As Shadows Fade

Sixteen The Negotiation

Max refused to feel guilty, though the emotion nicked at him like the tip of a blade. It nagged, but he ignored the incessant prickles and focused on the journey ahead.

This was the only damn way, the most efficient and only certain way to get the rings from Lilith. He of all people knew what she wanted. He knew how to manage her insofar as she could be managed.

Victoria didn’t.

The simple fact was, aside from him, the other thing Lilith wanted more than anything in the world was Victoria-Eustacia’s prodigy and Illa Gardella.

He glanced at Vioget, who rode next to him. They, along with Michalas, had left Prague just as dawn broke, Max slipping reluctantly from the chamber where Victoria still lay sleeping. As well she should be. It had been a very busy night after that bath. And during.

Hell. His fingers were still unsteady. Damn, and his palms grew damp at the mere memory of those last hours.

He didn’t know whether there’d ever be a repeat of a night like that again. Now his belly soured, and he thrust away thoughts of the future. One step at a time, one moment at a time.

Victoria would be damn furious when she woke to find him gone, even more bloody angry when she realized what he meant to do. His lips flattened, and he corralled his determination. Max had made his decision as he always did-the right one, the only one. He understood the repercussions.

She bloody well would have to understand and accept it. Just as he had.

She had to close that portal-and sooner rather than later, for next time there might not be a chance to rescue Wayren. Or beat those demons back.

There was no better way. She’d have to accept that.

Victoria was Illa Gardella, and she was bloody damn smart. After she got past the anger, the shock, she’d understand.

She might never forgive him, but she’d understand why.

The burn of rage and pain hadn’t subsided in the least since she left Prague, nearly a week ago.

Victoria rode like a fiend, stopping only for a few short hours of rest each night, driving Brim to keep up with her pace despite her increasing weariness. Wayren had returned to Rome at Victoria’s strong suggestion-where she might remain safe in the Consilium. They could call for her if she was needed, but Victoria wanted to take no chances with Wayren’s safety now that the Trial was over.

And Sebastian and Michalas had gone with Max.

She’d alternated between fury and relief that he’d taken them with him. He wouldn’t face Lilith alone-but how dared he circumvent her and sneak off into the night with two Venators. Michalas she could perhaps understand, for he’d worked with Max for years… but Sebastian as well?

The hope that she and Brim might overtake the others kept urging her on, but no matter how quickly they traveled, there was no sign of them, no word from anyone who might have seen the trio along the way. She wasn’t even certain where Lilith’s lair in Muntii Fagaras was, a fact she was sure Max had used to his advantage.

She didn’t want to think about what else he’d done to get the advantage. Making love to her, lulling her into complacency…

Promise me you won’t leave like that again.

I’m not going to promise that, Victoria.

No indeed. She had no illusions; Max had known exactly what he intended to do even then. Likely before they’d even arrived in Prague. In fact, she suspected he’d known from the moment he learned that they would need to obtain two rings from Lilith. Stupid, foolish Victoria not to have predicted his pattern of thought herself.

So, knowing that she’d never allow it, he’d taken the decision from her.

Damn him.

And then he’d left Brim to meet her when she came out of the chamber that still had damp marks on the floor, and to detain her from leaving right away. At least Max had had the courtesy to leave a note for her.

I’m the best person to deal with Lilith. I will obtain the rings. She won’t give them up easily.

And, as he reminded her further, in the heavy, masculine scrawl that perfectly matched his arrogance, he could have resorted to the same trick she’d done to him only a few weeks ago-using salvi to render her deeply asleep so that he could make his escape. That simple comment was meant to remind her that she too had made a similar choice, and that he’d eventually come to accept it. Forgiveness was another matter.

Forgiveness, acceptance… those were too far away for her to consider right now. All Victoria wanted was to find Max, to lay eyes-and hands, furious hands-on him and show him that there was another way.

There had to be.

But Max had planned well, which was no surprise, and by the time Victoria and Brim reached the foothills of the Romanian mountain that held Lilith’s lair, they’d encountered no one who’d seen the three Venators. And they could go no farther, for neither Victoria nor Brim knew how to find the hidden place.

“Sebastian didn’t seem to know exactly where the magical pool is,” Victoria said, shielding her eyes against the sun rising over the mountain in front of her. They’d slept from midnight until four o’clock, then risen and gone as far as they could. “He didn’t tell me its name or any other information, other than that the orb was hidden inside.”

“Max said that they would find us when they had the rings,” Brim told her. “You look like you’ve not slept in a week, Victoria. Perhaps since we can go no farther, you should rest for a bit.”

She was exhausted. And heartsick. And furious. All of which had kept her from getting any good sleep since leaving Prague. She didn’t want to rest, to waste time that could be spent searching for Max. Dragging him out of whatever situation he’d tried to put himself in.

But aside of all that, Victoria was a practical woman, and she knew Brim spoke the truth. She would be no good to anyone if she didn’t take care of herself; even Venators couldn’t go on forever at the pace she’d set.

She agreed to take a room in the village nearby, and, with one last glance out at the stark mountain rearing up to block the yellowing sky, she slept well and deeply while Brim kept watch.

The room felt stifling. Dark, warm, and red… red everywhere: in the burning fires, the cloth-draped furnishings, the dark wall hangings. Crimson swirls on maroon, twisting about cabernet and scarlet. Sebastian felt as though he’d entered a furnace. And the smell. Roses. Strong and sweet, laced with evil and desire.

“And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, my dear Maximilian?” Lilith’s eyes gleamed with pleasure. They glowed red, pure, vibrant red, and the burning irises were rimmed with blue as befit her station as Queen of the Vampires, daughter of Judas Iscariot.

Sebastian glanced at the man in question, wondering yet again how he managed it: the impassive, haughty expression that belied no discomfort even as the vampire queen’s obsession oozed through the chamber, cloaking it like heavy velvet. The way she looked at Pesaro made Sebastian’s skin crawl, and he wasn’t even the object of her gaze.

The three Venators had been met outside of the secret entrance to Lilith’s lair and brought directly in to this private chamber of hers. Of course both Pesaro and Sebastian had been recognized by her guards, and none of the undead had made any attempt on them, although they had relieved them of their stakes. This left Sebastian distinctly uncomfortable, being deep in the lair of the most powerful vampire in the world. The fact that all three of them wore the protection of the vis bulla, as well as larger cross amulets and some small vials of holy water secreted on their persons, was small comfort.

Not that he hadn’t been deep in the midst of a group of undead before, but in those situations, he’d always had the protection of Beauregard. But by causing his grandfather’s death, Sebastian had declared himself firmly in the camp of the Venators, and he no longer had the freedom to balance between the two sides.

Lilith looked exactly the same. Her long, impossibly bright coppery hair fell like burning Medusa coils over her shoulders and the pale, blue-veined skin revealed by her vee-necked bodice. Her gown looked more the style that Wayren would wear than Victoria, for it flowed long and simply against her slender figure. Lilith had obviously been an attractive woman near thirty when she was turned undead by Judas, but what had been ethereal beauty had turned into cold, marblelike skin and gaunt features. Even from where he stood, Sebastian could see on her cheek the five dark freckles that formed the shape of a crescent moon.

“I see you’ve redecorated,” Pesaro observed. “I don’t recall it being so interminably red the last time I was here.”

“I find it quite comfortable, Maximilian.” Lilith’s voice came out in a sort of purr that made nasty little needles prickle along Sebastian’s spine. “I’d be pleased to show you what I mean.”

He’d met Lilith before, of course, but every other time had been brief, and in the company of the powerful Beauregard-or, most recently, in a vicious battle beneath the streets of London. Sebastian wasn’t frightened of her, but, as anyone-mortal or undead-would be in her presence, his vigilance was at its peak.

He glanced at Pesaro, watching for signs of discomfort or weakness. Good Lord, the man must be made of stone. He showed no sign of revulsion, though he must feel it the same way Sebastian did. To be sure, Max had been around Lilith much more than he had… How could he have willingly returned?

To be the object of her obsession, to have been sequestered with her in a cloistered place such as this… how could the man have not gone mad?

“You’re aware of the growing demonic activity,” Pesaro was saying. “The Midiverse Portal is open, causing a threat to both my race and yours.”

“Don’t say you’ve come to protect me, my pet?” Lilith spoke like a simpering woman, but the glint in those dangerous eyes spoke otherwise. She had more cunning than any woman he’d ever met.

“You could interpret it that way, if you wish,” Pesaro replied coolly. He stood square in front of the chaise on which the vampire queen half reclined, as if to draw her attention to him, and keep it from the others.

Sebastian wasn’t quite sure how he felt, being thus shielded. But he took the opportunity to examine the chamber and its contents, seeking anything that could be an advantage. To his dismay, he realized nothing in the room was made from wood, so there would be no opportunity for makeshift stakes. He noted stone chairs and tables covered with an abundance of cushions and pillows, along with the chaise, which was made from slender golden rods lashed together. Bamboo, he thought it might be called.

Nothing in this room that could harm an undead-no windows to allow sunlight in, no swords to behead a vampire.

What the hell had Pesaro been thinking to bring them in here, unarmed?

“Your vampires are threatened as well as my people. They’ve been attacked by the demons, and run from their hideaways. That isn’t news to you,” Pesaro had continued.

“No, of course not.” Lilith sat upright and for the first time dropped the sultry expression that she’d adopted the moment she saw Max.

“Surely you don’t plan to step aside and watch them continue to slip from the portal into your domain here on earth.”

“It amuses Lucifer to watch us battle among ourselves,” Lilith said. Pale, bluish lips, which had once been full and sensual and likely a luscious red, twisted. “I’ve dispatched armies, but they’ve not been as successful as I hoped.”

“So here you sit, hiding in your lair?” Max said, a note of challenge in his voice. “I expected more from someone with your power. From you.”

“But, my dear Maximilian… don’t you see? I’ve barely lifted a finger, save sending a few of my most worthless minions-and here you are. You and your companions. Saviors, one and all. For mortal and undead alike.” Her eyes narrowed in delight. “And you cannot think that I’d decline your offer for assistance.”

Sebastian looked sharply at his companion. Hell. She’d been expecting them.

Instead of appearing taken aback, Pesaro lifted his chin, looking down at the vampire queen with an air of arrogance. “That’s precisely why I’ve come.”

“And here I thought it was because you missed me, my dear, mortal Maximilian.” Lilith rose smoothly, sending a renewed swell of roses wafting through the air. Sebastian thought he might choke.

In an instant, she’d moved in front of Pesaro, her silky forest green skirts dragging across the floor in a short train. The vampire queen stood as tall as Max, taller than Sebastian himself. She reached for Pesaro, the sleeve of her gown sliding back to reveal the pale, blue-veined flesh of an impossibly thin arm. Looking at the unfortunate man, trying to capture him with her enthralling gaze, she curled her skeletal hand around the back of his neck, fingers sifting through the dark hair that brushed his collar.

How could he abide those hands on him? Had she enthralled him so easily with her gaze?

Sebastian watched sharply, his heart pounding harder, and exchanged a glance with Michalas. They had agreed-or, rather, been informed-that Max would handle Lilith. But now…

Pesaro continued to stand still, without even the hitch of a breath, despite the brush of bone-white flesh against his much darker skin. Sebastian watched in horrified fascination as her hand trailed down around the collar of his open shirt and along the length of his arm to grasp his wrist. She touched him as if he was her possession, as if she knew every ridge of every muscle in his body, every hair on his head.

It wasn’t until this moment, watching the sordid pantomime in front of him, that Sebastian fully understood the sacrifice Pesaro had made in coming here.

And in leaving Victoria behind. Safe.

Damn. Grudging respect for Max Pesaro was not one of Sebastian’s favorite emotions.

He could see that Lilith had her long fingers closed around Max’s wrist, and then her fangs came out as she reached for his jaw with her other hand, pressing her body intimately up against his.

“You cannot know how pleased I am that you’ve returned to me,” Lilith said, reaching up to touch Max’s cheek with a sharp nail.

That was when he moved. Suddenly, sharply, efficiently.

One moment Lilith had him in her grasp, seemingly overpowered, ready to sink her fangs into his corded neck… and the next, Max had her caught neatly by the wrists. He bared his teeth in a humorless smile and then shoved her away from him. “I think not.”

Sebastian braced himself for a furious onslaught from Lilith and the four vampires he’d spotted, lurking deep in the shadows and behind the draped wall hangings.

But to his surprise, Lilith caught her balance, remaining on her feet, and instead of fury blackening her face, he saw delight. Pure, unadulterated delight… followed by a bit of confusion.

“You’ve returned,” she said in wonder. “You’ve returned as a Venator, my dear Maximilian.” She smiled, and the bald lust in her expression made Sebastian’s belly tighten unpleasantly. “I thought it was impossible, but… here you are.”

“Obviously your taint in my blood could not withstand divine will,” Pesaro replied.

Lilith pursed her lips into a little moue that Sebastian might have found intriguing if it weren’t on her. “I shan’t complain, Maximilian. To have you back in such magnificent form… I must admit, I was a bit bored with the mere man you’d become.”

“Anything to destroy your hold on me.”

“That is what makes you endlessly fascinating to me, my pet. In all my centuries of nonliving, it’s you who’ve intrigued me to no end.”

“Now that we’ve established your… er… fascination, if I might be so bold as to use the word… perhaps we might get on to business,” Pesaro said. “We’ve come because we need the two Rings of Jubai. As you know, the Midiverse Portal has cracked or somehow been breached, and the only way to close it is with Tached’s Orb.”

“Of course. But you need all five rings to reach inside the enchanted pool,” Lilith replied thoughtfully. “I fixed that truly well, did I not? Unfortunately, three of the rings are lost, which has precluded me from doing the same.”

Pesaro didn’t speak, and it was only the breath of a moment before the vampire was looking up at him in surprise. “And you have the other three? In your possession?”

“We need only the two rings. It will benefit your race as well as man.”

“And you think that we should join forces, Maximilian? Mortal and undead? To save the world from those nasty demons?” With a crafty, sidelong look, Lilith turned. Her movement was an energetic swish, molding her skirts to the boyish curves of her emaciated body.

Sebastian had a sudden mental image of how that body would appear naked, and he swallowed hard. He hoped to God Pesaro had never been faced with such a travesty. But, he realized, it was an unlikely hope. Dear God.

“As I said, it would benefit both of us.”

“And so you expect that I might simply give you the rings, and allow you to rush out and save the world?”

“It would save you from losing more of your followers-at least to the demons. After all,” Pesaro added with a lift of his chin, “we dispatched quite a few of them in Prague only last week. Your numbers are growing fewer.”

Lilith paced, her gown swirling, her gaze continuing to return to Max, and then skittering quickly over to Sebastian and Michalas. The very touch of her attention on Sebastian sent a disgusting chill over his body, and he wondered again how Max had become so inured to her.

“And what of Illa Gardella?”

Pesaro remained silent.

Sebastian felt Lilith’s rising frustration, and he glanced at Max. Max had made it clear to him and Michalas that they were to allow things to unfold as they would without interfering.

Lilith walked toward Pesaro again, reaching for his arm. This time, she seemed prepared for him to react, and he moved easily to block her reach. They faced each other for a moment, ironically, like lovers whose embrace had been thwarted, and then Lilith stepped back.

“I’ll give you the rings… but I want something in exchange.”

“The safety of your race will be your prize. We’ll take the risks, fight the battle. You need do nothing but watch.”

Lilith laughed, a low, knowing one. “Very nice try, Maximilian. You know what I want.”

A beat of silence. Sebastian felt tension lift in the room.

“And if I refuse?” Max said quietly.

“Then you must find another way to free the orb from the enchanted pool. And while you search, and that fairy-headed angel studies book after book, writ after writ… and while you try new ways to breach the glass of that pool… more and more demons will slip free… and well, now, Maximilian, we both know what would happen then. Your lovely Illa Gardella will fight and fight, but the demons will simply keep coming until she dies. Oh, yes, and many others of your race will perish as well. We cannot forget that.”

Sebastian couldn’t remember ever feeling such loathing, such deep disgust. She was playing them, of course. He looked around the room again, in vain, for something that could be used as a weapon against her. Nothing but the cross around his neck-which would hold Lilith off for perhaps a minute or two- and two small vials of holy water inside the hem of his trousers.

Damn Pesaro and his blasted leadership and negotiation. They weren’t going to get what they wanted, and the three of them had little means to fight against Lilith and her guards. Even if somehow they succeeded, then they’d have to actually find the rings.

Not the best odds.

“So what will it be, Maximilian my pet?”

“Yet another impossible choice you offer me.”

“Come now, my dear. It won’t be so terrible.”

“I do believe it would, in fact.”

Lilith laughed. “Again, how you delight me. That lovely mix of pleasure and pain, arrogance and sensuality. How I’ve missed it.” Then she sobered, that cunning look slanting her eyes again. “And if you refuse, and you leave here… Of course, I’ll let you leave, my dear. I find the hunt a good part of the fun, you know. And now that I know you’re truly worth hunting again…”

She turned and paced back to her chaise, settling on it once again like a princess who was about to receive a great gift. “If you leave without the means to close the portal, you know what awaits the world. Your race. You won’t be able to beat them back, of course. And… don’t forget your Illa Gardella. She’d be in the very middle of it all, wouldn’t she?”

“You’d part with the rings, then.”

“You know I would. As you say, it would be to my benefit. In several ways. You, my pet, for eternity… in exchange for the rings.”

Pesaro nodded then, a sharp acquiescence, and it was at that moment that Sebastian realized this had been his plan all along. He’d known he’d never leave, but that he’d need to bargain himself for the two rings.

Sebastian opened his mouth to protest, but Max seemed to know, and he turned to silence him.

“As you wish,” said Lilith with distorted kindness. “One moment while I retrieve them for you.” She stood with another dramatic sweep of silk and beckoned to a pair of guards, standing in the dark corner. She then moved over to what appeared to be a plain stone wall. But she spoke in an ancient tongue and moved her hand over it. A small door appeared, through which she stepped.

Moments later, she returned, closing the door, which again melded so well into the designs on the wall that Sebastian wasn’t certain he’d be able to find it again, even though he’d just seen it open. They would never have found the rings themselves.

But now that they had them, surely Pesaro intended for them to fight their way out?

As Lilith approached Sebastian, offering the two copper rings, he saw the pair of Guardian vampires move toward Pesaro. As Sebastian took the rings from Lilith, he heard the dull clank of metal. Turning, he saw the heavy bands as they were fastened about Max’s wrists.

He realized belatedly that there was no way to fight out of the room. They were outnumbered by four Guardians, plus Lilith. They had no weapons, nothing to use for them. And if they tried and failed, the rings would stay… and so would they. Either as corpses or guests of the vampire queen.

Neither of which appealed to Sebastian.

As if reading his mind, Pesaro looked at him as the two Guardians pulled him by the chains. “Take the rings. Go. Close the portal. There is no other way.”