I growl and lunge at him.
I capture nothing but air.
Valerian’s low laugh comes from behind me. “Ah, Riley. Don’t exert yourself. Save your strength,” he says, then is suddenly so close to my back, our bodies touch. His whisper brushes my ear. “You’ll need it.”
Rage roils inside of me. “You killed my mother,” I say under my breath.
“Technically, yes,” Valerian admits. “Although your young boyfriend actually did all the work.” He shakes his head again. “Messy, that one. His demise was anything but a loss. He had no fucking sense.”
I lunge again, and this time I don’t find air. I find the wall.
Then he’s behind me, pressing his body against mine. With one hand securing mine, he forces the blade from my grasp and presses his lips to my ear. Be perfectly still, Riley. Don’t move. Your limbs are weak. Your muscles frozen. Listen to me closely.
Instantly, I am unable to move.
“Ah, perfect. My brother noticed you first, but I immediately wanted you,” he says in a whisper. He drags his lips over my jaw. “Rather, I wanted your blood.”
I tense. My heart slams against my ribs, but it’s a slow slam. Adrenaline rushes.
Valerian licks my throat. “Relax, Riley,” he says. “I’m not going to kill you. That was never my intention.” With one hand, he skims my back, my hip, my ass. “Your blood was enigmatic then. Now? With that of the bloodline of my brother and me? It is irreplaceable.” He nips my jaw with his teeth. “And will make an unstoppable army.”
I feel his hard cock press against my lower back. I try to summon every ounce of vampiric strength I possess, yet nothing happens. He has me. I cringe.
Reach behind you and touch me.
As if my hand has a mind of its own, I do as Valerian says. I run my hand over his hip, then grope his crotch. He groans in my ear.
Inside, I scream. Where are my goddamn tendencies?
Only then do I hear a new voice.
Riley, damn it, concentrate! You’re stronger than he is.
My mind races as Eli’s words rush through me. Stronger? Are you kidding me? I can’t move! It’s like he has me chained down. He killed my mother, Eli. He’s watched me for all these years.
You’ve got the DNA of three strigois, the Gullah, and Dupré. Trust me. You have more strength than he could ever think of having. Use your mind, Riley. Not your physical strength. Get a grip and concentrate. And whatever you do, don’t fucking kill him.
Valerian’s hands find their way beneath my shirt, my tank, and he pulls me tightly against him. “See how easy this is for us? Me, telling you what to do, and you, doing it without question? You see, once I give you the orgasm of your entire life, I’m going to take your blood.” He kisses my throat. “Some for myself, of course, and some for morphing. We’ll make powerful children, Riley.” He wraps his arms completely around my body and embraces me. “We’ll be unstoppable.”
Concentrate!
Eli’s single command jolts me. I don’t know where he is, but it sounds as if he’s right in my ear. I draw a deep breath, clear my mind, and then focus on memories. Recent. The past. They all jumble together.
I let them.
A vision of my mother, dead, naked, pale, and lifeless, crowds my mind. Her eyes stare unseeing into mine as I drag her from the bathtub and cradle her in my arms. Another vision, of Seth’s vampiric eyes staring hungrily into mine. Of the bloodbath at Bonaventure. Of more in Charleston, and of the sickening fight club in the old rectory. Of a young marine, dead. Of Estelle, roughly handled by a newling.
My mind spins out of control as horrific images assault me. All fault lies at the feet of one. Valerian Arcos.
Inside, I rage.
My inhuman powers then merge; I can feel it occur in my body. A current of energy rushes through me and abruptly halts at my feet, then shoots back up and through my fingers, my eyes. Inside my veins, the blood there feels like lava.
Then, as fast as it starts, it stops.
I look up. And everything is suddenly crystal clear. Julian’s advice rings inside my head. I remember.
Remember your mother, Valerian? What happened to her? Did you kill her? Get off me now, Valerian Arcos, and move away.
“You will not mention her!” he says vehemently. “Do not!”
But my body is released, and Valerian, slowly, moves backward.
I turn and meet his gaze. It’s wide, white, with pinpoint red pupils.
They stare at me with horror and hatred.
I give another command. It comes out of the blue, yet somehow, it’s perfect.
Suffer.
Valerian’s body begins to quiver, and his eyes widen farther still. His face contorts, but not into his vampiric image. He seems to contort into pain.
More.
A sob—male, throaty, and desperate—escapes from him. His body shakes uncontrollably. He drops to the floor. I stand over him, his eyes glaring up at me.
Agony. Fire. Strangulation.
Valerian’s body thrashes uncontrollably; his hands fly to his neck as choking noises gurgle from his throat. Satisfaction courses through me as I watch him writhe in pain, imaginary flames licking his skin. With my mind, I force the delusion on him. Harder. Faster.
“Riley, stop!”
Although I hear the voice, I can’t take my eyes off of Valerian. All the things that go along with finally finding a loved one’s killer run through me. I take pleasure in watching his pain. His anguish. It must be something similar to what my mother experienced when she died. What all of those innocent people experienced. All because of selfish, pathetic Valerian.
On my thigh, a sheath is strapped. I reach for the blade, the silver turning cool in my hand. I envision the silver slipping easily through his flesh. Ending his sorry fucking existence.
“No, chère,” the voice said calmly. “No.”
A hand goes to my shoulder. Gently. Firmly. I look up.
It takes a minute for my mind to register.
The first one I see is Eli.
Behind him, Noah, Phin, Jake, Darius, Gabriel, Seth, and Victorian.
“You can’t kill him,” Victorian says. “No matter that you want to.”
I look down at Valerian. His body is still now, staring up at me. I’m holding him in some sort of weird abstraction without even trying.
“We’ll take him back to my father tonight,” Victorian says, then puts a hand on my shoulder. “It’s over, Riley.”
Eli moves close, almost between Victorian and me.
The two stare off at one another.
“My team and I will accompany you and your brother back to Romania,” Jake Andorra says to Victorian.
Victorian nods, but keeps his gaze locked on to mine. “I must have a word with Riley first,” he says.
“We’ve got him,” Jake says, and grabs Valerian off the floor.
Surprisingly, Victorian looks at Eli. “Do you mind?”
My eyes flash to Eli’s, and I know his answer before he says it.
“Hell yes, I mind. But she doesn’t. Go ahead. And keep your hands to yourself.”
Anger is surfacing inside me, and maybe it’s because I already know what Victorian is about to tell me. Doesn’t matter. I allow him to grasp me by the elbow and lead me out of the dingy little concrete room.
In seconds, we’re outside. The moon hangs low, more than a crescent now, and the air is chilled. A light pours from a single lamp beside the entrance of the facility. It’s enough to cast Victorian’s beautiful face into odd planes and shadows.
“I never wanted Valerian to have you,” he begins. “I tried my best to warn you away, but I was powerless in my tomb. I knew of your lover, and of Valerian’s plan to have him kill your mother.” Anguish forces his features into a frown. “I couldn’t stop him. He’s always been stronger than me. Even entombed.”
He places a hand on my jaw and tilts my head toward him. “I’m sorry, Riley. I wish I could change things. I wish I c
ould bring your mother back.”
My heart eases a bit. Valerian’s power over Victorian is just as easily believed as his power over me. “I understand, Vic.” I place my hand over his, at my jaw. “It’s okay.” It’s not okay, but it’s not Vic’s fault. I know that.
“I’ll make sure his punishment is delivered,” he says. “I vow it.”
I nod. “Multumesc.”
Victorian cocks his head. “My native tongue sounds good”—he smiles—“on your tongue.”
I softly laugh. “Perv.”
His eyes soften. “I wish I could keep you,” he says. “I’ve loved you your whole life. Ever since you were a child. I…wish you’d choose me over him.”
I sigh. “Victorian, don’t.”
Beneath the moonlight, he looks at me. Sincerity gleams in his inhuman eyes. “Promise me something, Riley Poe.”
I look up at him. Waiting.
He smiles when I don’t readily agree. “Promise me that if ever there’s a time when you tire of him, you’ll call me.” He kisses my cheek, and pulls back and pins me with a steady gaze. “I will wait for you.”
I hold my gaze to his, too. “I’ve always been drawn to you, Vic. I’ve never been able to explain it to myself, but I have.” I smile. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” I say, and wrap my arms around his neck. “Take care.” I hug him hard. “E-mail me.”
I feel his body quake with laughter. “We’re vampires, Riley,” he says, pulling back and smiling. “No need to e-mail when you can cyber chat”—he taps my temple—“here.”
“As long as you stay out of the personal info,” I remind him. “And no dirty talking.”
Victorian shrugs. “I’m still a man. That is a promise I cannot make.”
I laugh, and turn to leave. “Be careful, Vic—”
I’m grabbed by the arm and swung quickly and determinedly into Victorian’s embrace. His mouth descends upon mine in a fervent kiss so fast, my head spins.
Literally.
Just as fast, he releases me.
“Sorry,” he says, backing away. “I couldn’t help myself.”
I simply shake my head.
Valerian is tethered and within the hour is taken away by Victorian, Jake, and the others. Eli, Phin, and Seth remain behind.
“There are more out there,” Phin says grimly. His eyes glisten in the light of the moon. “It’ll take time to collect them.”
“At least Valerian won’t be able to manipulate their minds,” Seth says.
“There is that,” Eli says. He looks at me. “Ready?”
I glance around me, at the facility. At the island. “Yeah. I am.”
Seth drapes an arm over my shoulder. “You’ve got some wicked tendencies, Ri,” he says. “Do you even remember what you were doing to Valerian?”
I think about it. “Not really.”
“That’ll come,” Phin says. “You’ll learn more control over time.”
“And flexion of your mind muscles,” adds Eli. He grins. “Good thing you have more time now.”
I hug my brother and look sideways at him as we walk to the skiff. It’s hard to believe that a few short months ago, he was experiencing a quickening. Floating to the top of his room, for God’s sake. So much has changed.
We’ve all changed.
The ride back to the mainland is a fast one. It’s early—too early—to visit with Preacher and Estelle, or Nyx. Phin and Seth step out of the Jeep as we park on the merchant’s drive behind Inksomnia. Just as we near the door, Eli pulls me to a stop.
“Wait,” he says. “I’ve got something to show you.”
I glance at Seth and Phin and shrug. “Later.”
They both grin and head inside.
Eli links his fingers through mine and we get back into the Jeep.
“How tired are you?” he asks, and the tone in his voice makes me shiver.
“Not tired at all,” I answer.
We take off across Bay Street and down Abercorn.
For the first time in months, I notice a particular ease in the air. The chill is right. The crisp is right. The rustle of leaves is right.
Being beside Eli Dupré is even more right.
Twenty minutes from downtown and just off Waters Avenue, across from the old white concrete Cresthill Baptist Church, Eli turns down Beckman Avenue. It’s an older residential street, with houses built in the forties and fifties. Some a little newer. Some ways down, Eli turns in to a corner lot and stops the Jeep. The drive is a half circle lined with aged azalea bushes that are probably gorgeous in the spring when in full bloom. The house is an older concrete block house, single story, with several tall pine trees towering overhead. A wooden swing sits suspended between two of them. I glance at Eli.
“What’s this?” I ask.
A crooked grin splits Eli’s face in two, and for a moment, he’s not a vampire. He’s a mischievous guy up to something.
I guess he can be both.
Eli’s gaze lingers on my mouth, then meets my eyes. “My new house.”
I feel my eyes bug out. “Are you serious?” I glance back at the older home, then back to Eli. “Really?”
He shrugs. “I met a man once, years ago. He’d just returned from the war—as in World War Two—and had started working for the electric company. He had a sweet wife named Frances and a beautiful baby daughter named Dale. I watched him one day break up a fight between two mean-asses who’d jumped this skinny kid. Cracked the two bullies’ heads together. Knocked them senseless.” Eli’s gaze moves from mine to a place above me, and he concentrates as he pulls the memory back. He smiles. “His name was Wimpy. He gave me a job making hush puppies.” He inclines his head toward the concrete house. “He built this. Raised a family here. Had three more children. He helped build that church back there.” Eli slips from the Jeep and walks around to my side. “I watched his little blond-haired granddaughter, Cindy, come here every single summer and swing on that swing.” He points to where it was. “She had a little friend just down the road and they’d play together nearly every day. Cindy and Julie. They were inseparable.”
I look at Eli, wondering where he was going with all of this. It sounds great to me, like I’m hearing about someone from my own family.
From the family I could’ve had.
Eli knows I’m perplexed, and smiles. “I’ll never forget the summer of nineteen seventy-six. Cindy was ten. She ran around with a Jaws T-shirt on nearly the whole summer.” He shakes his head and laughs. “I’ll have to tell you a funny story about her later. About who she is, what she became. Maybe even take you to meet her. Later, though.” He glances toward the house again. “The property runs straight down to the Vernon River. Wimpy’s wife, Frances, used to go down to the dock and catch blue crabs by the basketfuls.” Another winsome smile touches his lips. “He built a dock over the marsh back in the fiftes. I’ve had some repairs made, and…” He grasps my hand. “Well, come see for yourself.”
I’m, for a change, speechless as Eli leads me across the yard, back toward the woods where a small worn path leads to the marsh. The brine is perfect and pungent, and just the slightest breeze rustles the saw grass. We cross the marsh on a newly repaired dock, and at the end sits a small covered screened-in dock house with a red tin roof. Eli stops, steps inside, and grabs blankets from a plastic storage bin in the corner. The screen door creaks and slams behind him as he pulls me down the plank to a small floating dock.
Without a word, he spreads two blankets on the dock, and rolls a third long-ways and places it at one end. He holds out a hand. “Sit down.”
I grin and do as he asks.
Silently, he kneels and removes my boots and socks. He rolls up my jeans. Then he sits, kicks off his boots and socks, and does the same. He sticks his feet into the water, and I do the same. He sits close to me, our shoulders brushing. He looks up.
“Magnificent spray of stars, don’t you think?” he says.
I turn my head and look at him. “What are you doing,
Eligius Dupré?”
Eli’s smile is blinding. “I love it when you use my full name.”
I shake my head and wait.
He looks at me. “I always secretly wanted what Wimpy had. Family. Loving, devoted wife.” He laughs softly. “They called each other monkey. Their pet name for each other.” He shakes his head. “Funniest damn thing I’d ever heard. Wimpy made magic happen here, Riley.” He smiles and shrugs. “He had a great life. I want it. And I want you to share it with me.”
My heart leaps. It almost stops.
With two hands, Eli grasps my face. His gaze passes over my mouth, my nose, then to my eyes. “I want to marry you, Riley Poe. And if you don’t say yes now, I’ll keep asking until you do.”
Even in the fading light, I can see the cerulean blue brightness of Eli’s eyes sparkle. The slight scruff that perpetually remained on his jaw, the fall of dark hair over his forehead, and that crazy silver hoop he still wore in his brow—all of it Eli.
And he wants to marry me.
Suddenly, my past becomes a faint memory of someone who could’ve been anyone other than me. The pain of my mother’s death, though still present, dulls. I feel I can accomplish anything with this unique man by my side.
“Yes,” I say softly. I’m looking into his eyes. They soften. He smiles.
His kiss rocks me.
Gentle at first, his lips brush mine, linger against me, and although I know he doesn’t need air to breathe, you’d never know it. He sighs against my mouth. The sweet taste of him makes my head spin. He pulls me into a tight embrace.
“Thank you,” he whispers against my ear. “I love you, Riley. More than you know.”
I squeeze him in return. “I love you, Eligius Dupré,” I say, then pull back and look at him. “I think I have from the first moment I saw you.”
He grins. “I know.”
“We have a lot of work ahead of us though,” I say. “Jake wants to hire us. Together. Like Turner and Hootch. Miami Vice. Scarecrow and Mrs. King.”
Eli shakes his head. “Yeah. I know.” He kisses me again. “Good thing we have years and years to be together.”
With the water lapping at our ankles, we sit. We talk. We plan.