Sunrise(Pact Arcanum 2) (34 page)

Lorcan kissed the curve of Nick’s shoulder. “Of course they were. But I was supposed to seduce you, not the other way around.”

Nick covered Lorcan’s arm with his own. “You were telling the truth before, weren’t you? You came to my room to warn me, not for anything else.”

“I had given up trying to influence you.” Lorcan chuckled. “Your dyad brother was on to me from the beginning. He delighted in blocking my efforts. It was quite frustrating. I was actually planning to leave last night. But when I saw the way you kept looking at him, I decided I couldn’t leave without at least trying to give you some advice.”

You should have trusted me, Scotty.
“Thanks, that was actually pretty decent of you.”
I guess we both got more than we bargained for last night.
“If you were sent to try to recruit me, is your lack of success going to be a problem?”

Lorcan scooted back and lay on his side, watching him silently. Nick rolled onto his back, wondering if he’d get a straight answer to a tactical rather than a personal question, but suddenly, he was concerned for Lorcan’s safety. The Court was not known as a forgiving institution.

The Nightwalker trailed his fingers along the outlines of the muscles of Nick’s chest. Nick immediately felt a twitch of arousal, surprised at his reaction to the unexpected gesture of intimacy.
Usually I call them a cab in the morning and forget about them. Why does this feel different?

Lorcan answered after a moment—a long enough pause that Nick had almost forgotten the question, distracted by the ghostly sensation of the Nightwalker’s feather-light touch. “The odds were pretty long against my being able to turn you against the Triumvirate in just two weeks, so there won’t be any perception of failure on my part. And besides…” He leaned in and kissed Nick. “I can at least report a qualified success on making a personal connection.”

Nick grinned at the Nightwalker’s sly smile. “You’d tarnish my reputation to further your career? Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Because you’re becoming a realist, rather than a dreamer.” Lorcan stroked Nick’s cheek, gazing at him wistfully. “My beautiful Nicholas,” he said, “you’re so young and still so innocent, despite what you might think. I hadn’t realized how jaded I was until you reminded me of someone I used to be. I might even miss you.”

Nick reached up and caught Lorcan’s hand in his own, lacing their fingers together. “You could always come with me, Ruarc.”
Whoa! Where the hell did that come from?

Lorcan’s eyes widened. “I haven’t used that name in four hundred years. No one has called me that since Connor.”

“I’m sorry,” Nick said with embarrassment. He had used the name automatically, the shared memories of Lorcan’s relationship with Connor still fresh in his mind. “I didn’t mean—”

“It’s all right, Nick,” Lorcan whispered. “I don’t mind hearing it from you.”

From what he had learned the previous night, that was a significant concession.
I thought he was safe. Maybe he feels the same way.
The Nightwalker had shielded his emotions again, so Nick couldn’t read him. “Think about it, Ruarc. The Triumvirate needs people with your skills, your experience.”

Lorcan’s lips twitched upward into a lazy smile. “Nicholas, you’re not honestly telling me you dragged me into bed to try to enlist me to your side, are you?”

“No.” Nick grinned.
Was it good for you, too?
“Not entirely. Turnabout is fair play, after all.” His smile faded and he brushed his fingers through Lorcan’s tousled hair. “I judged your entire race by Luscian. I never thought a Nightwalker would be capable of mercy. You shared a part of yourself that was precious to you, just to spare me pain. That means something to me. I don’t let people see how I feel about Scott. I’ve never told anyone except Rory. So my offer is open-ended. You said you wanted to be more than you are. Someday, when you’re ready, come find me, and I’ll make sure the Redeemer is waiting for you.”

Lorcan rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t think I could ever do that. Trying to reclaim my soul is truly a terrifying prospect. After all the things I’ve done, I’m not sure if I want to know what it thinks of me.”

“There’s no hurry. The Great Work won’t end overnight. You have all the time in the world.” Nick slid over on top of him. “In the meantime, we still have an hour or two before Scott wakes up.”

Lorcan smiled up at Nick and lowered his shields, allowing his arousal to become visible. “It would be suicide to let him find me in here with you, corrupting his innocent young Daywalker.”

Nick ground himself against the older vampire’s body, making him gasp. “Then use the time you have left to say goodbye to me properly.”

Lorcan drew Nick’s head closer and kissed the Daywalker forcefully on the lips before burying his fangs in Nick’s neck. The bridge opened up between them as Lorcan fed, filling Nick’s mind with the sensations of the night before. Nick shuddered in ecstasy, collapsing into Lorcan’s arms as the older vampire rolled over on top of him. When Lorcan drew back, Nick gave up any semblance of being in control.

Lorcan gave him a predatory grin, his eyes red. “This time, Nicholas, you can dance to my tune, instead.”

* * *

Later that evening, Nick followed Scott into the dressing room, the screams of the crowd still ringing in his ears.

“Scott, hit the showers fast, okay?” Nick said. “We should make an appearance at the wrap party.”

Scott snorted. “Every tour you always say the same thing. Give it a rest, will you? They haven’t even started breaking down the equipment. The party’s going to last all night.”

“Yeah, I know, I know.” Nick raised his hands in defeat. “It’s just, well, it feels different this time. Our lives have changed. Our eyes are open. Who knows if we’ll do this again?”

Scott laughed. “I, for one, am planning to still be doing what I love even when they’re building colonies on Mars.”

Nick snickered.

“Something funny, Fang Boy?”

Nick tried to keep a straight face. “Scotty, the Armistice space program is light years more advanced than anything the human governments have put together.”

The Sentinel looked at him, trying to figure out if he was joking. “You’re just making that up.”

Nick held out his hand, palm up. The image of a shining half-disk suspended on a field of stars formed in the air above it. The outline of North America was partly hidden beneath clouds. “When we get home, maybe you’ll get to see this for yourself.” He let the image fade.

Scott stared at Nick, speechless, and then found his voice. “Nick, that picture … that was from your own memory? You’ve actually seen it?”

“That was the view from Hephaestus Station, a manufacturing facility in orbit around the moon. It’s where they made all the structural elements to build the Citadel.” Nick grinned. “You have no idea what’s ahead. There are so many wonders in store for you, so many things you have left to see, Scotty. We are the Free People. There is nothing we can’t do once we set our minds to it, and you’re going to be part of it. I know things have been pretty dark until now, but that’s all going to change.”

“What’s the Citadel?” asked Scott.

“The third of the Hidden Cities, and the most advanced. It was designed to be the jumping off point for all of the Triumvirate’s efforts to expand beyond Earth, so that some of us would be out of reach when the Court of Shadows finally decides to attack us in force. Besides, it makes it easier for us to have somewhere we can go to be ourselves, where there’s no chance of running into any humans. It’s located on Lunar Farside.” Nick flushed suddenly. “Um, at least it was. I’m not sure they’re rebuilding entirely in the same spot.”

Scott’s gaze sharpened at Nick’s change in tone. “Assuming I believe any of that, why would they need to rebuild?”

“Because Ana blew it up when she was trying to kill me.” Nick felt distinctly uncomfortable under Scott’s expectant stare. “It’s a long story.”

“You’re chock full of long stories, aren’t you?”

“Just one, actually. It was an eventful day.” Nick tried to change the subject. “Look, we should get cleaned up and head to the party. The crew will be waiting for us.”

Scott opened his mouth to say something pithy and pointed, but was interrupted by Lorcan emerging from behind a shroud of invisibility.

Scott scowled at the invasion of their privacy, and they both turned toward the Nightwalker. “What do you want, Lorcan?”

Lorcan nodded at Scott. “Consul.” He faced Nick. “My Lord.” He looked back and forth between them. “May I congratulate you on a fine performance?”

“You saw it?” Nick let his eyes wander Lorcan’s body, remembering the sight of the Nightwalker climbing back into his clothes that morning. He opened his senses a little more to assess the other vampire’s emotions, only a little surprised to realize that Lorcan was perfectly aware of his appraising glance.

The Nightwalker shrugged. “I was curious, so I bought a ticket from a scalper.” He smiled at Nick. “It was not exactly my kind of music. But I could see its appeal for mortals.”

“Once again, Lorcan, what do you want?” Scott asked coldly.

Lorcan reached up and removed the security pass from the press credentials hanging around his neck. He held it out to Nick. “My Lord, my duties are now complete, and it seems our time together is at an end. I ask formally to be released from my allegiance to House Luscian.”

Nick nodded. “Lorcan Praetor Luscian, I free you from your obligations to my house. Your honor is your own.” Nick looked at the plastic card in Lorcan’s hand.
Are you going to remember me fondly, or am I just another assignment?
Nick didn’t have any expectations of Lorcan, but he had his pride. “Keep it as a souvenir if you like.”

Lorcan followed Nick’s gaze down to the security pass and casually slipped it into his own shirt pocket. He looked at Nick gravely and then took two steps forward and put his hands up to cradle Nick’s head, leaning in to kiss him deeply.

Nick froze as Lorcan’s tongue invaded his mouth, and was even more shocked when the Nightwalker’s fangs sliced into his tongue. The bridge opened between them, and Lorcan fed hungrily, letting Nick feel his amusement at the wave of desire he could feel washing through the Daywalker’s body as Nick leaned into the kiss. Nick shared with him the sensation of Lorcan’s touch, the weight of the Nightwalker’s body against his, the hardness Nick could feel pressing against him. He felt his own thirst rise at the sexual stimulation.

Immediately, Lorcan broke away. Nick gasped, struggling to control his bloodlust. Lorcan grinned, his eyes shifting from red back to green. After a moment, he let his hands fall to his sides, plainly delighted by the response he had evoked. “Goodbye, Nicholas.”

Nick licked his lips, tasting their mixed blood, realizing that he had bitten Lorcan at some point. “Goodbye, Ruarc.”

Lorcan glanced at Scott, who was watching them with a poleaxed expression. “Take good care of him, Consul,” he said. “I’m trusting you to keep him out of trouble.” Then he jumped away.

Scott stared at Nick.

Nick flushed, embarrassed by his friend’s silent accusation. “Okay, so maybe I have two long stories.”

“Would you care to explain that little exchange?” Scott’s voice was cold with fury.

“Not really.” Nick avoided his eyes. “It’s personal.”

“And why do you have anything personal to do with Lorcan?”

Nick mumbled something under his breath.

“I didn’t quite catch that, Nicholas. You’re going to have to speak up.”

Nick said defiantly. “We had a one-night stand.”

“You had sex with a fucking Nightwalker?” Scott threw up his hands. “Are you out of your mind? When, for God’s sake?”

“Last night. He came by my room after you had gone to sleep.”

“And you let him past your wards? Alone? Why the hell would you take that kind of risk?”

“He swore he didn’t mean me any harm that night.”

“He didn’t mean you any harm,” Scott said with deliberate calmness, “that night.”

Nick sat on the bench next to the lockers. “He just wanted to talk. I thought I could trust his word, so I let him in.”

“It must have been a hell of a talk if you jumped into bed with him afterward,” Scott said sarcastically.

“It was.” Nick pushed his sweat-dampened hair out of his eyes. “I don’t expect you to understand, but please don’t make a big deal about this. It happened. It’s over. I’ll probably never see him again. Can’t we just move on?”

“Nick, he was only here to manipulate you, to get you to sympathize with them!”

“I know,” said Nick. “He told me.”

Scott blinked. “He
told
you?”

“He said you had been blocking all his attempts to influence me.” He scowled at Scott. “Oh, and thanks for letting me in on that, by the way. Anyhow, he said he had given up and was ready to leave, but he wanted to give me some advice before he went.”

Scott snorted. “And his advice was to sleep with him? Are you honestly that easy?”

Nick sighed at the insult, feeling the Sentinel’s condemnation and disappointment over the link. “He wanted to warn me about getting too close to you.”

“Why?” Scott asked angrily. “Because I’m a Sentinel?”

“No.” Nick swallowed the lump in his throat. “Because you’re mortal. Because mortals die.” He felt Scott’s surprise echo through the link before he masked his thoughts. “No one knows how long Daywalkers live. If we last as long as Nightwalkers, I could be looking at a lifespan of thousands of years. You won’t be there with me. Sooner or later I will lose you, unless someone manages to kill me first.”

Scott sat and hesitantly put his arm around Nick. “Is that something you think about a lot? Losing me?”

“Yes.” In the deepest silence of his mind, Nick let himself enjoy the physical contact, knowing Scott was just being supportive, but wishing it meant more. “He let me see his memories of someone he lost, to show me how bad it could get. So, yes, I sympathized with him. Yes, I was terrified at the thought of being completely alone someday. And yes, I invited him into my bed, probably for all the wrong reasons. I touched his mind. I know he didn’t intend for it to happen.” He smiled a little, remembering. “He said
he
was supposed to seduce
me
, not the other way around.”