Entwined With the Dark (10 page)

Of course, most of the time I let him. I wanted him as often as he wanted me, but the past 48 hours had been disastrous on so many levels, I was beyond controlling my reactions. I was operating on a fight or flight basis, and right now Michel had given me a purpose to fight.

The most pressing matter, despite all that had happened in past few hours, was his absence. It seemed to be the one thing that occupied the bulk of my mind. If he had been present these past two days would I have lowered my hunting standards in front of Sebastian Cole? Would I have caused such a mess in my Nosferatin relations? Would I have lashed out at the new Master of the City, behaved so poorly? Made an utter fool of myself?

Everything that had caused me such pain recently seemed to come back to that. His absence, compounded by his inability to talk about what he actually has to do. Why he acts so withdrawn when he returns. Why he comes back injured, unable to heal. Why he uses sex to make me forget my train of thought, my attack. My anger narrowed to a pinpoint and I leapt up of the couch and strode away.

"Why do you do this, Michel?" I demanded in a high voice.

He bristled, anger at my attitude and tone evident on his face. Or maybe just anger at my denying him a little romantic welcome home session. I don't know, but one look at his face and I knew he was fuming. I suddenly felt totally bereft. He no longer talked to me about things and now he was full of rage - directed at me.

A little part of me wondered if he even loved me anymore.

He sighed and ran a hand through his long, near black hair. "Just because I am angry at you,
ma douce
, does not mean I no longer love you," he said in a strained voice, as though he'd prefer to be yelling at me right now, rather than cajoling.

I let a little air out slowly. At least he was still reading my thoughts, able to answer my unspoken fears. If only I could read his thoughts, then maybe we wouldn't be where we are right now.

"Maybe," he said more softly.

We stood looking at each other for a few seconds. I willed him to open up. This was an ideal opportunity, his chance to let me back in. He would have heard those thoughts, but he said nothing. And I just didn't know what to do anymore.

"When do you go away again?" I asked in a smaller voice.

"Probably in another day or two," he answered, just as quietly.

I sighed, loudly and angrily again. How often did that bitch need him? I mean, really, she was doing it to spite me I was sure.

"Lucinda," Michel chastised, equally as angry as me again. "Why do you ask these questions if they hurt you so?"

I didn't hesitate, just blurted, "Because I would rather a painful forewarning than return after a heinous hunt to find you gone."

He looked shocked and alarmed, and then - achingly - in heart wrenching pain.

"
Ma douce
," he said simply, taking the few steps needed to reach my side. "My sweet little one, my precious, precious girl."

He folded me in his arms and wrapped his body around mine. I nestled my face underneath his chin, savouring his scent. Fresh clean cut grass and salty sea spray. Michel's signature scent always grounded me, always made the confusion and worry of my world cease to exist.

"What has been going on,
ma douce
, that has you acting so erratically?" Not exactly the most charming of questions, but he wasn't letting me shift away from his warmth and calming scent, so I didn't rise to the bait, just sighed wearily.

I wasn't sure I could voice everything that had transpired since he left, so I just played it all over in my head, one thing after another, feeling his arms stiffen at each new event I remembered and played for him in my mind. If I could have detached from the moment, I would have laughed. Each episode became more and more alarming. My behaviour definitely not normal, but increasingly reactive to the events.

Part way through the visual memories, Michel led me back to the couch and sat down beside me, still keeping me firmly wrapped up in his arms. By the time I reached Aliath's announcement, my throat was dry, my heartbeat had accelerated and my breathing was irregular. I could tell it was all having an effect on Michel too; his body was taught, his
Sanguis Vitam
was pulsing and he had ceased breathing altogether.

Fear radiated off him the closer I got to revealing the consequence of Aliath's visit. He could tell it was enormous, something that had a disastrous and drastic effect on my state of mind. The memories in my head became hazy, unstable, flickering. It was as though my conscience didn't want to be reminded and was starting to shut down my own mind.

"Whoa," Michel whispered, turning me to face him on the seat. His hands came up to cup my cheeks and he forced me to look him in the eyes. Magenta flashed back at me, startling me momentarily and causing the vision I had replicated in mind to shatter. If Michel was still in my head trying to decipher what had happened, he'd just borne witness to my mental fracturing. I couldn't show him what Aliath had said, I couldn't bear to see his reaction to what could possibly be growing inside me right now.

I tried to pull away, my only thought to preserve myself. Michel would be furious if he found out what the fairy suspects. I couldn't even repeat the new Prophesy in my head. I don't know what Michel saw, but it was definitely incoherent and a mess.

"Calm down,
ma douce
, calm down. It will be all right." Michel's voice was strained again, but this time dripping in fear. He could no longer receive my emotions, that was lost when the joining had been reversed. But I was betting, right now, he could smell them, scent them pouring off me. A vampire's ability to scent strong emotions is impressive. Mine right now were powerful, it wouldn't have been hard for him to scent them at all.

I took gasping breaths in as he tried in vain to calm me with his own signature scent. But nothing worked, all I could think was he'd withdraw further if he knew. He'd pull away, he'd disappear. And, oh Goddess, I couldn't live if that occurred.

And the baby, what of the baby? - if it actually exists. What would he do if he thought I carried Lutin's child, how would he react? It didn't bear thinking about, but I couldn't help the thoughts tumbling through my head. From moments ago, to now, the words formed in my mind before I could stop them. I wanted a baby, I wanted one so badly that I'd consider keeping that arsehole's child without a second thought.

"What the fuck?" Michel said softly, his voice ominously quiet. "What baby? You
want
a baby?" His voice rose slightly on that last.

I wanted
his
baby, but that would never happen. In all my wildest dreams that could never happen. But now I had a chance - at least, if this was true - to have
a
child. Not Michel's, but a child nonetheless.

"You want
my
baby?" Michel asked, his voice full of awe.

I was momentarily shocked at his choice of question. He'd heard all of my thoughts, he knew now what had transpired and what could be if the new Prophesy was correct. If Lutin's
assumption
was correct. Yet he asked
that
?

"Of course I'd want your baby," I answered truthfully. "I couldn't imagine anything more precious than that."

He looked at me for several seconds, his face a shocked mask of amazement. Then emotions tumbled one after the other, fluttering across his handsome façade. Astonishment. Apprehension. Stupefaction. Reverence. And last, but by no means least, love.

"
Ma douce,
" he said whisper quietly, his fingers grazing my cheek. "What I wouldn't give to have a child with you." His mouth lifted in a sad smile as he continued to caress my cheek. "For now though, we will take this one day at a time. It may not be true, you must be prepared for that." I swallowed, wondering where he was going with this. He seemed inordinately comfortable with the notion, reserved but calm. "In the meantime, we increase your security, we ensure the fairy has no chance to reach your side."

I wasn't actually surprised with that statement. This was how Michel dealt with threats. Right now Lutin was a threat to me and bringing in more guards made sense. Sergei and Nataliya were essential, but more muscle would never go astray.

His eyes flicked down to my stomach, his face fell ever so slightly, small frown lines appearing on his forehead. I watched him closely to see what he would do. Touch me? There? The moment seemed to stretch, I wanted so badly for him to accept this, but was I asking too much?

I didn't have a chance to find my answer, Michel suddenly flicked his gaze up to the front of the house. His eyes shone magenta, his fangs flicked out and down, and a low growl started up in the back of this throat. He'd even shifted his body, as though to shelter me. A protective stance that seemed more instinctual than intentional.

Someone was at the front door and Michel was not one bit happy about it at all.

Nataliya came back in the room unbidden, alert and ready for any attack. The door was left open, so we could see Sergei passing. He flicked a glance towards Michel and nodded, then opened the front door to whomever had just knocked.

I tried to stand up, in preparation for whatever would happen next, but Michel just growled low, moving his body like a cape, wrapping his frame around me, securely protecting me with just his physique. I frowned up at him. Just what the hell was he doing now?

Low voices came from the hallway, but Michel wrapped not only his body around me, but his
Sanguis Vitam
as well, blocking out all sound. Now he was protecting me from hearing things? This was a little unnerving, to say the least. Sergei must have finished with the visitor, because he sauntered in the room. His usual swagger slightly stiff, but still not obviously alarmed. Michel did not back down from his position over me, but his
Sanguis Vitam
did retract.

Sergei came to hand a familiar looking envelope to me, but Michel's growl intensified causing my vampire to halt in his tracks a few feet away. His eyes never left Michel, seemingly concerned and wary, but surprisingly accepting of my husband's current over protective stance.

Sergei shifted the angle of the envelope and handed it to Michel instead. I felt a little miffed at that, clearly the envelope was addressed to me, but my vampire had stood down in the face of Michel's actions. Not only that, as soon as he had released his hold on the document, he retreated to the other side of the room, making sure Nataliya stood between himself and Michel. Michel relaxed as soon as Sergei sat down in a chair by the fireplace, well out of reaching or leaping distance.

I shot a glance at Nataliya and raised my eyebrows when she finally looked me in the face. She tried to smile reassuringly, but her own agitation at the events playing out right now was too big to hide completely. She was definitely still on guard, but I couldn't tell if that was to protect her brother and herself from Michel, or to protect me.

Michel stood up slightly, his overbearing presence reined in to some degree, and then he simply opened the envelope without offering it to me at all. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. I knew who the envelope would be from, the red wax seal harboured a sphinx, but it was still addressed to me. He read it quickly and then folded it up and placed it inside his jacket pocket. My mouth fell open.

He glanced down at me and frowned. I thought perhaps he'd just realised what an arrogant prick he had been, but then he said, "You will need to change,
ma douce
. We have been invited to dinner this evening with the Master of the City."

I continued to sit still and stare at him. OK, I hadn't expected a dinner invitation and part of me was grateful that it wasn't an outright execution order or warrant for my arrest, but another part of me was wondering just what a vampire like Amun would offer up for dinner. And
why
he would want myself and Michel to attend. There'd be a reason and I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

But more importantly, I was still dumbfounded in Michel's sudden change of behaviour. If I had been behaving erratically lately, Michel had just jumped on board that particular crazy train too.

He turned his attention to my vampires and with all the presence of the powerful master vampire that he is, he announced, "The guard on my wife will be doubled and you will now both be answering to me." My head swiftly turned to catch their reaction; simple nods of acquiesce of both their heads.

"What the fuck?" I said, finally able to stand to my feet, my hands fisted on my hips.

Michel turned to look at me, surprised. He cocked his head to the side and said, "Are you feeling well,
ma douce
?"

"Don't you fucking
ma douce
me! What the hell is going on, Michel?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, nonplussed. "Sergei and Nataliya will work with Marcus and Matthias to ensure your safety, they will keep in constant contact with me."

I was instantly pleased to hear M&M were returning, but then the situation at hand came crashing back in. "Even when you are away on business?" I asked overly sweetly.

"Of a fashion, yes," he replied still puzzled at my response.

Oh, hell no.
They
could contact him when he was away, but
I
couldn't?

"You have got be joking! You are reachable when you are away?" My voice had risen, my breathing had increased. I was sure I was flushed bright red with indignation. I couldn't actually remember what this argument had originally been about. All of a sudden
this
topic seemed much more pertinent to me.

"Well," he paused, frowned again, started to look a little uncomfortable and then resolutely sighed. "Leave us!" he said and both Sergei and Nataliya started to walk away.

"Oh no you don't!" I shouted. "You don't just command
my
vampires like that!"

"
Ma douce
, please do not over excite yourself."

Over excite myself? I could tell I had started to shine a little Light, the room was suddenly brighter. Nataliya looked uneasy, her gaze flicking up to mine.

"Please, mistress, your kindred is right." She still called Michel my kindred, even though technically he no longer was. It was something I found bitter-sweet. I had never corrected her, she was the only one who insisted on that title, and some part of me wanted her to continue to do so - knowing I could not. "You must not overtax yourself right now." When she saw my incredulous look, she added in a placating manner, "Think of the baby."

"What?" I said, dumbly.

Nataliya shot a look of concern toward Michel who had begun to growl again at her words, his body shifting to protect me. I don't think he was even aware. I looked first at him, then at Nataliya and finally at Sergei, who held my gaze steadily and through his look alone made it all make sense.

If I was pregnant they all wanted me to stay calm. Which led on to Michel wanting me to be adequately protected. But that still didn't justify his current overprotective stance.

"Leave," Michel instructed quietly again.

"Don't move an inch!" I countered, my mind now running at full speed, trying to connect the dots, trying to sort out the chaos in my head.

"We don't have time for this,
ma douce
," Michel said softly. "We are expected at dinner within the hour." I knew he was watching me closely, hovering nearby. I ignored him.

Michel had seemed initially shocked at my revelation - at Aliath's revelation - but then he had quickly aligned himself to this new... what? Possibility? Situation? He'd gone from caring, to concerned, to protective. To overly protective to such a degree, I wasn't sure he even realised what he was doing. Vampires don't have children, I had never heard of a situation like this before. Was Michel's behaviour inherent or just him?

I flicked my glance to him and noted his eyes were purely magenta. His vampire-within was present, woken up from his normally sedate sleep.

"Is this you?" I asked, hoping the vampire-within understood who I was questioning.

Michel's head nodded slowly.

"Why?" I asked, needing to understand exactly what I was up against.

"It is what I am," he replied and I knew instinctively that it was the dragon, Michel's vampire-within, who spoke. All trace of Michel's French accent was gone, his voice lower, harsher than I was used to.

I wasn't sure what to make of this, I'd have to do some research. And besides, it could all be moot. I may not even be pregnant and I was sure as hell going to test that theory soon. I pushed all those thoughts aside and concentrated on the here and now.

"I need Michel," I stated, not taking my eyes off the magenta that shone in his. If we were having dinner with the new Master of London City within the hour, I needed the diplomat, not the warrior by my side.

"I am here,
ma douce
," Michel replied.

I huffed a breath out at how freaky and wacky this all seemed to be and he smiled, that young
boy smile he sometimes allows me to see. My heart sung a joyful tune, all thought of his bizarre overprotective behaviour lost, for now at least.

He walked forward, a smirk now playing on his lips, and then dipped his head down slowly, his eyes - now softening to a violet hue - held my own, until his warm breath washed over my lips and his mouth found mine. It was the first time he had kissed me properly since he had returned from his latest quest. It used to be the first thing he would do when he walked into a room, having been apart from me. But we had somehow passed that stage, that fresh in love, can't stop ourselves, stage. I missed it. I wanted it back. I hoped he did too.

I still longed for his touch, I still dreamt of only him. But somehow we had become comfortable. Complacent in fact. Maybe I was to blame as much as him. Tired after hunting. Too wrapped up in hating my new environment, the new rules I had to play within. Homesick and pining for Samson. With everything that happened in my life - and the fact we weren't communicating as well as we used to - was it any wonder that something would give?

Unfortunately, my connection to Michel had been the one thing to suffer. Without the joining and the Bond, we had to work harder to stay in touch. I prayed to Nut that we could do that. That we could find a way to make it back to us. I would sell my soul to love this man and have him love me back. I hoped he felt the same way.

"I do,
ma douce
," he whispered against my mouth. "Dear God, I do."

I pulled back and cupped his cheek in my hand, there was a small smattering of stubble along his jaw, it was sexy. His eyes flicked open, amethyst now gracing the blue. He smiled a bright smile. Our audience completely forgotten by both of us, too wrapped up in the other's look to notice Sergei and Nataliya were standing resolutely still.

"Will you try to talk to me?" I asked and received that same pain filled look in reply.

He closed his eyes and shook his head softly. "I can't,
ma douce
," he said chokingly.

"Why not?" I insisted, determined to get him to open up.

His eyes flicked open slowly and he held my gaze for a second, then brought his forehead down to rest against mine. I noticed a flash of something I thought I'd never see on Michel before. Deception? I wasn't sure. It was gone so quickly, but I had a sinking feeling that what he was about to say was not the truth. Or perhaps, not the full truth anyway.

"Because my vampyre wishes to protect you, beyond all reason."

I huffed out a breath in disappointment. Both for his statement and because I
knew
it was not the whole reason for his inability to communicate right now. I wasn't sure exactly how I knew this, but I
knew
there was more to it. And the longer I battled this, the more I began to realise, I was up against something larger than Michel's tendency to over protect me. But what?

"It's the baby," he whispered. I was thinking in an effort to distract me from my current train of thought. "As my vampyre mate, the dragon-within is in charge."

I forced myself to concentrate on his words. They held a ring of truth to them, even if I was sure they weren't the whole truth. Especially as his behaviour had started well before we were made aware of the possibility of a baby. But for now, whatever a dragon considered appropriate behaviour in this type of situation obviously meant his inability to let me in was now compounded by his vampire-within's interference. I only wished this new behaviour was due to him protecting
his
child and not someone else's. How I longed for this to all be different. For us to be standing here considering the welfare of
our
child. Flesh of my flesh, flesh of his.

Michel pulled back and smiled sadly at me. "Me too,
ma douce
." He wanted to have a child with me? Oh how that made my heart ache. "Come," he said with authority, all evidence of the emotional roller coaster we were riding gone. "Let's get changed and make our appointment."

He started leading me out of the room and then paused on the threshold. "Release your vampyres, Lucinda. It is ill mannered to keep them contained so."

What? I glanced over at Sergei and Nataliya, who were both in exactly the same positions, same stances, same facial expressions even, as before.

"Why are they standing like that?" I asked, appalled.

"Because you ordered them not to move," Michel said, shrugging his shoulders elegantly at me.

My jaw dropped in horrified shock. "Bloody hell, you can move!" I blurted out in one quick burst.

They both came alive as though they were Pinocchio. One minute a wooden toy, immobile and at someone's command, the next a living and breathing person. Subject to their own demands. I shook my head and mouthed,
sorry
as I followed Michel out of the room. Sergei nodded with a solemn expression and Nataliya, thankfully, just snorted in reply.