Survive the Dawn (23 page)

“Yes, darling,”
Gaylen
said with a laugh. He licked his lips and handed the man his coat. “Run along, dear boy. The Adored One and I need to have a powwow.”

Once the sulking man had left,
Gaylen
turned to Alex. “Now what has happened? Do you miss Sebastian already? It’s only been one day.”

Alex stood by the fire. Her body still trembled when she thought of the erotic visions in the restaurant and the real kiss from Kendra. She said nothing as she stared into the fire.

Gaylen
walked up next to her; Alex could feel him as if he were assessing the situation. She then heard an angry groan. “Kendra,” he nearly growled.

Alex looked at him then. His light amusing nature was gone and in its place was an angry vampire. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone with her. Tell me.”

“I’m not sure what it was. We were at dinner, and suddenly, I saw two women in a booth, and it…it was Kendra and me,” she said in a quiet voice. “It was so surreal, but yet—”

“I get the picture.”
Gaylen
held up his hand. “Sebastian will not be amused.”

Alex flopped into the high-backed chair and let out a dejected groan. “It was unbelievable,
Gaylen
. It felt so real, as if—” She stopped and put her head back. “Yes, Sebastian will be furious.”

“She doesn’t have to know,”
Gaylen
said.

Alex gave him an exasperated look. “Sebastian is the next in line to your damned hierarchy. You don’t think she’ll be able to read my mind?”

“True.”
Gaylen
sat in a dejected heap in the chair across from her. He then sat forward. “I nearly forgot, with all this erotic talk.”

“What?”

“That beautiful creature that just left? His name is Henry and he’s a doctor, as well. He read Kendra’s notebook.”

“How did he get it?

“We were, um, visiting the catacombs,”
Gaylen
said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Alex groaned. “I don’t want the gory details. What did he have to say about the notebook?”

“He thinks she’s trying to reproduce some super race of vampires. I think she wants your serum and whatever she’s working on. Remember what you read from her notes?”

Alex nodded and picked up the pages she copied from Kendra’s notes. She had placed them on the desk before going out with Kendra; she was glad she did. “Yes, stronger, faster.” She looked at
Gaylen
. “Do you really think that’s what she’s doing?”

“That’s what Henry thinks.”

“I need to get back into the lab.”

“Darling, wait for Sebastian,”
Gaylen
said. “It’s unwise of you to go back there now. I would suggest you stay away from Kendra.”

Alex stood and glared. “I can take care of myself. I’m going there in the morning.”

Gaylen
looked to the heavens. “Sebastian, please come home.”

“Your wish is my command.”

Both turned to see Sebastian standing in the doorway. Alex’s heart raced at the sight of Sebastian in her long leather coat, the collar pulled up, and her eyes hungrily searching Alex. And there was the scowl.

“When did you get back?”
Gaylen
asked as Alex walked up to Sebastian.

She put her hands on the lapels of Sebastian’s coat and pulled her down for a long kiss. Sebastian immediately pulled back, her hazel eyes blazing with anger; she breathed deeply through her nose. Alex swallowed and stepped back.

“What happened, Alex?” Sebastian asked in a low voice.

“Sebastian, please. I know you can read my mind.”

“Read your mind?” Sebastian said with a growl. “I can smell Kendra all over you.”

Alex flinched as
Gaylen
rushed to her side. “Sebastian, wait. Kendra—”

Sebastian shot
Gaylen
a venomous glare. “You were to watch over her.”

“He did, Sebastian. Please,” Alex pleaded. “Let me explain.”

“I know what happened. Where’s Kendra?” Sebastian asked. Alex could tell she was trying to calm the rage she must have felt.

“I don’t know. We were looking through her notes. Sebastian, Kendra was not trying to look for the same serum as I. She—”

“I know!” Sebastian stormed past them.

Alex felt the heat radiate from her body. She saw the dark look on
Gaylen
, as well. “What’s happening, Sebastian?” He followed her to the desk where Sebastian picked up the notes and leafed through them.

Gaylen
and Alex watched in awe as Sebastian’s rage grew. They backed up as Sebastian ripped the pages with lightning quickness until they burst into flames. Sebastian let out a deep resonating growl and slammed the burning pages on the desk, extinguishing the fire.

Alex stood still, rooted to the spot.
Gaylen
raised an eyebrow and leaned in. “We needed those—”

Sebastian whirled around to him.
Gaylen
did not back up; he gave Sebastian a wary glance as his canine teeth grew beneath his upper lip as he grinned. “I’m not the enemy, Sebastian.”

Alex didn’t know what to do. She was witness to Sebastian’s rage before, but she never saw this. Sebastian clenched and unclenched her fist, causing the bones to make a horrible snap as if they were broken. Alex saw they were not but noticed Sebastian’s hands were larger for a moment before they returned to their normal size. She swallowed convulsively.

Sebastian regarded
Gaylen
once again, and once again,
Gaylen
stood his ground. “Are you going to focus your anger on a kiss like a jealous mortal or tell us what we are to do next?”

“You were to watch over her.”

“Yes, I was. I sent one of my minions to watch outside the restaurant. Nothing happened. But I couldn’t see what Kendra put in Alex’s mind, Sebastian.”

“Will you two stop talking as if I’m not in the room?” Alex faced Sebastian who had such a dark look, it began to frighten her. “You apparently know what happened between me and Kendra. But Kendra is not what she seems.”

“I know. I met with the historian. Kendra came to him not only for a spell for the lab, but for some ritual. She did
Nicholae’s
bidding.”

“Bidding for what? What ritual?”
Gaylen
asked.

“Apparently,
Nicholae
isn’t happy I destroyed Leigh. He wants her back.”

“Is that possible?” Alex asked, her mind reeling at the idea.

“Yes, and the ritual will take place tomorrow under the residual moon.”

“Where? And what is a residual moon?”
Gaylen
asked.

“I don’t have time to explain the lunar aspects. And it takes place in the forest near
Lacu
Rosa.”

“What?”
Gaylen
asked. “In Romania?”

“Yes,
Gaylen
, in Romania. It appears he will use Nina and someone else as sacrificial lambs, as it were. If Nina has the box, and she’s in Romania, then—”

“Then Tatiana’s box is in Romania, and you’re going to Romania.”
Gaylen
flounced into a nearby chair in dramatic fashion. “Do you have your passport and Dramamine?”

Sebastian noticed Alex had left the library; she came back carrying her doctor bag.

“When will you leave?” Alex asked.

“Very soon,” Sebastian said and watched Alex. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll need the serum to take with you.”

“How—?”

“I’ve been working on it. I believe I can give you enough to take with you, if you need it.” Alex did not look at Sebastian as she rolled up her sleeve.

Sebastian and
Gaylen
said nothing as they watched Alex prepare her arm and extract a vial of her blood. “It’s fine. I think you’ll be able to take this. Just ingest it, Sebastian.” She properly closed the vial and slid it into a leather pouch. “This should keep it safe.”

She handed it to Sebastian with a shaky hand. Sebastian looked down at the pouch, and as she took it, her hand brushed with Alex’s. Alex took a sharp intake of breath before pulling her hand away. Sebastian was scowling, but Alex saw myriad emotions flash across her handsome features.

“I can’t believe there’s actually a ritual to bring Leigh back from the dead,” Alex said. She looked up at Sebastian. “So you’re just going to fly off to Romania?”

“That’s the general idea,” Sebastian said. Alex winced at the lack of emotion in her voice.

“What shall we do about Kendra?”
Gaylen
asked.

“I’ll take care of Kendra.”

“Sebastian…” Alex stopped when she saw the doubt and the anger flash in Sebastian’s eyes. She really couldn’t blame her as she remembered Kendra’s kiss. How would she have felt if the situation was reversed? Alex remembered her jealousy when she first met Kendra. How could she deny Sebastian the same?

Sebastian searched Alex’s face; Alex broke eye contact and looked down at the floor but said nothing.

Gaylen
watched them and cleared his throat. “I’ll leave you two. Sebastian, take great care. Do what is necessary.”

“I will,” Sebastian said. “And,
Gaylen
—”

Gaylen
put his hand up. “I know. I’ll watch over the Adored One.” He nodded and walked out.

“I must go now, Alex.”

Alex’s heart ached at the formal, detached tone in Sebastian’s voice. “Please be careful.” She looked up then and felt tears flood her eyes. “Can I go with you?”

“No. I must do this alone. I would only worry about you.”

“Would you?” Alex’s chest felt tight as she restrained the sob that threatened to overtake her. “So much has happened, Sebastian. I know this is not the time, and you have so much to do and we have so much to talk about.” She turned to Sebastian then. “I—”

Sebastian seethed with rage. She roughly grabbed Alex by the shoulders and pulled her close; she let out a snarling hiss. “You allowed her to…” She stopped as the image of Kendra’s lips on Alex and Alex seemingly inviting them flashed through her mind. She saw the tears well in Alex’s eyes and abruptly let her go.

Alex slumped against the chair in defeat. “I know.”

“I have to go.
Gaylen
will take care of you.”

Alex’s heart ached. “I wish you would let me go with you, but I know you can’t.”

She turned away from Sebastian then, but not before she watched as Sebastian clenched her fists and jammed them into the pockets of her coat.

“As I said, I must do this alone.”

“I’ll still be here.” When Alex turned around, she was alone. Releasing her restraint, she buried her face in her hands and let out a heart-wrenching sob.

Chapter 19

Kendra sauntered into her lab and stopped cold as she glanced around. She looked around, but no one was there. Fear rippled through her as she tried to collect her wits. Okay, she thought, let’s all calm down. She thought of running back down the corridor to the safety of her home when she realized if Sebastian wanted her, no place was safe enough unless she was with
Nicholae
.