Sunrise(Pact Arcanum 2) (19 page)

This child’s naïveté was precious. It was truly a shame to have to dispose of it.
“As tempting as that sounds, I’m afraid I have other business to attend to.”

Nick nodded. “All right. Would you like me to call you a taxi?”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Excuse me?” Nick frowned in confusion.

“I still have some time before I must kill you. Perhaps a little pain would be enjoyable while we wait?” Luscian grinned, displaying his fangs.

Nick stared at him for all of a second then ran for the door.

Luscian snorted and moved in a blur to block the exit before realizing Nick hadn’t been trying to escape at all. The musician jerked a decorative sword from where it hung on the wall and brandished the blade, unconsciously changing his stance to redistribute his weight evenly.

So he’s already begun to access his Gift. Excellent.
“You don’t seriously think you can fight me off with that, do you?”

Nick glared at him over the point of his sword. “I don’t know what the deal is with the fake fangs, but you can just get the hell out of my house.”

Fake fangs?
Luscian rolled his eyes in disbelief.
Fire and Darkness!
He doesn’t know.

The vampire lord crossed the distance between them in two steps, faster than the human eye could see, and knocked the sword from Nick’s hand. Then he kicked the musician in the shin, hearing the sharp crack of splintering bone. Nick collapsed, screaming, and Luscian immediately forced the musician’s neck into a headlock. Nick struggled for less than a minute before passing out.

* * *

When he snapped back to consciousness, Nick looked around to find himself in his living room. His arms and legs were tied to a captain’s chair from the dining table, and a sharp pain in his right leg felt like a dagger stabbing into his flesh. Sitting across from him was Luscian, casually sharpening a hunting knife that had belonged to Nick’s father.

Luscian’s eyes flicked from the blade to Nick’s face and then back again, plainly aware that Nick had awakened.

Nick swallowed, his mouth dry as he listened to the soft whisper of the whetstone against the blade. “What are you going to do with that?”

“I thought I would cut you a little, to get started.”

Nick blanched. “Why?”

“Why not?”

“No, why are you doing this? Any of it?”

Luscian regarded him appraisingly. “Are you asking about my motives in general, or why you have to die specifically?”

Nick took a deep breath, feeling faint. “Both.”

Luscian chuckled. “Very good. You’ve accepted that you can’t escape, so you think you can somehow talk me out of it if you make a personal connection.”

“It was worth a shot,” said Nick, softly.

“It was, and it shows you have cunning as well as courage. You’ll make an excellent scion.” Luscian set the whetstone aside and tested the edge of the blade with his thumb, seeing it draw blood immediately. “I like you, Nick. So, I will let you choose: I can tell you nothing and make your death quick and relatively painless, or I can draw it out with the maximum of agony but tell you everything.”

Nick couldn’t take his eyes off the bright steel of the blade in Luscian’s hand. “You’re going to kill me anyway. Why would I want to draw it out?”

Luscian grinned. “It would buy you time to persuade me to spare you.”

“That doesn’t seem very likely,” Nick whispered.

Luscian shrugged. “I didn’t say it was. The question is whether you’re willing to fight for your life, or whether you’ve already given up?”

Nick closed his eyes against the panic that threatened to choke off his reason.
He’s playing with me. He’s going to kill me no matter what. Why give him permission to torture me as well?
But he hesitated. If he said no, he would die immediately. If he said yes, there was still the faint hope of rescue.
He’s right about one thing at least. Am I willing to fight?

He opened his eyes and glared at Luscian. “I’m listening.”

Luscian smiled again and Nick saw his canine teeth extrude to become long, wicked fangs.
Oh, God. They’re not fake.

The vampire lord’s eyes burned a deep, impossible crimson. “Then let’s get started.”

CHAPTER 25

Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California; Three hours later

Nick screamed out loud and shuddered violently before collapsing forward into his bonds.

Luscian lifted his knife from the deep furrow he had slashed in Nick’s back, following the lines of the decorative wood carving in the back of the chair. He was actually impressed with the carpenter’s skill. Not many modern craftsmen took pride in their work. The chair must have cost a fortune. No reason to damage it just to better expose Nick’s pale skin.
If I run out of room, I could always move back to the bed and strip the remains of his clothes before starting on the areas I haven’t gotten to yet.

He smiled at the thought of Nick’s bed, still rumpled from their earlier activities.
The boy probably wouldn’t be in the mood for another round at this point. Still, it wouldn’t be up to him.
He gauged the amount of blood that soaked the musician’s tattered clothes and saturated the carpet below the chair.
He’d probably exsanguinate before providing any real entertainment value. Pity. Still, time enough for that later, when he rises to the second life.

Luscian glanced at the clock. Almost seven hours had passed since he’d entered the Armistice Zone.
Not much time left before the boy’s Gift awakens completely. I’ll have to cut this short, so to speak.
He chuckled at his own wit.
I have the communications codes to contact Armistice Security. If they can’t be bothered to track me down, I’ll just have to call the Traveler myself.

He walked back around in front of Nick, noticing that his victim had passed out again. Frowning, he touched his finger to the center of Nick’s forehead.
Burn.

Nick jerked awake, shrinking away from the vampire’s touch, and howled in anguish.

“Am I boring you?”

“I’m sorry,” Nick whimpered, his voice hoarse from screaming. “I—”

“I warned you what would happen if you dozed off.”

“No, please…”

Luscian touched his fingers to either side of Nick’s head.
Burn.

Nick convulsed as the neural feedback arced through his synapses.

Luscian let him dance for another couple of seconds before releasing him. “I think we’re about done here, Nicholas.”

Nick slumped against the chair, heedless of the wounds on his back. “Are you going to kill me, finally?” he panted through the pain.

Luscian snorted. “Yes, I am.”

“Then you lied,” Nick whispered, giving Luscian a sickly smile.

Luscian cocked an eyebrow at the spark of defiance remaining in the boy’s eyes.
I thought I crushed his spirit. Maybe he has some depth to him after all.
“How did I lie?”

“You said you would tell me everything.”

“And I have. The war, the Armistice, the Traveler.” Luscian frowned. “What do you think I left out?”

Nick took a shallow breath, grimacing as it stretched the crusted wounds on his sides. “You.”

“What about me?”

“Were you always like this? What made you into a monster?”

The Nightwalker stared at him, taken aback. Then he laughed. “You want my life’s story?
Now?
Have the last three hours not been adequately entertaining?” His expression grew thoughtful. “Or do you think that if I stop to tell you my story, it will delay your death long enough for Armistice Security to come to your rescue?”

Luscian watched Nick with his senses alert and saw the musician’s hope fade, the fire dying in his eyes. “Clever. I told you about Nightwalker honor. Your scheme might even have worked.” The vampire lord grinned. “I think that deserves something. I respect strength of will. And I keep my promises.”

Luscian leaned forward and drove his fangs into the musician’s neck. As he fed, the blood magic bridged the gap between their minds and the Nightwalker shared the memories of his first life—his ostracism from his magical peers over his research into forbidden magic, his desperate attempt to prove his theories, the first contact with the Red Wind. Then, finally, his perfection of the Pact Arcanum ritual and his triumphant bargain, followed by his mission to convert the peoples of the world to his new race, under the banner of his own mastery. Luscian drew back, retracting his fangs, while Nick collapsed in his seat, shivering and unresponsive.

Luscian chuckled. Then he turned away and began casting the spell to create a communications nexus. When it was fully formed, he configured it to transmit on the frequencies Armistice Security was known to monitor. “Connect me to the Traveler.”

Armistice Security Headquarters, Anchorpoint City, Colorado

“I am such a moron.” Rory paced next to the sandalwood conference table in the center of the council chamber. “You both warned me he couldn’t be trusted.”

“House Luscian is the strongest, most influential vampire house in the world, and Luscian has dominated the Court of Shadows since its inception,” said Nemesis, gazing out of the wraparound windows that encircled the room. The apices of the city’s lesser spires were lit by mystic flames that cast a cool white light over the room. “You would have been a fool to turn down his offer to negotiate.”

“I could have found neutral ground. Hell, we could have just stood at the border and shouted back and forth, if that’s what it took.” Rory ground his teeth in rage. “I should never have allowed him across the defense grid. Now he could be anywhere in the Zone.”

“We’ll find him, Rory,” Take said. “We’re already narrowing down the false trails. He won’t stay hidden for long.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. The Prince of Nightmares, running around loose for almost seven hours. Who knows what he’s been up to in that time?”

The pleasant tones of an artificial voice spoke into the silence. “Rory, Armistice Security is receiving a priority communication addressed to you, point of origin unknown.”

Rory stopped pacing and straightened up. “Let’s see it, Cutlass.”

A large virtual screen appeared over the conference table, showing Luscian standing at relaxed attention, his hands clasped behind him. He smiled at Rory. “Prince Sean, thank you for taking my call.”

“Imperator Luscian,” Rory answered, his voice cold and implacable as an advancing glacier. “I am disappointed you chose not to avail yourself of my hospitality.”

Luscian shrugged. “While I admit I would be most impressed to see this marvelous city you have built, I decided Anchorpoint would offer little in the way of entertainment.”

“I’d have been happy to show you the sights if you had not evaded your escort.”

“I think our tastes differ substantially in regard to the diversions we prefer.” Luscian drew his arms from behind his back, revealing the long, wicked knife he held in his right hand. Both the blade and his hands were crimson, sticky with bloodstains. “I’m afraid I’ve had to amuse myself.”

Take and Nemesis leapt to their feet as Rory yelled at Luscian. “You killed someone? You gave your word to respect the terms of the Armistice Declaration while you were here.
You swore it on your honor!
”

Luscian smirked. “I am no slave to honor, Traveler. However, I have killed no one as of yet. I find it strange that your precious treaty is so focused on murder, rather than torture.” He moved aside, revealing a human figure tied to a chair in the middle of the room behind him. Dressed in what remained of a white T-shirt and sweatpants, the captive sat with his head slumped on his chest. The shirt was sliced to ribbons and soaked in red, the skin underneath disfigured with blood-encrusted wounds. “There are so many more possibilities while the victim still lives.”

“Shuriken,” Take commanded his AI, “trace this call back to the source—absolute maximum priority.”

“God damn you to hell!” screamed Rory. “How dare you? This is
my
territory! The humans here are under my protection!”

Luscian laughed. “Then your protection is sadly lacking, Sean.” He ran the blade casually over his victim’s shoulder, slitting one of the few remaining white patches of cloth. A scarlet stain bloomed on the fabric as the underlying flesh parted. The man in the chair moaned weakly and struggled.

“But this is not a human, as I had expected. Imagine my surprise when I found a latent Sentinel instead. Such a rare, unexpected bonus.” The vampire lord glanced up calmly in the face of Rory’s impotent rage. “How you must have restrained yourself.”

Rory stared at Luscian without comprehension, his anger derailed for a second. “What?”

Luscian grabbed a fistful of the bound man’s hair, lifting his victim’s head so Rory could see his face though the blood and bruises. The vampire ran his blade across Nick’s cheek, a line of red blossoming in its wake. “Wake up, boy,” he said sternly. “Look who’s come to see you.”

Nick opened his eyes slowly. “Rory…” he croaked. “Help!”

Rory met his gaze, the blue of the younger man’s irises almost lost in the splotchy, vermilion stain of burst capillaries. “Nick?” he whispered.

Luscian snorted derisively. “I think that’s enough sharing.” He dropped the knife and casually grabbed both sides of Nick’s head, rotating it beyond the limits of human anatomy. With a crunch of breaking bone, Nick slumped limply against his bonds as Luscian released him.

Rory staggered back and fell to his knees, shrieking.

“Now I have broken your treaty, Sean Magister Jiao-long.” Luscian smirked in satisfaction

Rory gazed with dead eyes at the other vampire. “Luscian Firstborn,” he said in a hollow voice. “You have no honor.”

Luscian smiled, fangs extended. “I accept your challenge, Traveler. As the challenged party, I assert my right to set the time and place. I will await you at Castle Night after sunset. Bring whatever forces you like. It will make no difference.”