Bete Noire (18 page)

Tristan smiled to himself. His sentiments exactly.

“But it should not have happened. It was beyond careless of me to touch you like that. I could have infected you. And yes, I know you desire it, but I cannot. I just cannot kill you Tristan.” She sighed, slumping again. “And then to add my already embarrassing follies, I accidently raise a jikininki when all I meant to do was shudder the earth below our feet, or perhaps call upon all the living things in the soil to converge on that brat of a child vampire.

“Then, I go too far and taste your blood… I wanted more.” She looked to him and he flinched when
they met eyes. “I wanted to kill you.”

Tristan braked hard and pulled over to the side of the road. They were still out of the city so he was sure they wouldn’t be bothered. He slowly turned in his seat, putting a hand on the back of hers, and turned to look at her. “I know.”

She licked her lips nervously. “My going into that chamber with Audric… it was all I could do to keep from hurting you.”

“You’d never hurt me, Ash.”

“I like to think so too… but a starved vampire is not one to be taken lightly.”

And starved she was. She hadn’t a proper meal since Malik forced
one upon her two months ago. It was a reminder of sweet things missed. It was also a reminder of the darkness in her own heart. Her weakness.

“Audric offered me his fae. I was permitted to dine upon them, kill them if I so desired, but only if I feed from them properly.” She met his eyes, swallowed hard. “If I had sex with them. Both of them.”

Tristan’s lips parted in understanding. Sex and blood were all rolled up into one for the vampire. They couldn’t help themselves. “And? Did you… sleep with them?” he asked, voice low and gravely. He was afraid of the answer.

“I wanted to. And my refusal of his generous offer was this,” she said, motioning to the wound still burning her flesh under blood soaked silk.

Tristan let out a sigh, sitting back against his seat to stare at her, stunned. After a moment of studying her stoic expression, he said, “Well… that was pretty honest.”

“You asked.”

“Yeah. Yeah I did.” He stopped for a moment to think and then added, “So why did you lie about knowing where to find Lucien?”

She gave him a smile that said he was being silly. “Honestly. Do you think I know you so little to think that you would willingly leave that place without the item you sought? You would have fought tooth and nail with that ancient Master and all of his other scions to find Lucien’s location. Even at the peril of your own wellbeing.”

Well, she had him there.

“If Balian and Katrina had not showed up, I might have fought it out with you. But Bal
ian, he is over eight centuries old. Besides, in talking with Audric, I remembered that Guinevere had a number of homes in the area, we would just have had to take the time to scout them all.”

Tristan gave a start, not realizing
that Balian was so old. Just how many others older than her existed in the world? And did Yuki take those memories from Ash as well?

“
Katrina, frankly, I do not understand her one bit. She was… not right. I did not want to be in her presence any longer.”

He gave a little snorted laugh. “None of those freaks were
right
.”

Ash smiled in return. “Perhaps.”

Tristan let out a long sigh. While some of the things she said—like wanting to fuck those fae—bothered him, he felt better. He’d always been honest with her and he hoped this was the start of her being honest with him. If they were going to stay together anyway, he demanded honesty. If she couldn’t deliver… well, he’d have a hard decision to make.

To his surprise, Ash touched his hand. She hadn’t fed to replenish her spent energy. Really, she could snap at any moment and attack him. He knew she wouldn’t, of course, she’d rather die before harming him, but still, the touch came as a welcome surprise.

“Is there anything else I should know?”

She
recoiled, taking her hand back. “Yukihime was right.”

“Um…?”

“You are only half Uruwashi.”

“What?”

“Your blood. I do not remember if I have tasted Uruwashi in my life, but I do know your blood does not taste right for one.”

“Ah, you… you flinched when you tasted the blood on my hand.”

“The initial taste…” She shut her eyes, a sigh escaping her in a long breath. “Amazing. Like nothing I have ever tasted before.” She opened her eyes again. “But after the bliss came… death. Your blood tasted keenly of darkness, decay, something terribly wrong. That blood belongs to whatever else you may be.”

He paused for a heartbeat as he understood what she was saying. “But not human.”

“No. You are not human in any way, that I can taste, and blood never lies.”

“Well, shit.” Tristan slumped in his seat, back against the door.

“I am sorry,” Ash said softly.

“You don’t know what that other blood tasted like?”

“I had a few thoughts, but all would have left you as an ugly, deformed, maladjusted creature.” She managed to flush lightly as she looked up into his face. “Not the striking man that you are.”

He grinned at her. “You know, these days we call it hot. I’m hot.”

She chuckled and leaned over the center consol. “And ever so modest.”

He met her obvious request for a kiss, but stopped short, unsure if it was really okay. She was drained, weak, tired and in pain. He could feel how cold she was just by being near her, she was nearly frozen. Strong as he might be, Ash only had so much control and he was sure the unleashing of that control would be something to see. Epically deadly.

Ash, having felt his fear only smiled before leaning in and pressing her lips to his. Tristan took in a breath through his nose and reached out to touch her face, deepen that delicate kiss. Ash gently pulled away, letting him know that she regretted doing so, but stood unwavering behind her decision to protect him not matter what. She slowly lowered herself back into her slouched position in her seat, wincing.

“How’s it? Will it heal?”

“Painful and of course. We should hurry. Night quickly wans.”

He only gave her a tiny nod as he righted himself in his seat and started down the road again, a little more spirited than before as he felt a sense of urgency. Was it Ash and her obvious need to rest and feed? Was it knowing he was trapped in a steel box with a vampire?

No matter what might happen between two, he knew without a doubt that she would never hurt him, not even on accident. She was stronger than that. She felt too deeply for him, as he did for her. Only, there was always that nagging thought at the back of his mind. Did he really feel what he felt for her or was it Uruwashi blood telling him lies to help reign in his pray? 

Despite the dysfunction of their relationship, he cared so deeply for her. More than anyone else, enough to lay down his life for her. Trite? Cliché? Maybe, but it was the truth. He would do anything for her. Those feelings were real, not vampire or ancient hunter clan tricks. Those feelings were all him. So why couldn’t he just tell her with an honest heart how he truly felt? How could he admit to her what he could barely admit to hi
mself? Because he was a chickenshit bastard more afraid of serious relationships then of the monsters he stood up to? Yeah, that sounded about right.

THEY had less than an hour of sunless morning left by the time they reached the room again. Tristan was dragging with renewed exhaustion after the adrenaline had passed and the quiet of the long drive lulled his senses. Ash was silent and looking grumpy as hell, clutching her side where she’d been burned. It was bleeding enough that Tristan could smell it in the small confines of the car and he hoped that it wasn’t bad. This was his hunt, but he needed Ash, her strength and, maybe, her unnatural powers.

Sebastian was waiting for the pair, bright eyed and bushy tailed, a dog expecting his master after a long day at work. He might as well have pranced around with a feather duster, whistling and wearing a frilly pink apron.

“Welcome back,” the Frenchman sang in his thick accent, practically fluttering around the room like an insane person who thought they were singing the chorus to a Disney movie.

Tristan wanted to punch him in the fucking face. 

He shouldered past the fae as he helped a reluctant and stiff Ash into the living room. She had enough pride that she wouldn’t let him carry her, but she wasn’t opposed to hanging on his arm.

Sebastian didn’t pick up on, or care for that matter, about the mood the couple brought in with them. He remained cheery, smiling. “How may I assist?”

“Get the fuck out of the way,” Tristan growled, trying to push the doting man away. Sebastian’s foot caught Tristan’s and he and Ash tumbled on the sofa. Despite the pain, Ash refused to cry out. Tristan on the other hand groaned as the sting of nails dug into his arm.

“Oh my.
Mademoiselle
is hurt.”

“No shit.” Tristan jerked his arm out of Ash’s claws and stood, rubbing the spot that she gouged.

Without a second thought to modesty—a human sentiment—Ash ripped open her shirt, exposing her whole upper body. The fact that she was now braless hadn’t escaped Tristan’s notice and he wondered just how far she went with Audric in that room before finally saying no. Ash’s eyes lifted up to his and he quickly looked away, shooting Sebastian a nasty sneer. The Frenchman had a high sense of propriety and immediately turned away.

Tristan still wanted to
deck him.

He knelt before Ash, resisting the urge to touch her in even the simplest way. “What can I do?”

She looked up and then away just as quickly. “Get away from me.”

He sat back, affronted. “What—”

“She needs to feed,” Sebastian said matter-of-factly and took a step closer to the sofa, not even seeing her nakedness. “I’m terribly sorry, mademoiselle
,
I have been unable to procure you the necessary blood you’ve requested.”

“Well, that’s just fucking great,” Tristan complained to no one in particular as he stood
and started pacing. They were also out of that special pythia juice Ash usually liked to drink. In her anxiety she ended up drinking a whole three days’ worth on the plane ride over. They were really unprepared to the point of laughability. What fools they’d been.

Understanding the mood, Sebastian stepped out of the room before he was asked, before one of them bit off his head. Tristan stopped, looking down to Ash with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl marring his expression. As much as he wanted to admire her naked breasts, he couldn’t help but stare at
the weeping wound.

“How long will this take to heal?”

Ash looked away, jaw tight. “A few days.”

He dropped his arms to his sides. “We don’t have that kind of time.” They weren’t even planning on staying in France more than two days. Kill the brat vampire
tomorrow
and leave. That was the plan.

She looked up slowly and met his eyes. “There is nothing for it, Tristan.”

He narrowed his eyes at her a moment and then started to walk towards her. “Yes, there is,” he answered in a low voice full of heat.

Ash’s grumpy expression switched to surprise as she watched him stalk her. “What are—”

Tristan leaned over, his hands going to the sofa back on either side of her head. He climbed up on his knees over her so that she was trapped and lifted his chin, turning his face slightly away. He didn’t even say a word. He knew if he did, she’d break from the trance she was in, staring at his neck as if it held the key to all happiness. But using his body language he could persuade her to do what she needed most.

The breath caught in Ash’s throat. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, biting enough to bleed herself and set her pulse on edge. She reached up and touched fingers below Tristan’s ear and brushed his hair aside. Tristan let out a sigh, eyes fluttering shut as a tiny shiver of excitement shook his shoulders. The fingers playing with the ends of his hair slipped up into it, grabbing fistfuls and making him moan softly. It took all of his willpower to keep his face turned away, neck freely offered to her. He was afraid of this as much as he desired it. The biting part, he knew she could make it either really painful or really, really good. It was the actual dying part that scared him; it had to hurt to die, to lose your body but not your mind.

Ash wrapped her arms around his head, hugging him to her, lips pressed to his neck, hint of breast brushing his chest. She was trembling with the need to bite into his tender flesh. He wanted it as badly as she did.

“Yes...,” he hissed out, forgetting himself. 

Realizing that she had her fangs pressed to the neck of the last person she ever intended on biting, Ash gasped and shoved Tristan away. He lost his balance and flipped backwards to the floor, nearly smacking his head on the coffee table. He blinked up in shock for a moment and then sighed dejectedly. “Ash, you can’t go on like this. You need—”

“No!” She shouted making him flinch and then climbed off the sofa and started to stomp towards the master bedroom. “You just push and push on this. I will not be so easily swayed. I refuse to kill you!”

Tristan sat up, rotating to rest his elbows on the coffee table with another sigh. “This has nothing to do with that. Look… I need you, okay? I need you to help me kill Lucien. I can’t do it alone. And you can’t help like that.”

Ash stopped at the doors to the bedroom and turned to face him,
shirt hanging off her shoulders and panting. “And you will not have to fight alone. I intend on helping you. I will be fine.”

“Jesus, Ash, you can barely talk you’re in so much pain. How do you expect to do anything close to useful?” He hadn’t meant to sound like a dickhead, but he was tired, physically and mentally. And her stubbornness surpassed anything he’d ever held onto in his whole life. That was saying something because he used to think he was the most stubborn person he knew.

“Perhaps I can offer the solution.”

The others looked up to Sebastian who’d come back into the main living room, shirtless.

“What-the-hell?” Tristan bit out.

Sebastian didn’t even acknowledge the other man as he came farther into the room, eyes locked with Ash. “
My duty as your personal valet, I will feed you, Master vampire.”

“That is very generous, but—”

“
Et puis quoi encore,
” the other man snapped, piercing green eyes glaring out from under his dark brow.

Ash flinched at his sudden change in manner. Prim, polite and reserved this servant was not. 

In French he continued, “Your lover is right. He needs you to be well. He is only human and cannot think to hunt a vampire all by his lonesome. I believe history shows a rather strong pattern of…
misgivings
over such attempts of mortal kind against those not.”

Ash’s lips pursed into a tight, thin line.

Tristan, tried of all the arguing, stood with a huff. “Just bite the guy already and be done with it. Christ…” He walked past Ash, scrubbing at his hair, feeling overly weary. “You’re going to put me in an early grave.”

He stopped just inside the room and said over his shoulder to her, “I’m just… I’m just trying to look out for you with all that I have.” Why couldn’t she understand that? Why couldn’t she understand how much he cared about her?

He heard Sebastian mutter, “It’s obvious he cares very much for you, Madam vampire. You should be kinder to him, allow him to help you. Such things can hurt a man’s pride after all.”

Whatever Ash’s reply was, was lost to the slam of the bedroom door behind Tristan.
He went to the bathroom with the intention of cleaning up before bed. Instead, he ended up just standing at the sink, staring at his sloppy reflection. His clothes were still in order and he liked the way he looked in them, if only he didn’t have the complexion of a zombie right then. He was tired, both physically and mentally. All he could think was
, I shouldn’t have come.
He should have done what his instincts said and told Yuki to fuck off. If everything she and Ash had said were true and Lucien was coming into his Master powers, the power of fire—yeah,
fire
—then what chance did someone like him have? Half-breed Uruwashi or whatever, he was still just human.

Well, that wasn’t even the thing that was bothering him the most right then either. Just a few months ago, if he had died trying to do something reckless like kill a vampire, he wouldn’t have cared. But now, well, there was one very big reason to live. And she confused and frustrated him more than anyone he’d ever known. What was it about Ash that turned him into an emo, insecure teen? Hell, even as a teen he was neither of those things—cocky and boisterous were more accurate. Anyway, he shouldn’t have snapped at her and then stormed out like that. It was childish.

After cleaning up for bed, he went to check on Ash and found Sebastian lying face down on the sofa. He rushed over and shoved his fingers into Sebastian’s neck. He felt a pulse, and then relief. Then disgust when he realized his fingers were now covered in someone else’s blood. He noticed the bucket and went to dip his fingers in to clean them off when he caught a whiff of something minty and earthy, like young leaves. Just to make sure it was what he thought it was, he gave his fingers a sniff and frowned. Sure enough, it was Sebastian’s blood that smelled like leafy greens.

“Strange,” he mumbled and cleaned off the blood. He went over and poked Sebastian in the shoulder. “Hey.” Another poke. “You alive, dude?”

The body on the sofa shifted, ever so slightly with a deep breath.

“Hey, elf-boy, wake up. Where’s Ash?”

This time he got a soft moan, but the guy was out. Tristan wondered just how much she took from the Frenchman. In the end he was more concerned over where Ash had disappeared to, Sebastian would be fine. He returned to the bedroom saw that their trunk had been delivered and pushed up against the front of the armoire. He went over and tried to open it only to find it was locked. But the door on the armoire was slightly ajar. He opened it and jumped back, crying out in surprise.

“Holy shit! Ash? What the hell?”

The vampire lifted her head from where it’d been resting on her pulled-up knees. “This is the only daylight secure dwelling in this confounded room. Honestly, could she have not picked a hotel with less windows?”

Tristan frowned at her—still didn’t explain why she curled up in there without saying anything to him. What if he’d opened it while it was still light out and burnt her? He didn’t even know what to say to the grumpy vampire in answer to that. “Sebastian’s passed the fuck out.”

“As well he should be.” Ash lifted the blanket she was huddle under, showing Tristan a lot of naked flesh.

“Wow… Uh, the wound, I mean.” It’d stopped seeping and was now closed over with bright red flesh. It still looked painful, but the gaping wound that it was had closed, and that was the biggest worry. “I had no idea elf blood was so powerful.”

“Faerie. And yes… I will owe Yukihime for the generosity of such a servant.”

He didn’t like the sound of that at all.

Ash’s grumpy expression softened. “Thank you.”

“What? For what?”

“I know I can be rather…
unpleasant
at times. I appreciate…  you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He went to her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I’m only aggravated because I care.”

She shook her head, looking up into his eyes. “And I appreciate that. To have someone care for me in actions to back their words, it is… a much welcomed change.”

Tristan understood what she was saying. Malik used to charm her with his words but would act the exact opposite. He was a cruel man, locking Ash up for over two-hundred years. The thought that someone could be so callous left a bad taste in Tristan’s mouth.
That she overcame such a trial spoke on the strength of her will.

“Daylight’s almost here, get some rest.”

She nodded, started to pull the blanket over her head, but stopped, lowering it again. “We need to speak… later, after the sun sets. Lucien’s death can be put off for one day.”

“You sure?” He was doing a mental list of their supplies. The fact that
she had no more pythia juice was a big concern.