Blood Legacy: The House of Alexander (20 page)

Marilyn also noted the girl’s unusual demeanor. She had the seen the girl like this before, when she had been furious at Victor many centuries before. She knew that were she to touch Ryan’s skin right now it would be on fire. That thought brought its own heat to Marilyn, and she smiled at the memory.

Again, as if reading her thoughts, Ryan turned to Marilyn, and there was a wicked glint in her eye.

And are you the One to put out this fire?

Marilyn, who had never been caught off guard in the game of seduction, was nearly so by the surprise attack. But not quite.

I have put out that fire before, little one, came the whispered voice inside Ryan’s head.

Ryan looked down at her hands, smiling to herself at the memory. This fascinated Marilyn, who had never seen Ryan quite so injudicious.

It fascinated Aeron as well. The girl was positively taunting the members of the Council, fanning flames that would not be easily extinguished. He again had his vision of her being held down, but the outcome was less certain this time. He could now see the Old Ones tearing each other apart for the opportunity to take what she was so impudently dangling before them.

If her actions up to this moment were startling, her next act was fairly astonishing. She turned her full attention to Aeron, and, shifting slightly in her seat, addressed him directly.

“And perhaps you and I should just end this charade and I should kill you now.”

There were audible gasps and several of the witnesses drew backward at this affront. Abigail’s expression immediately reverted to an unfathomable state while Marilyn raised an eyebrow. Kusunoki and Ala both looked over to gauge Aeron’s response. It was not what they expected.

Aeron stared down at the girl, and very slowly, he smiled. His pleasure was evident. “You could try, my dear, which would probably be extremely enjoyable for both of us,” he said in his clipped, aristocratic tone. “In fact, we could go back to my chambers and settle this right now.”

Ryan also slowly smiled, not giving ground for a moment. “Could you at least wait until we are through with this meeting?”

“Why not?” Aeron said expansively, “I have waited this long.”

“Very well,” Ryan said mockingly, “Then let me give my report as required.” She glanced over to Edward, nodding.

Edward stood, withdrawing a folded paper from his breast pocket inside his robe. Apparently Ryan was going to dispense with the pretense that he was an objective observer to the proceedings, which was fine with him. His sense of refinement was failing him; he wanted to kill half the people in this room as well.

He cleared his throat. “The numbers to this date are as follows: 8,132 dead, 196 missing and presumed dead, and 221 missing, status unknown.”

There was utter silence in the hall. No one moved. And although no one required oxygen, the fact that no one breathed was evident as well.

Ryan stood, unfolding her long form with cat-like grace. “Well,” she said casually, “if that’s all, I will be in my father’s chambers if anyone needs me.”

And before anyone could say anything, she was gone.

Edward stood, still holding the paper, all eyes now turned to him for lack of a better target. He carefully folded the paper, placing it back into his breast pocket with great deliberation. He cleared his throat, uncomfortably aware of the intense scrutiny. “I,” he cleared his throat again. “I will be retiring as well.”

He bowed to the Grand Council, and made it three steps toward the door before he was abruptly stopped by Aeron’s voice behind him. Aeron’s tone was quiet, but there was an underlying steel in it that allowed it to easily carry in the vast hall.

“Edward-”

Edward turned to face the head of the Grand Council, bracing himself. Aeron gazed down at the man with unblinking ice-blue eyes. His words were measured, completely controlled, deceptively light. “You tell Rhian I expect her in my chambers within the hour.”

Edward gave a short bow. “I will deliver the message, my lord.” He quickly disappeared.

Ala nodded to the nearest witness, indicating that they should leave as quickly as possible. No sooner had she given the silent order than the eleven remaining witnesses disappeared nearly as quickly Edward, simply grateful to be out of the presence of such terrible power.

There was a prolonged silence among the five remaining Old Ones. It was finally broken by Ala, who stood. When she spoke, her voice was smooth, like fine mahogany. “I am afraid I must depart for my homeland immediately.” Her white teeth flashed brilliant against her ebony skin, although her words were filled with meaning,. “I believe I will soon have a visitor.”

Abigail stood as well. She moved to leave, but stopped at Aeron’s side, speaking to him quietly, but loud enough for the Others to hear. Her tone was as deceptively light as his had been earlier.

“You may have unleashed something that will destroy us all.”

Ryan was preparing to enter Victor’s chambers when she felt Kusunoki’s presence behind her. She turned to her old master, bowing. She felt Ala’s presence in the shadows, and she nodded deferentially to her as well.

Kusunoki mentally reached out to his pupil. Ryan allowed him to touch her, and he was shocked at the chaos within her. He had a sudden, troubling premonition of how much danger they all were in due to the power she wielded and the condition she was in. He wondered what could have caused such a disturbance in the girl, and he was now greatly concerned for Victor.

“Do not worry about me, my master,” Ryan said quietly, “or my father.”

Kusunoki gazed at the striking, androgynous creature before him. “I fear for us all right now.”

Ryan nodded, but did not reply. She was silent for a moment, then changed the subject. “And have you fully recovered?”

“Yes…”

Ryan glanced over at him

“…and no.”

Ryan again nodded her tacit understanding. She raised her hand in offering, her palm flat and facing him. He raised his hand and joined it with hers, pressing palm-to-palm. He spoke quietly.

“I am recovered, but I am no longer complete.”

Ryan knew that such an admission of longing from the great man could only come from his great strength. She cleared her throat, looking away for a moment. She then looked into his eyes and spoke as solemnly and with the same simple emotion.

“When this is finished, I will make you complete again.”

He gazed into her eyes, his own dark eyes the color of a starless night. “I know,” he said simply.

Kusunoki dropped his hand, breaking the connection. He turned to leave, and then was gone. Ala was gone as well.

Ryan stared off into the dark and empty hallway. She sighed heavily, then turned to enter her father’s stateroom. She paused, however, and turned back to the hallway as Edward approached.

He stopped in the alcove and started to speak. He stopped and shifted uncomfortably. Ryan raised her hand, saving him from having to deliver his message.

“I know,” she said. She gestured to the double doors that she still had not entered. “When I return, I will stay the night in my father’s chambers. There is a second suite that I understand is quite comfortable. You are welcome to stay there.”

Edward bowed. It was a great privilege to stay in the chambers of the Grand Council, and although Ryan cared nothing for ceremony, he was honored nonetheless.

“I will prepare the quarters for your return.”

“Very well.” She turned, and Edward watched her stalk away with deadly grace, again struck by how similar she and her father moved.

Ryan approached Aeron’s chambers. She hesitated briefly before the ornately carved doors, then pushed through them into the anteroom. Aeron was seated at a table reading the newspaper.

“Please come in,” he said with mild sarcasm, still reading the paper.

Ryan smiled, completely amused. She took the opportunity to examine him. The years had done little to change him. He was still wickedly handsome, with chiseled, aristocratic features, ice-blue eyes, and hair so fair it was a stark contrast to his light tan. He sat, casually elegant with one long leg crossed over the other, a dangerous litheness about him. He had broad shoulders and a strong chest tapering to a slender waist, and Ryan noted that he had changed into a white, collared shirt that he wore open at the throat.

“Would you like me to disrobe?”

Aeron had stopped reading the paper and was watching her pointed examination of him. Rather than being embarrassed, however, she was further amused and allowed her eyes to flick up and down him once more.

“Yes, could you?”

Aeron folded the paper without taking his eyes from Ryan. He was amused despite himself. “Perhaps another time,” he said. He allowed his own gaze to flick up and down the girl, taking his own assessment. Time had not changed her, either. She was still strikingly beautiful, with high cheekbones and a perfect mouth, and the peculiar ability to pass as either a boy or girl and still remain a perfect specimen of both. She was tall with a deceptively slender build that he knew disguised incredible strength.

“So,” he said casually, “perhaps you could tell me why you have chosen to go about your duties in this way.”

Ryan was deliberately obtuse. “Whatever do you mean?”

“I mean,” Aeron said, standing, “that you have killed more of our Kind in three months than have been killed in the cleansings of the last two hundred years.”

Ryan was thoughtful. “Hmmm, I see your point. I shall have to pick up the pace.”

Aeron moved around the table toward her, and Ryan nonchalantly moved around the table away from him. Aeron was not fooled by the tactical maneuver, nor by the indifferent manner in which it was executed.

Ryan continued moving with deliberate casualness and deliberate intent. She maintained a strategic distance between her and Aeron, but stopped abruptly when something caught her eye.

It was a chessboard, set up in a corner of the room. It was beautifully constructed, with hand-carved figurines that were horrifying, intricate renditions of the standard chess pieces. But it was not the horrific interpretation of the classic pieces, nor the obvious skill that went into the hideous artwork that attracted Ryan’s attention. The positions of the pieces, even from across the room, were instantly recognizable to her, representing a game that was over four centuries old.

Ryan slowly moved to the game board, disbelief and curiosity on her face. She noted that the knight that she had moved had been taken by the opposing rook. With only a brief examination of the new positions, she picked up an ebony rook and moved it across the board.

“An interesting move.”

Ryan was startled by the whisper in her ear. Aeron stood behind her, so close she could feel his shirt collar brush the back of her neck. He encircled her wrists in his hands and pulled her forcefully toward him, and she could now feel a good deal more than his shirt.

“You should give up now,” she said, still facing forward, her voice steady.

He was not fooled by her calm demeanor. He marveled at the sensations flooding through his body from the simple physical contact with her. Although he had not engaged in any sexual act in centuries, he found himself idly wondering what it would feel like to have her naked form fully pressed against his own. He made a note that he would have to explore that at some time in the future.

He leaned over her shoulder and brushed his lips on the side of her neck. It was all Ryan could do to keep from blacking out, so electrifying was the sensation. She struggled to maintain her composure, knowing that if he chose to slice open her neck now, she was not in a position to resist him.

His teeth did not go through the skin, however, but his lips continued down the now-throbbing vein in her neck.

“And why is that?” he asked, his words partially muffled by his continued torturous actions.

Ryan was amazed that she managed to keep her tone even. “Because I have already won.”

Aeron smiled, but did not stop what he was doing. He instead moved his head from one side of her neck to the other, now feathering the artery on that side. Ryan felt her knees buckling, as did Aeron, who caught her about the waist, pulling her even closer. With one hand now free, he grasped her hair gently and guided her head backward, exposing her throat even further. Now having pulled her off-balance and completely supporting her, he spoke.