Blood Spirit (15 page)

"I'm
sorry, Ilona."

She
turned to face him, and he saw her cheeks were wet with tears. Her sadness made
him wish this would end in her happiness, but it wouldn't.

"I
had to see them one more time. I miss them so much, Terek. I want to tell my
mother that I'm not dead. Do you see her? She thinks I'm dead and I can't do
anything about it. She's suffering because of me."

Terek
gazed through the window and saw a woman sitting in a chair, her face in her
hands as she cried. Powerless to help Ilona or her mother, his heart broke for
them. He'd never had anyone to miss him when he became vampire, and none of his
vampires had ever unwillingly left their human lives to be with him.

Touching
her softly on the shoulder, he said, "Come home, Ilona."

She
shook her head and fought back the tears. When she looked up at him, she said,
"I know you can read people's thoughts. Can you read hers? I want to know
what she's thinking."

He
knew what she was thinking. He'd already entered her mind to hear her thoughts.
She was in mourning, a mother devastated by the loss of her daughter. How could
he tell Ilona that?  He couldn't. He couldn't add to her sadness.

So
he lied.

"I
can't read people when their thoughts are consumed by emotion. I'm sorry."

"Can
I talk to her just one more time?"

He'd
seen the results of new vampires reluctant to relinquish ties to their human
lives. Other sires he knew had experienced this problem, and the end was never
good. Humans knew vampires existed, but knowing that and accepting that the
daughter you loved was now one of them was a different story.

Without
a word, he shook his head. The hurt in her eyes tore at him, but he had to
protect her and his other vampires who lived in his house here. Humans were
unpredictable creatures, and if her mother was unable to deal with what her
daughter had become, everyone he loved would be in danger.

"It's
time to come home, Ilona."

For
the first time since becoming a vampire, she didn't fight him. Taking his hand,
she walked quietly beside him, turning back only once to take one last look at
her past life. He stopped and silently watched as she whispered into the
darkness, "Goodbye, Mama."

They
walked home in silence, and when they entered the villa, she walked away toward
the bedroom. Morocco could wait. For now, he would give her time to mourn what
she'd left behind.

He
went to check on her after an hour, but once again didn't find her in the
bedroom. Praying to God she hadn't left, he checked the bath first and found
her sitting with her eyes closed, as if she were asleep.

"Ilona?"

Opening
her eyes, she smiled nervously and slid under the water. It covered nothing,
but her modesty was charming.

"Are
you okay?"

"What
are you doing here?" she asked as she splashed water in front of her.

"I
live here."

"What
do you want? This can't wait?"

"I
wanted to see if you were okay. I was worried."

"I'm
fine. Do you usually barge into the bath when one of us is in here?"

He
found her exasperation amusing and took a step toward the edge of the bath.
Looking down into the water, he let his gaze travel over her body.

"Are
you enjoying the show?" she snapped.

Very
much.

Lifting
his gaze to her face, he said, "I'm happy to see you're feeling
better."

"I'm
fine. I know how this goes. I just needed to say my goodbyes."

He
understood, even if he'd never had to do that himself. Now was the time for
leaving the past behind and looking to the future. "I need you to get
ready. We need to leave."

Terek
grabbed a towel from the table in the corner and held it out in front of him.
Ilona knelt in the bath and continued to wave her arms in the water in front of
her.

"Close
your eyes," she commanded.

For
a woman who he'd already made love to she was acting silly. "Close my
eyes? Is that really necessary?"

He
saw arguing with her wasn't going to get him anywhere. He could climb in to get
her, but that would only delay their leaving because if he got into that tub, he
was going to want to let his desire for her take them where he'd been dying to
go.

Ilona
stared defiantly up at him, so he closed his eyes and imagined the sensual
curves he'd caressed earlier. He heard her step out of the water and opened his
eyes to see her wrapping the towel around her body.

"You
don't listen at all, do you?" she asked in a sharp voice as she dried the
wetness from her skin.

They
were back to everything being a fight with her. "I closed my eyes,"
he said with a smile.

Ilona
huffed in disgust and turning on her heels, stormed down the hallway. Following
her, Terek enjoyed the view from behind as her hips seductively rolled left and
right as she made her way to her room.

He
caught up with her just in time to have her try to close the door in his face.
Jamming his foot in the door, he stopped her. "Don't take long."

"You'd
make a good stalker," she snapped. "Now if you don't move your foot,
we'll be going nowhere."

"Fine.
Hurry."

She
let out a groan of disgust as he slid his foot back out of the room, and then
she slammed the door. Terek stood staring at the heavy wooden door wracking his
brain to remember any time he'd ever gone to such lengths with a woman. Not one
of his vampires had ever been as difficult as Ilona, but with a smile he
conceded she did remind him of Eva.

In
front of him, the door flew open and Ilona stood with her hands on her hips.
"Can I know where we're going?"

Terek
placed his hand on her lower back and ushered her into the hallway. Closing the
door, he answered, "Morocco." Before she could argue or question any
further, he took her hand in his and focused his mind on their destination.

***

In
seconds, they appeared in what looked like an alley way between two buildings.
Ilona craned her neck to take in everything around her. The wall of the
building to her left was pale pink and to her right the wall was a bright blue
to eye level and white above. She reached out to touch the rough surface,
unsure if it was real or some kind of Terek-induced dream. The colors were so
pure that she needed to know. A tiny piece of the blue wall came off in her
hand, and she looked up at Terek.

"Where
are we?"

With
that sexy lilt to his voice that made her melt inside, he said, "I told
you. Morocco. Come on."

Holding
his hand tightly, she followed as he led them down the alley way to another
that transected it. Like one who knew this place well, he guided her down each
narrow passageway, some so tight she felt like the buildings could at any
second crush them between their stone walls, until they reached what looked
like a town square.

Terek
stopped and Ilona caught her breath. Inhaling deeply, she smelled the sweet and
spicy fragrances that filled the area around her. The air was heavy with the
aroma of food and incense.

"What
is this, Terek?"

"This
is the Place el Hedim in Meknes."

"What
are we doing here?"

Terek
turned to look at her and smiled. "Searching for answers."

Ilona
looked around the square and let her eyes take in the sights of this new place.
Bright lights on the tops of the walls that surrounded the square illuminated
the scene, and Ilona saw a number of groups of people scattered around the
grounds. One nearby was especially large and when a few people left to move to
the next group, Ilona saw a snake charmer performing his act.

"Let's
go look at that!" she said, pulling on Terek's hand.

"Later.
We're here for something else. Come."

They
passed the snake charmer, and Ilona made a point of remembering his exact
location for when later came. They saw a palm reader, a man who seemed to be
some kind of healer, and an assortment of performers on their way toward the other
end of the Place el Hedim. As they walked by, crowds began to form in front of
each stall.

Off
the square, there were more narrow alleys, and Ilona watched with interest as
the colors of the buildings changed from pink to bright blues and oranges to a
deep yellow on the building they finally stopped at. Looking up, she saw a
black door made of intricate metal work. The building looked like it had been
there for centuries.

Before
she could ask Terek what he knew of the place, he stepped up onto the first
concrete step and banged on the door behind the ornate one. Turning toward her,
he smiled that sexy grin she'd only seen a few times since meeting him.

"Don't
worry. You're safe with me.  I'd never let anyone hurt you."

Ilona
stared up at him in surprise. "You must have read my mind. This looks like
the kind of place people disappear from."

His
smile faded and his eyes appeared to dull at her words. "No mind reading.
It's written all over your face."

The
door opened and she stood staring at an old man with grey hair and a long grey
beard. To her surprise, Terek spoke to him in Arabic. As she listened, she
watched Terek in awe. Monk, vampire, and this? She'd heard Arabic a few times
before but had no idea what he said. Whatever he was saying the man approved of
because they were allowed entry into the house.

They
followed the man up a flight of stairs to a room lit only by candles. He sat on
the floor, and when Terek lowered himself to sit across from him, Ilona
followed, unsure of what to do or what would happen next.

Each
man spoke in Arabic, and when they were finished, Terek turned to her.
"This man is a teacher. He's a mystic."

"Like
a priest?"

"Not
exactly."

The
teacher began quietly murmuring a chant, and Ilona grabbed hold of Terek's
hand. Something in the man's tone frightened her. She leaned in to whisper in
Terek's ear. "Why are we here? Why do we need this mystic person?"

Ilona
feared he'd brought her to this man to force her acceptance of him and his
blood. Suddenly, the man she secretly had grown to care for frightened her too.

"Ilona,
I can hear others' thoughts, but I can't hear yours. You're the first in seven
hundred years whose mind is silent to me. I've come here to find out why."

His
voice was laced with sadness, and Ilona felt a tug on her heart at the idea
that he thought there was something wrong with him.

"I'm
sure there have been others you couldn't hear in all those years."

Shaking
his head, he frowned. "I've heard every soul's thoughts I chose to since
the death of my wife and son. Yours are the only ones I cannot."

The
beautiful green eyes she'd admired since she'd first met him clouded over with
sadness now. The man who'd been so strong and patient with her seemed broken,
and she was hit with a stab of guilt. She'd done nothing but fight him, the one
who'd saved her life, and now she was the cause of unhappiness that made him
doubt himself.

"Is
it so bad if you can't hear my thoughts? It doesn't change who you are."

"It
is who I am, Ilona."

The
man chanting stopped and opened his eyes. In Arabic, he said something to Terek
before he very lightly placed his fingertip to his forehead. At the touch of
his hand, Terek closed his eyes and Ilona felt him release her hand.

The
two spoke what sounded like a poem or a prayer and then fell silent. Ilona
waited for Terek to open his eyes, but when minutes passed and he hadn't, a
feeling of worry came over her. Gently taking his hand, she whispered his name
but he remained silent, his eyes closed. Her concern grew, and she wished she
could know his thoughts now, if only to know he was okay.

"Terek?"

Once
again, he said nothing, but Ilona felt a tiny squeeze on her fingers. Minutes
went by as she waited for him to say anything, but finally the old man spoke
again and Terek opened his eyes. When he turned to look at her, she saw the
sadness in his eyes was gone.

"Terek,
what happened to you?"

"He
needed to see into my mind and heart. He needs to see into yours now."

Fear
raced through her as the man reached out to touch her head. "What's he
going to do to me?"

Terek
put his hand up to stop the man. "Look at me, Ilona." She turned and
he cradled her face in his hands. Staring into her eyes, he said softly,
"Trust that I would never let harm come to you. You are precious to me.
You can trust this man."

Ilona
looked up into his eyes, and at that moment, she would have done anything to
make him happy. Nodding, she turned to the old man and waited for him to touch
her head as he had done with Terek.

The
moment his fingertip met her forehead she was instantly transported to a
hundred beautiful places from her memories. The lush fields of her
grandfather's farm, the white sandy beach she'd visited so often as a child,
her mother's childhood home in England she'd visited only once just a few years
before—all were as vivid and real now as they had been the last time she'd seen
them.

As
the man spoke, she slowly realized she understood what he said. His language had
changed, but even now he continued to speak Arabic. Ilona's confusion at this
disappeared as she felt him touch her heart. Somehow, just by lightly touching
the center of her forehead, he saw into her heart.

She
was powerless to hide her true feelings as they replaced the beautiful memories
in her mind. Eyes closed, she saw the color red as it filled her thoughts. She
heard the man command her to release her hold on everything but love, and
without a thought, she was compelled to obey. The red disappeared and then all
she saw was Terek.