Chapter Eighteen
I went with the little black dress, suitable for concert premieres, dinner parties and cocktails with Russian vampires. Since I was going for more of a sophisticated look, I twisted my hair up into a loose chignon, set delicate gold hoops at my ears and I kept the makeup to a minimum. Of course I wore the cuff bracelet he’d given me, and my ring, which I still hadn’t taken off. At that point, I wasn’t sure if I was capable of taking it off at all; the very idea made me uneasy.
I decided to splurge on a cab to the hotel. Though the cold didn’t bother me, I didn’t want to take the chance of mussing my hair on a longer bus ride. That, and I wanted to look as though I didn’t care about money, even if it wasn’t true. The opulence of the Fairmont Hotel wasn’t lost on me. I’d stayed in my share of fancy places over the years on vacation with my parents, but when I was ushered up to the penthouse, I couldn’t help but gawk like a country bumpkin as the elevator doors opened.
There were two men dressed in identical gray suits standing outside his door, and they immediately stepped aside, opening the door for me to pass. Another gray suited man met me on the inside, ready to lead me through the suite to the living room where Aleksandr waited. They all moved in perfect silence, like they took their cues from an unseen and unheard presence, and it made me wonder… Was my host able to command them with the power of his mind? Or had they simply gone through the routine so many times, it was a symphony of synchronization?
Kursik was there for the handoff, extending his arm to me. “Thank you for joining me this evening. You look radiant, milaya,” he smiled, his eyes bright.
“Thank you for inviting me.” I slipped my arm onto his with my best Regency impression of manners, and hoped for the best.
“My gift suits you.”
“It’s exquisite, thank you. I ah, haven’t seen anything like it for a long time. Where did you find it?” Belatedly I hoped I hadn’t asked something gauche, like how much something cost, but he didn’t seem to mind the question.
“From a shared acquaintance, I believe. Please, join me for a drink. Champagne?”
Nodding absently over the drink, I took a seat on the couch, far more interested in what he’d said. “A shared acquaintance?”
“More than an acquaintance on both of our parts, I expect,” he chuckled. “I knew your maker well. Did she never speak of me?”
She? I tried not to choke on the champagne, but ended up with some of it going up my nose and it took me a second to keep from coughing, not having to breathe definitely coming in handy. “Perhaps. There are some things a lady never discusses,” I tried for a mysterious smile. This was better than I could have expected! He had a direct pipeline into my Sire, or at least, he thought he did, since he believed I was a few hundred years old. But it could be the same person, especially since Bishop recognized the bracelet and it fit the style of the ring. That meant… my Sire was the same vampire that turned Bishop!
Kursik seemed to find my response amusing, and his blue eyes twinkled as he raised the crystal flute to me in a salute. “Good, then I can count on your discretion for anything that passes between us as well.”
“Of course,” I pledged, trying to figure out how to steer him back to talking about my Sire, or maker as he called her. “How did it end up in your hands, if you don’t mind my asking? This was one of her favorite pieces, as I recall.”
“You know Carys, she didn’t want to leave me empty handed when she moved on. I do miss that girl,” he sighed, draining the remainder of his glass and a gray suited sentry immediately sprang forward to replenish it.
Carys. The name struck a chord with me, but I wasn’t quite sure why. “Were the two of you together long?”
“No, not very, just a few years.” Just a few years. Longer than any of my relationships combined, and it was like nothing to him. “But let’s not spend our time thinking of loves lost. Let us instead turn to the delightful company at present.”
Cool beans. That hadn’t gotten me very far, I was definitely no Mata Hari, but I decided to try again, especially since he looked at me like I was the next thing he wanted to sample. “How did you know she was my Sire, by the way?”
His brows rose a fraction in surprise. “You caught my eye from the moment I saw you. You reminded me of her straight away, but it was the ring that cinched it for me.” Kursik picked up my hand and pressed a kiss to the ring in question, tugging me a little closer.
“You think I look like her? I ah, I don’t really see it.”
“Surely you jest, milaya. The same bright hair, the same eyes… though you are blessed in certain areas she was not.” His fingers caressed the side of my face, down the slope of my neck to brush across the delicate skin at my bodice and my eyes slid shut at the touch despite my best efforts not to be swayed by his pretty words. “But beyond the physical resemblance, you share that same fresh innocence, coupled with raw power, it’s a heady combination.”
Talk about a heady combination, I was already half in a swoon. How had I thought I was in a position to resist giving the man anything he wanted? In that moment I didn’t much care. I didn’t have a boyfriend to be faithful to, why not enjoy Aleksandr’s attentions?
A cry of pain from the hallway broke the mood, and in a flash, the gray suits formed a protective line between us and the hallway that led to the door. The big, hulking guy who’d been with him at the Hart materialized beside us as if from nowhere, a huge pistol in his meaty hand, easily the deadliest looking guy I’d ever seen. A crash and a thud sounded closer and Kursik snapped his fingers. “Booth.”
“On it, boss.” Booth strode forward, shouldering his way past the minions to see what the trouble was.
“What is it, who’s out there?” I asked, nervous despite the fact that he looked cool as a cucumber.
“Be at peace, milaya. No harm will come to you when you’re in my company.” He used the opportunity to pull me closer, wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders. “Whoever it is would have to be a fool to try and broach my defenses here,” he murmured.
“Oh God… I think I know who’s that big of a fool…” The color drained from my face as I figured out what was going on. Right on cue, the suits parted like the Red Sea as Bishop strode into view.
“So, you finally decided to make your move.” Bishop’s eyes set to bore a hole right through Aleksandr’s head. Frak… He was about to ruin everything!
“Bishop, what are you doing here?” I tried to get his attention but he ignored me.
“I’ll need to see your papers.”
“You’re making a big mistake…” I tried again, but I could have been talking to a wall for all the good it did me.
“My papers? Are you mad? This is harassment, plain and simple.” Kursik rose to his feet with fluid grace, approaching Bishop without any fear, and to his credit, Bishop didn’t bat an eye when he got right up in his face. “Where is my man, Booth?”
“He’ll be fine. Eventually.” Bishop gave a careless half shrug.
“This is inexcusable, violating the sanctity of my stronghold…”
“I’m sorry, are you questioning my authority to be here?” Bishop’s eyes narrowed and his shoulders seemed to swell even broader. The enmity between them was palpable; I bet the testosterone in the air was off the charts. Kursik was the shorter man and not nearly as built, but I knew he was stronger than he looked. I still didn’t have a good idea which one of them was older and more powerful. I thought the dirty looks might spill over into violence, but then Aleksandr took a step backwards, recovering his smile.
“Of course not. I accept your governance here, I have no quarrel with the Jacari. I merely question the cause for your visit. Have I broken faith with any of the laws?”
“That’s what I’m here to find out.” Now his eyes swung to me, taking in the dress and the way I reclined on the couch with what I took to be disapproval. Aleksand
r turned to look at me as well, and I almost wished they’d go back to fighting to lay off the scrutiny.
“Ah, I begin to see the reason for your call. Do you lay claim to this woman?”
I held my breath, as Bishop’s eyes met mine, and I knew he wouldn’t do it, even before he opened his mouth to reply, so I cut him off. “Of course not. Bishop is like a brother to me. You’d never be jealous, would you, brother?” I challenged him to contradict me in front of Kursik, and he bristled, but remained silent.
“Yes of course, that stands to reason,” Kursik nodded, as if it explained the intrusion perfectly.
“Do you lay claim to her?” Bishop asked, finding his voice.
“What if I did? You’ve no authority to prevent it,” Aleksandr sneered, his posture challenging again. I stepped in before the night ended in bloodshed.
And not in a good way.
“Excuse me, no one’s doing any claiming tonight if I have anything to say about it,” I interrupted crossly, tired of being talked about like a piece of luggage. “You’ll have to excuse Bishop, his people skills leave a little to be desired. You can see why I’ve been avoiding him for the past three hundred years or so.” I rose to my feet, desperate to get Bishop out of there before he said something to spoil all the progress I’d made so far. “You’ll excuse me won’t you, while I have a private word with my brother?” Without waiting for a response, I strode to the terrace door and stepped outside. I needed some fresh air.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I hissed as soon as he’d closed the doors.
“Stop calling me your brother,” Bishop scowled immediately.
“What should I call you then? Pain in my behind? Are you following me now?”
“I was there when you got the invitation, remember? Sorry if it ruins your evening, but I’ve the right to check his license to have you, and I mean to.”
“License to have me? What are you talking about?” More vampire laws?
“If he’s acknowledging you as his progeny he need a license, just like anyone else, I don’t care who his Sire was.”
“His progeny…” Was that what he was so riled up about? He thought Kursik was my Sire? “Bishop, you have it all wrong…”
“It doesn’t look like you’ve got the best judgment right now. I can’t believe you’re taking his side like this. I thought you were smarter than that.”
“You’re the one leaping to conclusions. Idiotic conclusions I might add. If you’ll let me explain…”
“No, you listen to me for once. Try and get it through your head that you’re in danger here. Whether he’s your Sire or not, you don’t want a man like Kursik laying claim to you.”
“Since when do you care?” I tossed back at him angrily. What was this? I don’t want you but nobody else can have you either?
“I don’t. But this guy is dangerous.”
“So you keep telling me. I can handle myself, remember?”
“You are going to get yourself killed.” His eyes blazed with anger and I wasn’t sure who it was directed at.
“I’m already dead, right?” I quipped, trying to lighten the mood but all it did was make him somber.
“Final death is never something to joke about.” Bishop reached up to brush a strand of hair from my forehead, fingers clutching into a tight fist after the touch, as though he’d been burned. “But do as you like.” He turned to leave.
“Bishop, wait…” I caught hold of his arm, leaning close to his ear to whisper. “Kursik told me who my Sire is. We were way off, it’s a woman.” That got his attention, and he turned around, skepticism written all over his face. “No really, he said he knew her well. Her name is Carys, is that your Sire too?”
“What kind of lies is he trying to surround you with now?”
“Listen, it makes sense. Didn’t you say you recognized my bracelet as belonging to her? Well, she gave it to him. He said I remind him of her so I’m assuming that’s why she picked me. So that means we are related in a roundabout way.” I didn’t want to dwell on that overmuch since the way I felt towards him wasn’t at all sisterly, no matter what I’d told Kursik.
“That’s not possible.” Bishop looked like it was the last thing he wanted to listen to at the moment, and I couldn’t understand what he was so upset about.
“Why not? There’s no law that says it was a man who turned me, right?”
“No there isn’t, but it wasn’t Carys, I can guarantee you that.”
I started to clue into what was bothering him. Maybe his Sire was in town and hadn’t stopped in to say hello to him? That would put my nose out of joint too. “How do you know it wasn’t her? Just because she didn’t talk to you about it first…”
“It’s not possible, because Carys is dead.” His voice low and broken, whatever argument I’d been building up to fell out of my head at seeing his face.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t know,” I tried to approach him but he pulled away.
“So whatever romantic fantasies he’s spinning for you, get that notion out of your head. I told you, he thinks you’re hundreds of years old, any information he has is flawed. But do what you want.”
“Bishop wait…” I called after him, but he’d already vaulted over the side of the balcony. “Bishop!” Reflexively, I ran to the edge and looked over, but there was no sign of him in the mist of fog below. At my cry, the terrace doors opened, and Aleksandr stepped out, flanked by two of the gray suits.
“Is something wrong?”
Staring out into the murky night, I shook my head. Here I was, no closer to finding out who my Sire was or why I’d been chosen. All I knew was that Bishop’s Sire was dead and I sort of looked like her. Is that why he’d turned away from me? Or was that the only reason he’d looked at me in the first place? Suddenly I didn’t feel so much like enjoying cocktails and more with an intense guy like Aleksandr. I was tired of trying so hard to pretend to be something I wasn’t.
“Actually, I should probably go. Bishop reminded me of some responsibilities I need to see to. You understand…”
Kursik’s expression couldn’t be called understanding even by a stretch. For a long moment I thought he might object to my leaving, but instead he offered a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Of course.”
Relieved, I hustled past him into the room. “I’m so sorry for the way he burst in here. If any of your people are hurt…”
“It was nothing, no harm done.” I could see it wasn’t nothing to him, the blow to his ego was more severe than any physical harm to his staff, but it seemed certain he didn’t want to dwell on it. “May I see you again?”
I wasn’t sure how to reply to that. There was definitely something that needed working out between Bishop and me, despite his claims otherwise, and while I did find Aleksandr attractive, I couldn’t say there was anything real between us. Still, I wasn’t sure how to say no without offending him, so I nodded and smiled.
“Anja…” he called me back when I would have kept going straight for the door. “I could not help but notice the tension between you and your… brother. I would hate to be the source of any discord between you.”
“Bishop doesn’t need you to pick a fight with me, he comes up with trouble on his own.”
“Then he did not instruct you not to consort with me?”
That was a loaded question. On the one hand, it would give me a plausible excuse to call things off with Aleksandr, but on the other, I couldn’t help but feel like it would create more problems for Bishop if I said so. “I don’t let Bishop decide who I spend time with, he’s not the boss of me,” I said finally, and he laughed as though that was the funniest thing he’d heard all day.
“Delightful to the end,” he chuckled, leaning close to kiss my cheek. “Soon then?”
“Soon.”