dozen vampires on your own.
Vlad crosses the ground between us before I can say another word. You will not fight for us?
I was willing to fight for you , I snap back. You lied to me about your intentions from the start. I am not a part of this battle, Vlad. If I become involved, I become a part of your family. I can’t do that. I told you.
And what of the debt you owe me? Vlad whispers. I saved Frey for you from Steffan. I brought your niece’s friend home. I have let you live as a vampire among us. Do you not owe me something?
I knew no matter how I answered, it would not satisfy Vlad. I also knew I would have lost Fray had Vlad not saved him from Steffan’s attack. That Trish might be home now crying over a lost friend if Vlad had not intervened. That the entire human race might be lost if this plan of Steffan’s supporters was not stopped now.
I search his face. If I do this, I say at last. It will be the last thing I can do for you. It will mean the end of our friendship. And it can never be known that I was with you when the six are vanquished. You must promise me.
For a long moment, I think that Vlad might not have heard me. He is staring off again, his eyes clouded, his lips turned down in a frown. When his face clears, he squares his shoulders and steps back from me.
I accept your terms. Your part will remain a secret between the four of us. I will instruct Amélie and Alexander to never speak of it. I will also instruct them that they are to be at your service if you need anything while you remain in France. They will be protectors of you and your family…
His voice drops and I sense something left unsaid. You are abdicating to them?
His eyes lock with mine. There is no longer any reason I should stay in France. After tonight, I will be gone. You yourself said they would make excellent leaders. They have the compassion and human touch that I lack. It makes sense.
It’s almost as if Vlad is talking as much to himself as to me. When he is done, he turns abruptly and goes back into the house. I don’t follow him. I have a feeling he is telling Amélie and Alexander the same things he just told me.
When they emerge a few moments later, there is an air of solemnity about the couple that wasn’t there before.
They have accepted Vlad’s proposal.
He mounts his Ducati and rides away. The three of us go back to the house to await the arrival of the six who would change the world.
Chapter Twelve
The night is cloudless and crystal clear. There is no moon to break the darkness that swallows up the vineyard or to cast even the faintest shadow on the road. Amélie, Alexander, and I are in place on the roof, lying flat, relying on our senses to alert us to anything approaching.
We have been here an hour. After thirty minutes, others arrive. They are using the moonless night to shield themselves among the vines. But we know they are here. The five who would plot to kill Vlad. They are not so powerful as Vlad, or even the three of us, because they have no awareness of our presence while we know exactly where each is located.
We don’t communicate among ourselves, keeping our thoughts tightly locked away. My blood sings with anticipation. Now that I have committed to the fight, I am ready. It’s been a long time since I tasted the blood of another vampire. Years. Back to the time when I worked as an enforcer for The Watchers and one of my duties was to execute rogues.
It was not a duty that I enjoyed, but this, in its way, is no different. Protecting humanity sometimes necessitates drastic action. I am armed tonight as I was then, with only a knife and my blood lust.
The car arrived a few minutes after midnight, a big off-road vehicle that plowed through my dad’s vineyards, mowing down rows of old-growth grape vines in its path.
I wondered what my father would think when he saw it. I rage at myself for not thinking it through when I offered the old wine press building as a meeting place. It was remote,
Vlad crosses the ground between us before I can say another word. You will not fight for us?
I was willing to fight for you , I snap back. You lied to me about your intentions from the start. I am not a part of this battle, Vlad. If I become involved, I become a part of your family. I can’t do that. I told you.
And what of the debt you owe me? Vlad whispers. I saved Frey for you from Steffan. I brought your niece’s friend home. I have let you live as a vampire among us. Do you not owe me something?
I knew no matter how I answered, it would not satisfy Vlad. I also knew I would have lost Fray had Vlad not saved him from Steffan’s attack. That Trish might be home now crying over a lost friend if Vlad had not intervened. That the entire human race might be lost if this plan of Steffan’s supporters was not stopped now.
I search his face. If I do this, I say at last. It will be the last thing I can do for you. It will mean the end of our friendship. And it can never be known that I was with you when the six are vanquished. You must promise me.
For a long moment, I think that Vlad might not have heard me. He is staring off again, his eyes clouded, his lips turned down in a frown. When his face clears, he squares his shoulders and steps back from me.
I accept your terms. Your part will remain a secret between the four of us. I will instruct Amélie and Alexander to never speak of it. I will also instruct them that they are to be at your service if you need anything while you remain in France. They will be protectors of you and your family…
His voice drops and I sense something left unsaid. You are abdicating to them?
His eyes lock with mine. There is no longer any reason I should stay in France. After tonight, I will be gone. You yourself said they would make excellent leaders. They have the compassion and human touch that I lack. It makes sense.
It’s almost as if Vlad is talking as much to himself as to me. When he is done, he turns abruptly and goes back into the house. I don’t follow him. I have a feeling he is telling Amélie and Alexander the same things he just told me.
When they emerge a few moments later, there is an air of solemnity about the couple that wasn’t there before.
They have accepted Vlad’s proposal.
He mounts his Ducati and rides away. The three of us go back to the house to await the arrival of the six who would change the world.
Chapter Twelve
The night is cloudless and crystal clear. There is no moon to break the darkness that swallows up the vineyard or to cast even the faintest shadow on the road. Amélie, Alexander, and I are in place on the roof, lying flat, relying on our senses to alert us to anything approaching.
We have been here an hour. After thirty minutes, others arrive. They are using the moonless night to shield themselves among the vines. But we know they are here. The five who would plot to kill Vlad. They are not so powerful as Vlad, or even the three of us, because they have no awareness of our presence while we know exactly where each is located.
We don’t communicate among ourselves, keeping our thoughts tightly locked away. My blood sings with anticipation. Now that I have committed to the fight, I am ready. It’s been a long time since I tasted the blood of another vampire. Years. Back to the time when I worked as an enforcer for The Watchers and one of my duties was to execute rogues.
It was not a duty that I enjoyed, but this, in its way, is no different. Protecting humanity sometimes necessitates drastic action. I am armed tonight as I was then, with only a knife and my blood lust.
The car arrived a few minutes after midnight, a big off-road vehicle that plowed through my dad’s vineyards, mowing down rows of old-growth grape vines in its path.
I wondered what my father would think when he saw it. I rage at myself for not thinking it through when I offered the old wine press building as a meeting place. It was remote,
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