“Okay man,” he said, “you’ve started
it, you might just as well continue.
I’m not a shrink, but remember, we were the ones who
invented the wailing wall.”
It made Julian laugh again.
Whatever he is, he’s got a sense of
humor, Biggy thought, that can excuse a
lot.
“All Kindred were once human,” Julian
started.
It was three a.m.
My spooky hour, Biggy thought, if
I let you repeat your story on the
radio... whew! Hollywood next!
But Julian seemed to follow his line
of thought.
“Whenever the Masquerade was broken,”
he said, “it always ended in
persecution and atrocities beyond your imagination. The
Kindred were the reason
for the invention of burning at the stake. We can be
killed. If you hurt us, we
feel pain, if you cut us, we will bleed.”
The quotation wasn’t literal, but
Biggy recognized it immediately. He knew
about persecution. His memories of the flight from the
war-wrecked Europe were
dim. He had been too young to be fully aware of what
was happening, but his
perception of the fright of his parents, and the loss
of security that it had
evoked in him, stayed with him permanently. He had never
seen his grandparents,
his aunts and uncles, or his cousins again. A family
of more than thirty people
- vanished. Kindred, he thought. Suddenly, Biggy felt
closer to Julian Luna than
he had ever felt to the rest of humanity. But then he
came to think about the
one thing that Julian had disclosed that Caitlin knew
nothing about.
“The blood,” he said, “the drinking
of blood.” His own words made him
shiver. “Doesn’t it make you feel like a... a... parasite?”
A wave of nausea
swept over him.
“At least we don’t kill our prey,”
Julian answered coldly.
“Oh!” Biggy reeled back. “I never
thought of it that way,” he shrugged
helplessly. “What happens now?” he asked at last.
But Julian Luna’s answer was also
a question:
“What do you want to happen?”
“I don’t know what I want,” Biggy
sounded tired now.
“What do you think will happen if
you start babbling about the creatures of
the night on the radio?” Julian asked right out.
“One of two things,” Biggy shrugged,
“either I will end up in a padded cell
with a straight- jacket strapped on or you will.”
But Julian shook his head.
“You underestimate the gullibility
of the human race. Neither of us would
end up in a straightjacket. Not you, because you have
the right to say whatever
you wish on your radio, nor I, because much more drastic
measures are required
in order to immobilize me. Believe me, those measures
will be taken.”
“I don’t want to die,” Biggy said
after a long moment, “and I don’t want my
memory erased either, the way you did with Caitlin. And
I sure as hell don’t
want to become one of you.” He laughed nervously. “Belonging
to one minority is
tough enough, let alone two.”
To his relief, Julian smiled at his
comment.
“I don’t want to kill you and I don’t
want to mess with your mind. I didn’t
erase Caitlin’s memories. I can’t do that. I forced what
she saw into her
subconscious. It’s still there as a partially remembered
nightmare. I wouldn’t
dare to do it again, lest it might drive her insane.
It’s just too dangerous. I
won’t Embrace you against your wish. It would be like...
forcing you to
convert.”
“Yeah!” Biggy laughed again. “It wouldn’t
be the first time in the history
of my people! We remember the Spanish Inquisition as
well as you do.”
“I know,” Julian sighed tiredly. “Tell
me, can I risk walking out of here,
leaving you with the knowledge you possess now?”
They looked at each other for a long
time before Julian added:
“If I end up the target of a persecution
posse, Caitlin might get hurt. In
fact, I’m beginning to wonder if we shouldn’t separate
anyway, before something
worse happens.”
Biggy shook his head.
“Caitlin loves you as much as you
love her. If you give her up, then you
have lost anyway. You don’t deserve that. But you should
be more careful about
what you let her see, about what you let her know. Or
you can tell her the
truth. As much as she cares for you, I think she can
take it. Because if you
don’t, well, sooner or later you’ll say or do something
that will disclose your
true nature beyond any doubts she might have, and then
it might be too late. I’m
not your enemy, I’m not even a threat. An old intellectual
like me, well, I’m a
practical man. I know that if I start going around jabbering
about vampires,
people will start thinking that I’ve gone mad. I don’t
want that to happen, so
your secret is quite safe with me. Besides, I’m quite
sure that if I squeal, you
wouldn’t let me repeat it. Am I right?” He watched Julian
intently, and
continued after his affirmative nod. “So you see, I’ll
keep my mouth shut, for
Caitlin’s sake, for the sake of keeping my hide intact,
and for your sake as
well.” Biggy raised his hands in an appeasing gesture.
Julian Luna rose slowly to his feet.
Placing his hands on the armrests of
Biggy’s chair, he stared hard into the older man’s eyes.
“Remember what you have promised tonight,”
he said at last, “I’ll hold you
to that.”
Then he was gone, and Biggy heard
the thud of the closing door. Still, it
took him several minutes before he accepted the fact
that he was alone and
alive.
Caitlin sat alone in the library.
She hadn’t seen Julian since the previous
night and she was scared. In spite
of a sleepless night, she had gone to work today, but
had been too tired and too
upset to get anything done. She went home early, but
when she inquired about
Julian, the servants told her that he hadn’t been seen
since the previous
evening. She decided to wait for him, and his library
seemed to be the right
place to do it. She curled up in his favorite leather
chair, surrounding herself
with several books that she had taken down from the shelves.
But she could not
concentrate on reading. Why should telling Biggy - the
only person she had ever
trusted - about Julian be a danger to her lover? What
was he hiding? What did
Biggy see that she didn’t? What was wrong? Because there
was no doubt in her
mind by now that something was terribly wrong. She loved
Julian, but she wasn’t
sure if she could go on living in this perpetual haze
of mysteries and
frightening riddles. Was it an empty threat, or was Julian
contemplating a
break-up? Why? Caitlin was making herself miserable with
all these unanswered
questions. At last she posed the only question that she
knew she should be able
to answer.
Which do I want more, Julian or answers?
Julian! screamed her body, but her
mind craved information.
She had tried to get in touch with
Biggy several times during the day. His
answering machine at home gave the same impersonal message
every time, at the
radio station she was told that he had called in the
morning telling his
colleagues that he would not come in until the next day.
Where the hell was he?
And where was Julian?
The warmth from the fire and the silence
were making her drowsy.
There was a muffled thud and Caitlin
came to with a start. One of the books
had fallen from her lap, and it was the sound it made
hitting the carpeted floor
that woke her up. She looked around disoriented and it
took her several seconds
to realize that someone was standing in front of the
fire.
He had heard the book fall, and turned
around to face her.
“Julian,” Caitlin said smiling with
relief. But he didn’t smile back.
“What do you intend to do next?” he
asked harshly, “send the police after
me? A bunch of scientists?”
The anger in his voice made Caitlin
swallow hard.
“Julian,” she tried to be calm, “I
don’t want any harm to come to you. But
this is so difficult. It feels as if I have walked into
an alternate universe.
I’m scared. Please, try to understand.”
He continued to stare at her coldly
and it scared her even more. She swept
the rest of the books off her knees and got up from the
chair. But she had
fallen asleep in an awkward position, her legs curled
under her. When she tried
to take a step, she lost her balance and fell. She cried
out in surprise, but
Julian caught her before she landed on the floor. He
lifted her and placed her
back in the chair, but as he let go of her, she got hold
of his sleeves. As she
expected, he didn’t try to disengage himself from her
grasp, bending over her,
his face only inches from hers.
“Julian,” she was whispering now,
“please, help me. Help me before I go
crazy!”
Relieved, she saw his face soften.
His arms encircled her and he lifted her
again. He sat down in the chair and made her sit in his
lap. He was in deep
thought for a long time, but Caitlin was happy to be
close to him again, his
arms around her. At last he sighed heavily.
“Caitlin,” he started, “what I’m about
to tell you, you must never disclose
to anyone. Promise me that!”
She was quite prepared to promise
anything, and nodded her head vigorously.
“I promise,” she said when his arms
hardened around her, demanding verbal
consent.
“When I was much younger,” he talked
very slowly, “something happened to
me... I was very ill for several months. I don’t remember
much because of...
high fever. But I survived, nobody thought I would. Afterwards...
I was never
sick again, and there were those strange things happening:
petty injuries,
healing in no time; a broken arm, mended within a couple
of weeks; no scars...
the color of my eyes changing when I’m upset; no real
need for food; the
hearing; the sight... the sense of smell, unpleasantly
acute. Then I realized
that I was stronger than others were. Someone died before
I knew what I could do
with my bare hands. My endurance... Remember, I told
you once that I’m a good
swimmer. It’s perfectly true, I can swim for hours without
getting tired. If I
tried to run a marathon, I’d probably come first, hardly
sweating; so I won’t.
When we make love, it’s the same... The only things that
make me tired are pain
and the loss of blood, and I enjoy getting tired at last.
If it became known,”
he shook his head sadly, “can you imagine what would
happen if the military or
the researchers found out? If they got me in their hands,
their laboratories?”
His hand lifted her face so that he could look into her
eyes. “Caitlin, I don’t
know why this has happened to me, but I don’t want to
spend the rest of my life
as a prisoner of so called science. I’m already a prisoner
of my own body. I
have tried to keep as much distance as possible between
myself and the rest of
the world in order to protect my secret. But I have feelings
and desires like
any other creature on this planet. I don’t want to be
alone. My power and my
wealth shield me to a certain extent. But if what I am
becomes public knowledge,
there’s no amount of wealth that will protect me. Can
you understand that?”
“Oh Julian.” Caitlin’s eyes filled
with tears. “I’m so sorry! I won’t tell
anybody again. I promise.” She hugged him. “Have you
ever tried to find out what
has happened to you?”
“NO!” he shook his head with agitation.
“I don’t dare to come near a
physician. Doctors are human. They will keep a secret
until there is a chance
that what they know will make them immortal. That sort
of immortality might
prove lethal to me. Besides, it’s not like I’m unwell.
I don’t need a doctor!”
His last remark made Caitlin smile.
“Now I understand what you meant when
you said that you were different from
other men,” she laughed, “and I thought you were from
outer space. How stupid of
me!” She touched his face lightly. “You’re too human
for that!”
His grip around her hardened at that
moment, threatening her ribs. Caitlin
didn’t mind that. Her finger traced his lips.
“You’ve got a scar there,” she said,
and his hand touched the tiny nick, a
half-inch above his upper lip.
“That’s an old one,” he said smiling.
“I was just a child, my father hit me
with the back of his hand. He had a signet ring, and
it cut me. That was long
before I... changed.” He looked away, realizing that
this was the only truthful
thing that he had told her.
Caitlin kissed the scar lightly, but
when she kissed his lips, he didn’t
respond, so she just hugged him and let her head rest
on his shoulder. They sat
unmoving for a long time, until Caitlin whispered:
“I’ll never betray you, never!”
I’ll kill you if you do! Julian thought.
“I know,” he said aloud.
Still, Caitlin slept alone that night
too.
Julian was just too ashamed to make
love to Caitlin after he had drowned her
in that pile of lies. Which didn’t mean that he didn’t
want to. There were
matters that he should occupy himself with, important
matters: unrest was
brewing among the Clans again and it was his job to make
sure that the uneasy
peace was kept; Sasha’s erratic behavior; new Kindred
who had migrated to San
Francisco from other cities should be welcomed and informed.
Some intended to
leave; keep track of Cameron’s doings; keep track of
Frank Kohanek’s devices.
No, Lillie and Sonny could do that. One thing less to
worry about; Samuel Heims
had tried to contact him during the day. What did he
want? Extortion? No, the
old reporter was too intelligent for that. But the message
had said urgent and
the Prince could not afford to ignore a human who knew
about the Masquerade. He
would have to seek him out this very night. There was
no time for Caitlin right
now. He needed to get out and feed as well. But all he
wanted to do was to go to
her. He had sent her off to bed after he had told her
the heinous story that he
had made up in advance, hoping that she would accept
it. She had, and more than
that, she had called him too human! Being aware of her
presence in his house,
her warm body, her willingness to accept him and to love
him, made it difficult
to concentrate on anything else. Anger and fear had made
him talk about parting
from her, but now he was perfectly aware that he could
never bring himself to
let her go, never!
He stopped for a second by Caitlin’s
bedroom door.
No, duty first! But for a fleeting
moment he resented being the Prince,
before turning away and heading towards the gatehouse.
He had to talk to
Daedalus first.
“Find the man,” Daedalus was saying,
“find out what he’s after before you
decide. If you need me, I’ll be there.”
Julian shook his head.
“I can handle that reporter,” he said,
“don’t worry about that. I want the
Nosferatu to take care of the unrest among the Clans.
Talk to Cash and Lillie.
No, I’ll talk to her. You take Cameron, I can’t stand
the sight of him. There
will be peace in this city no matter what the costs.
I need someone to watch the
Brujah Primogen and Sasha’s not up to it. I need the
help of the Nosferatu Clan.
I need a spy.”
“Cameron knows how close you and I
are,” Daedalus mused, “but I can find a
discontented one to do our bidding.
“Camilla,” Julian suggested.
“Camilla,” Daedalus confirmed. “Everybody
knows that you killed Goth. What
they don’t know is that Camilla is more loyal to you
than she ever was to her
deceased mate.”
Julian had no problem finding Biggy.
The reporter was waiting for him in his
home.
“I bought a bottle of real wine for
you,” he said, nodding towards one of
the more expensive Saint-Emilion wines that sat on the
table.
“A bribe?” Julian raised an eyebrow.
“I have nothing to sell.”
“It’s supposed to make it worthwhile
for you to listen to me.” Biggy was not
the bribing type.
“What is it you want, Mr. Heims?”
Julian was pressed for time. “What can I
do for you?”
“Funny, you should put it that way,”
Biggy answered. “You see, I’ve been
thinking, and the more I think about it, the more tempting
it becomes.” He
smiled noticing Julian’s anxious expression. “I think
that I would like to be
like you, become one of you... Kindred,” he added unnecessarily.
“I think I’ll have some of that wine,”
Julian said. He opened the bottle by
hitting its bottom with an open hand, forcing the cork
out almost an inch, and
then removing it without the aid of a corkscrew, oblivious
of Biggy’s stare of
disbelief.
“Have you thought about the consequences
of an Embrace?” Julian asked at
last.
“I’ve done nothing else for the last
day and night.” Biggy had indeed done a
lot of thinking.
“Once it’s done, there is no going
back,” Julian said softly. “You will
leave humanity forever. Is it really what you want? Your
family, your
grandchildren, you’ll outlive them, but you’ll have to
disappear from their life
long before that. The last time I saw my son, he was
fourteen years old. I
didn’t contact my family again until after his death,
pretending then to be a
distant relative of my own grandchildren. It was... difficult.
It still is.”
Biggy nodded, a wry smile on his face.
“You don’t have to play the devil’s
advocate, I’ve done that already, and
believe me, I’m good at that, probably much better than
you.”
Julian smiled back.
“Yes,” he said, “I can believe that.
You remind me of a friend I had.”
“Okay,” Biggy was becoming impatient,
“can it be done? Can you do it? I’ve
made up my mind. I want it!”
“Yes, I can do it. All you have to
do is to ask. You have to say I want to
be Embraced.
“Er... I thought you said that there
is some law, that the Prince must give
permission.” Biggy’s conviction wasn’t final and Julian
sensed it, but he wanted
that old man on his side.
“I’m the Prince,” he said simply.
“In this city I don’t need anybody’s
permission.”
Biggy stared at him for a long moment
while Julian pretended to be totally
preoccupied with the wine in his glass.
“I want to be Embraced,” the old man
pronounced each word distinctly, and he
saw Julian Luna’s eyes shimmer with soft green light
over the rim of the glass.
“It’s an excellent wine,” the Prince
said. “Have some before we get down to
business.”
Samuel Heims accepted the proffered
glass and drank his last wine as a
mortal. It was indeed a very good wine, and he regretted
that he had never been
interested in wines.
Well, he thought, I’ll have all the
time in the world to remedy that.
“What happens now?” he asked.
“I’ll open a vein in your neck, preferably
the biggest one I can reach.
Otherwise it takes too much time. I’ll empty you of all
your blood. You’ll lose
consciousness long before that. I’ll replace your blood
with mine. When you wake
up, you’ll be Kindred, a Ventrue.”
“Do it!” the old man said.
Julian Luna, the Prince of San Francisco,
sired another Kindred. It happened
exactly as he had described it to Biggy, except for the
few minutes the old man
was dead before Julian’s Kindred blood revived him. When
he opened his eyes
again, the world was entirely different to his senses”
“Stay away from humans today,” Julian
told him. “Tomorrow night I’ll send
someone to lead you and teach you. Don’t worry,” he added,
seeing the expression
of disappointment on Biggy’s face, “I’m your Sire, I’ll
not abandon you.”
Julian had hoped that he could return
to the mansion before dawn, but when
he came home, it was too late to sneak into Caitlin’s
bed. He intercepted her in
the hallway, as he had done once before, only this time
she smiled and allowed
him to hug her.
“A word,” he whispered in her ear,
and dragged her into the library, away
from the prying eyes of the servants and Arthur’s amused
smile. The moment the
door closed behind them, he started to kiss her and his
impatient hands tore at
her clothes.
“Julian!” She sounded a little scandalized.
“I’ll be late for work.”
“I won’t deduct it from your salary,”
he mumbled, dragging her down to the
floor. His hands and lips made her head spin, and her
protests were forgotten.
“I love you, I need you,” he repeated
over and over, and his elation spread
to her. She was trying to unbutton his shirt with shaking
hands, but wasn’t very
successful, and he had to help her. He pressed her against
his naked chest,
squeezing the breath out of her until she had to stop
him, afraid that he would
crush her.
“Julian,” she murmured softly when
he allowed her to get some air. When his
hand started a slow climb from her knee, she tensed in
anticipation and held her
breath until his fingers reached their goal, making her
moan and cling to him.
Suddenly he was very still, and then
let go of her. She whimpered in
disappointment.
“What is it Julian? What’s wrong?”
she asked.
But he couldn’t tell her that they
were no longer alone, that he had sensed
another presence in the room.
“Caitlin,” he was trying to put her clothes
in order awkwardly, “it’s... I...
please, forgive me. Go to work.” He wasn’t looking at
her. “I must do something.
I’ll see you tonight.” The promise in his voice made
her smile in spite of her
bewilderment. She got up, tugging at the hem of her skirt,
kissed him and left
the library.
“Daedalus!” Julian was almost shouting,
“that was unusually cruel, even for
you!”
“I’m sorry.” Daedalus was a picture
of serenity. “I didn’t realize... until
it was too late, by then you knew I was here.” He watched
the Prince put on his
shirt, his hand stroking back his hair in an attempt
to regain some of his
dignity. Daedalus waited patiently.
“There are matters that demand your
attention,” he said when he saw that the
Prince was calm again. “Urgent matters,” he added.
The grave tone of the Nosferatu’s
voice made Julian forget his thwarted
desire. Banishing his embarrassment, he focused his whole
attention on his
friend.
“I’m listening,” he said simply.
Julian was lost in thought. What Daedalus
had told him was grave indeed.
This wasn’t a discontented Brujah seeking power or revenge.
This was much more
serious. Someone was moving in. Someone was planning
to take over. The Nosferatu
Primogen had used all his cunning. With the help of the
Toreador and Gangrel
Clans, as well as those Ventrue who were in the right
places, he was able to
piece together the information he had obtained. It wasn’t
Cyrus trying to take
over the state. Julian knew his pitiful plan and he had
taken measures to
prevent it right after Eddie’s death. No, the spies in
Los Angeles reported that
the same things were happening there as in San Francisco:
the subtle movements;
the crooked paths; the out of state Kindred were coming
from all over the
country. But Julian came to the same conclusion that
Daedalus had. Either
Florida or New York. The Prince of Miami was a Brujah.
Judging from the unrest
among the Brujah Clan in San Francisco, they were just
as bewildered by what was
going on, as were the other Clans in the city. If not
Florida, then New York -
Servio.
But Servio, the ancient Prince of
New York, was de facto a Ventrue. No
matter how old or wise he was, if he were to turn on
another Ventrue Prince, his
own Clan would disown him. It didn’t add up. Julian knew
that the Ancient
detested him, but that could hardly be a reason for the
all out war that
apparently was in full preparation. Had Servio wanted
to get rid of Julian, he
could have had him assassinated quite easily. So what
was going on?
He posed the question to Daedalus,
but the Nosferatu was at as much of a
loss as he was.
“We’ll need information from the source,”
Daedalus said. “My Clansmen in New
York say that the city is troubled. The Prince has made
too many mistakes
lately.”
“Are you telling me that the Kindred
of New York are leaving because they
don’t trust their Prince anymore? And they all end up
in California because of
the weather, like humans do? I don’t buy that!” Julian
had not become a Prince
by being naive. “Servio is too old to make mistakes;
unless they are part of a
plan. I think we should assume the worst. Servio intends
to take over
California. But why? And how?”
“Why, I don’t know,” Daedalus answered.
“Who can say what’s in the mind of
an Ancient, but it’s easy to guess how.”
“Oh, pray enlighten me!” Julian was
trying to hide his discomfort behind a
flippant sneer.
Daedalus was unruffled.
“All he has to do is to replace you
with a puppet of his own. He doesn’t
have to kill you. Just undermine your authority, turn
the Primogens against you,
one by one. Exchange those who are loyal to you like
Cash or me, promise Lillie
something that she wants, maybe even you. Cameron will
back anything that might
help him to get rid of you. Within a few years, or even
months, you might find
yourself an ex-Prince, if you’re still alive, wondering
how it happened.”
It sounded so simple when Daedalus
described it.
If I wanted to take over, this is
what I would do, Julian thought.
But Daedalus had fallen quiet, his
forehead wrinkling.
“Oh no,” his voice was a fearful whisper,
“it can’t be!”
Julian looked up at his friend’s terror-stricken
face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“You’re not the primary target, Julian,”
the Nosferatu answered.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that.” Julian
didn’t see where Daedalus was leading.
“But don’t you see!?” The Nosferatu
raised his voice for the first time in
decades. “He has planned this for centuries. He wants
to take over everything,
the whole country, he wants to subjugate the humans!”
Julian stared at his friend in disbelief.
“You are mad,” he said at last.
“No Julian, I’m not mad,” Daedalus
had his voice under control again, “but
Servio is!”
“But… how can anyone even think about
something like this?!” Julian was
appalled. “It would shatter the Masquerade forever. It
would be the end of us
all! Taking into consideration the meager percentage
that the Kindred comprise
within the population of the United States, how can Servio
imagine that he can
pull off a thing like that? We would be hunted like the
Nazis hunted the Jews,
and in our case it would be justified.”
“Yes,” Daedalus concurred, “it might
very well spell the destruction of all
Kindred in this country.”
“We must do something about it before
it’s too late.” Julian was pacing in
front of the fireplace, as was his habit whenever he
was upset. “I’ll try to
find out how many followers he has among other Princes.
I need you and the
others to do the same with the Primogens in as many cities
as possible. We need
Cameron. Damn it, I wouldn’t put past him the idea of
siding with Servio just to
spite me. Talk to him, Daedalus. If he turns out to be
plain stupid, kill him!”
“Julian!” Daedalus was taken aback.
“I can’t do that!”
“Daedalus, the last thing I need right
now is a traitor in my own city.”
This was the Prince talking. “If Cameron lacks the intelligence
to understand
the danger, or is blinded by his hate, then he’s not
fit to sit at my Conclave
table. If necessary, I’ll wipe out the entire Brujah
Clan in San Francisco. If
necessary, I’ll get humans to help fight Servio!”
It was Daedalus’ turn to stare at
his friend in disbelief.
“Aren’t you overreacting?” he asked
quietly.
“No, Daedalus,” Julian’s voice was
equally quiet, “if what you have deduced
is true, then we’re fighting for the survival of our
species.”
Daedalus nodded in acquiescence.
As it turned out, Daedalus’ deduction
was correct, but Julian’s wasn’t.
Cameron was neither stupid nor blinded
by his hate.
Cameron hadn’t survived Archon’s hostility
by being stupid, nor by
underestimating his adversaries. In spite of his hate
and resentment, he had to
admit that Julian Luna was a formidable Prince. He had
been able to keep the
peace among the Kindred for seven years, and as far as
Cameron knew, only one
human knew about the Masquerade, and that one was under
the constant supervision
of Sonny and Lillie. Why Luna was protecting the policeman,
Cameron didn’t know,
but he suspected there was some advantage in the arrangement
for Julian. In any
case, Frank Kohanek wasn’t important right now. It was
hard to believe what
Daedalus had told him, but Cameron saw what was going
on in San Francisco. A
call to Cyrus confirmed the suspicions of the Nosferatu
Primogen. Cyrus had been
in contact with the Brujah Prince in Miami, who supported
the Ancient’s crazy
plan. The Ventrue slime of New York had gone completely
mad. How he could
believe that his outrageous scheme might work was beyond
Cameron’s ability to
comprehend. Julian Luna and Daedalus were absolutely
right. Cameron realized
that in view of the present danger he would be forced
to cooperate with the
Prince. He called his Brujah Clansmen to a meeting in
the midmorning. Surprised,
they came. A stupefied silence met his disclosure. Somebody
laughed nervously.
“It takes a megalomaniac Ventrue to
come up with something like this!”
“It doesn’t really matter whether
he’s Ventrue or not,” Cameron retorted.
“We would be in the same danger if he were a Brujah.
I happen to know that a
least one Brujah Prince on the East Coast supports this
deranged plan.”
“So what do we do now?” somebody else
asked.
Cameron cleared his throat. He had
never thought that he would have to say
to the Brujah Clan what he was about to say.
“In this, we will support our Prince.”
To his surprise, there were no
protests, making him realize that Julian Luna had a better
reputation among his
Clansmen than they cared to admit.
Well, they chose him over Archon all
those years ago, Cameron thought. No
matter how harsh he was, he was never unfair. And nobody
wants an Ancient to
take over: an Ancient who intends to destroy the Masquerade.
Countless ages of
collective Kindred memory wouldn’t allow that.
In contrast to humans, the Kindred
memories of what had happened during the
centuries would not fade away or be denied. Too many
survivors were still
around. The Brujahs had always been the first victims,
unprotected as they were
by their inability to comply with human laws. The Ventrues
had their wealth and
their aristocratic air; envy was the most common reason
for the deaths of
Ventrues at the hands of humans. The Nosferatus had their
wisdom and their
ability to disappear; their inhuman appearance was the
greatest threat to them.
The Toreadors were considered mad, possessed. In fact,
most of the women that
had been burned were of the Toreador Clan; neither their
beauty nor their sex
appeal protected them against the fears of mortals. But
the Gangrels and the
Brujahs were the easiest prey, their powers notwithstanding;
poorly educated,
they came mostly from the lower classes and were often
destroyed by enraged,
superstitious crowds when found out.
No, Cameron wasn’t stupid at all.
Right now there was no other alternative
but to close ranks, forget the animosity between the
Clans and protect the
Kindred as a whole. He would cooperate with the Ventrue
Prince of San Francisco.
He would even cooperate with the Gangrels.
He sent out spies to different cities,
he even sent a couple to Miami. After
ending the meeting, he conferred with Cyrus and then
went to talk to Daedalus.
All Primogens had come by noon. They
gathered in the library in the mansion.
Somehow the fact that this meeting didn’t take place
in Daedalus’ gatehouse made
it more serious. Everybody seemed aware of the gravity
of the situation. Lillie
sat quietly by the fire. She had lived in this house.
Was she contemplating the turns and
twists of fate? Julian was wondering.
Cash still lived here, although he
and Sasha seemed to spend most of their
free time away from the mansion. Daedalus would come
and go as he pleased,
sometimes making Julian feel rather embarrassed, although
he knew that Caitlin
would not detect the Nosferatu’s presence.
After all, Julian concluded, it was
my own fault. Daedalus would never enter
Caitlin’s bedroom.
But Cameron had been here only once
before. He had been too scared and too
tense to notice the surroundings then, and looked around
now with curiosity.
There was an atmosphere of comfort and leisure: shelves
filled with books and
ornaments; beautiful paintings on the walls, a few works
of art; the fire gave
both warmth and a sense of security. It was a room to
enjoy. He wondered if
Caitlin had sat here, maybe sharing long, pleasant evenings
with Julian. A flash
of jealousy made him banish all thoughts of her. He needed
to be clearheaded, to
regard Julian Luna as an ally, not as a rival or foe.
Yet, her beautiful face
would not leave his mind, now that he was in the house
where she lived. What if
he ran into her? Was she nearby? How could Luna keep
his secrets from her? How
much did she know?
The questions whirled in Cameron’s
head like wind-driven leaves in the fall.
He stood aside from the others, wondering if they still
resented him. They
seemed worried, Cash and Daedalus murmuring to each other
in hushed voices,
Lillie deep in thought. Julian came in, Sonny and
a couple of his most trusted
friends in tow. He invited the Primogens to sit at the
table with a nod. They
all looked at him in silence, and his gaze moved from
one face to another. When
his eyes met Cameron’s, he shook his head at the Brujah’s
silent inquiry.
Cameron understood; Caitlin wasn’t here. Nothing would
happen that might
embarrass the Brujah Primogen. They needed each other
now.
“You have all been informed about
what Daedalus and I have found out and the
conclusions we’ve come to,” Julian started directly.
“What do you think?”
They all looked at each other and
Cash cleared his throat. All eyes focused
on him.
“The newcomers.” Cash had to clear
his throat again. “They are mostly
Gangrels and Ventrue Clan. Few Brujahs. No Toreador as
far as I know. My
clansmen have followed them this morning. They pretend
that they don’t know each
other and then meet in secluded places. One of my men
became very suspicious
when he saw a Gangrel and a Brujah together. I talked
to the Gangrel later. He
said that he was from Texas; there was nothing wrong
with his accent, but his
expressions were pure New York.”
“How do you know?” Cameron asked.
Cash made a face but Julian gave him
a warning look.
“I’m sorry,” Cash checked himself,
“you don’t know that, but I’m from New
York.”
Cameron nodded. He was born and Embraced
in California and had never been
out of state.
“What about that new Brujah?” Julian
inquired.
“I don’t know who you refer to, but
as far as I know, twelve newcomers have
arrived in San Francisco during the last week, which
is more than during the
last three months.” Cameron was concentrating. “Two of
them have admitted to
being from New York, the others say that they come from
different parts of the
country. I’m not able to say if they are lying or not.
They keep mostly to
themselves and, as far as I know, there have been no
complaints.”
“Twelve,” Julian mused, then turned
to Lillie. “What about the Toreador
Clan?”
“Eight,” her voice was soft, “all
women. All very beautiful women. I was
wondering what was going on, but now it’s quite obvious.
Those Toreador Sirens
have been sent to lure the male Primogens over to Servio’s
plan. And the Prince
of course,” she added with a malicious smile.
They stared at her in disbelief and
Daedalus made a derisive snort. But
Julian shook his head.
“The fact that we know about them
doesn’t make them less dangerous.” He
turned to Daedalus. “You may believe that you are impervious
to the Sirens’
charm, but I know better.” He withstood the giggles of
others. “Be careful!”
But Cash shrugged his shoulders with
contempt.
“I’m not afraid of them. Sasha...”
“Sasha can’t protect you,” Julian
interrupted him, “or rather, your love for
her won’t protect you. Believe me!” His gaze turned to
Cameron. “Loving another
woman is no safeguard against a Siren. You know that
as well as I do.”
Cameron stared back at him defiantly,
but there was no malice on Julian’s
face. He was absolutely serious. He turned to Lillie
again.
“We need your advice, Lillie.”
She looked up and smiled seductively,
her eyes moving from one man to the
next, flashing a special promise to each of them. They
all felt the impact of
her temptation and squirmed restlessly. Even Daedalus.
“Avoid eye contact,” she was saying.
Her fingers touched Cameron’s hand and
he recoiled as if burnt. “Don’t let them touch you.”
She leaned towards Cash,
her face only inches from his. “Keep your distance.”
Cash shook his head in
surprise.
She got up and moved to Daedalus.
Before he realized what she intended to
do, her arms closed around his neck and she kissed him
on the mouth. The
Nosferatu took hold of her shoulders and moved her slowly
away. Very slowly. She
looked at him smiling.
“No Daedalus,” there was triumph in
her voice, “you’re not impervious. Don’t
let a Toreador Siren come near you.”
At last she turned to Julian and he
tried to steel himself, but she only
flashed him a shining white glance and laughed at his
discomfort.
“Women are your weakness, my Prince.
Sirens or not. The Ancient knows that.
I suspect that those Toreador women were sent here for
your sake. Take care!”
Julian and Daedalus were alone again.
More than two hundred Kindred had
come to San Francisco during recent weeks,
most of them Ventrue or Gangrel, but only four Nosferatu.
Daedalus was sure all
four were Servio’s men. The Nosferatu lived outside human
society and did not
migrate much.
“Not much of an invasion force,” Julian
commented.
“They aren’t here to invade,” Daedalus
answered, “they are here to subvert.
Imagine what it would take to make any one of the five
of us into a turncoat.
Let’s think about it. Start with Cameron.”
“That one is easy,” Julian shrugged.
“If he believes that Servio’s plan has
any chance of succeeding, all he needs is a promise of
getting my job.”
Daedalus nodded.
“Your job and your woman, don’t forget.”
Julian gave the Nosferatu a side-glance.
“He may have my job if it comes to
that, but he’ll never have Caitlin and he
knows that. What about Cash?”
“You seem to trust him,” Daedalus
said, ”but how sure are you? After all, he
is from New York.”
“If he’s not a spy for Servio, and
I don’t think he is, he’s loyal to me. He
has lived in San Francisco for years, and Stevie was
his closest friend. He
loves Sasha and he cares for me. I think we can trust
him, at least for now,”
Julian defended his bodyguard. “He was devastated when
he thought that Eddie had
killed me.”
Daedalus winced at the memory. Lillie
had come to his cellar in the
gatehouse and told him that Eddie Fiori had murdered
Julian, and that she had
helped the Brujah killer. Lillie had preferred to see
the man she loved dead
than belonging to somebody else. Lillie was dangerous.
“Lillie,” Daedalus said. “A Toreador
can never be trusted; Lillie has proved
that already.”
“Lillie has redeemed her crime.” Julian
didn’t like what he was hearing.
“But can we trust her? I don’t know.”
“Lillie wants you back.” There was
no doubt in Daedalus’ voice. “If you let
her believe that there is a chance in the future that
she might have you back,
you’ll be safe. But if she believes that she has lost
you forever, no one can
tell what she may do. Also, as I told you before, if
Servio promises her that
she’ll get you as spoils of victory...”
“That’s impossible!” Julian couldn’t
imagine being chattel, to be used or
given to someone, but Daedalus continued unruffled.
“It’s not what she can get, just what
she may think she can get. It would be
wise of you to show her kindness.”
“I never thought of you as a pimp,
Daedalus,” Julian was joking, but he felt
ill at ease.
“We need her!” Daedalus wouldn’t be
swayed. “Use the influence you have over
her. The human woman...” Daedalus stopped when he saw
Julian’s eyes change. “You
have to get her out of the way.”
“No!” Julian rose abruptly, “I won’t
give her up!”
“I’m not asking you to.” Daedalus
was thinking fast. “But she has been hurt
once already. If she stays here, she’ll get in the way,
she’ll see things... You
might not be able to protect her.”
Daedalus was right and Julian knew
that. He should pretend that he no longer
loved her and break off their relationship. But he could
not bring himself to do
that. It would break her heart. Besides, he wasn’t such
a good actor, that he
could lie to her convincingly about his feelings.
“Daedalus,” he said at last, “I’ll
get her out of the mansion, maybe even
out of San Francisco, but I can’t give her up. I’d rather
face the final death.
What about us?”
“Us?”
“You and me, Daedalus. Can we trust
each other? Can we trust ourselves?”
Daedalus smiled.
“Servio can’t buy me. He has nothing
to bargain with. His plan is madness;
I’ll never believe otherwise. I think there are very
few of the Nosferatu Clan
who are on his side. We seldom suffer from mania grandiosa.”
His smile became
sad. “It’s a Ventrue trait.”
“That’s true,” Julian nodded, “I hope
I’ll never fall into that trap.”
“I won’t let you,” the Nosferatu was
still smiling, “but Lillie was right.
Your weakness lies in... another direction.”
It made Julian laugh.
“The powers of the Toreador Sirens
are overrated. I speak from experience.
Wanting a woman can’t make me a political idiot.”
“No, but it can distract you.” Daedalus
was talking from his experience of
the Prince.
“Uhm...” Julian wasn’t trying to hide
his annoyance. “Let’s forget the past.
There’s Caitlin. I think I can keep the others at arm’s
length. I’m not such a
hopeless slave of my own desires as you seem to believe.”
Then he changed the
subject disregarding the Nosferatu’s doubtful look. “According
to Cameron, Cyrus
is on our side. I sincerely hope that it’s true.”
“My people in Los Angeles confirm
that,” Daedalus answered. “I will know
more by the end of the day. Also about the Nosferatu
in other states. But you
must contact all the Ventrue Princes in the west.”
Julian thought for a moment.
“I’ll start with Stephen. I have a
discrete way to get to him without
raising any suspicions. It will allow me to take care
of another matter at the
same time, and it will look equally natural.”
“Caitlin, would you like to visit your
father again?” Julian had come to her
office in the middle of her working day.
That was a poor excuse, she thought
smiling as she watched him close the
door. However, he didn’t lock it. But she was still thinking
of their
interrupted lovemaking in the morning, and didn’t take
his question seriously.
“Are you sure that’s what you want
me to do,” she asked suggestively, “send
me off to my father?” She got up and saw that he was
thinking the same thing as
she walked towards him. But he prevented her from hugging
him by taking her
hands.
“I have to go to Seattle immediately,”
he said. “I had hoped that you’d want
to come with me.”
“You mean right now?” She realized
that he wasn’t joking.
“Yes, the plane is waiting. There
is someone I have to see tonight. Please,
come with me.”
Caitlin hesitated only a moment. The
plea in his eyes made her decide.
“Let’s go!” she said.
He held her in his arms on the plane,
but she interpreted his clinging as
the fear of flying.
“Don’t worry,” she was mumbling in
his ear, “I can protect you.”
No, you can’t, Julian thought, but
I hope that I can protect you.
Two cars were waiting for them at
the airport.
“I have to go to the meeting,” Julian
answered the questioning look she gave
him. “I’ll come out to your father’s house as soon as
I can.”
She watched him go, surprised that
he still seemed tense and frightened even
though he was on the ground.
Julian Luna didn’t have the faintest
idea how his message had been conveyed
to the Prince of Seattle, but he was expected. Stephen
was the closest thing to
an older brother that Julian had ever had. He hoped that
it would never change.
Of course, they weren’t brothers. In fact they looked
totally different. Stephen
was very tall and thin. His hair was very light, his
eyes pale blue, almost
colorless, his skin as transparent as that of a Nosferatu.
He had been Embraced
by Archon only a few years before Julian, but he was
about ten years older then
and their age difference always showed. They looked at
each other for a long
time without saying anything and then hugged.
“Ten years!” Stephen said at last.
“Is this the way to treat your blood
brother?”
“I could say the same,” Julian retorted.
“True,” Stephen winked, “but I haven’t
been running in your woods chasing
mortal women and killing jealous humans that shoot at
me, have I?”
“Oh!” Julian was taken aback. “How
did you know about that?”
“Julian!” Stephen was insulted. “If
I had done in San Francisco what you did
here, wouldn’t you know?”
The question did not require an answer.
Julian told his friend what really
transpired in the woods and Stephen made a wry face.
“Did you really have to kill him?
After all, he just tried to scare you
off.”
“He could have shot Caitlin!” Julian
could still feel the rage that had
overwhelmed him that morning. “That bullet in my leg,
it hit me just inches away
from her body.”
“Well, well,” Stephen was smiling,
“who would have believed that in the old
days. Julian Luna, the horror of all men with beautiful
wives or daughters, now
the defender of ladies.”
Stephen had always enjoyed teasing
him about his inability to resist a
pretty face, but Julian had not come to Seattle to discuss
his love affairs,
past or present.
“Stephen, it’s not that I want to
change the subject, which I do, but
something is happening, something much more sinister
than we have ever faced
before.”
“Yes, I figured that you haven’t come
to me to seek my advice in the matters
of the heart,” Stephen’s good-natured smile was gone.
“Are you telling me that
whatever is going on here, is happening in San Francisco
as well?”
“Not only there!” Julian told his
blood brother what he knew. As he had
expected, Stephen was horrified.
“You can’t be serious!” he exclaimed.
“But you wouldn’t be here if you
weren’t.” Stephen had a habit of answering himself.
“You’re rather isolated here in the
north,” Julian said, “but this scheme
extends all over the country. Maybe even further. Do
you have any contact with
the Kindred across the border?”
“Yes, we have connections in Vancouver,
it’s next door.” As usual, Stephen
continued Julian’s line of thinking. “I’ll find out if
they are involved in any
way. Meanwhile, we have to act here. You’re closer to
the center of what’s going
on. You’re also the most powerful Prince on the West
Coast. Servio must go after
you first.”
Julian sighed heavily.
“He hates me, why, I can only guess.
I can’t go around pretending that I
have bought this crazy idea of his, he’ll never believe
that.” He looked up at
his blood brother. “But we need an infiltrator, someone
Servio would trust...
someone like you.”
Stephen’s pale blue eyes darkened
considerably, becoming flashing sapphires.
“I don’t like it,” he said. “Can’t
you find someone else?”
“Who else can I trust?” Julian retorted
bitterly. “The Brujah from Los
Angeles? The petty chiefs in the Midwest, quarreling
among themselves over
absurdities. The Prince of Chicago...”
“The Prince of Chicago is a Gangrel,
unlikely as it seems. He’ll always go
his own way.”
Stephen was pondering over Julian’s
idea.
“I’ll try to do what you ask of me.
It won’t be easy. I’ll talk to my people
and I’ll find out about Canada. We’ll need to keep in
constant touch.”
“Don’t worry about that part.” Julian
was relieved over Stephen’s consent.
“You have your Nosferatu and I have mine. They will help
to keep the connection
unbroken. As for the Gangrel in Chicago, I’ll talk to
him. I’ll talk to as many
Princes as I can manage to reach before Servio finds
out that I know. Because
when he does, my life won’t be worth a drop of blood.”
“You’re right,” Stephen concurred.
“You’ll have to hide, you’ll have to run,
and you’ll have to fight. What about that human woman
of yours?”
Julian shrugged.
“I’ve sent her off. She’s become a...
distraction.”
Stephen shook his head smiling.
“Do you want to know why Servio can’t
stand you?” he asked and continued
without waiting for a response. “He thinks you’re vain.”
He laughed at Julian’s
surprised stare.
“That pompous old...” Julian was at
a loss. “He should talk about vanity!”
“We all have our weaknesses,” Stephen
was laughing, “and I’m afraid you’re
his.”
“Now you’ve lost me.”
“Come, come, Julian,” Stephen was
still laughing, “you’re surely aware that
there are men, Kindred and mortal, who envy you? You’ve
got it all. Power,
wealth and any woman you want. And Servio is old, gray
and uglier than the
ugliest Nosferatu. He hates your guts because he wants
to be you. You should
remember that when you deal with men, Kindred or humans.”
It made Julian frown. Stephen might
be right. Whenever there was trouble, it
was always over something that was in Julian’s possession
in some way: Eddie
wanted to be Prince; Cameron wanted Caitlin; Caitlin
wanted his past; Cyrus
wanted power. Lillie wanted... him.
“In my next life I want to be an hermit,”
he told Stephen before they
parted.
He was starting to feel restless.
When he opened the door, for a split
second he thought that it was one of
the neighbors wanting to borrow something or seeking
help. She looked so...
ordinary. But his senses told him immediately that his
first impression was
misleading.
“My name is Mary,” she informed him.
“I’m your blood sister.”
“Hi,” Biggy answered. He backed away
from the door, inviting her in with a
gesture. She nodded and followed him inside and he looked
her over. She was very
tall and rather stout. There was a lot of gray in her
brown hair. Her eyes were
a striking blue and her skin very fair. She wore a brown
inconspicuous suit and
carried a matching bag, the sort that many middle-aged
women carry. In fact,
Biggy concluded, she looked every bit as a woman around
fifty should look.
Biggy had stayed at home after his
Embrace, as Julian Luna had told him to
do. He had spent the day finding out and experimenting
with his new abilities.
He broke several things trying to measure the increase
in his strength, but was
unable to repeat Julian’s trick with the wine bottle.
Apparently, it required
more technique than muscle. He managed to break the bottle
to pieces, cutting
his hand in the process, and than watching with fascination
as the cuts
disappeared within a couple of minutes. He had felt no
hunger during the day,
but due to habit he had taken the food out of the fridge
at the appropriate
time, finding that the mere sight of it made him retch,
especially the meat. He
threw the food into the garbage can, but its smell made
him retrieve it and
flush it down the toilet. The milk went the same way.
Other liquids, the ones
that didn’t originate from animals, were still interesting.
The Coca-Cola tasted
as it used to, but alcohol had no effect on him anymore,
and his addiction to
coffee had diminished considerably. By the late evening
he began to feel...
strange. He didn’t feel sick, but the initial discomfort
slowly turned into
sharp pains that tore at his insides with dreadful reality.
What’s happening to me? Biggy wondered
with rising fear.
Mary looked at him appraisingly.
“You are hungry. I’ll teach you to
feed properly,” she said. “Come with me.”
Samuel Heims, the newly created Kindred,
followed her into the night.
Mary found the right victims, showing
Biggy how to render a human
unconscious effectively, how to open a suitable vein
or artery.
“Stay away from the arteries in the
beginning,” she warned him, “or you may
kill your prey. You don’t want that to happen, do you?”
Biggy shook his head. He watched her
wide-eyed. Biggy had a secret weakness:
the sight of blood has always made him feel queasy. But
now, the very scent of
it was more tempting than anything he had ever smelled
before. Yesterday, the
very thought of drinking human blood would have made
him recoil in terror and
disgust, but now he gulped it down gratefully, and Mary
had to stop him before
he drank too much.
“Never take more than a person can
afford to lose,” she admonished him. “A
big man like yourself can part with a pint of blood and
won’t notice. If you
feed from a small woman, take less. And remember, never
feed from children. If
you do and we find out, you’ll be killed.”
“No, no, of course not,” Biggy agreed,
“but how do I know how much blood
I’ve taken.”
“You count,” she answered laughing.
“When we get back, you can drink a pint
of water and count how many gulps it takes. If you feed
regularly - I mean every
night - that’s more than you need. If you feed every
second or third night,
you’ll require more each time. Don’t let the hunger become
too strong, you’re
liable to harm or even kill your prey.”
They returned to Biggy’s home before
dawn, and Mary told him to get some
sleep.
“Later, during the day, you can go
about your business as usual,” she said.
“I’ll come back in the evening and teach you other things.”
She took her bag
preparing to leave, but stopped before opening the door.
“Be careful, Sam, your
senses and your strength exceed those of mortals, you
must avoid disclosing your
abilities to humans. The Masquerade must be protected.”
“Please, call me Biggy, everyone else
does,” he said. “I promise to be
careful.” After a thoughtful moment he continued, “Julian
Luna, will I meet him
again?”
“The Prince is your Sire,” Mary answered.
”He will introduce you to our Clan
when the time is ripe, when I’ve taught you all you need
to know,” she added. “I
believe he has plans for you. Rest now.”
She left him alone, and Biggy decided
to heed her advice and went to bed.
Julian was happy to see that the Nosferatu
Primogen was there. The darkened
glass hid him from the curious looks of people who passed
by. He sat in the back
seat waiting patiently for the Prince.
“You didn’t have to come with me all
the way to Seattle,” Julian told his
friend, “but I’m glad you’re here. Stephen has agreed
to our plan.”
“I thought he would,” Daedalus nodded,
“there’s hardly anyone else who might
pull this thing off. I came here because you need me.
Your life is threatened.
You’ll have to put up with my presence all the time from
now on.”
“Aren’t you exaggerating somewhat?”
Julian wished desperately for some
normalcy.
“Julian!” Daedalus sounded equally
desperate. “There have been more attempts
on your life during the recent year than during the previous
seven while you’ve
been the Prince. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
“What do you mean? What are you trying
to tell me?” Julian sounded tired.
“Look, this is not the Roman Empire,”
the Nosferatu continued, “you don’t
gain power by assassinating your predecessor. Eddie Fiori
was stupid enough to
believe that he could rule without the support of the
Primogens. You know as
well as I do that he would have been dead within a couple
of months, maybe
sooner, if he had succeeded in replacing you. He was
a pawn, and so was Cyrus.
It’s your integrity that’s the pivotal point. Servio
knows that you’ll never
support him, therefore he’s got to get rid of you.”
“I see your point,” Julian answered.
“I must make sure that no one can get
to me from now on.”
Daedalus nodded with satisfaction.
“What about Caitlin?” he asked.
“She stays here,” Julian sighed again.
“I told Stephen that she’s history. I
don’t know why I lied to him. If this goes on for much
longer I’ll start
mistrusting everybody, even you and myself.”
The car turned into a dark road outside
the city and Daedalus looked up.
“Aren’t we going to the airport? There’s
precious little time,” he said.
“Have mercy, Daedalus, I need to see
her, to tell her...”
“What will you tell her?” the Nosferatu
interrupted him.
“I don’t know,” Julian answered, “I
must convince her to stay here, that’s
all I know.”
They fell silent, each contemplating
his own thoughts.
So much had happened during the last
few days. Julian was thinking about
Samuel Heims - Biggy, he corrected himself. The old reporter
might become a
formidable asset in time. That is, if any of them lived
long enough to... Julian
chased away his thoughts of defeat. He would fight, and
if he were to lose, he
would go down fighting.
The car stopped outside the house.
The lights were still on although it was
almost midnight. Caitlin let him in and he enclosed her
in his arms. But he
curbed his impatience when the old Byrne came to greet
him. Julian would need
his collaboration. He refused the food but agreed to
have tea and a glass of
wine with Caitlin’s father. She sat close to him, her
hand in his. No matter how
hard he tried, he couldn’t hide how upset he was from
her.
“What is it Julian? What’s wrong?”
she asked as soon as they were alone,
unaware that she was posing the same questions as she
had done in the morning.
“Business problems.” He tried to smile.
“Help me forget them for now.”
She smiled back and did as she was
told, putting her arms around him.
He was trying so hard to be gentle,
failing miserably. Backing off
momentarily whenever she made a protesting sound or motion.
But he couldn’t hold
back, neither would she let him, her body challenging
his power of control. He
knew that he was hurting her again and that she didn’t
mind, his futile attempts
to hold back exciting her even more. He gave in eventually,
heeding her whispers
that urged him to love her. Oblivious of both the pain
and the pleasure he
caused, driven only by his own passion, conscious only
of her complying body and
the sweetness of the pleasure it gave him. A spear of
irresistible ecstasy
shooting up his spine with every thrust he made, the
pleasure so extreme that it
bordered on pain, becoming almost unbearable, and then
exploding the world into
whirling fragments of the final release.
They were resting. There wasn’t enough
space for them to lie side by side.
Caitlin’s head on his arm, her shoulders against his
chest, she was playing with
his hand, entwining her fingers in his. He crouched a
little, their bodies not
touching all the way, his other hand pressed between
them, a protection,
preventing her from knowing that he still wanted her,
that one release had not
been enough. But there was no more time. He had to go,
leave her behind. He was
thinking desperately of ways to get away without her
noticing his condition, of
something to tell her. In vain. She turned suddenly and
he reacted
automatically, taking hold of her, lest she would fall
off the narrow bed. She
knew then, his desire hard against her belly, and she
pressed against him in
welcoming response. No, he could not leave, not yet.
Let the rest of the world
go to hell!
As Daedalus had predicted, the Prince
allowed himself to be distracted by
his desire. But being aware of that weakness didn’t spoil
the pleasure at all.
Afterwards, he made her fall asleep by simply pretending
that he was sleeping.
He made his breathing slow and deep, relaxing all muscles,
and sure enough,
within minutes Caitlin followed suit.
Julian opened the window, forgetful
of where he was. The cold wind blew some
snow in his face. The ground was still bare, but it would
probably be covered
with a white carpet of the starting winter in the morning.
He was miserable and
exposing himself to the chilly air didn’t make him feel
any better. He closed
the window after a short moment, the cold was only a
discomfort to him, but it
might make Caitlin sick. He turned towards the sleeping
woman. The narrow bed
was almost too small for her. How they had been able
to fit into it together was
a mystery, and thinking about it made Julian smile. He
sat on the edge and
touched her face lightly, suddenly envious, wishing that
he could sleep like
that. He was thinking of the few times he had allowed
himself to fall asleep in
her presence, or in the presence of any human for that
matter. He had pretended
to sleep in her arms often enough, but knowing what would
happen if he were to
really fall asleep had kept him alert: his breathing
would cease; his heartbeat
become almost non-existent; his body temperature would
fall until it reached the
level of the surroundings. Too dangerous to let it happen
when a human was
around. He remembered the exhaustion that had overcome
him in this very room all
those months ago. He had made sure that Caitlin wouldn’t
wake before he allowed
himself the luxury of sleep, her warm body pressed close
against his.
All he wanted to do right now was
to nestle down next to her, and stay
forever in this bed that was too short and too narrow
for him.
Will I ever see you again, Caitlin?
he wondered. He kissed her lips softly,
not wanting to wake her, and got up. She smiled and whispered
his name and he
felt a painful cramp inside his chest. It made him frown.
Was he the first
Kindred to suffer from a heart attack? Then he realized
that he was experiencing
a very human reaction, a physical sensation of heartache.
He left her room
quickly.
It was long past midnight. The car
was waiting for him outside, but he
decided to wake Caitlin’s father. The old man looked
at him with surprise.
“What’s wrong?” he asked after a quick
glance at the alarm clock.
“I have to go back to San Francisco,”
Julian answered. “I left a note for
Caitlin, but I need your help. It’s imperative that she
stays here. Do all you
can to prevent her from following me. Pretend to be sick
if necessary.”
James Byrne sat up in his bed.
“What the hell is going on? Don’t
you have the guts to tell her that you’re
leaving her?” The anger and contempt in the old man’s
voice were apparent. But
Julian shook his head.
“If I wake her... She will talk me
into taking her with me. I can’t let it
happen. I can’t...” He fell silent for a few seconds.
“Mr. Byrne... James, my
life is in danger. This is the safest place I could think
of... for her. Anyone
close to me will be endangered. It breaks my heart to
part with Caitlin,” right
now it felt like literal truth, “but if I’m lucky it
will only be temporary.
Please, help me, keep her here at any cost.”
The urgency in Julian’s voice frightened
the old man.
“What have you done?” he asked.
“Let’s say I’ve taken sides.” Julian
could hardly tell him what was really
going on, but Caitlin’s father eyed him suspiciously.
“Oh, so whose side are you on?”
“I’ve chosen to stand on the side
of the human race,” Julian answered
solemnly, “that’s all I can tell you. I’m not a criminal.
But even if you don’t
believe me, keep Caitlin here, for her own sake, if not
for me.”
“I believe you,” Byrne said. “I’ll
make her stay.” He got out of bed and
followed Julian out in spite of the cold and snow. “Don’t
get yourself killed,
you hear!” he told Julian as they shook hands.
The old astronomer was as good as
his word. Caitlin stayed in her father’s
house, amidst the snow-covered woods outside Seattle.
---