Sire (22 page)

He stepped backward, overturning an end table and sending a lamp crashing to the ground. Caitlin moved with him, winding her arms around his neck and pulling herself closer.

They fell onto the couch in a tangle of arms and legs, and somehow ended up on the floor. Michael flailed until his hand touched the coffee table, which he tossed across the room as if it was weightless.

And then all of his attention was on her. Caitlin closed her eyes, threw back her head, and moaned.

***

The girl Angelica fed from was beautiful. Tall, fair-skinned, with long hair so blond it was almost white, and a nose that turned up in a cute way. She ate right, too. Angelica couldn't taste any of the chemicals and grease that filled the veins of so many people these days.

The girl moaned softly as Angelica's bite filled her with warm pleasure.

This was how it was supposed to be. A willing donor, no loss of life, no threat the her kind or theirs.

Not like the mess Liam had created.

It was senseless slaughter, killing for the sake of killing. He had gained nothing from it, and it had the potential to ruin everything. Angelica had this city well under control, but that control hinged on her ability to keep a promise to the humans' leaders: your people will be safe.

The Chief of Police, LaCroix, had been showing signs of discontent for some time now. It was very possible that this would push her over the edge. The Mayor was upset, too. And the President of the University.

God damn it.

Four dead bodies. Four families that would have to be bought off, compelled, or eliminated. It was a minor miracle that the only witnesses were the girl Michael had become fond of, and a few of her friends. One of whom was now in the hospital.

God damn it.

Anger was building inside her. She squeezed the girl she was feeding from a bit too hard, drawing a small squeal of protest. Angelica made herself loosen her grip.

And then there were the other vampires to contend with. Liam had been growing in popularity for some time now. The young ones looked at him as a symbol of defiance, a rogue who did whatever he wanted to whomever he wanted, consequences be damned, and some of them seemed eager to follow his example.

Some of them had even started killing again.

There were certain members of the Council that believed Liam was simply living out his rightful place on the food chain, too. The vampires of St. Troy had grown domesticated, they argued, and had come to fear the humans they fed from. Some had suggested—privately, of course—that Angelica herself was more concerned with the humans than with vampire rights.

There was no way around it. Liam had become too much of a liability. He had to be dealt with.

He had to be killed.

Admitting that was profoundly painful. She was his Sire. He was her Scion. Her creation. At one time, he had been her lover. And his wildness had been what drew her to him.

But she had grown over the years. Matured. He had not. And now he was a threat, pure and simple.

So the decision was made, and Angelica took any sentimentality or remorse and buried them somewhere deep inside. Now, she just had to find a way of making it happen quietly.

That was when the vision hit her.

She was suddenly filled with fire and lust and hunger, a primal, voracious
need.

Michael. She was seeing through Michael's eyes, sharing his experience.

The room around her faded out. She was lying on her back, looking up at a vaulted ceiling and a beautiful blond girl. Her eyes were closed and her head was thrown back, and one hand was holding her long, curly hair away from her face.

Caitlin.

Angelica sat frozen as the vision unfolded. The girl moved against her, whispered to her, encouraged her. Angelica's hands moved up and over the girl's frame. Fabric tore. The girl's eyes went wide, and then she smiled.

Hunger built inside of Michael, but not a vampire's hunger. It was a human hunger. A lover's hunger.

The girl's skin was soft as silk and creamy white. Her hair felt like satin. Her body was hot against Angelica's cold skin. Michael flipped her over, held her down, and pressed his mouth against hers.

Angelica closed her eyes until the vision faded.

"What's wrong?" the girl she had been feeding from asked.

Angelica's eyes flew open, and they were bright red. The girl started to scream, but Angelica snapped her neck. Her body fell limply to the floor.

The ancient vampire shook with rage. She had told Michael that she wasn't the jealous type, given him permission to bed his little strumpet. She had even believed the words when she said them. But they had been a lie. Michael was hers, and she wouldn't compete for him.

Caitlin Manning was going to die, too.

Chapter Fourteen

Caitlin and Michael laid on the floor, Caitlin's head against his chest. She looked around at the room. Tables overturned, lamps smashed ... it looked like the house had been ransacked. They had certainly been ... vigorous.

"You're not as cold as I expected," she said.

"I'm room temperature," Michael replied. "It's not like they keep me in a freezer."

"Oh. Right. It's kind of funny ... I can't feel your chest rising and falling. Or hear your heartbeat."

"Does that bother you?" he asked.

Caitlin thought about it for a moment. "No, it really doesn't. It's just ... different."

They were quiet for a while, then Caitlin finally asked Michael what was really on her mind. "So, where does this leave us?"

"I told you before, Caitlin. I'm not the one night stand type."

"I know. And I'm glad. I guess ... what I really mean is, where does this leave you and Angelica?"

Michael didn't respond. The quiet started to make Caitlin uncomfortable. What if she'd offended him? Or said the wrong thing? What if he wanted to keep seeing Angelica on the side? Or what if he wanted to keep seeing
her
on the side? Her brain was going a million miles a minute, and she just had to say something to break the silence.

"I meant what I said, you know. I don't want to share you. The thought of you with her, it's just ... and I've actually
seen
you with her. Like, really with her. And I feel dirty every time I think about it. And I don't want to be imagining you with her every time you're with me, and—"

"Caitlin," Michael said gently. "I know. And I don't want to be shared. I want to be with you. I'm just trying to figure out how to tell Angelica."

"Oh." Well, that was a relief. "So, what if you just, you know,
told
her? Maybe she'd be reasonable?"

Michael laughed. "And maybe I'll take up sunbathing." He was quiet for a bit, then said, "Although ... I don't know. She's had other lovers. Hell, she's probably got other lovers right now. Monogamy really isn't her thing. Maybe she
will
understand. Maybe she'd be willing to take a break, until ..."

"Until I'm dead?"

Caitlin's words cut the air like a knife. Michael tensed beneath her.

"Caitlin, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. I—"

"But it's true," she said. "One of these days, I'm going to die. And you aren't. But hey," she shrugged her shoulders, "maybe we'll get lucky, and you'll just lose interest in me. That way, you won't have to watch me get old and wrinkly."

"Caitlin," Michael began, but she interrupted him.

"Sorry, I'm just being morbid. Didn't mean to ruin the moment."

She found a more comfortable position on Michael's chest. "So, ignoring Angelica ... what are we going to do about the
other
vampire that wants us dead?"

Michael stirred, and got to his feet. He started pacing around, giving Caitlin a fantastic view of, well, everything. "Has Evan made any progress with that spell book?" he asked.

"I don't know. He's locked in his room day and night with it, but he doesn't talk to us about it. He's kind of intense."

Michael walked over to the fireplace, and touched one of the swords hanging above it. He turned back toward her, his face a stone mask. "Get dressed," he said. "We need to have a talk. All of us."

***

Evan was going over the book of spells, making notes as he read, when someone knocked at his door.

"Not now," he said. "I'm busy."

The door opened, and Alexis came in. She shut the door behind her. "You've been busy for a while," she said.

Evan felt just a little guilty. It was true, he'd been neglecting her. And everything else. But given the circumstances, and the possibility that he could
do
something about it, that seemed reasonable. "Yeah, well," he said, gesturing at the book and his notes, "you know. Arcane lore to learn, vile monsters to slay. Doesn't leave a guy with a lot of free time."

Alexis looked like she was going to say something, but she bit her tongue and looked at the floor. A moment later, she looked back up at him. "That's kind of what I want to talk to you about."

Evan leaned back in his chair. "Look, if you're going to give me a speech about how this is all hopeless, or how I need to accept things and move on ..."

Alexis' eyes narrowed. "Is that what you think I'm here to tell you? To just forget that we saw three people murdered in front of us? To forget that a girl who lived one door down from me, the girl who was sleeping with one of your roommates, was killed? You really think that
I'm
going to be the voice of reason in this situation?"

"Well, no."

"Good. Because if that's what you thought, I was going to have to give very careful thought as to whether or not I'm ever going to let you see me naked again. Now get your ass over to our suite. We have something to talk about. All of us."

Evan was going to say no, but the look on Alexis' face wasn't the kind of expression you argued with. So he sighed, grabbed his notes, and followed after her.

Alexis let him into the suite. Olivia was nowhere to be seen, but Caitlin was sitting on the couch. Garret was in one of the arm chairs, looking anywhere but at Evan's face. He still had a bandage around his throat.

And Michael was standing in the corner.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Evan asked. He stepped in front of Alexis, even though he knew it was an empty gesture. "We don't need any more vampires in our life."

"Evan, please, just hear him out. Hear
us
out," Caitlin said.

"Caitlin, he's ... are you wearing his shirt?"

Caitlin blushed and looked away.

"I understand how you feel," Michael said. His voice was perfectly calm, perfectly reasonable, but Evan was still on guard. "I felt the same way, the first time Angelica came to me after my friend was killed."

"It's okay," Alexis said. She walked over and sat on the couch next to Caitlin.

"All right," Evan said. "I'll hear you out. What do you want?"

Michael looked around the room, regarding each of them in turn. "The same thing you want," he said. "I want to kill Liam McKnight. And I want you to help."

***

Normally, Angelica would have been excited. Michael was starting a new project tonight, a portrait, and she loved being drawn by Michael. A photograph was so ... instant. A brief flash, and then it was over. There was no investment, no soul. No passion.

But being drawn, that was an entirely different experience. It took time—hours, days—and patience, and a lover's attention to detail.

It was just one more thing that mortals didn't understand. One more pleasure denied to them by their need to make every single second count. Everything had to be fast, immediate, done now. They didn't know how to take the time to enjoy something properly.

Anyway. Normally, she would have been excited, but her vision of Michael and his human trollop still plagued her, picking at her brain like some kind of parasite.

She was posed modestly, as far as these things go. The sheet she held in front of herself covered all of the exciting bits, but still hinted at her ... natural beauty. It was Michael's favorite kind of pose. His eyes should have been devouring her. But Angelica couldn't help but think that his mind was somewhere else. On some
one
else.

Maybe it was just her brain playing tricks on her. Still ...

"So, how are things with your little human?" she asked.

Michael broke the piece of charcoal he was holding. Angelica's eyes narrowed, just slightly.

"You mean aside from the fact that Liam is committed to slaughtering her friends and then draining her dry? She's fantastic."

Angelica's back straightened. "Liam has been dealt with."

"Really? Tell that to the four people he killed this week."

"I am aware of Liam's ... indiscretions," she said. "And I do plan to deal with him."

"Before or after he murderers Caitlin?"

Angelica was taken aback. She had, of course, hoped that Liam would solve Angelica's problem for her, but she hadn't expected Michael to call her on it. "It isn't like you to be so ... direct, Michael," she said.

"I haven't felt this strongly before."

"You really care for this girl, don't you?" Her voice was incredulous.

Michael put down his charcoal. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that, actually. I ... yeah, I do care about her. We care about each other."

"How does she taste?"

"It's not like that," Michael said. "We're ... well, we want to be together."

"I told you, I'm not jealous," Angelica said. Even though it was a lie.

"That's the thing. We want to be
together.
Alone."

So there it was. Angelica felt a sick, twisting sensation in her gut. Ice spread through her soul. Michael was being up-front and honest with her. He was being fair. And she hated him for it. She didn't see him as the beautiful, talented creature that simply had to be protected from the ravages of time. She didn't see the man with whom she had shared a bed. She didn't see a lover.

She saw a victim. Someone to be broken and bent to her will.

"Well," Angelica said pertly. "Isn't that sweet. Young Michael has taken a lover, and now he thinks he's going to have a whirlwind romance."