Sunrise(Pact Arcanum 2) (35 page)

“Nick, he’s the enemy. What makes you think he won’t find a way to use this against you?”

Nick shrugged, careful not to dislodge Scott’s arm from his shoulders. “He probably will. I knew that, but at the time I didn’t care. He was exactly where I thought I would always end up—alone, in the dark, with just my memories to keep me company.” He glanced at his bandmate. “I should have thought it through more carefully, but I was scared and wasn’t in the clearest frame of mind. I just wanted to feel connected to someone I knew would understand. I guess I thought we could help each other somehow. I’m sorry if you feel like I betrayed you.”

The Sentinel watched him with an unreadable expression. Nick watched his emotions shifting, too fast to follow. “Nick, unmask the link,” Scott said.

Hesitating for a moment, Nick cautiously reopened their psychic connection. And Scott was there, surrounding Nick with his warmth, his love, unconditionally.
“Remember this,”
the Sentinel said in his mind.
“Remember me, and I will never leave you, even after I’m gone.”
Nick turned his head toward Scott and buried his face in his bandmate’s shoulder, breathing in Scott’s scent, fixing every nuance in his own memory forever.

Eventually he stood, dry-eyed, and smiled. “We should get moving. The party only lasts all night.”

Scott stood as well and started walking toward the showers, then stopped and turned around, his eyebrows raised. “Oh, and since when do you like guys?”

Nick flushed.
Fuck.
“Um … since always?”

Scott gave him a stern glance. “Couldn’t you have told me that before I got married?”

Nick blinked in confusion. “What?”

Scott turned back toward the showers, shaking his head ruefully. “Do you have any idea how many women over the years stopped looking at me as soon as you walked into the room? That little tidbit of information would have made being your wingman
so
much more palatable.”

The Daywalker stood there speechless as Scott left the room, muttering under his breath. Then Nick began to laugh.

THE LOVERS

CHAPTER 43

May 2038; House Diluthical Stronghold, Dublin, Ireland; Four years later

Lorcan crossed the threshold into the Great Hall and knelt before his Master. “My Lord, my life is yours. I am your blade to wield.”

Brion nodded absently. “I accept your honor to defend as if it were my own. Rise.”

Lorcan got to his feet and stood waiting.

Sitting back in his chair, Brion regarded him with narrowed eyes. “Your arguments have found favor with the Court, Lorcan. They have agreed to appoint you our Ambassador.”

“Thank you, my Lord. I will attempt to bring honor to our house.”

Brion laughed. “Of that I have no doubt. You will leave for their capital city of Anchorpoint tomorrow evening, but first, you are to receive your instructions.”

Lorcan raised an eyebrow. “My Lord?”

A shroud of invisibility fell away, revealing Aleksei.

Lorcan immediately bowed deeply. “My Lord Imperator.”

Aleksei fixed him with a piercing gaze. Finally he spoke. “Lorcan Primogenitor Diluthical, I have heard great things about you. Your Master has spoken highly of your brilliance before the Court. I trust his claims are well-founded.”

Lorcan bowed again. “I will endeavor to prove worthy of your trust, my Lord.”

Aleksei smiled. “If you do not, I will have you flayed alive and your house decimated for your failure.”

Lorcan froze for a moment, then he grinned, showing his fangs. “Then I will do my best to see that you do not find it necessary.”

“See that you do.” Aleksei turned to Brion. “Magister Diluthical, may I speak to your Second alone?”

Brion’s eyebrows shot upwards, but he said nothing as he walked away.

Aleksei raised his privacy shield around them. “Lorcan, these are your instructions. You will carry out your duties as required by the stated parameters of your function. However, you will also gather what data you can on the military capabilities of the Triumvirate and Armistice Security, as well as the defenses surrounding the Armistice Zone.”

Lorcan licked his lips as he considered Aleksei’s words. “That will be difficult, my Lord. They will be prepared for my attempts to discern this information. No doubt they have already taken precautions to limit my access.”

“No doubt.” Aleksei frowned. “You must develop alternate avenues of intelligence.”

Lorcan’s expression was carefully neutral. “Does my Lord have a plan in mind?”

“Nicholas Magister Luscian.”

Lorcan didn’t move for a few seconds. Then he nodded. “I understand, my Lord. I will do what is necessary.”

CHAPTER 44

May 2038; Anchorpoint City, Colorado

The white light of the teleport matrix faded, and Lorcan was struck dumb by the sight of Anchorpoint’s high towers, crowned by mystic globes of white fire. A wide avenue stretched ahead of him, lit by more of the mystic white flames, curving in a gentle spiral toward the base of the central spire—Armistice Security Headquarters. Flowering vines softened the hard lines of the surrounding buildings, giving the entire construction a more organic feel.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Nick said, watching Lorcan from the edge of the teleport gateway. His hands were pushed deep into the pockets of his blue jeans, rumpling the bottom of his white short-sleeve shirt.

Lorcan felt a surge of tangled emotions at the sight of the Daywalker, but the dominant sensation was happiness. “Nicholas.”

Nick smiled at him, and Lorcan’s joy was disproportionate to the mere pleasure of seeing a familiar face. Lorcan had enough insight into his own mind to know that something was different from the first time they had met, but for the moment, he didn’t care. He just knew that seeing Nick’s smile lifted his spirits, and he didn’t want to understand why. Not yet.

“Welcome to Anchorpoint, Ambassador,” said Nick. He held out his hand. “I thought you might need a guide.”

Ignoring the outstretched hand, Lorcan impulsively wrapped Nick in his arms. “God, I missed you.” The minute he said the words, he knew they were true. He had missed Nick more than he had realized. The ache he had been nursing in his heart since their last meeting had suddenly eased; for a moment, everything in his world was right again.

Nick returned the embrace. “It’s good to see you again, Ruarc,” he whispered in Lorcan’s ear. Then he gently pulled away. “Are you this demonstrative with all of your exes, or am I just special?” He grinned.

“You know you’re special, Nicholas.” Lorcan grinned back.

Nick laughed. “Come on. The Triumvirate is waiting to meet you.” He pointed down the avenue. “I can show you the sights as we walk.”

“Lead the way.”

Nick pointed out several of the city’s important landmarks as they meandered closer to the square surrounding Armistice Security Headquarters. Lorcan listened with half his mind, only occasionally asking questions, but mostly just listening to Nick talk. Nick finally trailed off his attempts at conversation and they walked the rest of the way in companionable silence. When they reached the landscaped grounds that surrounded the base of the massive central tower, Nick stopped and looked sidelong at Lorcan.

“Can I ask you something, Ruarc?”

Lorcan blinked at his serious tone. “Of course.”

“I read your public file in the Armistice Security database when they told me you were appointed Ambassador.” Nick hesitated, chewing his lip. “It said you went on a spree of duels about three years ago until your Magister finally named you to Primogenitor rank after you took out a whole stack of his Consuls, including the old Primogenitor. The last time we met, you said you’d been Consul rank for more a century. Why the sudden rampage? What changed?”

Lorcan swallowed.
This is what I wanted, isn’t it? A chance to explain? It’s too late to be nervous.

“It was you.”

Nick stared at him. “I don’t understand.”

Lorcan took a deep breath and let it out. “I hadn’t thought about Connor in more than a century. Trying to help you see the truth about your situation forced me to confront those memories again, and it made me realize how much my perceptions of the world had shifted. I could tell myself I was quietly building support among the ranks and waiting for an opportunity to advance, but honestly, nothing was ever going to change. If I hadn’t met you, I could have stayed right where I was for another millennium, never realizing that I wasn’t getting any wiser or stronger, only older.

“The night we shared brought my life into focus again. I remembered who I used to be. That’s why I sought advancement, because you inspired me. Then, when I finally reached my goal, there was no way to tell you in person how much that night meant to me, how everything was different afterward. You were the Magister of a greater house, and you only came into our territory when you needed to address the Court. Even Primogenitors are allowed into the Council Chamber by invitation only. I have been angling for the job of Ambassador for almost a year, just so I could tell you to your face how grateful I was.” Lorcan tried to gauge Nick’s emotions, but the Daywalker had shielded his mind entirely. “Thank you.”

Nick watched Lorcan for a moment with an impassive expression. Then he turned his attention to the approaching quad of Armistice Security agents. “The others will escort you through the building to see the Triumvirate.”

Lorcan nodded, focusing again on the job at hand.

“Ruarc,” Nick said softly from beside him, “you’re welcome.”

Then the quad was there and there was no opportunity for Lorcan to ask anything more. The agents led him into the tower, and Lorcan could feel Nick’s eyes boring into his back the entire way, until the main doors closed behind him.

CHAPTER 45

June 2038; Court of Shadows Embassy, Icehaven City, Hudson Bay, Canada; Six weeks later

Lorcan was reviewing the day’s immigration paperwork when the door to his office chimed. “Nicholas Magister Luscian is requesting entry.”

Lorcan leaned back in his desk chair. “Let him in.”

Nick entered wearing a gray T-shirt and cargo pants and holding a wine bottle. Lorcan suddenly felt overdressed in his slacks and long-sleeved silk shirt, and wondered what kind of impression he was making.

“Nicholas.” He rose to his feet as Nick crossed the threshold. “This is a surprise.” Noticing the bottle in the Daywalker’s hand, he added, “And you came bearing gifts.”

Nick put the bottle down on Lorcan’s desk. “I’m sorry I haven’t dropped by until now. I thought maybe we could christen your new office.” He looked around at the sparse furnishings, nothing but a large desk and a small conference table in a modern glass-and-brass design.

Lorcan noted the markings on the label, which were surrounded by a Chinese dragon—Tiamat, Single Voice, the most potent Sentinel bloodwine the Armistice produced. “You shouldn’t have.”

Nick sighed and sat at the conference table. “Ruarc, I know I’ve been a dick by ignoring you. I’m trying to make up for it.”

Lorcan tried to whet the edge of his anger, but he was so pleased to see Nick again that he let it go. “I know.” He sat at the table next to Nick. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have said those things to you when I arrived. It was presumptuous.”

Nick shook his head. “No, you were telling me how you felt. I don’t hold it against you. In fact, I was incredibly flattered. It’s just that … well, I’ve never inspired anyone before. It made me uncomfortable. Most people just think of me as a screw-up who stumbled into a successful career.”

Lorcan laughed, and Nick glared at him. “I’m sorry, Nicholas, but that’s bullshit. I’ve read up on you. You’ve been performing since you were fifteen, and you kept at it through your entire adulthood. Don’t think I don’t know how much work goes into that. Success in the arts always requires a little luck, but it’s also something that has to be built and rebuilt. There was no resting on your laurels in my day, and nothing has changed.”

“In your day?” Nick raised an eyebrow. “Have you done a turn on stage, Ruarc? I thought you were a journalist.”

Lorcan drummed his fingers on the table, flustered. He hadn’t meant for Nick to catch that. “I’ve always been a writer in one form or another, even back when I was alive.”

Nick’s grin was predatory. “And what did you write when you were alive?”

Lorcan sighed. “I was a poet.”

“Oh, my God!” Nick burst out laughing. “That’s fantastic!” He stood and grabbed the bottle of bloodwine off the desk. “Okay, now we have to get drunk so you can regale me with your poetry.”

Lorcan shook his head. “I don’t drink in my office. It’s unprofessional.”

Nick sobered in mood. “Oh, sorry.”

“Come on, the night’s almost over.” Lorcan stood. “Let’s go upstairs to my quarters and we can drink whatever you want.”

Nick grinned again and made a flamboyant bow. “Your wish is my command.”