Blood Legacy: Heir to the Throne (30 page)

“What?” Ryan asked.

“She has to stop you.”

Ryan shook her head. “I’m not following you. I hardly see how I could be considered a threat.”

Susan was insistent. “I may not know a great deal about our Kind, being the ‘neophyte’ that I am, but I have figured out one thing, you are a complete anomaly.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Dr. Ryerson.”

Susan frowned at her. “I’m not kidding, Ryan. You are as powerful as the Old Ones, even though you are half their age. It might take a millennium, or even more, but you are the only one capable of catching Madelyn.”

Ryan saw one huge flaw in her reasoning. “That would mean I would have to Share with her.”

Susan just looked at her. “I am not suggesting that you do so.”

Ryan reached down to brush Drake’s hair from his eyes. “First off, Madelyn does not seem inclined to want to Share. She seems quite happy taking me by force. Secondly, I am quite certain Madelyn’s blood would kill me instantly. Finally, I think I would rather die than,” Ryan paused, seeking a sufficiently pejorative term, “suck that woman’s blood.”

Susan muffled a giggle, and Ryan glanced over at her. “What?”

Susan covered her mouth with her hand. “It’s just–”

“What?” Ryan asked in exasperation.

“It’s just that you sounded like a Dracula movie for a moment.”

Ryan grinned. Yes, it had kind of sounded that way. Her eyes grew distant as long-ago memories bubbled to the surface.

“You know, I met Dracula once, or at least the man the character was based on.”

“You met Vlad Tepes?” Susan asked in astonishment.

“Hmm,” Ryan mused, “yes.” She shook her head. “It ended badly.” She turned away, not wishing to relive the memory at the moment. “That is a story for another day.”

Susan awakened to find Ryan standing across the room next to the small window. Ryan was doing something strange. She was running her fingers along the grooves between the bricks, tracing the geometric outlines with her fingertips. She did this with great concentration, and Susan had now seen her do it on several occasions. The behavior was a bit worrisome to Susan. It reminded her of laboratory mice that had been mistreated and began exhibiting random, repetitive behavior.

Ryan turned to glance at her, a wry expression on her face, and Susan blushed. Ryan could read her face even if she was forbidden to read her thoughts.

Ryan strolled across the room and sprawled into the chair next to Susan. It seemed by her lithe gait she was feeling much better, but it was apparent she was still fatigued. Drake stirred on the couch next to her, and she placed her hand on his back, calming him in his sleep. She leaned back and put her hands behind her head, closing her eyes.

“Ryan,” Susan began hesitantly.

“Hmm?” Ryan asked, her eyes still closed.

“Would it help you…” Susan’s voice trailed off.

Ryan opened one eye and glanced over at her. “Would what help me?”

Susan gathered her nerve. “Would it help you if you drank my blood?”

Ryan opened the other eye. “Are you trying to seduce me, Dr. Ryerson?”

Susan was indignant. “Of course not,” she said, both outraged and defensive. “I was just trying to–”

Susan’s words drifted off as she became aware of Ryan’s teasing expression. Susan punched her in the arm. “You are horrible.”

Ryan pretended the blow hurt, rubbing her arm, so Susan hit her again. Or at least tried to, as Ryan fended her off easily. Ryan snatched her wrist and pulled her forward off-balance, and Susan went spilling into her lap. Ryan was clearly amused at Susan’s predicament, and Susan was clearly embarrassed.

“Well,” Ryan said, “I don’t know, Dr. Ryerson, I’ve never Shared with a Young One before.”

Susan had always been amazed at Ryan’s strength, but having it demonstrated in such close quarters was overwhelming. However, she was not about to fall prey to Ryan’s considerable charm.

“I probably wouldn’t satisfy you, anyway,” Susan said through gritted teeth, trying to pull away. Ryan would not let her go.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Ryan said, playfully struggling with her, “I have learned there is much more to Sharing than power.”

Susan became acutely aware of Ryan’s nearness. Since the day she had met these creatures, she had struggled to deal with the strange, sensual world they lived in, a world in which the concepts of sex, gender, and familial kinship were meaningless. Heterosexuality, homosexuality, monogamy, incest, all were concepts without significance or consequence because true sex was almost unknown to them. They Shared blood, but it was rarely an act of reproduction. Susan’s world, the world of science and rationalism, had methods to examine these creatures, but no ways of understanding them.

Ryan gazed down at her intently. “You have to remember, Dr. Ryerson, I came from a very different world than you. A world of magic and witchcraft, of superstition and ignorance, of faith and conviction. It is far less of a leap for me.”

Ryan put her hand on Susan’s chin, guiding her head gently so that her throat was open to her. Susan was terrified, but her fear was of her own loss of control rather than anything Ryan was about to do to her.

“Sometimes,” Ryan said, brushing her teeth along Susan’s throat, “you just have to let go.”

The sensation was electrifying, and Susan swooned as Ryan began taking her blood. Although she had Shared with Raphael and others of his group, she had never experienced anything like this. She could not even compare it to sex, for sex had a build-up and a climax, and this was a constant climax. Each second held an unbearable tension, as if the pressure must release, but instead, the pleasure just increased. She could feel her heart rapidly beating in her chest, desperately trying to keep pace with the blood that was leaving her system.

A pleasant heaviness began to settle upon her limbs and a languor stole over her thoughts. Susan understood now why so many Young Ones of their Kind were killed. It was such an extraordinarily pleasurable experience, one lost the will to even fight. And if the more dominant of the pair gave into the gratification of the kill…

Susan abruptly was on the edge of a cliff in a blood-red world, teetering towards an abyss. She had no desire to even stop her forward progress, and felt herself pitching head-first into the blackness. She felt powerful hands grasp her shoulders, pulling her back from the brink.

“I don’t think so,” Ryan said with some amusement.

Susan pressed backward into Ryan, aware she had almost just died. The fact that she was willing to give up her life in the act of pleasure, without a thought to Jason, was greatly frightening to her.

“Do not be so hard on yourself,” Ryan said, “it is our way. And it is why,” she said with a trace of mischief, “you choose your partners wisely.”

Susan turned and buried her face against Ryan. They were still in the blood-red world. Ryan brushed Susan’s hair from her face, a trace of concern on her features.

“It will be painful for you, but you must take a little of my blood to survive.”

Susan nodded her understanding. It was moments like these that she truly grasped the fact that Ryan was almost 700 years old. She took the wrist Ryan offered. Susan was able to take only a single drink because it was like consuming liquid lightning, burning through every artery, vein, and capillary in her system. It initially weakened her, and her knees buckled, but then she felt strength surge through her system.

Ryan glanced at the abyss with unease, and took a large step back from the brink, pulling Susan with her. She generally had no fear in this world, but she had also never been here with someone so vulnerable before.

The few ounces of blood Susan consumed continued to strengthen her, and she began looking around her in astonishment.

“What is this place?” she asked.

Ryan glanced about at the infinite red sky, the blood red mountains stretching behind an endless reddish plain. She glanced at the edge of the cliffs, the black abyss that stretched out into infinite darkness.

“I am not certain if this is a physical place or a mental construct,” Ryan replied, “but I do know this is the edge of death.”

All of Susan’s years of education and research on genetics, immortality, life extension, all seemed to pale in the face of what she was seeing. This place had a truth and reality to it that went far beyond mere scientific fact.

Ryan was staring into the abyss with some concern. She stretched out her senses, uneasy at what she feeling.

“What is that?” Susan asked.

Ryan glanced at her sharply. “You can feel it, too?”

They both turned back to the blackness, and Ryan again stretched her senses into the abyss. She recoiled in alarm.

The malevolent presence was stronger, closer, than it had ever felt before. It was ancient, cold, reptilian, even arachnid in an abstract way. It was immensely and terrifyingly powerful, possessing a single-minded intent of assimilating, subjugating, or destroying everything in its path. Ryan could feel great claws reaching out from the depths, seeking to drag her back into them. The voice came, that horrifying, sibilant voice, the sibilant, hissing voice of a dragon.

“I–”

Ryan took a step backward, pulling Susan with her.

“–AM COMING–”

The horrible voice rolled across the plain, then echoed through the mountains.

“–FOR YOU.”

Perhaps it was Ryan’s frustration with her captivity. Perhaps it was the fact that her son and Susan were in constant danger. Perhaps it was the fact that she was separated from her father after his long illness. Or perhaps it was merely the fact Ryan was so very, physically tired. But regardless of the motivation, Ryan was at breaking point. And after many years, it was enough.

“Then get on with it,” Ryan said quietly, unafraid. “I am tired of waiting.”

Strangely, this seemed to please whatever malevolent creature was in the darkness, and Ryan swore she could hear laughter whisper on the hot winds that stirred.

Ryan glanced down, clutching Susan’s shoulders. “We should go.”

Ryan awoke, holding Susan in her arms. Susan was pale, but Ryan was relieved to see she was not near death. And although Susan was still a Young One, Ryan felt the act had in fact strengthened her.

Ryan gently disentangled herself from Susan and laid her down beside Drake. She gazed at the two of them, feeling a tremendous sadness that she had placed them in such danger. Then, because she had little else to do, she returned to the outer wall and began her rhythmic tracing of the geometric patterns.

It was only a short time later that the doors from the lift whispered open, and she could hear Madelyn make her way toward the stairs. Ryan studiously ignored the woman’s presence, choosing instead to stop her activities and stare out the window. She heard Madelyn’s footsteps slow to a stop, and Ryan decided she should probably turn around.

Madelyn was standing at the base of the stairs, her eyes on the bruises on Susan’s throat. Ryan began moving toward the sleeping pair, trying to appear unhurried. She was, however, greatly concerned at Madelyn’s sudden change in demeanor, and at the fact Madelyn was now moving toward the pair as well. Fortunately, Ryan won their measured race and reached Susan and Drake a second before Madelyn, inserting herself directly in front of the woman.

Madelyn was seething. She glanced down at Susan with disdain. “I am surprised you would lower yourself to such fare.”

Ryan was now angry as well, but she understood how dangerous the current situation was. Madelyn could easily kill Susan and still hold her in check with her son’s presence.

“I was not aware it mattered. You did not forbid it,” Ryan replied.

“It is forbidden now,” Madelyn said curtly. She gave Ryan a quick once-over, as if assessing her for some type of contamination. “I require your presence.”

Madelyn turned and started towards the stairs, and if there was any misunderstanding or hesitation on Ryan’s part, it was instantaneously corrected.

“Now!” Madelyn emphasized.

Ryan gave one last look at the sleeping pair, then hurried to catch up with Madelyn. Ryan followed her through the double doors, and had no sooner crossed the threshold than Madelyn picked her up and slammed her backward against the wall.