Survive the Dawn (19 page)

“Sunlight for a vampire,” Dante whispered and stood up. “It truly is amazing.”

“Okay, what’s going on, Dr. Dante?” Virgil asked. “Why are we being kept in the dark here?”

“Sarcasm is not necessary, Virgil,”
Arkham
said, watching Kendra. “We’ll be told in good time, I’m sure.”

“Yes, you will. Once I have perfected it and
Nicholae
is told. You will know when
Nicholae
wants you to know.”

“What of this mortal?” Dante asked. Kendra saw the worried look on his face. Dante understood the problem that Virgil and
Arkham
did not. They wanted action; Dante knew it was not time. “It appears this Dr. Taylor is the key.”

“Yes, and she is not to be harmed,” Kendra said, directing her comment to Virgil and
Arkham
. “By anyone, for any reason. You were nearly seen by Sebastian when she arrived in England. I told you to watch at a safe distance, not lurk in the bushes. Do you have any idea what would have happened had Sebastian seen you?”

“You worry far too much of Sebastian,” Virgil said with a sigh.

“And you don’t worry near enough, you young fool,” Kendra said with a grin and patted his cheek; Virgil glared at her. “If you want to get yourself killed, keep it up, but for now, heed my warning. Stay away from the mortal or you’ll have me and
Nicholae
to contend with.”

“And Sebastian,” Dante said.

“And Sebastian,” Kendra said.

“What’s the big deal with Sebastian?” Virgil asked. “She’s been out of the loop for quite some time. I hear
Nicholae
had her banished.”

Kendra shook her head. Dante laughed and patted Virgil on the shoulder. “Do your homework, Virgil. Don’t take Sebastian lightly. Read the archives and find out about Sebastian and Tatiana.”

“I don’t need a history lesson from you, Dante,” Virgil said and swatted Dante’s hand from his shoulder. “We all know you were a great young promising doctor in your mortal life. It means nothing here. You’re the undead just like the rest of us. Sebastian is no different. I’m sick of listening about the ancient ones.
Nicholae
destroyed Tatiana, that’s all I need to know. He’s the one I follow until—”

“Until what, Virgil?” Dante asked. “You? You’ll take over what he and Tatiana have ruled for a thousand years?”

Kendra listened to their arguing as she concentrated on her work. Dante was the smart one; Virgil and
Arkham
were not. They killed first and asked questions later, if they asked at all. Yes, she thought, these two would have loved Leigh.

“And what of Sebastian?” Dante asked.

Kendra’s head shot up when she thought she heard admiration in Dante’s voice and narrowed her eyes. Yes, Dante is smarter, she thought. She hoped not too smart.

“Sebastian is on a collision course with
Nicholae
,” Kendra said. “Her quest for her humanity will be her downfall. I can see why Tatiana sired her, but I believe she was wrong to entrust her power to Sebastian. I don’t believe Sebastian will lead the vampire community.”

“She believes we can live among them,” Dante said with a shrug.

Kendra watched him but said nothing.

Arkham
laughed. “We eat them, you idiot. We don’t live among them.”

Dante winced at
Arkham’s
words but then laughed along. Virgil then laughed and put his arms around Dante and
Arkham
. “And on that note. I’m hungry. Come, comrades, dinner waits for no vampire.”

Kendra watched as the three young vampires, the future of their community, walked out of the lab. She heard Virgil and
Arkham
laughing; she heard nothing from Dante.

Dante declined the invitation to dinner and opted to stay in the catacombs. He felt safe there—if a vampire could feel anything. He let out a sarcastic laugh as he opened the old book.

“Vampires 101,” he whispered and flipped through the worn pages. He stopped when he saw Sebastian’s name. Then he saw an ink drawing of her portrait. He swallowed with difficulty when he looked at the scowling face. Sebastian looked menacing, but somehow he saw something different—sadness? He shook his head at the idea. He was only projecting his own forgotten mortal feelings. Vampires were not sad, they did not feel. Just kill and destroy, and gain power in their destruction.

He lightly ran his fingertips over the drawing of Sebastian and whispered, “What was it about you, Sebastian, that had Tatiana, a member of the hierarchy, sire you and you alone? Why did she entrust you with all her power? What are you?”

Dante wanted to meet this centuries-old vampire. He heard all the stories of Sebastian and Leigh as they traveled Eastern Europe together—Sebastian looking for her lost humanity and Leigh looking for her next meal. He chuckled openly as he flipped the page.

Leigh, he thought. He only had one encounter with the sultry, sarcastic vampire. One meeting, but he learned more in that evening than he thought he would in a lifetime.

“Ah, youth,” Leigh sighed as she bit into Dante’s shoulder.

He winced as he lay on his back, breathing heavily. He was exhausted; Leigh nearly killed him—again. Leigh’s fangs penetrated deeper; Dante heard the deep moan and became aroused again. He heard her laugh as she pulled back.

“Now, now, dear boy. You’ve had enough for one night,” Leigh said lightly as she licked her lips. “Though I must admit, you are a handsome devil and a good fuck.”

“As good as Sebastian?” he asked as Leigh sat up and laughed.

“Darling, no one is as good as Sebastian. Not even Sebastian.”

She rose and slipped into a silky robe but did not tie it. She wandered over to the window and threw it open. The night breeze blew the silk around her, revealing every sensuous curve. Dante lay on his side as he watched Leigh stare into the night.

“You miss her, don’t you?”

Leigh whirled around to face him. “Miss? Miss?” she asked and bared her fangs. “Darling, vampires do not ‘miss’ one another. We fuck one another for pleasure and power.” She stopped and shook her head, then rubbed her temples. “It’s Sebastian all over again. There must be something in the blood you two drink.”

In a flash that Dante did not see, Leigh was sitting on the bed, her fangs showing, her eyes gleaming with arousal. “Now listen, dear Dr. Dante. I know you’re young, but you are now the undead. You must learn and gain power, darling, or you will be destroyed. Do it now. Forget your mortal existence before you turn out as Sebastian has—chasing something you no longer remember and cannot have.”

Dante heard the serious tone in Leigh’s voice. He understood what she was saying and agreed. Still…

Leigh rolled her eyes and let out a shriek that left Dante stunned. “Still, what? Still, you think Sebastian is right in her quest?”

“It’s not nice to read my mind.”

Leigh closed her eyes in exasperation, then looked down at Dante. She then laughed as he grinned. “You are very much like Sebastian, which is why I take the time to guide you and help you. You’re smart, not like the idiot fringe Virgil and what’s her name,
Arkham
. How she got that name, I will never know. Learn and gain power, Dante. It’s the only way to survive as a vampire.” She reached out and ran her fingertips across his broad chest. “You are young, and I am old. Learn from me.”

“Old?” Dante asked and let out a genuine laugh. “Leigh, you almost killed me back there. You may have been a vampire for five hundred years, but you’re not old.” He easily pulled Leigh down to him. “Now teach me.”

Leigh let out a throaty laugh and licked her lips. “Be careful what you ask for, my pet.”

Dante laughed now as he remembered his only night with Leigh. Soon after that, she left for America in search of Sebastian. He had heard that
Nicholae
was on the hunt for her. It was said he wanted Sebastian back in Europe to take her place beside him and Tatiana. Dante knew better; Leigh had taught him the golden rule—trust no vampire. Gain power and learn.

When Tatiana was destroyed, beheaded actually, and her estate burned to the ground, Dante knew he was right.
Nicholae
did not want Sebastian back; he wanted her destroyed, as well, and Leigh was to see that it happened. However, Sebastian destroyed Leigh instead.

He remembered the buzz in the catacombs when it happened. Dante could almost feel the transference of power, the shift of energy. In his estimation,
Nicholae
was wrong to destroy Tatiana as it only incurred Sebastian’s wrath. Perhaps that was
Nicholae’s
plan.

Dante shook his head as he read the pages. “Very risky,
Nicholae
,” he whispered.

Though he had never met Sebastian, Dante would not want to incur her wrath. Leigh had taught him well.

He wondered where Sebastian was and what she had planned.

Chapter 16

“Right then,” Corky said as Grayson placed the hot mug of tea at his side. He nodded his thanks. “The ritual.”

Grayson pulled up a big chair and lazily stretched her long legs out in front of her as she drank her tea. Sebastian watched her graceful movements, still unable to believe this handsome woman was an immortal. Lost in this thought, she almost missed
Corky’s
next words.

“When Kendra first came to me and asked for the protection spells for the catacombs, it was easy enough for me to do. However, when she came back, she asked me if I knew anything about the Chalice of
Solomonarii
. Of course, I needed time to research, and this is what I found.” He put on his glasses and started, “The
Solomonarii
were ancient wizards of what we now know as Romania. They were very powerful and worked with very dark arts. They are not unlike our Irish druids, but they seem to be more on the dark side of magic. Now, the chalice, and this is what had me curious, Sebastian. The chalice is a vessel created by these wizards to be used in a ritual to return someone who has passed from this world.”

Sebastian listened, her mind racing at this idea as Corky continued, “It says here that it is a very precarious ritual, one which requires the consent from the hierarchy or upper echelon of the
Solomonarii
. It’s very unstable. It requires a blood sacrifice and a tribute to the
Muma
Padurii
—”

“Sounds like an infection,” Grayson said. “Here we go again.”

Corky gave her a pleading look. Grayson chuckled and drank her tea. Sebastian ignored Grayson once again. “Go on.”

“The
Muma
Padurii
is the witch of the Forest of
Lacu
Rosa.”

“
Lacu
Rosa?” Grayson asked.

“Red Lake,” Sebastian said. “It’s in Romania.”

“Yes,” Corky said. “Now the witch resides in this forest and has since before mortals, with the gods and goddesses. The mortals call on her powers. It’s like any civilization that once revered the gods and goddesses long before Christianity came along. But, anyway, back to this. This is the interesting part. In 1521, the witch was summoned by a Romanian prince to bring his deceased wife back from the dead. She had died protecting his home and children during a rebellion. He was grief stricken, wanted his love and mother of his children back.”

He stopped and took a long drink from the mug of tea before continuing. “What he did turned out disastrously. Being a prince, he summoned the priests, who tried to dissuade him, and had them go to this witch and order her to bring back his wife. According to the legend, the
Muma
Padurii
did as commanded, and as I said, it ended tragically. His wife was surely brought back from the dead, but she was not the same.”

When he didn’t continue, Sebastian and Grayson looked at him. “What happened?” Sebastian asked first.