Fang Girl (26 page)

Three vampires hauled Van into view. Apart from a bloody nose and an expression of deep disgust, he seemed fine. Hakon looked him up and down, head cocked, while Van attempted to ignite the Elder vampire through the sheer force of his glare.

“There is no mistaking your parentage,” Hakon said at last, sounding mildly aggrieved. “And how Lily managed
that
without my knowledge, I will be most eager to discover.” Both Van and myself blinked, as Hakon turned to one of his vampires. “Disarm him. Carefully, but miss nothing.” The goon set about what quickly proved to be a lengthy task. Van had weapons in places I hadn’t even imagined. It was a miracle he’d been able to walk at all.

“And what of the lioness’s grandson?” Hakon swiveled precisely on his heels to face the other pile of vampires, the motion so clipped and fast it looked robotic. “Where is my cat?”

One at a time, the vampires gingerly disentangled themselves. They stood up, separating to reveal—nothing.

Hakon’s angelic face never changed. He glanced at two of his people, a mere flick of the eyes. They dissolved into mist, swirling briefly around the room like a whirlwind before streaming upward into the air vents.

High up on one of the shelving units behind Hakon, the tiniest flicker of motion caught my attention. It was a flash of something slinking across the top of the unit: a slender, sand-colored shape, hard to see against the beige walls and ceiling. A pair of triangular ears poked over the edge of the upper shelf.

Ebon?
With a mighty effort, I kept my gaze fixed on Hakon. Out of the very corner of my eye, I saw the ears flatten out of sight again.

Hakon had gone back to studying me. He wrapped one small hand around the stake through my chest. Without any effort, he pulled it out and tilted his head to watch as my bones and skin knitted back together. “Now, that may be the most interesting thing I have encountered for centuries.”

So Ebon had been right. Hakon really
was
curious about me. Which meant … I had something to bargain with.

I took a deep breath, shoving my fear aside. “I
am
interesting,” I said. “The invulnerability, the shared senses,
the way I don’t need any other blood …” Oh yeah. He was definitely interested. “I can tell you everything you need to know. I’ll help you. But first—” Hakon’s eyes narrowed, and I gulped, feeling that gathering of power down the Bloodline like thunderclouds massing on the horizon. “But first you have to let my family go.”

“That I cannot do, Xanthe Jane Greene.”

“You don’t need them as hostages to control me. Look, I’m not stupid.” I jerked my head to indicate Hakon’s descendants, and the situation in general. “I can’t fight you, and I can’t run. So I’m giving up. Surrendering. Let my family go, and I’m yours.”

“Me too,” Van said staunchly. I could have kissed him.

“Again I tell you, I cannot.” Hakon turned to address my parents. “What will you do, should I accept your daughter’s bargain? Will you take your remaining child and retreat peacefully, never again to trouble me nor mine?”

“Like hell,” Mum snarled.

“Janet,”
Dad said. “Sir, of course we would.
Wouldn’t we
, honey?”

“What—oh.” Mum paused. “Yes. Yes, we would. Of course.” I winced.

Hakon wasn’t fooled either. “You see, Xanthe Jane
Greene,” he said. “Loyalty binds both ways, like blood. I cannot release your family while you remain, for they would be wolves on my trail forevermore. And while mortal lives are brief, blood feuds are heirlooms, handed down. I do not care to have a stake planted through me by your brother’s daughter’s son. So.” He held out one hand, palm up. “Let me make you a different offer.”

“What sort of offer?” I said suspiciously.

“The same that I make all my vassals. You and your family will be under my protection. I shall provide for you shelter, food, a stipend. Your family shall live in one of my towns. They shall not be free to leave, true, but I will allow you to visit them, as it pleases me. None but I shall have power over them; no vampire will touch them, save at my command. You will serve me wholeheartedly and well, and in return they shall be safe.”

There was a small silence. Zack looked at me, “Huh?” practically hovering above his head. My mum was shaking her head, looking grim. Dad opened his mouth, but I made a small gesture at him, silently pleading him to let me handle the talking. “Serve you doing what?” I said to Hakon.

Hakon tilted his head a little. “Do you know what binds vampires, Xanthe Jane Greene?” He pointed at
my parents. “Humans? They are so blind, they don’t even realize we are among them.” His finger swung toward Van. “The hunters? Laughable pawns, easily bribed. So, what is the only thing that keeps us in check?”

I got the feeling he didn’t mean paper clips and Scrabble tiles. “What?”

“Other vampires,” Hakon said softly. “Delicate webs of alliances and pacts, enforcing rules to divide the human herd between us. The only thing that keeps us Elders in check is other Elders.”

“Jane, he wants you to be his assassin,” Van said. He did not look at all happy, though it was difficult to tell whether this was due to Hakon’s proposal, or the fact that he was now down to his underwear. The vampire searching him was eyeing his boots speculatively. “He wants to rule the vampire world.” His searcher pulled a hidden knife out of the sole of Van’s shoe, sighed, and started undoing the laces.

“Yes,” Hakon said, perfectly calm. He spread his hands. “Would that be such a terrible thing, Xanthe Jane Greene? I follow the old ways, of loyalty and oaths. My vassals will attest that I am a just lord. And,” he shrugged slightly, “what evil have you seen me do?”

I stared at him—so small, so fragile, so harmless.
My mind flashed on the white, waiting ranks of blood-collection cubicles. I thought of the undercurrent of fear in Ebon’s voice, whenever he’d spoken of Hakon.

I wondered what Sven had meant, when he’d casually mentioned a quota for killing people.

“Okay,” I croaked, past the dryness in my throat.

“You swear your oath to me, for now and all time?”

I swallowed. “Yeah.”

“Xanthe,” Mum said, just as Dad said, “Baby Jane, are you sure?”

“My decision,” I said to them, then, to Hakon, “Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Swear loyalty and obedience to me then, Xanthe Jane Greene,” Hakon said. “On your blood, and on the blood of your family, and on the blood of your gods, swear it.”

“I swear loyalty and obedience to you, on …” My mind had gone blank. “On, um, all those things, and stuff.”

Who cared? It was only words, after all. Hakon might believe in blood oaths and loyalty and all that crap, but
I
wasn’t some thousand-year-old baby barbarian. I’d swear whatever he wanted—and then double-cross him the instant his back was turned.

“I accept your fealty, and give you my protection in return.” Hakon gave me a small, solemn bow. “I will reward loyalty with loyalty, and obedience with honor, and treachery …” He straightened, tilting his chin up to look me straight in the eye—and all my half-formed thoughts of rebellion dropped dead.

“And treachery,” Hakon said softly in his sweet, childish voice, “I will meet not with death, but life eternal. For should you betray me, I shall turn your family myself. And then I shall torture them, daily, for one thousand years, until they are nothing more than mad husks that have only ever known pain.” A bright smile lit his face, and he reached out to pat my hand. “Of course, it shall not come to that. Now, your first task shall be to snare my wayward granddaughter. For too long Lily has evaded me. You shall catch her, and her long torment shall begin at last.”

“Not so fast,” said Sarah’s cold, hard voice. She sat upright in her wheelchair, glaring at us all. “You didn’t cut any deals with
me
.”

Her loaded gun, reversed, pointed straight at her own heart.

N
obody move,” Sarah ordered as vampires bristled in her direction. “One twitch, and I kill myself
and
your precious supervamp, little boy. Then you can kiss all your grand plans good-bye.”

Hakon made a tiny, downward motion with one hand, and all of his vampires subsided again. His pale eyebrows rose. “Can you not control your soul’s vessel, Xanthe Jane Greene?”

“Uh—” I eyed Sarah. Her finger was white on the trigger; there wasn’t even a millimeter of slack. There was no way I could suck her unconscious fast enough. “Actually, no.”

“Don’t you
dare
ignore me!” Sarah yelled at Hakon.

He said nothing in return. His own gaze was focused on the gun, and his face had lost a little of its eerie calm. He moved to the side, circling Sarah. Her eyes swiveled, but she couldn’t keep him in view without turning her wheelchair, which she couldn’t do without both hands. He was now standing nearly behind Sarah, where she couldn’t possibly turn to aim at him before he could get out of the way; his vampires relaxed slightly.

Sarah’s eyes rolled, as if trying to see through the back of her head—then, quite suddenly, fixed on me. “Keep an eye on him for me, okay, Jane?” she said, seemingly casual.

I stared at her. She had a weird, abstracted look, her eyes not actually focusing on me. It reminded me of Van’s expression when he was using the Bloodlines.

“I said to keep an eye on
him
,” Sarah repeated, through gritted teeth. “Not me.”

Was she using
my
senses now? I flicked my attention to Hakon, who was watching Sarah carefully; out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sarah give me the tiniest nod. She
was
.

Which probably meant that she’d sense any motion I made even before I started to make it. Wonderful.

“Girl, don’t be silly,” my mum said. “These theatrics
won’t help.” She seemed more baffled than worried. I had a horrible suspicion that she hadn’t really understood the whole heart thing.

“It’s all right, Sarah,” Dad said much more soothingly. He was the closest to her; he took a cautious step in her direction, hands raised in the air. The vampire who’d been holding him had let go, obviously far more worried by the crazy girl with the gun than the unarmed middle-aged painter. “We’re all going to be okay. Everything’s fine.”

“For you all, yes!” Sarah pressed the muzzle of the gun harder against her chest. Dad stopped dead. “You’re all
so happy
to sign up with the bad guys. Well, I’m not.” Her angry eyes met mine, focusing properly this time. “And I will die before I let you sell out Lily!”

“I’m sure Hakon will let her swear loyalty too,” I said rather desperately.

“No,” Hakon said flatly. “I shall not. I do not accept the fealty of kin-betrayers. I will chain and cage the she-wolf if I must, but she will not sit at my hearth.”

“Like Lily would want to, you little bastard,” Sarah snarled. “Now listen. Either you let us all walk out of here, or I end this, right now.”

“Such loyalty,” Hakon said with a shake of his head.
“And yet, so misplaced. Tell me, vassal’s vessel, where is your Lily now? Xanthe Jane Greene, perhaps you would look through your sire’s eyes?”

In all the excitement, I’d completely forgotten about Lily. For an instant, my hopes soared. Lily was clever and powerful; she could rescue us. Surely, she wouldn’t abandon Sarah …

On the other hand, from Hakon’s smug expression, I was willing to bet that Lily was not, in fact, rushing to our aid.

I peeked up the Bloodline. The endless loop of myself no longer played in front of Lily’s eyes; she’d removed her goggles and headphones. Instead, she was looking out through a car windshield, rain splattering the glass as she drove. I saw a motorway sign flash past, indicating that she was heading north.

“She’s running away,” I told Sarah.

“Good,” she said fiercely. “I’m glad. Lily’s going to get away, and one day, little boy, she’s going to come back and then
she’ll
be the Elder! Hope you’ve memorized some good books, because you’re going to be spending ten thousand years in silver.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Jane.”

“No!” Van exclaimed, muscles bunching—but he
didn’t dare move toward her.

“Sarah, please, I’m begging you,” I gabbled, frantic as her face went very calm. “My family—”

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “But we did make a deal.”

“Before you so nobly sacrifice yourself for your liege,” Hakon said, somehow managing to
not
sound totally sarcastic, “there is one thing I feel you should know. It was not your father, Sarah Chana.”

Everyone except Sarah looked at him in confusion. I had no idea what was going on—but I could feel the blood draining from Sarah’s face, and the catch of her breath in her throat.

“Suck sunlight, bastard,” Sarah spat, though her voice shook. “I was there.”

“Yes, you were.” Hakon clasped his hands behind his back, like a kid at a school recital. “You saw. You saw your father draw his gun, at the culmination of that terrible fight. You saw him shoot your mother, four times, and then escape into the night. Yes, you saw.
Do not
,” he said suddenly, forcefully, as Sarah’s hand trembled on the trigger. “You will not die of hearing this, Sarah Chana—you will live. Because I tell you that he did not kill her. You saw only what you were supposed to see.
Exactly
what you were supposed to see.” He paused.
“Lily is a very gifted shape-shifter.”