His hands were behind his back.
In spite of his outward appearance of calm, he was twisting those hands where no one could see, the movement in the tops of his forearms belying his nervous churning.
Darius could understand how the boy felt. After this address, they were one and all going out into the field and Hharms son would be tested for the first time against the enemy.
He was not properly armed.
Fresh from the war camp, his weapons were no better than Dariuss had been. . just more of the Bloodletters castoffs. Which was deplorable. Darius had had no sire to provide for him, but Hharm should have taken care of his boy, giving him well-balanced, well-made instruments that were as good as his own.
The king raised his arms and looked up unto the ceiling. May the Scribe Virgin look upon those herein assembled with all grace and blessing as these soldiers of worth go out unto the fields of conflict.
The war cry exploded from the Brothers, and Darius joined in with all his breath, the roar echoing and rebounding and continuing as a chant started up. As the thundering sound rose higher and higher, the king held his palm out to the side. From the shadows, the young heir to the throne came forward, his expression far older than his seven years. Wrath, son of Wrath, was, like Tohrment, the spitting image of his sire, but there the comparison between the two pairs ended. The regent king was sacred, not just to his parents, but to the race.
This small male was the future, the leader to come. . evidence that in spite of the affronts committed by the Lessening Society, the vampires would survive.
And he was fearless. Whereas many a wee one had shrunk back behind a parent when facing a single Brother, the young Wrath stood his own, staring up at the males before him as if he knew, regardless of his tender age, that he would command the strong backs and fighting arms of those before him.
Go forth, my warriors, the king said. Go forth and wield thy daggers with lethal intent.
Bloodythirsty things to say in front of tender ears, but in the midst of the war, there was no advantage to shielding the next generation of royalty. Wrath, son of Wrath, would never be out in the fieldhe was too important to the racebut he would be trained so he could appreciate what the males under his authority were facing.
As the king stared down upon his begotten issue, the elders eyes misted with pride and joy and hope and love.
How different Hharm and his son were. That young was beside his blooded sire, but for all the attention that was paid to him, he might have stood next to a stranger.
Ahgony leaned into Darius. Someone needs to watch oer that boy.
Darius nodded. Aye.
I fetched him from the war camp this night.
Darius glanced over at his brother. Indeed? Where was his sire?
Betwixt the legs of a maiden.
Darius cursed under his breath. Verily, the Brother was of brutish constitution in spite of his breeding and courtesy of his base instincts, he had sons aplenty, which may have explained though certainly not excused his thoughtlessness. Of course, his other sons were not eligible for the Brotherhood because their mothers were not of Chosen blood.
However, Hharm appeared to be unconcerned.
As the poor boy stood so separate, Darius remembered well his own first night in the field: how hed been tied to no one. . how hed feared facing the enemy with nothing but his wits and what little training hed had to fortify his courage. It wasnt that the Brothers had cared naught how he fared. But they had had to watch after themselves and hed had to prove he could hold his own.
This young male clearly was in the same predicamentit was just that he had a father who should have eased his way.
Be well, Darius, Ahgony said as the royals went in among the Brothers, clasping palms and preparing to take their leave. I am escorting the king and the prince.
Be well, my brother. The two embraced quickly and then Ahgony joined the Wraths and went with them out of the cave.
As Tohrture stepped up and began apportioning territories for the night, pairs started to form and Darius looked through the heads at Hharms son. The boy had faded back against the wall and was standing stiffly, still with those hands behind his back. Hharm seemed uninterested in anything other than trading hyperbole with the others.
Tohrture put two fingers up to his mouth and whistled. My brothers! Attention! The cave went stone silent.Thank you. Are we clear on territories?
There was a collective affirmation and the Brothers started to leaveand Hharm didnt even look back at his son. He just went for the exit.
In the wake, the boy brought his hands forward and rubbed them one into the other. Stepping forward, he said his fathers name once. . twice.
The Brother turned back, his expression like that of one confronted by an unwelcome obligation. Well, come on, then
If I may, Darius said, stepping between them. It would be my pleasure to have him aid me in my duty. If it would not offend.
Truth was, he cared naught if it offended. The boy needed more than his father would give him and Darius was not the kind to sit aside while a wrong unfolded.
You think I cannae take care of my blood? Hharm snapped.
Darius turned to the male and went nose-to-nose with him. He preferred peaceful negotiation when it came to conflict, but with Hharm, there was no reasoning. And Darius was well endowed to meet force with force.
As the Brotherhood froze around them, Darius dropped his voice even though all assembled would hear every word. Give me the boy and I will deliver him whole unto the dawn.
Hharm growled, the sound like that of a wolf amid fresh blood. As shall I, brother.
Darius leaned in closer. If you take him out to fight, and he dies, you shall carry that shame upon your lineage foreermore. Although for truth it was hard to know whether the males conscience would be affected. Give him to me and I will save you that burden.
I never liked you, Darius.
And yet back in camp you were more than willing to service those I bested. Darius flashed his fangs. Given how much you enjoyed that, I should think youd hold me in kinder regard. And know thisif you do not allow me to oersee the boy, I shall take you down to this floor at our feet and beat you until you relent unto me.
Hharm broke eye contact, lifting his gaze above Dariuss shoulder as the past sucked the Brother down. Darius knew the moment that he had been drawn into. It was the night when Darius had won against him back at the campand as Darius had refused to redress the deficiency, the Bloodletter had. Brutal was a pale word to describe that session, and though Darius was loath to bring it up, the boys safety was a worthy end for the unworthy means.
Hharm knew who would win in a contest of fists.
Take him, the male said flatly. And do what you will with him. I hereby renounce him as my son.
The Brother pivoted, strode out. .
And took all the air from the cave with him.
The warriors watched him go, their silence louder than the war cry had been. To disavow offspring was antithetical to the race, as much as daylight would be to a family meal: it was ruination.
Darius went over to the young male. That face. . Dearest Virgin Scribe. The boys frozen gray face wasnt sad. Wasnt heartbroken. Wasnt even ashamed.
His features were a veritable death mask.
Putting out his palm, Darius said, Greetings, son. I am Darius, and I shall function as your fighting whard.
The youngs eyes blinked once.
Son? We shall go anon to the cliffs.
Abruptly, Darius was subjected to a sharp regard; the boy was clearly searching for signs of obligation and pity. He would find none, however. Darius knew with precision the dry, hard earth upon which the boys boots stood, and therefore he was well aware that any kind of softness offered would only result in further disgrace.
Why, came a hoarse question.
We go anon to the cliffs to find that female, Darius said with calm. That is why.
The boys eyes bored into Dariuss. Then the young placed his hand upon his breast. With a bow, he said, I shall endeavor to be of service rather than weight.
It was so hard to be unwanted. Harder still to hold ones head up after such an affront.
What is your name, Darius asked.
Tohrment. I am Tohrment, son of. . The throat was cleared. I am Tohrment.
Darius stepped in beside the young male and put his palm on a shoulder that had yet to fill out to its fullest potential.
Come with me.
The boy followed with pur pose. . out of the audience of the Brotherhood. . out of the sanctuary. . out of the cave. . into the night.
The shift within Dariuss chest happened sometime between that initial footstep forward and the moment they dematerialized together.
Verily he felt for the first time as if he had a family of his own. . because even though the boy wasnt his by blood, he had assumed care of him.
Accordingly, he would go before a blade intended for the younger if it came down to that, sacrificing himself. Such was the code of the Brotherhoodbut only toward ones brothers. Tohrment was not yet among that number; he was but an initiate by virtue of his bloodline, which gained him access into the Tomb, and nothing further. If he failed to prove himself, he would be barred forever therein.
Indeed, for all the code required, the boy could well be slain on the field and left for dead.
But Darius would not permit that.
Hed always wanted a son of his own.
NINE
TWENTY MILES OUTSIDE OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
Holy. . shit. They got some kind of trees here.
Well, yeah, that summed it up. As the Paranormal Investigators satellite-link van eased off Rural Route SC 124, Gregg Winn braked and leaned forward over the steering wheel.
Fucking. . perfect.
The plantation houses entrance was marked on both sides by live oaks the size of RVs and Spanish moss hung off all those massive branches, swaying in the soft breeze. Down at the end of the framing alley, about half a mile away, the columned mansion sat pretty as a lady in a chair, the noontime sun painting her face in lemon yellow light.
From the back, PIs host, Holly Fleet, leaned in. Are you sure about this?
Its a Band B, right? Gregg hit the gas. Open to the public.
You called four times.
They didnt say no.
They didnt get back to you.
Whatever. He needed to make this happen. PIs prime-time specials were on the verge of breaking through to the next advertising- dollar level at the network. They werent in American Idol territory, true, but theyd kicked the shit out of the most recent Magic Exposed episode, and if that trend continued, the money was going to get thicker than blood.
The long drive up to the house was like a trail that led not just deeper into the property, but backward in time. For Gods sake, as he glanced around the grass-covered grounds, he expected to see Civil War soldiers and antebellum Vivien Leighs strolling beneath the scarved trees.
The gravel lane took visitors directly to the formal front enterance and Gregg parked off to the side in case any other cars needed to pass by.
You two stay here. Im going in.
As he stepped out from behind the wheel, he covered up his Ed Hardy shirt with a black windbreaker and pulled the cuff down over his gold Rolex. The van with its PI logo of a magnifying glass over a black, shadowy ghost was flashy enough, and no doubt the house was owned by a local. Thing was, Hollywood style wasnt necessarily a value-add outside of L.A. and this gracious place was about as far from plastic surgery and spray tans as you could get.
His Prada loafers shifted through the stone confetti of the driveway as he walked over to the entry. The white house was a simple three-story box with porches on the first and second floors and a hip roof with dormers, but the elegance of the proportions and the sheer size of the damn thing were what put it so solidly in mansion territory. And to top off the grande dame routine, all the windows were framed on the inside by jewel-toned drapes, and through the leaded glass, he could see the chandeliers hanging from high ceilings.
Hell of a bed-and-breakfast.
The front door was big enough to belong on a cathedral and the knocker was a brass lions head that seemed nearly life-size. Lifting the weight, he let it fall back into place.
While he waited, he checked to make sure Holly and Stan were where hed left them. Backup was the last thing he needed when he was on what amounted to a sales callespecially when the hello-my-name-is was an unwelcome one. And the truth was, if they hadnt just been on an assignment up in Charleston, he might not have tried a face-to-face, but for a half-hour drive that wasnt even out of their way, it was worth the effort. They werent due to start setup for the special in Atlanta for a couple of days, so there was time for this. More to the point, he would kill to
The door swung wide and he had to smile at what was on the other side. Man. . it just kept getting better. The guy had English butler stamped all over him, from his shiny shoes to his black waistcoat and blazer.
Good afternoon, sir. And he had an accent. Not quite British, not quite Frenchhigh-class European. How may I help you?
Gregg Winn. He put out his hand. I think Ive called you a couple of times? Not sure youve gotten the messages.
The butlers shake was fast. Indeed.
Gregg waited for the man to continue. When there was nothing coming, he cleared his throat. Ah. . I was hoping youd allow us to do some investigating of your lovely house and grounds. The Eliahu Rathboone legend is pretty remarkable, I mean. . the reports from your guests are amazing. My team and I
Permit me to interrupt. There will be no filming or recording on the premises
We would pay.
at all. The butler smiled tightly. Im sure you can understand that we prefer our privacy.
Quite frankly, I dont. Whats the harm in allowing us to poke around? Gregg dropped his voice and leaned in. Unless, of course. . youre making those footsteps yourself in the middle of the night? Or suspending a candle in that upstairs bedroom by fishing wire?
The butlers face didnt change, and yet he reeked of disdain. I believe you were on your way.
Not a comment. Not a suggestion. A demand. But fuck that, Gregg had dealt with tougher stuff than some nancy in a penguin suit.
You know, you must get a lot of traffic as a result of those haunting stories. Gregg lowered his voice even further. Our TV audience is huge. If you think youre getting visitors now, imagine what it would do for your business if you went national. And even if you are cooking up the Rathboone stuff yourself, we can work with you, rather than against you. If you know what I mean.
The butler stepped back and began to close the door. Good day, sir Gregg put his body in the way. Even if he hadnt wanted to check out the stories badly, the whole no thing just wasnt his bag. And as usual, getting shut out sharpened his interest like nothing else.
Wed like to stay the night, then. Were doing workups on some of the neighboring Civil War sites and need a place to crash.
Im afraid were full.
At that moment, like a gift from God, a couple came down the gracious stairway, their suitcases in hand. Gregg smiled as he looked over the butlers shoulder.
Not as full as you were. Shifting through his deck of personality cards, he put forth his best Im-going-to-be-no-trouble expression. No is no, I get that. So we wont record anything, audio or video. Swear on my grandmothers life. Lifting his hand in greeting, he said loudly, Hey, you guysenjoy your stay?
Oh, my God, it was incredible! the girlfriend, wife, casual lay, whatever said. Eliahu is real!
The boyfriend, husband, wanted-to-score nodded. I didnt believe her. I mean, ghostscome on. But yeah. . I heard the thing.
We saw the light, too. Have you heard about the light?
Gregg put his hand over his chest in shock. No, what light? Tell me everything. .
As they launched into a detailed recitation of all the incredibly amazing things that were so incredible and amazing to witness during their incredible. ., the butlers eyes narrowed into slits. Clearly, his manners overrode his urge to kill as he stepped aside to let Gregg meet up with the departing pair, but the temperature in the foyer had dropped into chilly land.
Waitis that. . The male guest frowned and leaned to the side. Holy crap, are you with that show
Paranormal Investigators, Gregg filled in. Im the producer.
Is the host. . The guy glanced at his lady friend. Is she here, too?
Sure is. You want to meet Holly?
The guy put down the suitcase he was carrying to tuck in his polo shirt a little more tightly. Yeah, could I?
We were just leaving, his other half interjected. Werent we. Dan.
But if Iwehave the chance to
Get on the road now, well be home by nightfall. She turned to the butler. Thank you for everything, Mr. Griffin. Weve had a lovely stay.
The butler bowed with grace. Please do come again, madam.
Oh, we willthis is going to be a perfect place for our wedding in September. Its incredible.
Just amazing, her fiancé tacked on, like he wanted to be back on her good side.
Gregg didnt push the meet-and-greet with Holly as the pair went out the front dooreven though the guy paused and looked over as if he were hoping Gregg would follow them.
So Ill just go get our bags, Gregg said to the bulter. And you can get our room ready, Mr. Griffin.
The air around the man seemed to warp. We have two rooms.
Thats fine. And because I can tell youre a man with standards, me and Stan will bunk together. For proprietys sake.
The butlers brows lifted. Indeed. If you and your friends would be good enough to wait in the drawing room to your right, I shall have the housekeepers ready your accommodations.
Fantastic. Gregg clapped the man on the shoulder. You wont even know were here.
The butler pointedly stepped back. A word of caution, if I may.
Hit me.
Do not go up to the third floor.
Well, wasnt that an invitation. . and a line right out of a Scream movie. Absolutely not. I swear to it.
The butler went off down the hall and Gregg leaned out of the front door, motioning for his crew. As Holly got out, her double-Ds bounced under the black T-shirt she was wearing, and her Sevens were so low-cut her flat, tanned belly flashed. Hed hired her not for her brains, but for her Barbie dimensions, and yet shed proven to be more than hed expected. Like a lot of dummies, she wasnt completely stupid, just largely so, and she had an eerie ability to position herself where it would most suit her advancement.
Stan slid the vans side panel back and stepped out, blinking hard and shoving his long, straggly hair out of the way. Perpetually stoned, he was the perfect person for this kind of work: technically adept, but mellow to the point where he took orders well.
Last thing Gregg wanted was an artiste running the camera lenses.
Get the luggage, Gregg called over to them. Which was code for, Bring not only your overnight bags but the small-scale equipment.
This wasnt the first site hed had to talk his way into.
As he ducked back inside, the couple who had departed were driving past in their Sebring convertible, the guy watching Holly bend into the van instead of where he was going.
She tended to have that effect on men. Another reason to keep her around.
Well, that and she had no problem with casual sex.
Gregg walked into the drawing room and did a slow around-the-world. The oil paintings were museum quality, the rugs were Persian, the walls were hand-painted with a pastoral scene. Sterling-silver candlesticks were on every surface and not one piece of furniture had been made in the twenty-first or twentieth. . or maybe even nineteenth century.
The journalist in him sat up and hollered. B and Bs, even first- rate ones, werent kitted out like this. So there was something going on here.
Either that or the Eliahu legend was putting a helluva lot of heads on those pillows every night.
Gregg went over to one of the smaller portraits. It was of a young man in his mid-twenties, and painted in another time, another place. The subject was seated in a stiff-backed chair, his legs crossed at the knees, his elegant hands off to one side. Dark hair was pulled back and tied with a ribbon, revealing a face that was a stunner. The clothes were. . Well, Gregg was no historian, so who the fuck knew, but they sure as hell looked like what George Washington and his ilk wore.
This was Eliahu Rathboone, Gregg thought. The secret abolitionist who had always left a light on to encourage those who needed to escape to come his way. . the man who had died to protect a cause before it even took root up in the North. . the hero who had saved so many, only to be cut down in the prime of his life.
This was their ghost.
Gregg made a frame with his hand and panned around the room before zeroing in on that face.
Is that him? Hollys voice came from behind. Is that really him?
Gregg beamed over his shoulder, his body positively tingling. And I thought the pictures on the Internet were good.
Hes, like. . gorgeous.
And so were his backstory and his house and all of those people who left here talking about hauntings.
Fuck the Atlanta trip to that asylum. This was their next live special.
I want you to work on the butler, Gregg said softly. You know what I mean. I want access to everything.
Im not sleeping with him. I draw the line at necrophilia and that one is older than God.
Did I ask you to get on your back? There are other ways. And you have tonight and tomorrow. I want to do the special here.
You mean. .
Were broadcasting live from here in ten days. He walked over to the windows that faced out toward the alley of trees, and with every step he took, the floorboards creaked.
Daytime Emmys, here we come, Gregg thought.
Fucking perfect.
TEN
John Matthew woke up with his hand on his cock. Or rather, he semi woke up. What he had his palm on was fully ready to go, however.
In his foggy mind, images of him and Xhex were lighting him up from the inside out. . He saw them on her bed in that basement place of hers and there was a whole lot of naked going on, her straddling his hips, him reaching up to touch her breasts. She felt good and solid on top of him, her core hot and wet against his erection, her powerful body arching and releasing as she rubbed herself on what ached to penetrate her.
He needed to get in her. Needed to leave something of himself behind.
Needed to mark her.
The instinct was overwhelming to the point of compulsion. . and yet his conscience prickled as he sat up and took one of her nipples into his mouth. As he drew her flesh between his lips, sucking on it, tonguing it, nipping it ever so gently, on some level, he knew this was not really happeningand that even in a fantasy, it was wrong. It wasnt fair to her memory, and yet the visions had too much momentum and his palm as he worked himself had too much grip. . and the moment was too undeniable and electric to turn away from.
There was no going back.
John imagined that he rolled her over onto her back and loomed above her, looking down into her gunmetal gray eyes. Her thighs were split on either side of his hips, her lush sex ready for what he wanted to give her, her scent burrowing into his nose until all he knew was her. Running his palms over her breasts and down her stomach, he marveled at how similar their bodies were. She was smaller compared to him, but their muscles were all the same, hard and toned, ready for use, tight as bone when they were engaged. He loved how unyielding she was beneath her soft, smooth skin, loved how strong, how tough. .
He wanted her like crazy.
Except suddenly he could go no further.
It was as if the fantasy jammed up, the tape breaking, the DVD scratched, the digital file corrupted. And all he had left was his attraction and this wrenching, on-the-brink ecstasy that was going to drive him insane
Xhex reached up to his face and cupped it, and with the gentle contact, she abruptly commanded all of him, his head and his body and his soul: She owned him and everything he was from his eyes to his thighs. He was hers.
Come to me, she said, tilting her head to the side.
Tears turned his vision wavy. Finally, they were going to kiss. Finally, what she had denied him was going to happen
When he leaned down. . she guided his mouth back to her nipple.
He felt a momentary sting of rejection, but then this weird elation hit him. The deflection was so true to her, he figured that maybe it wasnt a dream. Maybe this was actually happening. Pushing aside his sadness, he concentrated on what she was willing to give him.
Mark me, she said in a deep voice.
Baring his fangs, he ran one sharp white tip around her areola, circling, stroking. He wanted to ask her if she was sure, but she answered that question herself. In a quick move, she jacked off the mattress and held his head down to her skin so that he struck her and a sliver of blood was drawn.
John jerked back, afraid hed hurt her. . but he hadnt, and as she arched in an erotic wave, the glistening wellspring of her life made him orgasm.
Take from me, she commanded as his cock jerked and hot pulses poured out over her thighs. Do it, John. Now.
She didnt have to ask him twice. He was captivated by the bead of deep red that bloomed up, and with slow grace eased down the pale side of her breast. Leading with his tongue, he caught the trail and swept it back home with a flick that ended with her nipple
His whole body shimmered at the taste of her, another release shuddering out of him and marking her skin as he fell into the throes of another release. Xhexs blood was bold and heady in his mouth, an addiction fully formed on the first try, a destination he didnt want to ever leave now that he was there. As he savored what hed taken, he thought he heard her laugh in satisfaction, but then he was lost to what she gave him.
His tongue dragged over both her nipple and the cut and then his lips formed a seal and he suckled on her, taking her dark flavor down his throat and into his gut. The communion with her was all hed ever wanted, and now that he was feeding from her, joy overtook him along with the nuclear energy that came to him from her blood.
Wanting to give her something back, he shifted his arm down so that his hand swept over her hip and between her thighs. Tracing the taut muscles he found her core. . Oh, God, she was slippery smooth and hella hot, ready and aching to receive him. And although he didnt know a shitload about female anatomy, he let her moans and thrashes tell him where his fingers should go and what they should be doing.
It didnt take long before what he was touching her with was as wet as what he was stroking and it was then that he slid his middle finger in deep. Using his thumb, he massaged the top of her and found a rhythm to match the pulls he was making at her breast.