Perilous Partnership
Praise for
Ariel Tachna
Partnership in Blood Series
This series is definitely for anyone looking for a new twist on Vampires, and who likes a bit of angst and a bit of adventure mixed into their romance.
Jaime at Dark Divas Reviews
The world building in all the books is par excellence, but in this last one, the author truly outdid herself, giving the reader a wonderful look into vampire culture. The suspense, as always, kept me on the edge of my seat and reading long into the night to find out what was going to happen.
Regina at Coffee Time Romance and more
Summer Place
...a touching romance that is genuine and timeless. The supporting players are rich and brought even more warmth and appeal to the story.
Chamomile at Whipped Cream Reviews
Out of the Fire
The deeper into the story I got, the more emotional and physical it became, and I gained a deeper understanding of the dynamics of three men enmeshed in a relationship. A Two Lips Recommended Read.
Sin at Two Lips Reviews
Hot Cargo
…definitely not your normal space adventure… it will appeal to those that like a good commanding story with some added repartee between our leading men.
Lainey at Coffee Time Romance and more
Books by
Ariel Tachna
Partnership in Blood Series
Alliance in Blood
Covenant in Blood
Conflict in Blood
Reparation in Blood
A Summer Place
Out of the Fire
Seducing C.C.
Her Two Dads
with Madeleine Urban
Sutcliffe Cove
with Nicki Bennett
Hot Cargo
Checkmate
All for One
All available from
Dreamspinner Press
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Copyright
Published by
Dreamspinner Press
4760 Preston Road
Suite 244-149
Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author‟s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Perilous Partnership
Copyright © 2010 by Ariel Tachna
Cover Art by Dan Skinner/Cerberus Inc. [email protected] Cover Design by Mara McKennen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/
ISBN: 978-1-61581-633-0
Printed in the United States of America First Edition
October, 2010
eBook edition available
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-634-7
To Nicki and Emmet, who worked overtime for this one.
Perilous Partnership
1
“MESDAMES et messieurs, it is with much emotion that I stand before you today for the last time as the general of the Milice de Sorcellerie,” Marcel Chavinier said, his voice hoarse as he regarded the press corps he had faced so many times. In the wings, Raymond Payet blinked against the lump in his throat as he watched the man he so respected moved by such a depth of emotion. “As we speak, the Milice is being officially dismantled and its operatives returned to civilian life once again. To those who have served with me these past two years, I say thank you. Our survival as a society owes itself to your dedication and sacrifice. For those who will be welcoming them back into your offices and your lives, remember what they have gone through and be patient with them. Many of them are wounded in body and spirit. Many of them have suffered great loss. Some of them have also welcomed vampires into their lives, forming partnerships that will extend beyond the Milice and affect them in ways we are only beginning to understand. Those men and women have suffered and sacrificed as well and deserve your respect and your open-mindedness. I can‟t order you to accept them, but I would ask that you give them the same chance you would give any new person of importance in your friends‟ and colleagues‟ lives. They have earned that at the very least.
“As I return to private life as well, I begin to feel my age,” Marcel continued. “Unlike most of the wizards I commanded during the war, I am not a young man anymore. I‟ve spent the last sixty years in public service to the wizarding community and to France as a whole. I‟m tired, mesdames et messieurs. So once the Milice is completely decommissioned, I will be retiring from my other public roles as well. L‟ANS will pass into the able hands of a younger generation as we move forward into this new reality where vampires are an acknowledged, valued segment of the magical community and of society as a whole. It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the new head of l‟ANS, whose experience, ingenuity, and dedication will help usher in a new age in the world of magic: Raymond Payet.”
In the wings, Raymond glanced at Jean for reassurance one last time before stepping onto the dais and joining Marcel at the podium. When the polite applause died down, Raymond focused on the cameras, knowing his true audience was not the journalists assembled in front of him but the people
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watching at home and the ones who would read about it in the paper the next day. “Thank you, Marcel, for the kind introduction,” he began, clearing his throat to be heard more effectively. He and Jean had spent hours preparing for this moment, writing and rewriting his speech, examining every nuance to make sure he said exactly what he wanted to say, nothing more, nothing less.
“Mesdames et messieurs, fellow citizens, I stand before you today greatly humbled by the responsibility placed on my shoulders by one of the greatest wizards, indeed one of the greatest men, alive today,” Raymond began. “None of us would be here today to celebrate the end of the war and to look forward to a brighter future had it not been for Marcel Chavinier and the sacrifices he made over the past two years.” Hearty applause met his words, bringing a smile to Raymond‟s face and tears to Marcel‟s eyes.
When silence returned to the room, Raymond continued. “Today is a new beginning for l‟ANS in many different ways. For some years now, l‟Association Nationale de Sorcellerie has been synonymous in many minds with wizards. And while we certainly fall within the purview of l‟ANS, we represent one small portion of the magical realm. We are doers of magic, calling on an intrinsic ability to create extrinsic effects, but we are hardly the extent of magical creatures. L‟ANS must become more than just a society of wizards. We must become the voice for all magical beings, mortal, immortal, living or undead. We must usher in a new era of equality that acknowledges and celebrates our similarities and our differences.
“Some of you, both here and at home, are asking yourselves right now what you could possibly have in common with some creature of the night, some shapeshifter or faerie or goblin or troll. The answer will vary from person to person, from race to race, but every one of you who has ever married, promising to love your spouse until death do you part, has something in common with one vampire who will have one partner, one lover, one source of blood for as long as that person remains alive. Every one of you who has lost a spouse has something in common with another vampire, who buried his Avoué four hundred years ago and still mourns his loss, and with the oldest vampire in Paris, who still mourns his Avoué fifteen hundred years later. Every one of you who has held a child you love in your arms has something in common with the werewolves, who celebrate every new birth because they happen so rarely. You may think you have nothing in common with the so-called lesser magical races, but I tell you now: you‟re wrong. As we move forward, l‟ANS has expanded its mission to protect and speak for not only the wizarding community, but the magical community as a whole.
“The alliance that allowed the Milice de Sorcellerie to win the war against Serrier and his rebel wizards has formally ended, along with the war itself and the Milice, but the need for magic has not disappeared. One of the reasons the
Perilous Partnership
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alliance was so vital was that it freed wizards to attend again to the necessary task of maintaining the magical equilibrium that allows our world to exist.
Imagine our delight then when we discovered that the very making of the alliance contributed far more effectively than anything we wizards could do on our own. The link between vampire and wizard has become not merely military but magical as well in profound, lasting ways that we still do not fully understand. That, too, will be one of the new roles of l‟ANS: researching the partnership bonds so that we can use them to their fullest potential and properly prepare any vampire or wizard who wishes to participate for all the repercussions.
“In 1944, we recognized the right of all citizens to vote regardless of gender, guaranteeing women equal protection under the law. We stand now at another historic moment, having given vampires that same protection. No longer will they be subject to discrimination because of their nature. No longer will they have to hide who they are for fear of being cast out of their homes or having their businesses destroyed. I am not naïve. I know it will take more than just the passing of the equal rights legislation for attitudes to change. However, as the new head of l‟ANS, I pledge the full support of the organization— financial, legal, and moral—to seeing that legislation become a reality for every vampire just as we already work tirelessly to address issues related to the wizarding community. Discrimination, in any form, cannot be allowed to exist.
We fought a war to keep that very thing from happening. We cannot ignore it from those who do not choose to attempt an overthrow of the government in order to air their grievances.
“As much as we all would like to pretend otherwise, Serrier struck a chord with enough wizards to carry out a rebellion that lasted for two years. While I deplore the methods he used in his attempt to effectuate change, I understand why his propaganda resonated with some wizards, and so I say now to those disaffected within society: I welcome dialogue with each and every one of you.