Black Scar (12 page)

Jesus, wasn’t that truth? He clutched the glass
in his hand, and anger rolled through him. Marcus wanted to crush it between
his hands. He could do it, his strength all but recovered. Or he could send it
careening against the wall in an orange juice fountain.
No. Control.
He willed his fury back.

The lyrics continued saying something about how
the young man struggles on and on. Yeah, well, no more. He raised the glass and
calmly drank the juice. He placed the empty glass in the dishwasher, turned off
the radio, and hobbled from the room.

****

By the time
Deegan arrived around four thirty, Marcus had showered and set up a tray with a
bottle of Black Bush, Deegan’s preferred drink, Canadian Club for himself, and
a couple of glasses and a bowl of crushed ice. This could take all night.

He allowed Deegan
to pour their drinks. Now seated before the fireplace, the two men quietly
sipped their liquor and watched the low-burning blue flame of the propane in
the hearth. Marcus propped his throbbing leg on a leather stool.

“Is it giving you
pain?” Deegan asked, his head nodding toward the stool.

“Yes. I have the
feeling it always will. I’ll live with it.”

“You have questions.”

“Jesus, you
think?”

Deegan took a
sip, clenching his teeth at the satisfying burn. “Where would you like to
begin?”

“Let’s start with
you. How is it you were walking around in the sun, but today, you slumbered?”

“Edward has
created an experimental drug that can lessen the effects of the sun on a
Vampire. I am his guinea pig, so to speak. I do not take it every day, only in
an emergency. Edward has not yet perfected it for steady use. Ancient Vampires
can move about in late afternoon, or if the day is particularly gray and
overcast, but we are in a weakened condition. For Dhampyres it is less so, and
Lucius, lesser still.”

“So why am I able
to lie in the sun and not be affected?”

“Ah. We don’t
know,” Deegan replied.

“Is that going to
be the response to all my questions? ‘I don’t know’? Because I’m looking for
answers, and I better goddamn get them.” His voice remained calm, but firm. He
was tired of being treated as a whiny, injured child. He realized he had to
stop acting as one. “Why am I sleeping so much?”

“I have spoken to
Edward; his best guess is you’ve retained a few characteristics of your Thrope
origins. Also, perhaps you need the extra sleep as you are still transitioning
in your Bloodling stage. Naturally, Edward will need to run tests on you when
he returns. I would say it also explains why you can eat more than one meal a
week.”

Marcus sipped his
Canadian Club thoughtfully. Sounded logical.

“You can no
longer shift. When you had sex with Logan, did you feel the need to, what do
you Thropes call it, ‘lock-in’? Could you enter her thoughts?”

“No to all of
it.”

“Then it is as I
surmised. Your Thrope blood has all but been decimated. It explains the
accelerated Bloodling stage.”

“And what happens
at the Bloodling stage?”

Deegan crossed
his long legs. “You have experienced some of it, the cravings for blood and
sex, often at the same time. The intense and out of control emotions. Usually
newly turned Vampires do not experience this all at the same time, however.”

Marcus snorted.
“Lucky me.”

“Since it seems
to be hastened, this stage should not last long. A few months more, perhaps.”

“Vampires can’t
procreate, yet I impregnated two women. Explain.”

“Your brother
thought you would be a near fifty-fifty split of Thrope and Vampire. I, on the
other hand, did not. I surmised the Vampire blood would overtake your Thrope
origins, and I was correct. Since you were with those women right after you
were turned, enough of your Thrope DNA existed to do the deed. Frankly, I am
not sure if you will ever be able to father children now. You are quite a
puzzle to me. We will see, I suppose.”

Deegan refilled
their glasses twice more, the early evening twilight settling over them as the
room grew dimmer. Deegan answered all his questions. Marcus at last was able to
let all the rules, physicality, and secrets of the Clan absorb into his brain.
The information helped to calm his confusion.

“Now, the Mate
Bond. Vampires are able throughout their immortal life to have more than one
mate. The bond holds until death or destruction separates you. From what you
have told me, you feel the Mate Bond toward Logan, and it seems she does as
well.” Deegan drank a long swallow of whiskey. “Since you haven’t asked about
your prospective mate, I will tell you Logan left for Cape Breton early this
afternoon. She volunteered to escort Dani McCann to our private clinic. There
the young woman will undergo tests and have her lying in. I believe Logan
intends to stay there for a while.”

Well, shit.
She left without saying good-bye. He felt strangely
numb. As if his body and mind had shut down from another blow or shock to his
system.

“I believe this
short separation is warranted, Marcus. Both of you have much to think about.
Know this, the Mate Bond encompasses far more than the physical pull alone. I
think you both are a good fit.”

“Maybe. I don’t
know what to think.”

“Exactly, take
this time. She will return, after all; she has my Cadillac Escalade.” He
smiled.

They remained
silent for a few moments. He did not like the idea of his unborn child anywhere
near Julian Nightwood.

“The clinic is
large and well protected. Edward will ensure Miss McCann’s safety.” Deegan
chuckled. “No, I cannot read your thoughts, but sensed your apprehension and
surmised you thought of your child.”

Deegan placed his
glass on the nearby table and stood. Marcus stood as well.

“I am pleased you
and Lucius have become close. Lucius does not have any friends, except his
cousin, Wolfram, but he lives in the U.K. He needs one here. I believe you
could use one.” Deegan faced him. He reached out and cupped his cheeks.
“Marcus, you and I have a bond. I turned Edward back in the 1800s; I look upon
him as a favored nephew.” Deegan leaned in and kissed his cheek tenderly. “What
I feel for you is much more. It will never be sexual. When I turned you, I had
you drink my blood. I have never taken that step with the dozen or so I have
turned in all these hundreds of years. My motives were cunning; I thought to
use you as a spy. I can be devious. The reasons are not important. You have a
place in this family now, and a place in my heart, Marcus. Our blood flows
through each other’s veins.” Deegan, still cupping his cheeks, leaned forward
until his forehead touched his. “I am your father, and I will love you as a
beloved son.”

Marcus teared up.
The words seared his heart. When Deegan had turned him, he whispered seductive
words in his ear because he knew that was what Marcus wanted to hear. Was he
doing it again, knowing Marcus longed for love and family?

No. He could
sense Deegan’s words were heartfelt and pure. He felt the connection of what
Deegan spoke, deep to his soul. It wasn’t sexual; it hadn’t been for some time.
An unbreakable bond. He threw his arms around Deegan and held him tight and
choked back a ragged sob.

“Father.”

Deegan returned
the embrace. They held each other for a few moments. Giving Marcus one last pat
on the back, Deegan stepped away.

“I will support
you in whatever you decide. The Mate Bond exists. Ignoring it is not something
I would recommend. Take this time.” He clapped Marcus on the shoulder. “Now,
Brennan wants you to stay here in his house. He will take a room in mine for a
few days so you may be alone with your thoughts. When you are ready, we will
discuss your future. I own several properties in the surrounding area. You will
choose one as your new home. Also, when you are ready, I want you to come to
work at Black Transports shoulder-to-shoulder with Lucius, Tristan and myself.
You are an important member of this Clan—and this family.”

Marcus could not
speak. Emotion had closed off his voice. He nodded. Deegan touched his scarred
cheek affectionately, turned and left the house.

He watched out
the window as Deegan disappeared through the trees.

“My father,” he
whispered.

Chapter Thirteen

Logan had been
back in Cape Breton for ten days. In that time she took stock of her life. She
owned a small cottage not far from the clinic. The rustic but homey cabin
became her refuge from the world outside. She’d spent a few days assisting
Callum, Kester, and Edward in the lab. She even managed to achieve a modicum of
peace, her confused thoughts calming to the point of serenity. But she was not
happy.

The six-hour
drive from Bennington Bay to Bouledriare with Dani McCann had been a quiet one,
as the young woman hardly spoke.

She did tell her
that nothing emotional or otherwise existed between Marcus and herself. “I am
nothing to him or any Thrope.” She made the statement with no rancor, just an
honest fact. Even though Logan asked her point blank what type of species she
was, Dani did not reply.

Deegan advised
her to take this time and think of what she wanted. She had lived her life her
own way for many centuries, allowing no one to get near. Marcus Steele was the
only man since Allen who came close to breaching her fortified walls, stirring
all manner of emotions.

She halted a girl
from the kitchen carrying a tray of food.

“Where are you
taking this?”

“To Julian
Nightwood’s room.”

She hadn’t seen
Julian since her return. Besides the lab and her cottage, she had lain low.
Julian never left his rooms. Logan reached for the tray.

“I will take it
to him. I know where he is.”

Julian’s rooms
were located at the back of the clinic, well out of the way of the other
patients and the laboratory. Steadying the tray with one hand, she knocked at
the door.

“Enter,” the deep
voice beckoned.

Logan opened the
door and crossed the threshold into the room. Julian stood with his back to
her, looking out the window at the mountainous hills surrounding the clinic. A
wisp of cigarette smoke curled upward toward the ceiling vent.

“Set the tray on
the table and leave me alone.” The voice held no warmth or inflection of any
kind.

“There is no
smoking in the clinic, but you know that, don’t you, Julian?”

Julian stubbed
his cigarette out on the bottom of his boot and flicked the butt into the
nearby wastebasket without turning around.

“Dr. MacNeil.
You’ve returned. Welcome to my nightmare.”

Logan set the
tray on the table. “I am told you have not eaten for three days. Come and sit
down.”

He ignored her
suggestion. “You’ve been to Bennington Bay. No one would talk about your
absence. I can smell the Blacks on you.”

“You do not ask
after your sister. She sent a letter since you will no longer take her calls.”

Julian turned and
walked to the table. Since she had seen him last, he’d lost more weight. His
cheekbones were even more pronounced and the stark weariness and misery more
clearly etched on his face and showing in his mesmerizing hazel eyes. His hair
had grown longer and ragged; he needed a trim and a shave. He reached for the
letter, opened the nearby desk drawer and tossed it in.

“You are not
going to read it?”

“No.”

“You always were
a man of few words. I must insist you eat. I will not leave until you do.”

She smiled, but
Julian returned it with a dark, menacing glare. He pulled out the chair and
sat. Lifting the cover, he curled his lip. She sat opposite and watched him
meticulously cut his rare steak into bite-sized pieces.

“I have seen
Marcus.”

The fork and
knife stilled, and then continued on their task. “I have relayed my apologies
to him through Raylene.”

“And you feel
nothing toward him?”

“No. I picked him
up in a bar for a mindless fuck. That’s it. A one-night stand. A fresh, young
piece of ass, nothing more.”

Logan’s eyes
narrowed in disgust at his cold, emotionless statement.

“You. Lie.”

“Maybe or maybe
not. What does it matter now? So we had a few ... moments. Marcus is vastly
appealing. The youth, the vulnerability, yet he possesses an inner strength and
determination. He may be young, but has been through enough these last months
for two lifetimes. This would have crushed a lesser man. Marcus has a courage
and vigor I envy. That’s what drew me. He wants so much to be loved, though he
hides it well.”

Julian speared
the meat with his fork and popped it in his mouth. She almost spoke aloud her
thought that perhaps Julian wanted the same thing ... to be loved. And if she
were to be honest, so did she. This, no doubt, was the most Julian had spoken
in quite a while, she guessed.