15. The Sordid Details
“Iwill tell you everything,” Julian answered, taking my hand and leading me into the kitchen past the wrecked chandelier on the floor. He set about making a pot of coffee as he spoke, and I settled into a chair. “We probably should have discussed this sooner, but I’d hoped it would not be necessary to earn your trust.”
I opened my mouth to lay into him, but he held up a hand to stop me. “That came out wrong. I know you trust me, Charlotte. Unfortunately, it seems knowing everything may provide a needed clue as to what to do about her current obsession with attaining exactly what you did mainly by accidental circumstances. If the Elsa I know has that kind of power, it would be a grave situation for the rest of us.”
Julian sprinkled some cinnamon on my coffee and set it before me in a large ceramic mug that read First Coffee, which he’d gotten for me at some point when I started frequenting his house more often.
Tugging it toward me, to warm my hands, I stared into the speckled, almond colored liquid and nodded. “Okay, shoot.”
Julian sat at the table beside me and reached for my hand, holding his own cup of substantially darker coffee in his other. “Though I’ve run across Elizabeth numerous times, there were two periods in which we became somewhat close. Or as close as a competitive vampire like her can get to someone.”
A pause for him to draw on his coffee gave me a moment to think. “What were the two time periods?”
“1657, Transylvania was the first time I met her. And the second was in the 1920’s in Chicago.”
A deep inhale of the sweet beverage in my cup steadied me enough to nod for him to continue.
“I was still with Silas when I met her. Most of my humanity had been shed or buried deep and locked away somewhere. You’ve seen what my life with him was like, and this was close to the time I broke away from him. Elizabeth helped with that escape, and I in turn helped her kill her sire.”
“Sounds like a mutually beneficial situation. Why didn’t she kill Silas if you killed the person who tortured her?” I asked.
“With his suspicious nature, Silas would not have been as easy to kill. And despite the rumors that Elizabeth started, her sire was not like Silas,” Julian said, staring into the dark depths of his mug as though looking back in time. “She was a friend to Elizabeth. Almost a mother figure. But Elizabeth felt she was being held back. Kayora had already befriended her and whispered these things in her ear. Not to excuse Elsa, she was more than happy to eat up the idea that she deserved to be the one in control.”
Julian rose abruptly and retrieved a glass bottle of amber liquid of which he poured a healthy dose in his coffee and downed.
“This is hard for you,” I stated, not wanting to put him through reliving something so difficult. He blamed himself for his actions when I knew it was a result of Silas’ abuse. I’d have done anything to get away from him if I were in Julian’s place.
Julian smiled sadly as he sat and added more whiskey to the cup. “I don’t mind telling you every detail if that’s what you need to hear.”
“What if there’s another way?” I asked, reaching for his arm. “I won’t do it without your permission, but what was accidental before, I’m certain I can do with purpose now.”
I’d been pulled into past memories of both Julian and Silas before when I’d touched them. Now, with whatever had happened to me, the idea of it seemed as simple as blowing out a candle.
“Please,” Julian said with a nod. He’d have to relive it in a way, but at least he wouldn’t have to try to explain it all to me.
Closing my eyes, I dove inside and found myself in a large stone room, wind howling through the cutouts that seemed to serve as windows to a lush landscape of rolling hills, thick forests, and dirt roads, half-buried in melting snow. Inside, the area was strewn with cushions, a roaring hearth, and quite possibly the largest bed I’d ever seen, draped in gauzy material that fluttered in the wind. Julian, handsome as always though dressed for a different century, leaned against the wall in a casual pose, arms crossed over a puffy sleeved linen shirt fitted with a thick sash at the waist. The front was open almost to his navel, revealing toned muscle and the kind of color that suggested he’d just eaten well. Yet something about his shining blue eyes wasn’t right. The color wasn’t quite as deep yet as it was in current times, but it was the man I knew underneath that seemed to be hiding somewhere unseen. In his place was something beautiful but cold, calculating, and dangerous.
Reclining on the cushions was Elsa, wearing nothing but a shear black…I supposed it was meant to be a robe of sorts, but what the point was, I couldn’t be sure. Her dark hair was loose and fell down her back in shiny waves.
“Silas wishes to be introduced to your cousin,” Julian said. Somehow, I knew he wasn’t speaking English, and yet I understood perfectly.
“Don’t all of our kind?” Elsa shrugged, letting her excuse for clothing slip over her bare shoulder.
A muscle in Julian’s jaw twitched, but otherwise he made no move or sound.
“The truth is, if there was anyone here I’d bother to bring to see Vlad, it would be you.” Elsa stood and slunk over to link her hands around the back of Julian’s neck, and I fought the urge to shove her away, knowing this was only a memory, so I’d have neither an effect nor a true reason to try.
Wait. Had she said, Vlad? As in, The Impaler? Dracula was an actual vampire? I shook my head trying to clear it as Julian gently guided her wrists down and away, standing straight and leaning into her to speak.
“I’ve only known you for a month, but that’s long enough to understand you are trying to seduce me for a reason. Why not try asking straight out?” He sneered at her, but the smoldering look he sent sent heat coiling all the way down to my toes.
“You’re right,” She shrugged her bare shoulder while still held by the wrists. “I am trying to seduce you for selfish reasons. Certainly, you’re aware of how handsome you are. I know I am beautiful. I enjoy the pleasures of the flesh, and I want to enjoy yours. What more reason do I need?”
Julian released her roughly but neither moved apart. “What will it take for an introduction for my sire?” he bit out.
Elsa smiled and tapped her chin. “Hmm. Why the insistence? Has he commanded you to arrange it?”
Grinding his teeth, Julian fisted his hands.
“No? In the month I’ve known you, what I’ve seen is a man terrified of his master.”
Quickly averting his gaze, Julian raised his head. Elsa slid a palm to his cheek and guided him back to look at her.
“You are no slave, Julian. You and I? We were meant for far greater things. I, too, have no use for my sire.”
“What you’re suggesting would only serve to end our lives. Painfully.”
“No, my dearest. I’ve spent the years since my apparent death learning much from my dear, distant cousin. What Silas doesn’t see with his short-sighted mind is the value of others’ power and how to use it toward our own ends. I have talented friends unlike us who will assist us.”
“I’ve tried for a century to do what you suggest. Let it lie, Elizabeth.” Julian turned to lean against the wall, staring out the window.
Her arms snaked around him from behind. He didn’t move to push her away, but he didn’t respond either.
“In the meantime, I’d like to know if you are as well-proportioned as you appear.” Her hands began to slide down his stomach from behind.
“I have a mate,” Julian said sharply.
She stilled. “Where?”
“She is deceased. But she will return to me.” The hurt in his voice—the way it broke strangled my heart.
“It could be centuries more,” Elsa said, spinning him back to her by the shoulder and pinning his larger frame to the rock wall behind him. “She wouldn’t want you to torture yourself. Surely, you’ve not been celibate? It would be such a waste.”
“No. But only in bloodlust or by command. I’ve not chosen to be with anyone consciously since her passing.”
Elsa laughed and parted her robe, letting it slide to the floor. “I’m not asking for your heart, just your cock.”
“Silas—”
Elsa pressed two fingers to his lips to silence him as she guided his hand to her breast. “I will make the introduction if you admit you want me.”
Then next moment they were on the bed, her legs curled around his hips and his mouth over her nipple. I spun away, stomach lurching with hurt I knew better than to feel. I knew it had happened. And there was no reason he shouldn’t have given in, but I didn’t need to see these details.
A swirling sensation overtook me, and when I blinked, the floor was no longer stone. Instead, I stood on a cobbled street with stalls lining the sides like a marketplace. Julian sat on a bench of sorts dressed in his finery with Elsa by his side, leaning into him as though they were a happy couple. They both wore far more clothing in public, he with thick robes over shirt and pants with large, embellished sleeves that fell to the floor and a hat with a feather I may have laughed at if he hadn’t somehow pulled it off so well. Elsa was cinched into what must have been a corset forcing her upright like a stick and pressing her breasts flat. She had a full skirt and a vest with gold embroidery tied tightly around her middle.
Another couple stood before them, also dressed in what I assumed was wealthy attire judging by the velvet layers in bright colors that also draped their bodies. I recognized the man immediately and my stomach dropped. Merlin. The other was a woman with beautiful ebony skin and a long black braid fashioned of many smaller ones. Her dark eyes were huge and hooded, the pupils rimmed in gold. Her aura matched Merlin’s. This had to be Kayora.
“I will arrange for Silas to be distracted for three days time,” Kayora said in a deep melodic voice. “And my brother wizard will guide you to safety while masking your trail. Your sire will be unable to find you. Not for at least another century.”
Julian licked his lips. “I just cannot see this type of magic working on him. Although I have witnessed witchcraft keeping him away from certain homes…”
“Wards,” Merlin said. “Most of our kind don’t think outside our initial education. But I will be able to ward you as opposed to a home or building. He won’t be able to locate or touch you.”
Seeing Julian’s face, filled with a battle between fear and hope, made me want to pull him into my arms.
“I’m tired of this life,” he said, then rose and held out a hand to the other couple, Elsa smiling broadly behind him. “I will attempt it. If I fail, then perhaps I will finally be relieved of my torture through death.”
Merlin and Kayora placed their hands over his, their auras mixing and sinking inside of his hand then out. They’d bound him with magic in this deal.
“What did you pay?” I whispered, knowing it had to be a steep price.
The scene changed again, rapidly shifting between flashes of Julian’s wrists being slashed, his blood collected in clay pots, too numerous to count, and him knocking on village doors and ripping out the throats of those inside.
I understood. They’d drained him multiple times and given him a kill list. The answer made bile rise to the back of my throat. But then I appeared back in the stone room I’d first visited, where Julian waited alone, staring into the fire. A woman I didn’t recognize walked into the room. Tall and slender, she carried herself with the deadly grace of a vampire and certainly had the palor to match. But her clothing was both modest and unadorned, though one could clearly see it was still well made.
Julian turned and smiled. “Good morning, Erzsi.”
“Where is Elizabeth?” The woman demanded narrowing her eyes at Julian. She didn’t trust him.
“She’s asked me to wait while she speaks to Silas alone. If I am a bother, I shall move to another room in the castle.” He straightened as if to leave.
“Not necessary. I was merely here to help her choose a gown for the ball the Voivode is throwing in Silas’ honor. I will return when she is available.”
“Actually—” Julian shot her one of his panty-melting smiles. “I was hoping you might help me with something. I would very much like to impress the lady, and I thought perhaps I’d present her with some jewelry fit for the occasion. There are two pieces I’m torn between and thought maybe, as you know her so well, you might deign to give me a hint at her lady’s preference?”
Erzsi stared at him for a long moment. “I am no expert on jewels, I’m afraid, Master Carver.”
“Surely a woman as beautiful as yourself knows what is gaudy and what is befitting of royalty?” Julian reached into his pocket and pulled out two strands of breathtaking beauty. “And Elizabeth speaks so highly of your opinion, I know it would be invaluable.”
With a purposeful sigh, Erzsi moved closer, gaze fixed on the offerings. One was pure gold with an enormous ruby dangling from the end, and the other, beads of ebony interspersed with glittering diamonds the size of my thumbs.
“Fair warning,” she said, “Elizabeth has taken many lovers, and even someone as alluring as yourself will not sate her tastes for long. You needn’t bother with finery and gifts. She can afford anything she wants of her own accord.”
Julian laughed easily. “I’m sure you are right, Madame. But I do so enjoy spoiling her while I’m able.”
With a grimace, Erzsi selected the ruby and lifted it. “Perhaps you can do me a favor now and enlighten me as to your sire’s purpose. How did he get an audience with the Voivode?”
Julian pocketed the rejected diamonds. “I am afraid I’m under strict instructions never to divulge any of my sire’s secrets. I would tell you if I could, but I can say it won’t matter as far as your future is concerned.”
“It matters to me,” Erzsi growled.
“Not if you are dead.”
Julian struck so fast there was no room for a reaction. With teeth and animal strength, he tore through her throat and severed her head. The body fell to the ground still clutching the necklace as Julian held up the shocked head of who I assumed to be Elsa’s sire. Both he and the room were bathed in blood.
Elsa materialized beside him, took the head, and threw her arms around him, kissing him in a way that made me sicker than the gore of the moment. She smeared her sire’s blood up his face and into his gorgeous curls which she grasped possessively.
When they came up for air, Julian ran a finger through the blood now coating her lips. “The charm worked well. It prevented her from using her speed and strength while she held it, just as Kayora said. But how did you know she’d pick the ruby?”
“She knows me. I go for big and beautiful.” Elsa tossed the head over her shoulder and slid one hand down the front of Julian’s pants.
I jerked away from the table, gulping for breath as the real world came into view. Julian still sat in the chair looking miserable.
“It’s okay,” I said, getting ahold of myself. “I understand. I do.”
“It is far from okay, Charlotte.” He buried his head in his hands.
“Julian, stop it. I was dead for gods’ sakes, and she was obviously manipulating you.” I tugged at his arms, but he stayed stubbornly hidden. “She may have had your body, but I have your heart.”
Julian pulled his fingers slowly away from his face as I waited. “I have never loved another. It will always be you.”
“Look, it’s not like I never slept with anyone before we met.” I sat back in my chair and grasped his hands before he hissed, and I realized that maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say.
“Regardless of the past, we are together now,” I corrected. “You were able to escape from Silas after this, right? That’s worth all of it.”
“Yes. I never attended the ball. Merlin took me across the ocean to Quebec, hiding our movements while Kayora distracted Silas with what I assume was debauchery and promises of Vlad’s ear. Elizabeth was meant to move to meet me, but without her sire to hold her back, and the help of her distant cousin’s power in the supernatural community, she forgot about me.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, dropping my gaze.
“Don’t be. I had no feelings for her, despite what she may fancy. She’d done me several favors, and I’d returned them.”
“Several?” I raised my eyebrows, making Julian laugh.
“Yes, she freed me of my guilt of enjoying certain delights. But more importantly, she freed me from Silas, allowing me to begin the long process of finding myself again. And she introduced me to Merlin, who as it turned out was quite a valuable, albeit expensive, asset, until yesterday.”
“Okay. So, now I know. But, what about in the roaring 20’s, Chicago? Did anything happen then I should be aware of? Honestly, Julian, if it’s just sex, I don’t need to see it.”
His mouth was on mine the second I’d said it, and I parted my lips immediately. His tongue swept inside with strong, claiming strokes, and I melted as he lifted me from the chair, guiding my head back to deepen the ravenous kiss. By the time he was done, I was surprised I still knew my own name.
“I never kissed her like that,” he promised, setting me back down on the chair.
Touching a finger to my swollen lips, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Yes, there probably are some things you should see, though,” he admitted, sitting and pulling his chair closer to me. “Charlotte, there will be more that is difficult to witness. But please know that I do not blame you.”
“Me?” Why would he blame me?
“You will see.” He reached for my hand, and I drew a deep breath, settling into his memories.