Halloah, didnt recognize the number, Mencheres
The name snapped me to attention. What did Boness version of a vampire granddaddy want?
Boness relaxed features hardened into unreadable planes as he listened. Then he said, Right. Well see you shortly, and hung up.
Well? I prodded.
Mencheres is summoning me to his house to discuss a proposition he has for me.
I frowned. Why couldnt he just tell you whatever it is over the phone?
It must be important, pet, Bones snorted. My grandsire isnt much for dramatics, so whatever he wants to propose, its not whether Ill water his plants for him for a small fee when he goes out of town.
Even though I was bundled under a thick sweater, I felt a chill go up my spine. What could Mencheres want to discuss with Bones that was so important, he was having him drop everything to meet him in person?
There was only one way to find out.
Mencheres answered the door himself, and I couldnt help but shiver as I felt his aura wash over me. The waves of energy coming from him were like a mini lightning storm. Mencheress features announced him as Egyptian, and he had that whole wannabe pharaoh thing going on with his regal bearing and waist-length black hair. I guessed Mencheres to be well over two thousand, though from his appearance, you wouldnt think he was a day over twenty-five.
Nice place you have here, I remarked, looking over the ornate mansion as we entered. I can see why youd need the space, what with all your houseguests.
If Id thought wed be surrounded by Mencheress usual underlings, I was wrong. It sounded like we were the only three people in this mansion aside from some dogs. Mastiffs. Noble animals. I was a cat person myself.
Bones gave me a glance that made Mencheres smile. Dont worry, she can say what she pleases. I like her directness. Its very similar to yours, albeit less diplomatic at times.
My wife makes a good point, although tactless, Bones said. Normally you have several of your people on hand. Should I assume their absence means you wish to keep our business private?
Its what I thought you would want, was his reply. Before I go any further, can I offer either of you something? The house is fully stocked.
I bet it was. This place was three times the size of our home, and with huge grounds to boot. Bones had said Mencheres kept a vampire and ghoul staff with him, plus some members of his line, and then their live-in snacks as well. Being as old as he was, he had a large entourage.
Bones accepted an aged whiskey. I declined anything, wanting to get right to the point. Mencheres led us to a lovely drawing room done in masculine tones. Leather couches with buttery textures. A stone fireplace. Hardwood floors and hand-stitched rugs. One of the dogs came to sit at Mencheress feet when he settled himself on the couch opposite us. Bones had one hand around his glass and the other was holding mine.
Do you like the whiskey? Mencheres asked.
For the love of God, just say what your proposal is already, I burst out, since with Mencheress ability to read minds, he would have heard my internal, impatient wonderings anyway.
Cool fingers tightened around mine. I cant help it, I went on, more to Bones than Mencheres. Look, Im good at flirting with things and then killing them, or just killing them. Not beating around the bush. Mencheres had us fly all the way here for something, and it wasnt to ask if the whiskey was good.
Bones sighed. Grandsire, if you would be so kind
He waved a hand to indicate what the rest of the sentence dangled.Lets have it.
Mencheres leaned forward, his steel eyes meeting Boness dark brown ones. I propose a permanent alliance between your line and mine, Bones. If you agree to this alliance, I will give you the same gift of power that was once given to me.
Wow. Sure didnt seethat coming.
Bones tapped his chin while I shifted on my seat. Vampire politics made me edgy as a rule, and the thought of a permanent alliance with this particular mega-spooky vampire didnt make me happy at all. There had to be something behind this. I didnt see Mencheres throwing it out there solely to be magnanimous.
Bones seemed to agree. You want to merge lines and give me a power upgrade? Why do I feel like theres more than youre telling me, Grandsire?
Mencheress face was impassive. War is coming, Ive seen it. With your new strength and our combined lines, well have a better chance to win.
Youve seen it? I asked. Or youveseen it?
In addition to being able to mind-read anyone with a pulse, Mencheres was also known for his visions. Little glimpses of the future and all that. I wasnt sure whether I believed it-why wouldnt Mencheres be playing the lottery all the time?-but Bones believed Mencheres had that ability, and hed known him for centuries.
Its certain, Mencheres replied, no emotion in his tone.
Bones mulled this over. I kept silent. This was his call. He was the one whod known Mencheres all of his undead life. Far be it for me to start voicing my disapproval just because Mencheres gave me the heebie-jeebies.
Bones nodded after a long moment. Ill do it.
And I knew Mencheres could hear it when I thought,Aw, shit. He didnt comment, though. He just rose, all long black hair and sharp granite eyes, and then embraced Bones.
We will seal our new alliance next week. Until then, speak of it to no one but those you trust the most.
Then Mencheres released Bones and gave me a wintry smile.
Nowyou can leave, Cat.
The house Mencheres used to host the gathering in honor of his and Boness forthcoming alliance had sentimental value for me, in a way. It was the same mansion where Id met Ian when hed tried to blackmail me into joining him, but Id ended up binding myself to Bones instead. Apparently it belonged to Mencheres, and Ian had been just using it for that night.
Speaking of Ian, as Boness sire, hed earned himself an invite for tonights festivities. Bones also had all of the direct members of his line here, well over two hundred vampires, and that didnt count the ghouls hed had a hand in siring, which was roughly another hundred.
Mencheres couldnt fit all of his direct descendants without renting a football stadium, so power level and preference had decided the cut on who was invited. To showcase their new alliance, several prominent Master vampires of other lineages were present, and not all of them friendly.
Many of the ornate couches that had lined the area around the arena months ago were absent as well. There were too many people here now to have that much space taken up. It was practically standing room only, with chairs and couches reserved only for the very elite who dared to sit in them. At the arenalike center of the room, there were no such trappings. We would all stand.
This was the largest number of undead people Id ever been around. My skin practically danced from all the vibrations coming off them. Our troupe of elite guards consisted of Spade, Tick Tock, Rattler, Zero, and about a dozen more somewhat familiar vampires. Their names might escape me, but their power levels didnt. Even in a room filled with more than half of Bones and Mencheress people, our escorts were crackling with unspoken warning. I was glad I was on the inside of this group, not facing them in battle. Id be roadkill against them.
When we entered the square elevated platform, I had the sensation of being in a boxing arena. There was Mencheress side and Boness on either corner, no one talking. Even the spectators were hushed. Then Mencheres strode to the center and addressed the faces fixed on him.
Hed dressed in an Egyptian tunic, all white, with a belt around his waist that Id bet my ass was pure gold. Around his upper arms he had more gold bands, and his pale skin had a faint yellow sparkle. He must have dusted himself in it. With his long dark hair loose, held back only on his forehead by a thin lapis lazuli crown, he looked like hed stepped out of an ancient fresco from a pharaohs tomb. Hell, for all I knew, therewas a fresco of him somewhere in a pharaohs tomb.
All of you are here to witness me declare my loyalty in an alliance that will only be broken by death. From this night forward, I promise that every person who belongs to Bones is also mine, as all of mine are now his. As proof of my word, I offer my blood to seal this alliance. If I betray it in any way, it will also be my penalty. Crispin, you who have renamed yourself Bones, do you accept my offer to merge our lines?
Bones squeezed my hand once and went to stand next to the other vampire. I do.
Mencheres paused, maybe for dramatic effect. And what do you offer as proof of your word?
Boness voice was strong. My blood is proof of my word. If I betray our alliance, let it be my penalty.
Normally they would have each sliced their hands, clasped them in a formal handshake, and called it a day. Kind of similar to a vampire marriage ceremony, in fact. But there was more going on tonight than our guests were aware of. Everyone here knew that Bones and Mencheres were merging their lines, but what they didnt know about was the bonus activity. The transference of power. Only those of us on the platform showed no surprise as Mencheres eschewed the traditional hand cutting and bent his head to Boness neck instead.
There was a flurry of exclamations from the observers. Guess theyd caught on to what else this was about. Three rows up, I heard Ian spit out a foul curse, and I smiled.Uh oh, did someone feel slighted?
Ian wasnt the only one. There were several more unhappy voices from Mencheress side of the huge room. People whod obviously thought one day to be the lucky recipient of this gift themselves. That was the other reason why we had the guards with us. In case someone, or a group of someones, got more than vocal with their dissatisfaction.
Mencheres ignored all that and didnt stop drinking from Boness neck. When at last he lifted his mouth, I saw Bones sway a tad on his feet. Draining a vampire made him weaker, and from the looks of Bones, Mencheres had cleaned his plate.
My word, sealed in blood, Bones rasped. Freely given and accepted.
Mencheres tilted his head in invitation next, and Bones sank his fangs into the other vampires exposed throat.
It was different than when Mencheres drank. Something changed in the air. An invisible current in the room grew. Static electricity seemed to jump off the two figures in the center of the platform, and I blinked, rubbing my arms like Id been zapped. Here it was, the transference of power. Bones told me that Mencheres had to will it out with his blood; it wasnt something that could be stolen just by anyone drinking him. Even as I watched, the Egyptian vampires skin started to glow with an eerie inner light, as if a million stars were trying to break out of his flesh.
Above us, there was the sound of abrupt movement and scuffling. Someone was either trying to start a brawl or trying to make a break for it. Spade barked out a command, and unseen vampires descended from the roof like lethal spiders. They dropped onto the small melee, and then the noise stopped with equal speed.
Still Bones drank, ignoring everything around him, his legs solidifying underneath him. I knew he wasnt getting nourishment from Mencheress blood, but was ingesting raw power with every pull of his mouth. Those sparkling stars of light on Mencheress skin merged into Boness flesh with the same ease that sand absorbed seawater. It was lovely to watch-and frightening.
A hum began to grow in the air, then it rose to a piercing, thunderous crescendo in a split second. Instinctively I clapped my hands over my ears even as Bones staggered backward, going limp all at once. I jumped forward and caught him, lowering him to the ground. Mencheres fared better but not by much. Two of his men grasped him as his head drooped and he swayed, looking barely conscious.
I held Bones on my lap. Our guard formed a protective circle around us with a barked warning that anyone who approached would be killed. It wasnt an exaggeration. They were all armed with silver. So was I. It lined my legs underneath my red dress.
Mencheres regained himself enough to mumble, My blood, freely given and accepted as proof of my word, before biting the neck of a human brought to him for that purpose. I looked away, stroking Boness face and waiting for him to wake up.
Several minutes later, he did. I sensed it in the rush of energy that made me twitch before his eyelids even fluttered. All of a sudden, Bones felt unfamiliar to me. The vibrating power that normally exuded from him didnt just increase-it kept growing and growing, until he felt like he was going to explode right in my arms.
His hand closed over mine in the next instant, and I jerked back. It felt like Id just shoved my fist in a light socket.
Bloody hell, luv, this feels quite different, were his first words.
I laid a tentative hand back on him. Are you okay?
It was almost stupid to ask with that crackling energy nearly shooting sparks up my arm, but I couldnt help myself.
He nodded and opened his eyes. Very much so. In fact, Ive never felt better. At least not unless we were alone.
Pig. Now I knew it was the same man Id fallen in love with. Bones might have changed in power, but not in any other way. It was almost a relief to find his mind still in the gutter.
Lets get you off me, then, your elbow is jabbing me in the kidney-
Something on his face made me stop in midsentence. What? I asked.
Did you just call me a pig?
I froze. Had I said that out loud?
Bloody hell, no you didnt! he answered for me, springing to his feet in a lithe motion.
Good God,he could read minds now? There was something neither of us had thought would happen.
Bones pulled me up and kissed me. There was so much raw energy permeating from him that his tongue almost hurt when it slid into my mouth, but then it felt good. Very, very good.
Shh, he whispered into my ear when his mouth trailed from mine.
I could guess why the secrecy, of course. We were in mixed company, and if Boness enemies didnt know he had the new ability to read minds, then they wouldnt worry about it being used against them.
I wont say anything. But you and I will have to talk about this, because you cant just invade my mind whenever you want to be nosy.
Ahh!
It came out of me in a gasp when he bit my neck in the next moment. Mother of God, my knees went weak. Bones supported me when they lost strength entirely in the next second.
Wed planned on him taking some of my blood afterward. Even though he was now hyped full of vamp juice, it wouldnt nourish him. Only human blood could, and mine still half qualified. Thus it wasnt the shock of him biting my neck that buckled me. No, it was the fierce erotic waves pouring over me with each pull of his mouth. Holy shit, it had never felt like this before. Hed gone down on me with similar effect.
Bones raised his mouth from my throat but didnt let go of me, which was good, because I might have toppled over. Thank God hed stopped biting me when he did-I would have been mortified to have an orgasm in front of a thousand people. It was bad enough that they could all sense just how much Id liked having my neck turned into a straw, but at least I wasnt about to ask for a cigarette.
Dont be embarrassed, Bones said low. I feel the same way every time I drink from you. Well finish up here soon, Kitten, now that the formalities are over.
He still had his arm around me when he turned to Mencheres. The other vampire was refreshed as well from his blood donor, albeit less sensuously, Id bet. They clasped hands once before facing the crowd.
Our alliance has been sealed, Mencheres said formally.
Bones was more casual about it. Then this is a party, mates. Lets have at it.
TEN
BONES, EVER PARANOID THAT ONE OF THESE guests could be Maxs mysterious benefactor, was plastered to my side. I didnt mind for two reasons. First, he could be right. There was a shitload of pulseless people here, and who knew how many of them were really allies? The other reason was simple. That new throb of his power felt like a caress along my skin.
But when the naked human men and women came out to mingle among the guests, I stopped in my tracks.
Bones chuckled, hearing the question in my mind, or guessing from the look of my face.
These are the hors doeuvres, Kitten. See that glitter theyre covered in? Its a very special mixture, edible as well. Note the ones with the extra arms? They dont have birth defects, those arms are food delicacies shaped like limbs and glued onto them. Ghouls have to eat also.
I stared in disbelief as one of the walking treats sat on the lap of a vampire, offering her neck. Meanwhile, a ghoul sedately gnawed on what appeared to be a fake fourth arm protruding from her torso. Yuck!
I found my voice. That is the sickest version of a snack plate Ive ever seen. How did you get these people to agree to this? Mind-fuck them?
He snorted. Not nearly. Theyre willing volunteers, pet. Some are humans who belong to Mencheres or me, and others are groupies, for lack of a better word. People who know about vampires and ghouls and are hoping some nice undead bloke will choose them to change over. It happens, of course. Else they wouldnt flock to us in droves. Some of them offer more than a bite or a beverage, but thats their choice. I dont require it.
Oh, so they were dinner and entertainment. How my life had changed. Here I was, one of the hosts of a bang-and-bite soiree honoring Boness alliance with a mega-Master vampire. What next, presiding over a massive orgy?
Bones caught my hand. Were sneaking away for a moment, he whispered, backing me into a nearby study. Once past the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, he pressed a lever, and then we were in a narrow dark passageway before Id ever seen where it was.
Secret tunnel? I teased. How very cloak-and-dagger.
He smiled. Ah, here we are. Alone at last.
Here was a small room, unfurnished, no windows. Only a hatch in the ceiling about three feet square in size.
Leads to the roof by way of the attic, he supplied. Quick way to make a dash for it, if one needed to. Also, this room has thick concrete walls, so less sound travels.
So that meant we could talk without being overheard. You can read my mind now, I breathed. God, Bones, that kind of freaks me out.
Id tell you I wont listen to your thoughts, but that would be a lie. Youre too close to me for me to block them out completely, and I cant say I would even if I could. I want to know all of you, Kitten. What you show me, and what you try not to.
There was no use arguing over it. If Id been endowed with the same power, Id be just as guilty of using it. Mencheres had said Boness strength would grow, but he hadnt mentioned that he might get new abilities altogether. I wondered what else was going to be different.
My vision and hearing are clearer, Bones answered for me. And of course I feel significantly stronger. As for what else is different, well have to wait and see.
I still dont know about this, I muttered. It was weird having him pull the questions out of my mind before I could even ask them.
Bones studied my face. I havent changed, luv. Just my abilities. Can you believe that?
He would have heard the answer before I said it out loud, but I did it anyway.
Yes.
Bones gave me a few drops of his blood to replenish what hed drunk before we returned to the questionable festivities. I felt like Id downed a bottle of NoDoz, I was so wired.Don will be doing backflips when he gets his sample for his weekly collection, I thought irrelevantly.
Tate was across the room. He caught my eye and rubbed his nose, twice. I tensed. That was an old signal that there was trouble. He turned around in the next moment, so it wouldnt have been obvious to anyone that a message had just been exchanged.
This was a time when Boness new telepathic eavesdropping would come in handy.Somethings up, Tates freaked. If you have a lockdown mode for this place, now would be the time to implement it.
Bones made his way over to Mencheres, keeping me close to his side as we passed by other people. They didnt exchange words. Maybe Mencheres had also heard my mental warning, because he nodded once and then gestured to a nearby guard.
Thats when all hell broke loose.
A vampire walking toward us blew up. Just blew into pieces of scorched body parts. Then three more rushed in our direction at kamikaze speeds.
Bones threw me across the room like a Hail Mary football to Tate, who darted forward. It wasnt a moment too soon. The explosion from the charging vampires momentarily deafened me. Tate caught me, using his body as a shield from the sudden attack of human and inhuman bombs that seemed to be all around us. Two more of our breathing treats went off like Roman candles, splattering gore on whoever was lucky enough not to be killed by their close contact. I craned over Tates shoulder and kicked as he barreled us away from the crowd.
Goddammit, let me go!
You dont understand, Tate ground out, giving me a rough elbow to the head that briefly stunned me into limpness. Then I started to wrestle with him as he sped through the throngs of people. Each exit was guarded by vampires who belonged to Bones or Mencheres, but they let us pass after a shouted command from Bones. Hearing his voice made me weak with relief. At least he was still alive.
Tate clamped his hand over my mouth, not letting go, even when I bit him. It was the most damage I could inflict in the position he had me in, flung over his back like a sack. Only after we were outside on the lawn did he stop running.
Let go of my hand, I have to go back inside, he almost snarled, dropping me.
I released my bite and began to yell. What the fuck, Tate! You think Im just going to stay out here while people are exploding-
Theres a bomb, Cat. This place is going to blow.
That shocked me into silence for a second, then I started toward the house again.
Tate punched me, hard, rocking me back.
I dont have time to explain, he spat. But I am going to get everyone out, even your vampire lover. If you see Talisman, grab him. Hes involved. Guard the perimeter, Cat.
He sprinted back inside, and I wrestled with the choice whether or not to follow him. Everything inside me screamed to go back in and tell Bones about the bomb. What if Tate didnt get to him in time? Mentally I kept shouting the warning at him, but with all the chaos, I didnt know if hed hear me.
My decision was made when I saw three forms streaking stealthily across the roof. Oh, we had rats trying to abandon ship, did we?
I got them in midair as they jumped to the ground, throwing them into the walls from the velocity of my leap. There was only a split second to identify them before I crashed into their bodies, and in that instant, I knew which ones to skewer. The two lesser vampires each got a chestful of daggers while I split Talismans skull on the stone walls, not killing him, but dazing him.
He came to awareness with a frenzy of snapping teeth. Talisman was a Master vampire and he wasnt willing to go down gently. We rolled around on the grass, both of us tearing at each other. Soon I was covered in messy bite marks where his teeth sliced me but hadnt locked on. Only when I jabbed a knife through his heart did he freeze. With a malicious smile I moved it a fraction.
One twitch and youre beef jerky, asshole. Id stay real still if I were you.
But he wasnt me. I wont be held like your father, he said, and proved his statement by thrashing on top of me, shredding his own heart with his actions and going limp.
Shit! I exclaimed, and shoved him off.
There wasnt time to ponder Talismans suicide. The doors to the house opened and groups of vampires and ghouls came out, led by the guards. There were so many of them, it looked like an anthill evacuating. None of the faces belonged to Bones, however.
I saw Annette amid the throng and grabbed her. Wheres Bones? Why isnt he out here? He knows, doesnt he?
I didnt saybomb, not wanting to cause a panic if people didnt know yet. Annette looked rather frazzled herself, her usual cool composure absent.
Hes still inside. He wont leave until all his people are out and he finds the others who are involved.
Oh no he doesnt, I growled.
Annette yanked on my arm and didnt let go. Crispin said to keep you out here, she insisted, holding me back.
Everything else aside, I enjoyed what I did next. Shallow of me, but true. I whirled and hit her so hard, she dropped to the ground with a dent in her skull. On the practical side, it also kept her from restraining me. See? It wasnt all for fun.
As I rushed toward the house, I almost barreled into Spade.
Dont even think about stopping me, I warned him, palming some knives to punctuate my threat.
He barely looked at them. You have to come with me, we need to get Crispin out. Tate is still inside as well. At a guess, we have less than four minutes.
Four minutes! Vampires could survive many things, but having their entire body blown to bits wasnt one of them. Fear made me reckless, and I dashed forward into the house at a dead run, Spade keeping pace.
We were in the deserted hallway when he sprung. Id been searching the corners for danger and hadnt expected it from the man at my side. His fist shot at my head, but I never even saw it coming. All I knew was one moment, Id been peering around a corridor, and in the next, I was seeing stars before everything went black.
When I opened my eyes, we were sprawled on the lawn a hundred yards from the house. Spade still held me in an unrelenting grip. Even his legs were tangled around mine.
You backstabbing son of a bitch, I managed, struggling without success.
Spade gave me a grim smile even as he tightened his grip.
Sorry, angel, but Crispin would kill me if Id let anything happen to you.
Something moved on the roof. With Spade half on top of me, I couldnt see what, or who, it was.
Is that him? I asked desperately.
Spade craned his neck. Im not-
An explosion cut him off and lit the sky, as bright as if God himself flipped on a switch. I screamed, struggling even as Spade flipped me over with his body covering mine. My face was pressed in the grass while heavy thunks landed everywhere. It had to be pieces of the house raining down on the lawn like proverbial brimstone. The smoke was choking even with my face in the dirt.
Spade didnt move for a few minutes, ignoring the threats I gasped out. Not until the sounds of falling objects ceased did he allow me to sit up, but he kept his rigid grip.
The vampires and ghouls milling around hadnt screamed at the sight of the house exploding in the night. They looked discomfited, but not traumatized.
Charles, give me a hand with these.
Bones appeared above us in the swirling smoke. I was so relieved to see him, I almost cried. He was covered in soot, mostly unclothed from where his shirt and pants had been burned off, and his hair was in singed patches. He also had three vampires in his arms. When he landed, he dumped them to the ground.
Hold those two. Bloody sods, he grumbled, kick ing one. The third sat up and shook his head as if to clear it.
It was Tate. Thank God, hed made it out alive as well. Spade released me as Bones knelt next to me, and I threw my arms around him.
Im so glad youre okayand dont you ever tell your friends to hold me back again, dammit!
Bones chuckled. Can we fight about that later, Kitten? We still have business to sort out, after all.