Entwined With the Dark (40 page)

"Wow!" Nataliya said, checking out the sharpness of the blade. "That'll do some damage and just in the knick of time."

I spun the sword a few times from my sitting position, wanting to stand and give it a real go, but the plane had already started to taxi, so I withheld. It was perfect in every way and with it back in my clutches I finally felt a measure of calm return, my focus settling again. I could do this, not just because I had a formidable weapon strapped to my back, but because no matter what, Michel would be behind me, supporting me, encouraging me, giving me what I needed to get myself through.

My eyes flicked up to find Samson, he had been watching me play with the sword. I smiled shyly at him and tried to let him know how I felt. It wasn't OK, what he was doing, but I was OK with the fact that he now must do it. Dwelling on what ifs or what might happen was useless. Together; him, me and the rest of our family - my line, Michel's line, Amisi, Gregor - we would make it through. I saw him register what I was trying to show him, I saw his shoulders relax with a deep breath of expelled air. He smiled a crooked smile back and then leaned his head on the headrest, closing his eyes.

The flight was uneventful and before I knew it we were landing in France. An
Iunctio
stretched limousine awaited us and beside it stood Michel. I didn't even waste time strapping the Svante on, just rushed past James as he opened the door and lowered the steps, and threw myself in Michel's arms. He wrapped himself around me, holding me tightly close. His face in amongst my hair inhaling my scent, his own scent washing out to cover me, to claim me again and mark me as his.

"
Ma douce,
" he whispered against my ear. "Are you ready?"

I pulled back to look at him and took a deep breath in. His beautiful eyes were washed in amethyst and indigo, concern and anticipation both evident there. "We're going straight there?"

"
Oui
," he said, betraying his own nerves with a slip into French. "The Council awaits us. Everyone is present, including Amisi and Yves as well."

I was surprised Yves was attending, but a part of me was also relieved. I could do with some Nosferatin support. Amisi was great, but two accomplished hunters in the face of all those vampires, would not go astray. I nodded back at Michel and let him lead me into the rear of the car. The others followed suit, it was big enough to take us all. The vehicle pulled away smoothly from the tarmac and we were soon on our way to the
Palais
.

No one said anything, Michel just kept stroking the back of my hand softly, watching me from the corner of his eyes. Samson sat preternaturally still; no breaths, no heartbeat, not a single twitch in his body to indicate he was still alive. I couldn't help staring at him, I knew I needed to look elsewhere, but his statue-like appearance was crumbling my own rigid façade.

Finally Michel must have had enough of watching the slow disintegration of my resolve, because he reached over and undid my seatbelt and then lifted me onto his lap, making me face the opposite direction from my vampire. His hand ran up my back and entwined with my hair, the other holding onto my waist, his arm resting across my thighs, his thumb gently rubbing the dip above the hip bone there. He pulled me down towards him and gave me a soft, slow kiss. It wasn't designed to ignite any fires, just to offer comfort and love and show that he cared.

I relaxed into him after a few moments and he kissed a trail down my jaw and neck, pulling me closer on his lap.

"I have a dress for you," he said softly, not so quiet that the car full of vampires wouldn't hear, but as though the conversation was for us alone.

"A dress, huh?" I said, remembering the dress he had chosen for our first joining, how the décolletage had been low exposing the line of my neck. He had taken advantage of it too, once the joining had been established, he'd placed his first
Sigillum
there. I still wore his mark and would forever. I reached up and touched the spot on my neck. Michel watched my fingers trace the two ridges that marked the exact distance of his fangs.

His lips parted slightly and I noticed his fangs were actually down right now. The sight of them made me feel warm inside, a rush of desire pooling deep within. Michel licked his lips and flicked his eyes up to mine.

"No matter how or why this happens," he whispered, "remember what it means to us. The reasons behind the Champion allowing this to go ahead have no reflection on how I feel about you; my wife, my vampyre mate. This is
all
that matters. Our love, our commitment to each other. You are mine, Lucinda Monk, and always were.
This
joining
is merely a culmination of the love I have for you."

I was spellbound by his words, by the look of utter adoration in his eyes. With everything that had happened, I had forgotten what it actually meant to be joined to this man. The first time it had happened, I'd had little choice. Time was not on my side, my 25th birthday was soon approaching and other vampires were after my power. But, although I hadn't yet fallen completely in love with Michel at the time - or so I thought - I was totally in love with him now and I knew it. And the fact that time was again against us, was irrelevant. I was joining with the love of my life.

I suddenly realised I couldn't wait for this night to be over. To hell with consequences, to hell with what ifs,
this
was special, so very special, to both Michel and I. It was what we wanted above all else, it was just. It was the culmination of our love. We deserved this, it was ours by right.

Michel was my true kindred and nothing had changed that over the past few months. His supposed death, our separation, my forced joining to Avery Rousseau. None of it mattered, because Michel was mine and I was his. No one could take that away. And tonight we'd prove it. Tonight we would show them all. And all those who had come against us and who threatened to do so still, could kiss my hunter arse for all I cared. Tonight I was joining with my kindred.

We slipped into the side entrance of the
Palais
and made our way to Michel's apartments inside. Our vampires were all on high alert, anxious but anticipatory. Every one of them as keen as us to see this done. They milled around the large lush lounge, while I headed straight for the bedroom off the hall. Michel close behind me as I entered the room and saw the dress lying on the bed. It wasn't what I had expected at all.

It was black, pure midnight, with few embellishments to distract from the unrelenting shine. It didn't need them, it had straps. Lots of straps. It was also short for a Michel chosen dress, coming well above my knees I was sure. The straps crossed over each other on my back and continued around to cross over the bodice too, but when I lifted it up the pattern they created looked familiar. I'd seen that design before. The fabric was soft and slightly stretchy, similar to the hunting outfits he'd had designed. Which made me think it would mould to my body and move when I fought and wouldn't hinder me in a fight at all.

This was a hunting dress, not some fancy cocktail outfit made to look pretty but do little else. Oh, it was pretty, I could tell it was going to look bloody fine, but that was not all it was.

"Do you like it?" Michel asked, hovering over my shoulder.

I turned and smiled broadly at him, but didn't answer, just slipped out of my jacket and proceeded to undress. He stood still, sucked in a breath and watched. I held his gaze as I slipped off my T-shirt and then my bra. His hands were fidgeting at his sides as though he was fighting not to reach out and touch. I slipped my boots off and then my skirt, reaching for my dress. The bodice was boned, so would support me and my knickers and thigh high tights were a perfect match. There was also a pair of simple, elegant shoes waiting to match.

"Let me help you," Michel said in a rough, low voice, taking the slip of fabric from my hands. He gently pulled it over my head and I was glad of his assistance. There was no zip, it needed to be tugged into place, the straps all untangled and positioned once the dress was down over my hips.

Michel took his time untwisting the straps, his fingers brushing against my bare skin here and there. He followed the straps around the front of my bodice, not hiding his delight as he brushed against each breast. Finally, after several moments, the dress was completely in place. All the straps sitting perfectly, the bodice making my cleavage more impressive than it usually was, the material sliding over my hips, curved into my waist - leaving nothing to the imagination at all.

"This isn't what you'd usually choose," I said, lifting my eyes to his in the mirror where I stood.

He smiled a little mischievously and ran a finger down one of my bare arms, then wrapped his hand around my wrist. "You are a hunter, not a vampyre. This is a dress fit for only you."

He was right, I could fight in this, there were even pockets along the straps covering the lower part of the bodice front, that would take my stakes - I slid both in - and still not alter the line of the dress. I was fully armed and still look appropriately dressed for a joining ceremony. Michel reached down onto a chair to the side and picked up my new Svante and its sheath where he had placed it when we entered the room.

"Put this on," he instructed as he handed over the soft leather holder. I frowned, but did as he said and immediately remembered where I had seen the design of the straps on the dress before. They matched the Svante holder's straps, both lying in exactly the same places, matching each other, hiding the sheath unless you really looked. I took the offered sword and sheathed it down my back. It fell into place under my cropped hair, the beautiful dancing dragon hilt just visible at the back.

I stared at myself in the mirror. It was me, hunter through and through, but it was also the most intricate and beautiful dress I had ever seen. Michel had given me yet another thing that was perfect for who I was. Like he said, I wasn't a vampire to get all dolled up and show off my body in some expensive, brightly coloured dress. I was a hunter, I fought in the shadows, I was always fully armed, but this outfit, although screaming bad-ass, also looked divine.

"Thank you," I said, turning to wrap my arms around him, he nuzzled his face into the side of my neck.

I was ready, I was me and those who waited would know who I was as soon as we walked in that hall. I am a Nosferatin with considerable talent and power. And if they had forgotten who they were dealing with, I'd remind them all tonight.

Despite my formidable outfit, nerves continued to plague me as we walked in silence towards the Council Chamber. Marcus and Matthias led the way, Sergei behind them, then Michel and myself, followed by Nataliya and the two shadow guards. It was quite an entourage. Enough of a show of power to impress, but hopefully not too much to cause an incident. The Champion would have her own guards in the chamber, but we were entitled to ours too.

As we approached the double doors that led into the inner sanctum of the
Iunctio
Council, Michel released my hand. As in all things Nosferatu, appearances were essential. We were both keen to see this through. Desperate to rejoin, but showing that eagerness, or our nerves, would not do us any good tonight. The vampires who waited all needed to see strong, worthy recipients of the Champion's favour.
She
was the one allowing this to happen, we had to be worthy of that.

I hated that, even now we relied on her say-so, everything still boiled down to
her
. A part of me really hated this woman, for what she continued to do to us, but also for what she had been doing to Michel. For whatever reason she had been testing him with these
missions
she had sent him on. They had obviously been harrowing, calling Michel closer and closer to his Dark, but why she had pushed him so hard, I did not know. All I was certain of, was I hated her for it. I grabbed hold of that hatred and used it to calm my nerves. I needed courage tonight, I needed to face the monster of my nightmares. The most powerful vampire in the world.

And I needed to survive.

By the time we came to stand before the guards, I was centred, ready for a fight and determined to show those on the other side of the door just
who
I actually was. I am the Prophesied, I am the most powerful Nosferatin there is and they
needed
me. I hadn't realised I was glowing with Light until the guards at the door, who had been disarming all of our vampires before me, cringed when they approached. They both hesitated, as though deciding how to proceed and then suddenly walked past me and disarmed the vampires at my back.

I frowned and looked up at Michel, who wore a smile a mile wide.

Is it any wonder I am so in love with you? You are a blinding Light, ma douce. Brilliant, yet frightening. Perfect in every way.

I shook my head in disbelief, but didn't have time to come up with a witty reply. The doors were opened and we were announced. Silence met us as we crossed the threshold of the room. The Council Chamber is huge, bigger than it really needs to be. I mean how much space do you need for twelve vampires to meet in and to carry out the odd ceremony here and there? It was definitely overkill. I had been in the Great Dining Hall, which was equally as large, but that was to be expected. All of the banquets were held there. But this was only the third time I had come here.

The chairs that had been up on a dais on my last visit, were gone. Instead the place was empty of furniture, just the stark white pillars around the edge of the room and three enormous crystal chandeliers hanging down the centre. They were the only decorations in the space, but they were enough. Dazzling golden light shone from each in hundreds of little beams across the room. They were magnificent, the light they gave settled in my soul, as though Nut herself was here.

Maybe she was. Maybe she knew what was about to happen. I had never heard of a joining being broken before, maybe this was a first in history, something my Goddess would not want to miss.

We walked to the centre of the room, the Council standing in small groups of two or three before us, Amisi and Yves off to the side looking quite alone, with many guards edging the walls around us. Our group all bowed in unison to the Champion, but didn't speak a word. This was her show, even if it intricately involved me.

I kept telling myself, she needs me. I am the answer to her problems, even if that isn't quite the case. For her to have me killed, would be to cut off the
Iunctio
from my wealth of power. They couldn't afford that, regardless of whether this is a success or not. The words were strong in my mind, but even with them repeating in my head, my heart was in my throat and my palms were slick with sweat.

There was a heaviness in the room with us as well, a tangible feeling of the weight of what was about to occur. I wasn't sure if that was the increased
Sanguis Vitam
from the vampires anticipating the outcome of tonight, or the actual ceremony about to be performed. Something told me, this was big. Bigger than any of us had considered before.

The Champion walked forward with the Ambrosia at her side. The Keeper hovered over her shoulder, but didn't dare stand equal at her side. Only the Ambrosia had the courage to do that and I think that was only because he was the one about to perform the ceremony, he needed to be front and centre. Even
he
wasn't game enough to rub shoulders with
her
.

Tonight the Champion was dressed in a Greek style outfit. Long flowing white fabric, plentiful folds that draped casually over her bare shoulders and about her waist. A swathe of material wrapped under her bust, a low 'V' shape in the front. The Champion was not well endowed, another reason why I thought of her as being no more than a child when turned. But she did look stunning in the dress, in a simple, elegant and pure sort of way. Words I would not normally attribute to the leader of the
Iunctio
.

Around her forehead she wore a bejewelled headpiece, her long, black curls loose down her back. She even looked a little darker in her complexion, not her usual porcelain white. She still appeared like a doll though, picture perfect, petite and well coiffed. I took a shallow breath in and held her gaze as she approached. The Champion was not a harmless doll, I reminded myself, but a lethal and powerful vampire at the top of the food chain. There was no one higher, not even Viktor Davydov could lay claim to that.

As she glided closer I searched the room for Avery, if he wasn't here then this was all for nought. But it didn't take long to find him, standing alone off to the side. He looked relaxed and mildly intrigued, not a shred of anger or rebellion showing on his handsome façade. I hadn't realised, until I spotted him, that I'd been concerned whether Aliath had done the deed. But if Avery wasn't yelling and screaming in defiance right now, I had to assume we were all set to go.

I felt a momentary pang of sadness for him, standing there alone in a puddle of chandelier light. He had no idea what was about to happen and if he did, he wouldn't be as agreeable as he seemed to be right now. I couldn't imagine that Avery would stand by quietly when about to lose his joining powers and therefore his position of worth in the
Iunctio
. He had been the Champion's pet, but now what would he be?

And then I reminded myself what an utter prick Avery Rousseau was. He didn't deserve my sympathy. He didn't really deserve a moment's wasted time in my thoughts.

The Champion speaking brought me back from my mental musings and into reality again with a jolt.

"It has been many centuries," she was saying to the room, but looking at both Michel and myself, "since a sacred rite such as this has been performed. Many of our kind have lost the ability to weave this magic. We are fortunate tonight to have an ancient among us who remembers." I flicked my gaze at the Ambrosia, but he wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Avery," the Champion intoned, "would you please join us."

Avery came to stand to my right, Michel was still on my left. I was sandwiched between two kindreds, the sensation that created was a little bizarre to say the least. My body automatically turned slightly towards Michel, as though it too wished to block out Avery as much as my mind.

The Champion turned her azure blue eyes on Avery's amber ones. She smiled sadly at him, maybe a part of her still held a soft spot for the Interrogator, I couldn't be sure. But the look she gave him now was one of regret and... loss. She'd had high hopes for Avery, but they hadn't eventuated. I had expected her to be angry with him, he had failed to bring the power necessary to the
Iunctio's
coffers. But her anger, if there at all, was shadowed by her disappointment. And I didn't think it was disappointment at him having failed.

"You are willing to give up this joining?" she asked him, her voice a musical tinkling of wind-chimes. I held my breath for his answer, it took longer than I was comfortable with. I forced myself not to look at him, to see if there was evidence of Aliath's spell weakening, but finally he spoke the words we all wanted to hear.

""Yes, Champion. I am."

I let a breath of air out quietly, that I hadn't realised I'd been holding at all. My eyes flicked up and this time the Ambrosia was watching me. The knowledge that he was aware Avery was under a spell was plain to see. He held my gaze for a moment and then looked off into the distance as though nothing had been silently said between us at all.

He knew, but he wasn't going to raise an alarm about it. Michel had been right, Avery's inability to defend against a charm or spell - or whatever it was that Aliath had done - meant he shouldered part of the blame for where he currently stood.

Again I felt sadness for Avery and again I had to tell myself he deserved this, he was a cruel, manipulative, egotistical vampire. He'd hurt me, used me and was only out for himself. Still, my heart felt a little weary, even Dark vampires needed to be loved.

"Very well," the Champion was saying. "I am convinced this is accepted by both parties, you may proceed." She hadn't even asked me, she didn't need to. And we all knew it. As much as I tried to keep up a neutral façade, all those present knew Michel was my true kindred in my eyes.

The Ambrosia bowed to the Champion as she glided away and then turned to face the three of us. He cleared his throat, a completely unnecessary action, but one that made him seem more human than vampire for the briefest of moments. Then smiled benevolently at us, reminding me just how old this person was. The Ambrosia was a vampire, Nosferatu through and through, but there was something about him that seemed as old as Nut.

In a loud, ringing voice he announced, "I shall be using a portion of the
Iunctio's
power this evening, does the Council object to this?"

There were a flurry of murmured no's, not one of the Council members declining his request. They all knew what balanced on the outcome of this ceremony. To have my power back would allow them to close the portals to
Álfheimr
and keep the Nosferatu safe. They didn't realise that Michel had made it impossible for any of my power to reach the portals, thereby ensuring our alliance with Queen Sofiq remained intact.

"This will require your participation, your willingness to break a joining and accept another in its place," the Ambrosia said in a softer voice to us, still loud enough to be heard by all in the room. "Lucinda, Interrogator, for you both there will be a sacrifice. To give up something buried so deeply within your souls, you must pay with sweat and pain."

The Ambrosia had warned it would be painful, but hearing him say it like this now just made it too real. My heartbeat skipped and I swallowed thickly, then told myself, I would walk through the fires of hell to reach Michel. Michel was my goal.

"Lucinda, Michel," the Ambrosia went on, "to accept a new joining through this manner you must embrace it with your Light. To do otherwise, to call on any Dark, would be to tarnish what your Goddess has gifted and the joining will fail."

Once again, nothing new, the Ambrosia had warned us both that we needed to use our Light, that we had to forsake the Dark in order to make this work at all. I knew we could do it, even if Dark was forever entwined with our souls, for this, for us, we would think of nothing but bright Light. But the Ambrosia had caught me off guard slightly, calling Nut
our
Goddess, not just mine. What did he know that I didn't? Nut was the Goddess of Light, Nosferatu were of the Dark. How could she be
their
Goddess too?

"Finally, it is my duty to inform all here," the Ambrosia said in a louder and somehow more sombre voice, "that this type of magic, this scared rite, has the ability to make anything possible. It is a magic that does not belong of this world, it belongs to the gods, it is a form of creation, but it is equally able to destroy." His gaze returned to Michel and me, he looked at us both and whispered,
"
Anything
is possible. Anything you desire at all." He held our eyes for the longest time, I'm not sure what he was trying to tell us, but the significance of his words was great. I just didn't understand yet what that significance was.

"It is time," he said simply, raising his hands before him. One hand reaching for Avery - who had remained unbelievably quiet throughout everything the Ambrosia had said - and the other hand reaching for me. He didn't touch us, just closed his eyes in concentration and then started to mutter words under his breath.

I tried to decipher them, to determine what language he spoke. But it was nothing like any I had heard before. Not Latin, not French or English, not even Fey. It could have been an obsolete language, but I had no way of knowing, I also had no way of being able to tell what he was saying and so no warning of when it would all begin.