I rein in my temper. He's impossible to deal with. I don't know why I thought I could make him understand that he is responsible for what happened to Rachel. He's responsible for every human who is harmed by a vampire in Denver. It's time for a new approach. Maybe I can use what he wants to reach a bargain.
I can see through the windows that a storm is brewing in the distance, flashes of lightning in far-off clouds. The countryside is bathed in black and blue. Within this huge mansion are inner rooms that the sunlight can't touch, where Valentine remains during the day, but he obviously likes being able to see the night. And why not? He is its king.
"You requested the meeting," I remind him.
"Yes." Valentine swirls his goblet of blood. He seems larger than before, as if he's fed off the night and grown, preparing for his son's rebellion. I remind myself that Victor doesn't want violence, that he'll ask his father to take the Thirst seriously or step down. But looking at this ancient vampire, I realize that seems ever more impossible. Valentine doesn't listen to reason, and he will cede control only when he's no longer breathing. God, how could Victor ever hope to defeat someone as powerful as the Bloody Valentine? An image flashes in my mind: Victor with a stake through his heart, having failed against his father.
Focus. Don't give anything away.
"You should have seen an increase in the amount of blood that was delivered last Friday," I say. The Teen Initiative is making a difference. "And even more so when we deliver this week's allotment. Not double, but we're getting there."
"That's fine," Valentine says, uninterested.
The roaring fire crackles, hitting a weak spot in the wood, and it spits out new light, revealing the lord's face, so comfortable in shadow. Valentine's looking straight into my eyes for the first time. He's reading me. I see it for only a moment, but the feeling seems to last forever.
This revelation takes me by surprise, and I wait for something: for him to speak, for me to, for Victor to rush in and challenge his father. The silence is drawing out, and I don't know what to do....Then I get control of myself. I've been trained to negotiate. I've been trained to read subtle nuances in vampire body language. What the Agency didn't teach me, my parents instilled in me. I know it's risky, but I'm tired of being afraid. "Does your son enjoy the city?"
He releases a low chuckle. "Victor—"
"Not Victor," I interrupt, knowing it's poor etiquette, but not really caring. "Your other son. The one the Agency doesn't know about."
His gaze hardens. "And yet you seem to know about him."
"It's my job to know everything about you. And even if it wasn't, I would want to know. Someone of your influence and power fascinates me." Vampires use seduction to gain what they want. Maybe I can do the same. Stroke his ego. Lure him into revealing things he wouldn't otherwise.
"That child is banished and forgotten," Valentine says. "His name unspoken for over a hundred years. And it shall remain that way. Forever."
"I see...."
Valentine grows momentarily angry, but then a wicked smile begins to form.
"I assume Victor told you about him."
"I have various sources of information."
"There's no need to lie," he says, nearly chuckling. "In fact, Victor is what I wish to speak about. He fascinates you, doesn't he? I saw it the moment he stepped into this room not long ago. Your eyes refused to leave his, despite my presence." Before I can answer, he continues. "I do worry about him, though. Victor gets these ideas in his head." He's speaking slowly and deliberately.
"Ideas, m'lord?" I ask, playing along, trying to stall until I find a way out of this.
"Victor's still a boy in many ways. Always wanting what he can't have. Always thinking he knows best."
"I'm sure, in time, he'll find his way."
"Have you found your way, Dawn? You are the first to stand up to me so brazenly. Now I must decide if that makes you an asset or a threat."
It seems as if the fire has stopped making noise, and the moon's covered by clouds. I think the world's gone silent and dark, and it's just me and the Bloody Valentine and this dance of words.
"I'm a delegate. And I'm very happy serving the city of Denver."
He considers this, swirling his drink before downing it all in one massive gulp.
"I've spent a thousand years reading humans and their lies. Every human lies the same way, and always for the same reason. They lie out of fear of what will happen if the truth is discovered."
My truth will cost me everything, and he knows it. This isn't some scare tactic to get more blood from the Agency; nor is it something to keep me in line. Valentine knows Victor is up to something; he might even know more than that. He might know everything. He's an Old Family vampire; he has eyes and ears everywhere. He's avoided the stake for a thousand years by being cautious, by looking behind every shadow and every curtain.
"How often do you see Victor?" Valentine asks.
I can't lie to him. I'm not that good. But maybe … maybe I can bend the truth just enough.
"I've seen him only a handful of times."
"And what does he say to you?"
"Nothing of interest."
"Everything is of interest to me, Dawn." This is spoken so quickly that I think this entire conversation has been mapped out, as if he got the script before I did. He knows every twist and turn I'll try to make.
"We speak of the blood supply and other matters concerning the citizens of the city," I say.
"What could he possibly care about the lives of humans?"
"He merely wants to ensure a steady supply of blood to the countryside."
Valentine lets out a small chuckle. "You make him sound soft."
"No, Lord, I didn't mean—"
"Do you think that's what I wanted to hear? Are you telling me the truth, Dawn? Or are you humoring me?"
"I have no reason to lie to you, Lord Valentine."
"You have every reason to lie to me. Because I already know the truth, and I know why you're so scared of it. I can hear your heart beating, Dawn. It's faster than it was two minutes ago. I can hear the blood pumping through your veins, faster and faster, even as I speak these words."
I release the breath I've been holding, and it's staggered and choked. Valentine chuckles at that, too.
I fear I've seen my last sunrise when Valentine stands up. He's enormous. I've never seen him out of his chair. What Victor yields in silent power, his father commands in awesome presence. One look at the Bloody Valentine and I hear the screams of millions.
He walks over to me, every step unnervingly quiet. I stay seated, facing forward, like a good schoolgirl, but all the while I'm debating when to make my move. I'm not going to go down easily, not without a fight, not without making him regret he ever set eyes on me. All I have to do is reach inside my boot and grab my stake. He stands behind my chair, and when he speaks his voice vibrates through my chest like a grand orchestra.
"I can make dreams come true, Dawn. I can make dreams come true, Dawn. I can give you every piece of gold, every suitor, and every star in the sky. You will never want for anything. Servants will tend to your every need. I can make your life an endless ecstasy."
He reaches around me, and his large fingers slowly brush my jawline and run down to the metal collar around my neck.
"I can give you immortality. I can give you eternal beauty, eternal life. I can give you everything you've ever wanted."
He cups my chin like I am a tiny doll.
"I can also make your nightmares come true. You cannot begin to fathom the suffering I am capable of delivering. Not only to you, but to everyone you've ever touched. Rachel. Vivi. Jeff. Michael. I can give them immortality, just to torture them for eternity."
He withdraws his hands, and the only thing I see is the coming storm through the window.
"But there is no need for unpleasantness between us. You just have to acknowledge that your loyalty lies with me, that you and the people of Denver stand to gain the greatest benefit by bowing before me. I know Victor can be very convincing when he gets caught up in his grand dreams. He's had hundreds of years of practice in luring young girls into falling into his hands. But he hasn't been the same since the war. It warped his mind. His dreams will lead only to nightmares."Another drawn-out silence, a calculated one in which Valentine lets me absorb everything he's said. The dangers of staying quiet, the rewards of exposing Victor's plan. I focus on steadying my pulse.
"So, Dawn … what does my son speak to you about?"
I say it before my next heartbeat. "Nothing of interest, sir."
I brace for his massive hands to reach down and strangle me, snapping my neck, or for his fangs to penetrate my skin. But they don't come.
Valentine takes his seat again, and when I finally look over, his eyes are covered in shadow and the entire moment seems like it never happened.
"I believe we are finished for the evening, Miss Montgomery."
"Very well, m'lord."
With as much dignity as possible, I rise and stride from the room.
When I get to my apartment I strip off my clothes, nearly ripping them in two. Then I take the hottest shower of my life. I scrub hard to get Valentine's touch off me. I shudder, thinking about it, and how unsettling his closeness was. I'd grown overconfident, thinking I could play him, could get information from him. Who am I, with only seventeen years of life, to compete with someone who has had more than a thousand?
When I step out of my bathroom wearing flannel pants and a tank top, I discover Victor standing by my bed. The next thing I know his arms are around me, holding me close. I'm inhaling his scent, feeling his warmth.
"I just heard," he says, his voice deep with concern. "I didn't think you were seeing my father until this Sunday, that I'd have a chance to confront him before you ever had to meet with him again."
"He requested that I come out tonight. I thought I could play his game, Victor, but I'm a novice and he's a master. I've never been so scared."
Victor threads his fingers through my hair and tilts my head back so he can gaze deeply into my eyes. "Did he hurt you?"
"No," I reassure him. "No. But he knows you're up to something."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Breaking free, I begin pacing the room. I tell him everything, even the offer Valentine made me to betray Victor.
Victor sits on the bed, a worried scowl on his handsome face. "I'm almost positive he's responsible for the Night Watchmen who attacked us at the theater. Somehow he must have figured out where I was, given them my location."
"You're his son. You think he would try to kill you?"
"If he saw me as a threat—no question." He looks up, meets my gaze. "We're a bloodthirsty breed, Dawn. My father rules the council that is made up of the heads of the Old Families. It's not because of his impeccable manners."
A chill goes through me. "So what are you going to do?" I ask.
Victor stands up. "I shouldn't be here. I've put you in danger."
I take a step toward him. "No, no. Your father did that when he insisted that I become the delegate."
Reaching out, he trails his fingers along my cheek. "You're the bravest person I've ever known."
It's a cheesy line, but I can't help blushing a little.
"Anyone else would've given me up," he says.
I stare into Victor's eyes and see all the things worth fighting for. A better world for vampires and humans. That's why I didn't give him up.
And maybe another reason motivated me. An emotion I don't want to acknowledge.
"You avoided my question," I remind him. "What are you going to do?"
"Finish our preparations. Confront him tomorrow night."
"I want to go with you."
"No. This is vampire business, Dawn. If you're there, I'm likely to be distracted. I can't afford to show any weakness."
I don't like it, but I understand. "Get word to me as soon as you can, so I know you're okay."
He gives me the smile that I've come to cherish, the one that reveals what's in his heart.
A knocking on the front door startles me.
"Dawn! Dawn!"
And just like that, reality is crashing back in on me, and I know that what I have with Victor would never last.
"It's Michael," I say. "He's going to stay with me tonight. He and I … we're …" I drop my gaze to the floor. This is so hard. "He's—"
"Human."
With tears stinging my eyes, I lift my gaze to his and nod. "I guess I'm not so brave after all."
He gives me a sad smile. "I've never known a vampire-human relationship that didn't end in tragedy. You're wise to choose Michael."
He turns for the balcony, and I think my heart might shatter.
"Victor, if there's anything I can do to help you in your fight to overthrow your father—"
"You already have, Dawn. You've given me hope that vampires and humans can work together."
He disappears through the balcony doors. I don't follow to make sure he's gone. Instead I rush into the living room just as Michael is crashing through the door, the two bodyguards behind him. I guess Jeff neglected to give them a key.
"What the hell took you so long to answer?" he demands to know.
"Sorry. I was in the shower."
He studies me intently. "You look like you've been crying."
"No. I just got some soap in my eyes."
Looking slightly embarrassed, he glances back at the shattered lock. "Sorry about that."
I release a small laugh. "That's okay. Better to be safe than sorry."
Pulling me into his arms, he holds me tightly and rocks me back and forth. "I never want anything to happen to you."