FicWad

CHAPTER EIGHT


“I can’t believe it.” Tynan stared at her neat, shiny bookshelves. They seemed to groan with the weight of her books, which crowded together, their Moroccan- and leather-bound spines gleaming. She glanced around, at the freshly shampooed carpet, the white walls, her recovered couch, and then at her sparkling kitchen. It all looked better than it had before the break in.

“You’re pleased?” Faelen asked.

The smell of paint and bleach mingled with the pleasanter scents of lemon oil polish and pine. “It’s taking a while to soak in,” she replied. Her gaze snagged on a particular volume as she again surveyed the shelves. She stepped close and pulled it from its place. “This isn’t mine,” she said with absolute certainty. “A bit of the gilt had flaked from the ‘S’ in ‘Shelly’ on mine. Also, this is bound in a better leather. I’d say time period but custom.”

“You’ve a good eye,” he returned. “I’d hoped you wouldn’t notice the substitution.” He came to her side. “The team could not save the other Shelly. I replaced it.”

Tynan placed the book back on the shelf. “Generous of you.” She went to her bedroom.

Faelen came behind her, silent, but a palpable presence. As she opened her closet, she saw him come abreast of her. He reached out and straightened an art print on the wall. “Some of it couldn’t be salvaged or replaced.”

She saw what he meant, the closet’s contents seemed reduced by about a fourth. After assuring herself her mother’s plastic encased wedding dress, and her aunt’s quilts remained on the top shelf, she answered, “I can imagine. Where do you think all that blood came from? Did he kill an animal or what?”

“I doubt Blade did much of this,” he replied. “As I told your friend, he has many who follow his orders without question.”

She shuddered, closed the closet door. “I remember the smell.” Turning to face him, she put the memory aside. “Where are my bonds?”

“In a safety deposit box downtown.” Faelen took his wallet from the inside pocket of his blazer style black leather jacket. He opened it and withdrew a gold tone key. “Here.”
S
he took it. “Thanks.”

“You’ll also find your birth certificate,” Faelen tucked his wallet back inside his jacket, “the photos, all the personal things you had in the files in the bottom drawer of your dresser.”

A rush of relief whipped through her. “My God. I hadn’t given them a thought.”

“It was done for you.”

The odors of fresh paint and cleaner hung heavy in the air. She gave the room a visual once over. Even the half-burned, mulberry candle which had stood in a glass holder beside her bed, had been replaced with a new one.

“Thank you. What you’ve done here amazes me.” She sensed his gaze on her. Facing him, she saw his eyes moving over her face. A fluttering began in her belly. “Thanks.” she repeated, feeling nervous under his intense regard.

“Will you need anything from here?” he asked.

Tynan tried to shake the sudden onset of sexual jitters. “I’ll throw some things in a bag.”

“I’ll wait for you outside.”

She exhaled in an unsteady rush when she heard the door close behind him. He made her so thin-skinned. Volatile as powder keg set too close to flame. Whether with arousal or anger, she seemed no more than a spark away from exploding at any time. Left alone in her spotless apartment, the evidence of his efforts on her behalf surrounding her, she wondered what that meant.

Tynan took her purple duffel from the bottom of her closet. It smelled of a popular, floral scented fabric softener. She saw a dryer sheet lying at the bottom when she opened it. The thoughtful touch impressed her.

After hearing Faelen expected company, she didn’t know what to pack. She’d accumulated nice work clothes. But, nothing dressy enough for evenings with guests. From her closet she took her khaki trousers, white turtleneck and tan jacket. She added a pair of cranberry brushed cotton jeans, a few tailored shirts and a long slim skirt. From the rack, she picked out brown loafers, navy ankle boots, and her good sport sneakers.

Going to the dresser, she pulled out sweat pants and a long-sleeved tee for walking, a couple pairs of hose in taupe and navy, bras and panties, her favorite flannel pajamas and several pairs of socks. She did some fancy folding and managed to make it all fit into the bag. Just enough space remained for her toiletries from the bath. As she tucked them in place, she noticed many items were replacements.

In a last minute effort, she tossed in hair accessories and jewelry. She looked around the room a final time, then picked up the duffel and flipped off the light on her way out. Though the day remained young, it suffered from early October daytime dimness. The living room and kitchen seemed quite dark as she cut the lights and locked the door.

She didn’t see Faelen. So, it nearly startled her out of her skin when he reached to take her bag. “Allow me.”

Tynan dropped her keys and jumped back against the railing of the landing. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Her heart thundered. Adrenaline sang in her blood. “Where’d you come from? I did not see you.”

He took her hand in his far larger and much warmer one. “I didn’t intend to frighten you.”

Trying to regain her composure, she took several deep breaths. Faelen bent and retrieved her keys with fluid efficiency. She took them. “’Frighten’ is what thinking I’ve forgotten to lock my door does to me. You knocked like five years off my life.”

She let him hold her hand, lead her to the sleek charcoal Jaguar parked at the curb. He opened the door for her, closed it when she occupied the seat. She fixed her gaze on the burlwood dash, examining the rich, swirled grain as if it would reveal answers to her questions.

Tynan turned at the sound of the driver’s side door opening. She watched him place her bag in the back and slide behind the wheel. “I didn’t see you anywhere.”

Faelen shut the door. He put the keys in the ignition, pushed in the clutch. The engine roared to life as he switched it on, then subsided to an elegant rumble. He turned his head to face her. The fierce slant of his cheekbones and the hard cut of his jaw made his serious look intimidating.

“I’d no intention of scaring you, Tynan.” He released the shift to touch her hand. Then he put the Jag in gear, turned his attention front.

“That still doesn’t explain how you moved so fast.”

She watched the familiar scenery of her neighborhood roll past. Her mind began to wonder, sifting through the past few days. They had left the city behind when she returned to the present.

In a change of subject, she said, “Karen told me you expected guests.”

“Some European friends,” he replied. Tynan watched him glance in the rear view mirror. His attention returned to the road. “I promised them accommodations weeks ago. If you don’t like them, we’ll go to my house in the city.”

“You have another house?” Tynan couldn’t imagine his having a second residence, given the luxurious beauty of the one she’d seen. Recalling his words when he’d given her the Cala lilies, she said, “Let me guess. A modest one.”

“No, a very grand, historic one.” Slanting her a look from beneath his thick black lashes, he asked, “Better?”

She had the feeling he played with her. “On second thought, stick to the ‘modest’ answers.”

His sensual lips turned just a fraction, an almost-smile flirting with their corners.

Tynan watched out her window. October, in San Francisco, changed moods more often than a prima donna. Today she seemed determined to smother everything in a dreary cloak. The ocean came close and receded with the lay of the land, cast in tones of pewter.

“I wish I could see the surf,” she idly confided. “There’s usually such a drop down to it, it’s hidden.”

“Tonight,” Faelen said, changing gears, “We’ll take supper on the beach.”

Brought from her whimsical mood, she turned to him. “The wind will blow hard and cold enough to give us frostbite.”

“Give me benefit of the doubt?”

She considered his ability to perform miracles of a sort. “None of your staff is put to trouble,” she specified. “I don’t want anyone slaving to serve a whim.”

“I’ve released all but three until tomorrow night,” he returned. Faelen navigated a sharp curve with negligent ease.

Her recollection of a certain stiff backed butler sprung to mind. “Except Eldon,” she amended. “I’d like to see him slave.”

Faelen gave a shadow of a chuckle. “I’ll see what I can arrange.”



Faelen checked the last kitchen details. “Thank you, Karen. Enjoy your night.” He turned to Eldon. “You aren’t off the hook.” Handing the basket to him, Faelen said, “Take this down. We’ll soon join you.”

Eldon grinned. “I’ll do my best impression of contrition, sir.”

“Don’t bother,” he replied. “I think she’s already got your number.”

Faelen went to the door of Tynan’s suite. Despite his resolve to grant her mental privacy, he felt her excitement. His vampire senses perceived her nervousness and the scent of her radiating beneath the manufactured aromas of soap and peach lotion. He closed his eyes, concentrated on only minimal sensory observations. After a few seconds, he experienced the shift to relative ignorance.

Tynan opened the door dressed in a white tailored shirt and dark red jeans, with deep blue boots. She wore her hair in an upswept twist.

“Will I need a coat?” she asked with charming practicality. Most all the women of his acquaintance would have paused, posed even, to allow him the full visual effect of their toilette. “You said to give you the benefit of the doubt, but it’s probably fifteen degrees colder now.”

Offering her his arm, he replied. “You’re perfect as you are.”

Tynan excepted the gesture. Her hand curved round his bicep. She gazed up at him. “I’m starved.”

“Your lack of pretense charms me.” Faelen found the trait priceless.

When they reached the solarium, he took the plush blanket he’d requested placed there. He wrapped her in it, admiring the way its slate hue brought emphasized her coloring. “I’ll paint you like this,” he said. His vampire eyes saw the infinite array of browns and reds in her hair, the unique tawny apricot of her skin.

“Save your flattery,” she shot back, tone saucy but amiable. “I’m just in this for the food.”

“Then I should feed you.”

She exclaimed at the chill of wind as they stepped onto the verandah. Faelen tugged the blanket higher and wrapped his arm around her.

The sky had cleared, letting the half moon shine through. Its white gold light poured over the land, highlighting here, shadowing there. For human eyes, the effect would deceive more than reveal.

He found himself becoming more and more aware of her humanity. Most of all the frailty that came with it.

At the last deck, a wide flight of steps led down to the beach. Out from their base, twelve feet back from the surf line, stood the tent he and Eldon pitched earlier. He watched her reaction to the crimson pavilion. Her eyes widened, then narrowed with apparent speculation.

“It looks like a portable harem,” she observed.

“I did buy it in Turkey.” He omitted how close she’d come to guessing its original purpose.

Faelen took her to the sea-facing side. Eldon waited for them there. He drew back the wide flap and held the sheer panel so they could enter. Eldon fastened the see through windbreak behind the three of them.

Tynan’s eyes moved about the interior. She took off the blanket and laid it across the little table Eldon had carried down. He saw her taking in the table set for two, the tall flickering tapers within sconces, and the dome covered chaffing dishes set upon the make shift sideboard.

“Impressive.” She walked over to the Japanese brazier and held out her hands to its warmth. “Very lavish. You’ve gone to a lot of trouble to entertain me.”

“My pleasure.” He pulled out the chair for her, waited until she came to him. Tynan peeked at him from the corner of her eye as she sat. He wondered if the intimacy unnerved her.

He pushed in her chair, then seated himself. Eldon poured Pinoit Noir into cut crystal goblets for them, served the first of the hors d’orves, Anjou pears with gorgonzola cream and truffle pate in pastry shells.

Tynan smoothed a stray strand of dark hair from her face. Looking to the sea, she said, “Clever design. The sheer panel stops much of the wind. With the brazier, it’s quite comfortable in here.”

Faelen tasted the wine. The full-bodied, heady flavor filled his mouth. “I wanted you to be able to see the surf, as you said.” He took a bite of the pear, watched her sample her food. Pleasure transformed her features. Instant sensual response tightened his belly.

For an enjoyable, if self-tormenting moment, he imagined how she might look when he made love to her. He forced himself not to continue that line of contemplation. Still, he found watching her eat almost unbearably erotic. By the time Eldon served the main course, he had to fight the compulsion to pull her across the table into his arms.

At the meal’s conclusion, Faelen pulled out her chair. “Would you like a walk? The wind’s died down, and you can wrap in the blanket again.”

She smiled, stood. “That sounds wonderful.”

He wrapped the thick blanket around her. “I hoped you’d think so.” Indulgence was a male’s ages old weapon against a female’s reluctance.

Eldon opened the wind break for them. “Have a good walk, sir. Ma’am.”

Tynan gave him little smile. “Just for putting that monkfish on my plate, I may forgive you for the poker face, pseudo-British butler thing.”

Thinking about her spirited reaction to Eldon’s presence outside the library when she first came, still amused Faelen. To his servant, he said, “If one of my guests should arrive early, show them to their room. I’ll see them later.”

Faelen had already received a faint sending from his friend, Feniro, just before he finished overseeing the final details for their dinner. He expected his friend within the next few hours. Anticipating his evening with Tynan, he’d neglected to warn his staff. Faelen knew Eldon would correctly interpret his parting words, and carry the notice to the others.

“Which way?” he asked, giving her the choice of direction.



“This way.” She turned south and hugged the wrap tighter around her.

They walked just inches from where the surf broke in moonlight gilded foam. Faelen noticed she avoided the water with great care. It occurred to him she’d worked very hard for most everything she possessed. Of course she would protect her leather boots.

He wondered how long it would take to convince her to let him give her all the things he longed to. More than that, he wondered how difficult he’d find convincing her to revel in her own beauty, rather than most often concealing it.

“You must love living here,” she said, side-stepping a little rim of surf.

The maneuver brought her almost flush against him. His vampire senses hummed to life, opened to encompass hers. He felt her lingering delight from dinner, her enjoyment of the scenery, relief at knowing her possessions restored. A quicksilver flicker of her thoughts reached him; disjointed images and perceptions of himself.

“I spend more time here than anywhere else,” he replied. He intended tell her why, but a sharp warning of another vampire’s presence halted the words. The unfamiliar interloper’s energy sent a strong vibration of danger singing through Faelen’s body.

Stepping between Tynan and the water, where he felt the other’s approach, Faelen sent You trespass against a Magnus.

A gurgling hiss preceded the eruption of a near nude vampiress from the water. From perhaps twenty paces from the line of surf, she sprang, spraying cold drops of water and flecks of seafoam. Faelen saw the wildness in her eyes, noted her gauntness and the vivid network of blue showing through near white skin. A half-starved fledging, recently converted after being drained to the point of death, judging by her emaciation and bloodless appearance.

He heard Tynan’s surprised cry as he met the pathetic creature’s attack. The fledgling vampiress possessed the wild aggression and strength common to conversion madness. It took considerable effort to prevent her catching him with her sharp nails or elongated fangs as he twisted her about and pinned her face down in the surf.

“Faelen, you’ll drown her!” Tynan cried.

Faelen placed his fist directly atop her vibrating spine, just between her breathless lungs, and shoved. As he’d intended, the inrushing waves quickly dispersed the cloud of blood he forced up from her stomach. Only Blade starved fledglings then fed them his own tainted blood. It kept his offspring obedient and dangerous as rabid dogs.

The vampiress went limp. Faelen lifted her inert body from the water and waded out. “Lets get her to the house.”

“What was she doing in the ocean?” Tynan stumbled once in the wet sand. “She may die from this.” She took the blanket from her shoulders and draped it over the senseless fledgling. At that range, she must have seen the creature’s feral leanness and white skin. “Oh my god. She looks like a junkie. Or worse.”

“Don’t upset yourself, ilshlava.” Faelen kept between Tynan and the water as they hurried back up the beach. Though he sensed no other intruder, he took the precaution just the same.

Near the base of the steps leading to the house, Tynan broke from his side and raced up them. With her back turned, he took the steps in three long leaps and entered the solarium a second behind her. He saw her rushing into the kitchen calling for Karen and Eldon.

Faelen took the limp fledgling upstairs to one of the windowless rooms customized to accommodate guests who avoided the day. He dropped the sodden blanket to the floor, and placed her on the bed. The tattered remains of a shirt and pants looked more like seaweed from the Pacific than clothing. Despite her submersion, the scent of decay and stale air clung to her. The hallmark stench of long imprisonment.

As he studied her pale face, something in her features jogged his memory. He’d seen her many times, but never in person. Pushing aside her ragged shirt, he saw a distinctive tribal tattoo ringing her naval.

“The Congressman’s daughter.” Filled with anger, Faelen wondered how long Blade had amused himself with her as a human, before growing bored. He smoothed a strand of wet hair from her face. Fear no more he sent Rest

Though he felt responsible for her now, he couldn’t stay. Tynan couldn’t possibly accept a girl moving around with no heartbeat or breath. Until her functions restarted with regular feeding and rest, she’d have to remain hidden.

He left her there, and returned to the ground floor. Seeing Eldon about to enter the flagstone hall, he called, “I’m here.”

Eldon about faced, a fleeting look of relief revealing his concern. “I was looking for you, sir.”

“She’s upstairs, second room”, Faelen told him. “One of my kind, and very dangerous. Call Dr. Gennisburg, and send word to Shang I’ll need him.”

“He is with Miss Baltimore?”

“Yes. Miss Singleton is not to see that girl upstairs until after Shang has cared for her.”

“I understand, sir.”

“Good. “I’ll change and make some explanation.”

Faelen made quick work of showering and changing clothes. He drew his damp hair back in a que and went to find Tynan.

He sensed her presence nearby, and caught the sound of her voice as he exited the library. Following it, he located her in the kitchen, and paused to watch for a moment.

“Doesn’t it seem a bit strange to you?” Tynan asked Karen, who placed the last few slivered almonds from her hand onto a tall, chocolate frosted cake.

The chef’s expression remained calm. “It’s a strange world. Still, some poor lost soul washing up on the beach in October’s more sad than odd.”

“You didn’t see her. White as a sheet and crazy.”

“Whatever problems she’s had, she’s safe now,” Karen reasoned. “Mr. Cairo will see to it.”

Tynan’s voice raised an incredulous notch. “Granted it all happened fast, and in the dark, but I didn’t miss the fact she attacked him.”

Faelen entered then. “She did,” he agreed. Her gaze snapped to him. “Though I don’t hold her responsible. She’s under the influence of powerful things, and far from well.”

“We have to take her to a doctor.”

“One is already on the way, a specialist in these matters.” Shang knew ancient Eastern treatments for conversion madness, as well as the universal healing techniques necessary to aid the recovery from torture. Since Tynan had likened the fledgling to a junkie, he hoped she continue thinking along that line. “I’ll have a second here within the hour.”

Her expression grew serious. The soft line of her mouth firmed and a challenging gleam lit her eyes. “And, you think this girl’s fate is just yours to decide?”

“Well,” he said, waiting for her temper to surface, “she did wash up on my beach.”

Tynan made a sound of outraged disbelief. She seemed about to take him seriously. A second passed, another, then, she seemed to relax. “All right. I’ll trust you on this. For now.”

“Fair enough.” Faelen held out his hand to her. “If you’re tired, I’ll walk you to your room.”

She shook her head. Long tendrils, whipped loose by the wind drifted around her face. “Too keyed up. I’d like to find something to read, and maybe sit by the fire.”

“A sherry or brandy with your book, perhaps. Come with me.”

She put her hand in his.

Between the imminent arrival of one of vampire society’s most infamous daredevils, his new and unexpected role as guardian, and the trial of keeping his mate ignorant of the supernatural events swirling around her, it promised to prove a stimulating night.


CHAPTER NINE

Tynan began to casually look for her enigmatic host a few hours after she’d eaten breakfast. When she didn’t find him, she attempted to distract herself exploring the solarium. It proved limited in success. She wanted to know about the girl: the doctors’ diagnoses, how she came to such a point in her life.

Karen stood at the counter next to the sink, slicing strawberries into a big glass bowl. She turned her head in Tynan’s direction. “Need a snack? These berries are fabulous.”

Picking up a huge, summery red one, Tynan bit into it. Sweetness flooded her mouth. She held the berry by its bright green leaves as she chewed and swallowed.

“How’s the girl this morning?” Tynan asked.

“Shang and Dr. Gennisburg stayed with her all night.” Karen capped and sliced with an efficiency that gave one pleasure to watch. Tynan thought she made Faelen’s palatial house quite homey. The woman put a heart in the place.

“Is she still upstairs?” She polished off her berry, put the cap onto the plate that held its ‘decapitated’ brethren.

Karen nodded, wielded her shiny pairing knife. “Under very close watch.”

“Have you gotten a look at her?”

“No.”

Tynan snagged another berry, appreciated again the warm sunlight filtering into the kitchen. She studied Karen. Deciding to vent, she said, “I find myself doubting.”

“Anything in particular?”

“Almost everything in this house,” she answered. “I feel like I’m dreaming, or hallucinating,” Tynan glanced around, “all this. I mean, since I met Faelen, I keep likening myself to Alice. I’m down the rabbit hole, the weird pills keep coming, and I have the uncomfortable feeling I’m still only seeing the surface here.”

“Maybe you need to relax,” Karen suggested. “Let go.” She finished her task, went about putting the sliced berries into a bowl of amber-tinged liquid.

“What’s that?” Tynan asked.

“Champagne.” For a moment, she gave the slices a gentle bath. In the meantime, Tynan demolished the huge berry.

Tynan dropped the leafy remains onto the plate. “You think I need to let go? Of what?”

After placing the bowl into one of the kitchen’s chrome refrigerators, Karen kicked it closed and washed her hands. “Of your fear.”

That observation hit too close to home, given Faelen’s words about trust. “Fear of what?”

“I don’t know,” Karen took out a plastic wrapped piece of meat from another fridge. “Yourself, maybe.” She shrugged. Her eyes met Tynan’s in understanding. “You’re so beautiful. Yet, you seem to try to hide it.”

Tynan glanced down at her oversized purple cotton shirt, white leggings and loafers. “That wouldn’t change how strange this all seems.”

“It makes you less willing to accept,” Karen concluded. “You’re hiding yourself. Perhaps you look for that in other things.”

“Couple of days feeding me, and you’re an expert.” Tynan sighed.

The sound of voices sent her attention to the hall. She saw Shang, his dark face drawn taut with anger, and another man carrying a hefty brown bag. Assuming the man with the bag was the Dr. Gennisburg she’d heard about, she pushed away from the counter and went to meet him.

Both men seemed to see her at once. They ceased their quiet conference, looked at her. She thought they made an effort to appear less serious than their faces indicated.

Shang halted. “Ma’am-san,” he greeted and bowed.

“How is she?” The memory of flashing, wild eyes, though only glimpsed, remained strong.

“Her body had already survived the worst,” Shang replied, straightened. “We have treated her body. Now, we must wait to see if her mind has the strength to mend as her flesh will.”

“May I see her?”

“I don’t recommend it,” Dr. Gennisburg answered, his brown eyes bright behind small, silver rimmed glasses. “Until she’s past this crucial, first recovery period, only those experienced with the condition should have contact.”

“What condition?” she asked the doctor.

He opened and shut his mouth several times, clearly seeking an answer that should have come at once. “It’s more of a combination of problems than an isolated illness.”

Tynan queried, “Where’s Faelen?”

Dr. Gennisburg glanced at Shang. He shifted his bag into the grasp of his other hand, swiped his brow and switched hands with the bag again. His uneasy reaction answered her question.

“He’s with her,” she concluded. A sharp, unwelcome pang of misplaced jealousy speared her. Determined no one but her would know, she forced a half smile. “Good. I’d hate to think you left her alone.”

Something in Shang’s eyes made her cheeks warm. He bowed again. “If ma’am-san would like to see for herself, I will accompany.”

“Thanks, but no.” Tynan liked the slim little man more all the time. His thoughtfulness and courtesy made it easy. “I think I’ll call my friend, Lam, and maybe hit the books again.”

She turned toward the library, then something occurred to her. Pivoting on her heel, Tynan said, “I haven’t seen your braid.”

He indulged her by about facing. The inky length of it lie in a coil at the base of his neck. Two things hit her at once. The fact that Faelen told her a specialist would attend the girl, and that she’d heard just Shang’s name along with the visibly uncomfortable doctor’s. He might have wrapped it round his neck to keep it out of the way. But, his wearing his braid out of hand’s reach made her more than curious.

“You’re the ‘specialist’ Faelen said would see her.”

He inclined his head. “I offered what services I could.”

Tynan decided she’d like to see the girl’s condition for herself. She walked past the two men, and headed to the stairs she’d seen before.

Shang barely raised his voice. “I will come with.”

Tynan climbed the twisting stairs. She wondered what she’d find at the top. Her pulse accelerated. It grew darker as she ascended. Tynan found the effect disorienting, as if she descended into a basement, rather than ascended a story.

When she reached the top step, she halted.

“Perhaps,” Shang said from behind her, “ma’am-san would like to change her mind.”

“I appreciate the out.” She sucked in a deep breath. “But, no.”

Shang came to her side. He stepped just ahead. “This way.”

She stuck close to him, following the soft rustle of his customary pajama-like suit. She stopped when she heard him do the same. Her heart thudded and her belly fluttered. The distinct sound of a bolt sliding proceeded the opening of a door and the spill of pale yellow. Candlelight, she realized.

“Il bechai es sha ve, mae ilshlava.”

Faelen’s voice shot straight to her heart. That organ pounded so hard it almost hurt. Unable to stand the suspense, she stepped up and shoved open the door.

Tynan’s breath arrested. She saw Faelen seated on the bed beside the girl. She lie propped upon dark pillows; her white hair hung in a tangle around her face. The whites of her pale eyes were stained red from whatever trauma. Her skin held little color. Altogether, she appeared more like a Hollywood representation of a ghost than a girl.

Faelen turned his face to her. “Tynan, leave us.” His voice held the gentleness she’d come to expect. But, the hard line of his mouth and the steel in his gaze reinforced he order.

Tynan took in the details of his appearance. The grey shirt he wore hung open halfway down his wide chest, showing a light furring of dark hair over powerful muscles. At least two of the black buttons were missing, and a large spot of what looked like blood stained the material near the collar.

What ever had happened between them, Faelen looked the worse for wear. If not for the girl’s ill appearance, Tynan might have suspected she’d yanked open his shirt in her haste to touch him.

“Is she all right?” Her voice sounded strange to her, unsteady and a little breathless.

“She will be,” Faelen answered. “Leave me to care for her.”

Tynan backed from the room, shutting the door. She bumped into something solid. “Omigod! Shang!” Remembering him gave her immense relief. “I forgot you’d be out here.” Exhaling in a rush, she said, “I’ve had too many things happen to me in too little time. I think my nerves may have gone.”

“Ma’am-san has much nerve.”

“Tynan,” she corrected. The darkness made her feel displaced. She had no memory of the surrounding to call to mind in the dark. “Do me a favor.” She caught a handful of fluid material. “Lead me out of here.”

Downstairs, she thanked the slim dark man, and went to her suite. A cordless phone had appeared in her room yesterday. It sat upon a low table in the sitting room when she returned from seeing her apartment. She half fell into the overstuffed chair beside the phone, picked it up from the cradle, and dialed the number of Lam’s shop.

He answered on the third ring. “Lamden’s Rare Tomes. May I help you?”

“I hope so,” she answered. “A friend of mine and I butted heads last night. I wondered if you had anything on making apologies. Unwilling ones.”

“Are you about five-seven, long reddish brown hair?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes”

“Big green eyes? Great skin? Lots to put in a bikini top?”

That made her laugh. “I have green eyes.”

“Well, then. I’d say a dishy girl like yourself wouldn’t have to make apologies. Unwilling or otherwise.”

“I am sorry, Lam. But, I’m kicking and screaming my way to forgiving you. Your siding with Faelen really ticked me off. ” She gave the arm of the chair an irritated little slap.

“Long as I get to have another look at Cairo’s books, I can live with that.”

“Sell out.” Tynan started to tell him about the girl. Something she couldn’t quite name made her decide not to. “Since I’m on vacation,” she told him. “I’d better make the best of it.”

“Have fun. You deserve a few days to play.”

“Talk to you soon.”

“Enjoy yourself, Ty.” He spoke the words in a tone that made her think he wasn’t sure if she knew how.

“Bye.”

“Cheers.”

After she hung up, she sat for a moment considering the mysterious girl upstairs and her own reluctance to tell Lam about her. Since she didn’t know anymore about the girl than she did last night, and she decided that had stopped her from mentioning her to Lam.

What could she really say? That a half naked woman had leapt out of the Pacific and attacked Faelen, but she seemed far more docile now that she rested in a windowless room in the upstairs?

Tynan looked at the little anniversary clock on the table across the room. It read twenty after eleven. Nearly lunch time. Maybe she’d have her lunch in the solarium, then get back to making an inventory of Faelen’s library.


Faelen held Jenny’s hand as the worst of the tremors shook her abused body. The girl gripped him hard enough to crush mortal bones. Her ragged, but sharp nails cut into his palm. When blood welled, her nostrils flared and the cords stood out in her neck.

“Kavnae.”

“I-I can’t,” she gasped, “understand that...language.”

“I said, ‘Easy’. You must learn,” he replied. “To take your place among vampire society, you will have to become fluent. Use your vampire hearing to then duplicate the sounds.”

Jenny’s already pale skin grew whiter than her hair. “The hunger...it...hurts.”

With his free hand, he took the cloth from the bowl of herb infused water. Squeezing out the excess, he bathed the blood tinged sweat from her face. “I know. But, we mustn’t allow anything into your system until Blade’s blood is completely gone.”

“I don’t understand all this.” She twisted onto her side toward him, her nails digging deeper. “Why...me?”

“Don’t think of that now,” he advised. Dropping the cloth back into the bowl, he clasped her other hand. “Try to calm yourself.”

“I feel like I’m suffocating!” Her eyes grew wild.

“Your lung function will return by tomorrow if you rest.” He watched her pupils dilate and contract without stimulus. “In the meantime, remember you don’t need the air.”

“Because I’m a corpse!” She sucked in a breath, then forced it out. “N-nothing happens. I still can’t breathe.”

He felt for her. The transition from human to vampire wrought tremendous changes that could confuse and frighten the most willing. For Jenny, kidnapped and tortured for years as a human before forced through the change, the conversion brought a host of terrifying phenomenon.

He took both of her hands in his one, wrung out the cloth and wiped her face and neck. She shook and jerked from the pain of vampiric starvation. In her advanced state, the broths and teas Shang had brewed did little good. Most, she could not even keep down.

Faelen hated Blade more by the second. This cruelty made him anticipate with relish, ending Blade’s disease of an existance. If the moment allowed, he would exact what vengeance her could for the victims.

“Kavnae,” he urged, bathing the crimson stained drops from her red eyes.

She clung to him, and wept out her despair in tears of tainted blood.



Faelen left Jenny in Shang’s care. For nearly eleven hours he’d stayed at her side, doing what he could to ease her suffering. Her misery made him furious. Knowing Blade wished to do the same to Tynan sent killing rage searing through him. He banked the flames. The time for them would come soon.

As he descended the stairs into the sunlit relm of daywalkers and humans, Faelen checked the rapidly mending wounds on his hand, and considered what to say to Tynan. She deserved an explanation. He needed to think of a way to give it to her, without scaring her, or having her wanting to call the police or take Jenny to a hospital. If his mate didn’t put him on the spot, he might wait until he could give it more thought.

Faelen went to his room, showered, changed and set about finding Tynan.

His growing connection to her led him to where she sat reading a paperback novel in the solarium. The book’s cover boasted an out of focus image of the 1880’s London skyline. In maroon letters it read Lord of Whitechapel. For several enjoyable moments, he stood just inside the kitchen door, watching her.

She sat almost sideways, with one long leg draped over the arm. Her hair hung in a single fat braid, falling over the other arm of the plaid chair. A little concentration line interrupted the smooth skin between her mahogany brows. The fingers of her free hand, idly played with an escaped tendril of rich, reddish brown hair.

Faelen wanted to do the same. No, he ached to.

Tynan scooted higher in her seat. After only a few seconds she moved back as she had been before. Her restless movements made him realize his desire reached her. As an experiment, he focused his thoughts upon an image in his mind’s eye of teasing her mouth with that loose skein of hair. She dropped the book into her lap, and her hand went to her lips as if she’d felt the tickle. That pleased him very much.

“Good afternoon,” he greeted.

Tynan jumped, turned toward him. A becoming flush pinked her cheeks. “You startled me.”

“So I saw.” Faelen walked over to her. From her lap, he retrieved the novel. “The new Calista Caesar,” he observed. “About Ripping Jack, I assume.”

“Jack the Ripper,” she said, using the mainstream society term. “Karen loaned it to me. It’s already scary.”

“That accounts for my frightening you.” He watched her, curious if she would take the out he offered.

She stood. “Since you told me about that panel in your room, I’ve wanted to see it.” She changed the subject with an almost imperceptible lift of her chin. “Would my asking to stretch guests’ privileges?”

“Not for you.” He laid the paperback in the chair. He caught her hand in his, and they walked over to the gate. After he opened it and they entered, he secured it behind them.

Faelen took her hand again. He lead her along the stone path to the spiral stairs leading to his balcony. “I’ll give you the combination to the lock on the gate,” he told her, “so you can have privacy here.”

“Except from you,” she pointed out, ascending the stairs at his back.

“I hope soon that won’t seem necessary to you.”

“At risk of sounding cliché, don’t hold your breath.”

Faelen chuckled. At the top of the steps, he moved aside to allow her to step onto the balcony. “Mrs. Pullman’s having the chaise recovered that normally sits out here.”

Tynan glanced around. “Carpeting on an indoor balcony. The pinnacle of self indulgence.”

“You always say ‘indulgence’ as if it were a bad word.” He slid open the sliding glass doors. Then watched as she surveyed the huge glass panels on either side of where the bed’s headboard stood.

“To me, it kind of is.” She stepped inside, then back out, appearing to take things in from several angles. “Okay. Show me how it works.”

“Come with me.” He entered his room. Tynan did the same. He walked over to the head of the bed. “There’s one here.” he pressed the button made into the headboard. The ultra thin panel slid from its pocket at the edge of the adjoining wall of bedroom and bath, moving in near silence to stretch the length of the room. When it stilled, he rounded the bed, and picked up the slender remote from the bedside table. “And this as well.” The panel receded back into it’s pocket.

“Amazing.”

“Does it top the carpeted balcony?” He noticed she seemed to avoid the bed with her gaze as looked around. Good, it meant it made her uncomfortable in his presence.

“Definitely.”

With a glance at the clock, he saw the day had aged with astonishing speed. It neared four o’clock. “I’ve neglected you today. How about a swim before supper?”

Tynan walked out onto the balcony. “Swimming in mid October.”

Following her, he queried, “Too self indulgent?”

Gazing out over the landscape below, she smiled. “Taking a dip in a veritable garden of Eden.” She shot him a saucy smile over her shoulder. “Not at all.”

“I took the liberty of acquiring a few suits for you.” He waited to see her reaction.

She swiveled around, eyes sharp and direct. “Is there an end to the liberties you’ll take?”

“No.” Faelen wanted that clear between them. When it came to giving her things, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. It gave him pleasure, and if she’d relax, it could do the same for her.

“You don’t make excuses, or try to hide it?” A hint of amusement peeked through her prickly exterior.

“You’ve had my answer.” Faelen watched the evolution of her expression. It changed from borderline amusement to humor to suspicion like quicksilver.

“You had a few suits bought for me by who? I didn’t think you’d gone out.”

He’d anticipated this question and told her the truth. “Ilsa bought several for you on my behalf.”

In a heartbeat her features transformed into an expression of humor again. “Knowing her vocation, I hope she used discretion.”

Faelen kept to himself the details. “I gave her some guidelines.” Specific ones, in fact. And, Roberto’s boutique had remained true to its reputation of perfecting ideas.

“I am not reassured.”

She scored a direct hit there. Two of the five he intended for his eyes alone. “I’ll have them sent to your room.” The pair that wouldn’t shock her, anyway. “You can go through my room to change. I’ll tell Karen to plan for a nine o’clock supper again.”

“Sounds wonderful.”

“Would you mind if my guest joined us?” He wanted Fen to meet his mate.

“Of course not.”

“Feel free to come back through the library and my room.”

Tynan studied him for a few seconds before she answered. “I will. Thank you.”

He wondered how she would react when she returned for her swim, and discovered he intended to watch.