The Vampire Who Thirsted for a Wolf (17 page)

“You need to accept it, Yamamoto-sama.” Carson smiled gently, a

small, barely there twitch of lips that surprisingly comforted Kaname.

“You’re family now. There’s no going back.”

If the ram-shifter intended to scare Kaname with that, it didn’t

work. Instead, Kaname was suddenly gripped by a strong certainty.

Whatever his parents did, the vampires were now inexorably tied to

the shifters through an unbreakable bond, the one between Derek and

Kaname. Even now, the love they shared empowered him, giving him

the strength he needed to face the people he’d once respected so

much. That link was something no one and nothing could ever

destroy. The shifters already understood it. It was time for Kaname’s

people to grasp it as well.

Taking hold of Derek’s hand, Kaname nodded. “Thank you. Let’s

go. I fear we don’t have too much time at our disposal. My father is

very powerful, and he might have had Lou watched. He won’t delay

in realizing what happened.”

They said their good-byes to a still shell-shocked Rhys, a

protective Noah, and an angry Byron. As they rushed out, Brody was

already talking on the phone and arranging a meeting with the rest of

the group who were likely to return with them to Japan. Kaname only

hoped now that they would arrive in time to foil his parents’ plan.

There was just too much at stake for them to fail.

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The library of the Yamamoto coven smelled like leather and

bound books, a familiar scent that Yakumo had always appreciated.

As he scanned through one of the tomes Kaname had left him, he

wondered just how long Mizuki planned to spy on him. She had been

lingering around the library door for a while now, and her presence

was like an annoying fly buzzing around Yakumo and breaking his

concentration.

In the end, Mizuki must have put aside whatever misgivings kept

her from intruding on his private time. She knocked at the door, and

Yakumo bid her to enter. “Yes?”

As she slipped inside, Yakumo abandoned his book and looked up

at Mizuki, doing his best to school his features into neutrality. He had

never liked his brother’s assistant, although she’d been nothing but

loyal in her work. Perhaps it had been subjective of him since he’d

have preferred Kaname to trust him like he trusted her. He realized

now that, while Kaname had appreciated her work, he had refrained

from sharing his private emotions with Mizuki.

This brought Yakumo to his current predicament. Unfortunately,

both Mizuki and Takaba, the human butler Kaname cared about so

much, turned out to be involved in this plot. It was shocking, but not

more than the realization that his parents had returned and were

apparently displeased with Kaname’s performance.

If Yakumo had to judge, Mizuki intended to investigate where his

loyalties truly lay. He was proven correct mere seconds later when the

female vampire said, “I apologize for interrupting you, Yamamoto-

san, but I needed to ask you something.”

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“Of course,” he replied, keeping his voice calm, but not gesturing

for her to sit with him on the leather couch. “What is it?”

Mizuki didn’t shy away from his less than enthusiastic attitude.

“What do you think about Yamamoto-sama’s new policies? Didn’t the

shifters presence make you uncomfortable?”

Yakumo considered the question, deciding his own past stupidity

could be helpful. Yes, he had acted childishly because he had not

understood shifters were not a danger for vampires. Perhaps he

wouldn’t have changed his mind so easily, but he had seen that

Kaname was much happier now since being with Derek. No matter

the reason, Yakumo wanted that happiness to continue.

Naturally, he couldn’t tell Mizuki this, but neither could he seem

too eager to berate his brother. “I am loyal to my elder,” he replied,

getting up from the couch to be at eye level with her. “My personal

feelings on the issue do not matter.”

“But should Yamamoto-sama not be the elder—”

Yakumo shot to his feet and cut her off before she could finish the

phrase, not even trying to disguise his frown. “Just those words border

on treason. Watch yourself.”

“It’s admirable that you hold so much faith in your brother.”

Mizuki’s dark eyes scrutinized Yakumo’s face. “But you yourself

pointed out that Yamamoto-sama’s current path might lead to

unpleasant, unforeseen consequences.”

Yakumo didn’t remember saying anything like that, but he

remained silent. At the corner of his mind, he sensed his brother

listening in on the conversation. It relieved him to have Kaname so

close since even discussing this made him feel like he was betraying

the vampire.

Whether Mizuki knew it or not, even now Kaname was flying

back to Japan, together with his friends. Yakumo couldn’t keep track

of his brother as well as Kaname could in his case, but the new link

they shared still helped him. While it had mostly been meant as a

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backup plan, Yakumo was still pleased that Kaname had trusted him

with something so important.

“It goes both ways, little brother,”
Kaname whispered in his

mind.
“You’re the one who gave me a trust I might not deserve.”

Yakumo didn’t even bother addressing that since Kaname already

knew how he felt. Instead, he took Kaname’s words as

encouragement, as another reason why he absolutely could not fail his

brother.

“Whatever the case,” he told Mizuki, “even considering this

hypothetically is inappropriate.” He softened his tone and beckoned

her closer. “I do understand how you feel,” he added as she

approached, “but Kaname is our elder, my brother, and your leader.

His decisions must be obeyed.”

The sound of clapping interrupted their conversation. Yakumo

gaped when he realized that while he’d been talking to Mizuki, two

other people had entered the room, both of whom Yakumo knew very

well. How had he missed their approach? He’d been staring right at

the door, in their direction. It was mind numbing that they’d managed

to evade his every sense, but then, they were his parents. Masaru and

Ayaka Yamamoto had been the leaders of the vampire nation for

centuries. Their power surpassed his so completely that Yakumo

couldn’t even fully understand the extent of it.

On instinct, Yakumo fell on his knees in front of them. Mizuki

followed his example, and they were rewarded with a chuckle. “It is

nice to see that not all things have changed since I went to ground,”

Yakumo’s father said. “At least one of my sons hasn’t completely lost

his way.”

A gentle hand touched Yakumo’s head. “You don’t need to kneel

in front of us, Yakumo,” his mother whispered softly.

Her warm words beckoned Yakumo to look up. He didn’t know

what he had expected to see or face, but it certainly wasn’t this. His

mother was just the way he remembered her, her dark eyes loving as

they scanned his face. Standing next to his much-taller father, she

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107

looked positively tiny, but the strength that had allowed her to lead in

her husband’s stead remained there.

It could all be a huge misunderstanding. His parents hadn’t

changed at all, so they might realize that Kaname was only doing

what was best for the vampire nation as a whole.

He got up and offered his parents a tentative smile. “Mother,

Father…I’ve missed you.”

“So have I, dear child.” His mother embraced him, and Yakumo

hugged her back, affection rising through him. Yes, there must have

been some mistake. His parents simply could not have done what

Kaname thought they had.

As he broke away from his mother, Yakumo readied himself to

explain Kaname’s position. He felt Kaname’s warning rise in his

mind, but the words were already on his lips. “We haven’t lost our

way at all, Father,” he told the older vampire. “Kaname has taken

steps to ensure our people grow by cooperating with other species.”

“Your loyalty was noted, child,” his father said, “but soon, you

won’t have to pretend. Kaname lost the right to his position when he

approached the shifters.”

“Just look at him now.” His mother sneered, a gesture so unlike

her it startled Yakumo. “He’s catering to the shifters’ every whim, and

all for what? That useless wolf who couldn’t possibly be an adequate

companion for him. We’d hoped that these attacks would snap him

out of whatever phase he’s going through, but it seems obvious that he

lacks the strength to bring our people back to the right path.”

“But, Father, Mother, Kaname is only doing his best to avoid war,

to keep us safe. How is that not the right path?”

To his shock, his father’s stern, but otherwise pleasant expression

changed so fast Yakumo didn’t even have time to blink. Before he

knew it, he was slammed back by a wave of power that would have

snapped his ribs had Kaname not been there to shield him from it.

From hundreds of miles away, his brother’s mind slipped into his

body, taking over and bearing the brunt of the damage.
“It’s okay,

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Yakumo,”
Kaname told him.
“Close your eyes and relax. This will all

be over before you know it.”

Yakumo wanted to obey since it was far easier to lose himself to

Kaname’s power than to dwell on the pain of his parents’ betrayal.

But his fear for his brother wouldn’t let him drift away, and he

watched in shocked horror as the most-important people in his life

finally faced each other in a battle that might well lead to their deaths.

* * * *

The first thing Kaname experienced upon allowing his mind to

invade that of his brother’s was pain. His father certainly hadn’t held

back and had attacked Yakumo with enough power to crush any

possible resistance. As he fell to the floor, Kaname took that agony

within himself, keeping it from touching Yakumo.

The transference spell he’d set in place before his departure had

been meant as a trap for whoever planned the attacks. Yakumo had

shared his blood with Kaname, and during their feeding session,

Kaname had created a tight link between them, one that allowed him

to take over Yakumo’s body if need be.

Only very old vampires had access to this type of magic, and it

had been beyond the extent of Kaname’s abilities before he’d met

Derek. The new understanding he’d gained since then made it

possible for him to send his spirit within his brother and protect him.

Sadly, the spell didn’t make him immune to outside attacks, and

his own powers were limited because of his use of Yakumo’s body.

Not to mention that vampire magic wasn’t like the Sidhe one. Mostly,

they were all about psychic attacks and manipulations. Kaname’s

shifting abilities would have come in handy here, but he’d just have to

do without them. He needed to be careful. The transference spell

made it so that the damage Kaname’s father dealt would not have

much effect on Yakumo’s body, but only because it would affect

Kaname’s physical form instead.

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Thankfully, his father had not yet realized Kaname was the one

suffering the attack. He backed down, ceasing his assault. Kaname

could breathe again, but he didn’t look up from the floor. If he did so,

the older vampire would realize the truth.

“I expected more from you, Yakumo,” Masaru said. “It’s hard to

see that both my sons are a disappointment, but let this be a lesson to

you. Your brother abandoned you. How does that in any way benefit

the coven?”

“I understand why peace between various species might appeal to

you.” Ayaka’s tone was gentler, but just as unyielding, not seeming

concerned at all for the child her husband had just injured. “But war is

necessary sometimes, to protect the way things must be. It is

regrettable, but there is no other way.”

Kaname got up and gazed at his parents. “And who decides that,

Mother?” he asked. “You? Father? What gives you the right? You’re