Chapter 8
Tobias
The night’s events had taken their toll on Tobias, who had pushed himself so far past his own limits, he didn’t know if he could find the way back.
His body felt as if it were being torn in a million different directions. This was more than losing four vampires and four mortal servants. It was also more than a skirmish in a Manhattan alley, or chaos at his nightclub in Brooklyn.
Tobias had oathed so many vampires in one night, and consumed so much blood to compensate, his body felt foreign and unfamiliar. He realized too late, even such a vast amount of blood hadn’t been enough to replenish his grasp on it all. So, all the invisible pieces were threatening to separate.
He had gone to his bedchamber in the Undead palace below Diabolus Loco, with the intention of welcoming the Fade. However, the death-slumber which always befell vampires at sunrise didn’t come.
It would have been decadent to believe he’d evolved beyond a point any vampire had reached before. Whatever phenomenal power he’d acquired in the last year, had not elevated him that much.
No, failing to enter the fade was a colossal screw-up he didn’t know how to fix. The separation at the core of his power wasn’t just dangerous, it threatened to take down the very people he’d sworn to protect. Not even he could survive such a thing.
As he lay back under the sheets, staring at the ceiling, regret threatened to consume him. He’d allowed the indulgences of grief and guilt to cloud his common sense. Why the fuck didn’t I feed again before bed? I’m old enough and experienced enough to know better, damn it.
He didn’t like to draw attention to his weakened state. If he couldn’t show strength to the Kiss, everything would start to crumble. Despite that, it seemed unlikely he’d make it to nightfall without aid. O’Brien would already be in the Fade, and Christo wasn’t answering his phone.
Rion and Will were either still fulfilling the tasks he’d set them, or sleeping.
Tobias loathed to interrupt them. The progress they could be making was vital.
So is this. I’m not okay. No matter how much I want to pretend otherwise, I need help.
He attempted to draw on the mind link he had with Lori, his primary mortal servant. It failed.
If Tobias didn’t feed adequately, his mortal servant bonds would awaken, and he’d feed unwillingly from them. Had he already drained Lori? Is that why Christo hadn’t answered the phone? Had he drained Christo too? How many servants had he affected?
Just as he prepared to open a mind link with Rion, Kitty appeared. Well fuck. That can’t be a good sign.
“Hey, why haven’t you entered the Fade?” She began. The end of the sentence trailed off as she approached the bed and realized the magnitude of the situation.
“Holy shit, you stupid ass! Why have you been shutting me out if you’re like this? I could have gotten here sooner!” She leapt onto the bed and placed a palm to his chest to weave a miracle.
“Blood,” he whispered.
“Damn it…” She hurriedly shrugged off her jacket and presented him with a bare forearm. “Why do you have to be so freaking stubborn?”
He took her wrist and drank greedily. Usually with blood as pure as an angel’s, Tobias could only tolerate a small amount before he had to stop. Usually, it was all that was required.
Angel blood was the fastest and most concentrated hit a vampire could get. It combined the nourishment of mortal blood with the instant yet temporary hit demon blood could provide. Few angels were willing to serve it on a platter like this, which made it all the more irresistible.
“Whoa, slow down or you’re going to make yourself sick.” Her expression implied she intended to chase the statement with one of her usual sarcastic retorts. Whatever she saw in his gaze derailed everything. “Tobias…” she murmured.
He withdrew from her vein and licked the wound closed. “I’m sorry, darlin’,” he said quietly.
“Why didn’t you call someone?” She asked in disbelief. “Or, do what you usually do and draw blood to get my attention…?”
“I was okay, and then I wasn’t. It came on really fast and my brain got foggy. I tried to reach Christo. I also tried to mind link with Lori. Are they all right?
“As far as I know. Lori passed out after my brother rocked her world a little too hard, it wasn’t anything to do with you.”
Tobias skipped from panic to relief so fast, unexpected laughter erupted from deep in his chest.
Kitty laughed too and lay down beside him on the bed. “We lead pretty fucked up lives, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s for damned sure.”
For a few moments, they lay there side by side. The energy between them felt weird, but Tobias chalked it up to the mess he’d been in moments earlier, and the rush of endorphins from Kitty’s blood.
“Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if you had got there in time to stop Marquez from turning me?” He asked.
Kitty’s brows pinched together. “I don’t need a guilt trip, Martelli. Your timing is absolute shit.”
“That isn’t what I–” He groaned. “If anything, I meant the opposite. I was just thinking of everything I put you through, both recently and back when I was first turned.”
“Why? Why would you go down that path?”
Yes, why am I going there?
“What if I’m not enough?” It was the first time he’d dared to say the words out loud.
“Wow, you really did get yourself into a bad headspace. You’ll be enough, because you have to be. You always find a way. Nobody thought you’d be able to do what you’ve already done – several times. Look where you are now. Don’t let doubt get the better of you.”
He hadn’t expected such a genuine and heartfelt pep talk from Kitty. Mind you, he also hadn’t expected to start his own goddamned pity party either.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get my shit together. You can go now.”
“Nuh uh. I’m not leaving until you enter the Fade. At the least, we need to let that blood settle. I might need to weave a miracle as well.”
“Fine, stay. I can’t promise riveting conversation. My head is all over the place.”
“Accurate.” She laughed again.
Her eyes crinkled just a little at the corners, and dimples appeared as her lips stretched into a smile. She’s twice as beautiful, when she forgets she’s supposed to be mad at the world. Shit. What is wrong with me? Why am I looking at her like this?
“You okay, Vampire?”
No, I’m not. I’m anything but okay.
“I’m fine. Stop your fussing.” He rolled onto his side to look at her. “You’re good to me. You know that?”
“I sure am; don’t you forget it.” Her smile evolved into a smirk.
“I wasn’t trying to be funny. I know I must be a guardian angel’s worst nightmare. I meant what I said, and I’m grateful.”
“You’re different in here, away from everyone else,” she said suddenly.
“You mean, the way I almost threw everything I’d achieved in the toilet tonight?”
Another laugh. “No. I mean, like the man you were before Marquez came along. I was quite fond of that Tobias. Who knew he was still in there somewhere after all this time?”
Before he could even process the signals his brain was sending, Tobias closed the distance between them and kissed Kitty on the mouth. Her lips felt soft and warm, which had an electrifying effect on his libido.
With the element of surprise on his side, six seconds of ecstasy passed before she came to her senses. She gave him a shove to place distance between them and scrambled backward off the bed.
“Damn it.” She sighed and dragged both hands through her hair. “Why did you have to ruin it?” With that, she dematerialized.
Fuck. What did I do? I’ve lost my damned mind.
A moment later, Will appeared. “Hey, I – wow, nice tent.”
Tobias glanced down at the sheet covering the length of his body and noticed his obvious arousal. Frustration boiled up beneath the surface, but he forced it to retreat. Instead of reacting verbally, he used both hands to conceal the situation and glared at the angel.
“I guess that’s why Kitty sent me to keep an eye on you.” Will glanced around the room. “Who on earth were you getting lucky with? It had better not be one of Althea’s females, that’s a shit storm we don’t need.”
“No.”
“It wasn’t Lyla, was it?”
“I didn’t get lucky with anyone!” Tobias shouted.
“Ahh, a little somethin’-somethin’ by yourself. Say no more.”
“Jones! What the hell did you come here for anyway?”
“Actually, I’m not sure, but Kitty said you couldn’t be alone until you entered the Fade. She’s pretty pissed. I guess it makes sense now. I mean, nobody needs to see that.” He gestured to the bedding again.
“Could you not?”
“Are you doing okay? You seem a little stressed.”
Tobias massaged his eyelids. “I am fine. I didn’t feed adequately earlier; Kitty took care of it.”
“Mmm hmm.”
“I swear to God, Angel…”
“Maybe you should take some deep breaths, or something.”
“Vampires don’t breathe.”
“Psssh, details. How’s that Fade coming along?”
Tobias growled. “I don’t know. It’s not.”
“Huh. Weird.”
Will strode across the room to the sitting area and the false window flanked by floor to ceiling red velvet drapes. He sat in a padded leather wing chair and gazed around the room at the fire place, four poster bed, and ornate decor.
“So, this is the royal suite. Nice. Bit of a fixer upper, but it’s got potential.”
“Jones! I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Yeah you do, but it’s cool. I don’t mind. Do you need more blood? I’m happy to oblige.”
“Sure, why not,” Tobias said, for no other reason than to have Will shut the fuck up. However brief it might be for, he needed the sanity break.
Why did I kiss her? Like I needed more drama to add to the mix. I have enough going on without pulling stunts like this!