Twice Cursed (39 page)

Sean nodded, sending Lily’s eyebrows
into her hairline. “Sean…”

He glanced at her and then
directly at Sébastien. “Etienne is correct, but his assessment
isn’t
au fait
.
The operative words are in the past tense, and Lily is no longer a
hunter, at least not at the present. She loves deeply, so therefore
her loyalty runs deep. And we’ve all experienced how devastating
loss can be, and how it fosters the need for revenge, but
Sébastien, as this is all in the past, I move that we get on with
the business at hand. If Etienne has truly read Lily’s mind, then
he is well aware of what she has witnessed firsthand, both in live
attack as well as in the residual emotional impressions left in the
victims at the morgue, one of whom is a Were and the reason for
this parlay.”

The other vampires nodded, leaving
Sébastien to consider Sean’s words, his templed fingers pressed to
his quiet lips.

“
Etienne?” he questioned,
but his eyes never left Lily.

The vampire sighed. “Yes, my liege.
It’s true. The vampire we seek is the one responsible for the
attacks. She and her progeny are still at large in the city. Our
trackers have picked up her scent in central park, just as the
witch’s thoughts revealed.”

“
Is it as I
feared?”

The room grew deathly quiet, even the
fire seemed to stop crackling in the grate. Etienne bowed his head.
“Yes. It is Améile.”

“
I see.”

Etienne shifted his feet, drawing
Sébastien’s eye. “Is there more? Tell me.”

Etienne glanced at Lily and then at
Jack, his mouth twisted as if what he was about to say tasted foul.
Lily felt Sean tense beside her, but knew he wouldn’t move unless
they did, and she silently prayed he’d beat them to the
punch.

“
The witch witnessed
Améile’s progeny create another vampire and then leave him to die.
He was degenerating and verging on delusional, yet she refused to
stake him. Instead, she asked his help, and he allowed her into his
mind to garner all that he knew of Améile and the redheaded one.
The young one then staked himself in his last moments of reason. He
is at peace.”

Sébastien turned toward
Lily, fascinated. “You are a double edged sword, my dear. Fire
tempered with kindness.” His eyes swept her, then he glanced over
to Sean and Jack. “Perhaps we can learn from each other,” he
offered, before tilting his head back toward Lily. “Are you certain
you wish to go the way of the moon? You would make an extraordinary
addition to
Les
Sanctuaire
.”

Lily didn’t know how to respond. Her
first instinct was to cringe, but with the way the vampire’s eyes
burned she didn’t dare show it. “Thank you for your kind offer, but
I am content to stay as I am.”

Sébastien sighed. “Such a pity. We
always welcome new blood, no pun intended,” he said, chuckling at
his own joke. At a wave of his hand, Abigail pulled on a thick
silken cord next to the fireplace.

“
I trust you gave the
correct instructions to the bartender?” he questioned her over his
shoulder.

“
Yes, my liege, before we
descended.”

“
Good. Let’s hope he sent
to the correct shadow house. I am a bit peckish and in the mood for
AB negative.”

Jack cautioned a look at Lily. The
poor guy hadn’t said a word. It was as if he was shell-shocked, or
perhaps he finally woke up and cemented that mood-o-meter of his to
level calm.

“
Please, Sean, do sit down.
Take the chair across from my own and make yourself comfortable. I
apologize for keeping you standing for so long. Abigail, send for
extra chairs for the witch and Sean’s second.

“
Please, sir, call me Lily.
As I said before, I’m not a witch. I am an ordinary woman with one
extraordinary talent.”

Four sets of red eyes turned to her,
shocked, and Lily swallowed. “Was that strike three?” She whispered
to Sean, and the same four sets turned back to Sébastien, his own
eyes shining with amusement.

“
No my dear. I find you a
ray of sunshine in our dark world. As to being ordinary, I greatly
doubt that. In fact, I’ll prove it. You see, we have many who are
skilled amongst our undead brothers and sisters. Not only does
Etienne read thoughts, but Maggie, my brother Rémy’s second, reads
auras. She too was once a witch.” He held up his hand. “My
apologies…psychic.” She was in truth a healer and a midwife, and
one of the original accused during that unfortunate time in
Salem.”

Two male servants entered carrying the
requested chairs, placing them each on either side of Sean. Lily
slid into one of the comfortable seats, curious about what the
vampire had just claimed. “I’m sorry, did you say auras?” she
asked.

Sébastien nodded.
“
Oui, c’est la vérité
. Maggie, if you would be so kind as to indulge me.” He
gestured toward Lily’s chair.

Maggie stepped around Rémy’s chair,
and stood in front of Lily. She held out her hands and closed her
eyes. The air around Lily started to vibrate, causing the little
stray hairs from her braid to stand on end. A blue light formed
between the female vampire’s hands spreading until it encompassed
Lily entirely. Squinting, Lily tried to catch Sean’s eyes, but the
light was so bright she couldn’t really see. Then as quickly as it
began, it was over.

“
Well?” Sébastien asked,
almost breathless with anticipation.

Lily smoothed her hair down, trying to
squelch the feeling of being the center attraction at a freak show.
“Talk about experiencing what it’s like to be inside a light
bulb!”

The master vampire clapped his hands
once in amusement. “And what say you, Maggie?” The woman stood
back, turning to face both Rémy and the master. “She is a spirit
walker.”

Both vampires blinked, then turned
toward each other in unison, all semblance of mirth gone before
they turned to stare at Lily.

Neither said a word, but there was a
definite exchange, and just as Lily’s senses picked up on Abigail’s
tacit resentment, there was a sudden air of fear swirling in the
room at whatever Maggie had announced.

Lily looked from Sean to Sébastien.
“Excuse me, but what did she mean?”

No one said a word, but Sean palpably
relaxed, his body no longer giving off the numbing sensation she
sensed whenever he went into tension overdrive.

“
Will someone please
explain to me what just happened?” she tried again.

Sean glanced at Jack, and then took
Lily’s hand in his, turning it over to kiss her palm. “It means the
channel Jack accused you of ‘tuning into’ while the two of you were
arguing is the real deal. And not only can you pick up on frequency
signals, you own the damn radio station.”

“
English please, Sean. What
the hell does that mean?”

“
A spirit walker is someone
who is gifted with the ability to call upon entities from other
planes. Celestial ones.” He fixed her with a poignant
stare.

Lily opened her mouth to protest, but
then thought better of it. Either the vamps would kill her now, or
they’d think twice and let them walk, not wanting to tempt fate. “I
see. I guess I’ve always suspected as much.”

Sébastien cleared his throat. “So
you’ve experienced communication with other entities?”

Lily shrugged. “I suppose. I can talk
to the dead, and they seem to seek me out. And I’m no stranger to
the white light.”

Maggie gasped, immediately dropping
her eyes as it earned her a sharp look from Rémy.

Lily knew the claim was a stretch, but
she kept the image of Terry and the white light vortex she
experienced clear in her mind, just in case Etienne decided to get
nosy—and surprise, surprise, she caught the faint nod he sent his
master, and the ensuing frown Sébastien wore before he censored
himself, and was once again the epitome of charm and
hospitality.

He smiled, brandishing his hand in a
flippant gesture, dismissing the obvious hole in his intelligence
gathering. Although, from the set of his shoulders and straight
back, it was clear someone’s head was going to roll. “As I said
before, it is truly a shameful state of affairs that brought us
together. We have been tracking Améile for weeks now, but, for some
reason, she is able to evade us.”

He sighed. “Sadly, I’m still not sure
how to proceed once we do find her. She is, after all, my own
progeny.”

“
With all due respect,
Sébastien, she must be destroyed. There is no other way.” Sean
interjected.

For the first time, the master vampire
looked like the killer he was. His face became void of chivalrous
pretense and his gaze grew hard. “That is not for you to say, wolf.
I, and I alone, deem what her fate is to be, and least you forget,
yours, as well. So tread lightly. I care not that your witch can
summon from on high or control the devil’s own hellfire. Heed me.
You will not be given a second warning.”

Lily coughed, not out of fear but to
draw the vampire’s eye. “Sir, if you please. I understand that
human life is of no consequence to you, and the fate that befell
the unfortunate Were we found in the morgue registers only slightly
higher in your estimation. But that is not the reason for Sean’s
outburst. Nor is it the argument that brings us to you tonight.
Améile is rotting from the inside out.”

“
I’m aware of
this.”

Lily wet her lips, trying to stay
calm, but Sean interrupted. “Then surely you must be concerned
about how this affects not only you and yours, but everyone. The
consequences are far more reaching than you imagine. At the morgue,
we could smell the stench. Améile has not only infected her own
progeny, but everyone she had fed from, so it’s only a matter of
time before this situation becomes rampant.

“
We fought something
similar at the Were Compound in Maine, and yes we’ve discovered a
cure, but it’s DNA based, and since vampire’s no longer have living
DNA other than that which is residual in the blood they ingest,
it’s unlikely our cure will suffice—that is if it’s even the same
virus—but based on the evidence we’ve collected, there is a real
possibility it could be linked, and that means the virus is
mutating.”

The council’s valet and the bartender
entered at that moment, carrying a tray with fluted champagne
glasses and a crystal decanter filled with a crimson
liquid.

Sébastien exhaled sharply. “This is
all too distressing to digest on an empty stomach,” he said,
gesturing for the bartender to pour the drinks.

“
As requested, it’s still
warm,” the bartender crooned, handing one of flutes past Lily to
the master’s waiting hand.

Lily glanced at Sean, whose nostrils
were flared in revulsion too.

“
Stop!” she said, her hand
shooting out to grab the stem of the glass as Sébastien’ tilted it
to his lips. “It’s infected!”

The flute crashed to the floor, and
the blood seeped across the broken shards like an act of murder.
Incensed, the master vampire pushed himself up from his chair, his
fangs fully descended.

“
How dare you!’

Fear gripped Lily’s stomach, and she
squeezed her fingernails into her palms to keep her hands from
shaking. “Please, Sébastien…it’s true, sir, can’t you sense it?
Smell it?”

Sean and Jack both stood, flanking her
sides. They were so close to death they could smell it along with
the fetid blood spreading across the rug.

“
I smell nothing but
waste,” he slurred through his fangs and his anger.

“
You have to believe us.”
Lily pleaded.

Sean stepped forward, pushing Lily
behind him. He kept his hands in plain sight, but was poised to
phase if things got any more out of hand. “Sébastien, we came here
in good faith, not only to help stop the bloodbaths, but to help
you save your race. Surely you realize this is no joking matter,
nor is it a bargaining chip. At least question where the blood came
from. See if there is a tie back to either Améile or her redheaded
progeny.”

Sébastien sucked in a deep breath, and
with it, his fangs receded. “Yes. Rational. That is the vampire
way. You’ll have to forgive my lapse in manners, Sean. It’s just I
have been craving all day, and I am not used to having my
delicacies snatched from under my nose. Literally.” He turned
toward the bartender. “Where did this come from? Who was the
procurer?”

“
Lupo.”

“
Fine. Send him
in.”

Dismissing the bartender, the master
sat down, straightening his clothing and once again crossing his
legs one over the other. A nervous vampire followed the bartender
back into the room.

“
Ah…Lupo. Tell me, my boy.
From where did you procure this AB negative? I trust it is AB
negative, correct?” he asked, indicating the remaining liquid still
in the decanter.

The vampire’s head bobbed up and down.
“Yes, master. It’s AB neg alright, and it’s as fresh as it gets. I
put the human donor in the holding chamber in case you wanted
more.”