Bound to Me (3 page)

“The night is still young, but Mira and I have more interesting things planned for the evening, so let’s return to the business at hand,” Valerio announced. His hand passed over my hair in a light caress, but I was not yet willing to forgive him for his high-handed actions.

“Both you and Mira have been summoned back to Venice to appear before the coven as soon as possible.”

“Is this in regards to Mira’s appearance in London?” Valerio inquired.

“Not as far as I am aware,” Gustav admitted. “My main concern was to fetch you back to the coven as they have a new assignment for you. However, Jabari was the one that pointed me in your direction through Mira, whom he wishes to appear before the coven as well.”

“Excellent,” I said.

“Do you know the nature of the assignment that I am to be given?”

At Valerio’s question, I finally looked up at Gustav, who was thoughtfully scratching his chin. “Another hunt, I believe. A powerful nightwalker appeared before the coven not more than a fortnight ago and demanded assistance. Several nightwalkers have been slaughtered by an unknown assassin and it is feared that more deaths loom on the horizon.”

My worried gaze drifted up to Valerio, who smiled down at me. Was he to be punished as well for his lack of discretion where I was involved? I had been accompanying him on his assignments for the coven for the past several decades to protect not only our own kind, but also our secret from the human race. We had hunted more careless and dangerous nightwalkers in our time than warlocks, witches, and lycanthropes combined. I didn’t like the idea of Valerio potentially being sent out on a dangerous assignment without me there to watch his back.

“Your concern is touching, but a bit premature, I fear,” Valerio murmured. “You know that I can take care of myself, but let us return to
Venezia
first before you let your fear run away with you.”

Straightening from where he had been leaning against my chair, Valerio looked over at Gustav again. “Consider your message delivered. We will leave for Venice tomorrow at sunset. I expect that we shall be arriving well ahead of you.”

“Yes, my ship back to Italy does not leave for another two days,” Gustav confirmed.

“Then we wish you strong winds and a ship overflowing with passengers,” Valerio said, dismissing the nightwalker. Gustav said nothing. He simply bowed at Valerio one last time and then silently exited the house.

We both waited, listening to the nearly nonexistent sounds of him moving through the house and finally shutting the front door behind him before either of us bothered to speak. And even then, I was unsure of what to say. I was angry Valerio had not told me about Jabari’s declaration against my travel to London. That anger was quickly superseded by fear for Valerio. What was the coven planning? This could simply be another assignment like so many of the others that he had been on, but would Jabari allow me to accompany him? Or would my punishment be entrapment in Venice for a period of time where I stood at his side and frightened the court that hung on the whims of the coven Elders?

Valerio grabbed my hand from where it was resting on the arm of the chair and pulled me to my feet. Drawing me close, he lay my hand on his bare chest over his still heart while he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Your thoughts have settled into a dark place,
cara
, and there is no need.”

“Valerio, you have crossed Jabari and no one does such a thing. You know better!”

“It’s you he’s going to punish.”

“I’m quite aware of that, but that doesn’t mean that my punishment might not have some dire consequences for you as well. You risk too much. Jabari has shown me kindness over the years, but that does not make him a patient or a tolerant Elder.”

“Venezia
will be fine,” he said confidently.

I shook my head. He was older and more experienced than me, but I had been the one to destroy more than one nightwalker at the request of the coven because an Elder had been crossed in some manner. I was not willing to believe that Jabari was going to look kindly on me going against his edict.

“Why does he not want me in London in the first place?” I demanded, my thoughts seeming to travel in useless circles as I tried to find a way out of this mess.

“I cannot even begin to guess. You shall have to ask him yourself.”

“I have a feeling that it is more of a matter that he does not want me in London with you, rather than simply not wanting me in London.”

Valerio smiled, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist as he pulled me flush against his hard body. “Now that is a distinct possibility.”

With a growl of frustration, I pressed a kiss to his lips but was quick to pull away before he could distract me. “You are a troublesome man.”

“And you would not change me for all the blood in the world.”

“True, but what if Jabari restrains my travels to Venice, putting me on duty with the court?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll return from my assignment for you. He can lock you in a tower so that none could speak to you or look on your beauty without fear of his wrath. And yet every night, I would scale the tower and make love to you until the dawn threatened.”

“You are an evil creature,” I whispered, finally giving into the kiss that my lips had been aching for since he had started speaking.

“And you love me as I am.”

“Will it be my downfall?”

“Possibly, but there is still plenty of time before we need reach such a thing,” Valerio replied, and I knew deep down that he was speaking the truth. His devilish ways and influences would be my downfall if I was not careful.

Valerio released me long enough to bend down and sweep me into his arms. The two halves of the robe parted, exposing the long expanse of my legs while the top gaped, giving him a nice view of my breasts. “For now, let’s return upstairs. I believe we were in the middle of something before we were rudely interrupted. We will worry about the coven when we awaken tomorrow night.”

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I snuggled my cheek against his and nodded. I was happy to linger one more night in bliss with him before I had to face the reality of my world once again. Valerio had a special way about him that allowed me to forget about the darkness of the coven and my own past. The horrors and the nightmares receded for a time, and there was only Valerio’s strong arms and evil grin. For the first time since I had been put on this earth, I was content with who I was and who I was with. I wasn’t ready to have Jabari steal that away from me. I would think of something that would allow me to remain at Valerio’s side.

CHAPTER THREE

V
enice glowed beneath us as Valerio flew into the canal-riddled city. The nightwalker was old enough that he had attained the power to fly where he chose with me clasped close to his chest. It was our preferred way of travel, while our bags and trunks took a more tedious route via ships and carriages. Flying gave us a chance to quickly arrive at a place and still have plenty of time to search for appropriate daytime shelter. Of course, we still traveled on ships and on carriages from time to time for the sheer pleasure of it. Unfortunately, a summons from the coven meant that we were to appear in Italy by the fastest means necessary. It would be expected by the Elders of the coven that Valerio would fly to Venice with me in tow.

With some reluctance, Valerio settled us on the sidewalk across from the Piazzo San Marco. Torch and candlelight flickered all around me, reflecting off the black waters of the canals. It was shortly after midnight and there were few people wandering the sidewalks while the canals were empty of boats except for those tied to poles. Nightwalkers cluttered the immediate area, searching for prey before they headed for the Main Hall and the entertainment scheduled for the evening.

Venice had been the home of the rulers of the nightwalker world for countless centuries. The coven had settled on an island in the middle of the lagoon and ruled without question by any other race. Here we were safe from our enemies, the Naturi. The nature-bound bastards refused to step one toe in the glittering gem of a city for reasons unknown to me. Lycanthropes sent emissaries on occasion into the city, but none ever stayed long. No shape-shifter dared to live within the city. This was nightwalker territory.

“Are you prepared for this?” he asked, carefully setting me on the ground again.

I paced away from him, staring out at the black lagoon toward the island where I knew Jabari was waiting for me. For all the love that I felt for him and that he felt for me, there was no doubt in my mind that he could crush me in a heartbeat if he wished it.

“There aren’t many gathered at the Main Hall,” I said instead of answering him. I reached out with my powers, scanning the region. There were ample nightwalkers in Venice, but not many of them seemed to have settled on the island. Maybe we weren’t to be the main attraction after all.

“We’ll get in and out as quickly as possible,” he assured me, taking my hand.

“At least you will,” I muttered. “Let’s get going.”

The trip to the island took only a couple of minutes, but it allowed me to swallow back some of my fears and focus on the road that I faced. During my relatively short existence, I had been tortured, mentally abused, and beaten down in more ways than I could begin to count. I was done being afraid. The nightwalkers of the coven court despised me with good reason—I was the enforcer. I had trained with the best and I was a ruthless killer. Nothing would stop me if Jabari decided to attack me for traveling to London. I would fight back. I was done being a victim.

Landing before the Main Hall with its massive wood and iron-banded doors, I stepped away from Valerio as soon as we touched the ground. At our appearance, the pair of brutish doormen pulled open both the doors, beckoning us to enter the black hallway that led to the throne room. Frowning, I marched forward with Valerio following on my heels. While he was wearing a suit similar to what he had worn to the Chilton ball the previous evening, I had chosen a pair of trousers made of a coarse material and a somewhat baggy man’s shirt. My pants were tucked into a pair of worn riding boots made of supple leather and hard soles. I had quickly learned that I had to fight my way through the coven’s plans and entertainment. As such, fighting was done much more easily in a pair of men’s pants than a delicate dress. Both outfits were inevitably ruined, but the pants were more easily mended than a dress.

Clenching my teeth, I laid my palms against the doors leading into the throne room and gave them a hard shove, marching through the building toward the Elders. The enormous room was silent except for our footsteps across the lake of shining black marble. On the dais sat four of the five most powerful nightwalkers within the world. The chair that held Our Liege and true ruler of all nightwalkers was empty. However, the four gold-leaf chairs that sat before Our Liege’s chair were occupied.

Elizabeth looked a little less than pleased with my abrupt appearance, while Tabor merely lounged in his chair, watching me with an enigmatic gaze I had yet to understand. He never spoke to me; never directly met my gaze if he could help it. And yet I felt as if I should feel some sort of kinship with the silent Elder. Macaire also relaxed in his chair, looking at me with smug delight. The nightwalker had been seeking my demise since I had been reborn as a nightwalker. In his eyes, any creature with the power to control fire needed to be exterminated as quickly as possible for the good of nightwalkers everywhere. Only Jabari regarded me with thoughtful eyes as he looked from me to Valerio. I couldn’t begin to guess at his thoughts and a part of me didn’t want to know.

Gathered in tight pockets around the room near the walls were members of the court of the coven. This group of flunkies and hangers-on were there as nothing more than entertainment for the coven Elders, as well as to see the entertainment in the form of tortured fledglings and fights among other powerful nightwalkers. Occasionally, a human or two was dragged into the hall and tortured by the nightwalkers, but that form of entertainment had grown stale over the years. Humans were far too frail and too easily broken. Only nightwalkers could take a real beating and still survive the day for more the following night.

Both Valerio and I stopped near the center of the room and bowed to the members of the coven. And then to my surprise, Jabari made a slight motion with his right hand so that he was pointing to a spot beside his chair. I quickly crossed the room and took up my typical spot beside Jabari’s chair, standing on the bottom stair that led up to the raised dais. A part of me hated leaving Valerio alone under the gaze of the coven, but it wasn’t the first time for him and I doubted that it would be the last time. For the moment, I was unsure of whether I should be fearful or grateful that I was back at Jabari’s side. I didn’t want to be separated from my lover and yet I couldn’t risk being on Jabari’s bad side.

“At the coven’s request, I have appeared,” Valerio said as he raised his arms out to his sides. “I understand that you wish for me to undertake a new assignment.”

“All in good time, Valerio,” Macaire said with a wave of his hand. He shifted slightly in his chair so that he could more easily look down the dais toward Jabari. I could feel his eyes on me, but I ignored him. I continued to stare straight ahead with a blank expression, awaiting Jabari’s first command. “It is my understanding that Mira was with you . . . in London. I wanted to give our good Elder Jabari some time to chastise her.”

“That is a private matter,” Jabari calmly said.

Macaire merely smiled at his equal. “But as I recall you commanded that she not travel to London and yet she did with Valerio. Don’t you—”

“The command came from myself to Valerio, not as a member of the coven,” Jabari corrected him. “It is not a coven matter to be handled. I believe we have more important concerns that need to be taken care of.”

Macaire said nothing as he turned in his seat again to face front, where Valerio was patiently watching the power play between the two Elders. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before Macaire and Jabari finally lost their patience and decided they wanted each other’s hearts. I just feared that I would be caught in the middle of that battle.

“There is trouble in Spain,” Elizabeth announced, finally breaking through the growing tension between Jabari and Macaire. “More than a dozen nightwalkers have been killed just outside of Madrid in less than a month. We fear that even more have been destroyed since this news has reached us. Something is hunting our kind and leaving the bodies out for discovery by the humans. Rumors have reached us that humans have seen bodies of dead nightwalkers smoldering in the early morning sunlight in the middle of the city. This killer not only threatens our secret, but it is endangering the lives of many nightwalkers.”

“You’ve been summoned here to take care of this menace,” Tabor concluded.

“Can you give me any kind of useful description of this menace? Is it another nightwalker? A lycanthrope or even the local Madrid pack that is striking out against the nightwalkers?”

Tabor shook his head. “We know nothing regarding this threat beyond the fact that it is not a nightwalker. It has struck both at night and during the daylight hours.”

“Who made the request for assistance?” Valerio inquired, causing my stomach to twist into an anxious knot. I knew why he was asking. There was only one person in Madrid that could drive me beyond sane thought.

“Sadira came to us a few weeks ago,” Macaire replied. “Gustav was sent in search of you and your companion as soon as she left.”

The second her name left his lips, the candles and torches around the room instantly flared brighter so that they crackled on their wicks. Shadows lunged and danced at the increased light, and a murmur of unease moved through the gathered court. Shortly after making my first appearance before the coven as a fledgling, I had been forced to promise that I would never use my power to control fire while on the island. I was being sorely pressed just by hearing the name of my maker.

“It’s Sadira’s responsibility to maintain the safety of her own domain and not come crying to the coven,” I snapped.

“Muzzle your pet, Jabari,” Macaire said. “This is no business of one so young.”

My tenuous grip on my temper snapped, but I couldn’t strike out at Macaire. He was an Ancient, more than a thousand years old, and he could crush me with a thought. There were other ways to strike back at him. My head jerked around to locate the small group of nightwalkers I could hear snickering at Macaire’s comment. Not taking a chance at having Jabari stop me, I quickly walked over to the group mocking me. Grabbing one of Macaire’s devout followers by the throat, I slammed him against the wall again and again until all the bones on one side of his body were broken and nearly crushed to dust within his body. I dropped him on the floor, leaving him whimpering and moaning in pain as I walked back over to Jabari’s side without bothering to look in Macaire’s direction. The Elder said nothing, while Jabari gave my hand a little squeeze as I resumed my place. Considering his deep hatred of Macaire, Jabari had never done anything to rein in my outbursts when it came to destroying Macaire’s followers. In fact, I had no doubt that my mentor welcomed my violent outbursts as they left Macaire with little that he could do. Once, he had attempted to strike out at me directly. Jabari had been there to stop his hand before it touched me. Macaire would not directly face Jabari in a fight so I was left to run wild at times, so long as it pleased Jabari.

“Sadira will receive our assistance,” Tabor announced, raising his voice over the cries of the injured nightwalker. “Valerio will track down and destroy this threat, while Sadira continues to protect those nightwalkers within her domain.”

“I will see that it is done.” Valerio bowed toward the coven, but he didn’t leave.

“Is there something else that you want?” Jabari asked after more than a minute of tense silence.

“Mira.”

That one response managed to wipe away all the thoughts I had been entertaining about setting both Macaire and Sadira on fire. I couldn’t stop the smile that lifted the corners of my mouth as I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He could easily explain that he needed my unique skill to help combat this dark creature that was destroying our people, but deep down I knew that there were other reasons for him wanting me at his side.

“Mira has other business that needs attending to at the moment,” Jabari sharply said.

“I can wait.”

“No, our people can’t—” Macaire started to declare, but Jabari interrupted him.

“As you wish. It may be best if she accompanies you.”

It was a mixed blessing and a curse. I wanted to be with Valerio. I’d follow him anywhere he traveled on this continent and beyond. But we were going to Madrid—Sadira’s territory. I hadn’t seen my maker in more than two centuries and I had no desire to lay eyes on her ever again. I wasn’t sure how I would react, but I had a feeling that there would be flames. Lots and lots of flames.

Jabari rose from his chair and silently crossed the main floor of the throne room, exiting out the doors that we had come in. I followed close behind, remaining silent but vigilant. I trusted no one in the coven beyond Jabari and I would protect him no matter what, even if he didn’t need such weak assistance as mine. I felt more than actually heard Valerio fall into step behind me. He was close, his cool energy bathing my back in a gentle, reassuring caress as we both wondered what more the Elder had to say, yet didn’t want to speak before the rest of the coven.

As we reached the dirt road that led to the Main Hall and the door echoed shut with a resounding bang behind us, Jabari finally moved. Spinning around in the blink of an eye, he hit me with the back of his hand, sending me sprawling in the dirt several feet away from both the Ancient and Valerio.

I looked up when I heard Jabari’s deep voice with its sinuous Egyptian accent. “You were told that she was not to go to London,” Jabari said evenly. “It’s too dangerous.”

“She never left my sight,” Valerio replied in the same even tone as I picked myself up off of the ground.

“That’s not enough. You cannot control her. She is not to return until I have given my approval, is that understood?”

“Yes, Elder. I will not take Mira back to the island with me should I return,” Valerio agreed with a slight shrug as if it didn’t matter to him one way or another.

“Fine, then take her if Madrid is what she wishes,” Jabari said. He turned away from Valerio, putting his back to me as he started to walk down the path. Something in my heart shattered as I watched him. Had he just turned his back on me because I had begun to prefer the company of Valerio? Had I just lost my beloved mentor and protector because I had gone against his wishes unknowingly?