After Daybreak (18 page)

“I’m not planning on it, but you also need to step back.”

“While Richard risks his life?”

“I admit what he’s doing is dangerous, but he’s not going to battle Sin. It’ll be a covert operation. Destroy the V-Processing center, stop Sin’s ability to mass produce the Chosen, and return here.”

“Sin hates you. He’s not going to leave Denver alone.”

“No,” Victor agrees. “He won’t leave Denver alone.”

“Now that we’ve dealt with the Day Walkers,” I say, “we need to start preparing for Sin.”

Victor nods. “I’d hoped we’d have a few days, but until we can figure out exactly where Sin is, we have to be ready.”

“I can do that,” Faith declares.

My eyes widen. “Do what?”

“Prepare Denver.”

Victor gives her a kind smile. “Faith, you’ve never been in a real battle, like we had during the war. You’re not experienced—”

“I know how to throw a hell of a party. How is this any different?”

He shakes his head. “It’s different.”

I know she needs a distraction from her worries over Richard. “Not really,” I say. “I think she can do it. It’s scavenging, getting everything organized. I think she’d be great at it.”

“Then it’s settled,” she says. “I’ll work with Anita, get a list of what’s needed and get things organized here. When Sin arrives, I’ll throw a surprise party for him.”

I can tell that Victor is going to object again. I squeeze his hand, communicate with my touch that he needs to let her do this.

He nods. “All right, then. You’ll represent us here in Denver. I’ll talk to Clive and Jeff—”

“I can handle that.” She turns her attention to me. “Thanks for believing in me, Dawn.”

“Anytime.”

“Don’t expect me at the manor. I’m going to stay in the city.” She strolls away.

“What am I not understanding?” Victor asks.

“She’s worried about Richard. She needs to do something, to have a distraction.” I glance around. “Until Sin arrives, she should be safe here.”

“Everyone should be safe.”

As the party progresses, Victor and I find our place on a couch. I watch the groups move like a single organism. Without the masks, it’s impossible to tell who is a Night Watchman and who is a vampire. Fangs aren’t being lowered. The most beautiful sound, though, is their laughter. Despite what happened tonight, despite the years of hostility, despite the war and the bloodlust and VampHu, they can laugh together.

The room slows down and I marvel at what I’m seeing: humans and vampires having fun together. With every handshake I see potential for change. I remember standing atop the Agency in Los Angeles, looking down at all the Day Walkers that surrounded us on the streets below. I remember Sin saying we were looking at the New World Order. And I compare that fear and grandiose design to what’s in here. One is created through blood, the other through laughter. I know which one I want.

“What are you looking at?” Victor asks.

“The future.”

Chapter 23

T
he next evening Clive gives a speech from a makeshift platform just outside the Agency building. A crowd of citizens has gathered. Rumors have been spreading all day about the great betrayer Roland Hursch. TV cameras are locked on Clive. Reporters are anxious for details. I wanted desperately to be there, but everyone convinced me that it was too dangerous, there was simply no telling how the crowd would react. So instead, Victor and I are watching it from my apartment.

Sitting on the couch with him, I’m suddenly glad I didn’t go. I want to support Clive in whatever happens next, but I also can’t deny the simple pleasure of being here, with Victor by my side.

On the screen I see Rachel sitting in one of the chairs lined up in a row behind Clive. She’ll be taking over the delegate position once again now that Hursch has been ousted, so she needs to show her loyalty. Beside her is Jeff, doubling as both date and bodyguard.

“You should have gone,” I say to Victor.

“I want the Lessers to be shown without Old Family beside them. I want everyone to see that they are loyal and tame, they can control their bloodlust without an iron fist ruling over them.”

“Roland Hursch’s crimes are unforgivable,” Clive begins. “He hid the Day Walkers in his home, sheltering them from discovery when they returned there from attacking our own. He toyed with our lives, using his fellow humans as pawns in a game that none of us were aware he was playing. He sold his soul to the devil, and he signed his name in the blood of those taken from us.”

I sometimes forget how good of an orator Clive is, how passionate he can sound when he believes deeply in what he’s saying. I always see him behind closed doors, where he’s the tired leader, the exhausted man who’s weary of looking for the right decision among so many bad options. But up there, in front of the crowd and cameras, he’s completely in control.

I wish I could see the crowd, but their perfect silence may tell me more than their faces. No boos, no jeering, no rushing to the aid of their beloved anti-vampire delegate.

“Remember this day and remember it well, citizens,” Clive says, hands held up high as though in praise. “Behind me sit several of our Night Watchmen—unmasked at the invitation of Victor Valentine. From him, we have no need to hide. Because of him, you can now know who has been keeping you safe.

“Last night, the Night Watchmen delivered us from evil yet again, but their eyes were not the only ones watching over us, nor were their hands the only hands at work. They were helped, every step of the way, by the Lesser vampires loyal to Victor Valentine.”

A low gasp comes from the audience, and I feel Victor tightening his hold on me, his tension matching my own.

Behind Clive a Night Watchman stands up from his chair, as does the vampire next to him. He’s wearing a suit and looks like any other employee of the Agency, which is perfect. He isn’t threatening or menacing. If anything, he’s a bit cute. And then they shake hands.

“Let this be the new model for all to follow,” Clive says. “These Lesser vampires have proved themselves not only to Lord Valentine, but to us human beings. They protected
you
while you slept. They lost their lives, lives that were once human, lives whose hearts beat just the same. Let their sacrifice and cooperation serve as an example.

“They need our blood,” Clive says, putting emphasis on each word. “But they are willing to protect us all from those who would take it by force. For that, we must be both grateful and giving to our friends. It is time we roll up our sleeves and show our appreciation . . . by donating.”

Cameras flash as Clive waves goodbye and everyone retreats back into the Agency. For a moment I fear a riot may start out of nowhere, the hushed tones during the speech nothing but anger waiting to be unleashed. Instead, there are quiet murmurs and then a slow dispersion of the crowd.

I turn off the television and call Clive. It’s his voice mail, like I expected, but I tell him he did a great job and he looked ten years younger on camera.

“Tomorrow will be the real test,” Victor says.

“I know. If they give blood, it’ll be the start of something new. If not, it’s back to the beginning.”

A knock sounds. I unfold myself, go to the door, and peer through the peephole. Faith.

I open the door.

“I’m looking for Victor,” she says, before I can greet her. “Thought he might be here.”

“Yeah, he is. Come on in.” She seems a little unsettled as she glides through in her characteristic red.

Victor is immediately on his feet. “What’s wrong, Faith?”

“Something strange happened.” Sitting in a chair, hands between her knees, she’s having a hard time meeting our gaze.

I return to Victor’s side on the couch.

“What happened?” he prods.

She licks her lips, looks around. “I’m not sure how to say this, but, well, I had a dream. I . . . I dreamed of Richard, but it was like I was
with
him.”

I catch my breath. Dream-sharing between Old Family vampires supposedly only happens when the vampires are in love. She’s finally truly opened herself up.

“Faith, that’s wonderful!” I assure her.

She nods, but her reaction doesn’t seem so wonderful. “I’ve never dreamed before. It was a strange experience, frightening even. I don’t know how you humans put up with it.”

“You’ll get used to it. But what was the dream about? What happened?”

Faith rubs her hands together nervously, completely out of character. “Richard showed me where they were. In Crimson Sands.”

My heart lurches. “Is the town all right?”

“Seems so, from what I saw, but here’s the thing. Some old guy named George told Richard that his scouts spotted Sin and an army of Day Walkers heading into the mountains. Richard thinks they were looking for someplace to rest before moving on to Denver.”

Victor scoots up to the edge of his seat. “Richard isn’t thinking of trying to take them out, is he?”

Faith shakes her head. “No, he knows that they are outnumbered and wouldn’t stand a chance. He’s following through on his orders to destroy the V-Processing center.”

Victor is visibly relieved. “Good.”

“Did Richard say anything about Ian?” I ask.

Faith’s lips flatten. “Yes. Unfortunately, the vampires dislike him even more than they did during the war.”

“But why?”

“Apparently, whenever they’ve taken time to rest the horses, he’s won a good deal of money off them playing poker.”

I laugh, imagining how much Ian would enjoy beating his former enemies in so civilized a manner. “They’re Old Family. They can afford it.”

“Still, no one likes to lose.”

I grow somber. We certainly can’t afford to lose against Sin.

“How much time do you think we have before Sin gets here?” I ask.

“A couple of days, maybe,” Victor says.

Faith stands. “I guess I’d better get to the Agency and start working with Jeff and Rachel to devise a plan for organizing the city.”

Victor shoves himself to his feet. “Clive’s message tonight was a good start. I think the people will be receptive to working with vampires just as the Night Watchmen now are.”

“I hope so. I’ll stay in the city, get things mobilized.”

“If you need a place to stay—” I begin.

“I’m using Victor’s theater.” He used to live in an abandoned theater in the city. Its absence of windows makes it a perfect hiding place. We once watched an old movie there together. “But thanks, anyway,” she says, before taking a step toward the door.

Victor touches her arm, stilling her. “Richard will be all right.”

“He’d better be. If he dies, I’ll kill him.”

With her head held high, she strides from the apartment. I lock the door behind her. When I turn around, Victor is standing on the balcony, gazing out on the night.

I join him and say, “It’s been a while since there’s been a feeling of peace in Denver. Maybe never.”

“And Sin will be here soon to shatter it.” I expect him to go on, but he doesn’t. He turns to me and I see the desire in his eyes burning stronger than ever, so strong that it’s almost overwhelming. I realize he doesn’t want my
blood
, he wants
me
.

“How would you like to go on a picnic?” he asks.

“Tonight?”

He smiles. “Tonight.”

“But Sin—”

“He’s not here yet. And when he does get here . . . we may never have more than tonight.”

I don’t want to acknowledge what he’s saying. As confident as he always seems, he’s recognizing that he might not be able to defeat Sin, that he might fall. Any of us might fall before that monster.

I step into his embrace and wrap my arms tightly around him. “I’d love to go on a picnic with you.”

We stop by the manor. When Victor tells Eustace that he’s taking me on a picnic, the old vampire takes control and sends servants scurrying about to gather the necessary items: an old quilt, a fine bottle of wine, a wicker basket that contains delicacies to “delight Miss Dawn.” He seems pleased that he has a role in ensuring that all goes well for his young lord.

An hour later, Victor and I are sitting on the blanket, gazing out on a lake reflecting the silvery moonlight. It’s peaceful out here, with the insects chirping an unfamiliar cadence. Perhaps because of their nearness to the water, trees are actually flourishing. I hear the occasional hoot of an owl.

“I’m sorry we can’t do this during the day,” Victor says.

I give him a soft smile. “I like the night.”

He pours deep red wine into a crystal goblet. “Do you?”

“Until recently it was more of a love-hate relationship,” I admit. “I hated it because it brought out the monsters and yet I felt drawn to it, to the peacefulness of a star-filled sky.”

Victor hands me the glass, pours one for himself. Then he stretches out beside me, raises up on an elbow, and taps his glass against mine. “Here’s to the end of all monsters: those that haunt the night and those that roam the day.”

I sip the wine. It’s rich and smooth. “I guess vampires always dreaded the arrival of daybreak.”

“We still do. That’ll never change,” he says. “But hopefully the sun is all we’ll fear. We won’t have to fear being hunted anymore.”

He offers me a strawberry dipped in chocolate. I bite into it. It’s delicious, decadent. I’ll have to remember to compliment his chef.

“So now you believe vampires and humans can live together?” I ask.

“Based on what I’ve witnessed the past few days, I think it’s a definite possibility.”

“As long as we defeat Sin.”

Reaching up, he strokes my cheek. “Tonight, let’s pretend he doesn’t exist. Tonight, it’s just us.”

Just us. We’ve had so few moments of it being just us, even fewer when there were no worries at all. I finish off my wine, feeling lethargic and relaxed. I lie on my back and stare at the stars scattered across the black heavens like tiny diamonds.

“I miss your theater,” I tell him.

He skims his fingers up and down my arm. “I do, too. Maybe I’ll renovate it, make it a working theater, open it to the public.”

Rolling my head to the side, I look up into his face. “That would be cool.”

“Once this is all over, Richard wants to go back to Los Angeles, return it to its glory days, to what it was before the war: a place that recorded dreams and fantasy.”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

“Since you came into my life, I think a lot of things are possible.”

Tears sting my eyes. “You once told me that I was your greatest weakness.”

“I was wrong. You’re my greatest strength, Dawn. Sending my Lessers into the city to work with the Night Watchmen as you suggested changed everything. I can see now that I was still viewing humans as part of the problem. You helped me to see that they can be included in the solution.”

“What if they don’t give blood?”

“We’ll find another way.” He cradles my cheek and leans in. “Vampires and humans can live together. They live together in you.”

He lowers his mouth to mine. For the first time I recognize, truly recognize, that Victor unconditionally accepts me as I am: a dhampir. I’ve been so worried that as a lone dhampir, I would be isolated, would fit in neither world, but as he deepens the kiss, I realize that he’s never turned away from me.

What courses through my veins doesn’t make me what I am or who I am. I was forged by my parents’ love—and my brother’s. Their deaths shaped me further, but the foundation that they gave me provided the strength to not only survive but to follow my heart.

And that led me to Victor.

Whether he is a vampire or human, I would feel this strong attraction toward him, this unyielding love for him. Why did I doubt that he would feel the same toward me?

I stroke my hands over his broad shoulders, his powerful back, and I feel desire such as I’ve never known. He means everything to me. It’s terrifying to admit, but I’m willing to embrace the possibility of hurt for the reality of now.

My life will be measured in years; his will be measured in memories. I’m determined that whatever time we have together will never fade from his mind.

He skims his warm lips along my throat, slides his mouth across my crucifix tattoo. His tongue circles the shell of my ear. He whispers low, “I love you, Dawn.”

Rising above me, he holds my gaze. I look deeply into his eyes. “I love you, Victor, forever.”

“Forever,” he repeats before once again capturing my mouth.

As the moon shines down on us, I know that the night has never been more beautiful, more perfect.