Eternal (16 page)

I sat up, trying to shake myself out of moping. “Guess I'll get my book.”

Len got hers, too—a fat medical book that she'd borrowed from the library—and we spent the morning reading.
Mad
ó
ran
called us in for lunch. I asked if he needed help in the garden.

“I am done for today, but thank you. Please enjoy yourself.”

“Well, I'm available for chores.”

“I will bear that in mind.”

He sent us back to the courtyard with a pitcher of iced lemonade. I finished the book I'd brought and bought another one on my phone. Read until I was cross-eyed, then wandered around the hacienda looking for a television. I suffered a pang of withdr
awal when I realized
Mad
ó
ran
didn't have one.

Savhoran called me that evening, a little before sundown. We had just finished supper and Len and I were lazing around on the
plazuela
. Len looked at me when my phone rang, and grinned when I headed for my room. I was blushing.

“
Hi!” I said when I'd reached the
portal
. “I'm so glad you called!”

“
Hello, Amanda.
I wish I had good news, but I do not. We have not caught the alben.”

“It's great just to hear your voice.”

We talked for a while about pretty trivial stuff. It was the contact that mattered.

Over the next few days we got in the habit of talking every day, usually after suppertime.

The alben-hunting wasn't going so well. I had thought at first that the clan guys just weren't trying that hard, but after listening to Savhoran describe what they were doing at night, I changed my mind.

They combed the campus and the bosque every night. Everyone but Savhoran was hunting in the daytime as well. They watched where the alben had camped—near where the ælven's first camp had been; Len told me she'd seen it and described to me where it was, south of the nature center. That kind of creeped me out, because a lot of people use the paths along the river for biking, walking, or jogging. Easy pickings.

After three nights of staking out the bosque without success, the ælven decided to pretend that Len and I were back and they were guarding us again. It meant that two of them, Caeran and one other, had to spend days outside the lab and the library. Really tedious, and frustrating for Savhoran because he couldn't help.

We talked a little about his condition, about how hard it was for him, especially the drinking blood part. I told him it was OK if he wanted to talk to me about it some more, that I wouldn't be freaked out. But he seemed to want to avoid the subject.

My phone call with Savhoran was the best part of every day.
Mad
ó
ran
was a considerate and generous host, and I fell in love with his house, but it wasn't home. I felt like my life was on hold.

July arrived, but the monsoons hadn't started yet. It was the time of year when New Mexicans hoped and prayed for the summer rains to come.

Madóran's garden was now bursting with squash and beans and tomatoes. I helped him work there in the mornings, sat on my lazy ass and read in the afternoons, and in the evenings we all hung out in the living room and played games or made music. If it was music I let the others do the making. Every artist needs an audience.

We saw Mirali occasionally at meals, Nathrin more often. Sometimes they'd join us in the evening, but mostly it was just us three.

By Friday the clan still hadn't caught the alben, and Len and I had to call in and tell our bosses we needed another week off. Dave wasn't in (yes, I called ten minutes before he usually arrived) so I left a message.

Len didn't get off so easy. Her boss kind of raked her over the coals. She was bummed about it, and predicted that she would lose the job.

That evening I taught
Mad
ó
ran
how to play poker. He liked games, and had taught us some ælven games played with polished stones on a decorated cloth. Card games were fairly new for him—he'd never played until Christmastime, when Len had brought a deck up with her and taught him and Caeran to play spades.

We used
Mad
ó
ran's polished stones for poker chips. He caught on scary fast, and after moving from draw to stud, I suggested we play Texas Hold'em.

“
That's not fair,” Len said. “The odds are all different.”

“
You watch. He'll be beating us in less than an hour.”

He did. He took all our stones in probably less than half an hour.

“I like this game,” Madóran said. “Let us play again!”

Len glared at him. “OK, fine, but I need caffeine.”

“I will make some tea—”

“No, I'll get it,” she said, standing up. “You guys relax.”

Left alone with Madóran, I gave him a smile. “I can't believe you never played poker before. I mean, this was the wild west, and you were here.”

“I have always been rather isolated. Entirely by choice, of course. I believe I may have been invited to play poker, but did not accept.” He gathered the stones and began sorting them by color: green, blue, and white.

I shuffled the cards. “Well if you ever needed money, you could probably win at a casino.”

He smiled, but didn't answer. I suspected he had no need for extra money, or if he did he had ways of getting it that he preferred to going out amidst throngs of gambling humans. He was a genuine recluse, and I reminded myself that he was honoring us by letting us stay with him.

I pondered that. The ælven seemed to have no shortage of money. What they needed, as Len had said, was access to a lab for research. And the skills to use it, which was why Len was in med school.

Could they create their own private lab? Or would that cost too much even for them? I suspected there were fancy, expensive machines involved. Electron microscopes and things. Even Madóran might not be able to afford that.

I looked out the window and saw someone standing outside. Caught my breath in fear, then the next moment I felt a rush of attraction to the man standing in front of the house.

It was late, but there was moonlight, enough to gleam off of snow white hair.

I
stood and went over to the window. Was it Savhoran? That question should have mattered more than it did.

Whoever it was, he was gorgeous. I knew it, even though I only saw glimpses of his face: the line of a cheekbone, the pale brow. I wanted to go out to him, because he was already making me feel wonderful and I knew it would only get better.

A tiny part of my mind protested this. That small part was loyal to Savhoran, and made me feel something was wrong.

I drew a sharp breath. “Madóran!”

It was a whisper, but he came over at once, and when he looked out the window he hissed. He pulled the curtain across the window in front of me, then put his hand on my shoulder. I felt the warmth of it melt through me, and my mind cleared. Suddenly I was afraid.

“Stay here,” he said, and went out through the entryway.

The front door closed. I stumbled over to the couch, confused.

I heard voices,
Mad
ó
ran
‘s and the stranger's, talking in ælven. I felt shaky and wanted to call Savhoran, but it was night and he would be hunting.

Gradually I came to realize that I'd been controlled again, just in a different way. A terrifying way. Someone—Caeran?—had said that alben liked to go after the opposite sex, using seduction to disarm their victims. I had thought normal seduction. This was something else.

Len came back with a tea tray which she set on the coffee table. “Where's Madóran?”

“Outside. Talking to—to an alben.”

“
What!?
”

She started toward the window. I got in front of her.

“
Don't look! He did a whammy on me just through the window.”

She looked alarmed at that. “He? It's not the same one?”

I shook my head. “Madóran said to stay inside.”

“
But he's alone out there! Defenseless!”

“
They're just talking. And anyway, what could we do?”

She got a grim look on her face and pulled her pepper spray out of her pocket. I hadn't expected her to keep carrying it here—mine was in my room—and I wondered what had made her so paranoid. Sadly, it wasn't misplaced.

She went to the window and peeked around the edge of the curtain. “You're right, they're just talking. Oh, jeez!”

She turned away from the window and stood blinking. I went over to her and touched her arm.

“
You OK?”

She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. “Yeah. He looked at me. Damn it! Gehmanin didn't do that!”

“
Who?”

She met my gaze. “The campus killer from last fall.”

“
Oh.”

“
He never did that mesmerizing thing to me. He was always just angry. No wonder Caeran's afraid of the female!”

“
Why should he be afraid? She's after humans, not ælven.”

“
She can feed on ælven, too. Humans are just easier to control. The other thing is that she may want to breed.”

“
Oh! Holy crap!”

“
Yeah.”

Len sat on the couch and glanced toward the window. They were still talking outside, so I guessed Madóran was all right, but I didn't like it. Neither did Len.

She stood up. “I'm going to get Nathrin.”

I watched her go out through the entryway to the
plazuela
. Thought about getting my pepper spray from my room, but before I could do it I heard the front door.

I waited, holding my breath, hoping the alben hadn't come inside. When Madóran came in alone I sighed with relief.

“
He is gone,” Madóran said.

“
For good?”

“
I hope so. I asked him to hunt elsewhere.”

“
You mean you can just ask an alben to do something and they will?”

“
It depends on the alben.”

Madóran pulled the curtains over all the windows, then sat on the couch and poured tea. He offered me a mug. My hand shook a little as I took it.

“
Where is Len?” he asked.

“
She went to tell Nathrin.”

Even as I said it, the entry door opened and they both came in. Nathrin looked ready for a fight.

“
Where is he?”

“
Gone,” Madóran said.

Nathrin's eyes narrowed. “You are certain?”

Madóran gave a small shrug. “Not absolutely. I asked him to leave and he agreed, but he could return.”

Nathrin pressed his lips together. “Who was it?”

“
Pirian.”

Frowning, Nathrin took two steps backward, then turned and left. Going back to protect his lady.

Len came and sat next to me. Madóran gave her a mug of tea.

“
So it was someone you know?” I asked.

He nodded. “An old acquaintance. Gehmanin told Pirian that he was coming to look for me, and Pirian decided to follow.”

Len didn't look happy about that.

“
Why?” I asked.

Madóran sighed. “They were lovers. Pirian contracted the disease from Gehmanin. He was … jealous.”

I frowned, not getting it. “Jealous of you?”

He nodded, then put his face in his hands. Len shot me a warning glance, so I quit asking questions.

“
If there's anything we can do to help, please tell us,” she said.

He looked up at her, then at me. “Do not go outside alone. It would be best if you did not go out without me.”

“
But the
plazuela
‘s OK, right?” I asked.

Madóran shook his head slowly. “Not really.”

Len looked at me. “He can climb. Heck, with a step up, I could climb onto the roof of the
portal
, and any ælven is way more agile than me.”

I was used to thinking the hacienda was like a fortress. Trouble was, it was built to protect against human enemies, not ælven. It was defensible, yes, but that took defenders. There were three of us—five if you counted Nathrin and Mirali—and I was pretty sure that wasn't enough.

“
We must stay together,” Madóran said. “Amanda, I think it would be best if you moved in with Len. Her room is next to mine, and Nathrin and Mirali are in the chamber on the other side.”

“
Should I call Caeran?” Len asked.

Madóran frowned. “I think … yes. We must ask them to come.”

“
And Savhoran, right?” I said.

He looked pained. “Savhoran is vulnerable. It might be better …”

“
If they left him alone in Albuquerque?” I said. “I don't think so.”

“
There is no good solution.” Madóran sighed. “Please tell him he is welcome to come. The choice is his.”

I nodded and took out my cell phone. Len was already texting on hers. Savhoran didn't know how to text yet, so I called his number and wandered over toward the dining table at the far end of the room. I felt Madóran watching me.

I got Savhoran's voicemail. Probably he'd left the phone at home while he went out hunting with the others. I left a message asking him to call me, then put my phone away and went back to the couch.

My tea was lukewarm. I drank it anyway; black tea with mint to soothe the nerves. I was picking up a little herbal knowledge from Madóran, for whatever good it would do me. Not much if I didn't survive the summer.