Tegan's Power (The Ultimate Power Series #4) (5 page)

“It’s been a really
long time since I’ve eaten in a place like this,” says Allora looking about
with her poorly seeing eyes. “It feels strange.”

I raise my eyebrows
angrily. “Ridley fed you, didn’t he?”

“Oh, yes. He kept me very
well fed. In the beginning I refused to eat, but eventually I saw that wasn’t
going to get me anywhere. I knew I needed to keep up my strength if I was ever
going to escape.”

“Did he mistreat you?”
I question her further.

She shakes her head.
“Aside from inadvertently blinding me when his spell went wrong, no. He treated
me like I was precious. It was creepy. But then whenever he tried to cast more
spells to take my powers it would hurt.”

Frowning at her answer,
I turn back in my seat as the waitress returns with our drinks and I take a
long swig out of my coke. “So, he kept you locked away and you predicted things
for him. How does it work? Can you see what you choose to see, or does it just
come to you?”

Allora stiffens. “I
can’t choose. The visions come to me when they need to.”

“I’m don’t mean to
pry,” I say, deciding that her sudden change of posture is down to suspicion
that I want to use her just like Ridley did, and I don’t.

“It’s okay. I just
don’t really like to talk about it. Seeing the future isn’t a cool trick like
most people think. The visions are painful. Think of it as akin to having an
epileptic fit.”

“Shit, that doesn’t
sound so great,” I suck air in through my teeth.

“It really isn’t,” she
sighs with dejection.

I want to ask her more
questions but I keep schtum, knowing it’s a touchy subject. When the waitress
delivers our food, I dig in ravenously. Allora seems to eat eagerly, too. It
must be a while since her last meal. When we’re done I pass out the room keys,
delegating one room for Delilah and Allora, one for Gabriel and Alvie, and one
for me and Ira.

I notice he’s changed
back into human form and has salvaged some clothes from the back of the minivan
– clothes that are way too small for a man his size. It’s a good thing though,
because I don’t think Purple Rinse would be too happy about me trying to
smuggle a dangerously large dog into the hotel.

“I want to stay with
Ira,” says Delilah firmly, giving Allora an annoyed look.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.
I’m about to argue with her but I really don’t have the energy after the day
and night I’ve had.

“Fine. Allora can stay
with me then,” I grumble, handing Delilah a key card. The little blonde squirms
uncomfortably at my side but she doesn’t say anything. Is she uneasy at the
thought of sharing a room with me? It doesn’t make sense since she’s been
adamantly staying by my side since I found her.

“Is that alright with
you?” I ask her in a low voice.

“Yes, it’s just that I
sometimes have visions in my sleep, so I could start convulsing like a lunatic.
But you don’t need to worry. It passes after a while.”

I look between her
golden eyes, suddenly wishing she could see me properly for some reason. “Okay,
anything else I need to know?” I say mustering a grin. “You don’t snore too, do
you?”

She giggles and the
sweet sound of it does something weird to my chest. “No. I don’t snore, Finn.”

I like the sound of my
name on her tongue.

“Good, now that that’s
settled, let’s go get some shut-eye. I’m wrecked.”

When we reach the room
I strip off my jacket and T-shirt and throw them on the double bed. It’s big
enough that it shouldn’t make Allora too uncomfortable sleeping with me. She
puts her hand on the wall, feeling her way into the room. I walk to her and
take her hand in mine, leading her to the bed and settling her down on it.

“Do you want to shower
first?” I ask her, straightening up.

“Yes,” she whispers.

“I’ll go set everything
up for you.”

Just as I’m about to
disappear into the bathroom, she speaks. “Is there a bath?”

I nod and then remind
myself that she’s blind. “Yeah. You want a bath instead?”

“Please. I haven’t had
one since I was taken. I was always showered by Ridley’s maids.”

The idea of some paid
help actually assisting in keeping a girl captive makes me clench my fists in
anger. I take a deep breath and relax. “A bath it is then.”

Inside, I fill the tub
and set out some towels and a bathrobe for her. Once it’s all ready, I go and
fetch Allora who’s still wearing my work shirt over her dress. I guide her into
the bathroom.

“Okay, so the tub’s
here,” I say, placing her hands on the edge of it. I can feel her shaking but I
try to ignore it. This girl hasn’t been in the outside world in a long time and
it must be scary. “You can just climb in, and the towels are here,” I place her
other hand on the rail by the tub before letting go. “Call me if you need
anything.”

She nods her head and I
leave quickly. I flop down onto the bed in exhaustion and close my eyes. I
don’t realise I’ve fallen asleep until I feel someone nudging my shoulder.

“Finn, Finn,” calls a
soft feminine voice.

I’m flat on my stomach
so I roll over onto my back, rubbing my eyes and opening them. “What is it?”

Allora’s standing over
me, her hair wet and her body wrapped up in a white towel robe.

“I thought you might
want to shower,” she whispers.

“Oh yeah, right.
Thanks.”

She moves past me and
crawls into the bed, pulling back the covers and climbing under them. She rests
her head on the pillow and closes her eyes. I make quick work of showering and
return to bed in my boxers. Allora is sleeping soundly now, her chest rising
and falling gently.

The last woman I shared
a bed with was Tegan, and we all know how badly that ended. Instead of getting
under the covers with her, I lie on top of them, determined not to allow myself
to be taken in by a beautiful woman this time.

The events of the last
twenty-four hours run through my mind before I eventually fall back asleep.

Dirty Business

Tegan

Ethan insists that I sit with him in his
living room as he meets with the vampires lined up outside. Apparently, he’s
going to talk to them in their family groups, which is how it works in the vamp
world.

I ask him why I have to
be there, as it’s not exactly something I’m over the moon about.

“Because, my dear, I
need to show them that you are mine.”

I get riled up at his
statement and I’m about to argue with him when he cuts me off by lifting a
hand.

“Relax. It’s for your
own safety. They have to know that they cannot touch you. They all saw how I
transformed on that roof and they know that the only way a vampire can become
what I have become is to drink from a human with your blood. Since you were the
only human present, they know you are the one I drank from. I will show them
that any attempts to steal you will be severely punished.”

“Oh,” I breathe.

“I want you there to
see how they react. After I have observed them I will know who wishes to take
your blood for themselves and who is truly loyal to me.”

“But how will you be
able to tell?”

He comes and kneels in
front of me, taking my hands into his and rubbing at the insides of my wrists
with his thumbs.

“I will switch on my
sensory overload, as you put it,” he grins. “With your blood in me, mine is now
far superior to theirs. I’ll be able to see every thought that goes through
their heads simply from the expressions on their faces, including whether or
not they are loyal.”

“Okay, I guess that
makes sense,” I say resigned.

The first person
ushered into the house by Lucas is an older vampire, one of the oldest I’ve
ever seen, and Ethan introduces him to me as Nicu Arcos, an old friend of his
father’s. I shake hands with the dark eyed man as he takes me in with interest.

Then two females and
one male vampire enter, Nicu’s daughters and his son. They take seats on the
couch while Ethan stands by the mantelpiece.

“I asked you in before
anyone else because you’re the only person I know I can really trust, Nicu,”
says Ethan. “So I’ll cut to the chase. If I’m to lead our people I want you in
a prominent position by my side. I know you don’t usually partake of politics,
but this new era isn’t going to be like any that have come before it. I want to
rule differently. I want to end the wars.”

Nicu waves him off.
“I’m a businessman, Ethan. You know I don’t involve myself in these things. I
came here to ensure that none of my dealings would be affected by the change in
leadership.” His accent is like a thicker version of Ethan’s and I wonder if
they knew each other back in Romania.

“Of course you may
continue your dealings as you have been doing,” says Ethan. “But I would like
you to work with me, too. I’ve never met anyone with a better head for numbers
and I want you to be my treasurer. Whitfield left behind much wealth that now
goes to me if I’m to lead. You would have the top job in deciding how it should
be spent.”

At hearing this, Nicu’s
eyes light up a fraction. He rubs at his chin, considering it, and then laughs.
“You’re being sly, Ethan. You know that is an offer I can’t refuse.”

“I need you with me in
this,” says Ethan.

Nicu looks to his son
who has an eager expression on his face, as though urging his father to say
yes. None of this makes any sense to me. The vampires have a treasury? I mean,
it’s not like they’re a country. What exactly do they spend it on? Well, seeing
as they’re constantly being attacked by the DOH, they probably use it to buy
weapons. Though since the DOH is now basically extinct in Tribane, I don’t see
how they’d need any more weapons. I’ve witnessed with my own two eyes that gun
power doesn’t work against magic, so it would be useless when facing Theodore.

There’s a long stretch
of silence as Nicu mentally thinks through his options. Ethan seems to consider
him a friend, so it’s not like he can’t say no.

Finally, the old
vampire speaks. “I will take the position provisionally and see how things
progress. As I said before, business is my area. I’m not certain I’ll be cut
out for this job but I’ll give it my best shot.”

Ethan strides toward
him, his hand outstretched. “Excellent, Nicu. I assure you, you won’t regret
this.”

“Hmm, I hope not,” says
Nicu, shaking Ethan’s hand and gesturing for his son and daughters to follow
him out.

For the next hour Ethan
meets with the vampires he feels he can trust the most, vampires he’s been friends
with for a long time. Most of the meetings go similarly to the one with Nicu,
except that these vamps seem far more enthusiastic about taking political
positions with Ethan. Half the time, I have to stifle the urge to yawn. It’s
just all so boring.

It’s only when Lucas
brings a male and female couple into the room that my spidey senses wake up.
There’s something off-putting about the two of them but I can’t seem to put my
finger on it. They’ve both got sleek jet black hair and green serpentine eyes.
The way that they regard me for far longer than they do Ethan raises my
hackles. I look to Ethan as he watches them and I want to know what’s he’s
gleaning from their reactions to me.

Pulling my legs up
under me on the cushioned armchair I’m sitting on, I stare at them dead on, not
allowing myself to be eye shy. Eventually they turn to greet Ethan and take
seats on the sofa in the middle of the room. I remain in my corner, anxious
that something bad is going to happen. My magical blood bubbles under my skin in
warning.

“Angelica, Raul, it’s a
pleasure to see you both again.”

“Likewise,” says
Angelica, folding her slim, pale arms across her chest. “You’re wearing your
years well, Ethan.”

He inclines his head,
acknowledging the compliment. “As are you. Now, I’d like to get straight down
to business. We are all aware that you were both in Whitfield’s inner circle,
as I once had been. I need to know if you hold any grudges about the way in
which he died.”

“None at all,” Raul
speaks up blandly. “In fact, I am eager to see how you fare as ruler. I always
thought you had a good head for leadership.”

Raul continues to
lavish Ethan with compliments and for some reason my attention is drawn to
Angelica, who is very slowly rising from her seat. Quick as a flash she whips
out a stake and advances on Ethan. Raul stops talking and strides towards me
with feral determination. I don’t hesitate for a moment as I hold my hand in
front of me and sparks shoot out in warning. Angelica plunges the stake at
Ethan’s heart but it doesn’t even break the skin.

My mind flicks back to
earlier in the day, when he’d shown me the sharp nail of his baby finger and
told me it’s the only thing that can successfully cut him now. Angelica seizes
up with panic as Ethan stands in front of her, not even bothering to fight
back. He knows her attempt on his life is futile.