Page 25

Dani shut her eyes and curled her hands around the collar of her dress.

She counted to ten. Her head pounded with every number.

The whirling tornado of pain shredded her control, but she reasserted it.

They were right. But didn’t they understand what this was costing her?

She kept envisioning him white as snow, soul gone, eyes hollow, lips parted. Not answering. Not answering anymore.

“He’s returned to us. I dreamed he would, but…” Dani opened her eyes.

Both Balthazar and Caemorn were looking at her. There was an affectionate smile on Balthazar’s face while Caemorn regarded her evenly. They were right. Grayson was Ashyr. And while the Immortal Kaly might have been able to take him down, this Horys Vampire could not. Would not.

“We need to be ready if he needs help,” Dani said.

Then she tightened her grip on herself and looked back at the “window”.

Jill had slid off the edge of the table.

Her toes flexed against the cold stone. She was just seven feet from Grayson.

Even if she had been human she could have lunged for Grayson and had her hands could have been around his neck in seconds.

Squeezing. But she was a Vampire so it could happen in half a breath.

“They brought me back,” Jill said as she placed one hand between her breasts and ran it up to her throat. She shook her glossy hair. “That takes a lot of blood and a lot of time, effort and energy. So they must want to speak to me.”

“Oh, that was before… yeah, no, they don’t need you now.” Grayson shrugged.

Clever. He explained away her renewal. I almost believe him and I know he’s lying. It’s not just what he’s saying but his whole body language.

Jill’s smile wavered for a moment, becoming less real and more confused. “They sent you to me as a snack , I think.” She lifted her voice, “While I thank you for giving me this irritating boy, Balthazar, don’t think I’m going to tell you anything!”

“He’s not here,” Grayson sighed.

Jill paced and moved her hands restlessly at her sides. “Balthazar! Come on, now! Are you really not going to even peek into my mind? I have so many things to tell you!”

“I think he likes more of a hard-to-get Vampire,” Grayson said into the silence that had fallen. “Seriously, Jill, he’s not here and he’s not coming. No one is coming. You are not important.”

She whipped towards him, fangs showing, fingers curled like talons and hissed, “I am important!”

“I think you’re in trouble,” Grayson answered, still leaning against the wall, cool and calm as could be.

Do I remember him like this? He never lied to us. But he did lead people to the solution he wanted .

“What? Why? Because you caught me for half a moment?” She laughed.

“Ah, yeah.” Grayson gave a boyish, attractive grin. “At first, I thought that you were tracking me because you were pissed that I speared you through that chest you’re so fond of.”

Jill’s fingers had gone back to her breast bone, tapping it. She dropped her hand and hissed.

“But I really think it was because I got away after Gregory told me your plan,” Grayson said. “And then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, I made it all the way here. To Nightvallen. I actually hung out with King Daemon!”

Her expression went blank. Other than the tips of her fingers flexing, she was very still.

Grayson sighed and smiled fondly. “He’s really cool, you know? Like that ‘I am King’ thing he did on television? Well, you really feel it in person. If anyone’s going to be king, I wouldn’t mind it being that guy.”

You loved Daemon with everything you had. You were his General. You knew how foolish his plan to sleep was, but you always worked with what you had, not what you wished or what was ideal.

Grayson studied Jill’s very blank expression. “Don’t you feel that way? I mean, have you ever met Daemon?”

She tossed her head. “He doesn’t deign to meet with Vampires. He’s too busy seducing humans like--”

“Like me ?” Grayson beamed. “Ah, yeah, I got to sit next to him in the royal box at the Ring. It was so amazing. He touched me and everything--”

“He’s not worthy!” she growled.

Now, we’re getting somewhere.

“Really?” Grayson lifted his eyebrows. “I don’t see how you can feel that way. I mean he’s--”

“He abandoned us!” she hissed. “He left us in the hands of those foul Immortals! Did he honestly think they would behave while he was gone? So naive!”

Dani’s eyes flickered to Caemorn and Balthazar. Caemorn appeared stone faced yet resigned somehow. Balthazar’s lips were pursed as he scratched under Meffy’s chin.

“He doesn’t seem like a naive guy to me,” Grayson said evenly, but there was a tightening in his jaw as if he were actually angry at her for saying that about Daemon.

But Grayson doesn’t know Daemon. Not really. But Ashyr does.

Jill let out a shrill laugh. “Anyone who trusts Kaly to be good while he’s away--”

“Kaly was sick,” Grayson interrupted her.

Caemorn jerked and looked oddly at Balthazar. “Are you telling him--”

“No, no, I’m not doing anything,” Balthazar answered. “It’s all him.”

“What do you mean? Kaly was sick?” Jill scoffed.

“He was sick. His mind has always been fragile in some ways,” Grayson said, his voice changing somehow. “It got so much worse after Daemon went to sleep. We should have noticed… we should have helped him…”

“Is he making this up?” Caemorn demanded to know.

Balthazar stared at the “window”. “N-no, he’s… he’s remembering, I think. His mind is opaque to me right now. I don’t want to push too hard and distract him.”

Grayson’s eyes were distant. “I should have noticed. But I was… distracted . I was supposed to keep things in line, to keep tabs on the others, stop things from going out of control, but I…”

I what, Ashyr?

“How the Hell would you know anything? What are you talking about?” Jill snarled.

Dani growled as Grayson’s head snapped up and his eyes focused on Jill and the moment. It was better that he was back to focusing on Jill, but Dani wanted to know what he was going to say.

“Is Balthazar speaking through you? Eyros , is that you?” Jill taunted, taking a menacing step towards Grayson.

Grayson shook his head and sighed. “No one can hear you down here, but me, Jill.”

Her lips writhed back from her teeth. “And no one can hear you either.”

“Ah, yes, but before you take that leap--which you won’t make, by the way--we should talk some more about the real reason you’re pissing yourself right now,” Grayson said.

“I don’t talk to food!”

Dani knew the moment she was going to leap. Grayson, evidently, knew it too, because Jill’s whole body went as stiff as a piece of wood. Her eyes widened as those were the only muscles he was letting her move. She let out a gargled sound, but no words formed.

“You really are a one hit wonder, but I suppose if that one hit works then why change it, right?” Grayson pushed off of the wall and circled her as he spoke.

Her eyes tried to track him. “But we’ve fought twice , Jill, and I really thought you would kick it up a notch.

But, then again, you’re not very smart.”

Jill’s eyes bulged with the insult. Grayson stopped in front of her.

“Ah, I smell ozone! You’re going to try and fry me with lightning?” Grayson asked and then leaned in until they were practically nose to nose. “Do you feel that?”

Jill’s eyes widened.

“That pressure in your chest? How your heart is beating strangely?” Grayson asked. “It’s because I have it in the palm of my hand.”

He showed her his palm and slowly curled his fingers into a fist. Jill’s eyes were bugging out now. Her skin was flushed. She was straining for all her worth. He slowly unclasped his hand.

“Nothing you can do will be faster than me crushing your heart in your chest,” Grayson told her. “Do you understand?”

Grayson must have allowed her to speak. Her lips opened and she gasped. Breathing harshly in and out again.

“Do you understand, Jill ?” Grayson’s voice deepened.

“Yes--yes! Fuck, stop!” she pleaded.

“Now, Balthazar, Caemorn, Seeyr, Daemon, all of them, they don’t care about you or the Sect of Dawn,” Grayson said with such derision that Dani almost expected him to spit after he said it.

“They’re fools not to!” Jill cried.

“Maybe. Maybe not. If the Sect is made out of second-rate Vampires like you, I don’t think they have anything to worry about,” Grayson retorted.

“But--but you’re here! So they must care--”

“No, no, don’t you get it? They’re letting me do whatever I want with you to avenge my friend’s death!” Grayson laughed as if he enjoyed hurting Jill.

But a sadist is not what he is. He’s always been distant from the acts of violence. Emotion and violence cloud one’s judgment. That’s what he’s always said.

“Your--your friend? The old drunk?” Jill looked as if she couldn’t believe Sam could elicit such a response. Grayson’s expression grew thunderous for a moment and Jill quickly amended, “I’m sorry! It’s wonderful that someone actually cared about him!”

“He was worth caring about. But you wouldn’t know what that’s like, would you? Because we both know that the Sect of Dawn is not coming to save you,” Grayson said with a wave of his hand.

“I don’t need anyone to save me. I can save myself--”

“No, no, we both know that’s not true either,” Grayson cut her off with another wave. “In fact, if the Sect finds out you’re here--which I’m sure they are figuring out, if they don’t know all ready--they’ll just send someone to kill you.”

Jill said nothing, but her blank expression said it all.

“But you’re going to kill me so… what does it matter?” She tried to play bravely.

“True!” Grayson brightened.

“Unless you could be convinced to--to do otherwise?” Jill searched Grayson’s face, looking for some hope. “And then convince the others to keep me safe?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Grayson pursed his lips, looking uninterested.

“I could--could tell you something. About the Sect, in return for my life,” she said. “You can have an Eyros confirm I’m telling the truth--”

“No Eyros is going to look in your head, Jill.” Grayson started closing his hand again. “And I don’t really care about the Sect so--”

“No! No! Wait! You should! You want to become a Vampire, right? Now that you’ve got your chance!

” Jill’s voice shot up several octaves as Grayson closed his hand around her heart again.

“If I give you information, you can give it to whatever Bloodline of your choice and that will be worth something!”

“Again, I’m not really thinking the Sect of Dawn is all that scary--”

“You will!” Jill practically shrieked. “Because, if you don’t, one of the students is going to die!”