Part 11 (1/2)
The Consort nodded. ”Many. Inside and out.”
”How old is Deven?”
”We don't know exactly, because there's no record of his birth, but it was sometime in the early 1300s, in Ireland.”
”He's seven hundred years old? Jesus!”
”One of the oldest living vampires on earth.”
”And is he a d.i.c.k to everyone, or am I just special?”
Another smile, another swig of his s.h.i.+ner Bock. ”Isn't it obvious, my Lady? He's jealous.”
”Jealous? Why?”
They had gone to one of Miranda's favorite spots in the Haven, or rather, atop the Haven: a rooftop nook near the Signet suite that offered a sheltered place to watch the night go by. When she needed a minute alone she often sneaked off to the roof, and she was aware that David did the same thing, sometimes to this exact spot. It was quiet and the view was spectacular. From here she could see the pasture, where Isis and Osiris were currently grazing in slow circles, and the gardens she and David had walked through when she first came to live at the Haven.
Jonathan, whose long legs were dangling from the eaves, said, ”They never really got any closure on their relations.h.i.+p,” he said. ”David ran away-rightly so-and Deven did his best to atone for being such a fool, but until a few months ago they hadn't even been in the same room. They put aside their feelings in order to keep their friends.h.i.+p, but it was never truly finished between them. And as long as David was on his own, things could stay that way. Now, you're here, and like it or not that chapter has closed for them. They're going to have to work it out somehow.”
”Does that mean they still love each other?”
”Oh, undoubtedly.” He saw Miranda's face and added quickly, ”But you needn't worry.”
”Are you kidding?”
”Listen to me, Miranda, and remember this, because it will save you a lot of heartache as the years go by.” Jonathan sat forward, holding her gaze, his usually cheerful expression gone grave. ”You are his soul mate. You are bound unto death and possibly longer than that. No one, and I mean this literally, no one can usurp your position in his life or heart. He will love you until the sun burns to dust. But that doesn't mean neither of you will ever love anyone else or want someone else. Forever is a long time, and even mortal relations.h.i.+ps evolve-so must ours, if we are to survive.”
Miranda sighed and picked at the label of her beer. ”So you share Deven with other people?”
”Dev? Oh, h.e.l.l no. He's not interested in extracurricular a.s.s. He shares me.”
”Seriously?” Miranda gave him an incredulous look. ”I would think he'd be the one s.h.a.gging every guy that moves.”
Jonathan's smile returned, but she could feel something lurking beneath it that was all too familiar. ”I won't go into the details of his past-that's for him to reveal. But I will say that when he and David first coupled, it had been over a hundred years since his last lover.”
”Whoa. Really?”
”Yes. And our relations.h.i.+p isn't what you'd call pa.s.sionate. Every Pair comes together to complete each other, and in our case, what he needed wasn't someone to have s.e.x with, it was someone to love who would place no demands on him, just be a comfort and a companion who would never abandon him. We agreed early on that our s.e.x life would be somewhat sporadic, and that if I felt the need for more, I was free to seek it out. It's a perfect arrangement for us.” He laughed again at the look on her face. ”As I said, forever is a long time. The 'in love' stage of a relations.h.i.+p is fleeting. What you need are partners.h.i.+p and companions.h.i.+p, a deeper and more abiding love that transcends the physical. Sometimes that's romantic and s.e.xy, sometimes not. But over time you and David will find what works for you.”
”No offense, Jonathan, but I find that kind of depressing.”
He grinned. ”No offense taken. I realize it sounds strange, especially since you probably spent your whole human life within the bounds of traditional human relations.h.i.+ps. But we're not human . . . and the way we love isn't traditional. It can't be, when eternity is a factor. Not to mention, Dev . . . well, as I said, he has scars. And really, if he had it to do over again, he probably would have stayed out of Signet politics entirely and joined one of the Orders.”
”Orders of . . .”
”Vampire monks,” Jonathan explained. ”Religious orders of immortals. There are several scattered around the world. Deven has connections with one of them, the Order of Eleusis-they're mystical metalworkers connected with the Eleusinian Mysteries of ancient Greece, and it's rumored they first forged the Signets themselves. Get Deven to show you his sword sometime; it was made by the Order, and it has their symbol, a waning crescent moon above the Greek symbol of infinity, worked into the blade's design.”
Miranda had no idea what to think of that-it sounded so outlandish and unbelievable to think there were actual religions for vampires, although any race that had existed so long was bound to have its true believers. She wondered if David had looked into it, given how wildly curious he was about the origin of the Signet system. She'd have to mention it later.
”So, about Deven . . . what do I do when he gives me att.i.tude?”
”Give it right back. Show him you've got b.a.l.l.s and you're not going to back down, and he'll respect you. As soon as he feels like you're a match for David, he'll back off.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. ”Why are you so free with the advice? Why don't you give me the same grief he does?”
Jonathan snorted. ”In case you haven't noticed, we're not the same person. I'm a Consort, which means I read people very well, so I knew you were fantastic from the get-go. Deven tends to reserve judgment. But the worst thing you can do is let him intimidate you.”
”I hate to say this, and I hope it doesn't upset you, but right now I don't really care about his respect so much as I care about my foot planted on his a.s.s.”
The Consort broke into a loud and contagious laugh that had her laughing, too. ”All right,” he said. ”You kick his a.s.s, Miranda. He's earned it.”
They clinked their bottles again and leaned back against the bricks to finish their beer as the cold night kept turning overhead.
Neither of them spoke for a while, but finally just to break the silence David observed, ”You cut your hair off.”
Deven lowered his gla.s.s. ”Yes.”
”How's being a roadie for the Cure working out for you?”
Deven shot him the finger, and they grinned at each other. ”You're looking well,” Deven noted. ”Much better than last time I saw you.” Crossing one knee over the other, he added, ”Of course, now you have your lovely firebrand to keep you warm.”
David's eyes narrowed. ”Are you jealous, Deven?”
For once, Deven lowered his gaze first. ”The Council is all atwitter about your break with the Northeast. I haven't heard much, but so far the gossip has been in your favor. Considering everyone hates Hart, it's not surprising, but still, the fallout is going to be interesting.”
David didn't point out the change in subject. Deven had, without saying a word, answered the question. ”I'm not going to lose sleep over Hart. Miranda's actions may have been rash, but they were right.”
Deven smiled. ”At long last you have a mate who shares your idealism. I hope that she doesn't become as cynical as I am once she's outlived her humanity.”
”You're more human than you like to admit.”
”There's no need to be insulting, David.” Dev sipped his drink and added, ”She has no reason to be threatened by me.”
”Oh? After you show up and practically p.i.s.s on me, when I hadn't even told her about us yet-”
”You hadn't told her?” Deven sounded genuinely incredulous, a rarity for him. ”We were together ten years, I was your first and only long-term male lover, and you didn't tell her? What the h.e.l.l have you two been talking about for the last three months, then? Horses and circuit boards?”
David had to admit that Deven was right, and saying that he'd expected Faith to have related the story to Miranda wasn't entirely honest . . . he had thought that, true, but knowing Miranda, if she had known, she would have wanted to talk about it with him as soon as she heard the story.
”I feel like a bit of an idiot about it,” David said a little irritably. ”I think part of me wanted to play it off like one of my many disastrous love affairs instead of what it really was.”
Deven's eyes locked on his. ”And what was it, David?”
David stared at him . . . G.o.d, he'd forgotten how good it felt to fall into those eyes, and how dangerous it was, for they went on forever and there was no way out. ”It was a tragedy,” David replied softly. ”Perhaps the greatest tragedy of my life.”
”Worse than Elizabeth?”