Blue-Blooded Vamp (12 page)

“The Donna is waiting for you through that gate in the courtyard.”

“You’re not coming in?”

Damiano shook his head. “No. It’s time for us to hunt.”

I nodded. Back in the day, I’d spent most of my nights hunting, too. Part of me longed to go with them. See what kind of sport the citizens of Rome offered. But then I reminded myself that I didn’t have the luxury of wasting my predatory instincts on innocent humans. I had to save them up to hunt more cunning prey—Cain.

“All right,” I said. “Thanks, I guess.”

Damiano smiled. “
Prego, Signorina
Kane.” He executed a little bow. “I hope we shall meet again.”

“Uh-huh,” I said. “Bye now.”

“
Buone notte
!” several of the vampires called as they got back on their bikes. Some even waved enthusiastically, like they hadn’t just tried to intimidate me thirty minutes earlier.

Giguhl and I waited until their taillights disappeared around the corner of the house. Once they were gone, the cat looked up at me. “That was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.”

I lowered my brows and pursed my lips at my hairless demon cat. “Stranger than demon fight club or dark races roller derby?”

The cat shrugged. “Okay, it’s the strangest thing I’ve seen
tonight
.”

I hefted his bulk higher. “The night’s young. Give it time.”

With that, I walked to the black iron gate set into the stone wall at the base of the building. Through the elaborate scrollwork, I could tell it led to a courtyard. I opened the gate, not sure what to expect, exactly. Before I stepped
in, I set Giguhl down on the gravel. Kneeling down next to him, I whispered my instructions. “Stay close to me but say nothing.”

The cat nodded once and streaked into the shadows to do a perimeter check. I rose and stepped inside, seeing that he’d have plenty of places to hide out. The central garden area had several intersecting paths that stretched to a colonnade around the perimeter. On the far end of the space, long steps led to a row of French doors. The windows cast a warm glow on the grass and plant-filled urns that dotted the paths.

Chiara Rossi stood in the center of the courtyard, still as a statue. The moonlight flashed against her cherry-red hair, which was pulled back into an elaborate updo. She wore a simple black wrap dress and black stiletto pumps, which seemed out of place in the timeworn villa. Both her formal posture and the opulent surroundings were supposed to remind me that I was outranked.

I raised my chin and held my ground. She might outrank me as a vampire, but in the broader dark races perspective, I was of both vampire and mage noble bloodlines. But rank meant next to nothing to me. All I cared about was if she could take me in a fight.

I took in her mile-high Louboutins.

Absolutely not.

No woman who knew the first thing about fighting would ever wear those ridiculous ankle-breakers.

I’d heard of Chiara before. I’d never interacted with the vampire leaders abroad, but I’d heard snippets of gossip about her. If I remembered correctly, Chiara hadn’t earned her title through the usually bloody means. Instead, she’d benefited from old-fashioned nepotism. Namely, she was Persephone’s cousin.

Now that I was here, standing before her, I couldn’t
believe no one had thought to check here for the missing Domina. But, then, I guess we’d all assumed Persephone was still stateside. For her to escape New York and make it here to Rome so quickly told me that she had the escape plan in place long before Tanith’s murder.

“Welcome to Roma, Miss Kane.” Her words were accented with an Italian inflection but were spoken with the confidence of one used to conversing in English.

“Thanks.”

“I was disappointed you did not call on me the instant you arrived in my city.”

“I would have,” I lied, “but I’m not here on vampire business.”

“Regardless, you of all Lilim should be aware of the protocol.”

“Forgive me, but I don’t give a damn about vampire protocol. Not anymore.”

She nodded and took a few steps forward. I stayed put, content to let her come to me. “Yes, I’ve heard you turned your back on your blood kin.”

I laughed. “That’s one perspective. The wrong one. Not that it matters.” My so-called betrayal wasn’t the reason I was
vampira non grata
. The Lilim wanted nothing to do with me since birth because of my tainted blood. The only reason I’d been allowed to live in the first place was that my maternal grandmother and Alpha Domina, Lavinia Kane, found me useful as an assassin.

“Regardless, you’re here now.” Chiara smiled but the emotion didn’t reach her eyes. “What is your business in my city?”

I crossed my arms. “Look, can we cut the shit here? I know Persephone’s here. Surely she filled you in on the events at the treaty signing.”

“Yes, I am aware that Despina Tanith and High Councilman Orpheus were murdered.”

That’s when it hit me that Chiara and Persephone wouldn’t be privy to what happened after Persephone ran off into the night just after the Despina died. But I really didn’t want to get into the sordid details about my twin’s guilt and subsequent death. Besides, I preferred to discuss this with Persephone. Time to change the subject. Since Chiara was Italy’s most powerful vampire, I decided to see if she’d heard of the vamp Asclepius wanted me to kill.

“Do you know a vampire named Nyx?”

Chiara frowned at my mercurial change of topic. “Nyx? No.”

“You sure? I heard she was in Italy.”

“I am certain. No vampires enter Italia without my knowledge.”

I raised my brows. Either Asclepius was wrong or Chiara’s intel was seriously lacking. If I had to bet, I’d go double down on the latter.

“Is this Nyx why you have come to Roma?”

“It’s one of the reasons,” I said.

“And the other?”

I crossed my arms. “That I will only discuss with the Domina. That’s why I was brought here, right? To speak with her.”

She nodded reluctantly. “
Si
, my dear cousin would like a word with you.”

I raised my brows. “I’m waiting.”

Chiara snapped her fingers and a male vampire who’d been standing guard near the bushes rushed forward. The Donna spoke to him in a low tone before he ran off, presumably to retrieve Persephone. “She’ll be with us shortly.
But first, I must ask you to refrain from upsetting her. She still suffers greatly.”

I didn’t bother mentioning that Persephone’s problems didn’t begin to compare to the ones I was facing. Before Tanith died, she’d had my grandmother killed so she could take control of the vampire race. In the process, she’d reduced Persephone to little more than a puppet. I found it hard to believe the last surviving Domina was too broken up about her tormentor dying. If I had to guess, Persephone’s real worry was that her own days were numbered. Which, come to think of it, wasn’t out of the realm of possibility at present.

“I’ll try to be gentle,” I said, my tone heavy with irony. After all, Persephone might have been considered the weakest Domina, but she was still an ancient vampire. Not one to trifle with in any arena.

A few moments later, a side door opened and Persephone swept out into the courtyard. Last time I’d seen her she’d been wearing dove gray, like a woman in mourning for her lost power. But now she wore a bright sapphire dress that played brilliantly against her deep auburn hair. The moonlight made her pale skin glow like a pearl. No doubt about it, Persephone was still the most beautiful female I’d ever seen.

Watching her stride toward us, I wondered if maybe I’d misjudged her all along. I’d always thought Tanith was the smart one and Lavinia was the strongest of the three Dominae. But now they were both dead and pretty Persephone had the entire dark races scrambling.

“Sabina.” She tipped her head regally in greeting.

“Domina,” I responded. While I’d lost my need to kowtow to the Dominae long ago, I’d always viewed Persephone with less contempt than her two partners. And since
part of the reason I’d agreed to this meeting was the need to convince her to return to the States to take control of the vampire race, I figured I’d stack my bets and show her the respect she expected. However, I refused to bow to her. I wasn’t that desperate for her favor.

“Thank you for agreeing to this meeting.”

I didn’t bother pointing out I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. “Of course. I was surprised to learn you were in Rome. Everyone thinks you’re still stateside.”

“I assume your cohorts are already in touch with Rhea and the Queen regarding my location.”

Adam’s aunt and Queen Maeve of the fae were trying to hold down the dark races in America until Persephone returned to take control of the vampires.

“You know you have to go back.”

“Not necessarily,” she said, looking thoughtful. “I have decided to renounce my right to rule the Lilim.”

My stomach dipped. While I’d known this was a possibility all along, I’d hoped that she’d suck it up and do what was right in the end. “Domina, I’m sorry, but that’s bullshit.”

“Hey!” Chiara protested.

Persephone waved her cousin down. “I am quite decided on the matter.”

“Well, that’s just perfect,” I said, my voice rising. “We were so close to finally achieving peace between the races and now you’re going to just walk away and leave the vampire race without any sort of leadership?”

“Sabina, let’s not be overly dramatic. The Undercouncil is perfectly capable of running things until a new candidate can be found.”

I sighed. Yelling at her wasn’t going to get us anywhere. “Look, I understand your misgivings. I’d be reluctant to
take over, too, after my two predecessors were murdered. But times have changed.”

Persephone raised a perfectly arched brow. “Have they? Have you found Tanith’s murderer yet?”

“No, not yet. But we know who’s responsible. That’s why I’m here.”

Her forehead crinkled. “Who?”

“Cain.”

Her hand flew to her midsection. “Great Mother protect us. How is that possible?”

I quickly gave her an abbreviated version of Cain’s plot to destroy any chance at peace, leaving out the part about him using Maisie as his weapon. “So the Hekate Council and the Queen sent me here to find him and make sure he’s out of the equation.”

“But how will you manage that? Cain can’t be killed.”

“Which is why I’m trying to locate the mage who calls himself Abel.” I conveniently left out the part about Abel maybe being my father. No sense delving into that quagmire when things were complex enough as it was. “I’m hoping his knowledge of Cain will give me the key to stopping him.”

“A mage named Abel?” Persephone said, frowning.

I realized the source of her confusion. “Not the same Abel as in the mortal mythology—the brother Cain killed. This mage I’m looking for apparently adopted the name when he decided to make Cain his enemy. Maybe he sees himself as the original Abel’s avenger or something.”

Which begged the question again of why my father hated Cain so badly. But that was an issue for another time and definitely not one to analyze with Persephone.

The Domina blew out a breath. “I wish you luck, but I’m afraid I don’t share your optimism. This does nothing but
confirm my decision to get out of dark race politics.” She turned to Chiara. “Tell the servants to start packing up. We’re leaving Rome.”

My mouth fell open. “So that’s it? You’re going to just run away?”

Persephone speared me with a glare. “Sabina, I am two thousand years old. Do you think I reached this advanced age by being a coward?”

“No, Domina.”

“I reached this age by being smart and choosing my battles. For whatever reason, Cain is determined to kill anyone who attempts to make peace a reality for the dark races. You said it yourself: The Queen and Rhea need me to bring the vampires back to the table. That means I am a threat to Cain’s plans. I’d be a fool to return. Just as I’d be a fool to stay in this house when the man who wants me dead is loose in Rome.”

As much as I hated to admit it, she made a good point. But I wasn’t ready to surrender. “Who will rule the race, then?”

Persephone’s lips spread into a calculating smile. “If you want peace so badly, why don’t you volunteer? You’re a descendant of a Domina.”

A harsh laugh escaped my lips. “Don’t be ridiculous. The vampires would never follow a mixed-blood.” Not to mention, I didn’t want to rule the vampires or any race.

“They would if they believed you were the only leader who could guarantee peace. Your blood may be mixed, but it’s noble. Plus, your connection to the Hekate Council means you’d be able to negotiate favorable terms for all parties.”

I shook my head so hard my brain rattled in my skull. “Impossible. There has to be someone else.”

Some emotion flickered in her eyes, but it disappeared as soon as I saw it. “It is only impossible if you believe it to be. Regardless, it’s no longer my business. Please give the Queen and Rhea my regards when you deliver my decision.”

I crossed my arms and glared at her. “You can tell them yourself. I’m not your messenger.”

“I don’t believe for a moment you won’t report our conversation. If the Queen and Rhea want to hear it from me, they’ll have to find me first.”

I raised a brow in challenge. “I found you.”

“Oh, child,” she laughed. “Please don’t fool yourself. I found
you
.”

She had me there. If Chiara’s vampires hadn’t approached me, I would have had no idea Persephone was in Rome.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have plans to make.”

“This isn’t over,” I said.

“Yes,” she said, “it is. Except, I have one parting bit of advice to offer you, if I may?”

I pursed my lips but nodded. This should be good.

“I watched you fight your whole life, Sabina. First for respect among the race that rejected you. Then against your grandmother. Now you’re fighting for revenge against Cain. All this fighting and what has it gotten you?”

“What? I should be like you? Run when things get tough? Sorry, Persephone, but that’s not my style.”

“You must get your stubbornness from your mage blood.”

I could be wrong, but I thought I detected a hint of respect in her voice.