we kept it that way.”

 I swallow. “Okay.”

 “So now you belong to me,” he says, with such fierce possessiveness that I feel like running straight out of the club. He laughs then. “Well, that is what you will say should anyone else try to claim you.”

 Delilah interrupts us then, coming and sitting close so that the other vampires don't overhear. “What the hell are you doing here Tegan?” she asks, and it actually seems like she's scared for me.

 “I already said, I had to come see my dad,” I answer.

 “That's all fair and well, but if I have my facts straight I believe that your father does not live anywhere near the city, so I repeat, what are you doing here?”

 “Can't a girl decide to come and see some old friends if the mood takes her?” I ask, hoping to God that she's not cottoning on to me having ulterior motives.

 “No, not in your case,” she answers coolly.

 “Leave her Delilah,” says Ethan, and his arms reflexively tighten around me. I lean back against him and he places a small kiss on the top of my head.

 “No Ethan I won't leave her. She has no idea how dangerous it is for her to be here right now with the way things are. There's a bloody war going on for Christ's sake.”

 “Why Delilah, there was me thinking you weren't fond of me,” I say to her with a smile.

 She glances at me. “Don't be ridiculous. I want you safe because I know what it would do to my brother if anything should happen to you. Do you know how badly you leaving affected him? He's only just getting himself back together again after the stunt you pulled, and now you just waltz back into his life, ready to break his heart all over again. No, I'm not having it. You have to leave. Right. Now.”

 Her words hit me like a hammer to the skull. Break his heart all over again? Guilt squeezes tightly on my chest, making it difficult to breathe for a minute.

 Ethan stands, pulling me up with him. “Not another word from you Delilah,” he says, before leading me out of the room, down the stairs, through the club and out of the side entrance, all the while holding firmly onto my hand. The cold air hits me as I step outside. Ethan must notice because he covers me with his arms to warm me, at the same time backing me up against the wall of the building. We're in the alley at the side of the club, and it's absolutely empty. Suddenly I'm aware that we are all alone.

 “You look amazing,” he breathes, eyes consuming me.

 “Yeah, I decided to dress up for the occasion,” I reply shyly.

 “No I don't mean the clothes, I mean you, you look better, physically, emotionally - healed.”

 “I suppose you could say that yes. Time away from Tribane did me some good I think.”

 One of his hands rests on my hip, the other is trailing back and forth over my lower back, leaving not unpleasant goose pimples in its wake.

 A small frown forms on his lips. “But you're not back for good, are you?”

 “No, only for two weeks.”

 Now he smiles. “Perhaps I could persuade you to reconsider.” His hand on my hip drops and moves around to rest on my bottom. He squeezes gently and pushes in closer to me.

 My brain is in danger of going on a brief holiday. There was something I needed to say to him, but when he's touching me all I can think of is him, and how I want him to touch me some more. I scramble through my thoughts.

 “Wait Ethan. Hang on,” I say breathlessly, his hooded gaze meets mine. “I said I was home to visit my dad, remember?”

 “Yes,” he answers, not stopping his roving hands as they explore my behind. “What about him?”

 “I went to our house in Chesterport last night, but he wasn't there. A woman answered the door and told me he'd sold the house to her a year and a half ago. He left town and hasn't been seen since. I want to know what happened to him Ethan.”

 “I have no idea, why are you asking me this?”

 I push away from him and pace back and forth. “Because my father is not the kind of man to just up and leave town without telling anyone where he's going. It was vampires, I just know it. Someone knew about me and then went about setting their sights on my dad to try and find me.”

 “Are you accusing me?” Ethan asks, with a dark expression.

 I shake my head. “No, of course not. But that doesn't mean you can't find out what happened to him. You know all the vamps in this city, surely you can discover who it was that caused my dad to disappear.”

 As I say the words my heart drops, because it's at this moment that I realise how likely it is that he's dead. Ethan grabs my elbow, pulling me back to him. “I will help you Tegan. If the cause of your father's disappearance is anything to do with my kind I will discover it for you. I promise.”

 I peer up at him, suddenly realising how much taller than me he is. How much bigger.

 “Thank you.” I whisper.

 He brushes his thumb over my lips. “Anything for you,
fata frumoasa
.”

 Something flutters in my chest. I glance to the street at the end of the alley, where cars pass by out on the road.

 “I better be getting home now.”

 “Where are you staying?”

 “At a friend's place, I'll take a cab.”

 “Why don't you come and stay with me? I can guarantee you a visit to remember.”

 I almost say yes. But I remind myself of my purpose. I'm not here to bed Ethan, I'm here to find a little girl and my father.

 I grin. “As tempting as that sounds, all of my luggage is at my friend's house, and I wouldn't want to be rude by leaving after only one night.” I look back at him. “Oh, and I forgot my coat,” I fumble in my bag for the ticket.

 Ethan places his hand on mine to stop me. “I'll get it for you.” Then he zooms into the club and is back before I've had the chance to blink twice. He has my coat and he helps me into it.

 He smiles widely. “Would you meet with me tomorrow night?”

 “Sure. Where?” I reply, and instantly regret sounding so eager to see him again. His smile deepens.

 “Eight o'clock, at the Blackfield monument.”

 I'm intrigued by the location, since Ethan would normally just get me to come to Crimson. I tell him I'll be there, and then he walks me out to the street to hail a cab. I wait until he's gone before I tell the driver to take me to Finn's address.

It's A Kind Of Magic

When I get back to Finn's I go to the kitchen and make myself a cup of tea. Then I sit down at the counter, my mind reeling with everything that has happened tonight. I saw Ethan again, beautiful, otherworldly Ethan, who apparently was heartbroken after I left two years ago. I still don't understand how someone like me could have that kind of an effect on him. Then again, it's probably all to do with my blood.

 Now there's a depressing thought, because I know that it's not anything quite so obscure that has me blushing every time he so much as looks at me. I take out my phone and text Finn, letting him know that I'm home. No more than fifteen minutes later he emerges through the front door and comes to quietly sit beside me.

 “So, how did it go?” he asks.

 I make eye contact with him, before answering, “I met Whitfield.”

 Finn's eyes widen and he pulls his stool closer. “Whitfield was there at the club?”

 I nod. “In one of the private rooms in the VIP section. There was another vampire there called Eliza, she's his daughter. I think there's something going on between her and Ethan, or else she just has a thing for him.”

 “Yes we know about her, she's a vicious bitch. Killed a lot of good men in the fights we've had recently with the vampires.”

 “She gives me the creeps. When she first saw me she said I smelled different, Ethan lied to her and told her I'm distantly related to a magic user. I guess that means he plans on keeping my secret.” I pause and look at Finn. “How old is Whitfield exactly?” I can't stop picturing his cold, honey coloured eyes in my head, eyes that see far too much.

 “According to our records he's just over six hundred,” Finn replies. “His daughter is almost two hundred.”

 “Jesus.” I rub my hands over my arms. Then I think of how Whitfield wanted to take me as one of his blood donors. For some reason I refrain from telling Finn about this, because I have a feeling he'd try to get me to go along with it, if only so that I can check out Whitfield's house to see if that's where he's keeping Rebecca.

 “Did you hear them mention anything about Pamphrock's kid?” he asks.

 “No, but I'm meeting up with Ethan tomorrow night. I'll have to figure out a way to get him to talk about her, perhaps I'll ask him about the war.”

 “Good plan. But do you really think he's going to tell you anything that important? I don't mean to sound crude, but I think he just wants to get into your pants.”

 “Delilah said I broke his heart. I think his feelings for me could be more than simple lust.”

 Finn shakes his head. “Don't fall for that rubbish. Vampires don't have hearts. They think only with their fangs – and their trousers.”

 I laugh. “Yeah maybe. But I'm going to give it a try anyway. See how much Ethan's willing to reveal to me.” I stand up. “I'm going to bed now.”

 “Sure,” says Finn, a faraway look on his face, deep in thought. “Sleep well.”

 “I will,” I reply, before ascending the stairs.

In the morning Finn leaves early, telling me that he has to go help with training in the new recruits at the DOH compound we visited yesterday. I situate myself in the living room with my phone, preparing myself to call Nicky again. Just as I'm about to dial her number I hear something scratching at the back door. I go into the kitchen and peer out the window to find Wolf sitting there, staring right back at me. He lets out a quiet yip to encourage me to open the door and let him in.

 I consider ignoring him, since Finn's not around and I don't know how comfortable I am letting a massive dog like Wolf into the house alone with me. Then I remember Finn telling me that he's a teddy bear, and the next door neighbour Maria talking about how well-mannered he was when she'd been taking care of him.

 Slowly I move to the door, my hand lingering above the handle, still unsure as to what I should do. There's a small window in the middle of the back door. I look out and Wolf's big brown eyes seem sad, pleading with me to let him inside. Oh God. This is probably going to be a huge mistake. I open the door and stand back as he pads into the kitchen, peering up at me before heading into the living room. Great.

 I find him sitting on the carpet before the fireplace when I come in, but he doesn't acknowledge my presence after that. I sit down again and hesitate, before diving straight in and dialling Nicky's number.

 It rings several times before I hear her familiar voice answer, “Hello?”

 I don't know what to say, and for about thirty seconds my voice fails me entirely. I cough to clear my throat.

 “Who is this?” Nicky asks. I realise that I disposed of my old phone before leaving Tribane, and that she's not going to recognise the number I'm now calling on. I feel like hanging up, taking the coward's way out. I don't want to face her and the worry I must have caused her by leaving without a trace.

 No, I need to face up to what I did. “Nicky,” I say, my voice just above a whisper.

 I hear her suck in a shocked breath, and there's a heavy silence before she replies, “Tegan, is that you?”

 “It's me.” Wolf adjusts his position by the fireplace so that he can look at me now. Fabulous, the dog wants to watch me squirm.

 “What…where on earth have you been?” she asks, stunned.

 “I had to get away for a while. I know that's an absolutely terrible excuse and that I'm a selfish bitch for leaving and not telling you, especially after how you took care of me when Matthew...” I falter now, not knowing what else to say, tears sting my eyes.

 “No, it's okay. That man, Ethan, he called me and told me you were going away. He was a little fuzzy on the details, but I guess I kind of saw it coming. You were so detached from everything, even though you got that job and all, you still seemed – sad.”

 Relief floods through my veins that she's not angry at me. “I was Nicky, I was very, very sad. But I'm still sorry for what I did.” I can't tell her that sadness wasn't the only emotion I'd been drowning in, that a massive amount of fear was also at play.

 “Are you back?” she asks. “In Tribane, I mean.”

 “Yes, I came to see Dad, but Nicky, he's gone. I went to our house, he sold it and left. Do you know where he went?”

 There's a long silence on the other end of the line. “Um Tegan, your dad was pretty upset when he found out you'd left. He kept calling me asking questions, in the end I had to tell him about Matthew. He seemed to accept that what happened was a good enough excuse for you to want to go away. The last time he called me was in the middle of the night. He was really upset and kept telling me that no matter who came asking that I wasn't to tell them anything about you. I haven't heard from him since. I thought he'd finally come to terms with you being gone.”

 “How long ago was that?” I ask, fear catching in my throat.

 “Over a year at least,” she says.

 Images of my father running away from the vampires consume my thoughts. My lungs hurt. They fill up with so much guilt and anxiety that it's almost hard to function.

 Nicky continues, “Hey, I'm sure he's alright Tegan. You know how my parents sold our house a few years ago and moved to the countryside to retire? That's probably what your dad did too. You'll find him eventually.”

 I'm almost certain that moving away and retiring is not at all what my dad had been doing, but I can't tell Nicky that. She doesn't know anything about the vampires.

 “I hope you're right,” I tell her.

 “So,” she says, a smile in her voice, “when can I see you?”

 I think a moment. “Tomorrow, I'll come to your place around lunch time.”

 “Sounds good, I'll see you then.”

 We say our goodbyes and hang up. Wolf comes and hops onto the couch, it gives me the fright of my life. I'd been lost in my own head for a minute. Lost in worry. Wolf sits down, resting his head on my lap. I don't know what to do for a minute, and I'm scared that if I move or try to get up that he'll start growling. So instead I make myself relax, and stroke a hand over his silky black and gold fur. He makes a contented humming sound, and eventually I'm completely calm with him. I hadn't noticed it before, but there's something meditative about Finn's dog, especially when you get lost in petting him and he does the dog version of purring.

 I stay there for more than an hour, just sorting through my thoughts and letting the massive dog sleep on my lap. Lunch time comes around quickly and I go into the kitchen to see what there is to eat. I make a mushroom omelette. Wolf has followed me in and watches my every move, perhaps he's hungry too. I take the big bag of dog biscuits out of the cupboard and pour some into his feeding bowl. He seems happy with this and goes over to munch on them. I sit down at the table with my omelette, and just as I'm about to tuck in, something odd occurs.

 My hand hovers in the air above the fork, and the fork begins to hum and vibrate. It's as though there is some kind of electrical charge coming from my body. I quickly put my hand down on my lap and immediately the fork goes still. What the hell? Slowly I raise my hand up again, hold it over the fork, and this time it floats up off the table. I keep lifting my hand higher and higher, and quite amazingly, the fork follows.

 Wolf leaves his food and hops up onto one of the chairs, resting his big paws on the surface of the table and watching as the fork levitates in mid-air. Then he looks at me, with wise eyes that are almost human, and tilts his head to the side, as though trying to figure me out. I make a swift pushing motion with my hand and the fork flies across the room.

 Shock and surprise consume me. Had I really just made the fork move without so much as touching it? The image of my mother casting her spell on me when I was only a baby fills my head. She had used such powerful magic at the time. Did some of it contaminate me as a result, or do I have a talent for spells just like my mother had? A frustrated sigh escapes my lips. Why do things I don't understand have to keep happening to me?

 It's this God damned city, nothing even remotely out of the ordinary occurred while I'd been in Manchester. I never should have agreed to come back. I need to do something about this, because unconsciously causing a fork to levitate is definitely
not
normal. Then I know what I have to do. I'm going to have to pay Rita a visit.

Later that I evening I tug my long coat tight around me, buttoning it all the way up to the top as I walk alone through the festive city streets. It's so very cold out, and people rush by this way and that, laden down with shopping bags in a hurry to have all of their gifts purchased before Christmas. I haven't bought anything yet. Last year I received no presents at all. Then again, I did spend the day in bed eating, watching old movies and mourning home at intervals. I make a mental note to get something nice for both Nicky and my dad. I really hope I find him soon.

 I'm on my way to the Blackfield monument where I'm supposed to be meeting Ethan. It's this huge stone statue of some general from the 1800's. I wonder if Ethan ever met him, since he's been alive for the best part of the last three hundred years. The historian in me is hungry to know Ethan's story, to discover all the things that have happened to him during his long life. Perhaps someday soon he'll be willing to tell me about it.

 What happened to me at lunch time is still taking up most of my brain space. I'm going to go to Rita's house tomorrow after I've had lunch with Nicky. See if she can shed some light on the mystery of the levitating fork. I try to convince myself that there's some kind of logical explanation for it, like electrical waves or something complicated and technical that I don't understand. I laugh at the idea that this is some new and unusual ability, that I'll end up touring the world, making things float in the air for intrigued audiences. Just like Uri Gellar and his bending spoons.

 The Blackfield monument is on the South side of the river, so I have to cross over a bridge to get to it. The foreboding stone statue sits high atop a number of steep steps. It's always been a favourite meeting point in Tribane. People come and sit on the steps, some just to hang out, others to wait for their friends to show up. Just beyond it you can see the board walk that looks out onto the Hawthorne.

 It's just gone eight o'clock and the steps of the monument are packed with people, talking, laughing, arguing, waiting. As I get near I see Ethan's tall frame, standing amid a sea of unsuspecting humans. His eyes seek me out as I walk toward him. When I get to him he takes my hand into his, turns it over to expose the wrist, and presses his lips to my sensitive skin. I shiver. He grins. I pull my hand back quickly and stare at him for a minute. He's wearing his usual casual attire, and every section of fabric clings to him exquisitely. Despite the fact that I have a purpose for spending time with Ethan, I can't help getting lost in him every time he's close to me.

 “You look beautiful as always,” he tells me, holding out his arm to me. Reluctantly I take it, wondering what kind of plans he has for me tonight.

 “It's strange seeing you without your car,” I say, as I link my arm through his and he begins to lead me away from the monument, toward the board walk.

 “I once knew a woman who spoke to me of using old-fashioned methods of transportation, such as walking. I decided I should give it a try for a change.”