Part 5 (2/2)

I've missed you so much, cher cher.

The volatile energy she'd been holding back from Gideon had become something else entirely. She'd been right. She needed them both, to feel this balance, this sense of being . . . home. It was a dangerous feeling, with so many things uncertain and unresolved, for all of them, but she didn't care. She'd take it for now.

Recognizing a fragrant scent, she realized then why the image of roses had come into her mind. When Daegan lifted his head, she looked down and saw he'd laid a full two dozen lush red roses on the ground before bringing her to her feet for the welcoming kiss. He retrieved them now, still holding her close with one arm, and gave them to her, so they were cradled between them.

”They are perhaps old-fas.h.i.+oned or cliche, but you are red roses to me. Exotic, cla.s.sic, full of overwhelming pa.s.sionate color and beauty.”

”Charmer,” she managed, stroking the petals, then looked up into his face. Now that the voices in her head had gone silent, she could really see him. The dark eyes and sculpted jaw, never a five-o'clock shadow, since vampires didn't have facial hair. That overwhelming presence, completely in control and in command of his surroundings . . . and of her heart.

He was a vampire, just as she was. She had no apologies to make to him, because he understood who and what she was, what she was becoming. In his eyes there was acceptance, antic.i.p.ation. Pleasure.

She laid her head on his chest, hearing his heart beat. Then she closed her eyes to feel the strength of his arm, the brush of his coat against her side as Daegan s.h.i.+fted toward Gideon.

”Vampire hunter.” The short greeting was warm, one man glad to see another, their typically minimalist-style communication.

Gideon grunted, noncommittal. ”According to Brian, we should be calling you Lord Lord Daegan.” Daegan.”

”If you use that t.i.tle, I'll be forced to remove your internal organs.”

”I wouldn't dream of contributing to your already overinflated mythology.”

Anwyn looked up to see Daegan's lips curve, a show of fang. ”I've missed you as well, vampire hunter.” He glanced down at Anwyn. ”Though I believe I interrupted a disagreement.”

She gave a harsh half chuckle. Yeah, a disagreement. She'd about peeled his brain like a grape.

But you didn't. It's all right, Mistress.

She turned to look at Gideon then. His eyes no longer held that terrible cold distance, but there was a careful reserve, as if something fragile hung in the air between them. Too concerned that the rage might return and take her over, she decided not to press it. Right now, she wanted to focus on Daegan, even though she was sure all three of them were aware that a pall had been cast over the homecoming, a pall she hadn't wanted there. But with a transition like hers, she'd better start a.s.suming the best-laid plans might always have a wrench thrown in the works. It didn't make her feel any better about it, but it made her ready to move forward, leave it behind.

As if reading her mind-and she guessed he could-Gideon opened the driver's door. ”I'll drive, so you two can talk in the back, if you'd like.”

She took a step in that direction, then thought about the night she'd realized she couldn't allow Brian to use Debra to talk to her, relegate her to that level. She wasn't a coward. And she didn't let any man who served her, who submitted to her, get away with what Gideon had just done. She'd let it aggravate the vampire instincts, but Daegan had steadied and balanced her such that she could pull the Mistress to the forefront.

”Gideon, what were you hiding from me? I'm not going to look in your mind, not if I can help it.” She had to focus hard to put that curtain down, keep his thoughts to just white noise, but she could do it, as long as she spoke in simple sentences and didn't try to walk and chew gum at the same time. ”I want you to tell me.”

His gaze went to Daegan behind her, and she was surprised to see a look of deep regret cross the vampire hunter's face. ”She didn't know why I killed Trey,” he said to Daegan. ”You didn't tell her about annual kills.”

Daegan's muttered oath was enough to alarm her, but it did more than that. It was something they both were keeping from her. She rounded on him, accusation in her gaze.

”I thought we were done with lies.”

”I've never lied to you, cher cher.”

She thought about screaming, but maybe men were incapable of considering premeditated omission lying. Sort of like the I would have told you I f.u.c.ked an entire cheerleading squad in your bed, but you never asked, did you? How did I know you'd want to know about that? I would have told you I f.u.c.ked an entire cheerleading squad in your bed, but you never asked, did you? How did I know you'd want to know about that?

Gideon made a short cough behind her, but she didn't turn, afraid of what she might do if it was a smothered laugh instead of a reaction to the cold air.

”What is an annual kill?”

Daegan hesitated. ”Vampires must take a life once a year, Anwyn. The life of a decent human being, whose blood is not tainted by evil or a dissolute life. It's necessary, vital, to maintain our peak physical and mental stability. Without it, a vampire will start to lose that.”

”You mean, I will . . .”

”It's not something you will need to deal with for many months. When you do, I'll help you, in whatever way is necessary.” Daegan squeezed her hand. ”Can we leave it as a subject for another time, cher cher? It will be there for us to discuss anytime.”

Anwyn swallowed. Yeah, what the h.e.l.l. I guess we can put off the idea of me becoming a murderer for another day. Yeah, what the h.e.l.l. I guess we can put off the idea of me becoming a murderer for another day.

Now she understood why Gideon had blocked her, the alarm that had disrupted his anger about his income sources. In his irritation, he hadn't thought about the path he was taking the conversation, until it was too late to cover the trail.

She had understood that there were bad vampires, just like there were bad people. Until Daegan had told her otherwise, she'd hoped Gideon's targets had been those that were closer to the monsters of the movies, than vampires like Daegan. Even when Daegan told her about the vampire Gideon killed right before coming to her, she'd comforted herself with the idea that Gideon was with her now. For the time being, he wouldn't be doing that.

But this made things different, didn't it? There was no vampire who hadn't done murder. Daegan . . . Holy G.o.ddess, however many centuries old he was, that meant he'd taken . . . hundreds of innocent lives.

”It is necessary for our survival, Anwyn,” Daegan said. ”It's no different from what a wolf or lion must do to nourish itself. Only instead of making kills every several days, we only need to do it once a year.”

She looked toward Gideon, understood a little better why that fortress existed inside him, a fortress that obviously rolled up its draw-bridge against her when she hit the right b.u.t.ton. If she could possibly come to grips with taking an innocent life, how on earth could Gideon reconcile himself to being a part of that, if he'd spent so much of his life trying to save the future annual kills of every vampire life he took?

”Take me home,” she said to him. ”You and Daegan can ride in the front.”

5.

WHEN they arrived at the apartment, Anwyn went to her bedroom, closed the door without a word to either one of them. Daegan shouldered his bag, took it down the hallway to his room. Looking between them, Gideon decided he'd take the opportunity while he was fairly certain Anwyn's mind would be shut to both of them, and followed Daegan.

The vampire had unzipped his garment bag. He hung a handful of clothes back up in his closet, expensive clothes that looked dry-cleaned and pressed, reminding Gideon of how they'd gotten to this uncomfortable moment. Jesus, he wished he hadn't let temper take him over. Of all the things for her to have to deal with. And tonight, of all nights.

Daegan pulled a pair of loaded nine-millimeters out of the bag, placed them in the top drawer of his dresser. ”They won't delay her validation as a vampire to the next Gathering,” he said without preamble. ”They expect me to bring her back in two weeks. The time I spent on a.s.signments in Europe for them was the only extension they would provide, and I drew those out as long as possible, to give Brian the maximum amount of time to help stabilize her.”

Daegan hadn't turned on the light in the bedroom. The light was on in the bath, and the shadow thrown across his face made Gideon realize the vamp was a little paler than usual, such that he could see some stress lines around his mouth. It told him the past month had been no picnic for Daegan, either. ”So there is is something going on. Somebody on the Council is gunning for you, and they're using what should have been a straightforward kill to stick it to you.” something going on. Somebody on the Council is gunning for you, and they're using what should have been a straightforward kill to stick it to you.”

”It's likely. They want to address that at the same time they do the validation. But she appears to be doing well. It's better to go ahead and get it done. The sooner she is validated, the safer she'll be within this world.” Daegan sat down on the bed, began to remove his shoes.

”If someone wants to bring you on the carpet for Barnabus's kill, she could be in danger there.”

”No. It won't be entirely easy for her there, but she is strong enough to handle herself, and I will be treated separately from her situation. Newly made vampires are viewed much as children, not yet culpable for the sins of their sires or a.s.sociates. I'll be able to watch over her.”

”We both will.”

Daegan's head lifted, his dark eyes fastening on Gideon's. ”You can't be serious. You do remember what happened the last time you attended a Council Gathering?”

”Well, I didn't have an official invitation then. I'll be better behaved. I won't bring explosives.”

”Gideon-”

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