Pressed into the lining of the boxs lid were pictures. The first was of the two of us last summer. Bones and I were on our swinging porch chair, his face in profile as he whispered something to me. Whatever it was, I was smiling.
The second photo was of me naked on a very tousled bed, clutching a pillow while lying on my side. My mouth was open, and I was sleeping with a sensual, lethargic expression on my face. One breast was visible while the other peeked out from the covers, as did the red curls between my legs. Somewhat embarrassed, of all things, I put it down and then noticed the writing on the back.
I took this one morning. You looked so lovely I couldnt resist. It makes me smile even now to imagine you blushing as you see it.
A strangled noise emerged from my throat at his familiar, elegant scrawl. I couldnt do this. It hurt so much I started to breathe in ragged, irregular gasps.
There was a folded note lying on top of whatever other items were in this box, with the wordsMy Beloved Wife written on it.
Instantly the letters blurred, because my eyes welled with tears that almost burned to get out.
Something in me knew if I read what was in that note, my delicate emotional control would disintegrate and Id go insane. I shut the box and slid it under the bed. Busy, I had to keep busy. With warped resolve I dressed in the first pair of pants and top I found, not even seeing if they matched, and nearly ran out of the room.
Doc picked his head up as I entered the basement. Hed been twirling his two six-shooter guns. Most vampires were into knives, swords, or other archaic weapons, but Doc had a fixation for guns. He was never without them.
Reaper, he acknowledged me.
How old are you?
If he was surprised by my sudden question, he didnt show it. Although Id been around Doc off and on for a week, we hadnt spoken at length.
A hundred and sixty, living years included. He had a pleasant Southern drawl that made each word sound more polite. Briefly I wondered if his colors had been blue or gray.
He held out one of his guns. Want to give her a whirl?
Id run as if chased about forty miles in the woods, done two hours of solitary swordplay and more thinking than could ever be good for me. Guns? Why not?
Your guns are female? Asked as I took the piece. It required cocking to load. Mine were semi-automatic or fully, depending on what the situation warranted.
Because, Cat, its the feminine persuasion thats always the deadliest.
Dark humor. Under other circumstances, I could appreciate that. I twirled the gun on my fingers, cocking and aiming it in a blur of motion. Knives might be my favorite weapon, but that didnt mean I was an amateur with firearms.
Very good, he noted. That wall has only dirt on the other side of it. Hows your shooting?
In reply I unloaded the barrel into the designated area in a succession of six shots that echoed like only one. Doc smiled at the triangle outlined in holes. I didnt return it, not knowing if my face could form that expression anymore.
Give me more bullets and Ill write my name, I said without real interest. What about you?
He took the gun and reloaded it. Then he spun both weapons in his hands with a speed my eyes couldnt follow, bouncing them off the ground and catching them, clanging them together in midair, and whipping them around his back and through his legs. All the while they went off, making the spectacle more dramatic by the bursts of loud fire. He had them back in my hands before the noise from the shots faded away.
Hows that?
I looked at the wall thirty yards away and got the joke. Doc had taken my triangle and turned it into an A, following up with a C and T with his fresh holes. Considering hed done it during that dazzling display of tricks, it was very impressive.
Youd be a hit with my team, I finally replied. My guys would think that was the coolest thing ever.
The law and I have a long, tangled history, he said with dry amusement. So Im happier far away from it.
How did Bones come about changing you?
Docs features sobered. He didnt. Hes my grandsire. Annette changed me.
Oh. Now I glanced at him in an objective feminine way, noting the leanness of his frame, his attractively drawn face, hazel eyes, and slicked-back brown hair. Yeah, he looked like Annettes type.
Figures.
It wasnt what youre imagining. Back in the eighteen hundreds, I came upon four men cornering a woman behind a saloon. I shot two of them and the other two ran off. I didnt know I wasnt protecting the woman-Id just denied her a hearty meal. Still, Annette didnt forget my misguided chivalry. When I was dying years later, she found me and offered me an alternative. So I took it.
It was something so like what Bones would have done, I turned away, blinking.Never forget a kindness. Apparently Annette believed that as well.
Youre not one of Boness and youre a Master, so youre not under Annettes line anymore, I reasoned out loud. So, then why are you here?
He gave me a solemn look out of pale brown eyes. The same reason you are. Because I dont forget my debts.
TWENTY-THREE
IT WAS DECEMBER 27,AND WE WERE ASSEMBLED in an opera house, of all things. I was dressed all in black, which suited my mood. I would have been fine wearing a garbage bag, but vampires dressed up for occasions and I had a part to play. Black leather boots completed the effect. The only color on me was the thin silver chain around my waist where several daggers of the same metal dangled. It was an unspoken threat and promise of protection combined.
Mencheres and I were center stage. Even though everyone in the theater knew why they were there, for formalitys sake, he repeated the news of Boness death. I refused to let any emotion appear on my face as those devastating words were spoken again, slicing into me with the same pain Id felt upon first hearing them.
and as was his decree, the Mastership of his line passes to his wife, Cat. Mencheres held out his hand and I accepted it. From this night forward, all who belong to you are mine, as all of mine are yours. To seal this alliance, blood is required. Catherine, you who are also known as the Red Reaper, do you offer your blood as proof of your word?
I repeated the required words I never thought would be crossing my lips. Then I drew a knife across my palm in a deep cut. Mencheres took the same blade and sliced his own palm, clasping his hand over mine.
My blood is also proof of my word. If I betray our alliance, it will be my penalty.
Our joined hands were raised for effect, mine tingling as it healed on contact with his blood, and then we let go. It was done.
Or not quite.
I refuse to call the half-breed my leader, and I challenge for freedom from her line.
Thomas, you insolent sod! Spade strode forward from his place at the perimeter of the stage. If Crispin were here, hed rip out your spine and flog you with it. But as his best friend, Ill perform that task myself.
In truth, I wasnt surprised. At any formal gathering, a vampire could request or challenge for their independence. If the Master wanted to be benevolent or it had been agreed on beforehand, they would grant it without a fight. But if not
Dont even think of it, Spade, I said. Bones would appreciate your intentions and so do I, but that man challenged me and Ill answer it.
Cat. Spade gripped my shoulders, lowering his voice. You havent slept in days, you barely eat or drink, and all you do is train. If not me, let Mencheres answer this. Hell make such an example of this sod that anyone else considering such a thing will find it markedly less appealing.
Youre right. Spade relaxed, but Bones would have known better. This creep does need to be made an example of, but by me. If I cant do this, then this line will be torn apart from the inside out. Thomas!
I pushed Spade back and went to the edge of the stage. Your challenge is accepted. If you want your freedom I cracked my knuckles and rolled my head on my shoulders. Come and get it.
Thomas walked toward the stage, one clean jump taking him onto the elevated platform. The rest of the vampires cleared a path, Mencheres cutting Spades further protest short with a wave of his hands. I almost smiled as I watched. This was the closest thing to therapy I could do.
How do you want to die? I asked, boring my gaze into his. Because you will, you know. So pick your poison. Swords, knives, mallets, or skin on skin.
Thomas was my height, and he had blue eyes and curling, brownish-red hair. All this I noticed while measuring his aura. He had the resonating power of a strong vampire. This wasnt a teenager in undead years.
I will kill you swiftly out of respect for my sire, he answered with an Irish accent.
I gave a sharp bark of amusement. Combined with his short height and round cheeks, Thomas reminded me of the leprechaun from the cereal I ate as a kid.Theyre after me Lucky Charms! I wanted to chant at him. Too bad he wasnt wearing green, that would have made it perfect.
If you had any respect for Bones, you wouldnt be challenging for your freedom in the middle of a war, I hissed instead. As he would say,Very bad form.
It was his misfortune to be enthralled by a witch such as you, he said as he selected a knife from the display of hastily arranged weapons. I didnt bother to pick-I was wearing several on my belt. You incited him to war based on an assault that never really happened!
There was an eruption of curses from several of the vampires on the stage. Cold fury enveloped me. Trying to go for the low blows, was he? All right, then.
I let out a cry and hunched as if struck. Thomas sprinted forward in a flash of speed. When he was on me, his knife millimeters from a killing blow, I twisted to the side and jammed his own blade deep in his stomach. Soon more sharp silver found a home through his heart. It all happened in less than a second.
You dumb fuck, guess you werent paying attention when Bones told you not to fall for a bluff.
With my knife in his heart, Thomas froze like hed been turned to ice. I leaned closer to almost whisper in his ear.
Tell Bones hello for me, I said, then twisted the blade in his heart. And when he gets ahold of you, youllreally be sorry.
I gave Thomass slowly shriveling body a kick that sent him down into the seat where the orchestra would normally sit. Then I tucked my knife back into my belt, not even bothering to wipe the blood off.
There was commotion in the back. The sound of doors banging open. I glanced up just as Mencheres came forward and gripped my hand.
Cat, I am very sorry, but I had no idea she would do this, he grated. You cannot attack her at a formal gathering, its against our laws. To do so would condemn us all.
Those words chased away my momentary confusion over who the five vampires were who entered the theater.Late arrivals, had been my first thought. Then that fucking laugh told me otherwise even as Mencheres was still speaking. I knew that laugh. It branded me.
Mencheres, my husband, arent you going to greet me?
My fingers whitened on his, squeezing so hard, Mencheress bones fractured as fast as they could heal. Patra had spoken to him, but her eyes were all for me as she descended the aisle with serpentine grace.
Patra didnt have the famous blunt Egyptian haircut so often shown in movies about her mother. No, she had threads of gold highlights in her long black hair. Her brows werent as thick as Hollywood suggested, either. Actually, they were slender. So was she. In fact, she was more athletic than voluptuous. Her skin was pale, but darker than mine. Almost honey-colored. Her nose was slightly longer than fashion favored, but there was no question about it, Patra was beautiful.
Why?
I spat the question to Mencheres while not taking my eyes from her. Everything in me was wound to the breaking point.Kill, was all my mind was capable of thinking.
Its our laws. As my wife, she can be present at any formal gathering, but she cannot attack us. Neither may we injure her, however. She seeks to provoke you to violence, but dont give her such an easy victory.
Oh, shed provoked me to violence, all right. I wanted to rip her apart and wear her blood for clothing. My eyes flared, green rays of loathing shining on her.
Hello, bitch.
She laughed again in an insinuating, purring way. So youre the half-breed. Tell me. A gleam appeared in her eyes. Have you slept well recently?
Some part of me was amazed I hadnt combusted in rage. The other half heard me laugh in a bright, chipper tone that was so at odds with how I felt.
Thats the best you can do? Oh, Patra. How boring.
Whatever shed been expecting, it wasnt that. Hell, I was surprised at myself.
Patra didnt like being laughed at. Her incensed expression was evidence of that.
Im not as stupid as youre hoping, I went on. Now, either shut up or leave, because youre interrupting things. Theres got to be a law about that as well.
Ill go. Her smile was contemptuous. Ive seen what I wanted. Youre nothing, and soon youll be less than that. But before I leave, I thought you should know why youre in this war in the first place. Im betting my husband hasnt told you, has he?
Told me what?
She laughed again, and I found myself thinking I hated her laugh more than any sound Id heard before it.
Havent you asked yourself why I turned against Mencheres in the first place? If I hadnt, then there would be no war, and no reason to kill you or Bones.
If she was waiting for me to encourage her to go on, all she got was silence. Patra sighed.
Very well, Ill explain. When Mencheres offered to make me a vampire, I told him I wouldnt cross over unless he changed my lover Intef as well. But after I woke up from my death, Mencheres told me Intef had been killed before his people could reach him.
She paused to give Mencheres a look filled with loathing.
Then one day Anubus, a former friend of Mencheres, broke his silence. Intef wasnt killed by the Romans. Mencheres did it. You see, little half-breed, youre in this war because Im finally getting revenge on my lovers murderer, so whosreally to blame for Boness death?
I glanced at Mencheres, who closed his eyes briefly before meeting my stare. I saw it then. That what Patra had said was true, every word of it. For a moment, I was overwhelmed with the urge to stab both of them for their ruthlessness in getting what they wanted.
Then I turned back to Patra. I get your motivation. But you should have just gone after Mencheres. Instead, you chose to kidnap peoples family members to force them to suicide bomb themselves. You chose to murder Bones, and for that, Im going to kill you. You of all people should understand why.
Patra smiled. Because I understand your pain, Im going to free you of it. She raised her voice. I offer amnesty to anyone who leaves her and joins me! Furthermore, to the man or woman who slays her, I offer a reward beyond your ability to fathom. You have the word of a god.
I gave her a stare that was harder than the diamond on my hand. You arrogant bitch, Ill see you dead, and thats the word of a half-breed.
Patra gave me a last disparaging glance and turned her back. Her four escorts flanked her as she ascended the aisle in the same sweeping manner shed arrived.
Only after the doors closed behind them did I let my breath out. I was so furious, I was shaking.
The silence was complete, absent of the typical human shuffling or nervous clearing of throats. I went over to the side of the stage where the weapons were and almost gently pulled out a sword. Better to deal with the repercussions of Patras offer now than to let the idea that I was too weak to lead simmer and grow.
All right, whoever believes that bitch and thinks they can take me, here I am.
The challenges came thick and fast, several different voices calling out. This time I didnt offer the choice of weapons-I kept my sword. And one at a time, I hacked, stabbed, or decapitated each vampire who stepped onto the stage. All my pent-up fury and grief I put into my blows, thankful that for those brief moments, I could feel something aside from pain.
When Id finished with the eighth vampire, running my sword through his heart so deeply half my arm followed, my outfit was sliced in dozens of places and gaping indecently in some. Ironically, my own injuries had healed with the continued contact of fresh vampire blood.
I turned toward the audience. Who else thinks they can cut me down?
No one else called out a challenge. I drove the sword into the center of the stage like it was Excalibur into the proverbial stone. Then I wiped some blood from my cheek with the ragged remains of my sleeve and turned to Mencheres.
Now can we leave?
TWENTY-FOUR
WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE HOUSE, THE BEDS yawning emptiness taunted me.See, it mocked,my sheets are straight.Theres no dip in my mattress where a long pale form lay waiting. Bones is gone. Hes never coming back.
With impotent wrath I flipped the bed, smashing it into the wall. All it did was expose the antique box with the letter inside I couldnt stand to read and destroyed a perfectly good bed. A waste, like all my plans for a future.
I dressed in sweats and a T-shirt and went downstairs, the box wrapped in a blanket Id yanked from the wreckage of the frame. The clock had just chimed two a.m., and no one was asleep.
Spade and Rodney were in the drawing room with Ian. Mencheres wasnt, and it didnt disappoint me. Seeing Patra had upset him, it was clear. Some part of me felt sorry for him. When hed married Patra, hed loved her. Not a wise judge of character on his part, but then no one was perfect. Even thousands of years later, that mistake was still haunting him.
You did well tonight, Cat, Ian said. Though you look like shit.
Normally I would have responded with something sarcastic, but it took too much effort. Instead I settled myself on the couch, tucking the box on the floor next to me. Whatever.
You need to sleep, Spade said for the hundredth time.
If I could fall asleep, then I wouldnt be sitting here listening to you guys bitch at me. Has Anubus divulged anything interesting yet?
Ian had been the one spending most of the time with him. Well, Ian and a few sadistic friends. Anubus no doubt wished theyd just kill him. They wouldnt, of course. No matter how much he might ask for that.
Blasted little, as it were. Ian grunted in exasperation. The sod doesnt even know how Crispin was taken or who else was at that train station besides the vampires we saw. It doesnt make sense why he wouldnt know more, but hes maintaining that he doesnt.
Well just have to try harder, Rodney grimly said. Be more inventive.
Even so, Spade agreed.
My fingers rubbed my temples to try and stem the migraine that had grown worse.
Ians right, you know, Spade said briskly. Youre in terrible shape, and you wont last much longer without rest. Shall I-?
You cant help her. I can.
Spade glowered at Tate as he entered the room. Ian and Rodney followed suit. If it bothered him, he gave no sign of it, and sat on the couch next to me.
Tate, I sighed. Maybe you should leave. Theyre all mentally playing catch with your skull.
He ignored that and handed me a prescription bottle. I called Don. This is measured for your bloodline, Cat, and itll make you sleep. Thats why Ive been gone for hours-I walked to the pharmacy so no one could trace a car or get plates if someone was watching.
The three other men in the room were as astonished as I was. I took the bottle.
Thank you. The anticipation of the brief nothingness sleep would bring me made it even more sincere. For a few hours, maybe, Id be released from grief.
He held out a glass of water. Youre welcome.
I swallowed the required dose and then lay back into the couch. The wooden box was still beside me, those words locked away inside it the closest substitute I had for Bones. After a few minutes, I felt the tension lessen in my body. The pills were strong and I had a fast metabolism.
Well done, lad, Spade said as I started to drift off. Perhaps youll be of use after all.
Bones and I agreed that we wanted what was best for her, was Tates hushed response. We just differed in what we thought that was.
Bones
His name echoed in my mind as I slipped into the waiting unconsciousness.
Maybe Ill dream of you.
Noise woke me. Somewhere in the house, there was a scream. Then the running of footsteps. Those sounds intruded inside the restless sleep the narcotics held me in.
What the hell-? I heard Spade say, his voice rising in pitch.
Bugger me dead!
Was that Ian? Couldnt they keep it down?
There was a shriek that sounded like Annette, and in such a high octave, I pulled the pillow over my head. Even that small effort exhausted me. If I could have, I would have bitched about the commotion. They wanted me to sleep, but then they made this kind of racket? Hypocrites.
There were the unmistakable bawls of Annette in loud, unintelligible bursts. Nearby, I heard something crash to the floor. My hazy mind thought it might have been Tate. Hed been balanced on the back of his chair legs when I passed out. Maybe hed nodded off as well and lost his equilibrium. Still, that didnt explain his mumbled sentence.
You have got to be fuckingkid ding me
There was now an unrestrained chorus of voices, numerous doors bashing, and so much uproar I opened one eye with difficulty. Above every other word a name finally penetrated, causing me to stumble from the couch in a heap.
Crispin!
need to see my wife, was all I heard before I started to scream, staggering over the coffee table in a blind frenzy to run toward that voice. My eyes were open but unfocused, everything in a hazy double outline that made the figure striding toward me look more like a wraith than a man.
Arms seized me, pressing me against a body that collided so forcefully with mine, we fell onto the floor. My face was stuffed next to a throat vibrating with that familiar accented voice.
missed you so much, Kitten, I love you
This is a dream, it occurred to me.A dream, and I will thank Don from the bottom of my heart for this fake chance to hold Bones again. God bless modern science and tons of codeine mixed with sedatives!
Youre dead, I slurred. I wish you were really here
Leave me alone with her. All of you, please, give us a moment. Charles.
Something was whispered too low for me to hear even though Spades dark head bent until it grazed my chin. He nodded once and kissed the pale face still blinking out of clarity to me.
Anything, my friend.
Please dont wake me up, I begged, terrified someone would shake me out of my dream. I clutched the figure that seemed so real, squeezing my eyes shut. Just a little longer.
Youre not dreaming, Kitten. Oh God, his mouth covered mine in a kiss that made my heart break. Im here.
They saw you dead, a-and shr-shriveled, and youre not r-r-real Reality and confusion mixed, increased by the pills and doubled with shock.
He carried me to the couch. This first, talk after, he said, breaking my water glass and slashing his palm with it. I didnt have much choice, since he clapped it over my mouth in the next moment.
With each drop I swallowed, my drugged-out haze began to lift, until I could clearly see Bones kneeling in front of me. My fingers shook as I reached out to touch him, half afraid this was another of Patras dream spells. One that would end with his body cruelly disintegrating before my gaze.
Bones caught my hand and squeezed it.
I devoured him with my gaze. Aside from his hair, which was shockingly white, he looked the same. His skin was as incandescent as always, and his dark brown eyes bored into mine.
Are you really here?
I couldnt shake the terror that he was a mirage. What if I let myself believe, and then woke up to find itwas a dream? I couldnt bear it. Id go insane.
With sudden desperation, I took one of those jagged pieces of glass and jammed it into my leg. Bones snatched it out, aghast.
What are you doing, Kitten?
The instant throb of pain was the most wonderful thing Id ever felt, because it meant I wasnt dreaming. Somehow, Bones reallywas here. The control Id had for the past few days evaporated and I burst into tears, launching myself at him even as he tried to push me back to heal my leg.
Youre alive, youre alive!
I couldnt stop repeating it even though I was hiccupping with sobs. Feverishly I ran my hands over him, feeling the familiar hard outline of his body under his clothes. Desperate to feel his skin, I ripped his shirt open, fresh sobs coming from me at the reassuring hum of power from his bare flesh.
Bones held me tightly. He was whispering something in my ear, but I couldnt make it out. The grief and agony from the past few days poured out of me, turning into joy and shaking me with its intensity. All the emotional control I prided myself on having was shattered, but I didnt care. Everything I thought Id lost was suddenly right here. I clung to Bones like Id die if I let him go, which was how I felt.
It might have been several minutes; it felt like only seconds. Bones set me back enough to kiss me again and I slanted my mouth across his, hungry for his taste. He pulled me even closer, letting out a groan when I wrapped my legs around his waist. Now my hands were running over him for a different reason. It wasnt desire I felt. No, it was a need that went beyond passion or compulsion to feel him inside me.
Bones must have felt it, too, because he didnt wait. There was more tearing of clothes and then the unbelievable ecstasy of his flesh driving into mine. I was gasping through the remains of my tears, pressing myself against him like I wanted to crush him, and then kissing him until I became light-headed from lack of oxygen.
It was fast and explosive. Bones climaxed moments after I did, with a groan of pleasure that was more than primitive. My heart was thrumming in my chest, which, considering all the chemicals in my system, might have been dangerous. Not that I cared. I could die right now and Id still count myself as the luckiest person ever.
You dont know how much Ive missed you, Kitten, Bones murmured.
Everyone came back, I breathed with the anguish of remembrance. Except you. I called your cell. Patra answered. She said
I stopped. That brought up the main question that my shock and joy at seeing him had delayed.
Bones, whathappened?
For the sake of not repeating it multiple times, Bones called in everyone after hed gotten some new clothes for both of us. I sat on the couch, drinking old coffee and trying to shake the last of the haziness from my brain. Boness blood had overpowered my drug-induced sleep, but to say I still felt out of it was an understatement.
When at last Bones let everyone back in the drawing room, he was swallowed up in a mass embrace. The person who almost cleared a path to him with a gun was Annette. She threw her arms around him, kissing him full on the mouth, before he turned away with an apologetic glance to me.
Dont begrudge her, I said, for once not jealous. She was as miserable as I was these past couple days.
When Annette finally released him, Mencheres put his arms around Bones with an expression of amazement, fingering his new white hair.
I have never been wrong before in my visions, he stated. I saw you withering.
Dont fret, you dont have a black spot on your record, Bones replied. But well get to that. Thank you for honoring our accord. I wont forget it.