Ironic Sacrifice (7 page)

“Hey, I didn’t laugh.” Still, she couldn’t keep from smiling at the irony. “I wonder why so many vampire legends came from there.”

His frown deepened in irritation with the subject. “One can only imagine.”

“Akasha said you have a brother…” she ventured again hoping she wasn’t toeing the line of propriety.

Naked pain slashed across his sinister features. Jayden swallowed in fear that she had angered him.

Razvan took a deep breath and released it in a long sigh before he replied, “Yes. His name is Radu. We are twins. I haven’t seen him since our mother and father were killed.”

“I’m sorry for the loss,” she placed her hand tentatively on his. “How did they die?”

“The villagers set our castle aflame one morning. I do not know if the flames or the sun got to them first.” He closed his eyes as if in remembrance. “I wasn’t there. Radu and I had fought.”

She longed to ask about the fight, but the shame and sorrow on his face made her hesitant to prod. But she doubted she could hold back her questions for long. His story was more intriguing than she imagined. Twin vampires living in an ancient Romanian castle, vampire parents slain by angry villagers… A thought struck her. If his parents had been vampires, then…“Wait a minute, vampires can reproduce?” she blurted.

He shook his head, “No, we were adopted. Do not worry, Jayden, I cannot impregnate you.”

“Why would a vampire want to adopt children?” This conversation was growing more fascinating by the second.

“Our father, Alexandru Nicolae, was
Voivode
, lord of our
ţări,
or what you would call a village.” Razvan’s gaze grew distant in remembrance over unfathomable centuries. “The people knew what he was and often provided him with sacrifices. If the humans they offered were indeed terrible criminals, he would kill them, but often the crimes were either small or imagined. In that case, he would feed and then release them with riches, except for my mother. Crina was sacrificed to Alexandru by her own husband. She had suffered a fourth miscarriage and the bastard accused her of witchcraft.” His lip curled in derision. “She wanted children very much.

Admiration shone in his eyes. “She wanted to be a mother so much, in fact, that when the
Voivode
fell in love with her gentle beauty, she refused to become his consort because he couldn’t give her children. Father was not a man to allow anything to keep him from his desires, so he scoured the village in search of a child for his lady.”

Jayden leaned forward, absorbed in his tale.

“One night,” the vampire continued, “Alexandru came across a peasant hut in which a woman was giving birth to twins. The couple was very poor and had five children already, so they did what many in that situation used to do. While the firstborn fed at his mother’s breast, the husband took the second born out of the hut and into the woods to abandon it to the elements. I would have died if the
Voivode
had not taken me.” Before Jayden could form her astonished reply, Razvan added, “Alexandru then decided to take Radu as well. He left a fortune in gold in the empty cradle. When our new father brought us to the castle, cradled in each arm and with a wet nurse trailing behind, Crina was overjoyed and she agreed to let him Change her.”

“Wow,” Jayden said, flinching at the lame response, but unable to do better at the moment. “What was it like, being raised by vampires?”

Razvan smiled, “Besides being on a predominately nocturnal schedule so that our mother was able to dote on us, I would say that our upbringing was the same as that of any child in the nobility. We had the best of everything, fine clothes, skilled tutors, and anything we could ever desire. In fact, I believe that we were luckier than many noble children in that we had each other for companionship, while they were often raised in solitude.”

He yawned, the gleaming fangs in his gaping mouth gave her a start; hitting home the reminder that she was sharing a bed with a predator, not a normal man. “I believe you must rest now. You have your training tomorrow and I have business in my city to attend to.”

He rolled over and turned off the lamp without so much as a kiss goodnight.

Jayden lay in the bed and stared up at the darkness, marveling at the enigma that slept next to her. She had learned so much about him this night. He was Romanian, his brother’s name was Radu and their last name was Nicolae. She suppressed a bitter chuckle that she’d slept with a man without knowing his last name. There was a country song about that out there, she thought sleepily.

The bedside clock read six A.M in a soft green glow. It was past dawn yet Razvan’s soft breathing was still audible. Now she also knew that vampires did not turn into corpses during the day. Jayden sighed. Still, there was so much she did not know about him. One minute he was generous and tender, the next he was sinister and secretive. And what about his brother?

Akasha said that he used psychics to try to find him, but he still hadn’t asked her to try, even when she brought it up.

What would happen if I did find him?
Jayden closed her eyes and imagined Razvan’s sardonic features soften into joyous gratitude…perhaps even love. Yes, love, she admitted to herself. This mysterious man who had turned her world upside-down while simultaneously offering her shelter and pleasure had woven his spell around her. She was helpless to resist. Now in the cool hush of morning she recognized that her earlier outburst had resulted in panic that he’d leave her once Silas had finished her training. But if she succeeded where all others had failed, if she actually found Radu, then surely Razvan would not give her up.

She imagined his cold, cynical visage softening into joy. She imagined two brothers embracing for the first time in centuries.

I will do it,
she decided. Her mind raced as she pondered the risks and possibilities of using her powers intentionally for the first time.

After an hour of futility in their practice sessions, Silas could tell that Jayden was preoccupied. “What is the matter, lass?” he asked carefully.

She sighed before beginning. “Silas?”

“Yes, Jayden?” Silas hid a smile of amusement at the woman’s hesitant tone.

“When Razvan um, requested your help in finding Radu, how exactly did you go about it?” She looked down at her toes.

“Ah, so he’s enlisting your aid now, is he?” He raised a brow. “I thought he’d given up.”

“He hasn’t asked me,” she said quickly, blushing strawberries and cream. “I just wanted to…that is, I thought I could…”

“Help him?” the vampire prodded gently. It was obvious the poor lass was infatuated with his maker. A wave of pity engulfed him. Though she was taller than his wife, Jayden was a timid little mouse compared to Akasha. He was not at all certain if she would be able to stand up to Razvan’s bouts of cruelty or withstand his mind games.

Jayden nodded. Her green eyes flicked up to his and darted away. She toyed with the ashtray on the table spinning it with a trembling finger. The cat padded up to her and as if sensing her agitation, rubbed against her legs. Jayden reached out with her other hand and petted Isuzu absently, still spinning the ashtray.

Silas took a deep breath before presenting her with an unpleasant truth. “When I tried to find Radu, I came close a few times, but every time I ran up against a block. The block was so powerful, there was no way it was not put there on purpose.”

When Jayden gave no sign of kenning his meaning, he sighed and continued. “I believe that Razvan’s twin does not want to be found.”

Her eyes widened. “Did you tell Razvan?” The ashtray was a spinning blur on the table.

Silas suppressed a bitter chuckle at her accusing tone. “Indeed I did, lass. And he nearly tore me from navel to nose for it. He can have quite the temper when things don’t go his way.” He shook his head. “That probably comes from being spoilt as a lad.”

“Razvan told me he and Radu fought before he disappeared,” Jayden said. “Do think that—”

The doorbell chimed. The ashtray flew off the table and shattered on the cherry wood floor. Silas was glad that he had the foresight to empty it earlier. Otherwise there would be ashes and cigarette butts all over the place.

She tried to apologize but Silas waved his hand dismissively and went to answer the door.

***

Jayden wondered if it was one of Silas’s subordinates or if Akasha had ordered a pizza in advance as she sometimes did when she and Max were on their way home from the bar.

She turned to look and frowned as she saw that no one was there. Silas was bending over to pick something up from the front stoop.

“What is—” she began, getting up from her chair.

“Stay back!” Silas ordered. His eyes glowed neon green and his fangs were bared as he scanned the area for whoever left the missive. He turned back to her and she bit back a gasp at his feral expression.

“Lock the door behind me,” he hissed before walking out in the darkness.

Jayden scrambled across the room to obey. Her heart pounded in her throat as she flipped the deadbolt into place. She’d never seen Akasha’s husband act this way before. Something had to be very wrong. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes as a multitude of horrible possibilities assaulted her imagination. What if something happened to Akasha? Or Max? Or, oh God, it didn’t bear pondering, Razvan?

It seemed to be an eternity before she heard Silas’s keys jangling the knob. She still held her breath, ready to bolt if it wasn’t him. The door opened and she sighed in relief as she saw that it was. She also heard Akasha and Max coming up the walkway behind him.

“Silas, what’s wrong, honey?” Akasha asked.

“Yeah, what’s going on?” Max said, “You’re pale as hell. And that’s a hell of an accomplishment, considering.”

“We’ve been invaded,” Silas growled.

“Invaded?” Jayden’s heart crawled up into her throat at his obvious rage.

The vampire ignored her and proceeded to explain. “One of Selena’s underlings left us a message.”

“Which one?” Akasha demanded. “’Cuz if it was that prick, Michael, I’ll…”

“I didn’t see who it was. The bastard took off before I got to the door.”

Akasha’s mouth dropped open before she burst into laughter. “The guy pulled a ‘ding-dong-ditch?’ Are you serious? What a pussy!”

Silas gave his wife an adoring half smile. His eyes stopped their eerie glow and he looked like himself once more. Jayden silently said a prayer of relief.

“Well, what does the note say?” Max asked, bringing all attention back to the sinister missive.

“I haven’t read it yet,” Silas said. The envelope was crumpling in his grasp. “But I’m getting a bad feeling about it.”

“Do you see anything?” Jayden asked.

The vampire shook his head. “Nothing clear.”

“Do you want me to try?” she offered hesitantly.

Silas gave her a long assessing look. “Only if you feel up to it after I read it.” He sliced the envelope open with his thumbnail, frowning at the writing scrawled on the front.

“You’re not going to wait for Razvan, are you?” Akasha asked.

Silas laughed, “Why? He likely would not wait for me if our positions were reversed.” He pulled out the letter, frowning again as he unfolded it. The vampire cleared his throat and read:

“Dear Lord McNaught:

“It has come to my attention that Lord Nicolae passed through my territory without requesting my permission. I am also aware that he had in his possession a human female of considerable psychic ability.

“That stated, I will be lenient to Lord Nicolae and forgive his grievous insult of trespassing on my lands if he will entrust the psychic to my care. She could be a great asset to my order.

“I have had visions of her and I fear greatly for her safety, as any woman with more than a passing acquaintance with Razvan would. I implore you, Silas to persuade our maker to see reason.

“Ever yours,

“Selena Vespucci, Lord of Post Falls, High Priestess of the Order of Eternal Night.”

Akasha chuckled, “Is she fucking kidding? She’s crazy if she thinks we’re just going to hand Jayden over to her and her cult like a lost puppy or something.”

Silas raised a brow. “She
is
crazy, Akasha. Don’t you remember? You’ve met her.”

“Oh yeah,” she laughed drunkenly. “Bat-shit crazy!” her voice was louder than normal as she wandered into the kitchen and came out with another beer. “Wait a minute, did she say that Razvan
Changed
her? I had no idea.”

The vampire looked back at the letter with wide eyes. “This is the first I’m hearing of it as well. However, she could be lying.”

Akasha nodded. “Or it could be another of her delusions.” She took another long swallow of beer and hiccupped.

Jayden thought that more alcohol was the last thing Akasha needed, but an intervention wasn’t her top priority, not when a crazy vampire lady wanted her for her cult. “Who is Selena and what does she want with me?” She hated the quavering in her voice.

The compassion in Silas’s eyes was almost too much to bear. “Selena has always been addicted to power and your abilities make you especially desirable.” He headed over to the sideboard and removed a decanter of what looked like whiskey. He uncapped it and took a big swig straight from the bottle.

“Yeah, but I don’t think that’s her main point.” Max spoke suddenly. “From the run-in y’all had from her the last time, she’s been waiting for any excuse to make her move.” He scratched his beard thoughtfully. “Come to think of it, in light of current and past events, it makes sense that Razvan’s the one who turned her into a vampire. First she tried to play him against you, Silas, and now she’s seeing if she can play you against him.”

Before Jayden could speak, Akasha interrupted, “Wait, so you both banged her? Ewww!”

Silas sighed. “A vampire doesn’t have to ‘bang’ every mortal he Changes, Akasha. After all, Razvan Changed me, and you can bet that there was nothing sexual in that incident.”

“Yeah, but it’s still looking like Razvan has a thing for redheads.” Max said with a salacious wink

“Hey!” Jayden cried. “I still have no idea what’s going on and I’m sick of being left in the dark. Will you
please
tell me who this woman is? And why is she so pissed at you and Razvan?”

They all quieted and looked at her.

“I’m sorry Jayden,” Akasha said. “I didn’t think about how fucked up all this has to be for you.”

“I apologize as well,” Silas inclined his head. “It must be like walking in on the third act of a play.”

“Yeah, kinda,” Jayden said, forcing a smile.

Max patted her shoulder awkwardly, “Don’t feel too bad, girl. I came in at the end of their last adventure and was lost in the beginning.” He guided her to the table and pulled out a chair. “Ya’ better sit down and have a cold one. It’s quite a long story.”

He handed her his beer, but she pushed it back. “No thank you…. On second thought, is there any wine?” A crazy vampire cult leader being thrown into her already surreal situation did call for a drink. She just didn't care for beer most of the time.

“I’ll get it!” Akasha sang and shambled off to the kitchen.

Silas pulled up a chair next to her and took another miniscule sip of his whiskey before he began. “Four years ago, the eldest vampire in the world informed me that I was to guard five mortals whose fate was indelibly linked to that of our kind. Those five were Akasha and the musicians you know as
Rage of Angels
.”

Jayden sucked in a breath at the mention of her favorite band.

Akasha came in with a bottle of wine and a glass. “This is Xochitl’s favorite Riesling. I bought some because they’re coming to visit after their concert next Friday.”

“That’s right! They’ll be here next week,” Max said. “I wonder if Selena knows...”

“Hey!” Jayden said, “You guys are doing it again.”

“Sorry,” they mumbled and went back to nursing their beers.

Silas returned to his explanation as Jayden sipped her wine. “I was able to secure Akasha when I became her legal guardian,” Silas began and the shock on Jayden’s face must have been obvious because Akasha interrupted, “Don’t look at him like he was playing
Lolita
with me! I was really nineteen but the fucking state rigged my I.D. Besides that, we fell in love.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled, embarrassed.

Silas nodded in understanding. “Anyway, once she was with me, I soon met Xochitl, Sylvis, Aurora and Beau. I allowed them to drink their beer and smoke their cigarettes and most important of all, practice their music. So naturally since I was so ‘cool,’” he smiled at the memory, “my home became a haven to them. Circumstances led me to Mark them all as my property in the eyes of other vampires and that’s when disaster struck. Selena had been spying on me ever since I left her and her cult, the Order of Eternal Night.”

“What’s her cult about?” Jayden asked.

Silas sighed. It was apparent that Selena had been an irritation to them for a while. “It started up when Selena stole some scrolls from Delgarias. He is the eldest of our kind. One of them was the legend of the creator of vampires, and the other referred to a prophecy telling of another world in which the sun will die and then a savior would bring it back. Somehow she twisted this into a religion dedicated to worshipping Mephistopheles, the creator of vampires, and finding the prophesied savior so she can stop her and colonize the other world. That’s where Xochitl comes in,” he said. “Not only is she the prophesied savior of the other world, but she is also the daughter of Mephistopheles.”

“Wow.” Jayden breathed. “That’s really messed up.”

“What I don’t understand,” Akasha said suddenly, “is why she doesn’t go after Delgarias instead of screwing with us.”

“Because,” Silas said patiently, “Delgarias would crush her like an insect. I only wonder why he has not done so yet. She has been enough of a nuisance.”

“Sorry I got the conversation off track,” Jayden said. “So you Marked Akasha and
Rage of Angels
and Selena’s spies informed her…”

“Yes,” Silas said. “Well, she saw that as the perfect opportunity to get revenge on me for leaving her and she wrote a report to the Elders, our governing body. She made it out to look like I either marked so many mortals because I was building up my power base to go rogue, or that I was some sort of pedophile. She made Akasha’s friends seem like they were twelve instead of nearly eighteen.” He snorted. “The Elders sent Razvan to investigate, and things would have ended there if Akasha didn’t possess superhuman strength and Xochitl wasn’t so, ah, unique. So there was a trial but in the end it didn’t go well for Selena. She is now angrier with us than ever and two years ago she moved to Post Falls, right between Razvan’s and my territories. We’ve been waiting for her to make a move against us ever since.”

Jayden was too stunned to speak. It was like she’d been transported into a preternatural soap opera.