Chapter 20 - Ameera
20
AMEERA
Anson’s mood deteriorates as we drive home, and by the time we walk in the front door he says he wants to be alone in a detached monotone that worries me. I frown after him as he heads downstairs to our daytime resting place, refraining from following him. I want to chase after him, but if he needs some space right now, I’ll give it to him, no matter how much I don’t like it.
I turn and follow the sound of voices through the house and emerge onto the back patio to find Samuel and Aydin sitting at the small round wrought-iron table playing chess with the ornate antique set I haven’t used since the last time my sire visited. Dre is sitting close by on a nearby lounge chair, looking down at his phone, and Harrison is standing off to one side, staring off into the night. They all look over at me with raised brows as I walk outside.
“Well?” Samuel asks as I stop next to the table.
I shake my head. “Our little trip didn’t go well,” I say. “Anson’s father refused to help him, and we got attacked again on the way back.”
“Where’s Anson?” Dre asks as he rises to his feet and steps closer with a worried frown. “Is he okay?”
“He went to our room to be alone for a while,” I say. “He’s fine physically, but he’s understandably upset.”
“Are you alright, my dear?” my sire asks.
I shrug. “I will be when these random attacks stop,” I reply as I slip into the empty chair catty-corner to Aydin.
“I don’t understand all these cowardly assassination attempts, ma’am,” Harrison says, crossing his arms over his chest as he comes up next to Dre. “Why not just challenge you to a fair fight and get on with it?”
“Only a worthy opponent is given that honor,” Aydin says. “Ameera must prove herself by surviving these attacks before she’s issued a formal challenge.”
Harrison looks at me again and frowns. “Is he serious?”
“I’m afraid so,” I reply.
“Well, that’s fucked up,” Dre announces with a scowl.
“I agree,” I say. “But I don’t make the rules. The Mari Mae?tri does.”
“Well, they sound like a bunch of assholes,” Dre replies.
“Some of us more than others,” my sire says with an arched brow.
Dre blanches at his faux pas, then gives me a panicked glance. I really need to remind him to stop looking me in the eye. It’s a bad habit to get into since most other vampires aren’t trustworthy like the ones in his present company.
“No worries, detective,” my sire says. “I have a thick skin.”
“Plus, he’s not wrong,” Samuel adds with a smirk.
“You’re just sore that you can’t beat me at chess,” Aydin says with a smile.
Dre relaxes at their banter, but it does nothing to ease my anxiety and I stare unseeing at the chessboard as Aydin and Samuel continue their game, ribbing each other the whole time. Within minutes, my sire calls out checkmate and ends the game before addressing me.
“Ameera,” he says, drawing me out of my anxious reverie. “Why don’t we take a walk?”
“Yes, Sire,” I say as I rise to my feet, eager for any distraction from how helpless I feel right now.
We leave the porch behind and step out onto the grass, then make our way to the line of trees surrounding my property. We stroll along its edge for several minutes before Aydin speaks.
“I’ve never seen you this anxious,” he says.
“I’ve never had so much to lose before,” I reply. “And it’s not even the threat to my position or my life that concerns me the most.”
“It’s Anson.”
“Yes,” I say as I stop walking and face my sire, hugging myself for comfort. “I know you taught me to be self-reliant, but…” I trail off, afraid to admit my weakness to the vampire I respect most in this world.
“Being self-reliant doesn’t mean you have to be alone,” he says. “I taught you those lessons, so you’d always be able to take care of yourself, not because I expected you to lead a life of solitude. It’s clear you love each other very much, and you have every right to fear losing him. But don’t let that fear affect your focus. It could get one or both of you killed.” His eyes well with sorrow. “Believe me, I know.”
“Helene.”
He nods, then shakes off his sadness and changes the subject. “I assume you have some inkling of a possible solution?” I nod and he smiles. “You always do. Even when things seem impossible.” His smile fades into a more serious expression. “Focus on that and you’ll find your way.”
I open my mouth to thank him for his encouraging words, but just then one of my vampire guards comes rushing up to us.
“Sorry to interrupt, Mistress,” she says, her voice tight and her eyes wide. “But there’s a vampire at the front gate requesting an audience with you.”
I frown. “Well, who is it?” I ask with irritation. The last thing I want to deal with right now is a petty problem with one of my subjects.
“They claim to be the… the Executor,” she replies in a hushed voice as if just saying the name is terrifying. She holds her pistol at her side, as if such a mundane weapon could do anything to protect her from our infamous visitor.
I ignore the jolt of fear her words inspire and focus on the task at hand. “Bring her to the front of the house,” I say. “We’ll meet her there.” I’ll be damned if I let the vampire equivalent of the bogeyman in my house, even if I already know the reason for her visit.
“Yes, Mistress,” she says, then hurries away.
I turn to my sire and sigh. “Well, at least the random attacks are over now that she’s here to issue a formal challenge.”
“But now you’ll have a limited time to convince Anson’s father to help him regain his magic.”
“And without his magic, Anson is ill-equipped to fight her with any chance of success anymore than I would be if I fought her by myself.” I shake my head. “Our only chance to defeat her is if we work together with every weapon at our disposal.”
“I’m confident you’ll find a way,” my sire says. “You’ve always been resourceful, and I’m sure that hasn’t changed.”
All I can manage is a brittle smile before we make our way back into the house. I leave my sire in the front foyer and hurry downstairs to get Anson. I let myself into our room and find him sitting on the bed with an expression so distraught that it tugs at my heart. If only I were here to give him good news. He could certainly use some.
“The Executor is here,” I say, not bothering to ease into the reason I’m here.
He surges to his feet and reaches for his holstered pistol.
“There’s no need for any weapons,” I say. “She’s here to issue her formal challenge.”
He blanches even paler than normal. “Are we going to have to fight her tonight?”
“I certainly hope not,” I say, my earlier anxiety rising to overwhelm me.
He furrows his brows as he rushes over to me and pulls me into his arms. I burrow in closer because I’m afraid this could be the last time he holds me like this. I revel in it for a few moments, closing my eyes and listening to our hearts beat in unison like they always do when we’re together. He brushes his lips against my temple and breathes in my scent.
“We’re going to be okay,” he tells me.
“You don’t know that,” I murmur as I press my cheek against his solid chest.
“No,” he says. “I don’t. But it seemed like the right thing to say.”
I lean back and smile up at him. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he says with so much warmth that it makes my heart ache.
My smile evaporates. “No matter what happens, we’re in this together.”
“Always.” His eyes are as haunted as I imagine mine are at this moment.
We separate and I lead him by the hand out of our room, and then upstairs. Aydin is still in the foyer waiting for us, and Samuel, Harrison, and Dre have joined him, and every one of them is wearing a grim expression. Anson and I move past them, and they follow in our wake as we walk outside through the front door to face the inevitable.
The driveway is crowded with a large contingent of my vampire guards forming a semi-circle around a tall pale-skinned woman with white-blond hair arranged in intricate braids along her scalp that pull it back from her face and let the soft thick waves cascade down her back. An angry red line crosses her left cheek and I can only assume it’s from one of the silver bullets Anson shot at her earlier tonight. She looks like some sort of Viking warrior, which she probably is given how ancient she’s purported to be. She’s dressed in all black with a chain mail tunic covered by a leather vest, wrist guards, and greaves that wrap around her lower legs. She even has a long broadsword in a scabbard at her waist to complete the motif. The only thing that looks out of place is the pistol holstered at her right hip. I don’t usually allow any visitors to keep their weapons while on my property, but no one would be foolish enough to ask the Executor to hand them over. Besides, she wouldn’t be any less deadly without them.
She watches me with a cool expression on her deceptively youthful and angular features as I stop at the top of the porch steps. Her pale gray eyes are devoid of any emotion whatsoever. “Are you the one called Ameera Fatali?” she asks in a smooth alto voice, her distinct Nordic accent giving it a melodic quality that’s pleasing to the ears.
“I am,” I announce, keeping my voice even despite the deep-seated fear the Executor instills in me with just her mere presence. I wasn’t kidding when I called her the vampire bogeyman. Her terrifying reputation is legendary for my kind.
She turns her attention to Anson as he comes up next to me. “And who is this?”
“I’m her consort, Anson Hale,” he says, then smirks and adds, “I see my shot hit its mark.”
“Aye,” she replies, unfazed by his attempt to goad her. “It was a good shot.” She looks at me again. “You and your consort have proven yourselves worthy adversaries.”
“By you taking potshots at us and trying to run us off the road like some kind of coward,” Anson replies with a sneer.
I stiffen, wondering if my zem?r has a death-wish tonight as I wait for the ancient vampire’s reaction to his contemptuous comment. But instead of the anger I expected, a wide grin spreads across her face and her eyes light up with genuine interest. Instead of easing my fear, it only worsens it.
“That passion will serve you well in the coming battle,” she says, eying him with what appears to be approval. “Perhaps it will be enough to turn the tide in your favor?” she adds, and I swear to God there’s a hint of hope in her voice that makes no sense. I must be hearing things.
Her unnerving gaze shifts back to me. “On behalf of the Mari Mae?tri, I extend a formal challenge to you and your consort. A trial by combat at the stroke of midnight two nights hence to prove your worthiness to be the masters of Unity city. As a token of my respect, I will allow you to choose the place and your own impartial witness.” Then she awaits my reply in stony silence.
Bloody hell, that gives us little time to convince his father to help Anson regain his magic, but it could be worse. She could have chosen tonight. All we can do now is make the most of the time we have to prepare and choose a location that will give us some kind of advantage.
I glance at Anson, my brows raised.
“Haven Hall?” he suggests with a shrug.
I suppose it’s as good a place as any. It’s large enough for a fight and out of sight from any prying human eyes. I nod in agreement, then address the Executor.
“We choose Haven Hall,” I say.
She nods once, then whirls and walks away without another word, my guards shifting out of her way before they trail after her at a safe distance. I reach out for Anson as she disappears from sight down the winding driveway toward the front gate, and he takes my hand without hesitation. Our fingers twine as our eyes meet, and the fear and uncertainty I see mirrors my own. I want to tell him that everything will be alright, that we’ll be victorious and arise stronger from the coming battle, but I can’t spit out the words. All I can do is grip his hand tight and pray we’ll both survive the oncoming storm.