Forbidden Drink (2 page)

I felt the power shift slightly around me, like a heatwave, shimmering in front of my eyes. Through the haze of power I saw Rick change; swift, smooth, nothing like they have you believe on TV. It's almost magical, something to marvel at, not be afraid of. But I knew I needed to be afraid, because as soon as they changed, they'd find me. In their Taniwha forms their sense of smell is so much greater and I'd been lying here for a while, sweating, crying, snivelling any number of smells they'd instantly home in on. I was a perfect prey to the predator awakening.

One by one the Hapū followed suit, like a set of dominoes, unable to stop the force that topples the next. Just going with the flow from that first dominant push, from their now new Alpha, they began to change. Scales and claws, jaws full of serrated teeth, greys and whites flashed throughout the clearing before me. Although all basically the same shape and colour combination, each one looking distinctly different in their Taniwha skin. No two humans are ever the same, likewise no two Taniwhas.

When the final member of the Hapū had changed I felt the power lift and I could move. The magic that had made them what they now were, dissipating into the night. I took a deep breath in, the first in over half an hour and I carefully sat myself up.

That shift of my body was enough. Heads swivelled to where I had been lying hidden, noses sniffed the air, muzzles drew back exposing impossibly long Taniwha fangs and a low growl came from the closest of the Hapū, flowing out towards the rest until it reached Rick. His eyes bore into me, even though I knew he couldn't really see me through the thick foliage I was behind, but he knew it was me.

I had a second to comprehend this. And then I ran.

I'm faster than Taniwhas, since I joined with my kindred vampire and matured at the age of 25, I have come into some nifty powers, speed being one of them. But, this was rough terrain and I didn't know it. I'd only ever driven right up to the clearing where the houses are at, along a dirt road, I had never gone for walkies in their woods. All of it was unfamiliar, but to them, it was their home, they knew it blind.

I fell over fallen logs, I scraped my knees on barely hidden rocks and smashed into low branches, scraping my cheeks, nearly piercing my eyes and still I could feel them on my heels. Their snapping and snarling and growling and baying to the moon. The hunt was on and I was the prey. My heart was in my throat, my breathing ragged. I'd been in tight situations before, some may even say I thrive on them, but having a Hapū of angry, hungry Taniwhas chasing you over rough and uneven, unfamiliar ground on the night of the Rākaunui is not my idea of a cup of tea.

I thought I was heading in the right direction, back to the car on the other side of the fence, where I had cut a very small gap in the chain-link there. If I was wrong, things were going to get bad. I only had a silver knife on me, my stakes were still in the car, but a knife against one Taniwha could be useful, they don't do silver well, but against fifty, maybe more? I wasn't hopeful.

I could tell they were flanking me, I could hear them fanning out around me, moving ahead and circling round. If they made a complete circle before I reached the fence, I was in trouble. I can't fly like a vampire, I can jump pretty high given the right circumstances, but not a 10 foot chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. Even I can't do that.

So, I just ran faster.

Faster meant more branches, more scratches, but strangely enough less tripping, less falling, somehow making me skim the undergrowth and hidden hazards, almost flying across the terrain. If I wasn't shit scared right now, I'd be revelling in this new found freedom. Speed, but more speed than I had ever used before in my life. I have had to run fast since joining and Bonding with Michel, but I'd never managed this type of speed before.

I made it to the fence before the Taniwhas, but not quite at the right spot. I recognised the area, so it wasn't far away. I had to scan quickly, slowing my speed a fraction, but I spotted the gap and made for it, closer to the Taniwhas coming from the right than I wanted. But I knew now, I could make it. I knew I could get there before them.

I slid to the ground, feet first towards the gap. Don't ask me why, I think most people would have thrown their arms forward and let their bodies follow, but I have skidded through tighter spots feet first before, so I knew it was a move I could pull off. My feet slid through the gap, followed by my body, then my head. I landed crouched down on the grass on the other side of the fence and turned my head in time to see a claw slice through the gap towards me.

One of the most nifty new things to happen when I joined with my kindred, was an increase in reflex action. I thanked my luck stars tonight for that.

I rolled back from where I had been crouched, doing a complete reverse somersault away from that claw; head over back, feet flicking out behind and over, just managing to stay out of its reach. I landed with a thud against the Land Rover Discovery I'd driven tonight. One of Michel's pool vehicles, but mine to use when I needed it. At least I could be grateful it wasn't the BMW Series 1 Convertible Michel had presented me with. I gave that one back. This was our compromise. I
borrowed
the Discovery when I needed a car. That way Michel knew I was driving something suitably safe and I didn't feel like a kept woman. The Discovery never came home with me, it stayed at Michel's. I was adamant about that.

I sat there stunned, trying to catch my breath and make myself move, but unable to pull my gaze away from the muddy brown Taniwha eyes that watched me. I knew those eyes, even in Taniwha form, I still recognised them.

“Congratulations.” My voice was even, if just a little breathless. “On your promotion in the Hapū.”

He just growled, low and long.

We stared at each other for a moment. Him unable to get through the small gap, me catching my breath, then I stood shakily and opened the door to the Land Rover, slid in and turned the key.

I guess, at least, I knew where I stood.

Rick was Alpha of the Westside Hapū. And I was at the top of his shit list too.

I'd made it about a kilometre down the road. I knew the Taniwhas wouldn't leave their land in Taniwha form, too dangerous out in the country like this, they'd be shot on sight by some well meaning farmer who just happens to carry his shotgun in the back of his Ute. They couldn't risk discovery, even if I was the one that got away.

Despite that knowledge though, I was still pretty much a wreck. I had scrapes and bruises and cuts all over me, but that wasn't the worst of it. No, the worst was the image of Jerome falling to the ground. The worst was the knowledge that Rick had killed him. Rough, tough, gruff Jerome, who had a heart of gold and a bear hug to rival the best of them. He'd welcomed me on pack lands, he'd opened up his world to the lost Nosferatin and been there when I needed to call on old ties.

My depth of respect for Jerome was bottomless. And now he was dead, because of Rick. I stifled a sob and tried to brush the tears away so I could focus on the road. I really didn't want to pull over, I was still too close to Hapū land to feel entirely safe, so I was risking an accident just to get away, but it was getting harder and harder.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a figure appeared on the road ahead. I slammed on the brakes and made the four-by-four screech to a stop before hitting him. Thank God for ABS brakes. He was at my driver's side door in a flash, pulling it open and pulling me to him, crushing me to his chest.

“
Ma douce
,
ma douce
, what have you been doing now?”

I didn't reply, just let him hold me, just let his warm arms encase me and took shaking breath after shaking breath in, letting the clean smell of his scent wash over me, salty sea spray and freshly clean cut grass, washing away the images. I felt his gentle touch against my mind and automatically lowered my shields. His healing power rushed in and took away all the pain, healed the cuts and scrapes and bruises, but couldn't touch one ache. No amount of vampire
Sanguis Vitam
could fix that one. That one I'd wear in my heart for eternity.

Michel drove us back to
Sensations
, his club and daytime retreat. He didn't ask any questions, just let me cry silently in the passenger seat. He parked in the underground parking, it's only for his staff and vampires of his line, many of which stay on the premises too.
Sensations
is a large old brick building, Michel owns all of it, some he rents out as offices up above, but the club and living quarters and garage underneath are all his.

He sat silently next to me once he'd switched the car off and said nothing, just waited. I think I'd managed to cry myself out and now I just felt exhausted and frustrated and the beginnings of being really pissed off. Always a good sign, an indication I was getting
me
back and not some fragile weeping girl unable to hold her own against the baddies and monsters of the night.

I opened the door and turned to slide down to the ground. Land Rover Discovery's have a high wheel base and at 5'4” tall, it's a long way down for me. Michel had made it around the car to me before my feet had touched the concrete, offering me his hand. He's old school. Michel is 500 years old so it's not surprising, but the thought of a woman not requiring a hand out of a vehicle, or not have a door opened when they walked up to it, was just not his bag. I was having a hard time bringing him into the 21
st
century, but then again, I've never entirely been a women's libber anyway. I let him take my hand and help me out of the car.

He pulled me to him again and kissed my forehead.

“I felt your pull, your need tonight,
ma douce
. I felt the Bond call for some of my powers. It has never done that before. Will you tell me what happened?”

Well, that covered the faster speed than usual thing, didn't it? Here I was thinking I'd just received a ramp up in power levels, when it was actually just on loan from Michel. Bugger.

“Can I have a shower first, then let's talk.”

That received the obligatory raised eyebrows, head cocked to the side, smirky grin. You know the one, the one that says
by all means, as long as I get to come too
. I just smiled and shook my head. Even in emotional crises Michel could think of sex.

I turned towards the the door that led to the club and stopped. The BMW was back, sitting sleekly in the corner, shiny black exterior, red leather seats.

“I thought you got rid of that,” I said stiffly.

“I live in perpetual hope that you will see reason,
ma douce
.”

I just humphed and punched in the code to the internal door before Michel got to it. I could feel the weight of his gaze on my back. Michel wanted to look after me, hell he wanted me to be ensconced in his world without any chance of an independent thought or action. Sometimes, it was cute and sometimes, just so damn annoying. The man could smother. And yet, a part of me couldn't help feeling he had no right. I still had trouble forgetting Paris. Forgetting the images of him in another's embrace.

We didn't have to go into the club proper, the access from the garage led to part of the private quarters of the club. Michel had recently had to take on more vampires under his line. An accord with a master vampire named Jock, who had died fighting beside Michel, had led Michel to extend hospitality to those under his line. In a short amount of time, he had almost doubled his entourage. There were still some teething problems and he had settled many of them in Wellington, under the care of Jett, a level two master vampire from Jock's line. Serious sort of dude, lots of curly long black hair and a crooked nose that managed to add to his appeal, not detract. From the brief interactions I'd had with Jett, I liked him. He took his role seriously and despite only a new addition to Michel's line, I think Michel trusted him.

But, because the
Iunctio
had all but turfed Michel out of Wellington - there should only be one city per Master of the City - all of his vampires had to return. A new section of the club had been made over and plans were in motion to convert the rest of the building into accommodation as well. Just one big vampire Frat House, I guess. The garage came out into the newly renovated section, half way between Michel's private quarters and those of his existing line.

We took the right hand branch of the plushly carpeted hallway towards Michel's area. I walked straight past his office and into his chamber. It was extravagantly decorated. Michel liked to surround himself with beauty and more so here, in his private retreat, than anywhere else. Although
Sensations
, the club part of this building, was rather well done too, here in his chambers, you got to see a bit more of Michel.

Lush fabrics in rich colours, dark wood, solid modern furniture with an antique twist, comfort and design at its best. It had surprised me the first time I had come here, no coffin, nothing like that, all elegance and extravagance and beautifully put together furnishings. It could have been a room out of a luxury resort, or a top notch hotel,
The Ritz
or
The Regent Beverly Wilshire,
but here and there was Michel. A sculpture in the corner from Italy, a small trinket on the bedside table from his childhood, books accumulated over centuries, mementoes and memories in little pockets around the room. It was, for all intents and purposes, his home. He owned other houses around Auckland and New Zealand, but this was where he lived.

I walked straight into the bathroom and flicked on the light. I had to admit, Michel's bathroom outshone mine to an alarming degree. I had a bath and a shower, everything a girl could need, but Michel had a rain shower with multi head massaging jets, big enough for a nest of vampires, not just the two of us, beautiful cream tiles and gold fixtures and a plethora of expensive shampoos and creams and soaps and smelly delights, all provided for me.

He was trying to entice me, to make me spend more and more time here, away from my small but convenient apartment. I think he thought, the more desirable things he dotted around the place, the more likely I was to capitulate. I, on the other hand, had picked up a thing or two from the master manipulator Michel and I was playing him, like a card shark;
bring it on maestro, let's see how far you take it
. Unfortunately, he'd gone for the BMW. I hadn't quite recovered from that one yet.

I turned the taps on in the shower and proceeded to strip. Michel had followed me in and was leaning against the vanity, arms folded over his chest, legs stretched out and crossed at his ankles. He was in his usual night time business wear. Made-to-measure Armani suit, Italian leather loafers, gold cuff links on his crisp white Pierre Cardin shirt and tonight, a sky blue silk tie. He'd long ago forgone other coloured ties, somehow picking up on the fact that I adored blue, the way it matched his eyes, complemented or enhanced the indigo swirls within.

Michel has had a long time to practice his wiles on members of the fairer sex and he'd spent the first two years of our platonic relationship assessing me, figuring out what made me tick. I'd just spent it surviving his charms and staying on my side of the line. Consequently, he knew how to push my buttons far better than I did his.

I wasn't affected by him being in the bathroom with me though, we'd long ago passed that awkward stage, so I just let him watch as I stepped inside the shower and let the water fall around me, luxuriating in its warmth. I adjusted a few of the nozzles to get the best effect, massaging away the heinous start to the night and reached up for my currently favourite shampoo. It smelt of cherries and vanilla and made my slightly longer than shoulder length dead straight brown hair, shine like I'd spent three hours at a hair salon. It felt gooood.

I was just reaching for the conditioner when I heard the shower stall door open and Michel stepped in. I turned and gave him a look. He cocked an eyebrow at me and reached for the conditioner, taking it from my hand and turning me away from him. He massaged my hair, letting his fingers ease more of the tension and letting the smell of cherries and vanilla fill the room. His touch always had an effect on me. I knew, logically, that it was the Joining and Bond we shared. As kindred, we needed to have that touch; physically, emotionally, mentally, it made us stronger, but I couldn't help responding to it even if my brain was saying: s
low down tiger, it's not all you
.

I had tried to stay away for a while, to sort out how I really felt. But after Paris, when we had almost died, when things had got a little kooky, what with gods and extraordinary powers and all that madness, I hadn't been able to make the break from him again. He was my drug, but not by choice. And because of that, I swore daily I would find a way to be me and not just the kindred Nosferatin of perhaps the most powerful vampire in the world.

“What happened at Whenuapai?” His voice was soft, but he still managed to surprise me. In the shower and he's all business? This was new.

I sighed, I knew what I was about to say would not be well received. “I went to see if I could stop it.” He knew what
stop it
meant, he knew the challenge was on tonight, he'd made me promise to stay away. Oops.

“I gather that didn't work out how you planned.” Now his voice was flat, even, but he still massaged my head, fingers moving deftly, making it hard to concentrate, hard to ignore the feel of him naked behind me, his breath against my neck. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in to steady myself.

“No. I saw Rick kill him.”

He stiffened slightly, paused from his massaging, but only a moment, then pulled me towards the shower of water to rinse my hair clean. “Close your eyes,” he whispered, turning me towards him now and helping the suds out of my hair. When he was satisfied I was squeaky clean, he pulled me closer, until I felt the wet slickness of water on his skin against  mine, his arms going around me as we stood under the spray together.

“How close did you get, Lucinda?”

The fact that he was no longer using his pet name,
ma douce,
for me anymore, was a sure indicator of just how angry he was.

“Enough to be paralysed by their power,” I answered.

I felt his
Sanguis Vitam
climb then, but he reined it back in immediately. Just a brief loss of control, enough to make me realise how much danger I was actually in. An angry vampire in the close confines of a shower stall, not the best place to be.

“Is there a reason you insist on defying me and endangering yourself, Lucinda? Do you wish yourself harm?”

“Firstly, I am not yours to control.” I pushed away from him and scowled. “Secondly, he was my friend, Michel, I had to try.”

“But it was futile, was it not? You were unable to do a thing but stand by and watch.”

And there you have it, Michel knows me so well. Right now he's angry, furious even and he's lashing out. Part of me knew it was because he was scared that I had almost got killed tonight, part of it though, was because I had gone against his wishes and he wanted me to pay for that defiance. He is a vampire, it's how they operate. I disobeyed him tonight, so he was punishing me. And saying I had to watch another friend die, saying that that's
all
I could do, was a little too close to home. I had watched Rocky die and did nothing to stop it. It haunted me and Michel knew it.