Vigil (25 page)

shockwave happen when you touched Bran?”

Edward nodded.

“But he’s not a vampire.” Bran frowned. “I know I’m bad for

vampires, but he’s human. I can tell he’s completely human.”

Edward’s and Tuan’s eyes met and they communicated

something without words. Tuan nodded.

“I am
now
,” said Edward.

At Edward’s house, no matter what else the situation called

for, there would always be tea. He poured graciously from an

ornate ceramic teapot into paper-thin china cups, depositing

them—on their saucers—in front of each guest while everyone

else sat around the elegant dining table in a room that smelled

newly painted.

A dazzling chandelier hung from the ceiling above them,

throwing light onto the perfect gloss of the mahogany table

below it. Framed art decorated the walls. Due to Edward’s work

as an art dealer and his family connections to a number of well-

known artists, the collection was stunning. It always intimidated

Adin when he found himself sipping tea under a genuine Chagall,

or a Picasso line drawing of Edward’s maternal grandmother.

Edward cleared his throat. “Tuan and I wanted to talk to

you before you took Bran to the hotel. I thought… well. We

thought…” His eyes met Tuan’s again.

Tuan continued for him. “When you called us about Bran,

Edward told me that everything you described was familiar.

Eerily similar—in a way—to his own experience. As near as we

can tell, Edward is a changeling.”

Adin sighed. “Well, that explains a lot.”

Edward ignored him. “In my case, the process reached

completion on my eighteenth birthday as it was intended to.”

Edward didn’t look at all happy about this. “I’m entirely human.”

Tuan’s hand fell on Edward’s, and he continued the story.

“When we met, the more Edward told me about himself the

more I realized there was something unusual about him.”

“What was your first clue?” Adin asked drily. Edward’s

appearance, from his short, spiked blond hair to the Doc Marten

boots he tied with rainbow laces, was so thoroughly
different
that

he was a one-man traveling sideshow. Edward shot Adin his

168 Z.A. Maxfield

trademark sweet smile, and Adin’s heart melted a little.

Boaz ignored Adin and asked Edward, “What seemed familiar

to you about Bran?”

“Certainly Bran’s ability to read your dreams. When I was

young, I thought all children could see each other’s dreams. I

could search through their memories and learn about them. I

could push thoughts into people’s awareness. I learned young to

hide everything that singled me out as different.”

“Then you abandoned that on principle?” Adin asked.

Edward cuffed him playfully. “I’ve always been able to sense

the difference between types of entities. I still can. I knew, for

example, that Boaz was no more human than Donte from the

very beginning.”

Adin wanted to smack him. “What the hell? And you never

told me?”

“What was I going to say? You obviously didn’t know anything

and I wasn’t sure —at the time—that you needed to.” Edward

pulled at the hoops in his ear, a nervous habit of long standing.

“I had no idea why I was different when we were kids, for years

I thought it was highly evolved gaydar.”

Tuan snorted.

“I learned never to speak of it because people didn’t

understand. Whenever I tried, even my own family thought I

was a liar or disturbed or both. Except my grandmother, thank

heavens. She simply told me to keep my mouth shut. Then later

I met Tuan and he told me things I’d never known about the

true nature of the world, about the vampires and other entities

who inhabit it. When the supernatural world caught up with you,

Adin… It seemed like too much to tell all at once. Where could

I even begin?”

“We’re going to have a long conversation very soon,” Adin

said darkly. “Do I need to worry about werewolves and other

things too?” Tuan didn’t meet his eyes and Edward shrugged.

“Well,
shit
...”

Vigil
169

Bran asked, “What’s different about you, Edward? Now that

you’re human?”

Edward put his hand on Bran’s and even though he expected

it, Adin was still surprised to feel the shock when it came. It

was considerably less intense, but palpable, as if some sort of

energy—or magic—escaped into the world when they touched.

They tried it several times, and the effect appeared to be

diminishing. Edward took his hand back and picked up his tea.

“I’m restricted to my own head,” Edward said quietly. “I used

to be able to come and go from…other places.”

Bran nodded tightly. “I understand.”

Edward heaved a deep sigh. “Adin, Tuan and I think Bran

should stay with us.”

“What?” Adin looked to Tuan, who nodded his head.

“It’s a real solution,” Tuan told him. “They have a connection,

whatever it is. And we can protect him. There are no vampires

here, nor are there likely to be any in the near future. As soon as

Donte arrives…”

Adin nodded. Tuan had left the words hanging but Adin knew

if Donte followed him he would need to keep his distance from

Bran. Maybe he was already staying away for that reason. Adin

looked to where Bran sat, his tea hovering between his saucer

and his lips, forgotten.

“What do you think, Bran?”

Bran frowned and looked over at Edward. “Would you really

want me to stay?”

“We talked about it before you came because it seemed like

a good solution to your vampire allergy problem. But now…”

Edward nodded and took Bran’s hand again and this time Adin

barely felt it. “You feel like a part of me. Something I lost and

found again. Maybe you give me a little of my magic back.”

“Do you think we’re related?”

Adin shook his head. “I doubt that, Bran. Harwiche said you

had no living relatives. He was fairly certain on that point.”

170 Z.A. Maxfield

Bran nodded. “But maybe we’re the same type of being,

right?”

Edward grinned. “I think so.”

“It’s possible that’s why I felt such a strong urge to protect

Bran. He felt familiar. I guess I saw Edward in him.” Adin

thought about it. “He does remind me of you at that age. Did

you see my dreams in those days?”

Edward blushed and looked at his hands.

Adin gave him a shove. “
You bastard.
How embarrassing.”

Bran’s lips turned up in the beginning of a shy smile. The

first real smile Adin had seen on his face since they’d arrived. “It

might be nice to stay here for a few days.” Bran looked to Adin

for permission.

“You can stay where you’re happy,” Adin told him sincerely.

“I promise you, Boaz and I will be around if you need us.”

Boaz agreed. “We’ll need to get him a phone like yours, Adin.

But if he wants to stay here, it seems like a fine idea. Tuan?”

“Perfectly fine.” Tuan nodded. He watched Edward—and

Bran now too – with an oddly satisfied look on his handsome

face. “It’s like they’re brothers and even if it’s not by blood, that

makes Bran my brother too. He’ll be part of my family now. We’ll

take good care of him.”

“Then it’s settled.” Edward clapped his hands like a child and

turned to Bran. “I suppose you like all sorts of junk food and

sweets that are bad for you?”

Bran blushed and mumbled, “I suppose so.”

“Thank
heavens
.” Edward pulled the boy from his chair, “I

have a ton of menus. Let’s go pick something awful and have it

delivered.” To Tuan he said, “We’ll be in the sun room.”

Tuan wore an enigmatic smile as he watched them leave.

His glasses reflected the lamplight. The glare, coupled with his

conservative dress and how he sat holding his cup and saucer

made him look like an accountant more than ever. “I don’t know

what I’m going to do with
two
of them.”

Vigil
171

“Are you certain it’s what you want? You have to think of the

long term.”

“If it makes Edward happy then it’s fine with me. We have

plenty of room. It will take a little getting used to.”

“As long as you’re sure.” Adin smiled at how tired Tuan

already sounded. “I was hoping you’d be able to tell me more

about Bran.”

“There’s no real way of knowing exactly what he is. When I

met Edward, it was clear he was an elemental entity who’d been

exchanged for a human child, so that’s as good a guess for Bran

as any.”

“How was that clear to you? I’ve known him forever. Edward

is just… Edward. I mean he’s impulsive and a little wild…”

Tuan grinned. “I saw right away that he wasn’t entirely human.

He had earth magic in spades. He was a tremendously gifted

empath when wasn’t all about himself, but more than that, he was

able to discern the occult nature of others. Which is distinctly

uncomfortable if you’re hiding something.” Tuan grimaced and

cleared his throat. “That is… I would imagine.”

Adin felt more than a little angry. “He’s my best friend. Why

would he tell you, and not me?”

“Remind me to tell you exactly how we met sometime. Suffice

it to say that Edward has gotten himself into a situation or two

where he required rescuing.” Tuan flashed his white teeth in a

predatory smile. “And I have awesome ninja powers.”

Boaz interrupted. “If Bran’s an elemental that wouldn’t

explain the effect he has on vampires. Elementals are only

marginally magical. They’re not even like imps.”

“Unless he’s an earth elemental like Edward.” Tuan looked

toward the door where Edward and Bran had disappeared. “They

stand as a harmonizing agent, stabilizing the possible destructive

powers of the fire, air and water elementals.”

“Ah.
Earth
.” Boaz nodded. “Santos said Bran was made of

nature itself.”

172 Z.A. Maxfield

Tuan sighed. “That would explain why the vampire aged.

The Earth elementals are tied to time and seasons. They’re a part

of the very force that makes things grow and ripen and die. A

vampire in proximity to Bran is a peach in a brown paper bag.”

“No wonder Donte looked tired.”

“He would have felt it. He might even have discerned its

cause.” Boaz lifted his eyes to Adin.

Adin sighed. “Oh, man. I
suck
as a boyfriend.”

“You didn’t know.”

“Because he thought he couldn’t tell me.”

“You don’t know that,” Tuan told him.

Adin rubbed his face tiredly. “But I do. So much makes sense

now. Boaz, you know Donte. I think he was afraid I’d be forced

to choose between being with him and protecting Bran.”

“You might be right,” Boaz agreed. “It’s just the kind of—”

“Ridiculous, harebrained, poorly thought out,
didn’t even bother

to ask me first
kind of thing he’d—”

Boaz snorted. “It’s odd how he’s always using the same words

to describe you.”

“Well,
shit
.”

Tuan laughed. “Be that as it may, that doesn’t explain

Harwiche’s plan, or who else might be after Bran.”

Adin lowered his voice. “Harwiche said the changeling

process was interrupted, and that makes Bran a walking stem cell

donor. I don’t even think he knew for certain. I think it was all

conjecture and wishful thinking…”

“
Harwiche
.” Tuan made a face. “He’s little more than a pimp.

He’s greedy and amoral, and his wealth comes from the suffering

of innocents over centuries. It’s not any surprise to me that

he thought kidnapping Bran was nothing more than another

business deal.”

“He’s dying,” Adin told them.

Vigil
173

Boaz shrugged. “He’s clutching at straws. He had a boy

kidnapped on the off chance that he could prolong his life.

There’s no downside to him for trying it.”

“How could he find a physician who would go along with it?”

“Money?” Tuan suggested. “He’s got boatloads of it.”

Adin suddenly felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.

“It seems as if each day brings something unfathomable. Like

Alice in Wonderland if it was written by Jack the Ripper.”

“Sometimes things happen like that, I’m sorry.” Tuan’s sad

smile was sincere. “Where will you be heading from here?”

“I don’t even know. We were on our way to the hotel when

Edward called so we had the cab bring us here.”

Boaz stood. “If it pleases you Dr. Tredeger, I’ll call a taxi to

take us to the hotel, and then in the morning we can make plans

to rent a car. We can head for the estate Donte uses when he’s

in the area. I telephoned Donte’s friend, and it’s unoccupied and

available for use at any time.”

Adin smiled with gratitude. “Thank you.”

“Excuse me, then,” Boaz said, taking his phone from his

pocket and heading to the foyer where the luggage sat waiting.

Adin sat, subjected to Tuan’s intense gaze for a while. “Do