Her Secret (39 page)

Shortly after, I met two of the notable
Rulers that Danial had spoken of, Zane and Perseus, as well as many
lesser vampires with titles from around the world. All of them were
courteous, but their polite and flowery words were devoid of
everything except their interest in Theoron and I. Surprisingly,
Zane was not what I expected, being not African American, but
instead Asian, though his smaller size did not make me any less
afraid of him. He was the first to push the envelope, when he
refused to release my hand after kissing it, and Danial had to ask
him to release me. His dark eyes were full of malice, even as he
did so.

The worst was Perseus, who I somehow expected
to be nice, perhaps because of his namesake. He was Mediterranean
in looks, perhaps an actual Greek by birth, the oldest next to
Ebediah and Samuel, according to Danial. He said no pleasantries
after kissing my hand, and introducing himself. Instead, he shifted
his eyes to Danial and began talking as if no one else was
there.

“Danial, you can say what you like, but I
know that you have no claim on Sarelle.”

“You see the marks on her,” Danial said
calmly, meeting Perseus’s eyes with his own.

“At least one was made by your brother,”
Perseus said coldly. “And the only Oath I know that she has taken
is to your werecougar there.” He glanced at Theo, who growled.
“Marriage is a human custom, Danial; it is no barrier to such as
us.”

Theo growled louder.

“I have an Oath from her,” Danial said,
narrowing his reddening eyes.

“You did years ago, but you rescinded it,”
Perseus said scathingly. “Manir told that to me months ago, in
exchange for some information I gave him. He said he had tortured
one of your weres for it.”

I closed my eyes at the horror of it. He was
talking about Suri. Theo was snarling now openly, Terian’s
blackness seeping into me from where he stood at my back.

Danial stood up slowly, his eyes bleeding to
solid red. “Perseus, I have her Oath. You do not need to believe my
words for that to be true. Now get out of here, before I ask Samuel
to escort you out.”

Perseus said nothing, only bared his fangs,
and left, moving away from us, Zane beside him. Danial sat back
down.

Theoron grew antsy before too much time had
passed, his usual easygoing mood turning irritable. Samuel used
that opportunity to bring out a young woman, who he presented to
Theoron. “Drink your fill, little Prince.”

Theoron looked at me, bewildered.

Danial stood. “Samuel, in my son’s best
interests, please demonstrate he has nothing to fear.”

“Not afraid,” Theoron whispered to me.
“Why—”

“Shh,” I said.

Samuel drank from the woman, then faced us,
proffering her bloodied wrist. Before I could react, Theoron
lunged, sinking his fangs into her wrist with a growl. She let out
a shriek, and tried to pull back. Samuel stopped her, keeping her
wrist immobile as Theoron ravaged it. She began to cry.

“Enough,” Danial commanded, grabbing Theoron
and prying him off the woman. Samuel nodded, then led the
frightened, sobbing woman away, passing her off to one of his
guards. As I cleaned up Theoron’s face with a wet nap, his fangs
receded, becoming their normal human size. No one else had spoken,
but the energy level of the room had risen exponentially.

It was time to leave. I turned to Danial.
“Why don’t you have Terian teleport—?”

“Shit,” Brian said under his breath. “Look
who just walked in.”

Chapter
Eighteen

Devlin stood at the
entrance to the room, dressed in black finery, complete with a long
cape, and as always, his high leather boots. He was breathtaking,
shining like the moon itself. He was scanning the room, Titus
beside him.

I had the sudden urge to run to him, got
partway up, then sank back down in the chair very, very slowly.
Giving anything away in front of so many people would be stupid and
dangerous. What was he doing here? Did his presence mean his plan
had failed?

I needed to talk to Danial alone. “Danial,
let’s dance.”

Danial nodded, and took my hand. “Come.”

I handed Theoron to Terian. He took him,
giving me a cool glance. Danial led me to the dance floor. Slowly,
we swept from one end of the dance floor to the other.

“I didn’t expect him,” I said pointedly,
hoping he knew who I meant.

Danial nodded. “I’m surprised, too. I hope he
behaves. We don’t need a scene with him and Theo, tonight of all
nights.”

“There won’t be any scene,” I said with
finality. “Theo and I are done.”

“Then why is he still wearing the ring?”
Danial replied. “I’m sure she requested he take it off.”

“I can’t imagine—”

Then there was a tap on Danial’s shoulder.
Devlin stood there.

“Speak of the Devil,” Danial said darkly,
glaring at Devlin pointedly.

Devlin’s golden eyes were all for me. “Can I
take her from you?” he said seductively, glancing to Danial
meaningfully.

“No,” Danial replied just as meaningfully.
“Wait your turn, Dalcon.”

“Fine, Racklan,” Devlin grinned. “I’ll expect
you to give her to me when the song ends.” He stepped away to watch
us from the edge of the dance floor, Titus beside him.

“What should I do?” I said worriedly. “I
think his plan fell through. He was adamant that no one know about
us.”

“The most he’ll do is get you out of here via
Titus. He may be expecting an imminent attack. Follow his lead.”
The song ended, and Danial kissed my hand, then handed it to
Devlin, who’d come up beside us. “One song,” Danial said in a
warning tone.

“I’ll only need one,” Devlin said arrogantly.
My stomach twisted as he led me to the middle of the dance
floor.

“There’s no music,” I hissed at him. “What
are you doing, Dev?”

“Wait and see,” he said with a wide smile,
walking a little way off.

I turned from him, and began walking away.
Abruptly, the orchestra started playing, and Devlin began to
sing.

I turned back to him in utter horror, crimson
from head to toe. There was no imminent attack. They were playing
“Point of No Return” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s play, Phantom of
the Opera.

“You’ve already succumbed to me, drop your
defenses, completely succumb to me,” Devlin sang, slowly stalking
toward me.

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. I stood
there, transfixed like a deer in headlights.

“Past all thought of ‘if’ or ‘when,’ no use
resisting...”

I turned from him, looking for Danial. He was
watching angrily, but only nodded to me. Devlin stopped singing,
but the music went on. I took a deep breath and looked away from
him, beginning to sing. My voice was clear and strong. All those
lessons with Devlin had paid off.

“You have brought me to that moment where
words run dry,” I sang, looking at the ceiling as I tried to stop
flushing. As the duet continued, I calmed, until at the last stanza
I faced him confidently. “When will the flames at last consume
us?”

Devlin’s eyes were liquid gold, lust pouring
off his body like water. As our voices joined, he pulled me close.
“The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn. We’ve passed
the point of no return.”

My heart was beating fast, his heart beating
just as fast behind me. I trembled in his grip, remembering how he
had felt just hours ago, what we had done together. The sweet smell
of him was heady, intoxicating.

The orchestra began again softly.

Oh, shit...

“Say you’ll share with me one love, one
lifetime. Save me, lead me from my solitude,” Devlin’s melodious
voice echoed in the silent room for everyone to hear. “Say you want
me with you here beside you,” he sang, turning me to look in my
eyes. “Anywhere you go, let me go too. Sarelle, that’s all I ask of
you,” he sang, a smile forming on his face as he finished. The
orchestra stopped abruptly, and there was utter silence.

I looked at him standing there, so clearly
pleased with himself, like the cat that ate the cream, and anger
roared through me. With vengeful eyes, I took a deep breath and
sang, “Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you
known?”

His eyes went wide with shock, and it pleased
me utterly, that he knew what was coming, and had no power, none at
all, to stop me.

“God give me courage to show you, you are not
alone.” Grasping my courage with angry hands, I kissed Devlin with
ravenous hunger. I drew back, a triumphant smile on my lips.

Devlin’s eyes were melting pools of fire, and
he was no longer smiling.

Danial’s voice rang out. “Bravo! Bravo!” He
was walking toward us quickly, and clapping loudly. Others followed
his lead after a few seconds.

“Your performance was as wonderful as we
planned,” Danial lied smoothly. “My thanks again to you for your
help in teaching my Oathed One to sing.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” Devlin said
seductively.

“We must be going,” Danial said, motioning to
Terian, Theo and Brian. “It was—”

“Go?” A voice repeated in sarcasm. “You can
go, if you wish.” Perseus appeared at the crowd’s edge. “Your son
may also. But Sarelle is staying here.”

Theo growled, and Terian put his hand on his
gun.

“Come now,” Samuel said, taking a stance
beside Perseus. “We don’t need to upset anyone.”

“Yes,” Zane said, coming to stand on
Perseus’s other side. “Perhaps we do.”

Danial faced them. “Is there some problem?”
he said almost casually. “We have been more than generous with our
time—”

“Yes,” Perseus said curtly. “We have seen the
miracle you have worked with Sarelle, this child that is half human
and half vampire. We knew that she could no longer have children.
Because of that, we were content for her to live out her life as
she saw fit.”

Damn Stephen and his medical papers.

“We know now that she can again bear
children. We do not intend to let her waste herself with a
were.”

Theo snarled at that insult. Both Terian and
he took aim. Danial had not moved.

“It’s not your business,” I said loudly. “Who
I’m with is my choice.”

“You are Oathed to Danial, Sarelle,” Samuel
said, giving me a narrow look. “It is his choice, not yours.”

Danial stepped in front of me protectively.
“You are right, she is mine, Samuel, and I alone decide what is
best for her. She has given me a child, made the impossible a
reality I can touch and love. If I choose to let her have another
man’s child, or to have no more children, it is my choice and mine
only. You have no say in it!”

“Danial,” Samuel said cajolingly. “We need to
have Sarelle try again, this time with a different vampire and to
document everything. We need to know how it was done, why it worked
with her where for hundreds of years it has failed. We need to know
if it can work with a different vampire as the father.”

This was worse than a nightmare. “You swore
no harm would come to me,” I said harshly. “How dare you stand
there and tell me to break my Oath?”

“Danial will see the light to amend your
Oath, I’m sure,” Perseus said, matter of fact. “And so will you,”
Zane said with a suggestive smile in his dark eyes, “When you are
beneath me.”

I was shocked into silence, flushing.

“You three stand against me,” Danial said
calmly. “What say you, Michael?”

Michael, whom I had not met before, came
forward calmly. He looked ordinary enough, with light brown hair
and eyes, and a full beard. From him I got none of the excitement
that seemed to surround all the other vampires here.

“I am here only because my position demands
it,” he said softly, his words clipped with some unfamiliar accent.
“I have no interest in making my own dhamphir with her, if it is
even possible to do a second time, which I truly don’t believe.”
Michael looked disdainfully at Zane, Perseus and Samuel. “I abstain
from the proceedings.” He turned, and went back to whatever section
of the room he had come from.

Zane, Perseus, and Samuel stood unmoving in a
wall before Danial.

“I will not agree to this,” Danial said,
forcefully breaking the silence. “You have no right under our laws
to take Sarelle from me, or force us to accept another man in our
bed, one I do not authorize or invite, one which Sarelle
refuses!”

“This child has changed the laws,” Zane said
in a low tone. “How can you be so selfish, to keep this gift for
yourself alone?”

“She is only a human,” Perseus said, eyeing
me coldly. “Her wishes are not paramount.”

“Stop,” Samuel said, glaring at Perseus.
“Sar, no one will harm you, and you may have anything you want,
anything at all, if you do this for us. All we are asking for is a
year of your life, maybe less. You want to be with Danial, fine, go
back to him when it is done. You want your werecougar waiting for
you when you return, it will be done. But you must do this for
us.”

“How dare you!” Danial shouted. “I am her
Oathed One, and a Ruler of a country in my own right! The law is on
my side, and even if it was not, I’d not let anyone touch one hair
on her head without my permission. If one of you three tries to,
you are dead!”

There was absolute silence. No one moved.

Samuel fixed Danial with a steely glare. “You
do not have the power to stop us, Danial. And if you do not concede
her, you will be the one who is dead.”

Samuel looked at me, raw desire for what I
could give him in his eyes. I braced for attack, my arms tightening
around Theoron, who began to wail.

“You are forgetting Ebediah,” a melodious
voice said. “He has a say, as Canada’s Ruler.”

Devlin walked up, and stood directly in front
of Samuel, a serene smile on his face.

“He is not here—” Samuel said, glancing over
at him.