Brimstone Blues

Chapter Eleven

After breakfast, Tim waited for her by her car.

He noticed her lack of luggage. “Where are your things?”

“I’m staying at least one more day. Matthias needs to be prepared to stay here until I’m ready to leave.”

He didn’t argue with you. “I’ll follow you.”

He waited for her to pull out and was surprised to see she followed the speed limit all the way to Mammoth. Arriving early, they found an outside table at one of the cafes and sipped coffee.

She looked at the town. “Remember when we stopped here before?”

He nodded. “You and Matthias had a row while Albert and I were busy.”

“He’d given me a demonstration earlier at lunch, in Gardiner, with the waitress. Teaching me why I shouldn’t have taken control of the guard at the house.”

Robertson studied her. “Oh.” He could only imagine what Matthias did. Certainly the waitress wouldn’t have been harmed, but it seemed to have an effect on Taz.

“That’s why I was so pissed off,” she whispered. “It made me realize how stupid I’d acted, but also I was jealous. He has a whole life he lived before I was even born.”

He touched her hand. “It’s okay, Taz. He loves you. Only you. Never forget that.”

“When we got to town I was mad, but I was thinking how I’d like to walk around and explore it with Matthias.”

She jumped when Matthias gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “I can’t wait,” he said, and she looked up.

Matthias dropped his overnight bag as she stood, nearly knocking her chair over in the process, and threw her arms around him.

He buried his face against her neck, whispering her name. After a long moment she looked up at him.

“I’m sorry I left like that.”

“I understand.” He touched his forehead to hers. “Please, next time, tell me you want to leave, that you want space. I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you anything you want.”

She nodded and hugged him again.

He sat with them. She laced her fingers through his, not wanting to let go. Taz had almost dreaded the moment of his return, but now that he was with her she was glad to have him.

“So, what have you been doing?” Matthias asked.

Tim tried to conceal his smile. His timing impeccable, he waited until she took a sip of coffee. “Taz shot a bird at a bison.”

She sprayed her mouthful over the table, laughing, nearly choking.

Matthias, knowing there was more to the story considering Tim’s rare and great pleasure at telling a funny, patiently waited for Taz to compose herself. She tried to talk, dissolved in a fit of laughter, even eliciting a smile from Tim. Finally, between the two of them, they managed to get the story out, and Matthias laughed with them.

They lunched together. When Tim finally bid them good-bye, he hugged Taz and whispered in her ear, “Don’t run again, please.”

“I won’t.” She stepped away, and he squeezed her hands. They watched as he drove out of town toward Gardiner.

Matthias put his arm around Taz’s waist. “Now, about that tour through town?”

“I’d really like that.”

They put his bag in her car, and while she was sure he noticed her bags weren’t there, he didn’t say anything. He took her on a tour of town, including walking the terraces, more thermal features she didn’t get to see on their first visit.

As the day waned and shadows lengthened, he suggested dinner. They had a quiet meal together. He didn’t quiz or scold her about her trip, and eventually she fully relaxed, relieved he wasn’t upset.

After dinner they returned to the car, his arm around her waist. He made no move to ask for the keys.

“Do you want to drive?” she asked.

“If you want me to.”

She looked at the keys and handed them to him, pressing them into his palm “I’d like to relax, I think,” she said.

He kissed her. “Okay.”

During their drive she rested her hand on his leg, glad to have him back. He eventually broke the silence. “How long do you want to stay?”

“I’m not sure. I know we’re going to London, I’m not trying to get out of that. I just need a couple more days. Okay?”

He nodded and patted her hand. “If we’re staying, would you mind if I play tour guide? We didn’t get to do much of that before.”

She couldn’t resist his playful half smile. “What do you have in mind?”

He shrugged. “I’ve spent a lot of time here. I love this place, and not just because it’s traditionally been a place of safety for us, either. It’s beautiful, powerful, raw, uncensored. Animals in front of you, not in cages, not in carefully constructed pens made to look natural. It’s real. Dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“As in it’s not an amusement park.”

She nodded.

“So?” he asked.

“You still didn’t answer my question.”

He smiled. “Do you trust me?”

She studied him. She hadn’t tried to read him since he arrived and hadn’t felt a probe from him, either. “Yes. I do trust you.”

He squeezed her hand again. “We must get up very early tomorrow. Is that okay?”

She nodded. “Sure.”

Taz didn’t know what to expect from Matthias at the cabin. He retrieved his bag from the trunk and followed her. Inside he set it on the floor, and after she had the door locked, he held out his arms. She willingly went to him. He held her for several long minutes.

Finally, she said, “I missed you, Matthias. I’m sorry I left.”

He kissed the top of her head. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is you’re safe and you’re here and I’m with you. I don’t care about anything else.”

She took a long, shuddering breath. “I think I’m losing my mind.”

He held her so he could look in her eyes. “Why?” Her eyes brimmed with tears, and he sat her on the bed. “Taz, tell me, please. Let me help. I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”

She shook her head. “I feel like Rafe is still alive. I keep hearing his voice in my head. Then weird things, like that night at the hotel, that was the last straw. It was like I wasn’t in control of myself, like someone else was pulling the strings. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

He pulled her to him. “It’s okay. You’re upset. You’re grieving. You’re also going through a lot of changes right now—”

“If you try to tell me about the birds and the bees, big guy, I’ll slug you.”

He laughed. At least her snark was still intact. “You’re probably tapping into other people’s thoughts and memories without realizing it. Your powers are growing, expanding, as you use them. It’s like any other skill, or muscles, the more you use them, the better developed they become. That takes quite a lot out of a person. And it’s messing with your head.”

“That’s the understatement of the year.”

“You need time for this adjustment.”

He refused to rush her, let her set the pace. Eventually, she began to drop her mental barriers a little. Not all the way—she was still holding back. He didn’t want to overwhelm her. He was content to take as long as she needed to heal.

Just to have her by his side again was a blessing.

She reached out and touched his face. “You’re willing to put up with a crazy woman?”

He took her hand, pressed it against his lips, kissed her palm. “You put up with me. I would say I’m getting the better end of the bargain.”

“I just…I feel like I’ve turned you into some sort of doormat or something.”

“Never. Remember, I have several hundred years of age on you. I have a perspective on this far different from yours.”

She stroked his cheek. “How did I get so lucky to find you?”

“I am the lucky one, cara.” He could stare into her eyes forever. Gladly lose himself in them. “Let me make a quick call,” Matthias said.

She went to the bathroom while he did. When she returned, he sat, dressed, on the bed, thumbing through his BlackBerry.

“All set?” she asked.

“We need to leave here by three thirty tomorrow morning. I’m sorry so early, but we’ve got to go all the way up to Tower.”

“Really?”

“Can I surprise you?”

She smiled. “Okay. I won’t ask.”

They undressed and curled up together like spoons. She fell asleep almost immediately. He closed his eyes and inhaled, glad to be with her again. That’s all that mattered. He soon fell asleep, holding her, content.

Matthias awoke by three and gently nudged her. “Taz, time to get up.”

She rolled over to face him, nuzzled him, scooting closer. He was tempted to stay in bed, but it would ruin the surprise.

He kissed her neck, gently nipping her earlobe. “Darling, we must get up.”

She mumbled something as her hand brushed his crotch. He jumped and laughed. “That’s not exactly what I meant, sweetheart.”

He finally coaxed her eyes open and got her to sit up and turned on the bedside lamp. She blinked, rubbing her eyes.

“There’d better be coffee waiting,” she halfheartedly grumped.

“You’ll get some soon. Want a shower?”

She nodded, and he started the water warming. She was still sitting in bed when he returned. “Come on, love.” He took her by the hand and led her to the bathroom.

She finally started waking up. By the time she was dressed and in the car she was capable of coherent speech. She let him drive but was dozing again before they reached West Thumb.

Probably for the best.

By the time they were north of Canyon, she was awake again—sort of. When they pulled into the parking lot of the ranger station at Tower-Roosevelt, she was conscious. A young ranger walked out and greeted them, handing them both cups of coffee.

“Just in time, Matthias,” he said.

Matthias introduced her. “Taz, this is Arlo Grunyon.”

She sipped her coffee. “Coooofffffeeeee,” she mumbled. Then she remembered they weren’t alone. “Sorry. Hi.”

Arlo smiled. “I know it’s early, but it’s the best time of day. Ready?”

Matthias nodded. They followed him to a Park Service truck. With Taz seated between the men, they set out.

She didn’t ask where they were going. All she cared about was the steaming cup of wonder in her hands.

God help the man who tried to part her from it.

She didn’t pay much attention to where they were going, but they left the main road. After traveling more than twenty minutes, she noticed dawn touching the skies to the east, but it was still dark in the valleys.

They finally parked near the top of a hill, and Grunyon opened his door. “Ready?”

Matthias nodded. “Come on, Taz, you’ll love this.”

Grunyon retrieved a large case and a tripod from the back of his truck. Taz followed the two men to the edge of an overlook. As Matthias helped the ranger set it up, Taz realized it was some sort of scope. When they finished, Grunyon peered into the scope for several long minutes then stood back, smiling.

“Go ahead, Taz,” Matthias said. “I’ve seen this. I want you to see it.”

She looked at him, but took her place behind the scope. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, then—

She gasped. “Wolves!”

The ranger nodded. “Aren’t they gorgeous?”

Taz breathlessly watched for several long minutes before a crick in her neck forced her to stand up. Matthias took a turn, then stepped back for the ranger.

“They’re down there,” Matthias pointed. As the light slowly changed from deep purple to grey, Taz could make them out, barely, on the valley floor. A pack of about five wolves, but she wasn’t sure if they were adults or pups.

He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, “Send your mind out to them.”

Taz froze, frightened. “I don’t know if I can.”

Matthias brushed his lips against her neck and murmured, “You can. Trust me. Run with them. I’ve got you.”

She closed her eyes. Before when she’d done this it had incapacitated her while her mind wandered. This time she felt a guiding touch, almost a gentle, mental nudge.

It didn’t come from Matthias.

Taking a deep breath, Taz pushed her mind out and swooped down into the valley with the pack, finding the Alpha and running with him, part of him.

Matthias’ voice came to her, distant, yet clear. “That’s it. Excellent.” Unlike the other times, she still felt his arms around her, holding her, and when she shifted her weight, she felt the ground solid beneath her physical feet, even while running mentally at the head of the pack.

She wanted to run forever with them, the freedom, the joy they felt as they swiftly covered the ground. Then Matthias brought her back.

“It’s time to return, cara,” he whispered.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and found herself on the overlook. The ranger watched them, his face full of shock.

“Wow!” he breathed. “Matthias, you never said—”

“And you never will, either,” Matthias warned.

Grunyon nodded. “Of course.”

Taz blinked, turned. “What time is it?”

Matthias smiled. “Just a few minutes have passed. No lost time.”

She contemplated what this meant. “Was that like what I did at West Thumb that day, when I travelled back to Old Faithful?”

He nodded. “Similar. And you didn’t lose control.”

She put her arms around Matthias. “Thank you. This was worth getting up at dark-thirty.”

He hugged her back, smiling. “I was hoping you’d think so.”

They watched the wolves for nearly an hour before returning to the ranger station to retrieve the car.

“Breakfast?” Matthias asked. She eagerly agreed, and they drove over to Mammoth Hot Springs to eat. He took them back to their cabin via the west road. As they approached Norris, she felt him tense.

“It’s okay, Matthias. Dad brought me over here the other day. I saw where it happened.”

He squeezed her hand. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“I was so close. I felt it, saw the way to die.”

“I’m so glad you didn’t. You have no idea.”

She smiled, feeling a little more settled now than she had in days. The fact that the disembodied voice hadn’t spoken lately helped a lot.

They napped at the cabin. Before lunch they took a long walk around the geyser basin.

Matthias didn’t speak, knowing she wanted to think and walk, letting her set the pace of their stroll and their conversation. She stopped at the place where she kissed Rafe and turned to Matthias, took both his hands.

“I’m sorry it happened.”

“I keep telling you, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. Let me finish.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know why I kissed him. I know you all keep telling me it was my powers that made me act like Psycho the Wonder Witch, but I have to tell you the truth. I felt like I’d met him before, like he was someone I knew. And I enjoyed it.” She paused, but he didn’t interrupt her. “I’m sorry he’s dead, and I know you don’t blame me for what happened, but I take responsibility for what I did. I’m sorry, Matthias, I really am.”

He pulled her to him. “It’s all right. I already told you I don’t blame you.” He kissed her, long, hard, and passionately. He felt her slight resistance at first, then she melted against him, into him, and returned it.

When he was sure he had her full attention again, he whispered in her ear, “You are my love, Anastazia. I know you felt a connection with him, that you loved him, and I don’t begrudge it. Especially now. I don’t claim to have all the answers. One day, you’ll be able to make sense of it, I promise.”

“How can you just forgive me like that?”

“It’s not a matter of ‘just’ forgiving you. Again, I’ve seen a lot in over six hundred years. I have a perspective that you do not. Trust me to know my feelings and my heart.”

Taz didn’t want to pull her gaze away from his. No disembodied voice tormented her, and maybe now she’d remember her kiss with Matthias in this exact spot. Not that she wanted to forget Rafe, but she had to move on.

“Let’s go eat,” she suggested.

“Lunch?” he asked, with a playful smile.

She hesitated, then gently shoved him. “Yes, lunch. Pervert.”

“You love it.”

She hooked her arm through his, enjoying the solid feel of his body beside her. “Yes, I love you.”

She wasn’t in a romantic mood by the time they returned from lunch. Not because of anything he said or did, but because she felt crampy. She cuddled next to him in bed, and he took the time to talk with her. “What do you want to talk about?”

She thought about it. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? “What’s going to happen to Caroline?”

“I don’t know. Before you yell at me for that answer, I truly don’t. I’m guessing your question is, will they execute her?”

She nodded.

“Sometimes, in extreme cases such as this, especially since she’s taken a life with her own hands, it is best the rogue is executed. It hasn’t happened for a long time, well over forty years, but it has happened.”

“Who makes that decision?”

“The Tribunal. They’ll hear our testimony, and Tim and Albert, and those who were there. Remember, several members of the Tribunal were at the meeting.”

“Oh, great,” she groaned. “Fan-fucking-tastic. They’ll hate me.”

“No, Taz. They were upset at first, but once they realized what happened, they understood.”

“How will they kill her?”

“The traditional method was beheading, but that was, as I said, a while ago. Now we have drugs that can do the same thing. I would imagine if they choose that sentence, that is what will happen.”

“And if they don’t choose to execute her?”

“We have a special prison. No Harry Potter jokes, please,” he said before she could get that far.

She fell quiet for a while. “Can I ask you about your wife?”

He tensed but knew it was a conversation that had to happen sooner or later. “What do you wish to know?”

“What was she like?”

He closed his eyes, felt Taz’s warm body in his arms. She was here, real. He could do this. “Sarah was a lot like you in many ways. She was very strong willed, and I think that’s one of the things that drew me to her.”

“Why’s that?”

He tried to picture Sarah’s face, hear the voice of his long-dead love. “Back then it was expected women did what they were told. Strong-willed women were frequently labeled witches.”

“Why wasn’t she?”

“Her family was well connected, and she was very smart. She had three brothers. Since her family was rich, they could afford private tutors. She learned along with them.”

“She was already ahead of the bell curve.”

He nodded. “She could get her hands dirty if necessary, like any peasant. She didn’t tolerate injustice. Her parents were very well-liked, fair people. They had money but treated others justly.”

“Because of that she was given more leeway?”

“Exactly.”

“Where did you meet?”

“I was hunting with another cousin. We came across her while she was riding, and she challenged us to a race.”

“Really?”

“I chased her for a year before she finally said yes.”

“Love at first bite?”

He started to continue, realized what she meant, and laughed. “My story to tell.”

“Sorry.”

“I married her when I was seventeen. She was sixteen.”

“You were babies!”

“Not back then. Remember, it was a long time ago. We were nearly middle aged by then.”

“True.”

“I didn’t know about my family history. My father was waiting to tell me. He was away visiting family. We married while he was gone.”

“Oh, naughty!”

He sighed. “I was seventeen, a horny teenager.”

“Let me guess, she was more than willing to let you ravish her?”

“Father was very upset when he returned, but what was done couldn’t be undone. Not that we would have annulled the marriage even if we could. Needless to say, I didn’t believe him at first.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “Then he gave me a demonstration that convinced me.”

“If it was anything like the demonstration you gave me with the waitress at Gardiner, I bet it was a doozy.”

He nodded. “I am my father’s son. Let’s just say Sarah wasn’t hurt, and he got his point across.” Boy, did he.

“Did she know? About you being a vampire?”

“We did tell her. She was willing to keep my secret. She loved me.”

She didn’t want to ask about the children, but she didn’t have to. He willingly continued. “Michael was our firstborn. He lived one month. I suppose now it would be called a SIDS death, but it’s difficult to say. Mary, our second child, lived two days, was very weak at birth.” He grew quiet. “Sarah died during childbirth with Thomas, our third. He was a breech birth and she hemorrhaged very badly. A lot of women died during childbirth back then. Even more children never made it to their first birthday.”

“I’m so sorry, Matthias.”

He hugged her. “It was a long time ago. Over five hundred and fifty years ago. I went to live with Father’s parents for a while. My grandfather, Tobias, especially, kept me going. He helped me develop and hone my skills. Eventually, I found my will to live. And here I am.”

“And here you are,” Taz whispered.

She dozed in his arms, and now that those memories had been stirred, he couldn’t help revisiting them.

Yes, he truly was his father’s son.

Livid didn’t begin to describe Michael Hawthorne’s mood when he returned and found his only child had married in his absence. At first, Matthias thought it was because his father didn’t like Sarah.

“You are a bloody idiot! How could you be so irresponsible?”

“You never told me when you were returning, Father. I didn’t know if you’d be gone a month or a year or ten. You left me in charge, and if you trusted me with our land and holdings, how can you deny me this?”

“Because—” Michael Hawthorne dropped his voice when he realized he was screaming. “Because, Matthias, we are not like other people. We cannot go randomly marrying whomever we choose.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We have a unique bloodline in our veins. We are not like other people.”

Matthias didn’t like the look in his father’s blue eyes. “What are you saying?”

Michael moved in close, his face inches from his son. “We are vampires,” he whispered. “Did you not think it odd on your wedding night that you bit your bride?”

Matthias’ face registered shock and disbelief. How could he have known? “What?”

Michael nodded. “You need a demonstration? Fine.” He hooked his hand around his son’s arm and dragged him through the door to the dining room where Sarah sat at the table waiting for them. She’d been crying, and the sight nearly broke Matthias’ heart.

“Son, you sit there and don’t you move.”

His father’s eyes blazed. Matthias felt compelled to obey.

Michael turned to Sarah and fixed his vivid blue eyes on her. “Stand, girl.”

Her full attention was on her father-in-law. As if dreaming, she slowly rose to her feet.

Michael held out his hand. “Come here to me.”

Matthias wanted to stand, his heart pounding, but found he was unable to move from his chair. Michael looked at his son.

“I am about to show you why I am so upset. To prove to you what I am saying so you understand. I was going to tell you upon my return, but unfortunately you have complicated our lives.” He returned his attention to Sarah, who now stood before him. “Do you love Matthias?” he asked.

“Yes, Father.”

“Would you do anything for him?”

“Yes, Father.”

“Would you hold secrets that could mean your death if you didn’t reveal them?”

“Anything.”

He nodded. “Kneel before me.”

Matthias struggled to stand when his father fixed his eyes on him again. “You stay right there, Matthias. You will learn what your lack of self-control might have cost us all. Perhaps in the future you will remember this lesson and it won’t bear repeating.” He looked at Sarah, who was now on her knees before him. “Have you lain with any man besides my son? Tell me the truth.”

She blushed but shook her head. “No.”

“What you learn in this household, you must never repeat to anyone, not even your own blood kin. To do so will cost us our lives. Are you prepared to bear that burden?”

“Yes.”

“Stay where you are, girl.” He walked around her to stand behind Matthias. Sarah’s back was to them. “Matthias, we are vampires. Whether you wish to believe it or not, it’s what and who we are. Fortunately we do not feed on blood to live, but as you yourself experienced on your wedding night, sometimes there is a desire we cannot slake except through our true love. You have powers you’ve never dreamed of, boy, and with those powers come great responsibility, to protect those around us, those we love, and to never abuse others beneath us.”

“You’re mad!”

“Then why not stand and prove me wrong?”

Matthias struggled to stand and couldn’t. “What have you done to me?”

Michael’s eyes narrowed. “I am demonstrating to you just a small fraction of what we are capable of.”

“Is she going to turn into a hideous creature because of what I did?”

Michael’s smile was sad. “No, son. The legends are just that. We are born the way we are. Sunlight does not harm us, as you yourself are proof. Those like you and I are very strong and can chain people to our will. Some of your children, should you have any, might be born with some of the traits.”

Reality tried to reassert itself, and Matthias struggled against the chair but still could not stand. “I don’t believe you! You’re insane!”

“Am I?” He leaned in close. “Do you think your wife would ever willingly approach another man?”

Matthias’ heart went cold. “No. Never! She loves me!”

His father’s eyes were two hard, narrow slits. “Yes, she does, but even love cannot overcome the type of power you and I wield over others.” He straightened. “Sarah, remove your frock.”

Matthias gasped. “No!”

Michael stilled him with a look, and now Matthias could neither stand nor speak. His father’s eyes remained on him while Sarah began working on her garments.

Horrified, Matthias could only watch as his wife undressed. Not eagerly, the way she had when they were in bed together, but as if struggling against the command. From the way her shoulders shook and her head was bent, he suspected she was crying.

Matthias frantically shook his head and Michael straightened, his eyes never wavering from his son. “Sarah, stop.”

Her movements immediately stilled, but she still silently cried.

“You can move and speak, son.”

Now that he could, Matthias had no words to say. Michael leaned in again. “I cannot honestly say if she loves you or not. I pray that she does. The fact that it took her a year to say yes to you is proof she has an incredibly strong will. It is far too easy for us to accidentally enslave an unwitting heart to our desires. I am over one hundred years old, and you will most likely live at least as long. When you lose her to time, you might one day wish to love again and you must remember to never use the powers you have to force someone to love you. Ever. And you must ensure she understands that she holds our very survival between her lips if her tongue wags.”

Michael stood and walked to the door, his back to the young lovers. Without turning, he said, “Sarah, this never happened. I have not yet returned. You and Matthias were preparing to retire for the evening.” With that, he left.

Matthias slumped in his chair, his head in his hands. Sarah looked around, confused. When she saw Matthias she rushed to him.

“What is it? Are you ill?”

He looked at her, her deep-green eyes, and knew he was the one enslaved, not her. He pulled her into his lap and kissed her deeply, loving her, his father’s words ringing in his ears.