Kindred (Kindred, Book 1) (30 page)

I'd been up all night but I wasn't tired, on the contrary, my roller coaster of emotions had just keyed me up, there was no way I could get any sleep now. I glanced up at the calendar on the wall of my kitchen and noticed that Rick should be at the gym early this morning. I'd long ago taken to keeping a copy of his roster, his hours were so chaotic I never knew when I could catch up with him.

Suddenly, I really needed to see my friend.

Despite his reaction to me just before the battle, I didn't even consider the fact that he wouldn't want to see me as much as I wanted to see him. We were mates, buds, the best of friends and had been from the first day we met. I needed to hear his voice, to have him joke with me, to make me feel like everything that had happened in the past 24 hours was just a bad dream. I needed the gravity Rick brought to my world, he made me feel stable, he steadied the spin when it threatened to suck me away.

I took a quick shower and dressed in my usual Gym garb; ¾ length yoga pants and a tight fitting tee, stuffed my bag full of all the necessary paraphernalia; stake, knife, change of clothes etcetera - everything a modern day girl should need - and headed out the door. The six minute jog to the Gym was a nice warmup, people were already at the weights and running on the treadmills. The usual pre-work workout. Live in a city and exercise in a box. These guys wouldn't even know what it felt like to race though a paddock chasing little lambs, with the wind in your hair and the quiet of the country calming your mind.

Rick was punching a bag on his own, no client or class it would seem, just working out his muscles and loosening up for the day. He didn't hear me approach, I think my stealth abilities had improved lately, another vampire hunting bonus.

“Hey.” I didn't say it loud but he practically jumped right out of his skin. I smiled widely.

“
Jeez, Luce! You damn near gave me a heart attack. Don't do that!” And then he stilled. He just looked at me, with this unusual expression on his face, like he was seeing me for the first time and he wasn't sure if he liked the view.

“
What's wrong?”

“
You look different. Like you have a glow or something. It's strange.”

I tried to smile, but it sort of came out as a bit of a grimace. “Maybe it's something I ate?” I joked, but it didn't feel that funny.

He wasn't saying anything, so before it got too uncomfortable, I decided to ask the one question that had plagued me since I woke up from my sleep, or whatever it was.

“
How's the Hapū? How's Celeste?” OK, so that was two, but you get the picture.

I had heard Celeste had survived, she'd been badly hurt, but had managed to escape any further harm once I'd left her. Michel had kept tabs on the Hapū while I was out of it and had also let them know where I was and what was happening. I had found that a little unexpected, I hadn't thought he'd have it in him, but I later found out Jerome had phoned twice daily for three days before Michel finally caved in.

Rick relaxed a little then, as though we were back on familiar territory. “She's doing great, she got up out of bed yesterday and spent the day out on the deck reading. She's tough, she's gonna be all right. It's Joe we're worried about. He misses Rocky.”

Rocky, dear sweet, funny Rocky. I'd missed the Tangi, that was probably a good thing, I'm not sure I would have been welcome. The Hapū must be hurting right now, I made a promise to myself to go and see Jerome when this was all over, give him my condolences and thank him for his help. A phone call just wouldn't cut it.

“I'm so sorry, Rick. This is all my fault.”

“
Don't say that, Luce! It is Not. Your. Fault. Got it? We were proud to be fighting. You have no idea, it felt so right, like we had been denying ourselves this for so long. We are meant to fight alongside you and kill the vampires.”

I was a little concerned at the vehemence in his voice just then, as though this was a pledge, not only to me, but to himself, to kill as many vampires as he could. Great. Just what I needed.

Just then his 7:30 appointment walked in, so he had to leave me. I spent the next hour punching my frustration out on a bag, kicking and hitting and throwing my full weight into it. It felt fantastic. I noticed Rick glancing over every now and then, but he was pretty busy with his novice, trying to control the loose kicks and fly-away punches. When I felt I'd had about enough, I stripped my gloves off and went and had a shower in the female locker room.

When I came out Rick's client had disappeared and he was tidying up the area, as though filling in time for me to come back. I took a deep breath, not sure what he was about to say. It was weird walking on eggshells around Rick, I wasn't used to this.

“Have you had brekkie? Wanna grab something at the café?” he asked, all bright eyes and familiar cheery face.

And just like that, I had my best friend back. I shouldn't have doubted him at all.

Coffee, that wonderful elixir, that giver of verve. Not everyone can make a decent coffee, but thankfully, the café at Tony's Gym has a philosophy. You're not going to want to come back for their healthy low-fat you're-eating-in-a-gym food, but you bloody well will for the coffee. It was bliss. I savoured every mouthful, letting it roll around my tongue like a lover.

“
So,” Rick said with a mouthful of blueberry non-fat low-sugar muffin. “What's with the glow?”

I glanced down at my hands. I couldn't see any glow. “What are you talking about?”

“You're glowing, Luce, even just sitting here, it's a pale violet hue all around you, but when you were kick-boxing before, it was an intense purple shimmer. Awesome, but freaky.”

I cringed at the
freaky
comment, not my favourite word in the world. But, I also hadn't missed the colour choice of my glow. Purple huh? Now, I wonder why that would be? Bloody Michel, now he was making me glow.

“
Do you think anyone else can see it?” I suddenly thought. Panicked that I wouldn't be able to return to work at the bank and a semi-normal life when my unscheduled leave expired.

“
Nah. You've always kinda shined to the Taniwhas, I guess it's just the way we recognise you. But now, you glow. Kinda cool.”

Yeah, if you want to walk around with a supernatural neon sign above your head announcing you're joined to a master vampire. Moment of truth time. Rick is my best friend after all.

“Max-has-found-a-Nosferatin-and-is-joining-with-him-tonight-so-I had-to-join-with-Michel-or-he-wouldn't-be-strong-enough-to-fight-him.” It came out as one big non-stop word, all jumbled together and tripping over itself.

“
Wh... why, what? Hang on a minute. You joined with Michel?” Figures he'd pick up on that little bit and gloss over the mega-master vampire doubling his powers and about to take over the world.

I took a deep breath. “You know I would have had to anyway. I really didn't have a choice.” My little internal monologue chose that moment to pipe up and tell me
but you weren't entirely opposed to the idea either, were you?
Shut it, I said back.

Rick's brow was furrowed and he was biting his lip in deep concentration. I held my breath again, I'd never before questioned his friendship as often as I was now finding myself doing, but right now, I couldn't tell how he felt about all of this and whether he would just cast me aside as something for the too hard pile.

“Well, that's a bugger, isn't it?” I let the breath I was holding out. “Somehow, I just thought we'd find a way out of it, you know, there'd be time. I never really thought you'd have to go through with it. I mean, he's a vampire, Luce, he's one of the bad guys and now you're tied to him for life.”

“
At least he's not as bad as some of them, Rick, he does have some good in him.”

“
If you think that, you've gone soft. They
make
you believe that, they trick you into being on their side, but they are nothing but evil, Luce, they feed off your vulnerability and they take advantage of your trust. I have yet to meet a vampire who is good.”

I sighed, maybe this was a battle I couldn't win today. Part of me acknowledged that I had changed. I used to think that all vampires were bad too, some more than others, but all of them capable of treachery. And, it's not as though I don't know that Michel is capable of that too, hell, he's just proved it again this morning, but, I see good there too. I see it and I want to draw it out, I just can't help it. Maybe I've just got to accept that on this, Rick and I are not on the same page, hell, maybe we're not even reading the same book any more.

I suddenly felt quite tired and the thought of curling up in my bed was very welcoming. It had been a long night and also an emotional morning. I hugged Rick goodbye and slowly walked home, no energy to run, just dragged my feet and took my time, listening to the deafening sound of morning rush hour traffic, honking horns, voices raised and the general hub-bub of the city waking up and coming alive. The vampires missed all of this, all this activity, teaming with life. No wonder they were called the undead.

No one entered my dreams and I slept solidly, undisturbed by neighbours coming and going or the gardener making his rounds of the property's lawns. When I woke up, the sun was about to set. I'd slept the rest of the day away, but felt rejuvenated for it. I'd just exited the shower and got dressed in my usual evening wear ready for a hunt, when I felt it. Or more accurately, felt the absence of him.

Michel was gone. It wasn't the same as before, when I was in my vision at the club and I could only sense a void when I tried to find him, now, I could still sense his life force, it was just farther away and getting further from me every second. He had left the city and was on his way to Max. I'd been stupid to think he would wait for me to come and say goodbye or even be there waiting to tell me I could come. I just hadn't thought he'd leave me after all. What an idiot.

And now all I felt was a threatening tide of panic at the thought of him not being near me, it made my palms sweat, my breath catch in my throat and my heartrate sky-rocket. The thought of him not being here frightened and alarmed me, more than I thought it ever could. I started shaking with barely contained fear, I could not lose him this way, I could not let him be alone when he faced Maximilian.

I had just decided what I would do when there was a knock on my door. Without thinking I opened it and was met with the glowing red eyes of a vampire about to glaze me. I fought it as best I could. I mean usually I can fight the impulse, but not always and not when my heartrate was already motoring and my mind was not here, but chasing my kindred vampire across the seas.

“
Invite me in,” he said in his usual deep, gruff, no-nonsense voice.

I found myself saying it before I could even register the thought. “Of course, Bruno, won't you please come in.”

As soon as he stepped over the threshold he hit me with another suggestion. “You will not rescind your invitation to me” and dug it in so deep I didn't even feel where he had buried it.

I always knew Bruno was a high level master, close to Michel in strength, but not quite. He was more than capable of heading up his own family line, but he seemed very loyal to Michel for some reason and stayed. Tonight just proved how powerful he was. I'd never sensed this level of power come off him before, he had hid it well.

Part of my mind was yelling at me that I was in trouble, the other part was calmly saying,
but this is Bruno, he won't hurt you
. Right then, as I watched him glance around my tiny apartment, making it feel even smaller than it normally was with the huge bulk of him, I wasn't sure which part was right.

“
Nice place you got here, Luce? You decorate it?”

The breath I was holding went out and the cloud his influence had had on me lifted. The last suggestion still so deeply buried in my mind I didn't even register it. The thought of rescinding his invitation no longer existing as an option in my mind. I felt normal and this was Bruno, come to pay a visit. How nice.

“It's a rental. You get what you pay for.”

“
Hmm,” he simply replied and went to sit on the three seater couch, taking up most of it. “Got any DVD's?” He had started flicking through the magazines and usual crap adorning my coffee table, searching for the remote control to the TV. Once he found it, he switched it on and started channel surfing.

“
You're just gonna watch TV?” I asked incredulously. “When Michel has gone to face Max?”

He shrugged. “Enrique, Jock and Alessandra are with him. He'll be all right.” And when I raised my eyebrows at him, he went on. “They're going for stealth. Small party, hit him when he doesn't expect it, at the joining, take him out.”

“You really think it will be that easy? You're mad. Max will be unstoppable when he joins.”

“
He won't join. They'll get him before that.” Then he chucked the remote down and said, “Crap. Nothing on the box. How about a game of poker?”

I was starting to get angry now, the fear of Michel being away from me quickly replaced with a white hot rage. How could Bruno sit here so calmly when Michel could be heading to his death? Did he not care at all?