Entwined With the Dark (4 page)

Oh holy hell. Had I got it all wrong. I swallowed the now lump of apple pie in my mouth painfully and hastily took a sip of coffee to wash it down. My cheeks felt hot under Kathleen's piercing gaze. She was not letting me off lightly on this one.

How could I have doubted Michel? He was not the Dark vampire I had once met. Not that he had been all Dark, but much of that Dark that had existed is gone. Replaced with my Light. Replaced with a love for me. I felt the edges of my lips creep up in a smile. Michel may have been at the beck and call of the Champion lately, always rushing off on some assignment at the drop of a hat, but that didn't mean he didn't think of me. It didn't mean he'd stopped caring about my welfare, my safety, my sanity. London was getting too much and he had noticed. Oh God, I loved this man.

"Do you mind?" I asked in a small voice. "I mean moving to this side of the world and finding a new home."

Kathleen humphed. "Of course not, Matthew and I have long wanted to return to our place of birth and it is always so exciting, finding the Master a new home. He has set a challenge this time, though."

"He has?" I asked, now tucking back into the delicious pie, my appetite suddenly returned.

"Yes." She pursed her lips together and shot Matthew another look. He just shrugged and took a sip from his mug silently, Matthew was a man of little words. "Maybe you can help?"

I shot a look at her and raised my eyebrows, but didn't speak. My mouth was full of apple and cinnamon and the next spoon was already to my lips. Apple pie for dinner, Michel wouldn't approve, but I didn't mind. It really was good.

"Yes," she said nodding, having come to a decision. "Where would you like to holiday, Lucinda? Where would you like to unwind?"

Oh the places that flitted through my mind. Italy? Spain? The south of France? What about Monaco? Or Scandinavia, their landscape is similar to New Zealand's, despite the distance from home. I sighed, just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I was a long way from home. Kathleen's gnarled old hand came out and patted my knee.

"You can make a new home, Lucinda. Home is where the heart is. Is your heart not with Michel?"

I let a breath of air out and slowly placed the plate of apple pie crumbs on the coffee table, next to my now empty coffee mug. She was right. It didn't matter that London was foreign, that this house was dreary and dark. That Arthur Pencarrow was treating me like a junior hunter, just one of the team and nothing more. None of it mattered, as long Michel, my true kindred, was by my side. I smiled at her. Kathleen always seemed like a kind, knowledgeable, old granny to me. A kind, knowledgeable, old granny with a bite.

"How about something in Great Britain?" I suggested. If Kathleen and Matthew were keen to be back in this land, then a holiday home in sunny Spain was not something they would like. Besides, London was not all of what there was to see of England. "I hear the Cotswolds are nice?" I said with a small smile.

Kathleen beamed at me. "England then," she said. "Or maybe Scotland?" I briefly thought back to my meeting with the
Nathair-Sgiathach
, was Scotland a safe place to relax?

I shook my head at her. "I'd rather Wales or Ireland, or England itself."

"Oh, there are some lovely places in Ireland," she answered, and I could see her mind already hard on the task. Matthew just smiled indulgently at his wife, then when he caught me watching him, flashed me a wink.

I felt my spirits soaring by the time I left them to prepare for their beds. We'd finished off the rest of the pie, had another coffee each and talked about all the beautiful areas in Great Britain that could potentially provide a haven for Michel and I. Humming to myself, I traipsed the several flights of stairs to our bedroom, thinking I might read a little from one of the books Michel had left beside my bed. Finding out a little more on what a dragon-shifter was capable of, sounded like a good idea.

As I entered the bedroom and began to undress for bed, my eye caught a folded piece of paper on my pillow. With an excited leap of my heart in my chest I threw myself across the large bed and grabbed the note with ill concealed glee. Michel's cursive handwriting stared up at me from the heavy cream card-stock.

Ma petite lumière,

I miss you already, please do not be sad that I have gone.

Duty calls and I must obey, but my heart I have left

for your safe keeping.

Please do not Dream Walk to Avery until I return.

Je t'aime, ma belle, je t'aime.

xx
♥xx

Avery. That one name, that one word. And all the joy of the past evening, at the thought of finding Michel's love note, was gone.

Avery, the Plucking Pervert, and my joined kindred Nosferatu. As always, raining on my parade.

Avery Rousseau was never really far from my mind. A depressing thought, adding weight to the many depressing thoughts of late. My one saving grace was that he didn't live in England. I wasn't going to run into him on the street, that was for sure. No, Avery preferred Ibiza, with its party atmosphere and white sand beaches. He wasn't so enamoured with the sun, but the night-life, yeah, he enjoyed
that
whenever he could. Not that he was always to be found squashed between the myriad of party goers that flocked to the island year round. But many occasions, when I had been forced to Dream Walk to him as the separation began to take its toll, I would find him in some lushly furnished, seductively lit, crowded bar. Enjoying what the entertainment provided.

Avery had every intention of making our forced joining unpleasant, despite having been kept in line by the presence of Michel's vampire-within. Avery had a healthy fear of Michel's inner vampire and whenever I Dream Walked to the Dark Nosferatu, Michel was always on hand to offer support. And a little encouragement to Avery, ensuring he never overstepped the mark. Still, Avery usually found a passive-aggressive way to make me squirm. Many a time I had found him in compromising positions. Neck deep in orgies, blood lust feedings and the like.

Avery was Dark, and I swear he was getting Darker.

You'd think being joined to the one Nosferatin prophesied to balance out the Dark with the Light, would enable him to find his Lighter side. But something had gone amiss in our joining. Something hadn't quite gone right. Avery had received my power, he had grown stronger - for a while. Then all of a sudden, my power had begun to retreat. I don't know where to, maybe back to me, I can't really tell. But it had certainly begun to withdraw from the
Iunctio
. Little by little they were losing my Nosferatin life force, they were losing access to my power.

I ran a hand through my straight, brown hair, once again relieved to note it had grown out some. It scraped the top of my shoulders now, no longer a hideous, ear curling length. Clutching Michel's note, I forced all thoughts of Avery aside. I had Dream Walked to him last night, I wouldn't feel the need for at least another 24 to 48 hours. Which meant Michel expected to be home by then. Two days tops, I could handle his absence that long. Besides, I might be able to convince Kathleen and Matthew to stay a day or two before they ventured off on their hunt for a new holiday home. Christopher, Sergei and Nataliya were all good company, but we needed a little more diversity into the mix.

I climbed under the covers and set about reading the first of many shape-shifter books. Two hours later, with drooping eyelids and a crick in my jaw from yawning too much, the sound of the shutters closing signalled the end of the night and the approach of dawn. I finally shut the book. Placed the note next to me on the bedside table and settled down to sleep. I let my mind drift for a moment, once the room was bathed in dark, sending an unconscious thought out to Michel, full of my love and longing to have him by my side. He didn't answer, he often doesn't when away on a mission for the
Iunctio
. I'm not entirely sure what he gets up to, but as the Emissary, he could be spying or assassinating at the Champion's request. Neither of which he particularly enjoyed, but unlike me, Michel was making the best of his lot. He was at least trying to make his new role work.

I resigned to do the same, my last thoughts, before sleep ensnared me, were of making an appointment to see the new Master of London City tomorrow evening, and perhaps getting at least one thing crossed off my duties to fulfil list.

I woke to loud voices coming up the stairwell from downstairs. As Michel's quarters were on the upper most floor, it was a surprise that I could hear anything at all. Which meant the voices were either really loud, or approaching my door. Neither idea wanted. I scampered out of bed, noticed the shutters were still down, so daylight was out, and grabbed a robe from the back of the door. I crept out onto the landing and tried to decipher what was being said.

I recognised Matthew's voice first of all. He had answered the door. Being still daytime, that didn't surprise me. Christopher would have talked to the visitor through the intercom and not
allowed them access inside though. Matthew, being human and not normally in Michel's main home base, had obviously just opened the door at the sound of the knock. I felt the vampires in the house on full alert, their
Sanguis Vitam
pulsing through the air. I couldn't see any of them, but all three were awake and aware and hiding in the shadows downstairs. Their rooms were located on the floors beneath Michel's and mine.

Resigning myself to walking past them, still barely woken for the day and no doubt with bed-head hair, I took a breath in and ventured down the stairs determined to find out what all the fuss was about. Sergei stepped out of the shadows as soon as I reached his floor.

"Mistress," he said in his thick Russian accent. "It would be best to let the human deal with this."

I rolled my eyes at him. Sometimes he just sounded so vamp. "What's going on? Do you know?"

Something flashed across his deep brown eyes. Anger? I couldn't quite catch it and he wasn't giving off any vibes of being angry, maybe cautious, on guard. But not ire.

"A messenger, mistress," he said quietly. "From the Master of the City."

Oh fuck. Just when I had decided to do the right thing, he pips me at the post. Being summoned to meet him was definitely not as good as making an appointment of my own accord. Well, if this messenger was here because of me, I wasn't going to let Matthew wear the brunt of the new Master of the City's rage at my neglect of duty.

I patted my vampire on the shoulder in an effort to reassure, then headed down the stairs much to his annoyance. Matthew was just shutting the front door when I reached him, the scene already
passed. In his hand, as he turned to spot me hovering on the last step, was an envelope. A wax seal on the back. He was running his fingers over the ridges of the seal, which from where I stood, was difficult to make out.

"Lucinda, good afternoon. This is for you." He handed over the object and with a small sad smile full of concern, headed towards the kitchen.

The envelope felt heavy in my hands. What is it with vampires using paper with high quality gsm? I took a closer look at the red wax seal. It was a creature of some sort, with the body of a lion and the head of cat. A sphinx. Not something I would have expected the Master of
London
City to have. Considering the last official Master of London had been of Russian birth, it really shouldn't have surprised me. Vampires get around, they can choose to live anywhere and are not restricted to their places of birth. But I must admit, I was relieved that the seal did not depict something typically Russian. Although I didn't know Boris Davydov personally, I did know his brother. And staying clear of him was an excellent idea.

I thrust a finger under the seal and tore the envelope open. No point putting off the inevitable. Inside was a sheet of paper equally as heavy as the white envelope, but in a pale blue. The letterhead was intricate in design and included the Sphinx again and the words,
All Mighty Master of London City
. I snorted at the over-the-top title. Someone had a sense of grandeur.

I quickly scanned the type written note and felt my heart sink. I really wasn't making a good impression on my new home town. First Arthur sticks me with an inexperienced Nosferatin to
train
- no doubt as some form of lesson needing to be learnt, then I stumble on the leader of the local dragon-shifters making a rather poor example of my hunting prowess,
and
then I piss the Master of the City off. I had only myself to blame. And if there is anything I am good at, it's owning up to my mistakes.

But this mistake was going to be painful. I looked at the wording again. Could he have been any more to the point?

Nosferatin!

You are in my city unannounced.

Remedy this tonight or I shall be forced

to expel you from my city's limits.

Amun Nadeem,

All Mighty Master

of London City

Delusions of grandeur and blindingly quick assessment skills to boot. I had been here a while
after all, and he only
now
demands my attendance?

I really didn't feel like eating, but facing an irate Master of the City on an empty stomach was not advised. I headed toward the kitchen and the smell of bacon and eggs on the air.

Kathleen looked up as I entered, smiled and thrust a cup of frothy coffee in my hand.

"You'll need a full stomach, Lucinda. I want you to eat everything on your plate," she demanded, but her voice was laced with worry.

I tried to ease her concern and smiled brightly, placing the note on the table and digging into the laden plate she had just placed under my nose. Kathleen was used to vampire schedules and although Michel would not be eating right now - well not food in any rate - she knew I would be on a nocturnal schedule. Having just risen, breakfast was the order of the day, despite the fact that the sun was about to set.

The slightly greasy meal sat heavy on my stomach as I returned to the bedroom to get dressed for the night. Christopher met me halfway up the stairs. "Mistress," he said in his soft English accent. I glanced up at his handsome face, dusky blue eyes, sandy blond hair tied back at the nape of his neck, all wrapped up in the standard Durand family line wear; black trousers and black business shirt.

"Hey, Christopher." Even to my ears I sounded a little down. He cocked his head to the side and paused, one foot lifted off the ground, ready to take the next step needed. I smiled weakly and continued on my way. I couldn't really be bothered getting into the plethora of problems that lay ahead for me tonight.

Although I planned to deal with the Master of the City first and foremost, I still had a meeting with the other Nosferatins to attend and Arthur's no doubt ill temper at how close Marie and I had come to being harmed by a rogue. Not to mention said rogue's escape and my otherwise unimpressive introduction to Sebastian.

I sighed as I brushed my teeth and then started the shower. At least the water pressure in Michel's house was excellent, despite the age of the décor and the dreariness of the interior, the shower was hot and hard, bringing me fully awake and preparing me for the hell my night ahead was going to be.

I dressed in my usual gear, strapped on my Svante sword, sheathing it down my back, and pocketed my two intricately carved silver stakes and silver knife. I only hoped I'd be able to face the new Master of the City fully armed, usually a Nosferatin's right in front of a Nosferatu, but you never could tell what a vampire would do. I was suspecting this one was a little more demanding than your average vamp.

I checked my cellphone battery level, as I started back down the stairs and scrolled through to find the number for a London cab. With Michel's Rover missing and my abhorrence at relying on Marie to ferry me around, public transport was the only option. I could have walked to the Tube station and taken a train, but I wasn't married to a wealthy man without being able to absorb some financial benefits - paying for an expensive taxi ride was a pittance really. Man, I had come a long way since we first met.

Sergei met me at the bottom of the stairs, halting my scrolling efforts.

"Mistress, I trust you will be taking either myself or Nataliya with you this evening." He didn't say it as a question, it was a simple statement of fact. I glanced up at him - my self appointed security head - and smiled sweetly.

"Of course, Sergei. How about we all go together." His face relaxed marginally. It was a little hard to tell, Sergei and his sister had very fierce physiques. All square jaws and heavy brows, usually with a permanent scowl gracing their swarthy skinned face. I knew it was all an act, they both could let loose and have a laugh with the best of them, but it was a very good act. The only thing that detracted from their fierceness was an iridescent tattoo-like
Sigillum
in the shape of a star on their cheeks. My
Sigillum
, the mark of the
Lux Lucis Tribuo
.
And, I decided, perhaps a good thing to have on display this evening when faced with a pissed off Master of the City.

Sergei nodded to me and went in search of his sister to give her the favourable news. Their mistress was cooperating with her security detail tonight. Oh happy day.

I was just about to connect my call through to the local London Cab company, when Christopher appeared before my eyes. Almost out of nowhere in fact. I stifled my yelp and sucked in a breath instead, giving the stealthy vampire a glare. He smiled knowingly. He liked to sneak up on me, for some reason it made him laugh.

"Mistress, I have something for you," he said in his quiet voice. "The Master organised it before he left. I managed to speed its delivery along to this evening."

I frowned at him in confusion, just what was he playing at now? He held his hand up and a set of keys emerged in his open palm. Car keys. My face lit up and I swiftly pocketed my phone. Michel hadn't said anything about organising a car for me, we'd talked about it, but I couldn't make my mind up on what type to get. I had loved my BMW back in Auckland, but Michel had insisted I needed a change. I thought we had left the discussion unfinished, but being Michel, he had just forged on with what he considered the best option for me instead. I used to get irate at him doing this, deciding things without my consent. Hell, I wouldn't have even considered taking a car as a gift previously, but we were now married - at least in the eyes of the vampires and my parents - so what was his was mine, right? I kept reminding myself of that.