Wrenching Fate (16 page)

“So this is pretty serious then,” Akasha asked Razvan once they were ensconced in Silas’s office awaiting another vampire.

“Yes,” the vampire answered without his usual sinister demeanor. “If the Elders decide there is the slightest liability with you or your friends, you will all likely be transferred to a new owner or possibly killed. Silas will either be executed or lose his Lordship status, meaning no Lord would allow him in their territory… so his chances for survival would be slim.”

“I don’t see how I or my friends could be a ‘liability,’” Akasha countered. “Xochitl and the band are just teenagers, and I’m the only one who knows what you are.”

“And it’s
because
you know about us that makes you a liability.” Razvan replied.

“But you were investigating us before you knew I found out about Silas,” she argued.

He leaned back in his chair and nodded. “Yes, but that was because of the quantity of mortals that were Marked. Now, your knowledge of our kind, your unique situation, and the possibility of people being after you makes things more difficult. To deem you harmless, we need to know why you have such phenomenal strengthand who is pursuing you. And as for your friend, Xochit
l
”

“What about Xochitl?” she cut in, alarm creeping up her spine. A memory of Xochitl’s eyes shifting from brown to red flickered in her mind.
Don’t ask, don’t tell….

Razvan’s eyes widened. “You me
an you don’t know?”

Before she could demand more answers, Silas entered the office, escorting the most wimpy-looking vampire she’d ever seen. He had thinning blond hair, watery blue eyes that squinted like he should be wearing glasses, and hunched shoulders. An insipid periwinkle shirt hung on his frail form. His tie was askew, and his eyes kept darting back to Silas as if he expected to be hit.

“Have a seat, Bryan.” Silas’s tone was curt and brooked no disobedience as he pointed to his seat behind the desk.

Akasha flinched. She had never seen this side of him before. Suddenly he seemed larger than usual.

Bryan cast nervous glances at her and Razvan, before sitting down in Silas’s luxurious swiveling seat. “Wh-what can I do for you, Lord McNaught?” he stammered.

Silas fixed him with a commanding stare. “I need your expertise to find out where this woman came from, who killed her parents, and if they are looking for her.”

Bryan’s face screwed up in a pitiful display of confusion.

“I’m Akasha.” She held out her hand. He gave her a trembling, clammy handshake. She squeezed his hand in an attempt of reassurance, but she forgot her strength.

“Ow!” The vampire flinched, eyes comically wide in surprise.

She blushed. “Shit, I’m sorry. I totally didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“How are you so strong, human?” Bryan’s mouth gaped, revealing his fangs.

“That’s what you are here to discover, youngling.” Razvan told him, smiling in sadistic glee at his discomfort.

Silas grabbed a sharp letter opener from his desk and made a small cut on his wrist. “Drink, Bryan, and I will show you what we know.”

Bryan locked his mouth on the wound, sucking greedily. His eyes jittered beneath closed lids like he was in R.E.M. sleep. Akasha realized he was witnessing her parent’s murder. She must have done something to indicate her discomfort, for Silas reached over with his free hand and stroked her hair.

“It will be all right, lass,” he whispered. “I shall only show him what is necessary.”

“How precious.” Razvan crooned.

Akasha flipped him off.

Silas worked his wrist free from Bryan’s mouth. “That is enough. Can you find out who those men are?”

The nerdy vampire’s eyes now gleamed with confidence and intelligence. “I know who they are, Lord McNaught. They’re the COAT!”

“COAT?” Razvan, and Akasha asked simultaneously.

Silas slammed his fist on his desk. “Damn it, I shouldha known.”

“Covert Operations Assassination Team.” Bryan explained. “They’re the military’s hit men…er…and women. Since Akasha is still alive, that means that their orders were to take her alive. With her ah…mutation, I assume the COAT wants to study her. My guess is that she’s the result of some sort of government experimentation.”

“Like people said they did during the Vietnam War?” Akasha asked.

Bryan nodded and approached the computer. “Now I just need to hack into the files. And since they’re probably archived by now, it’ll be a piece of cake.”

“Wait, what are you two talking about?” Razvan interrupted.

Akasha and Bryan began chattering at once. Bryan bowed to Akasha. “Go ahead, my lady, I’ll fill in what you leave out.”

“The government did a bunch of crazy experiments on the soldiers during ‘Nam,” she explained. “Haven’t you heard of Timothy Leary?”

Silas shook his head. “I was too busy keeping my stocks in order. The economy is precarious during a war, you know.”

Akasha shook her head and continued. “Anyway, this guy created a chemical compound for the government in hopes of creating the perfect soldier. What he got was LSD, but he didn’t mind, ‘cuz he made lots of money off of it, well, until he got busted, that is. The military must have created something that actually worked.”

Razvan chuckled. “So you and Bryan think your powers are a result of human experimentation? Fascinating. If you knew so much about this experimenting, why didn’t you come to this conclusion sooner?”

Akasha shook her head. “For a long time I lived in denial that I was different. Then, when Max made me face the facts, we didn’t talk about it much ‘cuz it seemed to make him uncomfortable. And it’s not like I’ve ever been good enough with computers to attempt any research.” She shrugged. “Besides, I’m way too young to be a ‘Nam baby and my dad didn’t seem military at all. We may be wrong anyway.”

“One way to find out,” Bryan’s fingers were already flying across the keyboard of Silas’s computer. Gone was the timid unkempt vampire. In his place sat a skilled professional, secure in his abilities. Akasha blinked in amazement.

“His talent is why he was Changed when he approached the Lord of his former home instead of being killed for knowing our secrets,” Silas told her as Bryan worked.

“He knew about vampires and actually walked up and asked one to Change him? Damn, I bet that took some balls!” Akasha looked at Bryan with new admiration.

“Yes,” Silas agreed and leaned forward. “Bryan was something of a conspiracy theorist in his mortal days and enjoyed breaking into government computers. In the course of his hacking, he discovered a branch in the FBI that is aware of our existence: the AIU, or Abnormal Investigation Unit.”

The implication of his words fell like a stone in her stomach. “Holy fuck…”

Silas nodded. “They were targeting the Lord of Topeka, and since the COAT was on his trail for hacking into their files, he decided to warn the Lord in hopes of becoming one of us and getting help with his escape. I bargained to move him into my territory because I find his skills very useful.”

“Wait a sec.” Akasha felt a deeper jolt of fear. “Does this AIU know about you?”

“No.” Silas shook his head and smiled. “They sent an undercover agent to investigate me about ten years ago. He was posing as a corporate investor, so I took him to dinner and ate a full meal in front of him. They think we can’t eat food, you know. Needless to say, I was off the hook with only a bad case of indigestion.”

Akasha smiled back. “I wondered about that. I thought you were diabetic with how little you ate and how much water you drink.”

“I still love the taste of food, though I can’t eat much. As for water, you humans don’t drink enough,” he admonished.

The rapid clicking of the computer stopped. “I’ve got it!” Bryan announced.

Akasha, Silas, and Razvan crowded around the computer to read the file. The details of the military’s experiments on American soldiers during the Gulf War were described in vivid, sickening detail.

When they reached the part where the mutated soldiers were killed, Akasha clapped her hand over her mouth, nauseated at the cold way the sequential murder of her f
ather’s squad had been narrated, as if they had been commodities rather than human beings.

She held back a silent cheer as she read of her father’s escape and success in evading the military for over ten years.

But when they came to the part where her parents were killed, she turned away and rested her head against Silas’s chest.

“My father’s name was Jamison Lindsey.” Akasha mur
mured, “My mom’s name was Kathleen O’Reilly.”

Silas laughed softly, “Yer an Irish lassie. I shouldha’ known.” His Scottish burr was thick but Akasha could tell he was doing it on purpose. Her heart warmed at his attempt to cheer her up.

Bryan printed the file and scrolled down to links showing the current status of the case.

“It looks like they’re getting close to giving up the search. The case is pass
ed on to an officer named Major Milbury and the Pentagon only gave him a skeleton crew of yeomen and one COAT unit on retainer. The last update to this file was almost a year ago. You’re probably not that high of a priority with them anymore.” The vampire turned to her with a grin. “So how much can you bench?”

Akasha smiled back, responding to his sudden boyish charm. “I don’t know exactly, but I once lifted the back end of a ’69 El Camino.”

His mouth gaped, fangs gleaming and out of place with his astonishment. “Sweet!”

Razvan approached the desk. “I hate to interrupt, but I need to put this in my report and get it to the Elders as soon as possible, so as they now say, move it!”

Bryan needed no further urging. He darted out of the seat as if Razvan were a demon trying to roast his balls. Akasha couldn’t resist yanking Razvan’s chain a bit.

She lifted her brows in mock disbelief. “
You
can use a computer? I’m surprised.”

He glared at her. “All Lords are required to. We take classes.”

The picture of ancient vampires sitting at desks typing under a watchful instructor was too much for her. She started giggling uncontrollably.

“You should go to bed, Akasha.” Silas kissed her on the cheek. “You have school tomorrow.”

Irritated at being so curtly dismissed, she sighed in resignation and headed to her room. After all, winter break was over and it was time to begin the final half of the school year.

***

Silas stifled a yawn. These past few days had been exhausting. He was still reeling from the knowledge that Akasha was the result of government experimentation. He could believe in magic and miracles, but modern chemistry? It was a new concept. Images of the COAT and their guns flashed in his mind. The thought of Akasha being killed by them was enough to undo him. Bryan seemed to think she was safe, but Silas wasn’t convinced.

“Can I leave now, sir?” The youngling asked.

“Soon. I just need one more thing from you.” He grasped the vampire and held his gaze, taking over his mind to wipe away the memories of all he’d done tonight. It would be safer for all concerned.

Bryan left, yet Silas’s sense of foreboding remained.

The minute Akasha entered English 101, Xochitl crooked her finger in a melodramatic “come hither” gesture.

“What happened this weekend?” she whispered, juggling her books. “Were you ‘grounded’ again?” She made quotation marks in the air. “Or did Silas kiss you again?”

Akasha shook her head as she struggled to decide what to tell her friend.
Oh, let’s see. Silas drank my blood and saw everything about my past, We had the greatest sex ever, we found out I’m a government engineered mutant, assassins are after me and a coalition of ancient bloodsuckers may kill us all…yeah.
Even Xochitl with all her strangeness would have trouble buying that.
But I could tell her about the sex.

“You can’t tell anyone. Okay? I swear our friendship is off if you do.” Akasha really wanted to talk to another girl, but knew she’d be screwed if it got around.

Xochitl’s eyes widened with giddy curiosity. “I swear. After all, I totally owe you for not telling the others about that incident with Bill.” She twirled a purple lock of her hair and smiled. “So spill.”

Akasha looked down at the floor, trying to hide her burning cheeks. “We uh… well kinda slept together.”

“Really? What was it like?” Xochitl leaned forward, her lips parted in rapt fascination.

Akasha sighed. This girl talk stuff was harder than she thought. “It was amazing, kinda scary, but amazing.”

Her friend giggled and wagged her brows. “How big was it?”

“Xochitl!” Her eyes darted around in embarrassment, looking for eavesdroppers.

Xochitl blinked at her mock innocence. “What? That’s what I’m supposed to ask.”

“Says who?” Akasha’s eyes narrowed.

Xochitl shrugged merrily. “I dunno.”

Akasha squirmed in her chair, suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation. “Since it was the first one I’ve seen, I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but I think it was huge.”

Xochitl nodded. “I bet he’s got a hot body. So is he like your boyfriend for real now?”

A tremor of foreboding sank its claws in her heart. “I don’t know. We haven’t had a chance to talk about it yet.”

The feeling quickly twisted into full-fledged worry.
Did he just make love to me in the heat of the moment? Or does he want me to be his lover for all eternity? Do vampires get married? Am I ready to get married?

“What do you mean?” Xochitl frowned, picking up on her anxiety. “Has he been avoiding you?”

Akasha shook her head quickly. “No. Razvan was there the whole night. He and Silas had important business to discuss and I had to replace the radiator in Black Sunshine.” She paused, remembering something. “Oh, yeah. Razvan wants you and the band to play for him tonight, if you guys can.”

Xochitl sighed in a failed attempt to hide her delight. “It’s kinda short notice, but I’ll ask and see.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Akasha rolled her eyes and rifled through her textbook. “He’s kind of a dick.”

“Yeah, but he’s really helped us a lot. I can’t thank him enough for introducing us to all those awesome bands.” Suddenly, Xochitl jumped up from her chair and bounced like a giddy schoolgirl. The action was inconsistent with her vinyl pants, chains, and Megadeth baby tee. Everyone stared. “Oh my God, I totally forgot to tell you what happened Friday!”

Akasha couldn’t help smiling at her enthusiasm even as she was reminded of their disparity in ages. “What?”

Xochitl sat back down and clapped her hands. “You know how we reserve the high school’s auditorium sometimes to practice on a real stage? Well, we did that Friday and we were practicing those
Rainbow
songs and
first
the art teacher wandered in, and
then
the janitor sat down and it was like we were playing a concert, but then, you’ll never guess what happened.” She grabbed her pen and waved it like a conductor’s baton, drawing out the suspense. “The entire football team came in. They were having a meeting with their coach and when he heard the music he dragged them all in to hear us!”

“No way,” Akasha breathed. “The football team? They hate you guys.”

Xochitl nodded. “But the coach now loves us. The dude actually had tears in his eyes after we finished and started reminiscing with the art teacher about the concerts they’d been to. But here’s the best part: the team started up with their usual bullshit about us being freaks and fags and all that, but the coach whipped around in his seat and told them that if any of them messed with us again, they’d be off the team.”

“No
fucking
way,” Akasha gaped. “I bet that didn’t go over well.”

“Nah, and it might make it worse for us,” Xochitl said cheerfully. “But the looks on their faces was totally worth it. Too bad we can’t make the same happen with the cheerleaders and the Aryan nation wannabes. Anyway, I gotta thank Razvan big time for that. He’s a really awesome guy.” Her face lit up with adoration.

As class began and the instructor lectured about Mark Twain, Akasha pondered Xochitl’s story. Razvan really
was
helping the band; there was no getting around it. Silas thought he was just feigning interest to mess with everyone, but it was beginning to appear genuine. But why? What would a thousand year old vampire do with a metal band? As they reached the Barracuda, she remembered a piece of her conversation with Razvan last night.

“To deem you harmless, we need to know why you have your abilities and who is pursuing you. And
as for your friend, Xochit
l
”

“What about Xochitl?”

“You mean you don’t know?”

Her fist clenched and she had to concentrate on being careful opening the car door. Rage boiled within her. Razvan wasn’t the only one being secretive. It seemed Silas was as w
ell, and whatever he was keeping from her had something to do with her best friend.

***

Once the band was settled downstairs with Razvan, Akasha looked up at Silas. “Can we speak in private for a moment?”

He cast a quick glance at Razvan before nodding. He was so beautiful, his eyes so tender. The thought of duplicity from him was all the more agonizing.

Hands shaking, Akasha got a beer and sat in the dining room without turning on the lights. Her heart felt like it was clenched in a vise. If she had to choose between the man she loved and her best friend, it’d kill her.

Silas’s dark form entered the room, his tantalizing masculine scent teasing her senses as he sat next to her. “What’s wrong, Akasha?”

She took a drink of her beer, trying to wash down the lump in her throat. “What are you hiding from me about Xochitl?” she asked.

His eyes glowed faintly in the darkness. “What do you mean?”

Akasha sighed and avoided his gaze. “Look, Razvan’s been dropping all sorts of hints, and you even said something about his interest in her. Are you going to give her to him to be his ‘pet mortal’?” She made air quotes, voice dripping with derision at the term. “‘Cuz if you think for a minute I’m going to sit quietly and allow her to go to him, you got another thing coming. He may not completely be the monster I thought he was, but I’ll still beat the living shit out of you both if you try to fuck with her.”

His shoulders were shaking.
Was he crying?
Then Silas threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, you are worried for your friend.” He pulled her into his arms. “I thought you were regretting what we did the other night.”

“No, I don’t regret it.” She resisted the urge to rub her cheek on his shoulder and breathe in his scent. “Did you?”

“No, lass. In fact,” he whispered against her ear, “I was hoping for more.”

Akasha gasped in pleasure as he kissed her neck. Shit, she was getting distracted. She pulled away and grabbed her beer to put distance between them.

“So what’s up with Xochitl then?” She fixed him with a glare, determined to get the truth.

Silas sighed. “Xochitl is, well, she’s not human.”

“What?” Akasha’s heart pounded. Really, with her own oddity and the craziness of these last few months, she shouldn’t be surprised…yet she still was. “Then what
is
she?”

“I don’t know, but she emanates power of the likes I’ve never felt before.” Silas leaned forward. “Delgarias told me she’s the daughter of Mephistopheles, the creator of vampires. He commanded me to guard her.”

She swallowed as she remembered the odd way Xochitl’s eyes changed color.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell,”
she’d said. Akasha hadn’t thought much of the incident until now.

She looked up at him as she toyed with the tablecloth. “So she’s part undead?”

“We’re not dead.” Silas’s brows knit in an offended frown.

Her lips parted in surprise. “You’re not?”

“No.” His voice was firm. “It’s a mutation, I suppose. Like yours, only with immortality and other major side effects.” He paused, giving her a strange, probing look. “Wait. You thought I was a walking corpse and you still love me?”

Akasha nodded and brushed her lips across his, relieved that Silas didn’t intend any harm to Xochitl. “Though it’s nicer to know you’re alive. So, who’s Mephisto-whoever and where did vampires come from?”

“Nobody really knows.” Now Silas fidgeted with the tablecloth. “The ancient ones speak of a legend of how the first vampires were created by the devil himself and cast out of hell because they refused to feed on innocents. Fallen demons rather than fallen angels. Razvan thinks it is romantic silliness, but Delgarias assures me the legends are true. As Delgarias is the oldest of us, I am inclined to believe him.”

“Wow.” Akasha lit a cigarette as she digested the information. “So Xochitl is the daughter of Satan?”

Silas shook his head. “I highly doubt Mephistopheles is the actual
devil
, more likely he’s a powerful being who exists in another world.”

“You mean like an alternate dimension?” she asked in fascination. “How do you figure?”

Silas took a deep breath. “When I Marked Xochitl at the concert, I was pulled into a vision. Whether it was a dream or a memory, I don’t know. She was in a world with two moons, walking in a garden of black roses. The roses were dying. A man approached her and cast me out. Dreams aren’t supposed to work that way. They’re not supposed to be real.” He shuddered and pulled her into his embrace.

He was afraid. That scared the shit out of her. “So she’s like an alien? No wonder she’s so strange. She has no concept of fear, you know, and she talks to her car. And I swear, sometimes it seems like it answers her.”

Silas laughed. “She talks to cats as well. That night her foster father hit her, she was surrounded by the little beasties, communing with them.”

“Now I get why
Isis listens to her so well.” Akasha had a thought. “What do you think she did that night to scare Bill and Susan so bad?”

“She made a ball of flame appear in her hand and threatened to burn them.” His tone was rife with awe. “I used my Mark to mesmerize her long enough to get her to tell me. Her mind is strong, so I couldn’t hold her long.”

Akasha sighed, struggling to digest all this new information. “So Razvan doesn’t want her? Are you sure? She’s so beautiful.”

He caressed her cheek. “As are you, lass. However, neither Razvan nor I feel any lust for her. We feel drawn to her in a strange way, but not sexually, more like…
” he frowned, fumbling for the word, “reverence for her. All I know is that she’s meant to be here, even if Delgarias hadn’t commanded me to guard her and the others. And her music… somehow that is meant to be as well.”

Akasha nodded. “They are freakishly good. Is that why Razvan’s so interested in them? And what exactly are you supposed to guard
them from? Do you think it’s that freaky lightning guy in your vision?”

“I certainly hope not.” Silas toyed with her hair, making her fight to pay attention to his words. “As for Razvan, I wouldn’t worry about him making advances on Xochitl or the other two ladies.” He chuckled. “Or Beau, for that matter. Aside from them being underage, not only is it forbidden without my express permission since I Marked them, but Razvan doesn’t dally with humans.”

“Why not?” Akasha’s curiosity rose up despite her usual irritation with his maker.

Silas shrugged. “Some of the old ones are like that. They prefer to only mate with other vampires. Razvan put it more crudely, though.”

She chuckled. “I can imagine. Anyway,” she forced herself to focus back on the point of the conversation. “Xochitl and the band are safe from Razvan then?”

“From him, yes,” he promised. “As for the Elders, Xochitl is more of an issue. We need to get as much information on her as possible for our report. We need to prove she’s not going to be a danger to our kind… but with the way vampires are attracted to her, it will be difficult. Perhaps that’s why I’m supposed to guard her. Though, for the record, I honestly believe Razvan is sincere about his admiration with their music.” Silas kissed her cheek and stood up as the music stopped downstairs. It was time for her friends to go home.

“Wait, Silas?” Akasha hated the way her voice trembled. “Are you my boyfriend now?” It sounded stupid, but she had to ask.