Survive the Dawn (27 page)

“Marcellus, you are the consummate worrier.
Nicholae
knows what he’s doing,”
Daciana
said.

“I’m afraid you’re wrong there,”
Kasandra
said as she looked at the crescent moon, slowly climbing over the Carpathian Mountains; everything would be changed in a few short hours. She may not have agreed with Sebastian, but now she fervently wished she were here—she wished the same for Tatiana. “I’m curious about what will happen and hopeful.” She turned back to the room. “If by some miracle Leigh is resurrected and is intact, it will have nothing to do with
Nicholae
knowing what he’s doing.”

“Take great care,
Kasandra
,”
Daciana
said. “You may dislike him, but he is still the only member of the hierarchy left.”

Kasandra
turned back to the window. “For now,” she whispered in a hopeful voice.

“Let’s make our way to the ritual site. We must be witnesses, and it must be recorded in the annals—”

“As the biggest goof in our existence,”
Kasandra
said and walked past him.

Chapter 23

Sebastian stood high on the ledge of the burnt-out mansion. Pulling the collar of her coat around her neck, she braced herself against the high winds off the Carpathian mountaintops.

The crescent moon was just rising over them. The night was cloudless; the early evening stars filled the sky as she looked around the remains of Tatiana’s mansion. Visions had flashed through her mind when she arrived. Visions of Tatiana giving Nina the box, of Damien’s sword slicing through her, and of Tatiana’s plea for vengeance that Sebastian heard over an ocean of time.

It had been so long since she was back in the place of her birth. While she gazed out at the long mountain range, she knew somewhere out there was the village where she was born. She couldn’t remember the name of the village; she couldn’t remember any friends, relatives—no one.

As she stood on the precipice, her coat billowing in the wind, she felt alone, completely alone in the universe.

Is this what you felt like, Tatiana? With all your power, were you alone? Sebastian supposed she must have been. A vampire’s existence was just that—existence, not life. This is what was in store for Sebastian for the remainder of hers. She looked down at the ring and fought the urge to rip it off her finger and go back to England. She laughed ruefully, not sure what was back in England for her. Would Alex be there as she said? Did she indeed still love her?

Again with the love business, she thought as she gazed into the night. Dr. Alex Taylor from Kansas taught Sebastian, the big bad vampire, what love was. She was willing to give up her life for Sebastian. When Alex told her how she injected the serum into her bloodstream, Sebastian didn’t know how to react. A mortal trying to aid a vampire. It went against all logic, all sense of self-preservation. But there it was right in front of her—Alex.

“Damnable situation,” Sebastian muttered as she weighed her options.

She could leave now, forget it all, take Alex, and go somewhere and…and what? Hide? Look over her shoulder for the rest of her existence? And why would she allow Alex to do that? After the way Sebastian left her, there was no assurance that Alex would want to do that.

No, she thought. This must be finished tonight. Or at the very least, she must obtain that box and the amulet inside. If she could do that, she wouldn’t care if they resurrected Leigh or the devil himself. Sebastian raised an eyebrow, wondering if there was a difference between the two.

Nicholae
was her only real obstacle, and if she had Tatiana’s power, perhaps she could equal his. The thought of him ruling their world alone frightened Sebastian. She had witnessed his debauchery over the centuries. She remembered when Tatiana introduced her to
Nicholae
.
Nicholae
tolerated Sebastian in deference or because he feared Tatiana. Tatiana never trusted
Nicholae
and vice versa; Sebastian in turn never trusted
Nicholae
. The room was thick with mendacity that day.

“So you are Tatiana’s protégé?”
Nicholae
asked with a thin smile.

Sebastian saw wariness in his dark eyes. Tatiana had schooled her on this old vampire.

“It is an honor to meet you, my lord,” Sebastian said with a slight bow.

Nicholae
narrowed his eyes. “Is it? You must have been someone very special to have Tatiana turn you to the dark side, as it were.”

“I am no one of great importance, my lord,” Sebastian said, keeping eye contact, one thing Tatiana insisted she do.

Nicholae
laughed and picked up a goblet but did not offer one to Sebastian. “Has Tatiana bestowed you with great powers?”

Sebastian heard the sarcasm; the corner of her mouth twitched, hiding the small smile. “No, my lord. I have no power.”

“That’s right! You do not,” he said and almost snarled.

Sebastian bowed slightly. “As you say, my lord.”

“Let us be frank, Sebastian, shall we?”

“Let’s.”

“Do not get full of yourself because Tatiana sired you. You are nothing special. Tatiana, in her time, has had her way with young vampires like you. I hold the power and control over our world, not Tatiana. Remember that.”

Sebastian remembered how flustered and angry
Nicholae
was on their first meeting. It was so long ago, Sebastian had no idea how to exist as a vampire. Tatiana taught her well. Sebastian took one last look around the burnt-out shell that was once her home with Tatiana Messalina.
Nicholae
had destroyed everything in hopes of being the only one.

She looked down at the ring on her finger, and Sebastian knew, if there was to be only one, it could not be
Nicholae
. Vampire and mortal alike would never survive.

“I hope you were right to trust me, Tatiana,” Sebastian said as the wind whipped around her. “This is not of my choosing, but there’s no turning back.”

She leapt off the precipice and into the darkness, her long leather coat billowing in the wind.

The time had come.

Chapter 24

Nina unlocked Carey’s door, and when she opened it, Carey was standing in front of her. “Eager are we?”

Carey glared at her, then looked beyond Nina to see Damien and two others standing there.

“What’s going on?”

“You need to meet
Nicholae
. He’s our…boss,” Nina said and stepped aside. “He wants to thank you and tell you where Sebastian is.”

Carey hesitantly walked out of the room. She was flanked by two vampires; Damien and Nina preceded them down the long staircase.

They took the black limo away from the mansion and down a dark gravel road. Nina had no idea why
Nicholae
wanted her to bring Carey here. She only hoped she would be able to witness what debauchery
Nicholae
had in mind. Damien had only told her she would enjoy what
Nicholae
had in store for the mortal.

Nina itched with anticipation as Damien drove deeper into the woods. This area was unfamiliar to her. She hit the button to roll down her window and was shocked by the deafening silence. The only sound was the gravel spitting away from the tires as Damien followed the narrow strip of road.

“What the fuck is going on?” Carey asked from the backseat and sat forward. “Where are we going?”

She sat in the middle of the two; one put a strong hand on her shoulder and roughly pulled her back.

“Shut up, Carey, darling,” Nina said over her shoulder. An anxious feeling swept through her when she glanced at Damien, who was watching the road but smiling slightly.

Nina turned her attention to the road ahead of them. The high beams of the headlights cast an eerie light on the woods. She felt the slight breeze, yet the branches of the trees swayed as if in a windstorm. Nina swallowed with difficulty but said nothing as they drove in silence.

Up ahead, Nina noticed a clearing in the woods. She saw a bonfire with several people standing around it and noticed
Nicholae
right off. As they neared, the elders came into view, as well. She wondered what their purpose was for this, whatever
Nicholae
was planning.

Damien stopped the limo about thirty yards from the clearing. “This is it,” he said and turned in his seat. “Behave yourself, Detective.”

He and Nina got out and watched as the two vampires still flanked Carey, who was hesitant but caused no problem as they walked toward
Nicholae
and the elders.

“Something’s not right,” Carey whispered in an urgent voice.

Nina turned and said, “Shut the fuck up.”

When they arrived at the clearing,
Nicholae
nodded to Damien. “Go back to the mansion and guard it. I have a feeling we’ll have a visitor tonight.”

Nina could sense Damien’s fear; she could smell it. He nodded and took the other two vampires with him, leaving Carey unguarded.

They all watched as the black limo backed up down the road, going much too fast, spewing gravel in every direction until Damien found a place to turn around. They watched the red taillights fade in the night.

“Somebody better tell me what the fuck is going on,” Carey said and she backed up.

Nina grabbed her by the front of her shirt. “If I have to tell you one more time to shut up,” she whispered.

Carey flinched and tried to pull away to no avail.

“Now stop struggling and behave.”

“Get control of her, Nina,”
Nicholae
said in a dark voice.

“I have, my lord.”

“My lord? What is this?”

Nina growled lowly and reared back, backhanding Carey across the face. Carey flew several yards in the air and landed with a thud on her back. Nina calmly walked over to her, unceremoniously picked her up, and dusted her off. She saw the fear in Carey’s eyes and smiled. “Now will you shut up?”

Chapter 25

Sebastian knew
Nicholae
would have his mansion guarded well but was surprised and very cautious when she sensed no other vampire as she approached the steps of his mansion. She looked up to the third-floor window and thought of just leaping up to its ledge, then shrugged. “I’ll just use the front door.” She grinned as she rang the old ornate bell.

The heavy door opened and a young vampire stood there. Her eyes widened in shock. “Y-you?”

“Yes, me,” Sebastian said. “You seem surprised. Didn’t you expect me?”

The vampire bared her fangs and hissed. Sebastian reached in and grabbed her by the neck, snapping it. In an instant, she whirled around, knowing she had company.

Two vampires leapt at once. Sebastian steeled herself for the contact. With a primal cry, one vampire sank his fangs deep into her shoulder as they flew backward, crashing into the staircase. The broken banister flew in every direction. Sebastian growled and hissed as she savagely pulled the vampire off and buried her fist deep within his chest. Sebastian saw the look of pure fright when she retracted her fist, along with two or three ribs. He was easily discarded.

The other vampire screamed and lunged at Sebastian, who caught the flying vampire by the neck and in one movement impaled her on the jagged banister. She flexed her shoulder and winced as she gave her surroundings a quick appraisal. It was as she remembered—dark, damp, and creepy. She walked toward the staircase and heard the rumblings upstairs. This is it, she thought. Visions of Tatiana again invaded her mind. Damien delivering the final blow. Nina betraying Tatiana and handing over the amulet to
Nicholae
, who in turn knew it was useless without the ring Sebastian wore.