He moved as one of the shadows beneath the overhung roofs, along the twisting, narrow streets. He detested the fact that he was here, walking among them. Some passed so near he could have touched them, simply by raising a i hand. He felt the heat of their bodies, saw the steam of their warm breaths in the chill night air. He felt the blood i pulsing beneath their skin, and heard the rapid, healthy i: patter of their hearts. He felt like a wolf slinking silently i among timid rabbits. With his preternatural strength he : could kill any of them without taxing himself. It frightened him to know he was capable of doing just that, if I pushed.
For an instant, murky images of the distant past clouded I his vision. Air heavy with dust and the scents of sweat ii and blood. Fallen men, like autumn leaves upon the damp, brown earth. Hooves thundering as the riderless horses fled in a hundred directions. One man, a boy, in truth, remained breathing. The lowly squire in ill-fitting armor sat high upon a magnificent, sooty destrier. The horse pawed the ground with a forefoot and blew, eager for more. Only silence came in answer. The silence of death, for it surrounded them.
The young Roland saw the blood-coated broadsword, the crimson tears, dripping slowly from its tip. As the red haze of fury began to fade, he let the weapon fall from his grasp. Stomach lurching, he tugged the steel helmet from his head, then the mail coif, and tossed both to the ground. Aghast, he stared at the carnage, too sickened just then to be thankful their faces were hidden by helmets, their wounds covered by their armor.
The boy felt no elation at what he'd done. No, not even later, when he was personally knighted by King Louis VII, for heroism and valor.
He felt nothing but a grim and disgusting new self-knowledge.
For he had enjoyed the killing.
Roland shook himself. Now was no time for remembrances, or regrets.
He reminded himself that despite his likening of them to rabbits, some humans were capable of ultimate deceit and treachery. Past experience had taught him that. And if the report he'd just had from the States were true, one of those humans, more treacherous than any, might even be a few yards from him.
It was that possibility that had drawn Roland into the village tonight, in spite of his self-imposed solitude.
His plan was simple. He would slip unnoticed through the medieval-style streets of L'Ombre, and into the inn called Le Requin.
He would listen, and he would watch. He'd scan their thinly veiled minds and he'd find the interloper, if, indeed, there was one to be found. And then he'd deal with it.
The night wind stiffened, bringing with it the scents of late-blooming roses, and dying ones, of freshly clipped grass and of the liquor and smoke just beyond the door he now approached. He paused as the door swung wide, and the odor sharpened. A cluster of inebriated tourists stumbled out and passed him. Roland drew back, averting his face, but it was an unnecessary precaution. They paid him no mind.
Roland squared his shoulders. He did not fear humans, nor did many of his kind. More that he feared for them, should he be forced into an unwanted encounter. Besides that, it made good sense to avoid contact. Should humans ever learn that the existence of vampires was more than just the stuff of legends and folklore, the damage done would be irreversible.
There would be no peace. It was best to remain apart, to remain forever a myth to those endlessly prying mortals.
As the door swung once more, Roland caught it and slipped quickly through.
He stepped to one side and took a moment to survey his surroundings. Low, round tables were scattered without order. People clustered around them, sitting, or standing, leaning over and speaking of nothing in particular.
The smoke-laden air hung at face level, stinging his eyes and causing his nostrils to burn. The voices were a drone, punctuated often by the splashing of liquor and the clinking sounds of ice against glass.
Her laughter rose then, above all else. Low, husky and completely without reserve, it rode the smoky air to surround him, and caress his eardrums. His gaze shot toward the source of the sound, but he saw only a huddle of men vying for position near the bar. He could only guess she must be at the center of that huddle.
To push his way through the throng of admirers was out of the question.
Roland had no desire to araw undue attention. No, nor indeed, any desire to renew his timeless acquaintance with her. To resume the slow torture. He ignored the surge of anger he felt at the idea that any of the humans might be close enough to touch her. He would not wish to witness the clumsy gropings of some drunken mortal. He didn't really believe he might break the fool's neck for such an offense, but there was no need pressing his temper to its limits.
He could learn as much by listening, and he did so now, attuning his mind as well as his hearing, and wondering what she was calling herself these days.
For although he sought confirmation, he had no doubt about the identity of that seductive laugh's owner. No doubt at all.
"Do another one, Rhiannon!"
"Oui, cher id "Ow about zome rock and roll?"
A chorus of pleas followed, as the willowy, dark form extricated herself from the mass. She shook her head, not quite smiling in that way she had. She moved with such grace that she seemed to float over the hardwood rather than walk on it. The slightly flared hemline of black velvet swaying a fraction of an inch above the floor added to the illusion. Roland had no clue how she managed to move her legs at all, given the way the full-length skirt clung to them from midshin on up. She might as well have paraded naked before her gaping admirers for what the garment hid. The velvet seemed to have melded itself to her form, curving as her hips did, nipping inward at the waist, cupping her small, high breasts like possessive hands. Her long, slender arms were bare, save the bangles and bracelets adorning them. Her fingers were be ringed and tipped in lengthy, dagger-sharp nails of blood red.
Roland's gaze continued upward as she moved across the room, apparently unaware of his presence. The neckline of the ridiculous dress consisted only of two strips of velvet forming a halter around her throat. Between the swatches, the pale expanse of her skin glowed with ethereal smoothness. His sharp eyes missed nothing, from the gentle swell of her breasts, to the delicate outline of her collarbone at the base of her throat. Around her neck she wore an onyx pendant in the shape of a cradle moon. It rested flat on the surface of her chest, its lowest point just touching the uppermost curve of her breasts.
That swan's neck, creamy in color, satiny in texture, gracefully long and narrow, was partially covered by her hair. It hung as straight and perfectly jet as the velvet dress, yet glossy, more satin than velvet, in truth.
She'd pulled it all to one side, and it hung down covering the right side of her neck, and most of the dress. It's shining length only ended at mid thigh On her left ear she'd hung a cluster of diamonds and onyx that dangled so long they touched her shoulder. He couldn't tell whether the earring had a mate on her right ear, due to her abundance of hair.
She paused, and bent over the man on the piano bench, whispering in his ear, her narrow hand resting on his shoulder. Roland felt himself stiffen as the beast buried deep within him stirred for the first time in decades. He willed it away. The man nodded, and struck a chord. She turned, facing the crowd, one forearm resting upon the top of the piano. With the first rich, flawless note she sung, the entire room went silent. Her voice, so deep and smooth that were it given form it could only become honey, filled the room, coating everything and everyone within. Her expression gave the lyrics more meaning than they'd ever before had.
She sang as if her heart were breaking with each note, yet her voice never wavered or weakened in in. tensity.
She held the mortals in the palm of her hand, and she was loving every minute of it, Roland thought in silence. He ought to turn and leave her to make a spectacle of herself in this insane manner. But as she sung on, of heartache and unbearable loneliness, she looked toward him. She caught his gaze and she refused to let go. In spite of himself, Roland heard the pure beauty of her voice. And though he'd had no intention of doing so, he let his eyes take in every aspect of her face.
A perfect oval, with bone structure as exquisite and flawless as if she were a sculpture done by a master. Small, almost pointed chin and angling, defined jawline.
The slight hollows beneath her cheeks and the high, wide-set cheekbones.
Her eyes were almond-shaped and slanted slightly upward at the outer corners.
The kohl that lined them only accentuated that exotic slant, and her lashes were as impenetrably dark as the irises they surrounded.
Against' his will he focused on her full, always pouting lips as they formed each word of the song. Their color was deep, dark red, like that of wine.
How many. years had he hungered for those lips?
He shook himself. The fruit of those lips was one he must never sample. His gaze moved upward to her eyes again. Still, they focused solely upon him, as if the words she sung were meant for his ears alone. Gradually he realized the patrons were growing curious. Heads turned toward him to see who had caught the attention of the elusive Rhiannon. He'd fallen under her spell as surely as any of these simpering humans had, and as a result, he'd been unaware of the growing risk of discovery. Let her behave recklessly, if it pleased her to do so. He wouldn't risk his existence to warn her. More likely than not, his remaining here would result in trouble. Her nearness never failed to stir the beast to life, to bring out his baser instincts.
That she did so deliberately was without doubt. Though if she knew the whole of it, she might change her mind.
He gripped the door, his eyes still on her, and jerked it open. He made himself step out into the bracing chill of the autumn night even as she held the hauntingly low, final note, drawing it out so long it ought to be obvious she was no ordinary woman. Yet, a second later, Roland heard no one questioning her. He only heard thunderous applause.
Rhiannon felt the sting of the slap she'd just been issued. Her anger rose quickly, but not quite quickly enough to prevent her feeling the hurt that came along with it. So Roland could look her over so thoroughly and simply walk away, could he? He could ignore the dress she'd chosen simply to entice him. He could pretend not to hear the emotion with which she'd sung or even to notice the song she'd chosen. Well, she supposed she'd need more drastic measures to get his attention.
She stepped away from the piano, quickly muttering that she had a headache and needed to slip away without her male attendants surrounding her. The piano player, Frangis, tilted his head toward a door in the back, and Rhiannon made her way toward it. She paused only long enough to grip the upper arm of the drunk est male in the room. She pulled him, stumbling in her wake, out the door.
She could only just make out the dark shape of Roland's retreating figure, farther along the narrow street. She didn't call out to him.
She wouldn't beg him for something so simple as a hello, after decades of separation. She had a better idea.
She pulled the drunken man with her a few yards farther, then turned him, her hands s6pporting his weight mostly by clenching his shirt front. She shoved his back against a building.
For a moment, she studied him. He wasn't bad-looking, really. Red hair, and freckles, but a rather nice face, except for the crooked, inebriated grin.
She hooked a finger beneath his chin, and stared into his green, liquor-clouded eyes for a long moment. She focused her mental energies on calming him, and gaining his utter cooperation. By the time she lowered her head to his throat, the man would have gladly given her everything he owned, had she asked it. She sensed no evil in him. In fact, he seemed a perfectly nice fellow, except for his heavy drinking. She supposed everyone was entitled to one vice, though. She was about to indulge in hers.
She parted her lips and settled her mouth over the place where his jugular pulsed beneath the skin. She wished the man no harm. She only needed to get a rise out of Roland. Her willing victim moaned softly, and let his head fall to the side. She nearly choked on her laughter.
She was glad one of them was getting some pleasure out of this. The act had lost its luster for her long ago.
"Dammit Rhianikki, let him go!"
Roland's hand closed on her shoulder, and he jerked her roughly away from the drunk's throat. The man sank to the ground, barely conscious, but from her entrancement of him, not from blood loss.
"You could have killed him,"Roland whispered harshly.
Rhiannon allowed the corners of her lips to pull ever so slightly upward.
"Always so eager to think the worst of me, aren't you, darling? And it's Rhiannon, now. Rhianikki is too"-- she waved a hand "--Egyptian."She gave the man on the ground a cursory glance.
"It's all right, Paul. You may go now."With her mind, she released him, and he rose unsteadily. His puzzled expression moved from Rhiannon, to Roland, and back again."What happened?"
"You've had a little too much Chablis, mort cher. Go on, now. Be on your way."
Still frowning, he stumbled back into the tavern, and Rhiannon turned to Roland.
"You see?"
"Why are you here?"
She lifted her hands, palms up.
"Not even a hello? A how are you? A glad to see you're still drawing a breath? Nothing? How rude you've become, Roland."
"Why are you here?"His voice remained impassive as he repeated the question.
She shrugged.
"Well, if you must know, I heard about a certain DPI agent, rather nasty one, too, who'd traced you here. They say he's already in the village. I was worried about you, Roland. I came to warn you."
He looked at the ground and slowly shook his head."So, knowing an agent of the Division of Paranormal Investigations is in the village, you naturally flaunt your own presence here to the utmost possible degree."
"What better way to flush him out? You know how keen they are on vampire research."
"You might've been killed, Rhiannon."
"Then you'd have been rid of me at last."
He was silent for a moment, scanning her face.
"I would find no joy in that, reckless one."
From beneath her lashes, she looked up at him.
"You do have an odd way of showing it."
He placed a hand on her shoulder. She slipped one around his waist, and they moved together along the winding road, toward his castle.
"You need to take more care,"he went on, his tone i%therly . and utterly maddening."You've no idea what DPI is capable of. They've developed a tranquilizer that renders us helpless."
"I know. And I know about your scrape with them in Connecticut, when they nearly took Eric and his fledgling, Tamara."' Roland's brows shot upward.
"And how do you know all of that?"
"I keep track of you, darling."She smiled.
"And for years I kept track of that scientist, St. Claire. He held me for a time in that laboratory of his, you know."
He sucked in a sharp breath, gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. She could have laughed aloud. At last, some emotion!
"My God, I had no idea. When ... how..."He broke off and shook his head.
"Did he hurt you?"
Warmth surged within her.
"Terribly,"she confessed with a small pout.
"But only for a short time. I had to break his partner's neck, I'm afraid, when I made my escape."' Roland shook his head, and closed his eyes.
"You could have summoned me. I would've come"-- "Oh, posh, Roland. By the time you could have arrived, I was free again. No human can hope to get the best of Rhianikki, princess of the Nile, daughter of Pharaoh, immortal vampiress of time immemorial"-- His laughter burst from him involuntarily, she knew, and she drank in the beauty of his smile, wishing she could elicit its appearance more often. There was a darkness in Roland's eyes at times.
Some secret that troubled him, one he'd never shared.
When his laughter died, he turned and began walking once more.
"Tell me how you know about the DPI agent in L'Ombre?"
"Since St. Claire came so close to having me, I've kept a close watch on the organization. I have spies inside. They keep me informed."
He nodded.
"Then you are a bit more sensible than I gave you credit for being. You know, of course, St. Claire is dead."
She nodded.
"But his protege, Curtis Rogers, is not."
Roland stopped walking again.
"That can't be. Tamara shot him when he was trying his damnedest to kill Eric."
"Yes, shot him. And left him for dead, only he wasn't. He was found a short time later, and he survived. It is he who has come to France looking for you, Roland. He wants vengeance."
"On me?"
"You, Eric, Tamara ... and the boy, I'm afraid."
She saw the pale coloring drain from Roland's face. She'd known already of his attachment to the child he'd rescued two years ago.
The boy was one of The Chosen, a human with an unseen bond to immortals. DPI knew it, and attempted to use him as bait in their trap. No doubt, they would not hesitate to do so again. Rhiannon knew all of this, but seeing firsthand his obvious reaction to a whisper of a threat to the lad, brought home to her the intensity of his caring. She felt the rush of turmoil that coursed through him, and she placed a calming hand on his arm.
"Jamey,"he whispered.
"The bastard had him once. Nearly killed him."
"And so you know why I've come."
His brows rose inquiringly, and she rushed on.
"To offer my help in protecting the boy."
"Noble of you, but unnecessary. I can protect Jamey. I won't have you putting yourself in harm's'way for my sake. It would be far better if you left France at once."
"For your peace of mind, you mean?"
She searched his face and she knew when his gaze fell before hers that she'd hit on the truth.
"Then you are not so indifferent to me as you pretend?"
"When have I ever been indifferent to you, oh goddess among women?"
She almost smiled.
"Well, your peace of mind is of no concern to me.
In fact, I find a certain pleasure in keeping you off balance. And I am staying, whether you like it or not. If you won't let me help you watch over the boy, I'll simply seek out this Rogers character, and drain him dry.
That should solve the problem."
"Rhianik Rhiannon, surely you are aware that the murder of a DPI agent would only serve to instigate further trouble."He drew an unsteady breath.
"Killing rarely solves anything."
She shrugged, keeping him always in her sight with sidelong, lash-veiled glances. How she delighted in baiting him!
"They'll never learn what became of him. I'll grind him up and feed him to my cat."
Roland grimaced and shook his head.
"Perhaps I'll torture him first. What do you think? Bamboo shoots under the nails? Usually effective. We could learn all DPI's secrets, and"-- "For God's sake, woman!"He gripped her shoulders hard as he shouted, but his horrified expression faded when she burst into helpless laughter.
He sighed, shook his head and eased his grip on her shoulders. Before he took his hands away, though, she caught his forearms.
"No, Roland, don't."
He stood motionless, his face devoid of expression, as she slipped her arms around his waist, and drew herself to him. She rested her head upon his sturdy shoulder. With a sigh of reluctant compliance, Roland's arms tightened around her shoulders and he held her to him.
Rhiannon closed her eyes and simply allowed herself to feel him. The contained strength in him, the rapid thud of his heart, the way his breaths stirred her hair.
"I have missed you, Roland,"she whispered. She turned her face slightly, and feathered his neck with her lips.
"And you have missed me, though you are loath to admit it."
She felt the shudder she drew from him. He nodded."I admit it, I've missed you."
"And you desire me,"she went on, lifting her head enough so she could study his eyes as she spoke.
"As you have no other ... nor ever will. You disapprove of everything I am, and everything I do, but you want me, Roland. I feel it even now, in this simple embrace."
"Subtlety has never been your strong suit, Rhiannon."He took her arms from around him, and stepped away, resuming the walk without touching her.
"You deny it?"
He smiled slowly.
"I want to walk in the sunshine, Rhiannon, yet to do so would mean my end.
What one wants is not necessarily what one should have."
She frowned and tilted her head.
"I hate when you speak in metaphors or parables or whatever you call those silly words you use."
He shook his head.
"How long will you alight here this time, little bird?"
"Changing the subject won't make you feel better, you know."
"It was a simple question. If you cannot answer it"-- "Answer mine, and I'll answer yours. Do you want me?"
He scowled.
"She is a fool who asks a question when she already knows the answer."
"I want to hear you say it."She stopped, and looked into his eyes.
"Say you want me."
Roland's glance moved slowly down her body and she felt his gaze burn wherever it touched her. Finally, he nodded.
"I want you, Rhiannon.
But I will not"-- She held up her hands.
"No more. Don't ruin it."
He chewed his inner cheek, and she felt his anger begin to boil up.
"Now my question, temptress. How long will you stay?"
"Well, I've come to help protect the boy. I suppose I will stay until the threat is gone, and..."
"And?"His brows drew close and he scanned her face.
She tried not to smile as she answered him.
"And until I've given you exactly what you want, Roland."