"We have got to get rid of Saer," I announced as I preceded Adrian and my cadre of mummies into the long, L-shaped room that a housekeeper had pointed out as Christian's library. It had nothing on the library in his castle, but was interesting enough that I paused to eye an incomplete suit of armor before facing Christian and Allie. "Adrian and I are madly in love, and I'm not going to stand for Saer trying to destroy him. Something's got to give, and I intend to see that it's Saer."
Melissande and Belinda looked up from where Allie was pouring tea.
"Oh," I said, stopping in the doorway. The mummies squawked. Adrian gave me a gentle shove into the room.
"Melissande." He nodded to his sister as he stood next to me. "You look well."
Her hand twitched, sending the tea in her cup splashing over the side. "Thank you, Adrian." Her eyes skittered to me before returning reluctantly to him. "As do you. I... er... congratulate you on your betrothal."
We're betrothed? I asked him.
It is customary for Dark Ones to marry their Beloveds. A dark suspicion flitted to life within him. Unless there is some reason you do not wish -
"Thank you, we're delighted, as you might expect. We hope to be married just as soon as your other brother is pounded into a pulp," I told Melissande. "We'd love to have you at the wedding, although I have no idea when it's going to be, or where it will be held, or even where we're going to live - "
"We will live in my home," Adrian said, wrapping his arm around me and hauling me against his side. It was a gesture that I'd abhor in anyone else, but it made me go all warm and fuzzy every time he felt the need to be possessive.
You have a home?
I do not live under a rock, if that is what you are asking, Hasi.
I smiled brightly as Allie invited us to sit. "Do you have some newspapers or something?" I asked.
Allie looked puzzled.
"For the mummies. Oh, they're housebroken - at least I think they are - but little bits and pieces of them tend to break off, and it's less messy if they stay on a newspaper."
She blinked a couple of times, but pointed to a neat stack of papers.
Hasi, they are not puppies, Adrian said as I spread out several sheets.
Of course they're not puppies. I never said they were puppies. Puppies are cute and adorable and have big eyes. My mummies are only cute and have no eyes. But they are former people, and thus they deserve the respect and reverence due to any deceased individual. We owe them that much, Adrian. "Sit," I ordered the mummies, pointing to the paper. They sat.
Belinda looked tired but not at all surprised to see us, but Melissande... she was clearly not comfortable with the change in Adrian's status from the feared and hated Betrayer to a lovable - and much loved - man.
I perched on the edge of a love seat, Adrian sitting next to me. Allie handed me a cup of tea and a plate of goodies, her mismatched eyes twinkling as she said, "I'm sure you need this after your... uh... nap."
A blush heated my cheeks at her unspoken amusement. Melissande's lips tightened as she mopped up the spilled tea. Belinda smiled benevolently at us, while Christian sent Adrian a glance filled with some male knowledge that I did not want to examine closely.
"Damian is sleeping," Melissande said, breaking the silence.
"Yes, I know," Adrian answered.
"You are still cursed, are you not?" she asked, one eyebrow lifting. "Does that not prohibit you from merging with anyone but your Beloved?"
"Yes, I am, and yes, it does."
She frowned, clearly puzzled. "Then how - "
"We looked in on Damian on the way downstairs," I answered for Adrian, hating this awkwardness between them but powerless to fix things until we got rid of Saer. I winced at that thought, knowing that Melissande was fond of her brother. "Melissande... about Saer..."
"He must be defeated," Christian said, his voice tired. Allie curled up next to him on a long leather couch, her hand resting on his leg. From the corner of my eye, I could see the faint pattern of wards drawn over his chest and head. I wondered if Allie had been worried about his meeting Adrian. That was probably one of the reasons he survived Adrian's attempt to snap his neck. "I am sorry, Melissande, but Saer's act in raising an army goes too far. Although his intentions are hidden from us, they cannot mean good."
"His intentions are not hidden from me," Adrian said quietly, his fingers warm on the back of my neck as he toyed with a strand of hair.
"Really?" Christian gave Adrian a considering look. "Enlighten us, please."
"I am not comfortable with us discussing Saer in this manner," Melissande interrupted, getting up to move restlessly around the room. "He has always been a devoted brother and loving uncle. I admit that his actions defy explanation, but we have not yet heard his side of recent happenings. It may well be that he is innocent and we are putting an incorrect interpretation to his actions." She shot a quick, unreadable look toward Adrian.
Adrian ignored her. "Saer plans to topple Asmodeus from power," he told Christian.
"There, you see?" Melissande started to say.
"By means of sacrificing Belinda, at which time he will claim Asmodeus's throne for himself," Adrian finished.
The only sound was that of one of the mummies sucking contentedly on the toe of my shoe.
"Well, I guess that takes care of the issue of Saer's innocence," I said softly, watching Melissande. Her face was pale, but she had an obstinate mulish set to her jaw that was extremely familiar to me. Heaven knew I'd seen the masculine version often enough.
"You cannot know for certain that he will do as you surmise," she said.
"I do know," Adrian answered, the pain that swirled within him so strong it made my heart tighten. I leaned into him, offering him unconditional love and acceptance. His fingers tightened on my neck. "Who do you think arranged for Damian's capture?"
Melissande stared at him in open-mouthed horror. "You can't mean... you're not saying that Saer... that he would turn over his own nephew... he is my brother! You cannot expect me to believe that he would do something so inhuman!"
"And yet, sister, you have no difficulty believing that I would," Adrian said, his pale eyes light with a mocking glint.
"That's different," she snapped, her nostrils flaring as she stopped in front of Adrian. "You are the Betrayer. Such unthinkable actions are commonplace for you."
"OK, time out!" I jumped up so unexpectedly, Melissande had to back up a couple of steps. "First of all, Adrian is no longer the Betrayer. Second, you guys, all of you, seem to think that he took pleasure in the things he did!"
"Hasi, do not bother. It doesn't matter what they think - "
"It may not to you, but it does to me," I said, my Irish temper flaring as I glared at everyone in the room. Even Belinda, the most innocent of all of them, couldn't meet my eyes. "Adrian is cursed. Do you understand what that means? A demon lord, this Asmodeus that Saer intends to overthrow, has bound Adrian body and soul. He had no choice but to obey his master's bidding. No choice. Death isn't even an option, because as long as the curse binds him, Adrian cannot be killed."
"He had a choice!" Melissande shrieked, surprising all of us with her sudden explosion. She pointed a shaking finger at Adrian. "He offered himself in service to Asmodeus in exchange for dark powers."
"Bullshit!" I bellowed, without a care that my language wasn't at all polite.
"Nell - "
"No," I said, shrugging off the restraining hand Adrian had placed on my arm. He stood, obviously intending to stop me, but I had had enough. "They don't understand, none of them do, and it's about time someone told them a thing or two." I turned to Melissande, my arms crossed over my chest, my chin lifted so I could look her in the eye. "Do you know why Adrian was cursed? He didn't have anything to do with it. Your father turned him over in exchange for sexual powers. When he was nothing more than a baby, your father took his son, flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood, and handed him over to a demon lord without so much as a backward glance. He was sold into bondage, Melissande, sold by the very man who should have been protecting him."
Hasi -
Melissande stared at me, her face a picture of denial.
"No. I do not believe - it cannot be - he made the choice - "
"He was two years old! Tell me how he had a choice! Because of his father's betrayal, he has been made an outcast," I yelled, swiping at the tears that suddenly seemed to appear out of nowhere. The mummies, evidently sensing my upset, started wailing in eerie, high-pitched voices. "He has been hated and scorned and hunted because of acts he was forced to commit, acts he regretted with every beat of his heart, but did any of you take the time to ask why he did what he did? No, you just condemned and vilified and denounced him without ever bothering to find out why he was cursed. Your self-righteous purity makes me sick! Adrian has been alone for five centuries, tormented and tortured, without even one hand extended to him in friendship!"
The mummies, still obeying my command to sit, pawed at my legs in distress. I gently pushed them away sniffing back my tears, unashamed of my outburst but wishing I had conducted it with better control over myself.
Adrian pressed a warm kiss to the back of my neck.
Thank you, Hasi. No one has ever stood up for me before, especially not with such an eloquent tongue.
I accepted the handkerchief he held in front of me and angrily wiped my eyes, absently patting the mummies' heads to calm them down. They deserve it, I thought about the objects of my diatribe. They all deserve it.
Melissande had sunk into a chair by the time my tirade was finished, her hand held to her mouth as if to contain a scream.
Christian stood, looking awkward for a moment before he offered his hand to Adrian. "I am ashamed that I did not question the origins of your role as Betrayer. It is a small payment, but I offer you my help now."
A few more tears snaked down my face as Adrian gravely shook Christians hand, allowing himself to be pulled into a brief hug. Allie sniffled and reached for a napkin. Belinda smiled, saying nothing, but her eyes were filled with sadness. I realized then what my outburst had cost her. I had been so focused on making Melissande understand how evil Saer was, I'd given no mind to the pain the truth would cause Belinda. Whether or not she knew the depths he would go to, she was his Beloved. They had a bond which I knew went far beyond mere emotions.
"I'm so sorry, Belinda, I spoke without thinking." I disengaged the mummies from my legs and leaned down to give her a penitent hug. "That was cruel of me to speak about Saer in front of you, but you have to understand that part of Adrian's and my concern has been for you."
She shook her head, giving us all a sad smile. "You don't have to sugar-coat the truth for me. I knew when Saer returned a few days ago desperate to Join after years of refusing to do so that something was up. I'm not blind to his faults, you know. I've always known he was the ambitious sort, and knew that someday he would resort to using me to get what he wanted."
"We'll protect you from him," I said firmly, reaching for Adrian. His fingers were warm and solid as they held mine. "We won't let him use you again."
She nodded, her eyes full of tears. I turned away to give her a little privacy, returning to the love seat next to the mummies. They cooed with happiness, stroking my leg as they raised their eyeless faces in adoration.
"You really have to return them to their inanimate state," Adrian said, his voice dry. "In the very immediate future."
I twirled the ring I still wore on my thumb. "You're just jealous because they don't fawn all over you."
"It is the power of the ring, Hasi, not your personal magnetism."
I pinched his wrist in retribution. "That's as good an opening as any, so I'll take it. With all due apologies to Belinda and Melissande, let's talk about what we're going to do with Saer. I assume that the ring wields enough power to do a number on him? Do we want to just hobble him, or... uh... fix him permanently?"
Christian, who had reseated himself, rubbed his chin as he glanced toward Melissande. She had remained in her chair, her face an expressionless mask, her gaze lowered to her hands. "I suspect that any action less than a full defeat would only delay the inevitable." He looked a question at Adrian.
To everyone's surprise (but mine), Adrian didn't jump in with an agreement. Instead he sat with his arm around me, his hand stroking my hair as he worked out what he wanted to say. I knew how loath he was to destroy his brother. Even though Saer and Melissande clearly felt no bonds of loyalty to him, he regarded his familial ties in a different light. "Saer will use his army to destroy me. He cannot defeat Asmodeus with the ring in my possession, or that of my Beloved. Thus he will strike at me first. If we can weaken him sufficiently, he will be effectively destroyed without it being necessary to take his life and put Belinda at risk."
Could she survive Saer's death? I asked. I know you claim you can't live without me, but is the same true for Beloveds? Will she go mad or fade away if he was to die?
An echo of sadness brushed my mind. A Dark One cannot survive the loss of his Beloved, but she can survive his.
I don't care what you say about other women, but I know for a fact that this Beloved couldn't.
He didn't answer that, although I knew he wanted to deny it.
"I have always felt it necessary to remain separated from Saer because of Damian," Belinda said quietly, her voice clogged with unshed tears. Her eyes met mine, and an unspoken promise was asked and granted. "But now Damian has another mother, so perhaps it would be best - "
"Right," I interrupted rudely, holding up my hand to stop her from finishing her sentence. "New house rule. No one gets to sacrifice themselves, OK? Not Adrian, not Belinda, no one. We can do this without anyone having to become a martyr."
Allie smiled at me. "At last, someone with common sense. I forgive you for trying to burn Christian in the sunlight."
"Thank you," I said. "I nominate myself as leader of this shindig. Any objections?"
"Yes!" Adrian and Christian yelled together.
"No!" Allie and Belinda answered.
Melissande remained mute. She was apparently finally coming to grips with the idea that the brother she had long believed to be a traitor wasn't, while the one she loved was. She deserved some time to get it all straight in her head. I looked at the mummies. "What do you guys say?"
"Aeeeeiiiii," they crooned in unison.
"That's five for me and two against. I win. So, let's talk about the power of this ring." I stared for a few seconds at the band of gold and horn on my thumb before turning to Adrian. "Why is it the ring doesn't feel cold to me? Everything else to do with Asmodeus feels cold, frigid really, but this ring is warm. And the sensation of joy when I charmed the curse on Damian - surely a demon lord's ring shouldn't bring people happiness?"
"The ring was stolen by Asmodeus many centuries ago," Adrian answered, his thumb stroking gently over a pulse point behind my jaw. "It was not fashioned for him, but was created by a powerful mage. The ring is made from a unicorn's horn, chased in gold transmuted by one of the greatest alchemists in history."
"Oh, that's right, it's a unicorn's horn," I said, giving him a look that let him know I didn't appreciate having my leg pulled.
He nodded, his face serious. I glanced over to Christian. He nodded as well. "Allegra herself removed the ring from Asmodeus's hand. She would not have been able to do that if the ring had originated with the demon lord. We lost the ring temporarily, but it was found and returned to us by Sebastian. Naturally, he recognized the ring for what it was. We decided that Allegra and I would keep it safe until such time as it could be wielded. When we found out about Melissande's quest to save Damian, I recommended the ring be used. That is what we were doing in Cologne - returning home to collect the ring."
"That's all understandable, everything but the part about the ring being made from the horn of a unicorn. You can't seriously expect me to believe that unicorns..." I stopped. Everyone was looking at me as if I were the crazy one. I decided that I could just let that go without exploring it further, and moved on. "That explains where the ring came from, but what can it do to stop Saer?"
"I will use it against him, Hasi."
I frowned at Adrian. "Wait a sec, you said before that you couldn't use it to rescue Damian."
"That is because Damian was being bound by Asmodeus's curse. The servant of a demon lord cannot harm another servant, or one who is bound to the lord. Thus you were able to free Damian when I could not."
"Thank you," Belinda said softly.
"Any time," I said, a little uncomfortable with her gratitude.
"I will use the ring and confront Saer," Adrian said firmly. "With the ring in my hands, he will not be able to defeat me."
"Mmm. That takes care of the how, but not the when or where." I looked at Belinda. "Do you know where Saer is staying?"
Christian shook his head, answering before Belinda could respond. "It does not matter. He will come to us."
Adrian's eyes narrowed, his irises turning robin's-egg-blue as he pinned back the other vampire with his frown. "You believe he will attack here?"
"We've already been through the lower part of the house, warding everything wardable," Allie said. "Christian expects Saer and his Aryans will track you here before dawn." She glanced at the clock. "That's a little less than three hours away."
"Aryans?" I asked, thinking I must have heard the word incorrectly.
Christian and Allie nodded.
"Aryans as in white supremacist, those sorts of Aryans?"
"Yes," Christian said.
"Neo-Nazis?" My mind was having a hard time grasping the idea of a power-hungry vampire leading an army of Hitler's Youth. "Skinheads and their ilk?"
"Hasi, what is it you find so unbelievable?" Adrian asked, a smile in his voice.
"Oh, I don't know. I guess I just expected that any army Saer raised would be... you know... the evil undead." Everyone just looked at me. "Oh, yeah, I guess you're right. Neo-Nazis are more or less the evil undead. Right. So we have Saer about to attack at any moment with a bunch of goose-stepping Nazis. Great. Anyone here do a really good Winston Churchill impression?"
