Jocelynn Drake - Wait for Dusk

Stop it, Mira, Danaus snapped silently.

Leave off. You’re enjoying it and you know it .

I don’t want to. The surprising admission was enough for me to close the connection between us. I finished my meal alone after a couple more minutes. As I closed the young man’s wound, I thought about grabbing another, but I didn’t need to gorge myself. I would have the chance to feed again later.

After guiding Frank to a chair near the doorway into the garden room, I resumed my seat, barely resisting the urge to run my tongue over my teeth. “Thank you. That was a welcome snack,” I said with a nod of my head to my host.

“Are you sure you won’t take more? If they are not to your liking, I can summon others for you. Older perhaps? Or younger?” Veyron offered like any attentive host. I waved off his comments and turned my attention to Valerio and Stefan.

Both nightwalkers silently chose from the remaining humans that filled the room, using the same care I had shown, to my great relief. Valerio wavered at times between putting his meal in a trance and leaving them conscious so he could enjoy the fear that pumped through their veins. Leaving them conscious would only anger Danaus, and everyone knew it. I was simply grateful that neither Valerio nor Stefan took the opportunity to start a fight with the hunter.

Unfortunately, Macaire was taking advantage of the situation to try and provoke the hunter. He not only fed on three separate humans, but made sure they were fully conscious during the entire affair so their terror could be felt and heard in the room. When the first male failed to elicit a response from Danaus, Macaire switched to a pair of thin, weak females who were far more vocal in their fear. The Elder drained them within an inch of death, and they crumpled to the floor with an ugly thud. They had to be carried out by some of Veyron’s other servants.

Throughout it all, Danaus didn’t even flinch. I knew the hunter had seen far worse in his days of battle and through his exceedingly long existence, but Macaire was only succeeding in proving to Danaus that he had been right all along. Vampires were simply bloodsucking monsters without a care for the human race beyond a source of food. Macaire proved that we were soulless creatures that weren’t worth saving. In that flicker of a moment, I didn’t blame Danaus for all the nightwalker deaths he had caused. If any of them were like Macaire, they deserved what they got.

When the trio of nightwalkers returned to their seats and the humans filed back out of the room, Veyron’s eyes drifted to Danaus and a grin slowly crossed his features.

“I am loath to ask such a favor,” he began, his gaze still locked on the hunter. “But I am wondering if you would permit me to try him. I have never heard of the famed Fire Starter keeping a pet. I am interested to know what makes him so unique.”

“No!” I snapped, lurching to my feet. “No one touches him. Danaus is not a pet. As I said earlier, he is my consort .” Around us, candlelight flickered and flared brighter and higher on their wicks as I unconsciously tapped into powers that had been a part of me since birth. Something important to me was being threatened, and I was going to defend it with everything that I was. Veyron would not touch Danaus.

Stefan and Valerio also rose to their feet as if to protect me, while Danaus remained standing as still as a statue beside me. Macaire lounged in his chair, watching the proceedings with a smirk on his thin lips.

Veyron was wise and remained seated, offering both of his open hands to me as he immediately backed away from his request. “I meant no harm in my request,” he backpedaled. “I never meant to offend you or your consort.”

I nodded stiffly, returning to my chair, followed by Valerio and Stefan. “Danaus is not to be touched by another creature.” I left the unspoken threat hanging heavy in the air. If I were to never feed from the hunter, then I would never allow another nightwalker to touch him. I didn’t want him to be tainted in such a fashion. He was not like any other human I had met, and it wasn’t just that he was part bori. He was different, and I wanted to preserve and protect that difference from the rest of my kind.

“Forgive me. I understand his importance to you. In truth, I don’t think I could ever allow anyone to touch my dearest Sofia here,” Veyron said as he once again stroked the back of her head. I half expected her to start panting or purring as she turned her wide blue eyes up at him and a delicate smile lifted the corners of her bow-shaped mouth.

“Perhaps he would like for me to get him something to eat or drink,” Sofia suggested in a soft, almost hypnotic voice.

“Yes, of course. How thoughtless of me! I am not accustomed to entertaining humans,” Veyron said with a laugh.

Sofia rose to her feet as if supported by air and started to glide out of the room when Danaus shocked everyone by finally speaking. “I can accompany her,” he volunteered.

“There is no need to trouble yourself.” Sofia smiled sweetly up at him, while I fought the urge to chew on my bottom lip in troubled thought. I had not expected this from Danaus. I had thought he would want to remain close while we were in talks with Veyron, but now he seemed anxious to slip away with Sofia. I wasn’t sure what he was up to, but a part of me knew that I wouldn’t like it.

“I don’t mind,” Danaus said. “It would give me a chance to see more of this exquisite house.”

“Yes, take him with you, Sofia,” Veyron said with a wave of his hand. “Get him something to eat and show him my home while I speak with the Elders.” I bit my tongue and forced a smile on my lips as I relaxed in the chair across from my all too gracious host. He thought he was doing Danaus some great favor, but I knew that the hunter had some devious scheme up his sleeve.

Stay out of mischief and be wary of the other nightwalkers in the house, I warned as he left the room with Sofia.

As soon as the door closed, I turned my full attention back to Veyron. I was more than ready to get down to business and complete this little dance we had started. “I’m surprised that Odelia is not here to join us.”

“I didn’t know that you were expecting her to be present,” Veyron replied.

“She seems to hold some power within the city. And so do you.” I was curious if there was any lingering animosity between the two that I could irritate. It could prove useful later. “I will admit that I’m a bit confused when it comes to understanding who the keeper of Budapest is. It is unknown to myself and the other Elders of the coven who truly rules this city.”

Veyron settled his right ankle on his left knee as he sat back in his chair with a smile. “There is no single keeper of Budapest. There’s no need.”

“Who keeps the peace?” Valerio inquired.

“There’s no need for anyone to enforce the peace in the city,” Veyron replied. “There are no struggles for power, no fights over territory here. All the nightwalkers here are somewhat younger in age and are content to go their own way.”

“It’s not all peace and love in this city,” Stefan declared in an ominous voice that dragged everyone’s eyes over to him. The nightwalker sat stiffly in his chair with his hands gripping the arms. It was one of the rare moments when I’d seen him express any kind of emotion, and it was obvious to everyone that he was more than a little angry.

“What has happened?” Veyron’s smile lost some of its earlier wattage, confronted now with open hostility from a nightwalker that was older than him. Should this encounter rise to blows, there was no promise that either Elder would step forward to stop Stefan.