As usual, the meeting was taking place in one of Antonio’s conference rooms. The only people seated at the long table were Antonio, his Advisor Luther, and his tracker Sebastian.
“Ah…Sam, Jared,” said Antonio with a smile. His personal guards stood behind him as usual, while his two pit-bulls flanked him. “Come sit down.” Before meeting him, I had expected him to have a very imposing, suffocating presence. But there was something very reassuring about this particular Keja vampire.
Having sat down and exchanged smiles and nods with everyone – and having given the dogs a brief stroke – I raised a brow at Antonio. “Are we early or is this supposed to be a private meeting?”
“Private. It is not work-related. I have some news for you, Jared.” Antonio looked both sympathetic and hesitant. “Your mother…she passed away just last night. I believe the funeral will be taking place in a few days if you wish to make a discreet appearance and—”
“No.”
The one word response took me totally by surprise. Not simply because he didn’t wish to attend his mother’s funeral, but because it had been so hard and resolute.
Antonio released a long breath. “I thought not. However, I felt it better to give you the option.”
“How do you know she died?” I asked, suspecting Antonio had kept tabs on the woman but not understanding why he’d bother.
“As you know, a person must disappear when they have been Turned. Their family often reports them missing, and there are investigations and searches. In such cases, it is imperative to monitor the families and ensure that the investigations fail. The secret of our existence has to be preserved.”
“Jared’s parents didn’t stop searching for him and Evan” – Jared’s twin brother who was also a vampire – “all these years?” I frowned at the look he gave Jared. Again, it was sympathetic. Why be sympathetic about the idea that his parents hadn’t given up on finding him and his brother?
Sebastian’s tone was cautious. “You realise that Evan’s response may be different from yours?”
Jared shrugged at the tall Keja who, as always, was dressed in an Armani suit. “His decision is his own. I won’t interfere with his, just as he won’t interfere with mine.”
I’d never heard him sound so cold and hard before. “Jared, she was your mum, she—”
“She was Evan’s mom,” he corrected, “but never mine.” And then the shutters went down. Apparently that was the only answer I was getting.
When it came to questions, Jared was seriously the artful dodger. I’d quickly come to realise that he was very guarded. Whenever I asked about his past, he would instantly shut down. It wasn’t just his human years that he was vague about; it was his years as a vampire before joining Antonio’s legion. Whenever I pressed him, he turned into an arsehole, literally emitting ‘fuck off’ signals, but I knew it was just to distract me from my questions.
It didn’t seem that he was hiding deep, dark secrets. No. It was more like he didn’t want to think on life before The Hollow. When we had Merged with each other during the attack, I had automatically had access to his thoughts, feelings, and memories. I’d known he was worried for me, had known that he loved me, but as for his memories…There had been nothing from before The Hollow. Nothing that he cared to remember, anyway.
His seeming inability to open up to me was one of the reasons why I worried that he’d find himself backing out of the Binding. Not that I thought he didn’t care for me as much as he claimed to. There was no way I could doubt the extent of what he felt; it was all in his body language, in his vocal tone, the constant touches, the heated glances. And he had this way of looking at me like nothing else mattered. It was all extremely intimate. Powerful. Even disorientating at times.
The problem was that Binding didn’t allow for mental barriers. It wasn’t like marriage − the connection wasn’t something that a person could later free themselves from. Even if the couple came to hate each other, the psychic link could only be broken by death. As such, there wasn’t space for doubts. But if Jared feared being open with me, if he felt this need to hold back, there was every chance that he would back out of the Binding.
Maybe it would make sense for me to cut and run, but this was someone I cared about. If he was deeply scarred by something, I wanted to know what it was. He’d helped me with my scars. He had made me realise that my past as an unwilling consort for my Sire didn’t make me dirty or unworthy; it didn’t mean that I couldn’t have a normal, sexual, and even loving relationship with someone else. With him. I wanted to do the same for him. “Jared—”
Ignoring me, he spoke to Antonio. “There’s something that Sam needs to talk with you about.” He turned to me then. “Tell him.”
I narrowed my eyes at his swift change of topic. We’ll continue this conversation later, I told him telepathically. I wasn’t telepathic myself, but as Jared was, he could hear any thought that was directed at him by anyone. His nod was reluctant.
“I’ve been having these dreams,” I told Antonio. “I don’t think they’re anything to fret about, but they’re bugging me.”
The powerful vampire cocked his head, making his thick, black hair drape over his shoulder like a curtain. “What kind of dreams?”
“It’s always the same. I wake up, and there’s this female vampire there who wants me to follow her into the living area. In there is a huge mirror, which turns out to be a doorway. Through it, I can see a bungalow situated in the middle of nowhere. She steps through the doorway and wants me to go with her, but I never go.”
“And you sleepwalk to the living area every time you have the dream,” said Jared.
“So you may not be dreaming at all,” mused Sebastian, pursing his full lips.
Jared nodded. “Exactly.”
Antonio exchanged a look with Luther before asking me, “Does she speak to you?”
“No.”
Luther, who looked like he’d just stepped out of a J. R. R. Tolkien book with his long white hair and beard, leaned toward me. “What breed of vampire is she?”
“She doesn’t have a red or amber tinge to her irises, so I’m guessing she’s a Sventé. Wait, why are we talking about her like she’s real?”
“Because it’s possible that she is.” Luther rested his joined hands on the table. “There is a Sventé gift that allows a vampire to invade dreams, but they can only enter the dreams of other Sventés. Dreamwalkers, they’re called.”
“And you think she might be a dreamwalker?” At his nod, I asked, “Why would she come to me?”
“If she needs help – which is my guess – she will try to contact someone who can aid her. As I said, dreamwalkers can only invade the dreams of other Sventés. You’re the most powerful Sventé there is, and you are closely linked with Antonio. It makes perfect sense for her to reach out to you.”
“Or,” drawled Jared, “this could be a trap.” Luther tilted his head, allowing that.
“But it could be someone who truly needs help. I can’t ignore that,” I told Jared. I sensed his anger before he even spoke.
“Don’t think you’re going there, Sam. Not a chance will I let you take that kind of risk.”
“Let? Jared, don’t be a wanker.”
“I’m serious. If we find this place, we could be walking right into a fucking trap.”
“And that’s why we won’t go alone. We’ll take the squad.”
Antonio quickly interjected, “Jared, I realise that Sam’s safety is important to you, but you need to channel that protectiveness into watching out for her while on assignments.”
I was expecting an outburst, but what Jared did was shrug. A shaft of smugness shot through him. It wasn’t until he spoke that I understood why.
“The probability of us finding this place is second to none anyway. It could be anywhere.”
“Actually, I may be able to assist with that.” Luther’s words naturally didn’t go down well with Jared. “Sam, if you were to hold my hand while replaying
the dream through your mind, there’s a possibility that I can help.”
I shrugged. “Sure.”
“Sam,” Jared bit out.
The overprotectiveness was unbelievably annoying, but sensing his anxiety and concern made some of my anger fizzle away. Holding his gaze, I again spoke to him telepathically. You know you wouldn’t stay behind if I asked you to, just as I can’t, no matter how much this pisses you off. That’s not who we are.
You don’t get what it would do to me if something happened to you.
I do, because I get just as worried that something will happen to you. So stop with the bloody sulking.
Leaning across the table, I took the hand that Luther offered. “All I need to do is close my eyes and recall the dream?”
“Yes, let it play out in your mind.” So I did. A short moment after he had released my hand, his eyes flew open. “I need a pen and some paper.”
In vampire speed, Sebastian disappeared out of the room, only to return with both.
After scribbling down some numbers, Luther slid the sheet of paper to Jared. “Coordinates. If you teleport there, you will find the building from Sam’s dream.”
Jared folded the sheet of paper and tucked it into his pocket. He then went to stand, but Antonio’s words stayed him.
“There’s something else, Jared.” His tone made it clear that this ‘something else’ wasn’t good.
Jared stiffened. “What?”
Again, Antonio’s expression was sympathetic. “I had no choice but to grant her request. Understand that.” There was disdain in the way he spoke of this woman, and that was seemingly all it took for Jared to know who Antonio was referring to. I felt his surprise quickly give way to anger.
Jared’s words were spoken through clenched teeth. “I don’t want her here.”
Although I had no idea who this woman was, I strangely felt a prick of jealousy. “Who are you talking about?”
“Jared, you must have anticipated that she would want to meet Sam.” Antonio didn’t look pleased about that. “Given who you are, there was no way that she would not hear about the upcoming ceremony.”
“She’s not going anywhere near Sam,” Jared stated firmly. “You contact her, and you tell her that she isn’t to come here.”
Starting to feel a little unsettled, I pressed, “Who is not going anywhere near me?”
“I don’t think she will harm Sam,” said Sebastian reassuringly.
“I don’t care.” Jared set his jaw. “She’s not getting near her.”
That was it. I’d had enough. Sucking the energy around me into my palms, I released an air blast harsh enough to have everyone’s hair rising. “Who the fuck is ‘she’?”
Jared rubbed my nape soothingly, but I wasn’t soothed. “Magda is” – a heavy sigh – “the woman who Turned Evan and me.”
“A woman Turned you?” This time, jealousy bolted through me.
Sensing it, he gently squeezed my nape. Hey, you don’t have to feel even the slightest bit jealous. I fucking hate her.
Maybe that should have made me feel better, but it didn’t. To me, ‘hate’ wasn’t a measure of dislike, it was an emotion. A very strong emotion. To feel such a strong emotion for someone, they had to have affected you in a very deep sense. I had to wonder if she was more than just the woman who Turned him, if she was an ex-partner − maybe even the reason why he was so guarded.
Evan had once told me that Jared had never really liked a woman in more than a physical sense before me, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t. No matter how close you were to a person, there would always be something about them that you didn’t know. There was really no ‘knowing’ anyone. Well, in my experience anyway.
Sebastian sighed, flicking his peppery black hair from his face. “She heard the announcement that the Heir has claimed someone. I think we can safely guess that she has not taken it well, though she says she simply wants to meet the woman you have claimed and to…”
“And to what?” I prodded, though I was pretty sure what the answer would be.
“To be present at your Binding ceremony, as is her right as the vampire who Turned Jared.”
“And it’s such a bad thing that she’s present because…?” No one answered me.
“She won’t be present.” Jared’s nostrils flared. “Fuck her rights.”
“Why do you hate her so much?” He didn’t answer me. So I kicked him under the table. “At least tell me why you’re so determined to keep us apart?”
His eyes were sad. “Because she likes to hurt people who mean something to me.” Again, the shutters went down.
Oh he was a pain in my arse.
Jared stood, sighing. “I guess it’s time we go get the squad. First, I need to call Evan.”
I could guess why: he wanted to warn his brother about Magda. As he went to the corner of the room to take the call, I arched a brow at Antonio. “If he’s not going to tell me anything about this woman, can you at least shine a light on things?”
Antonio shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I would prefer not to involve myself in what may become a domestic argument.”
When I switched my attention to Sebastian and Luther, they both stood so sharply that the table shook and the pen came rolling down to me; I knew they were intending to scarper before I had the chance to question them. Cowards. Huffing at Luther, I handed him the pen. It was as he touched it that he gasped and his entire body tensed. The surprise in his eyes was quickly replaced with worry and unease.
“What?” I demanded, though my voice was shaky. He simply shook his head. “I know you had a vision, and it obviously spooked the hell out of you. What did you see?”
His smile was forced. “Yes, it was a vision, but it did not concern you.”
“Bollocks.” I leaned across the table. “You listen to me, Gandalf. I’m about to walk into what could potentially be a trap. If there’s something to worry about, I want to know what the bloody hell it is.”
“I’m sorry, Sam, but I fear that this is a path you must take.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Jared as he returned to my side.
I pointed at Luther. “It’s him over there doing his ‘riddle me this, riddle me that’.” And right then, I didn’t have the patience for it. “Let’s go before I set his beard on fire.”
Narrowing his eyes at the three Kejas opposite us, Jared linked his fingers with mine. There was a queasy sensation in my stomach, and then we were in the living area of his rather impressive apartment. He pulled me flush against him, locking his arms around me. “I’ll go pack my stuff so we can drop it at your place before we leave. Are you sure I can’t talk you out of going to check out the bungalow?”
“Nope.”
Resting his forehead against mine, he exhaled heavily. “Just promise me one thing. Promise me you won’t Merge with anyone.”
Although vampires each only had one gift, Bestowers like Antonio could impart power to another vampire and, thus, allow them to develop another gift. He had done this for me once as a reward, and had done it twice for Jared. “It’s one of my gifts—”
“And it’s a dangerous one. The last time you used it, you nearly got too overwhelmed by power, and I almost lost you.”
I grabbed the lapels of his matrix-style leather jacket. “Look, it’s sweet that you’re so determined to protect me, but I’m a big girl.”
“Yes, and you’re my girl. I want you safe and here with me. Promise me.”
“I only use it as a last resort.”
“Sam.”
A sly thought came to me. Ordinarily, I wasn’t a sly person, but when needs must…“I’ll make you a deal. You tell me about Magda, and I’ll promise not to use that gift at any time tonight.”
He narrowed his eyes. “That’s a shitty deal.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting. You close yourself off from me all the time, Jared. It’s not fair. I trusted you with all my shit. Now I’m asking you to do the same.”
After a long moment, he nodded and took a seat on his corner leather sofa. It was a minute or so before he finally spoke. “Evan and I already knew about vampires before we Turned. One night on our way home, we were walking down an alley, and we saw this guy chomping on some girl’s neck. He heard us coming and looked up; his irises were glowing amber, and his fangs were showing.
“He told us to turn around, to forget what we had seen and take another route to where we were going. I could feel the power, the push in his voice, but…I don’t know, it just didn’t work. The same went for Evan. I know now that he’d obviously had the gift to hypnotise, but for whatever reason it hadn’t worked on us. The vampire realised and started laughing. He seemed fascinated with us, and we actually became friends.”
Sensing his reluctance to go on, I perched myself on the sofa beside him and nudged his knee with mine. He gave me a put-out look but continued.
“Evan and I went to a club with him one night. It was a place where a lot of vampires went. Magda was there. I’ll be honest, I was a little mesmerised by her. It was mostly because of the natural glamour that comes with vampirism, I guess” – Hmm, not feeling good about Magda right now – “but it was never more than sex to me. She told me she loved me, but I hadn’t felt the same. I’d thought I cared about her at the time, though. In truth, I’d really just been kind of…I don’t know…a little infatuated with her.”
Did that make me feel a little better? No. Although I’d never been a possessive person, I could be quite possessive with Jared and I even had my jealous moments. This was to be one of those moments.
“She said that she wanted to Turn me. I probably should have considered it. My job bored the hell out of me and it didn’t exactly pay well. My apartment was a shithole. I owed a serious amount of money to some seriously bad people. But there was Evan. I wouldn’t have left him like that. And, although I’d thought I cared about her, I still hadn’t wanted to give up my life for her. So I said no. She looked pissed, and I thought she was going to Turn me anyway. Instead, she told me to spend the next day thinking it over. But I hadn’t changed my mind, so I didn’t go back to the club that night.