Chapter 28
“Gran?”
“Oui, Jéhenne, c’est moi! What do you think then? I must admit it’s wonderful to be young again. I hadn’t realised how much I missed it.”
She laughed and did a twirl and I noticed with a stab of envy that she was beautifully dressed in a fitted halter neck dress.
“Very nice.”
I slammed the car door with more force than was strictly necessary, trying hard to keep the jealousy out of my voice.
“Oh, Jéhenne, you’re not still annoyed are you?” She sighed and put down the basket she’d been carrying and leant back against the wall of the cottage crossing her arms.
“Annoyed?” I repeated the word with something close to disbelief. You had to hand it to her she really had a nerve. “Annoyed doesn’t quite cover it, Gran.”
I looked at the young woman in front of me and realised she was as far removed from anyone’s Gran as you could possibly get.
“How about Inés?” she said dryly.
“Whatever,” I muttered pushing past her and fitting the key in the door. Stupidly I had thought today couldn’t get any worse, how wrong can you be? I went into the house and she stood in the doorway looking a little awkward. Good, I thought spitefully, I wasn’t about to make it any easier for her.
“Can I come in?”
“No.”
“Jéhenne, please, this is silly.”
“No Gr--Inés! Silly is a row over shoes or whose turn it is to wash up. Attempted murder is not silly!” I yelled. I could feel the tips of my fingers begin to heat and tingle and I had to concentrate for a moment to will the magic away. The urge to throw a spell at her was hard to resist.
“Well, it’s not as if I succeeded!” she spat back, adding, “more’s the pity,” under her breath. I glared at her. “Besides, you can’t murder someone who is already dead.” She smirked, her eyes glittering with malice.
I walked towards her until we were standing nearly toe to toe and looked her in the eyes
“He had done nothing to you and you nearly killed him. I’ll never, ever, forgive you for that.”
She gasped, truly shocked. “How can you say that,” she demanded. “He murdered Adrian!”
At least I now knew why she believed this was true.
I shook my head. “No.”
This was her one chance to hear the truth and accept it. If she didn’t ... well I didn’t want anything more to do with her.
“He didn’t do it,” I said, my voice flat, daring her to contradict me. “Adrian wanted to be turned and you know it. He asked Corvus and Corvus petitioned the Senate but they turned him down. Corvus refused to help Adrian without the Senate’s consent. Tacitus is the one who actually did it, he’s the one you should blame. He turned Adrian and trapped him in a cave and by the time Corvus found out he’d been there for days.” I felt my voice growing strident with emotion as Inés stared at me, clearly not believing a word of it. “Corvus tried to help him but it was too late, he was too far gone. He had no choice but to kill Adrian and it was all because of Tacitus.” By the time I’d finished I was breathless and furious but she was having none of it. Inés had despised Corvus for so long she simply couldn’t see past her hatred.
“He told you lies, Jéhenne!” She slammed her hand down on the kitchen table, sending a shower of sparks glittering to the floor. “And you believe a filthy vampire over me?”
It looked as though I wasn’t the only one who had to work to keep their magic under control. The thought made me feel better and I sighed, feeling calmer. She could think what she wanted - it wasn’t my problem.
“Yes. Though he didn’t tell me, he showed me.”
“What?” she murmured in disbelief.
“He showed me what happened - everything. Including the moment you found him when he killed Adrian. It was just as you described it ... but it wasn’t his fault.”
“You mean he showed you his memories?” She looked genuinely shocked.
I nodded and she just stared at me. “He must have found a way to change them.”
“No. He didn’t!” I shouted, furious with her stubborn refusal to accept the truth. I knew I had no hope of changing her mind. She simply didn’t want to believe me. It was easier to keep hating him. “I really don’t care if you believe me or not. I have nothing more to say to you.”
I walked into the kitchen and put some ice in a glass before filling it up with juice. I didn’t offer her one. She wasn’t staying.
“I brought your birthday present.” Her voice was quieter now and she was looking awkward again. “I didn’t come yesterday because I knew you wouldn’t be pleased to see me and … well, I didn’t want to spoil your birthday.”
I shrugged and felt a slight twinge of guilt, but not enough to be nice.
“There’s something from your Mum and Dad too.”
“Really?” I had to admit, I was surprised.
“Did you think they would forget you?” I caught the sarcastic note in her voice.
“Well, they seem to have been giving it a bloody good try.” I snapped back.
“Jéhenne, one thing you must know by now about Corbeaux women is that they are stubborn and unforgiving.”
She smiled at me and put her basket on the kitchen table before turning and walking out the door.
I stared at the basket before picking it up and shoving in the cupboard under the stairs. “Damn right,” I muttered and headed up to my room.
Just after dusk I pulled up outside the Château to find Remé’s car already there. I’d been working myself up about seeing Corvus ever since Remé had made me agree to it. I’d been lecturing myself all afternoon. I was not going to get bullied into doing something I didn’t want to do, like living the rest of my days in hiding. I was going to stand up to him, no matter what. With that in mind I took a deep breath and headed into the Château. I saw Cyd on the way in who smiled at me and directed me to the hall where Lucas had challenged Corvus. I hoped it wasn’t an omen.
When I walked in, Corvus and Remé were chatting with Rodney and quite a few others were milling about talking, I got the impression a meeting had just broken up. Corvus looked up and smiled at me as I approached and I smiled back, my heart lifting despite my anxiety - then he went and spoilt it.
To be fair, I knew I was being unreasonable, but when he took my hand his skin was warm. He’d fed and not from me. I told myself I was being completely irrational, he was a vampire, he’d only ever fed from me twice and only during one of those had I been a willing partner. I could hardly expect him to starve himself to death … or whatever. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be a permanent blood donor. This logic however didn’t seem to be able to permeate the red haze that was clouding my mind from the thought of his mouth on another woman’s neck, and I was bloody sure it had been a woman. I was overwhelmed by a wave of jealousy so intense I felt sick.
I saw a frown crease between his eyes.
“Jéhenne?”
I tried to snatch my hand away but before I could, his gaze had landed on the bracelet that Corin had given me that morning and he tightened his grip. I glanced up and noticed the frown had changed, his face was rigid - apart from a tiny muscle jumping in his neck. Uh oh.
“Where did you get this?” His voice was dangerously low and rang every alarm bell with stunning clarity.
“It was a birthday present.” I tried not to sound defensive. If he was going to get all jealous and ridiculous over Corin giving me a present he had really picked the wrong moment. My own jealousy was obviously irrelevant.
“It’s elvish!” He spat the words out as if they caused him offence.
“Well it would be.” I glared back, my words heavy with sarcasm. “Considering it was an elf who gave it to me.”
His grip tightened on my hand and I could feel the bones grinding together.
“You took a gift, from an elf?”
He sounded incredulous. His pupils dilated and I was looking into fathomless blac
k, his anger pressing around me and stinging my skin. The last time he’d looked at me like that he’d been threatening to kill me. OK, maybe this wasn’t just jealousy. I stood up straight and stared back at him, remembering my resolution not to be bullied.
“From Corin,” I clarified. “It was a birthday present.” I was thankful my voice didn’t tremble.
“Have you accepted any other gifts?” he demanded. His voice was full of restrained fury and he practically growled at me.
“I … no … I don’t think so,” I replied in confusion, aware suddenly that everyone in the room was watching this conversation in horror, and I had no idea why. Corvus snatched up my other hand.
“Think!” I jolted in shock, as his voice cut through me and my reaction was instantaneous. As the flames erupted from my fingertips, he dropped my hands with a bellow of pain.
“You don’t speak to me like that!”
The voice that came from my mouth seemed to shock everyone, not least of all me. It was furious, commanding and powerful. Everyone in the room, except for Corvus took a step back. He looked at me in surprise for a moment before collecting himself.
“Jéhenne, surely you know what happens if you accept a gift from an elf?”
“No?” But when I answered a tiny finger of ice threaded its way up my spine as I remembered Corin’s guilty expression.
“She’s lying!” spat Lucas from the corner of the room.
I turned and glared at him in astonishment, my fingers itching with the desire to roast him. I breathed in and tried to keep a grip on the stress and anger that had been building all day and was now threatening to overtake me. Thankfully, Corvus quelled him with just a glance and he bowed his head. Corvus looked back at me and I could see the effort it took to calm himself before he spoke. It didn’t work.
“For each gift you accept from an elf you become more indebted to them.” I watched him and felt everyone in the room was holding their breath, which was actually ridiculous as only Remé and I really needed to breathe. He paused before adding, “If you accept three gifts, they own you.” He bit the words out, eyes black with anger ... and fear.
“No.” I let out a breath, shaking my head. Corin couldn’t have done that to me. I wouldn’t believe it.
“You should know this, Jéhenne!” he raged at me. “Everyone knows this! How can you have been so damned ignorant?”
His fury made me take an involuntary step backwards, until indignation at the unfairness of his anger gave me some back bone. I clenched my hands into fists in case I should set fire to something or someone accidentally, or possibly on purpose.
“How could I have possibly have known that, Corvus?” I demanded.
“Ignorance is no defence,” he growled.
“Unbelievable! You go on about how you want to protect me but the first time I get caught out because no one told me how to protect myself - it’s my fault! Why didn’t you warn me?” I yelled at him in fury. “You knew I was seeing Corin? Or you?” I pointed at Rodney who shrunk back guiltily. “You could have told me. Why didn’t Gran tell me?” I screamed desperately, feeling on the edge of losing it completely as I realised, not for the first time, Gran never did anything without an ulterior motive.
“Jéhenne, we do not have time for a tantrum.” I swallowed nervously, his now icy calm doing more to unnerve me than his anger. “I need you to think. Did you accept anything, anything at all from Corin other than the bracelet? It could be something insignificant.”
I ignored the tantrum dig with remarkable restraint, shocked by the tone of his voice, and tried frantically to remember.
“Biscuits,” I said with a sinking feeling.
“What?” Corvus growled.
“When … when we were apart, I wasn’t eating. H--he gave me a box of biscuits.”
Corvus strode up and down swearing viciously, a stream of words in a tongue I’d never heard before I met him … but there was no mistaking their meaning. I noticed a couple of vampires edging quietly from the room and really wished I could follow their example. Before I could try it, Corvus had me gripped by the shoulders.
“Is that all?” he snarled, his fury sending a fierce burning sensation down my arms.
“Yes.” I tried ineffectually to wriggle away. “Now let me go, you’re hurting me.”
“I’m hurting you?” He laughed spitefully. “And what will you feel when Corin takes you to his realm, against your will?”
“He won’t do that,” I said with far more conviction than I actually felt.
I heard movement behind me and saw Corvus turn his attention to Lucas who had stepped forward.
“Do not think that we would follow you to war on behalf of this … witch.” He emphasised the word as if it was something beneath contempt and I felt my temper snap.
“Bastard!”
Before I could think or Corvus could act to stop me, an arc of blue flame descended on Lucas and encircled him with a wall of fire. Some of the vampires actually shrieked and leapt away - both from me and from the flames. I felt a measure of satisfaction as they looked at me, something akin to fear in their eyes. Now they could have a taste of how the other half lived.
“Jéhenne! Put it out,” ordered Corvus, looking at the flames in horror.
“No.” The look on his face was priceless - he really hated to be disobeyed. “You. Are. Not. My Master!” I made sure each word was clear and precise. There was an audible gasp around the room. Remé, obviously sensing imminent disaster, stepped forward before Corvus could open his mouth.
“Aah, Jéhenne, you know, vampires being so old can be er … somewhat flammable.”
“Oh, I’m not burning him!” I shouted in irritation. “Just teaching him a lesson - though if he opens his mouth again, I might change my mind!” I yelled loud enough that Lucas could hear me over the roar of the flames.
“You can do that?” Remé asked in amazement. “You can choose if the flames burn or not?”
“Well, yes of course.”
“Fascinating,” he murmured in awe.
“Jéhenne!” roared Corvus. “Release my second. Now!”
“Fine,” I muttered through gritted teeth. I raised my hand and lowered the flames until they were just a foot high. “One word Lucas, one step towards me and you’re toast,” I warned him.
He gave me a look that would have shrivelled me on another occasion, but in the mood I was in, it just pissed me off more. I returned the flames to waist height and increased the heat so that he looked seriously uncomfortable.
“Understand?”
He looked like he wanted to eat me, but nodded and held his tongue so I extinguished the flames. The hems of his trousers smoked gently, but other than that, he looked none the worse for wear … sadly.
“I am going to have to speak to Corin,” said Corvus, who was still glaring at me, rigid with anger.
“No you won’t,” I snapped. “I’ll deal with him.”
“Jéhenne,” he began, but I held up my hand and interrupted him.
“For a start, how are you going to arrange that? He’ll be waiting for me first thing tomorrow morning … during the day?” I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster. “And secondly, this is between me and Corin. I’ll deal with it.”
Corvus glowered at me.
“Oh for Christ’s sake,” I cursed. I was fed up with being kept in the dark and then blamed for my own ignorance. “I’ve had enough of this. This is not my fault! This time last year I thought that vampires were just a legend. They were confined to horror films and scary stories and I had no idea I was a witch. Unfortunately it seems I was wrong! Yet somehow, you think I should have found a way to learn the laws and ways of a world which you have inhabited for hundreds… thousands of years in a few months,” I screamed at him, aware that he was keeping his eyes on the sparks flashing around my hands. “You.” I stabbed his chest with a sparking finger. “Should know better! You let me down!” I turned on my heel and stalked out of the roo
m. I caught a glimpse of Rodney’s face on my way through, it was a mixture of awe and absolute horror.
I left the Château and ran to my car, slamming the door so hard the glass rattled in the frame. I drove off in a cloud of flying gravel and went home in an absolute fury. By the time I pulled into Rodney’s driveway I had just about got my temper under control - enough to risk entering the house without burning it down - only to have it flare up again when I saw Corvus standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. I wished I knew how he moved so bloody fast.
I slammed the car door again, despite the jeopardy to the window and walked around the house to the back door, but inevitably found him standing sentry again.
“I’m in a very bad mood and I don’t want to talk to you,” I warned him.
“That’s exactly why we need to talk.” He stepped closer, but I turned my back on him and walked around to the front door again.
“I can guarantee you’ll get tired of this game before I do.” He was leaning against the front door now, looking smug. I ignored him imperiously, opened the door and squeezed past.
“I rescind your invitation,” I yelled, and slammed the door in his face.
I went upstairs, washed and cleaned my teeth. Though it was barely ten o’clock I felt weary down to my bones and my bed was beckoning me. I pulled on some short cotton pyjama bottoms and a vest top and fell into bed without turning on the light. Smashing up the pillows until they were comfy, I fidgeted for a moment until I suddenly became aware of a weight beside me on the mattress. With a muffled curse, I fumbled for the light switch and found Corvus lying on the bed with his hands behind his head. He gave me what could only be described as a superior smile.
“It’s not your house, Jéhenne, and believe me, Rodney wouldn’t dare rescind my invitation - not even for you.”
I huffed and pulled the covers up to my neck in annoyance, crossing my arms over the top of them. “Fine, stay,” I snapped. “But I’m still not talking to you.”
We lay in silence for a while, with me seething inwardly.
“Lucas was right to be worried,” he said eventually. “I would have gone after you.”
He turned on his side, leaning on his elbow, but I refused to look at him. “The elves are dying out, Jéhenne, their entire race is in jeopardy and they are dying far younger than they ever did before. The modern world is poisoning them and there is only one thing that appears to cure them … vampire blood. Any vampire entering the elvish realm is unlikely to come out again.”
I looked at him and rolled my eyes. “Oh come on, you’re far more powerful than an elf aren't you?”
Corvus nodded, though this time there was no trace of smugness, it was simply a fact. “Yes, probably. Which is why they would never try it here. I could probably defeat a large number in fact, though I wouldn’t like to push the theory too far, they are fierce warriors and there are rumours about Corin's powers I would be foolish to dismiss. Once they discovered a vampire in their land however … they would come in their thousands.”
“You would still have come after me … knowing that?” I finally turned to look at him but he didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. I knew he would have done.
He reached out and tugged gently on a lock of my hair. “You were right, I did let you down. It wasn’t your fault that you didn’t know the rules. But maybe now you understand why I was so angry. I was afraid for you … for us both.”
I bit my lip and nodded. I supposed I owed him some sort of apology in return. “I’m sorry I tried to fry Lucas,” I said begrudgingly, though in truth I wasn’t sorry at all.
Corvus laughed and the bed vibrated with the movement.
“No you’re not and neither am I.” He grinned. “Now they realise you are not just some little human to be trifled with.” He let go of the lock of hair and brushed his finger across my cheek sending shivers running all the way to my toes. “They are even rather afraid of you.”
“And you’re happy about that?” I asked in surprise.
“Oh, yes,” he said, nodding. “They will not upset you without thinking twice about it now and after all, a powerful witch is a far more suitable consort to their Master.” There was a wicked glint in his eye and I opened my mouth to tell him exactly what I thought about being his consort, but his lips pressed against mine and I forgot what I’d been going to say.
“You’re impossible,” I said with a huff when he let me go, but it was less than half-hearted and I put my head on his shoulder.
We lay quietly for a while until a thought occurred to me.
“Corvus, if the elves are dying and you could save them why don’t you all just donate some blood?”
I heard him give a long suffering sigh before he answered.
“Jéhenne, there is just so much you have yet to understand.”
I felt my temper rise again and took a deep breath. “Well, explain to me then.”
“If I were to give my blood to them, I would be able to call them … make them do my bidding if I wanted.”
I turned to look up at him as this information sank in.
“Seriously?”
“How do you think a Master keeps control?” Blue eyes watched me carefully.
“Does it work on anyone, any race?” I sat upright as the implications of this power occurred to me.
“Yes.”
“Shit.” I breathed in awe. “So they would have to kill any vampire they took blood from to be free.”
“Yes.”
I almost asked him if he’d controlled people like this himself, but decided I’d be better off not knowing the answer.
Instead I asked. “Why don’t you all just go around doping up humans… or whoever, Why aren’t we all your slaves?”
“Because for me, it is distasteful and morally wrong, not to mention that it is now utterly forbidden by the Senate. There was a time when it happened often… but in the end, the slave was consumed by the blood and became nothing more than a vacuum. What you would call a zombie.”
I swallowed a wave of nausea at the thought of it but felt relieved by his answer.
“There will come a time when we can no longer conceal our existence,” he said, and I could hear the concern in his voice. “The Senate is well aware of this and are taking measures to delay the inevitable and ensure that when the time comes, we seem less … threatening to the world.” I laughed weakly at the thought of Corvus not looking threatening in the eyes of the world. A smile played at the corner of his mouth and he shrugged. “A losing battle?” he asked.
“Well, certainly a tough one. So what other little gems of information have you been keeping to yourself?” I demanded, only half joking.
A roguish crossed his face and he leaned forward. “Well,” he said, the word a soft breath over my skin. “For example, did you know vampires can smell emotions?”
He was looking down at me and leant into my neck breathing in softly.
“Ummm no.” I wondered nervously how many times I must have given myself away.
“The stronger the emotion, the simpler it is to detect. The big ones are the easiest of course, jealousy, anger, fear … and desire.”
Oh shit. I thought about all the times he must have known how much I wanted him and felt my face burn.
He put his hand on my waist pulling me closer, “You didn’t feel anything I didn’t feel myself - tenfold,” he reassured me and I felt a little better. “But one thing I don’t understand. This evening, when you came to the Château you were pleased to see me and then suddenly … you were very angry, jealous in fact. What did I do?”
“I …” Crap, I really didn’t want to explain this. Not now. Possibly not ever.
Yet as I thought about his mouth on the woman’s neck, my fingers tingled with heat and I gritted my teeth and pushed him away from me. I sat up in bed with my arms folded.
“And there it is again.” His eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I don’t think that’s going to work.” He sat up next to me. “Do you?”
I waged a silent battle with myself as to whether I should have this out with him or not. In the end jealousy got the better of good sense.
“Who was she then?” I demanded, finally giving into the fury that engulfed me at the thought of it. “One of those little sluts I saw at the party, did you make her feel like you did me? Did you sleep with her?”
For an instant I saw a smile flicker at the corner of his mouth and that smug male pride was all the spark my temper required. I launched myself forward, slapping his face so hard my hand stung with the force of it and little sparks showered the bed covers, burning tiny holes. I hit him again, a fist against his shoulder as hard as I could, over and over and he let me do it. We both knew he could stop me anytime he wanted, but he let me carry on until I subsided and flung myself away from him in disgust. He drew me, protesting, back into his arms and rocked me gently, stroking my hair.
“You know what I am, Jéhenne, how I exist. I cannot change that.”
“I know.” I also knew that it didn’t change how I felt.
“Would it have helped if it had been a man?”
I thought about it and shook my head. I swallowed before repeating the question I had to ask.
“Did you… did you…?”
“You already know the answer to that question,” he said, in a tone that would tolerate no argument, “I want you. Only you - and yes, I’m glad you were jealous.” He hesitated, taking my hand in his. “I would come to you, but I don’t know if that’s what you want. I know it makes you uncomfortable.”
“I don’t know - I don’t know what I want.” I picked at the little burn holes I’d made in the duvet knowing I was being unfair to him. “I just couldn’t bear her feeling so close to you, like I did.”
I felt him shake his head and looked up. “It wasn’t like that. When a vampire feeds they can make the donor feel whatever they want, pleasure, pain, fear or nothing at all. You felt what I was feeling because I allowed it. That’s why you felt so close to me.” He put his hand on my cheek and brushed his thumb across my lips. “I have never shared my feelings like that with another … only you.” He replaced his thumb with his lips, touching mine softly. “Only you, I promise.”
I wanted to believe him more than anything but he must have realised I was having a hard job accepting it.
“I promise she felt nothing,” he repeated. “She remembers nothing. It was an act of survival, nothing more… I swear it.”
I nodded wearily and leaned against him.
“Come, you’re tired.” He lifted me and lay me back on the bed.
I sighed as the pillows were blissfully cool against my skin. I still didn’t like the idea of what he'd done, but I knew I had to accept it, and I did believe what he’d said. It was a necessity and nothing more.
“Sleep Jéhenne.” His voice weaved through my thoughts and I felt the pull of sleep tugging at me. The day had been simply too full of revelations, my brain couldn’t cope with another thing but something nagged at my consciousness. I had to tell him something important.
“I still haven’t told you why I came to see you.” For a moment, I tried to fight the comfortable haze that seemed to cloud my mind.
“Later.” He wrapped his arms around me and I snuggled closer.
“But I’m the key,” I murmured.
“What do you mean?” he asked, his tone anxious now. “What key?”
“The key to Erebus…” I replied and drifted into sleep.