“My associates are getting their live
show anyway,” she whispered in
Julian’s ear, “I’ll never be able to show my face here
again.”
“Oh yes you will,” he muttered as
his thrusts became even more
forcible. She locked her arms and legs around him and
soon the world
outside faded away.
They emerged from Caitlin’s office
an hour later. In spite of their
efforts to tidy themselves, they still looked somewhat
disheveled.
Nobody looked up as they passed, but some giggles, together
with “good
night, Caitlin, good night, Mr. Luna” chased them as
they left.
During the next few months, Caitlin
and Julian lived in an exclusive
world of their own. They spent all their free time together.
Caitlin
finally started to believe that she was getting through
his seclusion.
He was still very secretive about his past, but she found
out that he
was well educated, especially in natural sciences. He
didn’t mind
sharing that knowledge. He would explain to her how the
moon created
tidal waves in the Earth’s oceans, made small sketches,
and cited
numbers from memory. He spent hours making her understand
the difference
between weight and mass. The laws of gravity became lucid,
but the
theory of relativity was beyond her grasp. When she implored
him to go
on a trip together he agreed and said that it was his
turn to kidnap
her. The next weekend he did just that.
He surprised her by turning up on
her doorstep early on Saturday
morning dressed in jeans - black jeans, but nevertheless
jeans - and a
thick sweater and telling her to dress for an excursion
in the country.
They drove for hours until they were high up in the mountains
where,
even more surprisingly, he built a camp. He had brought
food and heated
it for her over the campfire.
When the night came, he extinguished
the fire and got a telescope
from the trunk of his car. It was bigger and more powerful
than the one
he had given her. He put it together expertly and within
minutes they
were scanning the sky. He pointed out scores of stars
and constellations
which until now she had only heard of. He knew where
to look for all the
visible planets. At last, he made her look at a tiny,
blurry spot,
explaining that it was a galaxy, millions of light years
away. She knew
that astronomy was his favorite hobby, and he made it
more exciting to
her than her father, a professional in the field, had
ever been able to
do.
They slept on the bare ground that
night, swabbed in several
blankets in order to keep the cold at bay. Caitlin listened
to the
sounds of the night, wondering if there were any predators
nearby. When
she mentioned her concern to Julian, he laughed out loud
and said:
“I’m the top predator here.”
Nothing disturbed them that night. On Sunday
they went hiking,
watching nature, and enjoying the fresh air. They returned
to San
Francisco very late, so tired that they fell asleep still
wearing their
clothes. Caitlin never noticed that Julian had left her
alone in her bed
for several hours that night.
Julian marveled at his power over Caitlin.
Using his hands and his
body, he was able to make her forget the whole world,
no Kindred tricks
involved. Of course, she didn’t have his stamina and
would become tired
and spent within hours. It had been different with Lillie
and Alexandra.
They had been able to match his strength, could go on
for days and
nights. But no, that was over, he wanted Caitlin now.
The way she
abandoned herself in his arms, her vulnerability and
physical frailty,
made her more enticing than the equal Kindred women.
Even her inability
to keep up with him made her more endearing.
How do mortal men keep up with Kindred
women? he mused fleetingly.
Maybe, that’s why such relationships are so rare. How
was it for
Alexandra and Frank? He felt a touch of pity for the
human policeman who
had lost his love in such a cruel way. But his thoughts
soon returned to
Caitlin. He loved to watch her face when the pleasure
overwhelmed her:
her flushed skin, her scent, the way she would strain
against his body,
but most of all, that look on her face, her breath catching
in the soft
cries she made. If he was inside her, he’d try very hard
to be still and
then feel her muscles convulse. Often, it was enough
to send him over
the edge: as if her orgasm transported itself into him.
Such moments
more than made up for all the grief. Such moments were
worth living for.
He was very careful nowadays not to
let her draw any blood from him.
He prevented her from biting him and when he felt her
nails dig into his
back, he’d move his arms sideways, forcing her hands
to glide away from
his body. He hated to do that because he desired that
pain. He
remembered the first time he had been with Lillie. She
had clawed his
back and chest to shreds and then had licked the blood
off his skin. He
had done the same to her. He could still recall the taste
of her blood
when he lapped it from her breasts and her belly. The
memory aroused
him. But none of that with Caitlin. He had to be careful.
The other
night she had bitten her own hand. The smell of her blood
drove him mad.
Before he could stop himself, he’d taken her injured
hand and had sucked
at the tiny wounds. Luckily, she mistook it for a kiss.
He was
deliriously happy with Caitlin, but there were dark moments
when he was
aware that he was balancing on the edge of disaster.
With a long, deep kiss Julian tore
himself from his lover and left.
He hated doing that just after they had made love, but
he was already
late for the meeting. Caitlin closed the door behind
him and curled up
on her bed in a fetal position. She was still hot and
wet from their
lovemaking but she didn’t want to go and wash herself,
not yet. She
pressed her thighs together, trying to prevent the fluid
he had left
inside her from seeping out. She was sore inside from
chafing against
him. She felt swollen and tender. They had spent the
entire evening in
her bed. Her period had ended just a day ago and, as
usual, Julian had
avoided her during those days.
In the beginning, she had found his
behavior strange, but he told
her that it pained him: being near her and not being
able to make love
to her. The few times they had met during such days,
he really looked
like he was in pain. When she pointed out that there
was nothing to
prevent them from having sex during her period, Julian
had responded
that it would harm her and refused to discuss it further.
He was so
old-fashioned sometimes. She let it rest.
Odd, she thought. He always knows
without asking when I’m bleeding,
and I’m not very regular.
Tonight, however, he had made up for
the lost days. With his mouth
and his sensitive fingers he had excited her almost beyond
what she
could endure, until the throbbing pleasure started turning
into pain.
Until she pleaded with him to end it. She could still
hear her own
breathless, imploring voice:
“Please, Julian, I can’t take it anymore.
Please...”
He had made her come then in a violent,
extended orgasm that made
her head spin. When she had returned to reality she had
found, to her
disappointment, that she had been robbed of the gratification
of
experiencing his pleasure.
She realized that she was falling
asleep without having showered,
but the thought of getting up, turning on the lights
and getting into
the shower wasn’t appealing. The languid feeling of happiness
and
fulfillment took over, her hand drew a cover over her
body and she fell
asleep.
A touch woke her.
“Julian,” she murmured, “I’m too tired...”
The grip on her shoulder hardened.
She gasped in fright and the rush
of adrenaline made her instantly awake. Someone was in
her bedroom and
it wasn’t Julian! She cried out, trying to get away from
the hand that
held her, when something hit her on the head and the
darkness of the
night was exchanged for the deeper darkness of unconsciousness.
At noon, Julian was sure that something
was terribly wrong. There
was a call from her office. They had tried to reach her
at home and,
when there was no answer, somebody whipped up enough
courage to call the
Luna mansion. Julian felt the cold claws of fear rip
at his heart. Not
being able to get to him, somebody had taken Caitlin.
He called Frank
Kohanek and told him to meet him outside Caitlin’s house.
When the
policeman started to ask questions, Julian silenced him
effectively by
breaking the phone into pieces with his bare hands. Twenty
minutes
later, they were standing in Caitlin’s driveway. Her
car was parked in
the same way Julian had seen it the previous evening.
Her door wasn’t
locked. The policeman hesitated on the threshold.
“Are you going to tell me what it’s
all about?” he asked. Julian’s
hand was rubbing his forehead as if he were suffering
from a headache.
He was as pale as death.
“Caitlin’s missing.” His voice was
anguished.
Serves you right. Frank said it almost
aloud. But he checked himself
when he saw the desperation in the other’s face. They
went inside. There
was no sign of a struggle, only the rumpled bed. A paperweight
had been
thrown beside it. When Frank picked it up, they saw some
blood smeared
on it. When the policeman turned to Julian, he saw something
that
stopped him dead. Julian Luna’s dark brown eyes had turned
a bright
gleaming green color.
“You might get your revenge,” Julian
said in harsh voice, “but I
wonder, if it’ll be worth the cost.” He rushed out of
the house and,
when Frank Kohanek followed him after a few seconds,
he had disappeared,
although his car was still there.
Julian’s anger knew no boundaries.
He flew over the city, screaming
his rage at it. He wanted to wipe it off the face of
the earth: he
wanted flames and destruction: he wanted it dead. He
wanted to shatter
the Masquerade, to let the Kindred Clans drown it in
blood. But most of
all, he wanted the villain who had taken Caitlin. He
wanted Caitlin
back.
At last he exhausted himself. After
returning to his home, he sent
all those who could go out during daylight to roam the
city in search
for her. He locked himself in the library but it didn’t
stop Daedalus
from entering.
“I’ve lost her,” he said to his friend,
and felt tears run down on
his cheeks. Red droplets fell on his hands. The Nosferatu
Primogen moved
closer, putting a comforting hand on Julian’s shoulder.
“Nobody stands to gain from her death,”
he said. “She has been
taken in order to put pressure on you. Whoever has her,
knows that if
she’s harmed in any way, he’ll
have your wrath upon him. As soon as it gets dark I’ll
let the Nosferatu
search the city. I have a feeling that a visit to the
Brujahs might
prove fruitful.”
Julian looked up. He tried to dry
his tears, smearing the blood over
his face.
“What if she was taken by humans?”
he asked.
“Let’s hope that’s not the case,”
Daedalus answered. “Anyway,
grieving in advance will not help. Get some rest, Julian.
We’ll need
your keen eyes when night falls. Sitting here won’t help
you find her.”
With that, Daedalus left. He was worried.
If they didn’t find
Caitlin - or worse, if they found her dead - he was afraid
to think what
might happen. If Julian Luna went mad with grief, and
he was the sort of
person who might, if he endangered the Masquerade, then
he, Daedalus,
would have to kill the Prince of San Francisco. He shrunk
from that
horrendous thought.
Caitlin woke up totally disoriented.
The darkness around her was
absolute. She had a terrible headache, her mouth was
dry and she was
very cold. She realized that she was laid out naked on
a concrete floor.
Then her memory returned and she screamed. Before the
echo of her voice
died out, she heard steps. Someone crouched over her.
She was so afraid
that she started whimpering. Her face was slapped.
“Well, well,” a man’s voice said,
“Luna’s little bitch has come
around.” The voice sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn’t
place it.
“If you don’t keep quiet, I’ll break every bone in your
body,” the man
continued threateningly. Caitlin clamped her teeth together
so hard that
it hurt. She was trying to think very fast. She had been
taken by
somebody who wanted to get at Julian; not a casual kidnapping,
because
her bedroom window had been left open. She was here for
a reason. It
meant that there was hope that she would get out of this
alive - she
tried to comfort herself. She lay very still, keeping
her eyes shut,
although in this darkness it didn’t make any difference.
Her kidnapper took hold of her arms
and she felt him lean closer.
“If Luna wants his plaything back,”
he hissed in her ear, “it will
cost him dearly!” He shook her, but Caitlin kept her
silence. Suddenly,
he made an angry sound.
“I can smell him on you!” the man
exclaimed. Her legs were forced
apart and hard fingers thrust into her. She cried out
in pain.
“I can smell him in you!” the voice was
raging. With a swift
movement, he pressed her down and, in the next moment,
she felt his body
over hers. Oblivious of her screams, he thrust into her,
almost tearing
her apart. He was laughing and screaming obscenities.
“Luna’s slut! Luna’s slut!” he repeated
over and over.
This isn’t happening, Caitlin was
trying to defend her sanity, this
isn’t happening! But it was happening! The pain was unbearable.
Finally,
the merciful darkness of unconsciousness enveloped her
again and
delivered her from the nightmare.
When Caitlin regained her consciousness,
she found she was still in
the same place. She tried to move, but the pain made
her retch. She lay
back on the cold concrete, tears running down her face.
After a long
moment, she tried to pull herself together.
Okay, Caitlin, she told herself, you’ve
been kidnapped and raped.
But you’re alive and, as far as you know, nothing is
broken. You hurt
like hell but you’re not tied, so pull your act together
and try to find
a way out of here. Her rising anger helped her to her
feet. She moved
around on shaky legs. The cellar seemed empty. She found
a door, but it
was locked, then she came upon a bucket. She thrust her
finger into it -
cold water? She tasted it cautiously. It was. She scooped
the water with
both hands and drank as much as she could. Then she splashed
some in her
face and tried to wash herself, pouring the cold water
over her aching
body. She remembered that she hadn’t washed herself after
Julian had
left. If she had, then maybe this horror wouldn’t have
happened to her?
No, she thought, blaming Julian won’t
change a thing, at least not
now!
But thinking of Julian made her start
crying again: his gentle
hands, his kisses. She felt soiled, somehow destroyed.
She understood
now why rape had been described as a means of degradation.
“Oh, Julian,” she sobbed, “will you
ever want to touch me again?”
She crept into a corner, and pulling her legs up close
to her body,
rested her chin on her knees. She continued crying for
a long time.
Cameron was scared and remorseful.
He had let his anger at Julian
Luna get the better of him. Grabbing Caitlin and using
her for extortion
was one thing, but ravaging her the way he had was something
else
entirely. Every Kindred in the city knew that the Prince
was crazy about
his human lover; she was considered untouchable. And
he had not only
touched her but... Cameron shuddered. He had not set
out to harm her,
but when he had taken hold of her arms, the vivid images
of Julian’s and
Caitlin’s lovemaking had invaded his mind. Together with
their mixed
scents, it had sent him into a frenzy of lust and violence.
He regretted
it now. He didn’t feel sorry for Caitlin, after all,
she was just
another mortal. He hated Julian Luna but he feared him
too.
Cameron was much too intelligent to
underestimate his adversary the
way Eddie Fiori had. The truce between him and Julian
had been cool at
best, but now he had managed to turn the Prince into
a mortal enemy. By
now, Luna probably knew that Caitlin was missing and
made sure that no
one could get to him. To try to kill him now was not
an option. Killing
Caitlin would only make things worse. He had to get rid
of Caitlin
before the Gangrels started banging on his door during
the day and the
Nosferatu during the night. He knew that locked doors
and dark cellars
were no obstacles for the mighty Nosferatu. He would
blindfold her and
dump her outside some hospital this very evening, before
the Nosferatu
started searching. He thought of Daedalus and shivered
again. He didn’t
care to face that one again. After all, Julian Luna,
apart from being
the Prince of San Francisco, was just another Ventrue:
sleek, cunning,
intelligent, sometimes more deadly than a panther, but
still another
Kindred like himself. The Nosferatu Primogen on the other
hand, well,
there were rumors that even he, a Brujah, found difficult
to believe. He
didn’t want to dwell on it. With luck, the woman hadn’t
recognized his
voice, and Julian would never know for sure who had attacked
her. He
called his most trusted associates and gave orders to
get Caitlin,
blindfold her and then dump her outside one of the city’s
hospitals. He
didn’t see that Sasha had just come to the gates of the
Brujah Compound
when the car carrying Caitlin sped out.
Caitlin cried out in pain. She was
lying on an examination table and
the nurse holding her hands was murmuring comforting
words. The doctor
examining her tried to be as careful as possible, but
it still hurt like
hell.
“There,” the doctor was saying, “it’s
over. Now, let’s get you
cleaned a little and then you can get some rest. Warm
water ran between
her legs and there was the stinging smell of antiseptics.
She heard the
clinking of instruments being put away and a thin sheet
was put over her
legs and belly.
“Doctor,” Caitlin only managed to
whisper, “am I badly hurt?”
A woman’s graying head bowed over
her.
“You’ll be quite all right, my dear,”
she said with a reassuring
smile. “Those laceration will heal within a few weeks.”
She stroked
Caitlin’s hair gently. “It might take longer in here.”
Then her face
became professionally impassive. “As regards sex, I’m
afraid you’ll have
to abstain for at least a month.”
Caitlin was allowed to take a shower
and was put to bed after being
given a mild sedative. A beautiful black nurse was at
her side all the
time, her compassionate eyes comforting.
“I’m not suicidal,” Caitlin murmured
to her before falling asleep.
As it turned out, Frank Kohanek was
the first one to be informed
that Caitlin had been found. The hospital filed a police
report. He
decided to talk to the doctor first. He entered her office,
his badge
already in his hand.
“Yes?” the woman said inquiringly.
Frank told her his name and rank and
proceeded to ask about Caitlin.
“There isn’t much I can add to our
earlier report,” the doctor said.
“According to what Ms. Byrne has told us, she never saw
her assailant.
Only...” She hesitated for a moment and told him about
the test results.
The nurse gave Frank a stern look when
he entered. He glanced at
Caitlin’s prone form. The left side of her face was swollen,
there was a
cut on her forehead and several scratches on the hand
that clutched the
blanket that covered her. Frank wanted to talk to Caitlin
before he
contacted Luna, but she was asleep and there was no chance
that the
watchful nurse would let him wake her. He just stood
there, dithering,
when suddenly Caitlin screamed and sat up in bed. She
fell back, moaning
in pain, the nurse was immediately at her side, cradling
and comforting
her. Frank moved closer. Watching her frightened expression
was torture,
but he had to talk to her. After an anguished moment
her eyes focused on
him and she frowned.
“The police, what’s... why?” She was
unable to put together a
coherent sentence.
Frank sat on the edge of her bed and,
taking hold of her hand, said
as gently as he could:
“Hospital policy. They filed a report
about your... rape.” There was
no way around it. She tried to remove her hand, but he
didn’t let go.
“Caitlin,” he tried to get through
to her, through the despair in
her eyes, “Caitlin, you must tell me what happened, please.”
She closed her eyes for a few seconds,
and then looked up at him,
making a visible effort to concentrate.
“I was at home, after...” A sob escaped
her, and the nurse made a
disapproving sound. But Frank was determined to get all
the information
he could.
“Yes?” he prodded. Caitlin took a
deep breath and continued:
“Somebody was there, grabbed me...
then there was nothing. Then...
dark, cold, a man, never saw his face...” She started
to cry again. “He
called me names... and Julian’s... he called me Luna’s
slut... I
thought, he would tear me to pieces.” She turned her
face away, tugging
at the sheet, trying to wipe her tears with it.
“Caitlin,” Frank disregarded the nurse’s
attempts to stop him,
“Caitlin, this is important, are you sure there was only
one man?”
“I don’t know,” Caitlin shook her
head. “I passed out. Does it
matter? But I don’t think that there was anyone else,
I...” The tears
burst out again. Frank waited until she calmed down and
then squeezed
her hand a little, just enough to catch her attention.
“The doctor said...” He looked away
for a moment, not knowing how to
continue, and then started anew. “She said that according
to the test
results there were two men...” His voice trailed off.
Caitlin’s breath caught; then she
turned to Frank and hid her face
against his chest. She shook and sobbed for several minutes;
then raised
her head and looked Frank Kohanek straight in the eyes.
“Julian was with me before I was attacked.
We... made love.”
That exquisite evening. Was it only
yesterday? The memory of the
happiness and the satisfaction she had experienced in
Julian’s arms made
her heart break. Her sobs became uncontrollable. Frank
held her lightly
at first, but his anger made his embrace more forceful.
Another woman
hurt, if not yet destroyed, because of Luna. He wanted
to find Julian
Luna and beat him up, although he knew he’d never be
able to do it.
Although he hadn’t harmed Caitlin
himself, as far as Frank Kohanek
was concerned Julian Luna was the one to blame. When
Caitlin became a
little calmer, he let her lie down again and walked out.
He hadn’t told
her the last piece of information that the doctor had
shared with him.
According to the tests, both men whose semen had been
taken from Caitlin
were sterile.
Frank braced himself and called the
Luna mansion. Julian wasn’t
there so he just left the message; I’ve found her, together
with the
number of his cellular phone. He decided to give Luna
five minutes to
get in touch. The call came within three. Frank said
the name of the
hospital, intending to break the connection immediately,
but something
in Julian’s voice made him listen.
“Is she... Is she alive?” Luna asked.
Suddenly, the British accent
was more pronounced than ever.
He’s losing control! Frank thought.
He took pity, and said:
“Yes, get your ass here as fast as
you can.” This time he broke the
connection. He wanted to see Luna sweat.
Julian Luna heeded Daedalus’ demand
that he should go to the
hospital by car. It would have been faster to fly, but
he listened to
reason. He didn’t make any fuss about all the bodyguards
who crammed
themselves into the car with him. He didn’t want to lose
any time on
futile arguments. They arrived after twenty-five minutes
of
neck-breaking speeding. Julian allowed only Cash and
Arthur to follow
him inside. They found Frank Kohanek just beyond the
entrance.
The two men faced each other.
“Where is she?” Julian demanded.
“We must talk first.” The policeman
took Julian’s arm, and looked
pointedly at the men behind him. “Alone,” he added.
Julian made a dismissive gesture to
his bodyguards. Cash opened his
mouth to protest, but the look he received from his Prince
made him shut
up with an audible clap. The two men melted away. Slowly,
Julian Luna
took hold of Frank’s hand and removed it from his arm.
That deliberate
slowness made Frank realize that Luna didn’t want to
pulverize his
bones. Not yet. The vivid feeling of being confronted
by a vicious
animal poised to strike made Frank Kohanek cautious.
He talked fast, as
if he were reciting a police report.
“Caitlin Byrne was found outside this
hospital at eight this
evening. She was half-conscious and badly bruised. She
has been
examined, cleaned up and sedated. She’s asleep now.”
Frank ran out of
breath.
“Where is she?” Julian repeated his
question.
“She’s upstairs, but...” As Julian
moved past him, Frank grabbed his
arm again. “Wait!” he shouted. “She has been raped!”
Julian Luna stopped, as if he had
walked into a wall. His face
turned deathly pale and Frank saw that green shimmer
again. But he was
past being afraid.
“Yes,” he continued, “she has been
raped, and by one of your own
kind.” He recounted what the doctor had told him.
Julian was absolutely still; only
his eyes became increasingly pale
green. Then, with a snarl, he wrenched his arm free from
Frank’s grip
and bolted towards the staircase. Frank Kohanek would
never know how
close he came to being ripped to shreds.
Julian stood outside the door to Caitlin’s
sickroom trying to fight
down his rage. At last, he felt his eyes return to normal;
his hands
relaxed, the claws and fangs disappeared. He started
to breathe again
and walked in.
The room was almost dark. A tiny,
weak lamp, placed close to
Caitlin’s head, was the only source of light. The nurse
sat sleeping in
a chair near the bed. Julian moved closer without making
a sound.
Julian Luna spent the night on his
knees at Caitlin’s bedside. The
nurse was dismayed at seeing him every time she woke
up, his position
unchanged, but she didn’t have the heart to disturb the
man, who she
thought was praying. He was totally immobile, crouching
slightly over
the edge of the bed, his head bowed. He held Caitlin’s
palm against his
face with both his hands; his eyes were closed. In the
end, the uncanny
immobility of the strange man got to the nurse - it was
scary. She
checked on Caitlin several times during the night. The
man never seemed
to notice her presence.
In the early morning, when the daylight
started slipping in, she was
at last able to take a good look at him. He was extremely
handsome, in a
devilish sort of way. Even in this humble position, there
was an
atmosphere of power and wealth about him. Quietly, she
tiptoed out to
get some coffee and was faced by two men outside the
door. Her heart
skipped a beat before she realized the obvious.
Of course, bodyguards, she thought.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and,
after a moment of hesitation,
she poured another one before she went back. One of the
guards opened
the door for her and tried to peer inside at the same
time. She shut the
door resolutely by leaning on it with her back. The kneeling
man was
startled by the bang. He turned his head and looked at
her, then got to
his feet effortlessly. Seeing her surprise, he tried
to smile.
“Years of practice,” he said, covering
his mistake. No mere mortal
would have been able to move the way he did after several
hours of
kneeling. She offered him the coffee.
“Good morning, Mr.?” He could hear
the question mark.
“Luna,” he accepted the coffee she
was holding out to him, and shook
her hand, “Julian Luna,” he introduced himself. “Caitlin
is my...
fiancée.” He sipped the coffee and made a grimace.
“Thank you, Nurse
Donovan,” he said, after peeking at the badge on her
chest.
“It’s the hospital brew,” she tried
being cheery. “You’re not
supposed to like it, but it does wake you up.”
Caitlin stirred and moaned and nurse
Donovan was immediately
forgotten. Julian was back on his knees and, clasping
her hand, he
whispered her name. Caitlin’s eyes opened. Slowly she
looked around, her
vision focusing. The nurse moved closer, but Caitlin’s
gaze came to rest
on Julian’s face. Her chin began to tremble as she tried
to move towards
him. He clasped her tight to his chest.
“It’s all right,” he said, “it’s all
right, my love. You’re safe
now.”
For almost an hour, Caitlin cried
her heart out. Julian held her in
his arms, rocking her gently. She was shaking uncontrollably,
her whole
body racked by heart-rending sobs. Julian tried to comfort
her,
whispering softly, hiding his feelings perfectly. There
was nothing soft
inside him. He would do anything to avenge Caitlin’s
misery. Could there
ever be justice for what had been done to her? He didn’t
think of the
justice that belonged in Caitlin’s world. The justice
of courtrooms,
judges and lawyers. No! He thought of the justice of
the Kindred and the
human justice of his time as a mortal. He thought of
tar and feathers on
fire, of shotguns and hanging ropes, with some torture
thrown in for
good measure. And he wanted to do it himself!
Never in his life, before or after
he had been Embraced, had he
wanted to hurt somebody just for the sake of inflicting
pain. Never,
until now. The streak of cruelty that he found in himself
appalled him.
It wouldn’t diminish Caitlin’s hurt one bit if he tortured
her abuser to
death. Nevertheless, that’s what he wanted to do. He
wanted to hear
bones break, muscles tear and screams of agony. He tried
to banish such
pictures from his mind. In vain - they would be there
until he got his
revenge.
The door opened and the doctor came
in. She frowned at the scene she
saw.
“Who are you, and who are those men
outside?” she asked.
Julian didn’t let go of Caitlin but,
before he responded, the nurse
came to his rescue, whispering into the doctor’s ear.
Her face softened
somewhat, but she told him to get out - she wanted to
examine Caitlin.
Reluctantly, Julian obeyed. He waited outside, noticing
that both Cash
and Arthur made a point of not looking at him. Unlike
the humans, they
were quite able to sense the emotions that raged inside
him.
He intended to return to Caitlin when
the doctor came out, but she
stopped him.
“I want to talk to you, Mr. Luna.
I’m doctor Enright. Please come
with me.”
He followed her meekly to her office
where she bade him to sit down.
Julian Luna had been educated enough to respect the science
of medicine.
Physicians were dangerous. Their knowledge equipped them
with means of
uncovering the Masquerade. They were able to notice things
that no other
mortal could see.
How many doctors had paid with their
lives for their keen powers of
observation? Julian wondered. He decided to make sure
that she wouldn’t
get too close to him. But at the moment she sat behind
her desk, looking
him over.
“I’m told that you and Ms. Byrne are
close.” She was stating a fact,
so Julian only nodded.
“Good,” she continued in a professional
tone. “Our tests showed two
different kinds of semen. Were you and Ms. Byrne intimate
during the
twenty four hours prior to her abduction?”
Julian confirmed with another nod;
he didn’t trust his voice. What
was she aiming at?
“Good,” she said again. “We’ll need
a sample from you; a blood
sample will do,” she added, noticing his terrified expression.
Julian Luna’s heart stopped, literally.
He could feel the silence of
fear inside his own body. The doctor leaned over her
desk, gazing at him
worriedly.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
To her, it must look as if he was
about to faint, his face white,
his eyes fluttering. He forced himself to breathe and
took advantage of
the situation.
“Doctor,” he made his voice sound
weak, “I haven’t eaten or slept
for almost two days. I’m sorry, but I don’t think that
I can take it
right now. Besides, what good would it do?”
“We could tell the two of you apart,”
she answered. “It would help
to identify the rapist once he’s caught.”
“If he’s caught!” Julian’s voice regained
its strength.
But it wouldn’t do, he thought. He
will be caught, but not by
humans! He stood up. He had to get away from the doctor’s
prying eyes.
But she wasn’t finished.
“There were some strange similarities,”
she was saying, “and you’re
both sterile. He could be a relative of yours.”
But Julian already knew that much.
“No,” he said. “I have no relatives
in this city.” He walked quickly
out of her office with a strange feeling that her eyes
were burning
holes in his back.
Doctor Enright was talking to Frank
Kohanek.
“I don’t know why, but there’s something
strange about this Luna
character. I can’t put my finger on it except for the
fact that he
almost passed out in my office at the mere mention of
a needle.”
“He’s strange, all right,” Frank laughed
dryly, “but you shouldn’t
let him fool you. He can stand the sight of blood - I
know that for a
fact - even if it’s his own blood.”
“Well, I don’t think he had anything
to do with what happened to
Caitlin. Nurse Donovan told me that he spent the whole
night kneeling by
that poor girl’s bed.”
“Yeah, he does love her. The whole
city knows that by now. But what
happened to her happened because of that. The attack
on Caitlin was
aimed at Luna. But someone got stupid, and if I know
Luna well, and by
now I do, that someone is in trouble,” Frank sounded
harsh.
“What do you mean?” the doctor asked.
“Are you telling me that he
might take the matter into his own hands?”
Frank shook his head vehemently.
“If Julian Luna gets hold of that
rapist, he’ll personally tear him
to pieces so small, that all the pathologists in this
hospital won’t be
able to put him back together!”
The doctor looked at him in dismay.
“This is no laughing matter,” she
admonished.
“You bet it isn’t. But you know what,
for once I’m on his side. And
if he does... well, I won’t lift a finger to stop him.”
The doctor was still gaping in disbelief
when Frank Kohanek left her
office.
When the doctor came in she found Caitlin
sitting in bed, Julian at
her side, holding her up, while she ate some soup. The
swelling on her
face had subsided, but she still looked ill, her skin
almost
transparent. Julian Luna, on the other hand, looked much
healthier than
he did those few days ago. However, the look he gave
her made her decide
against mentioning any blood sampling. It would have
to wait.
“How are you, Caitlin?” She made an
effort to sound kind.
Caitlin tried to produce a smile for
her doctor, but failed.
“I’m so tired, so very tired...” Her
voice was barely audible.
“It’s the medication. You’ll feel
better in a few days when we take
you off those pills.”
But Caitlin only sagged, and the doctor
saw how Julian’s face
contorted in pain. She watched as he helped Caitlin to
lie back and then
saw the bright spark in the girl’s eyes as she looked
at her lover. He
smiled back and, in that instant, there were only two
of them in the
whole world.
Nothing can separate them, the doctor
thought, taken aback by her
own flash of envy. She turned away. Somehow, the glance
that passed
between Caitlin and Julian was the most intimate thing
that she had ever
witnessed. It made her feel like she were intruding.
Abruptly, she
walked out but returned within seconds, and beckoned
to Julian.
“It’s against my better judgement,
but I’ll let you have it your
way. You can take her home the day after tomorrow. On
the condition that
Nurse Donovan goes with you.” She brushed away his attempts
to protest.
“You can afford that and Caitlin needs someone to be
with her around the
clock. I hope, you will take those two as well.” She
nodded towards Cash
and Arthur. “They are becoming a permanent fixture here.
This is a
hospital, for God’s sake!” she started to sound angry.
“Thank you, doctor Enright,” Julian
said simply. Then he did
something that stunned her into silence. He took her
hand and, bowing
over it formally, kissed it lightly. His touch felt very
hot and dry.
“Mr. Luna, you have a fever!” she
exclaimed. He let go of her hand
as if it stung him, then checked himself.
“My body temperature has always been
higher than normal,” he said.
“I’ve been told by members of your profession that it’s
the reason for
my sterility.” He turned to go, but she stopped him once
more.
“You must let her heal, give her time,”
she sighed inwardly at his
blank stare, “for at least a month, maybe more. When
Caitlin is ready,
she will let you know.”
“If ever,” Julian said with infinite
sadness.
Caitlin was brought to the mansion
late in the afternoon. Some of
her closest friends were allowed to visit her just before
she was
discharged from the hospital. They brought flowers and
sweets. She did
her best to look brave in their presence. To their surprise,
as well as
her own, she succeeded. Of course, they didn’t know what
had really
happened to her. As far as the rest of the world was
concerned, the
beautiful city editor had been kidnapped and badly battered.
There were
speculations in other papers that maybe something had
been printed that
made someone angry. After all, there was that long series
of articles on
pollution in which the heavy industry was pointed out
as the villain
behind various scandals during recent years. Only some
of the tabloids
mentioned Julian Luna’s name, making the correct assumption
that the
kidnapping of the editor was aimed at the publisher.
But then, who takes
tabloids seriously?
Although Caitlin was quite capable
of walking, Julian insisted on
carrying her into the house. There was something symbolic
in that
gesture, making her realize that she’d probably stay
there for a long
time, maybe for good. A sort of an apartment had been
prepared; a
bedroom connected to a bathroom for her, another one
for the nurse, a
sitting room, even a small kitchen. During the first
couple of days
Caitlin suspected that she was still being fed sedatives
because she
slept most of the time. Sometimes, when she woke up,
Julian was there, a
supporting smile on his face.
One morning, when Caitlin opened her
eyes, she found Sasha sitting
at her bedside. The girl had brought books, magazines
and an enormous
container of Caitlin’s favorite ice cream. After some
initial talk about
irrelevant matters, she asked Caitlin right out about
what had happened.
Caitlin was surprised.
“Julian hasn’t told you?” she asked.
Sasha shook her head.
“He hasn’t said anything to anybody.
But sometimes, the way he
looks... everybody just gets out of his way. I’ve never
seen him so
upset. Not since...” She made a dismissive gesture.
“It’s not
important,” she added.
Caitlin gazed at Sasha, wondering.
Julian had not yet posed a single
question to her. Had he sent his niece to conduct the
investigation he
didn’t dare do himself? Didn’t he have the guts to face
her ordeal. No,
Julian was no coward. Sasha had come to ask questions
on her own. But
Caitlin didn’t tell the girl the truth. Only that she
had been hit on
the head and then kept in a dark cellar.
“I was unconscious most of the time,”
she confessed, trying to keep
her face impassive. Sasha seemed relieved.
But that very evening, when Julian
came in to see her, he sent the
nurse out.
“Caitlin,” he touched her face tenderly,
“do you think that you can
talk about what has happened?”
She looked at him apprehensively
and her hands began to shake. He
saw it and covered her shaking hand with his.
“Caitlin,” his voice took on a mesmerizing
quality, “talk to me!”
She did her best to recollect the
details of that terrible night.
Closing her eyes, she recounted all she could remember
in a monotonous
voice. Julian turned his face away when she came to the
most gory
details of the violation. She didn’t see his harsh expression
or his
bright green eyes. Reliving the experience left her empty,
numb and
weak. Julian stayed with her that night, holding her
and caressing her
face whenever she woke up crying. The nurse peeked in
every few hours,
but most of the time she left them alone.
Caitlin waited for weeks for the shock
to overwhelm her, but the
break down never came. She was depressed and afraid of
the dark, but the
nurse told her that it was only natural. As the pain
subsided, and then
disappeared due to the healing process, her ordeal seemed
more and more
like a terrible nightmare, not a reality that she had
lived through.
The discomfort woke her in the middle
of the night. She threw away
the covers, and screamed when she saw the blood. The
nurse came running,
still half-asleep. She burst out laughing, when she understood
what had
happened.
“Honey,” she was trying to reach Caitlin
through the attack of
hysteria, “it’s okay, it’s just your period starting,
you’ll be all
right!”
She helped Caitlin to the bathroom
and made sure that the girl had
calmed down before she returned to the bedroom to change
the
bloodstained bedclothes. Caitlin stood in the shower,
watching her blood
dilute and disappear down the drain in pink rivulets.
The hot water that
battered at her skin made her feel alive and alert. The
sight of the
blood that was running out of her body made her light-headed.
It was as
if she was being... cleansed!
The next day Caitlin decided that
she’d had enough of feeling sorry
for herself. It was time to go back to work. Only this
time she didn’t
make any fuss about Arthur’s ubiquitous presence. In
fact, she was
grateful; his attention was reassuring. Her colleagues
welcomed her
warmly. There was a lot of work that awaited her and
she buried herself
in it with abandon. For hours, she was able to forget.
Was life
returning to normal?
Julian called her late in the evening.
Caitlin steeled herself,
expecting him to scold her, but he seemed genuinely pleased
that she was
working again, joking about having reason to sign her
paycheck. It made
her laugh.
The nurse had been dismissed.
Caitlin still slept with the lights
on. She still had nightmares,
but these created more a feeling of danger than real
threat. She figured
that it was because what had happened to her had transpired
in the
darkness, thus her imagination never conjured up any
images.
Also, Julian had made himself scarce.
She didn’t mind that, however.
She was apprehensive about facing him alone. He had been
nothing but
wonderful during those past weeks, but she was unsure
of herself, afraid
of not knowing what her reaction would be if he wanted
to make love to
her.
He came for her when she was at work,
hammering away at her
computer. She looked at him bleary-eyed, suddenly aware
that her hair
was standing on end and that her make-up had disappeared
hours ago.
Also, her stomach was screaming bloody murder; she hadn’t
eaten anything
since lunch.
“Julian!” she exclaimed, “I didn’t
hear you come in. What time is
it?”
He made a point of looking at his
watch.
“It’s past eleven,” he smiled at her surprise,
“and I don’t pay you
that much! Whatever you’re working on, can wait till
tomorrow.”
Her stomach growled angrily and the
sound made her flinch. Julian’s
smile became wider.
“Let’s go,” he said. “The least I
can do is to buy you dinner.”
They went to a small Mexican restaurant
not far from Caitlin’s home.
As usual, he ate nothing, and, as usual, she stuffed
herself while he
watched with amusement, sipping his wine. Caitlin forced
him to share
her ice cream at least, and he yielded gracefully. The
single spoon
passing between them, she persevered until he admitted
to liking it.
She almost fell asleep in the car.
It came to a stop outside her
place. Her palms were sweaty all of a sudden, her heart
beating faster.
“I thought you would like to make
sure that your home is all right.
I have arranged for everything to be put in order.” The
nervousness in
his voice was audible, the British accent suddenly manifest.
“I don’t have the key,” Caitlin mumbled.
“I do.” He opened the door and let
her go in first. The lights were
on.
He took her in his arms before they
reached the sitting room. She
could hear her own heartbeat when their lips met in a
soft kiss. But
when he drew her closer, his mouth pressing hers open
in search of
intimacy, her body stiffened and she tore away from him,
a sob catching
in her throat.
“Julian, I can’t,” she cried out in
anguish. He let go of her so
abruptly that she almost fell. Her whole body was shaking
in panic. She
shied away from his touch when he reached for her again,
trying to
steady her. But this time he didn’t let go and, after
a few seconds of
struggling, she just leaned against him, crying in a
forlorn way.
“It’s all right, Caitlin, it’s all
right.” He waited until she
stopped crying before he made her lie down in her bed.
He sat in a chair
at her bedside until she fell asleep.
Julian was gone in the morning but
the answering machine was
blinking at her urgently. He had placed it on the chair
he had been
sitting on the night before. It made her smile; Julian
hated answering
machines.
“I love you, Caitlin,” Julian’s voice
was saying. “I can wait
forever.” There was a short silence before the message
continued. “I’ll
come for you at a more appropriate time this evening.
Maybe some more
ice cream.” There was a slight chuckle. “Oh, by the way,
Arthur awaits
outside.” The message ended there.
For the first time in her life, Sasha
tried very hard to be logical.
This unending argument had been going on in her mind
ever since she saw
Caitlin being driven out of the Brujah Compound. When
she returned home
that night and was informed that Caitlin had been found,
she had decided
then and there to keep her mouth shut. She cared for
her Uncle Julian,
but she didn’t hate Cameron the way she had hated Eddie
Fiori. She had
also started to like Caitlin. However, her motives weren’t
quite
altruistic in the case of Julian’s lover. Since the death
of Archon,
these two had spent more and more time together, and
Caitlin had stayed
in the mansion overnight quite often. That meant, of
course, that Julian
spent more time at home, leaving his bodyguard, Cash,
free to be with
Sasha. Oh yes, Sasha liked Caitlin a lot, enough for
her conscience to
constantly batter her:
Tell Uncle Julian what you have seen!
She saw Julian’s distress and it pained
her, but when she tried to
imagine what would happen if he knew for sure that the
Brujah had
abducted Caitlin, she shivered in fear. Julian would
pursue Cameron with
all his might and Cash would be in the front wave of
that might. No,
Sasha didn’t want her lover to become a casualty of war.
After all,
Caitlin came out of this with nothing more serious than
a scare and a
bump on the head.
Sasha chased away the whispers of
her conscience. If Julian ever
finds out about Cameron’s role in Caitlin’s kidnapping,
it won’t be from
Sasha. She also prayed silently that he’d never know
that she’d withheld
that information. By now she knew how fierce her Uncle
Julian could be.
“Time is on my side!” Lillie was trying very
hard to comfort herself.
It didn’t work. She had been thrown out. Well, not exactly
thrown out
the way her guards would throw a drunkard out of Haven,
but asked to
leave. Julian even bought a house for her. But Lillie
was honest, at
least to herself. She had done all the things Julian
accused her of. She
had betrayed him, almost getting him killed. The fact
that she had
decapitated Eddie in everybody’s presence didn’t change
that. After all,
she only precipitated his destruction. She had tried
to get rid of
Caitlin, sending her right into the claws of Goth and
Camilla. What a
fiasco! Goth had lost his head, and Julian had gained
a lover. She had
endangered the Masquerade by hiring that PI to follow
Julian. In the
privacy of her own mind, she had to admit that being
thrown out by
Julian was a mild punishment. Only she still loved Julian
and wanted him
back. How long would she have to wait before he got tired
of his human
lover?
She wasn’t even beautiful! Pretty,
yes, but far from the
breath-taking beauty of his other mortal mistresses,
whom Lillie had
watched come and go in the past. None of his ”mortal”
affairs had ever
lasted longer than a few months, a couple of years at
the most. She
thought of that blonde film star, the one who had died
so mysteriously;
vicious rumor connected her death to the President of
the United States.
But Lillie wasn’t fooled. There was no doubt in her mind
that Julian had
done away with his human lover. Why? Lillie could only
guess. There were
other mysterious deaths and disappearances. Julian had
a weakness for
mortal women, although these flings seldom lasted, often
ending in
disaster. Alexandra was Kindred, and now she was dead
too. Lillie
shuddered inwardly. All things considered, it was rather
dangerous to be
Julian’s mistress. But Caitlin had lasted longer than
most. What made
her special? Lillie wondered. She knew of course that
Caitlin had saved
Julian’s life with her own blood. All Primogens knew
that; all that were
close to Julian knew.
Lillie had always trusted her judgment,
but it had disappointed her
lately. She remembered how it was when she first met
Julian Luna. He had
turned up in England more than a hundred years ago. He
had been quite
careless at that point of his life, spreading destruction
around. Only
no one suspected anything; so many died mysteriously,
anyway. Who might
have guessed that some died because Julian had been courting
disaster.
Lillie had come upon him because he was suspected of
being Jack the
Ripper. The Kindred of London were worried. But the Ripper,
a renegade
Brujah who had left a bloody trail after his visit to
the City, was soon
apprehended and condemned to final death. There were
no bloody trails
left by Julian Luna, only scores of hysteric women, some
of whom died of
high fever, ranting madly. Humans never suspected anything,
putting the
blame on the some raging epidemic. Julian was too smart
to leave bloody
tracks. But the Kindred Clans of London weren’t amused.
Julian had been summoned by the Prince
of the City of London who
looked at the American upstart with disdain. But, to
his surprise, the
Ventrue immigrant wouldn’t be intimidated. He repudiated
all accusations
coolly. In truth, he had not endangered the Masquerade.
None of the
human women had died directly in connection with his
advances. In fact,
they died when he wasn’t present. In fact, they died
because he had left
them.
Lillie Langtry was impressed. Up till
now, this had been her domain.
It had worked when she had been mortal and it worked
even better now.
But she had always been the predator; the men had been
her prey. Lillie
fell madly in love with Julian Luna. Together, they had
made London
their own playground. Oh, how she had enjoyed life then!
A close friendship had developed between
them over the years. They
both had other affairs, but sooner or later would return
to each other,
never letting jealousy interfere. So he liked mortal
women, but he would
become tired of them as soon as their demands for emotional
commitment
exceeded their ability to please him. Lillie never demanded
anything
more than his entire attention when they were together.
And that, she
would get. With her, he could be as violent as he wanted.
Lillie could
match his fierceness, his violent temper, his desire,
if not his
strength.
When Julian was summoned to return
to America, he informed her
casually.
“I’ll be sorry to see you leave,”
she had said, her voice level. She
wanted to beg him to take her with him, but her pride
had stopped her.
That night, after they had exhausted
themselves by making love with
more frenzy than they had exhibited in years, he had
asked her to come
with him to San Francisco. It was the first time Julian
had made her
cry, but those had been tears of happiness. She had never
suspected that
she would cry in anger and despair over Julian Luna.
But that’s what she
was doing right now. She was a Toreador, an easy prey
to her own
emotions. And now she had been discarded like a pair
of old shoes!
Lillie wasn’t used to being discarded. In the past, she
had been the one
to do that to others.
But time is on my side, Lillie turned
the sentence over and over in
her mind. Only Lillie didn’t own the patience of a Ventrue.
She had come
to San Francisco with Julian. She liked the city and
had managed to
charm everybody. Even Archon seemed pleased that she
was Julian’s
companion. Julian’s ravages among mortal women had always
alarmed his
Sire. It was Archon’s financial help that made Lillie
the proud owner of
Haven, and it was his support that helped her to become
the Primogen of
the Toreador Clan in San Francisco.
And now, all her successes were quickly turning to nothing.
But Lillie was never the one to say
die. One thing she knew for sure
though, she had been plain stupid. No more of that. Trying
to take out
Julian Luna with the aid of Eddie Fiori! Ridiculous!
How could she
forget Julian’s past? He hadn’t been Archon’s enforcer
for so many years
for nothing. He destroyed almost the entire Brujah population
in
Manzanita. He defeated the Nosferatu renegade Goth, single-handedly.
Having Julian Luna as an enemy was no game. No, she was
through playing
games. So, what could she do?
Caitlin?
To go after Caitlin wasn’t such a
good idea either. If anything
happened to that vapid little reporter of his, Julian
would suspect
Lillie immediately. She would have to leave Caitlin alone.
So, what
could she do? Sit tight, biding her time? That wasn’t
Lillie’s style.
She wanted to act, to fight, to win Julian back.
Think, Lillie, think!
First, she had to recapture Julian’s
trust. How? Listen and observe.
The right opportunity will present itself. In the meantime,
convince him
of her loyalty. Protect him! Support him at every opportunity!
Starting
now. Starting with that police officer, Frank Kohanek.
It shouldn’t be
too difficult to distract him, keep him out of Julian’s
hair. After all,
he was just a human male, and in Lillie’s experience,
human males were
easily distracted. Besides, he was quite fun to have
around, and she
needed something to occupy herself with. For the time
being, Frank
Kohanek would do.
You’re the biggest fool alive, Frank
Kohanek was complimenting
himself. Getting involved with a Kindred female once
was stupid. Doing
it twice was idiotic. Taking up with Julian Luna’s mistress
was
downright insane.
Your affairs with the immortals might
prove prejudicial to your
health, he laughed at himself. His sense of humor was
what kept him
sane. He watched Lillie while she dressed; she was so
beautiful. Was he
falling in love with another Kindred woman? What madness
would this one
create for him?
He was both fascinated and scared
of her. Unlike Julian Luna, Lillie
Langtry didn’t mind sharing her past with her human lover.
But Frank
noticed that she was very careful not to say anything
incriminating
about her former lover. She was reluctant to talk about
him, but Frank
understood that the Prince was always on her mind.
They had exchanged information. Lillie
told him how she had killed
Eddie Fiori.
Well, scratch Fiori, Frank thought.
He was no big loss to anyone.
The only thing that Frank had to trade with was his knowledge
of what
had happened to Caitlin. To his surprise, Lillie seemed
quite upset
about it and not because the crime had been committed
by a Kindred.
Was there any room for compassion
inside this cold-blooded woman? he
wondered as saw he her eyes flash like white lightning.
Lillie tried to
get as much information out of him as she could, but
there was no more
he could give her. He asked what she intended to do with
the knowledge
she had obtained from him. She had smiled her cold, perfect
smile.
“Can you imagine what Julian Luna
would pay for information that
pointed out the guilty bastard?” she had retorted, “or
what the guilty
bastard would pay to prevent that information from reaching
the Prince?”
“But he already knows that it was one
of your kind,” Frank said.
“The question is - who?”
But Lillie had only laughed and had
left in a hurry.
Lillie was appalled. Her hatred for
Julian’s lover was one thing,
but this! Lillie was still a woman. What had been done
to Caitlin was
revolting. And Lillie knew all too well how revolting.
She had been
raped when she was still a mere mortal. In fact, it was
the reason that
she decided to ask to be Embraced when the opportunity
arose. Oh, how
she had enjoyed her revenge! She could still relive the
triumph she had
felt when she tore the corpse to pieces.
Lillie had not been informed that
Caitlin had been abducted until
after she had recovered. Did Julian suspect her? It seemed
so strange.
Why would anyone grab Caitlin, and then drop her like
a hot potato,
within twenty-four hours?
Strange indeed. No money had changed
hands, no concessions had been
made. Lillie figured that somebody had taken Caitlin
before realizing
who she was, and then let her go in a hurry. Nobody in
his right mind
would mess with Julian Luna!
But now, Lillie saw it in a different
light. There was something she
could do to regain Julian’s trust. Being the owner of
Haven had its
advantages. Sooner or later, all information came her
way. She had
contacts that were even beyond the Prince’s reach. If
she could find out
who had kidnapped and raped Caitlin and pass on that
information to
Julian, she would redeem herself in his eyes. She already
had her
suspicions. After all, she knew the entire Kindred population
of San
Francisco. A little prodding, twisting a few arms, should
do the trick.
And then, no matter how long Julian kept his love, he
couldn’t keep her
forever. Not unless he Embraced her. But he wanted her
alive.
Well, Julian Luna, Lillie thought,
you can’t have it both ways.
Lillie found out the truth sooner
than she expected. Somebody had
heard that someone had seen... A part of the registration
number of a
car, remembered by a
drunkard... The right amount of money, a seductive smile,
refreshed
memories even better. Within a week, Lillie knew that
Caitlin had been
taken by the Brujahs. Who had committed the actual crime
was another
matter. In contrast to the Prince of San Francisco, the
Primogen of the
Toreador Clan was not beyond stooping to blackmail. But
the name she was
given made her hesitate. Was Cameron even more stupid
than Eddie had
been, or was it a part of a bigger plan?
Well, whichever, Lillie had made up
her mind. She sent a message to
Julian, informing him that she needed to see him. When
he called, she
told him that that which was on her mind, could not be
discussed on the
phone. He was suspicious and reluctant, but his curiosity
won. He came
to her new house in the middle of the night but showed
her the courtesy
of leaving his bodyguards outside. Without a word, she
handed him the
envelope that contained all the evidence she had gathered.
She watched
his impassive face intently while he leafed through the
papers. He was
so different now. No longer the impulsive young Ventrue
she had met in
London so many years ago. At last he looked up at her.
“Why are you doing this?” he asked
simply.
Lillie bowed her head. She couldn’t
bear to see the hurt in his
eyes.
“In spite of what you think of me,
I’m not your enemy,” she
answered. She wanted to tell him that she still loved
him, but she
didn’t dare. Julian looked at her bowed head for a long
moment; then he
said “thank you” and turned to leave. She followed him
to the door, but
before opening it, stopped him by putting her hand on
his arm. He didn’t
move away from her touch.
“Can you ever forgive me?” she asked
quietly. He touched her face
lightly.
“You’re my friend, Lillie, otherwise
your betrayal wouldn’t hurt
that much.”
He left her with that.
Cameron was worried. Almost two months
had passed and Luna had been
silent as the grave. Cameron feared that he had underestimated
his enemy
after all. He had expected that the Ventrue, true to
his famous temper,
would come after him, screaming death and revenge. Then
he, Cameron,
would have been able to expose the Prince’s attack as
a vile attempt to
get rid of him, without any proof of his guilt. Cameron
had prepared
himself for such an event. But it didn’t happen. As weeks
went by, he
became more and more nervous. There was no doubt in his
mind that Luna
was hatching some evil plot, together with that Nosferatu
buddy of his.
A plot to destroy him!
Cameron made sure that nothing out
of the ordinary was going on
among the Brujahs. Luna had spies in the most unlikely
places. But so
had Cameron. He had questioned Sasha, but all he had
got out of the girl
was that Uncle Julian was preoccupied with his injured
lover and that he
seemed rather upset. Cameron swore. He could have guessed
that much
without Sasha’s help. But he was aware that the girl
couldn’t tell him
what she didn’t know. Sasha was young, vulnerable and
a Brujah. She
would never be privy to Julian Luna’s more sinister doings.
But now,
Cameron had been summoned to a meeting of Primogens.
No agenda had been
stated. That in itself was ominous. The meeting would
take place in
Luna’s mansion next Tuesday. In five days!
Cameron hated to admit it, but he
was afraid. He was afraid of
Julian Luna’s power, and he was afraid of Julian Luna
himself. He was
painfully aware that, if it came to a confrontation between
them, he was
no match for the Prince of the City. They were in different
leagues. For
a moment he thought of flight. Cyrus, the Brujah Prince
of Los Angeles,
would protect him. On the other hand, Cyrus’ protection
hadn’t helped
Eddie much, had it? No, Cameron would not run. Fleeing
would be
tantamount to a confession. After all, there had been
no witnesses in
that cellar. Cameron would go to the meeting. He would
not let Luna
intimidate him. He would hide his fear well. He would
be all right.
Only, he didn’t feel all right. He was on edge all the
time, jumping at
every unfamiliar sound, scared of his own shadow. A terrifying
thought
surfaced in his mind. Was this what Julian Luna was aiming
at? A war of
nerves? If that were the case, then the damn Ventrue
Prince was
succeeding all too well! Cameron swore again. He would
go to the
meeting, but he would go well prepared. Cameron called
in his associates
for a meeting of his own.
Caitlin set out to fight her fear of
the dark. She couldn’t sleep
anyway. She got up, put on her clothes, took a bottle
of wine and a
glass. The hallway was deserted; it was long past midnight.
There were
some garden furniture on the terrace. She sat in one
of the chairs and
poured some wine into the glass. The night was warm,
full of mysterious
sounds and smells. The garden was hidden in the darkness,
but the light
from the house reached her and she dared to look out
into the shadows.
She sipped her wine thinking this isn’t so bad after
all. She felt no
anxiety. She was into her second glass of wine when she
thought that she
saw something move just outside the circle of light.
Her heart started
to beat faster. The next moment a big dog came out of
the bushes.
Caitlin laughed nervously, peering at the animal. It
moved closer, its
yellow eyes gleaming.
My God, it’s a wolf, she thought,
and then checked herself. What
would a wolf be doing in the middle of San Francisco?
“Here, come here,” she whispered softly.
“But you are a big beast!” She stretched
out her hand and felt a wet
touch on her fingers. It was big and beautiful. She sat
perfectly still
as the big gray animal sniffed at her feet. Then it raised
its head, and
its bright yellow eyes looked into hers. For a brief
moment it rested
its nose on her knee, but when she tried to pat it, it
moved into the
shadows and melted away in the dark. Caitlin shivered
in spite of the
warmth. A couple of minutes later, when Caitlin decided
to go back
inside, she heard steps behind her. She turned and saw
Julian standing
in the entrance, framed by the light that shone in the
hallway behind
him.
“Caitlin, what are you doing sitting
here all alone?” There was a
trace of worry in his voice.
“I’m fighting the night,” she said.
“You won’t believe what I saw
just a moment ago. The biggest dog you could imagine...
I thought it was
a wolf. It came that close.” She patted her knee. Julian
sat in a chair
next to her and she offered him her glass. He took it
and drank the
wine.
“It’s quite possible that it was a
wolf,” he said. “There are people
in this city who keep wolves instead of dogs. Sometimes,
the animals run
away. But no one has been harmed as yet. Wolves are rather
shy.”
“Yes. It ran away when I tried to
touch it.” Caitlin sounded
disappointed. “But what are you doing up in the middle
of the night?
Can’t you sleep either?”
“I had some paperwork to do,” Julian
shrugged. “It gave me a
headache, so I came out to get some fresh air.” He returned
her glass,
and she poured more wine into it. He leaned closer, his
arm sneaking
around her back. He drew her towards him, his face hidden
in her hair.
“And what is the result of your battle
with the dark?” he murmured
in her ear.
“Ummm,” was all of her answer as her
head bowed back, allowing him
better access to her throat. She reveled in the pleasurable
sensations
his lips produced in her. His hand touched her face and
then his mouth
was on hers. The kiss became more passionate. Caitlin
waited for the
burst of panic, but it didn’t come. She relaxed with
a deep sigh of
relief when his hand came to rest on her breast. Without
knowing how it
happened, she was sitting on his lap, her feet on the
chair she had
occupied just seconds before. His hand moved over her
knee and then
disappeared under the hem of her skirt. She moaned when
his fingers
touched the silk of her panties. Lightly, then pressing
harder, he moved
his hand rhythmically. It took longer than ever before,
but she reached
the peak finally, shuddering in his embrace. He pressed
his face against
her damp neck, feeling her racing pulse under his cheek,
but he no
longer had to fight the urge to open her veins. He had
learned to keep
that desire in check. She moved in his arms and he felt
her hand slide
over his chest and belly, coming to rest on the bulge
in his pants. He
groaned but stopped her when the searching hand tried
to sneak inside
his clothes.
“The guards,” he whispered hoarsely.
There were four of them in the
garden that he could see. He sensed the others.
Caitlin jumped off with a dismayed
shriek.
“Julian Luna, you are a bastard!”
Her voice could be heard clearly
all over the garden.
“Caitlin, please!” At least he had
the sense to look chastised.
But Caitlin tugged at her skirt and
ran into the house. She turned
off the light in the bedroom for the first time. Her
face was still hot
with shame.
“Julian, you son of a bitch! I’ll
get you for this,” she swore
softly. But he didn’t come after her. She remembered
the hardness her
hand had encountered.
Serves you right! she thought with
satisfaction. But when she fell
asleep, there was a smile on her face.
The next evening she fell asleep in
front of the TV in her sitting
room. She had taken a blanket and curled up on the couch,
intending to
watch a late show. She suspected that hers was the only
TV-set in this
big house. But the show bored her. The sudden silence
woke her. She was
looking at the gray screen, trying to fathom what had
happened to it,
when she heard a chuckle. Julian was standing behind
the couch bending
over her, the remote control in his hand.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said,
glancing at her
apprehensively.
She looked at him for a second, her
eyes throwing thunderbolts,
before sitting up abruptly.
“Julian! You cowardly, rotten...”
She didn’t get any further. Julian
bounded over the back of the couch and cut off her string
of invectives
effectively with a kiss. But she wouldn’t give in.
“How could you do this to me?” she
whimpered with more helplessness
than she really felt.
“Caitlin, my love,” he was trying
hard to placate her, “it was dark,
they could hardly see us. Besides, they are paid to watch
out, not in.”
“So why did you stop me when it was
your turn?” Her eyes were still
ablaze.
He hesitated for a moment.
If he says, it’s different for men,
I’ll punch him in the nose!
Caitlin thought hotly.
“It’s different...” He caught her
raised hand. “They work for me. I
need their respect.”
“And I don’t?!” Caitlin wouldn’t be
pacified. Julian kissed her
hand.
“They respect you more than you can
imagine,” he said. She frowned
at that, but he didn’t elaborate further. He couldn’t
tell her that the
Kindred who were loyal to him, knew that Caitlin had
saved his life in
Manzanita with her own blood, offering it freely. It
was the only thing
that could make a Kindred respect a mortal.
“Don’t worry about their respect,”
he murmured, “you have it.”
Caitlin came to think of Arthur. Sure
enough, the reverence he
showed her was much more apparent than one would expect
from a bodyguard
commandeered to take care of the boss’ mistress. She
subsided at last.
“I forgive you,” she pronounced royally,
but started to giggle when
he tried to make a remorseful bow. Then she allowed him
to make love to
her in earnest.
---