Tentyrian Legacy (38 page)

“They better be. If anything happens to her,
I’ll never forgive myself. Raad and Laura are like my family,
Maximos.” His face is sympathetic with understanding. Of course it
would be; he has already lost what was his family.

“Come on, let’s get you dressed, Arianna.”
Maximos pulls me to a standing position like a parent dealing with
a stubborn child. He is more than a foot taller than me, and I have
to lift my chin to connect with his eyes. The sapphire blue of them
is still just as beautiful as they were last night.

“But what about my work? The office is going
to be freaking out. I haven’t responded to an e-mail in forty-eight
hours, not to mention I haven’t shown up.”

“You have resigned, Ari.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You did not!” I
push him, and he stumbles back, to my utter satisfaction. I’m
strong.

“I had to! You are in no condition to start
work again anytime soon.”

“How dare you!” I throw the clothes at
him.

“I’m sorry, I truly am. But this is the way
it has to be.”

“I want you to know that when this is all
over, I am walking away from this and you. I am going back to my
life.”

“Let’s just see what happens, Arianna . . .
And I am sorry. I promise, your career and reputation won’t be
marred by this. I’ll make sure it isn’t.”

I take a deep breath and try to calm myself.
I need to go with the current rather than fight it.

“If you are going to insist on ruining my
life, then I’m going to insist you call me Ari,” I challenge.
Maximos seems so set on establishing the rules I must follow. But
rather than making me want to follow them—I want to throw them in
his face. So I begin to unbutton my shirt slowly, trailing my
fingers provocatively along the exposed skin.

“Okay,” he replies calmly, his eyes not
wavering from mine. But I see his convulsive swallow and clench of
his jaw. Not so in control after all.

Before I can make it past the fourth button,
Maximos takes over. Within seconds, I’m dressed. But this time as
Maximos moves with his superhuman speed, I can actually see him. I
see the way his fingers linger as they travel up my legs. Thank
goodness I’d had them waxed recently. I feel the gentle way he
folds the bra over my breasts and clasps it behind my back. His
movements are graceful and smooth, and his touch leaves my skin
tingling. The synapses in my brain must be firing on all cylinders.
I have to reach for his arm to steady myself.

“Easy there. Do you want use the bathroom?”
Maximos asks. As soon as I say the words, he shifts me there.

“Can you wait outside? I’m not going to pass
out,” I say to him with more than a hint of sass. He looks
skeptical. “You are going to drive me crazy. If you don’t leave
right now, I will flip out. And you saw how volatile I can be. Like
last night.” That should get him to leave.

“Okay, fine, but I’m right outside the
door.”

He is infuriating. As soon as I inch my way
toward a little control, he tries to take it. After Maximos
disappears, I survey myself in the mirror and am shocked at what I
see. It’s still me, just a more enhanced version. My hair, even my
eyelashes, are thicker, shinier. I graze my fingers along my cheek.
My skin feels smoother and softer—like a child’s. The color of my
lips seems pinker. I’ve always been fit, but even the muscle
definition of my arms is more refined than it was yesterday.
Between my amazing senses, strength, and appearance—maybe being
Tentyrian isn’t so bad? I wonder if people would believe it if I
told them that I owe my newfound “rejuvenation” to the spa?

I quickly brush my teeth while holding firmly
onto the sink so I don’t topple over. The room may be spinning, but
at this rate, I’ll never be able to do anything on my own if I
don’t assert myself. I take the wooden comb and try to detangle the
natural waves that are springing up in the humidity. I manage to
get the knots out, but doing anything manageable with it is
impossible without a hair tie. Whatever; like the lack of lack
shoes, I just let it go. I take a deep breath and try to remind
myself that the quickest way out of this mess is to work with
Maximos, not against him. When I open the door, he is standing
right there. What a surprise.

“Here, put these on. It’s bright outside, and
your eyes are going to be very sensitive,” Maximos says as he hands
me a pair of Ray-Bans.

“So the myth that vampires can’t go out in
the daylight isn’t true after all.”

“Like I said, you aren’t a vampire. You are
Tentyrian. But I suppose there is some truth to the myth in that we
prefer the nighttime. Vampire legends tend to take their
attribution from our kind. With our heightened senses, you’ll see
you’ll appreciate the quiet and darkness that falls with the
sunset. It’s also when our powers can be wielded with the most
strength. You’ve probably heard the term the ‘witching hour’?
Midnight for us is when we feel the strongest, the most
powerful.”

“Then why aren’t we asleep now?”

“Because in today’s society, it’s difficult
to only function at night. The world doesn’t work that way, so we
mostly keep human hours. Shall we eat?”

“Yes, I’m starving,” I say
enthusiastically.

“I bet.”

This time, Maximos has the decency to leave
me standing as he wraps his arms around my waist and we shift to an
outdoor pavilion with a fountain and amazing view of the sea. He’s
right, it’s blindingly bright. But the beautiful sounds, smells,
and scenery quickly eclipse the annoyance of the light. Now that
we’re outside, my senses are buzzing with the ocean air and crash
of the waves. I can smell the rich greenery of the orchards and
even the ripening pomegranates. A table is set for us with bamboo
chargers, sea-green glasses bespeckled with air bubbles from their
artistic blowing, and simple silver flatware. Like the gentleman he
is, Maximos pulls the chair out for me under a white umbrella.

“What would you like to eat?” he asks.

“Whatever is on the menu. It sounds like
there already is one.”

“Ah, you heard that?”

“I feel like I can hear everything.”

“A whispered conversation now will sound
normal to you. It’s a matter of tuning out what you don’t want to
hear, which in your case is more than just sound.”

“It’s funny, I almost feel like my ability to
block thoughts now is stronger. I obviously didn’t run or meditate
this morning, which I used to feel compelled to do to quiet my mind
every day. My senses feel alive, but my mind is surprisingly
quiet.”

“Now that the Turn is complete, your physical
state has been fortified. For years you’ve been building your own
mental block through routine exercise, both physical and mental,
which is essential for all young Tentyrians. It teaches discipline,
and it also makes the difficult symptoms in our youth easier to
manage. But now, your body is in tune with your mind. From here on
out, the headaches and overwhelming thoughts of those around you
should be much easier to control. That’s how it was for Daria, who
shared your gift. You should always remember to keep your guard up,
however. You can lose your grip on reality if you aren’t
careful...”

The sound of a sliding glass door and Beau’s
toenails clicking on the Spanish tile can be heard. Following close
behind on Shashandra’s heels, Beau jogs over and obediently sits
next to me, eager for some attention.

“Look at you sitting so patiently. Who taught
you that trick?” I purr to Beau, giving him a loving back scratch.
Maximos smiles smugly.

“If you were firmer with him, he’d obey you
more,” he says.

“I’m an indulgent mother, so bite me.”

“I see you have a sense of humor this
morning,” he says, the corners of his mouth lifting. Maybe it is
possible for us to communicate like civil people.

“Master Vasilliadis, Mistress Parker, are you
ready to eat?” interrupts Shashandra. “Cook has prepared a
delicious lunch.”

“Yes, thank you. Please bring out the food,”
says Maximos. Maximos plucks a plump grape from the cluster sitting
in a white ceramic bowl at the center of the table. He examines it
carefully before popping it into his mouth.

“Did you know we grow these here on the
island?”

“You have nice orchards. I’ve seen them. But
I don’t want to talk about fruit. What were you saying about being
careful?”

“Are you always this demanding?” Maximos
shakes his head with a smile. “There are other Tentyrians who have
powers, Ari. You saw that I can enter people’s dreams. That’s
child’s play compared to what others can do. For example, Calix of
the Dark Coven can make you think and remember things that never
happened. If you don’t keep your mind carefully shielded, they can
hurt you from the inside out. You also need to be careful not to
let your Tentyrian power and strength go to your head. I told you
before, blood is an intoxicating thing. Coupled with your superior
strength and ability to manipulate humans, it’s easy to think you
belong in a position of superiority. That’s why the Dark Coven
began and ultimately destroyed our people.”

“We can manipulate humans?”

“To some extent. When we want to, we can
offer up commands if we direct our energy at them. I tried it on
you, but you resisted and it didn’t take. It was another
confirmation that you were different.”

“That’s crazy. We can actually command people
to do things?”

“We are natural-born hunters, Ari, and that
ability helps us. Even the sound of our voice works in our favor to
draw our prey in. However, as civilized people, we’ve made it a
conscious choice not to give in to our baser instincts. And to
prevent humans from finding out what we are . . .”

“How?” I ask.

“Well, when we can’t fight the urge for human
blood and there is no one to give it willingly, we take great care
to obtain it humanely. After we feed on humans, our venom makes
them more susceptible to control. So we wipe their memory of having
been bitten. Back when Tentyris was in its golden age, we had
plenty of willing hosts—either the Guardians or our human servants.
We didn’t need to manipulate humans within our community. They knew
our secrets and were sworn to protect them. But in instances where
we needed blood and a willing host couldn’t be found, we took what
we needed, in a nonviolent manner . . .”

“So you wouldn’t kill humans—or ‘hosts,’ as
you call them?”

“No. It was against the law, and it still is
within the Tentyrian Brotherhood. We respect all life.”

“So you don’t think you are superior to
humans?”

“Absolutely not. Their blood gives us life.
And we have unique powers that enable us to protect them. In
theory, we should live in symbiosis. That is the foundation for the
Tentyrian Code, which for us is law. The Code was drafted by the
Tentyrian Council and forbids the killing of humans unless
warranted by self-defense or war. In fact, it was punishable by
death. While the Dark Coven no longer follows the Code, we the
Tentyrian Brotherhood do.”

“How many Brothers are there?” “Around
fifty.”

“But you said there were only six
survivors?”

“Some of the Brothers were changed from their
human states and made to become like us. The Brothers are stationed
all over the world. Right now, most are in the United States . .
.”

The sliding glass door opens again, and
Shashandra appears with lunch. A heart of palm and fig salad with
pine nuts and a dressing I don’t recognize, along with a tall glass
of blood, is served. I can feel my gums pricking like they did last
night. I subconsciously run my tongue along my teeth and can feel
the sharp incisors. In last night’s frenzy, I barely even noticed .
. .

“It’s okay, your fangs will come out when you
get hungry. See, I have them too.” Maximos bares his pearly white
fangs to me in a boyish grin.

“Well I guess we’re both freak shows now.” I
poke at the salad with my fork.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” asks Maximos.
“I’ve never been a salad girl . . .”

“You’ll see, you’ll like it. It has wonderful
flavor. Plus that’s not really your lunch. The blood is. That is
what your body wants.”

After a minute of contemplation, I take the
glass and chug it down greedily. It’s definitely not as good as
what I experienced last night— that was like the nectar of the
gods.

“It’s human blood we get from a blood bank,”
Maximos explains. “Since you are newly turned, you especially won’t
like animal blood. The fresher the blood for you right now, the
better. It will help you reach your full potential. In a few days,
once you get stronger, I’ll take you to the mainland and you can
practice drinking from a human.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“It’s your choice, but your body is
eventually going to want hot blood from an open vein. And you’ll
want to hunt.”

“It sounds barbaric.”

“You weren’t complaining last night.”
“Touché.”

“So what’s with the salad then if all I need
is blood to survive?” “Eating human food is enjoyable, provided
that it has lots of flavor.

Our palettes are very sensitive and delight
in rich foods in small quantities.”

“I guess that is going to take some getting
used—small quantities.” “Before the Turn, your body’s energy
consumption was much

higher than a human’s. Your diet likely tried
to compensate for that.” “And I always wanted rare meat . . .”

“Because it was high in blood content. See,
it’s all interconnected. And you thought I was a cult leader.”
Maximos lets out laugh. I ignore him.

I tentatively take a bite of the salad, and
instantly my mouth is flooded with intense flavor. The dressing is
a mixture of sweet pomegranate, a buttery olive oil, spicy pepper,
and tangy blood. The palm is crisp and the fig is tender.

“Wow, this is amazing. It’s like fireworks in
my mouth.” “Just like blood, food also takes on a whole new
meaning.”